Humbled

So hear we sit Sunday morning. The whole group had breakfast and headed out to church. Two churches in the area took us in. A Lutheran church and a Presbyterian church. One at 10 the other at 10:30, one serving sausage, the other hamburgers. Everyone wanted to go so Carrie and I stayed behind to keep an eye on the site. It was pretty quiet, but a few people showed up for different reasons. One guy was looking for the Red Cross evacuation site because there was a fire close by, just on the road we were supposed to bike. Back to the biking. When I first started this trip I was adamant that I would never be sagged. That is, never get driven into camp. It's a pride thing. I think most of the bikers male and female were thinking the same thing. It's that feeling that if I don't ride every mile I somehow didn't complete the trip. Well seeing that we've all been sagged now for three days, looks like everyone is in the same boat. God has humbled us all. He is in control and made us all realize that. Our pride is not more important than other riders health and safety. 

We listened to a podcast from perry noble of newspring church and he talked about grace. It was very fitting for what was going on lately. The temperature still gets over 100 degrees here and apparently in Death Valley the temp will go over 120 a record or close to one. Some clouds rolled in today , something we haven't seen for a week. Along with the clouds came high winds and a little donder and blixen ( thunder and lightning). Apparently some people didn't feel it was necessary to stake down their tents. They look real cool as they're rolling across the field. Most people ran for cover but it was hot so getting drops of rain on my back felt good. The trailer also got cleaned out today during the storm so people's baskets were beside their tents getting wet. Carrie and Stan started putting flys on people's tents and we grabbed their baskets and put them in their tents.  Then a few others found people's stakes pounded them in or collapsed the tents so they wouldn't blow away. Nothing like a bit of excitement to show who's in charge. Moms ankles are swelling so she's trying to keep them elevated so the swelling goes down. So far the elevation is ok with me. I'm looking forward to getting back on the road soon. Tonight we're eating left overs.   See you all tommorow 

Len 

 

Bike in business

So here we sit. Waiting for our bikes to arrive. We set up in a schoolyard. We can't go in the school but they gave us a outdoor shower. See pic.  We hooked up with Habitat for humanity. An a whole bunch of us went to paint a house today. In two shifts we got the whole house painted. It was a cool thing to do. Not everyone could go. 

After seeing the showers I though why don't we have a shower like that, it would be handy. After getting the go ahead Carrie and I headed out to ace hardware we picked out all the stuff we needed. They let us assemble it in the back of the store. Very nice people. We brought the frame,bucket and cement back to the school. A few guys helped and we mixed the cement and set the post. To hold it we taped it to the wall. I'm sure we'll give it a run at the next stop with no showers. This afternoon the trailer with the bikes arrived, and it was quickly unloaded. People were eager to see their bikes. A local bike shop guy came and offered to help fix bikes. That was great. We've got a bit of a tent city thing going on. I've got a game for you. It's kind of like where's Waldo. So check out the picture and try to find the cross eyed Cindy loo hoo. Aka  Karyn. It's the pic of us eating supper. I must admit we eating like kings, and queens. I think I'll be head of team weigh more for a while yet. Carrie an I shuttled people to the laundry mat, library and Walmart. We also found a eclectic little coffee shop that had wifi. No I didn't have coffee, but I did have a cactus fruit tea. Tasted great. Talk to you all tommorow , are you still listening to me? 

Love lots Len  ( yes I even love you, ok and you)

Out of the furnace

So we explored quartzite this morning and found out why no one was their. It's like a furnace out here. 120 deg. All the signs at the trailer parks say gone till October. Just like at home but we go away from our summer homes in winter and they go away for the summer. I saw a road runner go by. Also they have those cool cactus that look like their straight out of the cartoons.i took a pic.

Last night we got into town and stayed in a small hall that had air but there was not enough room so we rented a hotel room. No one stayed outside in tents. We also saw a bunch of old cars at a lot. See pics  There was also a deserted gas station, had to take a pic. Back to the biking thing. After we saw the weather forecast ,48, 50, 52dg Celsius  that's 120 plus, they had to suspend the ride, it was just too dangerous. We got a bus to pick us up and move us to Payson Arizona . We will stay there until Tuesday morning. That will put us back on track for the ride. We're at 5000 feet elevation and the temp today is still 106. That's hot. 

We packed the bikes in a tractor trailer. Our bags didn't arrive till 830 pm so we had to set up our tents, went for a wobbly pop.( a pilse) not sure of the Dutch spelling but then again if you've been following my posts , I'm not sure of any spelling. Also if asked I will deny everything. Ill just blame it on the heat.   

Oh ya almost forgot I took a pic of a lot of cactus on the way to payson.

Talk to you tommorow 

Len 

Crazy hot

Day 4  Where to start? 

Last night we stayed in a community Hall in dessert centre. They opened the pool for us so we could cool down. That was nice. We were in a trailer park but the funny thing was no one was in the park except us. More on that later. 

We got up at 415 am , no that's not a typo. After packing up our stuff we were on the road by 530. The sun wasn't up yet. As we reached the highway the sun started to rise over the mountain ( sorry no pic). On the shoulder of the interstate we road. It was already hot but we were motoring along. 126 km today. Stan , Eva , and I rode together. Eva is Stan's daughter . As we were about 15 km into the ride I got my first flat. This time I had to change my own tire. It went well , I had a piece of wire in my tire from the blown tires that were strewn all over the shoulder.sometimes it was like riding an obstacle coarse. About 20 km later Stan got a flat too. Those were our last flats, we found out later the group had over 30 flats. By the way that's a lot. It warmed up quick today. About 10 riders were worn out from the heat yesterday so they didn't ride and helped at the sag stops. The support crews did an awesome job today in keeping us cool. Today I was better in tune with how hot I was thanks to the day before when I overheated. I'm learning but I don't think this is normal. By 3 hrs into the ride the temp was 108. That's just the air temp, not the reflective temp coming off the pavement. A few early riders that parked there bike in the sun when they got back had tires blow. Just from the heat, in the sun. Back to the ride. After a few sag stops we got off the freeway  for while and took a rode that paralleled the hyw. It went through believe it or not farm fields. Not sure what they were growing but they had these irrigation canals. Kind of  like a bit of home. Weird to see green in the middle of the  desert and the stuff actually grows in 110. As we came along that road I was getting hot. This time I knew I needed to cool off so we stopped at a canal and dunked our shirts. It felt great. Wondering where all the water came from? Turns out the state line between California and Arizona is the Colorado river. See pic. Pretty much after that we had a big climb into quartzite. As we were climbing i needed some motivation. Misty wasn't going to do it for me hear. Was that a Big Mac I smell.Now we're talking motivation        . So to the top we went and were treated to another sag stop. Man they were awesome. They cooled us down one last time, feet in ice buckets and wet towels around the neck. On we went down the hill into town. Guess what was at the exit we had to take, the love of my life. Mc Donald's was right there and I couldn't resist. Wait that didn't come out right. At the exit was the last sag truck with the best sag driver ever. You guys didn't think I saying that mc dee was the love of my life. I do have will power, and is like to think I'm  smarter then that. (See pic) that's enough for today see you tommorow    Len oops I forgot to mention we collect a new member to team weigh more ( as in weigh more awesome ) Sara and I are now a subdivision of team w m , team putter. Follow my buddy Stan's VLOG on youtube by searching restorative1. He plans to post regularly and he needs a sidekick so I fit the profile 

Sweep hot sweep hotter

Sorry for missing a day , well actually your going to get two days today, 2&3. Yesterday (2) we left from Redlands university this morning and my riding partner Stan was on sweep. What that means is the group of riders help out with supper clean up, and the next morning you  help with breakfast . That's the easy stuff. Sweep is also a group of riders that load the tents and bags into the tractor trailer, still an easy job. So you ask me what's the hard part then. Well I'm glad you asked. After loading the the truck your job is to leave last and sweep the riders in. Still doesn't sound like a big deal except for the fact you have to stick with all the slow riders, help fix flats and sweep them in. Now that the logistics are taken care of on to the day. It started out with a climb witch was like nothing I had done before. Long and winding road ,(why do I feel like singing)? Now that still wasn't the toughest part. Stopping to help fix flats, stopping to encourage people, stopping to wait while people get reenergized. What it does is makes a 5 hr trip into a 8 hr trip. Through the whole group there was over 20 flats. The day before 3.  Tough day, I came to camp wiped out. Oh ya the terrain changed to dessert over 100 dgrs f for all you metric people just google it. The pic at the top is some people trying to cool down to beat the heat. The train we followed down the valley.  Day (3) this morning was hot,hot,hot , hot hot, was that enough hots? We had breakfast at 5 am and people went on the road to try and beat the heat. A lot of people made it in to the next camp between 10- 12am . We started  out going through some farm country. Grapes , oranges , grapefruit, some kind of nuts on palm trees. After that we went through a canyon . Really awesome scenery .as you can see by the top pic I was really suffering today. Oh ya I forgot to tell you I was on the sweep team again today. I know I'm an idiot.the heat in the valley was so bad that I suffered and almost didn't make the climb through the valley. At the 40km mark I was at the sag stop in the valley and we had to wait for people to get going so I got real hot . A 20 km up hill hike to that point was tough but after sitting around waiting for people to leave I got even hotter. By the time I did another 20km climb out of the valley I just made it to the next sag stop.just so happened Carrie was there. They saw me and knew I needed help. Terry got a cooler with ice water and I put my feet in and took off my shirt and dunked it in. During the tour they tell you to look for God. Well let me tell you after the treatment I received I was total revived and ready to go. Without that I would have been done. Puttering away we chased the rest of the people in and arrived at 2 pm.  I'm glad this day is over , 50 degress today , that's hot.  Just finished supper , I think I'm going to crash for a bit. Early start tommorow , thanks for all your prayers . Don't  stop! It really is felt. Thanks Len 

Misty , coyote , toasty

We Hey all today started out misty and somewhat cool. It was a nice ride along what California calls a river. It was a flood control with no water. It's like what you see in the movies, fast and furious, and for the older crowd, grease. They usual have car chases and drive up the sides on an angle. We had some small climbs today but not one that I would have to call on the adrenalin rush of misty.(see previous post) as we continued on we came across a coyote that was on the other side of a fence and was no too worried about us. We made a pit stop at Hope community church and it was great  they had a  fruit and veggie spread for us. It was a nice light lunch. As we went further from the coast  it got hotter and the landscape changed. The hills got bigger and the temperature got hotter. We made into Redlands Christian academy at around 3 pm. 

  Today we had anther mishap. One of the couples who are riding recumbent bikes ( it's a bike that you lay back in) crashed. Mark, the husband of the team broke his ankle. Well actually he's at the hospital so were not 100% sure but they will both be going home. That put a damper on an otherwise great day. Carrie was the first sag stop of the day. Everyone was jealous when I got to kiss the sag lady! Today I road with Stan baker from Oshawa. We had a lot of fun and laughs. A bunch of kids announced that their team name was (team awesome). So Stan and I made our own name, wait for it, team   "Way more awesome" sweet name eh! But then we thought about it and changed it to "weigh more awesome " it works. 

Well I'm showered and ready to eat supper, day 1 almost in the books. Ill talk to you all tommorow. You stay classy San Diego, or should that be LA, hopefully the kids get that one.  Len and the sag lady

Sunday service and bike dip

So this morning we had a service with reps from world renew(crwrc), reformed church and partners international. A paster from the local church spoke, it was great. After the service we headed down to the sea in one big group. We were lead by a motor bike and ran the red lights all the way to the beach. Side note; one of the guys got a flat and everyone who saw him just rode passed. He only had one co2 canister and his tube leaked so he ran out of air. The long and the short of it is he missed the beach. That sucked for him but he seemed to take it well. A good lesson for all the riders! Alright on to the tire dipping ceremony. We carried our bikes to the water across a  200 feet beach . We then proceeded to dip our back tires in the water, take pics of ourselves and finally a group picture. After a group prayer some of us went for a swim. Ok me and three girls, I know where was everyone else;) . By the time I got to the road all the riders that were returning to the university had left so I had to return myself by retracing my steps. I did it in one shot no detours, not bad eh? I'm patting myself on the back. Tomorrow is our first official day , I'm super excited! See you all tommorow.

Not by might not my power but by his spirit!!     Len 

Gearing up

Well we arrived in Los angles with all our gear and my bike. I was very thankful my bike arrived in good shape. One of the girls on the ride came in Saturday ,and they can't find her bike. They think it might still be in Calgary. Please pray for her. I put my bike all back together and it looks good. One of the things I was still looking for was a larger bag for the back of my seat so I could carry some snacks and lunch. Well wouldn't you know it, I couldn't find one before I left. It wasn't for a lack of trying. I thought maybe when we get here I find a bag. Well I didn't have to go far. During registration we received a goody bag and wouldn't you know it, it had a nice big bag for my bike. The exact one I was looking for. No wonder I couldn't find one at home,God is good. Tonight we had a information meeting as well as safety. As a newbie to cycling I'm learning a lot. I'd be lying to say I'm not a bit nervous. Off to bed, because Sunday will be a busy day. A tire dipping ceremony and celebration service. Before I go I just want to thank everyone for their prayers,don't stop. 

Thanks Len

Misty , MISTY,really misty!

Now the first misty comes in the form of rain. As I've been training in the past couple of weeks , I learned what it is like to ride in the rain. Mist and light rain is ok. Heavy rain however is a whole different ball game. I had to stop after an hour remove my shoes and ring my socks out. That was fun! 

The second misty is whole different story. As I was trying increase my mileage I ventured onto new roads. As I passed a house I saw a couple gardening. Misty the woman yelled in a bit of a panicky voice . I thought maybe a child or small pet, no big deal. I passed the driveway going up hill when I heard a second misty , this time from a stern mans voice. This time there seemed to be some more urgency. Now I was getting worried. I looked back and there came misty, a large dog, big head, and large teeth. Good thing I can bike faster up hill scared then he could run mad. It's amazing the adrenalin rush you get in that type of situation. Now if I could just think misty at the base of every hill this biking thing would be a breeze:)

The last misty comes in the form of tears. Happy ones, sad to be missing everyone, and thankful ones for all the wonderful support we've received over the past seven months. Here we sit at the airport waiting to fly to LA. If you said to me what worried you the most about this whole mission, I would have told you raising 10000 and sleeping on the ground in a tent. Well the fundraising is going incredibly. 21500 and counting!!!

Wow, how awesome is that.

 Here's our plane , we saw the bike go on, along with the hockey bag full of tents and sleeping gear. Once again I want to thank  everyone who made this trip possible, from my partners , to family, and everyone who supported me both financially  and with your prayers. 

Len 

Busy, Busy, Busy

       So much going on.  Can you be so busy with biking that your too busy to bike?  When they say finish up your fundraising by April so you can concentrate on cycling, I'm learning why they say that.  I've been riding daily which gets difficult with the weather and pulls from life.  You definitely have to prioritize things.  Hard to do when you want to do everything and there's so much else to do. 

       May long weekend is open the cottage weekend.  Up we go to put docks and boats in the water.  Lots of chores to do.  But there's no biking I can do.  So I decide to go for a run.  My knees start to hurt, so I go for a nice refreshing swim.  The ice just came out a few weeks earlier.  Good for the knees but not enough of a workout so I grab a kayak and paddle out.  I'm going at a pretty good clip and think, now I'm getting some good exercise.  I'm about a half mile from being back to the cottage when a boat with two conservation officers stop me.  Apparently you need to be wearing a life jacket when you're in a kayak.  Who knew?  $250 dollar fine he tells me.  Well I wasn't going down that easy.  If I was going to pay they were going to hear it.  So I let them have it.  I explained to them in my best long winded approach all about sea to sea and my training.  I had a captive audience.  They said they never don't give tickets for this and that they would have to follow me back.  After 1/2 mile of praying and paddling I returned to the dock.  When they knew I was safe they told me to donate the fine money to the cause!  How awesome is that?  Life jacket on and out I went again.

       As I've been cycling the kms are slowly going up.  Some days seem harder than others.  It's not easy to bike when its cold and rainy out.  My knees don't like the cold, but I keep going and now I'm up to 40+ kms per day.

      Do you ever have it when the Lord knocks on your heart and says you should do this?  I will, later I respond.  Then He knocks again, and later I say again.  I talk to my wife about it, and she says now is later.  So I pick up the phone and I call Katie Ryzebol.  She's also riding the full ride and lives only 15 minutes away.  After a good talk we made plans for her to join me the next Sunday as we speak at a neighbouring church about our sea to sea journeys.  It was great to tell people about this great cause and our personal stories.  Both our stories are similar even with the 20 year age gap.  Both of us started in December with new bikes and no experience.  What were we thinking?

       Last Monday I was involved in a golf marathon to help raise money for the local Christian elementary school, HMDCS.  I golfed 140 holes between 7 am-4:30 pm.  Well I hurt in places on my legs I didn't think could hurt, again, what was I thinking?  The next day I didn't feel like moving and was hobbling around.  That night I thought to myself, I should really bike, so out I went and to my surprise I felt okay.  Apparently you use different muscles golfing than biking.

This past Saturday was a sea to sea fundraising baseball tournament.  We had 9 teams, lots of food, fun and great baseball.  Thanks to all the people who came out and played and supported.  Great to see so many people come.  What an awesome day!  Special thanks to Joe for coming out and cooking all the delicious food.  John  for the bases, Brian for he generator, trailer and other supplies. Grace and Elaine  (sisters in law) for helping out with the food service and for being available to help my wife wherever needed.   Of course I give the rest of the credit to my awesome wife for organizing and pulling off this busy and eventful day. The Lord truly blessed the day with great weather.  The experts were calling for rain, thunder and lightening every hour in the morning and rain again in the late afternoon.  We did get rain, a light shower for about 45 minutes and then the sun came out and it was HOT!!  We were able to raise another $2600 for sea to sea.  Thank the Lord!

The cook taking a break while the games are going on

Hungry players

The winning team "Free Snow Cones" Congratulations!!

Me and my other half.

    Just got my sea to sea shorts and jersey in the mail today!  Going for a ride in them tonight