Here are some thoughts that came to Julie and I as we rode home from New Jersey and reflected on what the Sea To Sea Tour had impressed upon us. I'm sure we missed something that will come to mind later. We just want to share these with you.
Thank you again for you support and encouragement for our adventure. It was a trip of a lifetime!! We thank God for this opportunity and His protection and the health given us for this long tour.
Hospitality
Our tour was blessed with an outpouring of hospitality. Local churches lavished us with meals, refreshments, and encouragement along the route. One particular experience stands out….the hospitality of the Good Shepard Lutheran Church in McCook, Nebraska. They had no idea of our tour coming to their community, much less camping at the YWCA lawn across the street from them for the weekend. Some of our tour members attended services there on Sunday morning and explained our tour and cause. They opened their air-conditioned building to us for sleeping on Sunday night. The temperature at 6:40 p.m. was 101 degrees. They supplied the entire tour with refreshments all day Sunday and into the night. All this at the spur of the moment. Do I show that kind of hospitality to complete strangers…no strings attached?
Taking the Church to the Streets
One pastor in his remarks referred to our tour as “taking the church to the streets”. That stuck with me. We were interacting with people of all backgrounds during our tour and giving information about our cause. They were, for the most part, encouraging, accepting, and in some cases gave monies toward our cause spontaneously. That taught me that we need to meet people were they are in life, not just give an invitation to come to church. Real people have real needs in their life. We have the Goods News of Christ to give them purpose and direction in this life and eternally, but must also understand their physical and emotional needs. We cannot just wait for people to come knocking on our church door. Engage people in everyday life.
Encouragement/Generosity
I have been blessed by the actions of so many people. Their encouraging words, cards, emails, and yes, by monies given for the cause held me up. On particularly hard biking days, I would think about all the family and friends that were praying for me and I could feel physically and emotionally the strength that I needed to complete that day. I found out I was on prayer lists at various churches along our tour route that had been assigned to people I had not even know. My picture was on a family’s refrigerator in the State of Washington as a reminder for their family prayer time. What a lesson in what encouragement can give.
Parallels of Cycling to Life;
---Hills and valleys
Life, as well as cycling, has ups and downs. There are those exhilarating days of being on top of the hill/mountain and you can feel the refreshing air blowing in your face, or the breath of Spirit refreshing your soul by a mountain top experience. You can’t wait to enjoy the ride ahead, as it is easy, fast, and seems to take little effort. In fact sometimes you need to hit the brakes, as you are just passing everything by too fast and are in danger of losing control and wiping out. But eventually you find yourself in a valley below and at times there is no refreshing breeze there. In fact, some valleys are stifling hot and oppressive. We need to be ready for those times. The valley may even be so deep that we are in shadows and feel alone and scared. We had better have enough food and drink to make it out of there. We need to be grounded in God’s Word for those times, to hold on, to have it as part of our being to hang on to and make our way out. Then there is the climb out. It will test all of your strength as your muscles and emotions cry out for relief. But trust in your training and God’s promises and you will go on to the next hilltop.
---Keep your eyes on the path
I’ve learned the hard way of what it costs to take your eyes off the road ahead during cycling. It cost me 5 days in the hospital a few years ago, a punctured lung, 2 broken ribs, separated shoulder, and concussion. The same is true in life….keep you eyes on God’s promises and your Christian pathway. Don’t trip and stumble or veer off the path.
---Follow the pace line leader
In cycling, pace lines are used to draft the bikers in a line behind the leader and break the air resistance. In one of our daily “Shifting Gears” devotionals, we were reminded of how difficult we can make it for ourselves when we leave the pace line. We just need to tuck in behind Christ, who has done it all for our sakes. We cannot do it by ourselves.
---Perseverance
No matter how hard the wind is blowing, how hot the temperature, how rough the road, we need to keep pedaling. We need to keep our focus on what Christ has done for us and push on through the difficulties of life. He is always there for us.
---Setting goals, but taking one day at a time
Our tour needed long terms goals for fund raising, completing the route, and what we needed to accomplish. To complete the end goal requires not focusing on the end, but the day you are in. Focus on completing the task of today only. “Give us THIS day our DAILY bread”.
---Community on the move
Our bike tour was a mobile community, but a community none the less. We needed to rely on each other for encouragement, help, and support. Individual goals sometimes needed to be sacrificed for helping another. We needed to overlook differences in order to accomplish the group’s goal of finishing the tour. This is a great lesson for the church.
Hope for Future
There was a large group of young people on the tour and I was encouraged by their faith and their demonstration of their faith. They were overheard at times discussing their favorite hymns and questioning the wisdom of spending lots of money on church buildings. It is good to hear that kind of conversation and gives me hope for the church of the next generations.
Land of Plenty
Touring across North America on a bike impresses you with the abundance of land, crops, and wealth displayed. There are also great differences in areas, as to what people have and standard of living. Am I sharing as Christ commands? “Do it unto the least of these and you do it unto Me”.
Simplify Life
Living out of 2 laundry baskets of all my possessions on the tour has impacted me on how I need to simplify my life. What is important in life? Turn the TV off more. What about all the things in the basement I have not used in 10 years? Slow down and enjoy this day, it is not a (rat) race. I need to be more content with what I have and not get caught up in keeping pace with what Madison Ave says I need.
Removing Barriers
The tour was in partnership with the Reformed Church in America. We had great fellowship on the tour. I need to work to break down barriers between believers in Christ’s forgiving love and sacrifice for us.
God’s Protection
As a tour, we could feel God’s protection around us. The prayers of God’s people were answered, as there were no accidents that caused permanent injury or death. There were some tour ending accidents, but all are healable in due time. Believe me, there were some frightening roads that we rode on with heavy speeding traffic and no shoulder for a bike to ride on. One day as we biked through the Dinosaur Hills area, I imagined that God’s angels were lining the hilltops watching over us. Maybe I was not imagining?!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Passes, Summits We Biked
Here is a list of the mountain passes and summits our tour climbed that that stood out as some of the hardest days.
Day 2 Stevens Pass, WA 4,061' elev.
Day 3 Blewett Pass, WA 4,102
Day 9 Deadman Pass, Cabbage Hill, OR (2,000' climb on Emigrant Rd.)
Day 20 Little Mtn. Pass, UT (Emigration Canyon Road) 6,236
Day 20 Parleys Summit, UT (I-80) 7,038
Day 22 Wolf Creek Summit, UT 9,450
Day 25 Rabbit Ears Pass, CO 9,485
Day 27 Berthoud Pass, CO 11,315
Day 27 Floyd's Hill, CO 7,900 (700-800' steep climb US40)
Day 61 High Point, NJ 1,940 (6,900 feet of climbing that day)
Pete.
Day 2 Stevens Pass, WA 4,061' elev.
Day 3 Blewett Pass, WA 4,102
Day 9 Deadman Pass, Cabbage Hill, OR (2,000' climb on Emigrant Rd.)
Day 20 Little Mtn. Pass, UT (Emigration Canyon Road) 6,236
Day 20 Parleys Summit, UT (I-80) 7,038
Day 22 Wolf Creek Summit, UT 9,450
Day 25 Rabbit Ears Pass, CO 9,485
Day 27 Berthoud Pass, CO 11,315
Day 27 Floyd's Hill, CO 7,900 (700-800' steep climb US40)
Day 61 High Point, NJ 1,940 (6,900 feet of climbing that day)
Pete.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Sussex, NJ to Jersey City, NJ
Well, this is it, the last day of the tour!!
Julie had to get to mile 19 for SAG today and everyone is getting going a half hour early today to make sure we reach the staging area, about 10 miles from Liberty State Park, by 1:00. So we were up before 5:30 and had to deal with putting away some wet bedding.
Everyone is pumped for today. It was still a 45 mile ride to the staging area, over more very hilly terrain. Is nothing level in this part of the country??! The day was again overcast until we reached the staging area and then the sun came out and it was hot and humid.
The cyclists all wore their SeaToSea jerseys today for the final ride. We were led from the staging area by a police escort, and we had a whole lane of the roads to ride 4-5 abreast. We were handed off from/to 3 police jurisdictions for the final 10 mile escort. What a great time we had hooting and hollering and celebrating enroute. We waved to everyone watching and had many cars honking for us and people waving, though they probably did not know what was going on.
We rode through tough parts of Newark and Jersey City on the way to Liberty State Park. As we approached the park we could see the Manhattan NY skyline, with the Empire State Building towering over all. It was erie, not seeing the WTC complex in the skyline.
Then as we rode through the park on the water edge, we rode by Ellis Island and the back side of the Statue of Liberty. It was then on through the park to the boat landing area, where the tire dipping ceremony as to be held. There were lots of people lining the bike path and I heard Julie calling to me. I had already passed and turned to see her. There standing next to her were our three sons, Jodi our daughter-in-law and grandkids, Jenni, Tyler, Sam, Ben and Lydia!!!!!! WHAT A SURPRISE!!!!! Julie and I had no idea they were coming to the end of the tour. It was a pretty emotional moment and I was so happy to be able to share the final end of the tour with them. This was the highlight of the tour!!!!
We did the tire dipping just after all the people gathered said the Lord's Prayer together. What an exciting moment. It still has not sunk in as to what we really accomplished as cyclists.
My family stayed for a great dinner held at the CR church in Wycoff, NJ that evening and a great celebration service held there also.
I am doing this post from a hotel as we are on our way HOME! We slept in the Christian Middle School hallway in Wycoff last night and stayed until noon Sunday to help clean up the trucks and dry our gear. The decals on the cooking trailer and semi trailer had to be removed. What a job as the decals are adhered to the trailers and pull off very hard, especially after baking on with the hot weather we had over the 9 weeks. When we left NJ, nearly all the decals had been removed, thanks to many from the tour that helped out.
I will post more final thoughts on the tour later, so check in again an a few days. Thanks for all your interest, support, and encouragement. The tour has raised over 2 million dollars to end the cycle of poverty for some people. I thank God for the health, safety, and strength I had to complete this great event.
To God be all the praise and glory!!
Love to all, P & J.
Julie had to get to mile 19 for SAG today and everyone is getting going a half hour early today to make sure we reach the staging area, about 10 miles from Liberty State Park, by 1:00. So we were up before 5:30 and had to deal with putting away some wet bedding.
Everyone is pumped for today. It was still a 45 mile ride to the staging area, over more very hilly terrain. Is nothing level in this part of the country??! The day was again overcast until we reached the staging area and then the sun came out and it was hot and humid.
The cyclists all wore their SeaToSea jerseys today for the final ride. We were led from the staging area by a police escort, and we had a whole lane of the roads to ride 4-5 abreast. We were handed off from/to 3 police jurisdictions for the final 10 mile escort. What a great time we had hooting and hollering and celebrating enroute. We waved to everyone watching and had many cars honking for us and people waving, though they probably did not know what was going on.
We rode through tough parts of Newark and Jersey City on the way to Liberty State Park. As we approached the park we could see the Manhattan NY skyline, with the Empire State Building towering over all. It was erie, not seeing the WTC complex in the skyline.
Then as we rode through the park on the water edge, we rode by Ellis Island and the back side of the Statue of Liberty. It was then on through the park to the boat landing area, where the tire dipping ceremony as to be held. There were lots of people lining the bike path and I heard Julie calling to me. I had already passed and turned to see her. There standing next to her were our three sons, Jodi our daughter-in-law and grandkids, Jenni, Tyler, Sam, Ben and Lydia!!!!!! WHAT A SURPRISE!!!!! Julie and I had no idea they were coming to the end of the tour. It was a pretty emotional moment and I was so happy to be able to share the final end of the tour with them. This was the highlight of the tour!!!!
We did the tire dipping just after all the people gathered said the Lord's Prayer together. What an exciting moment. It still has not sunk in as to what we really accomplished as cyclists.
My family stayed for a great dinner held at the CR church in Wycoff, NJ that evening and a great celebration service held there also.
I am doing this post from a hotel as we are on our way HOME! We slept in the Christian Middle School hallway in Wycoff last night and stayed until noon Sunday to help clean up the trucks and dry our gear. The decals on the cooking trailer and semi trailer had to be removed. What a job as the decals are adhered to the trailers and pull off very hard, especially after baking on with the hot weather we had over the 9 weeks. When we left NJ, nearly all the decals had been removed, thanks to many from the tour that helped out.
I will post more final thoughts on the tour later, so check in again an a few days. Thanks for all your interest, support, and encouragement. The tour has raised over 2 million dollars to end the cycle of poverty for some people. I thank God for the health, safety, and strength I had to complete this great event.
To God be all the praise and glory!!
Love to all, P & J.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Dalton, PA to Sussex, NJ
Julie and I decided to sleep in the back of the pickup last night, as it was lightly sprinkling at bedtime. At peleton last night, we had our last communion service together, in the dark, as the days are getting shorter. But that just enhanced the experience.
The ride today lived up to the billing as being one of the toughest days. We climbed 6,900 feet today. It started out tough with a couple really steep grades before I could get my legs warmed up. They were not long hills, but very steep. Eastern PA is all hills. We actually reentered NY state today as we passed through the town of Port Jarvis, a little tip on the Delaware River. We then entered New Jersey, and it is all hills in this part of the state also. After we crossed the Delaware River, we had a long climb to High Point State Park, the highest point in NJ. One of our NJ bikers family, Sandy Westra's, had a refreshment spot for us at the top if the tough climb. I t was a nice overcast, cool day though, and that helped a lot in my energy level.
I arrived at Sussex Christian School at about 2:30, putting in 82 tough miles. I biked the day with Case. He is a better climber than I, but he stuck with me.
The NJ churches put on a fabulous dinner for us in the evening. Thanks go to them.
There were not a lot of level ground spots on the school grounds, but I managed to find a spot were we could back the pickup up to a spot. Our mistake was in not sleeping in the pickup bed and it rained lightly during the night and got our pillows and bedding wet by morning. We will need to get that dried out tomorrow. I can't believe tomorrow is the last day of this long tour.
Love to all, P & J.
The ride today lived up to the billing as being one of the toughest days. We climbed 6,900 feet today. It started out tough with a couple really steep grades before I could get my legs warmed up. They were not long hills, but very steep. Eastern PA is all hills. We actually reentered NY state today as we passed through the town of Port Jarvis, a little tip on the Delaware River. We then entered New Jersey, and it is all hills in this part of the state also. After we crossed the Delaware River, we had a long climb to High Point State Park, the highest point in NJ. One of our NJ bikers family, Sandy Westra's, had a refreshment spot for us at the top if the tough climb. I t was a nice overcast, cool day though, and that helped a lot in my energy level.
I arrived at Sussex Christian School at about 2:30, putting in 82 tough miles. I biked the day with Case. He is a better climber than I, but he stuck with me.
The NJ churches put on a fabulous dinner for us in the evening. Thanks go to them.
There were not a lot of level ground spots on the school grounds, but I managed to find a spot were we could back the pickup up to a spot. Our mistake was in not sleeping in the pickup bed and it rained lightly during the night and got our pillows and bedding wet by morning. We will need to get that dried out tomorrow. I can't believe tomorrow is the last day of this long tour.
Love to all, P & J.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Binghamton, NY to Dalton, PA (Lackawanna State Park)
We had a relatively short distance today….58 miles. Julie was at a SAG stop right on the state line of Pennsylvania and New York on a remote road. The route was through pretty forested hills, with a long section along the Martin River. That section had a gentle downward slope most of the way and was like a canyon. At the bottom of the canyon was a little village called Hop Bottom. We crossed under two very old concrete railroad bridges of the Lackawanna Railroad. I am not sure if they are still used, but they were very large and had a unique design to them. Earlier in the day we had a section of bad, busy road with a lot of pot holes and cracks. That section caused me to have my third flat tire for the entire trip. The tube appeared to have been cut from one of the bad bumps. I was riding with Case and he helped me with the tire change.
After the long downward section, we had several hills that had a very steep grade. This was the road to get to the Lackawanna State Park. The park is on the slope of a high hill. The pool of the park is empty, but we did have hot showers that we had to drive to because of the distance from our camp. There are not a lot of things to do here except canoe or fish.
It has been a gray day all day, but no rain yet. Julie and I were both in camp before 2:00 afternoon.
Last night the Valley CR church in Binghamton hosted us for dinner. They served a local creation called speidies, which are chicken or pork chunks grilled on a skewer and served on white Italian bread. They reminded me of Greek Salvakis (sp?). The dinner was great.
Tomorrow, we have the greatest elevation climb of any day of the ENTIRE trip…..6,900 feet. We will be finding our way along the edge of the Pocono Mountains and many up and down hills are on schedule. Hopefully, they will not have such steep grades. It will be one of the toughest days of the 9 weeks.
Things are beginning to wind down in everyone’s minds….but we have a couple days yet. Unless a local wireless system is available at Liberty State Park, there will be NO live telecast on the seatosea.org site of the 2:00 tire dipping ceremony. Check at that time anyway.
Love to all, P & J.
After the long downward section, we had several hills that had a very steep grade. This was the road to get to the Lackawanna State Park. The park is on the slope of a high hill. The pool of the park is empty, but we did have hot showers that we had to drive to because of the distance from our camp. There are not a lot of things to do here except canoe or fish.
It has been a gray day all day, but no rain yet. Julie and I were both in camp before 2:00 afternoon.
Last night the Valley CR church in Binghamton hosted us for dinner. They served a local creation called speidies, which are chicken or pork chunks grilled on a skewer and served on white Italian bread. They reminded me of Greek Salvakis (sp?). The dinner was great.
Tomorrow, we have the greatest elevation climb of any day of the ENTIRE trip…..6,900 feet. We will be finding our way along the edge of the Pocono Mountains and many up and down hills are on schedule. Hopefully, they will not have such steep grades. It will be one of the toughest days of the 9 weeks.
Things are beginning to wind down in everyone’s minds….but we have a couple days yet. Unless a local wireless system is available at Liberty State Park, there will be NO live telecast on the seatosea.org site of the 2:00 tire dipping ceremony. Check at that time anyway.
Love to all, P & J.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Romulus, NY to Binghamton, NY
Today we had a day of climbing, of which we have not had to this degree for a while. We had to climb 3,700 feet today and some of the grades were very steep, but fortunately, not the length of the western mountain climbs we had weeks ago. We biked along side of another large Finger Lake today, Cayuga Lake. At the south end of the lake is the city of Ithica. After leaving a stop light in downtown, there was a climb that had to be at least a 10 degree grade.
Julie is final SAG sweep tonight and I think she will have a very long day as some bikers were having trouble with the hills and may need to be picked up. I am tired, but did manage to arrive at Chenango Forks H. S. were we are camped tonight, at about 2:15. That included a coffee and cinnamon roll stop in the morning
We rode through several small towns today that date back to the late 1700s. I noticed one historical sign highlighting the area as a concentration of Dutch Reformed immigrants.
Tonight, we are the guests for dinner at a local CR church just down the street from our camp.
Love to all, P & J.
Julie is final SAG sweep tonight and I think she will have a very long day as some bikers were having trouble with the hills and may need to be picked up. I am tired, but did manage to arrive at Chenango Forks H. S. were we are camped tonight, at about 2:15. That included a coffee and cinnamon roll stop in the morning
We rode through several small towns today that date back to the late 1700s. I noticed one historical sign highlighting the area as a concentration of Dutch Reformed immigrants.
Tonight, we are the guests for dinner at a local CR church just down the street from our camp.
Love to all, P & J.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Byron, NY to Romulus, NY
Today we left the flat land of northern NY behind and entered the Finger Lakes area that has more rolling hills. There are 11 finger lakes and are very long and narrow lakes that were formed by glaciers. They are very deep. Seneca Lake, which is the one we camped at for the night is over 500’ deep. We are camped at Sampson State Park, which was a former military base during WWII and they tested submarines in this lake. The base and park are about 10 square miles. We heard that the area is completely fenced and is home to a large protected herd of albino deer, which we did not see.
Today I had my first mechanical problem with my bike. My rear derailer cable broke. For the first part of the ride, we had very hilly country and quite a bit of climbing. As I approached the 60 mile mark, it broke. I was almost to a CR church sponsored lunch stop and managed to pedal into it. The people there looked in the phone book and wrote down a couple bike shops and phone numbers for me. One I had passed some miles back and the other was in Geneva, about 12 miles ahead. With the cable broke, the chain was stuck in the smallest, hardest to pedal gear. The people told me that the terrain was not as high of hills into Geneva. I took a chance and pedaled for there. Julie was off as a SAG today and she was at the lunch stop and followed me to Geneva to make sure I made it. I had to pedal at about either 18 or 24 mph and made it in great time. At the edge of town, I called the bike shop and they told me how to find them. When I arrived, they told me to go to the back and a tech immediately took it and put my bike on a repair stand and got to it. I was out of there in about 30 minutes with it repaired and a few other adjustments done. He told me I needed a new chain, but did not recommend putting that on now if I was returning the wheels I am testing for Bontrager. So, I will wait on that until I get home.
The time is winding down on the tour. We have mixed emotions on that.
Love to all, P & J.
Today I had my first mechanical problem with my bike. My rear derailer cable broke. For the first part of the ride, we had very hilly country and quite a bit of climbing. As I approached the 60 mile mark, it broke. I was almost to a CR church sponsored lunch stop and managed to pedal into it. The people there looked in the phone book and wrote down a couple bike shops and phone numbers for me. One I had passed some miles back and the other was in Geneva, about 12 miles ahead. With the cable broke, the chain was stuck in the smallest, hardest to pedal gear. The people told me that the terrain was not as high of hills into Geneva. I took a chance and pedaled for there. Julie was off as a SAG today and she was at the lunch stop and followed me to Geneva to make sure I made it. I had to pedal at about either 18 or 24 mph and made it in great time. At the edge of town, I called the bike shop and they told me how to find them. When I arrived, they told me to go to the back and a tech immediately took it and put my bike on a repair stand and got to it. I was out of there in about 30 minutes with it repaired and a few other adjustments done. He told me I needed a new chain, but did not recommend putting that on now if I was returning the wheels I am testing for Bontrager. So, I will wait on that until I get home.
The time is winding down on the tour. We have mixed emotions on that.
Love to all, P & J.
Monday, August 25, 2008
St. Catherines, ON to Byron, NY
WE ARE BACK IN THE U.S. of A!!!
Our last full weekend on the tour is completed. We were camped over the weekend at Beacon Christian School in St. Catherines. On Saturday night we were bused to Niagara Falls for sight seeing. Julie and I and a lot of others had decided to take the Maid of the Mist boat ride to the base of the falls. We walked a long way to get to the ticket office and arrived there at about 7:17, only to find that they stop selling tickets at 7:15. It was a long walk there and we were disappointed. We just did some sightseeing of the Falls and stopped for some refreshments. The last time we were here on the Canadian side, it was in the Spring and was not very busy. This time it was wall to wall people.
Sunday morning breakfast was provided by the CR church across the street. As we were eating, someone came into the gym saying it was pouring outside. I quickly ran to the truck and began stuffing things into the rear bed of the pickup. That was a good thing, as the floor of the tent got very wet. After breakfast, we walked across the street to the CR church for their service.
In the afternoon we were bused to Queenton Park in Niagara On The Lake for a peach social to meet the local supporters and that was followed by a celebration service in the park. As we arrived at the park, it began to rain and it continued to rain hard until it was time for the celebration service. The service was planned for outdoors and there was no backup. Thankfully, the service could be held, but it probably hurt the attendance. We were then bused back to the school for a provided dinner.
Because the tent was still wet, Julie and I slept in the bed of the pickup for the first time on the bad platform Brett and I had made for the back. I was a little snug with the low ceiling, but we slept well.
The next morning we left to pedal to the border crossing at Niagara Falls Rainbow Bridge. As we were coming to the end of a St. Chatherine’s street, there was a moving, huge freighter in front of us. It was in the Welland Canal that bypasses the Falls. We then turned and followed the canal and later crossed it on a bridge. The ride to the Falls was pretty and included a bike path along the Niagara River and into the city. We all staged in a parking lot until everyone was accounted for, and then biked to the bridge for the border crossing. I have never had such an easy border crossing. The U.S. Customs knew we were coming and had a copy of all our passports. They opened up one lane on the bridge for us and about 3 booth lanes and just waved us through! They did not even look at our passports, and one even took a photo of our large group crossing.
After negotiating our way through the American side Niagara Falls, it was on to flat farmland to our destination for the night, an RV campground outside of Byron, NY. They had a nice shelter that we could eat in and 3 resident campers were Christians that came later and played gospel and blue grass music for us. It was a fun night.
Love to all, P & J.
Our last full weekend on the tour is completed. We were camped over the weekend at Beacon Christian School in St. Catherines. On Saturday night we were bused to Niagara Falls for sight seeing. Julie and I and a lot of others had decided to take the Maid of the Mist boat ride to the base of the falls. We walked a long way to get to the ticket office and arrived there at about 7:17, only to find that they stop selling tickets at 7:15. It was a long walk there and we were disappointed. We just did some sightseeing of the Falls and stopped for some refreshments. The last time we were here on the Canadian side, it was in the Spring and was not very busy. This time it was wall to wall people.
Sunday morning breakfast was provided by the CR church across the street. As we were eating, someone came into the gym saying it was pouring outside. I quickly ran to the truck and began stuffing things into the rear bed of the pickup. That was a good thing, as the floor of the tent got very wet. After breakfast, we walked across the street to the CR church for their service.
In the afternoon we were bused to Queenton Park in Niagara On The Lake for a peach social to meet the local supporters and that was followed by a celebration service in the park. As we arrived at the park, it began to rain and it continued to rain hard until it was time for the celebration service. The service was planned for outdoors and there was no backup. Thankfully, the service could be held, but it probably hurt the attendance. We were then bused back to the school for a provided dinner.
Because the tent was still wet, Julie and I slept in the bed of the pickup for the first time on the bad platform Brett and I had made for the back. I was a little snug with the low ceiling, but we slept well.
The next morning we left to pedal to the border crossing at Niagara Falls Rainbow Bridge. As we were coming to the end of a St. Chatherine’s street, there was a moving, huge freighter in front of us. It was in the Welland Canal that bypasses the Falls. We then turned and followed the canal and later crossed it on a bridge. The ride to the Falls was pretty and included a bike path along the Niagara River and into the city. We all staged in a parking lot until everyone was accounted for, and then biked to the bridge for the border crossing. I have never had such an easy border crossing. The U.S. Customs knew we were coming and had a copy of all our passports. They opened up one lane on the bridge for us and about 3 booth lanes and just waved us through! They did not even look at our passports, and one even took a photo of our large group crossing.
After negotiating our way through the American side Niagara Falls, it was on to flat farmland to our destination for the night, an RV campground outside of Byron, NY. They had a nice shelter that we could eat in and 3 resident campers were Christians that came later and played gospel and blue grass music for us. It was a fun night.
Love to all, P & J.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Hamilton, ON to St.Catherines, ON
We had a short ride today....only 47 miles. There was a strong wind, but it was mostly a side wind. Some of the roads were not the best today. with no shoulder and quite a bit of traffic. We had one very steep hill today, a 12% grade, but thankfully, it was downhill. I was not familiar with the corners, so I braked most of the way down, but still hit 38 mph. Good thing I braked, because there was a stop sign right at the end of the hill and it was all I could do to stop.
One of our cyclists, Rick Gritters from Iowa, called todays ride Tour de Food!! I am not sure how many total stops there were today, but it must have been about 8 in the 47 miles. We experienced more Canadian hospitality by various CR churches. Julie had the day off of SAG because of the many stops. We kept meeting at each stop. One of our stops today was at The Dutch Store, a bakery in Grimsby where one of the cyclists works. They had free cake and coffee for all the cyclists. There have been a lot of guest riders the past several days, riding with Canadians for this area that are part of the tour. Some of those did the 2005 Sea To Sea Tour across Canada.
This will be our last full weekend hosted by a community. We cannot believe that this coming week is the last. We are taking a tour ride tonight to Niagra Falls. I had mistakenly said in an earlier post that it would be Sunday night. All the meals this weekend are hosted by the local 12 churches, each taking a turn. There are many CR churches in the area between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.
On Sunday, we are being bused to a park near Niagra for the celebration service and evening dinner. Lots of food this week!!
I have my bike clothes already washed and hung out to dry, as we had our day in early today. I even washed my gloves and helmut, as they begin to smell a bit ripe after sweating during the day.
Love to all, P & J.
One of our cyclists, Rick Gritters from Iowa, called todays ride Tour de Food!! I am not sure how many total stops there were today, but it must have been about 8 in the 47 miles. We experienced more Canadian hospitality by various CR churches. Julie had the day off of SAG because of the many stops. We kept meeting at each stop. One of our stops today was at The Dutch Store, a bakery in Grimsby where one of the cyclists works. They had free cake and coffee for all the cyclists. There have been a lot of guest riders the past several days, riding with Canadians for this area that are part of the tour. Some of those did the 2005 Sea To Sea Tour across Canada.
This will be our last full weekend hosted by a community. We cannot believe that this coming week is the last. We are taking a tour ride tonight to Niagra Falls. I had mistakenly said in an earlier post that it would be Sunday night. All the meals this weekend are hosted by the local 12 churches, each taking a turn. There are many CR churches in the area between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.
On Sunday, we are being bused to a park near Niagra for the celebration service and evening dinner. Lots of food this week!!
I have my bike clothes already washed and hung out to dry, as we had our day in early today. I even washed my gloves and helmut, as they begin to smell a bit ripe after sweating during the day.
Love to all, P & J.
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