Colorado Springs to Limon, CO - Monday, July 15

I woke up at 5:00 because I was on the Sweep Team and it was our responsibility to set-up and clean-up the breakfast.   The sky was cloudy and it looked like it would rain at any minute.  I left the camp at 7:00 and only made it a few miles before it started to rain.  First it came as mist and then as a pelting rain.  It rained continuously for the next 3 hours.  I had a rain jacket on but  my shoes and socks were soaked.  To make matters worse, I was following the person biking in front of me and at one point she stopped and said, “I think I missed a turn.”  We had to back track in the rain about 2 miles to get back on the right road.  The fog set in and we could only see about 30 yards ahead.   I'm thankful that the Colorado Springs drivers were alert to us because we were not very visible.   It certainly made for some miserable biking conditions.   I saw the last of the Rocky Mountains when I left Colorado Springs Christian School.  Because of the rain and fog, we could not see any of the landscape around us for 3 hours.   After about 10:00 am it stopped raining and about an hour later the sun came out. 

Once we were outside of Colorado Springs there were not many places where we could stop and dry out.  We did find a small cafe in the town of Simla.  Many other Sea to Sea bike riders stopped at this café and soon the two waitresses and one cook were overwhelmed with the orders and the number of people in their café.  Several of the Sea to Sea riders were soon serving coffee to the other café patrons and bussing tables.   It was a group effort to get everyone the food and service they needed.  I think the employees were overwhelmed but pleased to have us there.  I’m sure the number of people they served in those few hours were more than they serve in a couple of weeks.   It was good to take some time to dry out, drink coffee, and relax. 

  The rest of the drive was windy but a fairly easy ride.   We were riding through land that was mostly grass pasture used for cattle grazing. 

  I made it into the camp and Limon, CO at around 2:00 pm.  We had biked about 72 miles on this day.

An amazing thing happened after our trip today.  Pastor Jake Kuipers wasn't feeling well on the ride.  He made it the entire way but it was a struggle and he was having a hard time catching his breath.  One of our nurses, Julie, took Jake to the hospital after his ride and the doctors completed some tests.  They immediately had him air lifted to  a hospital in Aurora, Colorado where Jake went into surgery and had two stints put in.  One of his arteries was 70% blocked and the other was 90% blocked.   The last I heard is that Jake is doing well.   It was good work by Billy D., Julie, and the other riders who expressed their concern about Jake and his health.  I praise the Lord for His sovereign hand in this entire process.  

I had intended to bike a few more days but today I decided it made more sense for me to ride with Julie Ledeboer, Rod's wife, to Sioux Falls.   My original plan was to stop in Colorado Springs but I wanted to avoid airfare back to Mpls as well as the cost of shipping my bike and all my gear.  When Julie Ledeboer offered to bring me and all my stuff to Sioux Falls, this seemed to be a  good plan.   I had the opportunity to say a few "good bye" comments at the group meeting tonight.  I told the group that I had three goals coming into this trip: 1)  to raise funds for several organizations that I support and I believe in their mission.  2) To meet a new community of people, and 3)  to see western U.S. from my bike and participate in an exciting adventure.   I told the others that my expectations in all three areas were far exceeded.   I was able to raise more $ than my goal, I met so many wonderful people that I now call "friends" and I saw God's beautiful creation close-up.  Plus the trip was more of an adventure than I ever would have dreamed.  I thanked the organizers of the tour for giving me the opportunity to be on this bike tour and I thanked all the wonderful Sea to Sea riders and volunteers for helping me through each mile and each day.    I had a fantastic time on this trip and it really went by all too fast.  

On Tuesday, July 16, Julie Ledeboer and I packed her car and set out for Sioux Falls where Rod and Julie live.  We made it to Sioux Falls around 7:00 pm.   My  wife, Karen, drove out from Minneapolis to meet us.  I transferred all my gear to my car and Karen and I set out for Minneapolis.  We arrived at our home at around 12:30 am (Wed. morning) .  It is good to be home.  It is good to be with my wife and family.  It is good to sleep in my bed again.  It is good to resume my work at Calvin Christian School.   However, I already miss the daily adventure on the bike and the interactions with all the Sea to Sea riders.  It was truly a blessing to be part of this 2013 Sea to Sea Tour.   I will continue to pray for the group as they make their way to the east coast.  

I hope to ride with the group again next Friday from Chariton to Pella, Iowa and possibly on Saturday to Iowa City.  I look forward to the worship celebration at Central College next Friday night.  

I also hope to see many of the Sea to Sea riders again when they are in Ontario, Canada.  My daughter, Carrie, will be getting married to Nick Ellens on August 16.  Their wedding will take place in Prince Edward County at the Fields of West Lake in Southern Ontario.    The Sea to Sea riders are scheduled to  be coming past the wedding venue on Wednesday, Augusts 14.    By the way,  my daughter Carrie met Nick Ellens when they both did the Sea to Sea trip in 2008.  

I'd like to thank you readers for your interest in my blog over the past few weeks.   It was an amazing experience and I'm glad I could share it with you.    Thank you for your prayers and support.  Please continue to support such organizations as World Renew,Partners Worldwide and other organizations that seek to bring the hope of Christ to a broken world. Pray for all who are working to end the cycle of poverty that so many experience in this world.    Blessings to you.  Steve Groen

Sunday in Colorado Springs, CO

Sunday, July 14 :  I woke up to a beautiful morning in Colorado Springs.  We are staying at the Colorado Springs Christian School.    The sky was pure blue and the mountains were beautiful.  Most of the Sea to Sea people ate breakfast on the parking lot sitting in our chairs facing Pike's Peak.  It is not  every day that I  can wake up to such a spectacular view as this.  I slept in the hallway in the middle school last night as did most of the others.   A thunderstorm came through with a lot of wind and rain.

The Sea to Sea people worshiped at the Cragmor Christian Reformed Church.  Most of the people walked over since it was only about a mile to the church.   It was a wonderful service.  Pastor Todd Hilkemann, my former pastor at Calvary Church in Edina,  gave the message from I Peter 2:11 - 12 about living our faith. We also had communion with the congregation.

 Pastor Todd wanted me to be sure to bring greetings from him to the Calvary Church people.  The picture above is of their three youngest children.  The older two boys were off some other place when I snapped this picture.    After the service, the congregation served us a delicious lunch.

This afternoon I went back to the Garden of the Gods Park with Doug and Joy Lutke, and Rod and Julie Ledeboer, and Gerry Pols.  Julie drove out from Sioux Falls and will be staying with us through Monday evening.

Having fun at the Garden of the Gods.  

We also went to Manitou Springs which has a series of crafts and unique shops.    Tonight we had a group meeting with praise singing and a devotional.  Shirley Folkerts also gave us some inspirational words reminding us of the purpose of our trip in light of growing the kingdom of God.  Shirley broke her leg yesterday in a fall with her bike.  She and her husband, Rudy,  will be heading back to Orange City on Tuesday.  Hopefully Rudy will be able to resume the ride at a later date.  Please continue to pray for quick healing for Shirley.  She doesn't know yet if she will need surgery on her leg.  

It  is raining again tonight in Colorado Springs.  I, along with most of the others will be sleeping in the hallways in the school  tonight.  I am on the sweep team tomorrow morning so I'll have to be up at 5:30 am to get the breakfast set up.  We are going about 70 miles tomorrow.

The comments section has now been activated on my blog.  I didn't realize it was turned off in the "settings."

Canon City to Colorado Springs

We made the 50 mile bike ride to Colorado Springs today.   The ride didn't start out well since a group of us missed a turn and went a few miles out of the way.   The ride was up and down almost the entire way.  The scenery was again very beautiful as we rode through the Rocky Mountains.  We could soon see Pike's Peak in the distance.  The optical illusion thing was in full force again today.  I actually pulled over at one point and checked my back tire to see if it was flat.  It appeared that I should be going downhill but I was struggling to move forward.  A fellow biker with an elevation gage went by me and said we are really going up hill at a 3% grade.  It certainly looked to me like we were going downhill and I should have been coasting.   We road near the Fort Carson and the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.  One member of our volunteer group was stopped by a military person for taking a picture at the entrance of Fort Carson.  I guess security is very high around here.

 We had to wind our way through the city until we reached the Colorado Springs Christian School.  We had fun stopping at a couple of lemonade stands that kids had set up.  These kids thought they had hit the jackpot when all of us bikers stopped at their stands.

The sad part of the day was when Shirley Folkerts, sister of Shar Jelgerhuis, flipped her bike going downhill.  She rolled a few times before stopping.  We are grateful that she was not hit by a car.  She was taken to the hospital for x-rays and we just found out that she broke her leg just below her knee.   Please pray for healing and comfort as I'm sure she is very disappointed to have her ride end this way.  She and her husband, Rudy were planning to go all the way to New York City.  

A group of young men from our group rode up to the top of Pike's Peak once they got to Colorado Springs today.   That is a height of over 14,000 ft.  They all made it down safely but they are looking very sore and tired tonight.  

We had beautiful weather here in Colorado Springs until about 3:00 when a thunderstorm rolled in.  It was a very impressive display of lightning and LOUD thunder.  

A group of us took a van to the Garden of the God's Park in Colorado Springs this afternoon.  It was interesting to see the various rock formation in this area.  

It is continuing to rain here tonight.  Many of the bikers are either staying with relatives in the area or are in hotels.  I set up my tent but I think I'm going to put my sleeping bag in the school and sleep there along with many of the other riders.   Most of us are in one room in the school right now either working on our computers, playing cards or reading.   You do become a very close community when you spend this much time together.  It is great to see the multiple generations interacting together.  The oldest rider is 76 and the youngest is 14.  The fourteen year old has his parents riding as well.  All but two riders are post high school age.  

I'm looking forward to the church service tomorrow morning.    We will be worshipping in the Cragmor CRC.  Todd Hilkemann is the pastor of this church.  Pastor Todd was the Pastor of Congregational Life at Calvary Church in Edina.    We do not ride on Sundays and it will be good to rest after a very physically challenging week.  

A Scenic Ride!

If you are looking for a bike ride with spectacular views, I highly recommend riding through the Big Horn Canyon between Salida and Canon City, Colorado.

 The route follows the Arkansas River and it is mostly downhill.  The road is quite busy with a narrow shoulder but the views are breathtaking.  This was the route we were on today and it was spectacular.   When I looked up, I had beautiful views of the Rocky Mountains and when I looked to the side I saw the Arkansas River winding next to me.  I saw a herd of big horn sheep on the side of the mountains.  People were fly fishing and rafting on the Arkansas River.

There was a rather steep incline toward the end of our ride today.  At that point I was only 4 miles away from the Royal Gorge Park.  But that area is closed because of the recent fire.  I understand that the bridge over the Royal Gorge is damaged and the entire canyon is a burned shell.

I did stop along the route this morning at a little cafe.  I had coffee and carmel apple pie with some of the other bikers.  The pie would rank a close second to my daughter, Carrie's carmel apple pie.  It was delicious!   When we stop at these kind of places along our route, people are always curious as to why all the bikers are on the road.  It gives us an opportunity to tell them about our mission of ending the cycle of poverty and about the various organizations that our trip is supporting.  We each have a stack of business cards with us that we can hand out to people to direct them to the Sea to Sea website.  People have been very supportive of what we are doing.

Tonight we are staying on the grounds of the Abbey in Canon City.  This complex served as a monastery from 1924 - 1985.    I took a tour of the monastery this afternoon.    It gets quite cool in the evenings - low 60's to high 50's.

I have decided to go one more week on this bike trip.  I originally had planned to end at Colorado Springs but logistically it makes more sense for me to bike into Nebraska where my wife will meet me with the car.  This saves on a plane ticket and the cost of shipping all of my gear from Denver.  I'll keep blogging for another week as I have opportunity.  Thank you for your interest in my trip!

Alamosa to Salita, CO

It was very cool when I woke up this morning.  I think it was in the low 60's.  It was the first night I actually crawled entirely into my sleeping bag.   I was on the road by 6:40.  The start of our 80 mile bike ride was on a very straight road that had a gradual climb.  We biked up to a summit of 9,010 ft.  We didn't have any real sharp inclines which made it easier.  A few of the bikers stopped in a cafe in a small town (Villa Grove) along the way.   As I was eating, in walked Del and Gwen Groen.  Del is not a relative but I knew him from past days when he was a CSI school administrator.  He is also a brother of Karen DeKam from Calvary Church.   Del and Gwen are moving with a U-haul and just happened to stop at this small cafe.  This was quite a coincidence.

    The ride to the top was slow and gradual but the ride down was steep.  I coasted for seven miles and reached speeds up to 42 miles per hour.  I was actually braking most of the way so I could have gone faster.

We are staying on the Fair Grounds tonight near Salita, CO.  We are surrounded on three sides by beautiful mountains.






They had a woman's roller derby tonight at the fair grounds.  This provided some interesting entertainment for us after our dinner and prior to our group meeting.

July 8 - 10: Shiprock, NM to Alamosa, CO

I have internet access tonight so I'll try to fill you in on the last three days.

Monday, July 8

We packed up and left Shiprock at the break of dawn.  This was likely one of the best rides of the trip.  There were some early climbs on the route but there was little wind and the temperatures were in the 80's.    The group of riders I was with stopped for coffee in Farmington, NM.  We were greeted outside the cafe by a Native American.  He wanted to know what we were doing.  When he found out the tour would end in New York, he became very excited.  He wanted us to look up his daughter who lives in Queens.  I gave him one of our Sea to Sea cards and told him that it would be easier if she could check our route and come and meet the Sea to Sea riders when they arrived there.  Doug Lutke, one of our riders, invited this man to join us for breakfast.  We found out his name is Water Eagle and he promised to draw a picture for us in gratitude for purchasing his breakfast.    I was amazed at the picture he was able to draw for us since he never stopped talking.

Today I rode for awhile with Ross Lurtsema.  Ross is a distant cousin of "Benchwarmer Bob" Lurtsema who played for the Vikings.  Ross is about as big as Bob Lurtsema so he was a good person to draft behind.  Ross Lurtsema owns the trucking company(ALTL, Inc.) that is pulling our kitchen and gear trailers. Ross is an excellent biker and a super friendly guy.

We biked the 62 miles to Turley, NM in about 4 hours.  We camped at a vineyard called "The Wines of  San Juan."  It is more of a winery than a vineyard since the owner only has about 5 acres of grapes.  The owner gave us a tour of his winery and explained the process of making wine from the grapes.  We all slept in our tents and used the outdoor showers from the hose.  I'm starting to get used to these cold showers.    We had a large mesa on two sides of us.   It was a beautiful night and I was able to sleep well.

Tuesday, July 9 -  If Monday was one of our easiest rides, Tuesday had to be one of the most grueling rides.  It was constant hills.  When we made it to the top of one, there was another in front of us.  Plus there was a stiff wind in our faces the entire ride.   The wind held us up when we were trying to coast downhill.   It was also hot.    Have you ever driven through the mountains and the road appears to be going downhill and is actually going up hill?  This happened to me a lot today.  I thought I had reached the crest of a hill and wanted to coast down hill but my bike would stop because I was actually going further uphill.    We started to see the change of landscape from the mesas to mountains with pine trees.  We crossed the continental divide on our route today.

  We had to bike 87 miles to Chama, NM.  At mile 83 my front tire went flat.  I contemplated walking the last 4 miles but Clarence V. came by and helped me change my tire and I was able to ride into the camp.   I was totally exhausted.  I understand a number of people were sagged into camp and weren't able to finish the ride.   We were staying at campsite near the small town of Chama.   We did have showers available to us.  After a shower and dinner, I had a small amount of time to do some laundry and then it was off to bed.  Most of the bikers are in bed by 9:30 pm each night.  Before bed, I did share some of the brownies my wife sent in the care package with Clarence V. and his wife in thanks for helping me change my tire.

Wednesday, July 10:  I was on my bike by 6:30 this morning.   We spent the first 25 miles climbing through the Cumbres Pass and the Manga Pass.  We had to climbed to an elevation of over 10,000 ft.

There were  beautiful sites along the way with the strong smell of pine filling the air.  It was awesome to see the high mountains surrounding the green valleys.  There were a lot of cows grazing in the valleys.   Some people were fly fishing in Bear Creek, which ran along side the road.  I could help but to say "the whole earth is full of His glory."    It took me about 3 hours to climb to the summit and about 3 minutes to go down the other side.  I put my brakes on often and didn't go faster than 38 mph.  Some of the younger riders were going over 50 mph coming down.    We left New Mexico and entered Colorado.
After coming down from the pass, the road leveled out and for the next 40 miles we went through farming country, where they grow a lot of alfalfa.  The pine smell changed to the smell of newly mowed hay.   Some of the riders were caught in rain and hail storm on the route.  Fortunately I was just ahead of this storm.   It was still windy today which made some of the ride  much tougher.   Our camp site tonight is next to the Recreational Center in Alamosa, CO.  We are able to use their showers but will be sleeping in our tents outside.    My body is holding out fairly well but my seat is not accustomed to this many hours on a bike and it is getting very sore.  That has been the most painful part of the ride so far.

Sunday in Shiprock

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Breakfast didn’t start until 8:00 am this morning so I could sleep in!    All those who slept in the Church sanctuary had to have our things picked up and put away by 9:00 am.   We cleaned all of the rooms prior to the start of church.  The congregation is  entirely Navajo so we certainly were easy to identify in the service.   Some songs were sung in English and some in the Navajo language.  After the service, people in the congregation made us lunch consisting of Navajo tocos.They were excellent.  We certainly have been fed well on this trip.  It was a good day to relax after our big ride yesterday.

 

In the afternoon I went with a van full of riders out to the four corners monument.  I officially stood in Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado.    This place was about 30 minute drive from our church in Shiprock. 

Later I went back to the pool for a quick swim and shower.  Our route is going to change for the next three days from what is listed in the book.   This is because of the heavy smoke at Wolf-Creek Pass.  We are going to go further east in New Mexico before we head north.    The new route is posted on the Sea to Sea website.   I understand that  we will do more climbing tomorrow as we move closer to the Rocky Mountains.    It is suppose to be hot tomorrow (95 degrees).   

I continue to make connections with people on the trip as I get to know them.    One of our fellow riders is Marc Faasse is the brother of Jan Hawe  - a former member of Calvary Church.    I also met Mark and Deb Harberts of Albuquerque, NM.  They are friends of Tom and Ronda (Lobbes) Schripsma in Albuquerque.  Ronda is a cousin of my wife.  Mark Harberts has had a remarkable spring.  He signed up to participate in the Sea to Sea trip in January.  In April, the doctors removed a large cancerous tumor from his leg.  He has had a remarkable recover and still rode for 3 days this past week on the tour.    He is finished now but is an inspiration to all of us.  We actually didn’t know about his amazing story until yesterday.  He never mentioned it to us previously. 

I hope you all have a great week!  Thanks for your continued prayers.

Rehoboth to Shiprock, NM - A Century Ride

Saturday, July 6

Rehoboth to Shiprock, NM

I slept in the gym at Rehoboth on Friday night.  I was glad I hadn’t put up my tent when I heard another wind and rainstorm come up during the night.  The local people are very happy with the rain since it has been so dry.   I was up at 5:00 am and ready to get on the road at the break of daylight.  However, the trip coordinator told everyone to stay because he had an anouncement to make.  The announcement was that a bridge on our route was washed out and the detour route would add another 80 miles.   He said the ride would have to be cancelled for the day.   While he was making the announcement, he received a call from the state highway patrol that there was enough of the bridge left in intact and bicycles should be able to cross.    So the ride was back on!  The day started out cool, I put a long sleave shirt on for the first time on this trip.   There was a long downhill early in the ride and I topped out at 41 mph.  

The first half of the trip was great – mostly down hill, little wind, and little traffic.  The low vehicle traffic was due to the bridge being washed out.  I did have to out bike a couple of dogs who insisted on chasing my bike.  Later in the morning, the temperature climbed to the mid-90’s and the wind picked up and it was in our face.  The hot wind slowed us down considerably.   Today was the first time I learned the value of “drafting.”  We had a group of six bikers and we would get in a line behind the lead biker who took the brunt of the wind and the followers had a much easier time.  When the lead biker was tired he/she would pull out and the next biker would take the lead.  We did this most of the afternoon and we made good progress.  When you are drafting behind another biker you have to focus on their back tire so you don’t get too close or too far away.

There is not much between Rehoboth and Shiprock.  We did stop at a couple of small  Christian Reformed Churches along the way.  Several members of these small congregations gave us water and some snacks.  The churches are almost entirely Native American.  These churches are branches from the mission at Rehoboth. 

I completed by first “century” bike ride today.  I biked the 100 miles from Rehoboth to Shiprock, NM.  This is the longest I have ever biked in one day and my butt is extremely sore from sitting on the saddle that long.    I’m glad we will not be biking on Sunday.   I need a day to recover.

 We are staying at the Bethel Christian Reformed Church in Shiprock.   The rides had a choice of setting up their tents outside or sleeping inside.  I chose to sleep inside and found a spot behind the piano on the pulpit.  People were sleeping in the pews, Sunday School rooms, and all over. 

I had a nice surprise waiting for me in Shiprock.  My wife and daughters sent me a care package of  cookies, bars, other treats, and more socks!   I shared the cookies with my drafting companions who helped me get through the strong wind today. 

I was able to go over to the local high school pool on Saturday evening to swim and shower.  It was soooo refreshing to cool down and get clean.

The Shiprock

Rehoboth, New Mexico

During our group meeting last evening, several members of the Zuni Nation who are connected with the Zuni mission spoke to us.  They told us a little about their history and then sang "How Great Thou Art" and "Amazing Grace" in the Zuni language.  We then joined them in singing these songs in English.  It was great to see how the church of Christ includes people of "various tribes and nations."  A lady also was at the meeting with several loaves of bread that she had baked that day in their outdoor ovens.  The heat for the ovens is supplied by the sun.  I'll post a picture later.

Today we woke at 6:00 am and were on the road at the beginning of daybreak which was around 6:45.  We had a short ride from Zuni to Gallop of 45 miles.  There were a couple of long hills but the ride wasn't bad.  It remained overcast and cool until we reached Gallop around 10:45.  I did run over a dead snake on the road.  I think it was a rattle snake but I'm not sure.  

We are staying tonight at Rehoboth Christian School which is located just outside of Gallop, New Mexico.  Rehoboth was started by the Christian Reformed Church in 1903 as a ministry to the Navajo Indians in this region.  They enroll about 470 students, 70% of which are Native Americans.  They have very nice facilities.  Leanne Gillson, sister of Elmer Jelgerhuis, gave us a tour of the campus.  We are staying in the gym of their new sports complex.   Its a good thing we are not in our tents tonight because this area is having their first rain in 8 months.  It is pouring outside.  I guess our tour brings out the unusual weather wherever we go.  

The staff of Rehoboth prepared a delicious dinner for us tonight consisting of vegetable soup, salad, watermelon, and fried bread.  It was all good but the fried bread was the best. It is kind of a flat bread. that is fried on both sides.    After dinner, many of us went to an Indian Dance demonstration in downtown Gallop.  

I better get to bed.  My air mattress sprung a leak and I haven't been able to locate the hole.  I'll have a hard mattress tonight.  We have our first "century" ride tomorrow.  We will be biking 100 miles from Gallop to Shiprock, NM.    Thanks again for all of your prayers.  Here is a picture I took at sunset tonight in Gallop with flags at half staff in memory of the fire fighters.

St. John's to Zuni, NM.

Last night the city of St. John's, AZ opened up their pool for the Sea to Sea bike riders from 4:00 - 6:00 pm.  It felt very refreshing to play around in the water for a while.   Some of the sea to sea riders decided to do a diving demonstration off the diving board.  It was hilarious!  Some of my favorite dives I saw were:  The sitting budha, the flying superman, and the watermelon.   These were performed by several men in their 50's.  At dusk, the city had their first ever "movie in the park."  They showed the cartoon "American Tale" on a large white sheet on the side of the building next to our tents.   Those who went to bed before 10:00 pm heard the sound of the movie until it was over.   It looked like the people of St. John's were having a great time in the park.

Today :  July 4, 2013  Happy Independence Day!  I hope you all enjoy the day with your families and friends.  The city of St. John's, AZ has a tradition of starting the day with the firing of a canon at 5:00 am.  They pull the cannon through the town and fire it off.   This morning I think they fired it off at least 12 times.  We all woke up with the first cannon firing at 5:00 am.  (I thought I was back at CCS for the Fifth Grade Civil War Day.)

After a quick breakfast, I was back on the road again at 6:00 am.  Today I rode with Rod Ledeboer, Jerry Pols, Doug and Joy Lutke.  We did "leap frog" activity for a while which made the time go faster.  We had several long climbs today but it wasn't too bad.  It took us about 3.5 hours to ride the 53 miles from St. John's, AZ to Zuni, NM.  We crossed into New Mexico - leaving Arizona behind.

 The landscape has views of several beautiful mesas that we can see in the distance.  This is pretty desolate country.  There were no towns along our route today and very little traffic.   When we crossed into New Mexico we also entered a new time zone.  We are now one hour difference from the Central Time Zone (Minnesota).

We entered Zuni, NM at about 11:30 (Mountain Time).  We are staying at the Zuni Christian Mission School.  They just competed a beautiful addition to their building last August.   We are sleeping in various classrooms in the building. They have air conditioning and showers (Yeah!)  The Principal, Kathy Bosscher and their Development Director, Kent Bosma, took us on a short tour of the local area.   I was here once before when the CSI Leadership Convention was at Rehoboth about seven years ago.  I visited the Zuni Mission at that time.    We are on the Zuni Indian Reservation.  The Christian Reformed Church started this mission in 1897 to bring the gospel to the Zuni Indian Tribe.  The school currently enrolls about 70 students.  85% of which come from families who still practice the native worship practices.   All of the students receive tuition support to attend this school.  Families must pay at least $600 per year to have their children in the school.  This is a very poor economic area.  Many of the homes are small brick buildings with several generation of families living in them.   It is a great ministry that this school and church is providing to these people.  It is challenging but they have seen many people forsake their native beliefs and become believers in Jesus Christ.

Tomorrow we will be biking from Zuni to the Rehoboth Christian School which will be a short ride of about 45 miles.   Coming through this area is a good reminder to all of us as to why we are riding on this trip.  We are seeking to raise funds for organizations that have programs to support those who are living in these conditions. One such organization is  "Partners Worldwide."  You can learn more about this organization at their website: http://partnersworldwide.org/who-we-are/about-us/

Quote of the Day:  Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet a sweaty thing.  :)    (This is applicable to the number of dogs that are around this town.)

Heber, AZ to St. John's, AZ

I slept in the gym at the Heber Middle School along with about 50 other bikers last night.  It was comfortable but I didn't know that they were going to leave the lights on in the gym all night.   I was up at 5:00 am, packed up, ate breakfast, and was on the road by 6:00 am.  It was a beautiful ride today. The road was up and down the entire way.  The climbs weren't bad - as compared to the one yesterday.  The road wasn't busy as well which allows us to communicate more with the other riders as we go.   I saw this long-horned bull along the road today.  We didn't have this kind of animal on our farm in Minnesota.

This is what the landscape looked like much of the day today.   We are about 5,700 ft elevation.

 A bunch of us stopped by the MacDonald's in Snowflake for coffee and a second breakfast.  We made it into St. John's by noon.   It  We biked 77 miles in less than four hours.  I was able to go 20 - 25 miles per hour most of the way.    We are staying in the city park in St. John's.  We are all in tents this time.  There is a pool next door which we can use free from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm tonight.   I'm currently in the library with about 15 other riders. We are all posting on our computers.

Bear sightings:  Several riders have seen bears along the road.  On Monday, Rod Ledeboer saw a couple of cubs cross the road.  Yesterday Bonita took a picture of a large bear eating the carcass of an elk.  I saw the picture she took of this.  The bear was only about 50 ft off the road.

I want to say "Hi" to any CCS students following my blog.  I hope your summer is going well.  Have a fun and safe Fourth of July!  You are invited to walk in the Edina and Richfield parades tomorrow as part of the CCS parade entree.  You can call the  school office for details.

Tuesday, July 2

Tuesday, July 2nd:  I woke up this morning at 5:00 am and I was on the road with my bike by 6:00.  We headed east out of Payson, AZ.   Payson is about 5,100 ft elevation and the temperature was very moderate this morning.  I think the high was about 80 degrees which is almost 40 degrees less than what we experienced in the desert.   The route today had a very sharp incline up to 7,500 feet.  It was six miles with about a 6 degree incline.   It was slow going up that mountain but once I made it to the summit it was mostly level or downhill into the the city of Heber.

 The landscape is beautiful with lots of pine trees and red rocks.   I biked the 52 miles to Heber and made it by 11:30 am.  We are staying at the public school here.  We had a choice of either setting up our tent on the football field or sleeping in the gym.  I chose the gym.     A thunderstorm came up at about 3:00 pm and we all sat under a canopy and watched a spectacular lightning show.  Another storm came through right at dinner time and the rain made everyone scramble for cover.  The temperature tonight has dropped at least 20 degrees.

The flags in Arizona are flying at half mask in memory of the 19 firefighters that were killed on Saturday.   They were fighting a forest fire about 2 hours from where we were staying in Payson.  We have been praying for the families of all of these brave firefighters who died in this tragedy.

As of now, our route into Colorado is going to change.   The state of Colorado is recommending that we not go up Wolf Creek Pass because of the recent fires there.  The road is open but the air is still filled with smoke and they don't recommend bike riders come through this area.

Tomorrow we bike 77 miles to St. John's, AZ.  We are about to start our evening meeting.  I'll try to post some more pictures with this blog when I have better wifi access.

Payson, AZ

Sunday, June 30:   After breakfast, I went to a small Presbyterian Church in Payson that is  a few blocks from our camp ground.  This is a very small congregation and I don't believe anyone was under the age of 65.  I went to this church with about 30 other Sea to Sea riders and I think we doubled the attendance at this service.  The regular members of the congregation were delighted that we were there and they said several times that they wished the singing sounded this good every week.   Since Independence Day is this week,  they sang a patriotic number in the church service.  One of our Canadian Sea to Sea riders then asked if the congregation could also sing the Canadian National Anthem - which we did.   July 1 is "Canada Day" and it is a common practice to sing the national anthem in the Canadian Churches on the Sunday prior to Canada Day - so we did.    After the service, we had a pot-luck dinner with the members of the congregation. We supplied the hotdogs and hamburgers and the congregation supplied rest.    We moved the pews to the side and set up tables and chairs in the worship area and ate there.  Ironically, the pastor of this church had married the daughter of a CRC minister many years ago so he was familiar with our World Renewal and RCA connections.  The other Sea to Sea people either went to a Baptist Church or a Lutheran Church.  Those in the Lutheran Church were also fed a meal after the service. 

During the afternoon we mostly relaxed, repacked our gear and shopped for some small items.  A small rain and wind storm came up suddenly during the afternoon. My tent stayed firm but a few of the tents were flattened.  I understand that afternoon storms regularly happen here in the afternoons and we can expect that moving forward.

We had a open mike "talent show" (Stan Baker stole the show with his French Prime Minister  imitation)  in the evening and then small group devotions.  My small group is a very diverse group of people and I have enjoyed getting to know them.

Monday, July 1 - "Canada Day"  - Our Canadian friends came out in all  their patriotic colors today.  The red maple leafs are everywhere in our Sea to Sea group.

I want to say "Happy Canada Day" to my future son-in-law, Nick Ellens!    After a great breakfast of pancakes and French toast, many of us took a 12 mile ride over a ridge and then down to creek.  Many of us swam in the ice cold water in the creek.  It was very refreshing!  We ate lunch out by the creek and then biked back into Payson. My smaller tires are working well.   I had to stop several places to pick up some small items this afternoon.  People are very curious about this large group of bike riders that are in this town.  They seem eager to hear our stories and to wish us well. 

Many of us are eager to resume our bike tour. We will be heading out of Payson early tomorrow morning.  I understand that we have a long climb up first thing and then we will be coasting for a while.   We will be staying in the town of Heber on Tuesday evening.  Other stops this week include Zuni, New Mexico and Rehoboth which is just outside of Gallop, NM.