Week 1, Days 5-6, Payson, AZ

The ride to Payson was beautiful yesterday.  The chartered bus driver pointed out interesting sites along the way.  We stopped in Phoenix and ate lunch at a park area, but the hot weather drained my energy in just 45 minutes.  We were thankful not to be biking in that heat!  We passed a lot of beautiful scenery in the bus but also recognized it would have been a very difficult ride with lots of climbing interspersed with some long down-grades as well.

 

Let me tell you a little bit about our home for these four days in Payson.  The tents are set up on the baseball diamond near a beautiful middle school.  The clover in the field seems to attract bees.     

 

The school is completely shut down for the summer so we have access only to the bathrooms by the baseball/football concession stand.  The women’s room has three stalls and one sink for the 40-50 women in camp this weekend.  No double vanities here!  In our previous locations, the showers have been cold because they can’t handle the volume with so many people all wanting showers at the same time.  The showers here are hot.  Hot, because the water passes through a garden hose on the pavement before making its way to the outdoor showers set up in the parking lot.  We also have a laundry facility of sorts—a table with a built-in sink and a hand-ringer on the end of the table. It’s pretty cool.  It reminds me of helping Mom with the laundry before we got the washing machine in the mid-60s.  Someone commented, “I didn’t know they still make those things!”  I’m struck by how quickly we adapt to life without luxuries.  Who would have thought that a washing machine is a luxury!  A common phrase yesterday was, “People don’t go on a tour like this if they aren’t flexible and can’t go with the flow.” Something tells me we should live life with more flexibility more often than on a bike tour.

 

 

I took the time to re-organize our stuff this morning.  You’d think it wouldn’t be a problem to keep track of only 60 pounds of possessions, but somehow, it is.  We tried to pack up and get on the road as early as possible those first four mornings, and eventually, we ended up throwing things in the nearest bag, assuming we’ll find it later.  Sometimes this works out better than other times.  I’ve already claimed my toothbrush and holder from the lost and found as well as my eating utensils.  I thought I lost my only non-athletic bra in the laundry at the motel, but as it turns out, it never made it into the laundry because it was stuffed in the tent bag!  I’m trying to organize things to minimize the number of times I walk back and forth between the gear truck and our tent.  It helps to be in the same site for a few days.

Rudy helped with the painting crew on refurbishing a Habitat for Humanity house this morning.  He power-washed it last night with Henry De Jager from Chino, CA, and he went back this morning to help with directing the painting crew.  They should be getting back soon.  I think I’m missing lunch. . . brb (be right back).  J

So much for getting right back to you!  It’s now 8:00 p.m. and it’s cooling off for the evening.  There is a very slight breeze and it’s pretty warm in the porch of our tent so I’m sitting on my little camp chair/stool to finish this entry.

The semi delivered our bikes to camp while we were at the movie.  They seem to have made the trek from Quartzsite in fine shape.  Normally when we’re in camp, our only transportation is via bikes.  Since we didn’t have our bikes, we managed to catch a ride with one of the van drivers to a movie theatre this afternoon.  I have to say that I felt the best I have felt in four days while sitting in the coolness of that movie theatre.  We walked back to camp after the show.  Since being without our bikes, I am reminded of how it might feel to not have a vehicle of your own and the freedom to go where you want to go, when you want to go.  We take so many things for granted.

It looks like we’ll be going to either a Lutheran or Presbyterian church tomorrow, as they have offered to serve us hamburgers or brats after their services tomorrow.  None of this was in the plan since we weren’t planning to be here in Payson on Sunday.  These churches just stepped up to the plate.  (Did you catch that pun?)  The local bike shop owner is doing the same. Several riders stopped at his shop today and he has sold out of road bike tires. When we got back from the movie, there he was in camp, checking out people’s bikes! He is coming back on Monday to do some tune-ups and repairs. Wow, what service!! We’re in awe of the spur-of-the-minute hospitality and generosity we’ve experienced so far on the tour.

 

Have a great Sunday.  Thanks for your comments, your prayers, and your support!

Week 1, Day 4

Instead of riding today, I teamed up to help at one of the SAG stops.  It was hot.  We set up the 10’x10’ canopy and started serving the riders with ice water and packs, mixing sports drinks, and providing a bit of shade.  It was hot.  Riders are continually finding new ways to stay cool—from squirting water on their head and back every time they take a drink on the road, to wrapping ice cubes in towelettes and wrapping it around their necks while riding.  It was hot.  Thankfully ,we were set up near a truck stop and were able to buy ice and refill our water jugs. 

It was hot.  My SAG partner was fighting an extended migraine headache and left the SAG with a few riders who decided it was too hot to be riding.  Did I say it was hot?  After packing everything up after the last riders, I proceeded to my next assigned stop.  By the time I got there, most of the riders had already been through that leg of the route.  The riders speckled the interstate shoulder for over 50 miles.  It was hot.  Several riders did not finish the day because of the heat.  Claire Elgersma, a rider and the chair of the Sea to Sea committee, got her hand casted because of a hairline fracture that happened when she braced herself from a little fall in a parking lot on Monday.  We’re thankful that everyone got in safe and sound. 

Our sleeping arrangements changed because of the heat.  We, along with several other riders, got a room at the new Super 8 here in Quartzsite, AZ.  The rest of the riders fit in a small community center with air conditioning.  This community center did not become available until yesterday morning and we are all very thankful for it because it would have been too hot to camp on the football field, which, we were told, is the largest patch of grass between Dessert Center, CA (Wednesday’s stop) and Phoenix.

Rudy found this cactus in the area behind our motel.

 

There have been numerous occasions and events on the ride that most people would say “just happened” to work out for our safety and benefit.  For me, it happened on Wednesday morning when the Port-a-Potty SAG van came up behind us as I scanned the desert for a shrub large enough to “serve my purpose.”  J  God is with us, but I struggle with the implied idea that God is with us to make our lives better and more comfortable.   Maybe he provided the air conditioned places for us to stay because he knows we couldn't handle him not doing so.  The People of Israel's complaining in the dessert has taken on a whole new meaning in this landscape.

Our biking has been suspended until Monday or Tuesday because of the extreme heat conditions.  I was expecting some opposition from the die-hard bicyclists, but I haven’t sensed it at all.  We all want to be safe.  They are busing us to Payson, AZ, where we would have arrived on Monday.  They are also scouting out a different route through Colorado because of the fires there.

I hope you are having a great day, wherever this finds you.  I’ll try to keep posting as many days as possible.

 

God be with you.

Week 1, Days 1-3

Here it is, day three, and I haven’t posted a blog entry since we started the ride!  There just hasn’t been time!  I’ll try to bring you up to date, but to be honest, some of the details of the first two days have already faded.  At the end of each day I pause to think of the different parts of the ride for that day, and I realize that the scenery from the morning seems like it happened a day (or more) ago. 

Day 1

We stood around the parking lot to eat a light breakfast, packed food for a lunch, filled our water bottles and hit the road at 7:45 a.m.  We road much of the day on the Santa Ana River Trail but some of the route took us on bike paths on city streets.  Biking with traffic isn’t so bad when there are bike lanes!  We’re getting the hang of riding with a group and I value the teamwork it takes to communicate road conditions, figure out the route, share resources and encourage one another. 

We were reminded of the strength and the fragility of the human body as most riders finished the 68-mile ride in fine shape, but one of our riders lost control of his bike on the edge of the paved trail and  fell and broke his leg.  Mark Deckinga and his wife, Susan were signed up to do the ride together.  They are also riding recumbent bikes and Rudy especially felt an affinity with them.  Mark had surgery yesterday and he needs to stay in the area for two weeks before flying home.  We’ll miss them on the ride. 

Day 2

Let’s see . . . yesterday . . . what happened yesterday?  We got up earlier and hit the road earlier because it would be a longer ride and hotter temperatures than the day before.  The route started with two long, steep hills in the first 20 miles.  Before we reached the first support and gear stop, we ran across two riders who were running very low on water.  We shared our extra water and ended up biking the rest of the day with Henry and Nancy De Jager from Chino, California.  Along the way, one of my water bottles “jumped” out of its cage on an extremely bumpy section of a “bike” trail.  We were thankful to make it through that section without a flat tire.

The most memorable event of the day came about ten miles from the end of the ride.  We were hot and needed a break so we stopped at a CVS Pharmacy.  Nancy explained about Sea to Sea to the store manager and asked if he would be willing to donate a bottle of water for each of us.  He paused a really long time, and I thought sure he was trying to figure out how to decline our request.  Then he opened the cooler door, maneuvered his way behind the racks of bottled drinks and came out with four huge bottles of cold water.  He walked over to the register, pulled out his wallet, and paid for the water out of his own pocket!  Grateful, does not begin to express our feelings for his generosity.  I knew after today’s ride that the challenge will not be the distance but the heat.

Day 3

Today didn’t go exactly how I hoped. 

We hit the road at 5:45 a.m., with the hope of beating the worst of the California desert heat.   The route started with 18 miles of flat roads, then 24 miles of uphill grades of 3-5 %, and finally 20 miles of slightly downhill grades.  Here is a picture of four riders starting up the climb in Box Canyon.

Things were going fine until about mile 42 or so.  It was extremely hot and we doused our bodies with water every 30 minutes or so.  I drank lots of water and electrolytes, but those things were not enough to ward off the jelly-like feeling creeping into my quads.  Not good.  I spotted a tree-bush ahead and biked to the small area of shade.  (The picture below is not the tree, but rather an "artsy" tree along the road. 

After sitting down for a rest, I realized I should stop riding for the day.  I had thought that if I could just get to the top of the climb, I would be fine.  Looking back, it’s probably good that I didn’t make it, because I would have kept riding, when I probably shouldn’t have.  The SAG (Support And Gear) vehicle picked me up along with another lady while Rudy continued riding with her husband.  (It might sound like there are numerous married couples riding Sea to Sea since I’ve noted three of them already in this blog; but that’s not true.) 

I’m disappointed that I couldn’t ride the whole route today.  I remember the summers when we lived in Visalia, California and how I never felt well in the heat.  I was hoping this wouldn’t be an issue on the ride, but it obviously was today.  I’m still processing my disappointment, but I’m not devastated by it.  I’m also not sure yet if I will ride tomorrow or not.  They are predicting record-breaking temperatures for the rest of the week along our route.  We're thankful for the air conditioned community room for us to sleep in tonight!

Please keep us in your prayers.  Some riders (including me) are considering not riding tomorrow.

 

God is with us just like he is with you.  It doesn’t take a crazy-long bike tour to rally up God’s work for his Kingdom!

Exhilarating Pre-Ride Day

What an exhilarating day! 

After breakfast this morning each rider had to do a short, bike-safety, obstacle course.  Since Rudy and I are riding recumbent bikes, we were excused from the part of the course that had us weave through the orange cones.  We did the stone-dodge maneuver (a quick swerve motion around a stone or other debris on the road), a left-turn soldier check and hand signal, and finally a hard stop complete with unclipping from our pedals without our bodies flying over the handle bars.  This feat was easily done on our recumbents because of our backward-lying seat position.  The breaking doesn’t propel our bodies forward like it does on an upright bike.  We’ve been pleasantly surprised at other riders’ interest in our “funny-looking” bikes! 

Following the kick-off worship service this afternoon, all the riders (100+) formed one big peloton (riding group).  We rode the six miles from Vanguard University, where we stayed this weekend, to Newport Beach where we dipped our back tires in the Pacific Ocean.  We were instructed to stay together no matter what--red lights or green.  The cross traffic stopped in order to let the whole group make it through the intersections.  Cars honked their horns.  People stood by the trail and watched as we road by.  Others waved and cheered us on.

 

I was ¾ of the way back in the pack.  At times, we road three abreast and filled the entire lane of the four and six-lane streets.  As we took our first left turn, the pack of bikes gracefully made its way around the corner like water makes its way through a coiled garden hose.  The cars stood at attention until we passed.  A small lump formed in my throat as the enormity of this undertaking hit me.  I recognized this lump.  It surfaced for the first time nearly 30 years ago when we lived in Visalia, California and we watched a bike race in downtown Visalia on a Sunday afternoon.  It was a serious race covered by network television, and when the bikers whizzed by in that peloton, I remember a lump forming unexpectedly in my throat.  I had no idea what that was about as I’m typically not a very emotional person.  But I remember that moment clearly.  Maybe a seed was planted that day. 

A short while later, the lump returned, but this time for a different reason.  I found myself thinking of my dad.  He died in a farm accident over 23 years ago.  I have no idea why riding in this pack of bikes triggered my thoughts of him and subsequent emotions, but it did.  I think, for a moment, I missed him; what would he have thought of me doing this ride?  I gave these unexpected thoughts a bit of my attention while riding, but soon enough the lump in my throat was replaced with a huge smile on my face and a sense of freedom in my heart.  I think I smiled the whole ride.

After our tire dipping, prayer, doxology-singing and pictures on the beach, ten of us found a pizza place for our evening meal.  Another rider and I started up a conversation with a woman on the sidewalk.  At some point, Something within nudged me, “This is the time you ask if she wants to make a donation.  Ask for a donation.”  So I did.  This was very uncharacteristic of me.  I handed her one of the Sea to Sea business cards.  She reached in her purse and handed me five dollars!  She had trouble reading the card without her reading glasses, but we said our thank-yous and found an outdoor table at the pizza place.  A few minutes later, I noticed she was still standing there with her arm fully extended, holding the card to the light, willing her eyes to focus.  She walked over to our table.  “You’re with a church group?  What church?”  We answered her questions and she said she had just come from attending Saddle Back Church earlier today.  In baton-like fashion, another member of our group picked up the conversation from there on out. 

In various ways we told our story about riding across the country to end poverty.  To some bystanders I called out, “New York City, here we come!”  Another time I called out, “Fight poverty!” It was fun watching people's reactions.  Other times there were longer conversations.  People's responses were open, uplifting and inspiring.

These lyrics run through my head as I write this blog entry tonight:  “Lord, you are good and your mercy endures forever.”  We haven’t even started the ride yet (we do that tomorrow morning) and already I sense God working on things far beyond my awareness.

I must sleep now.  We’re getting up at 5:30 a.m. to ride to Redlands.  Thank you for joining us on this journey!

Final Preparations

Sea to Sea starts Monday from Newport Beach, California!!  We’re making our final preparations to leave this morning (Friday).  Over the last few days we’ve been weighing and re-weighing, adding and removing items from our backpacks, and remembering and forgetting everything that needed to be done.

I received a notice two weeks ago that I have been summoned to jury duty in the US district court for the months of July, August and September.  I immediately sent in my request for deferral and was told to call back in two weeks to see if it was accepted.  Because of Sea to Sea, I am off the jury list this time around. 

Months ago when we started gathering our gear for Sea to Sea we thought the 60-pound limit would not pose a problem, but as the time drew near, the weight counted up amazingly fast.  I found a small kitchen scale at a thrift store and we’ve been using it to weigh everything from spare batteries to individual clothing items. 

Tonight we’ll be in California claiming our bikes and gear and meeting the people in our mobile community for the next nine weeks!  The preparations have been fun.  We’ve packed, we’ve pedaled, and now it’s time to hit the road against poverty. 

 

Glad to have you along!

 

Training and Packing

We biked 240 miles this week—two long rides (68 and 80 miles, respectively) with barely any wind and fewer hills; and three shorter rides with much wind and several hills.  That 20-mph sidewind was a challenge today!   

Our bikes and 80 pounds of our gear leave tomorrow for California.  We'll bring the other 40 pounds with us next week.   Choosing what to bring is an interesting experience, to say the least.   I’m already getting the itch to go through some closets to get rid of things I do not need or use.  Why do we let ourselves accumulate so much stuff? 

We leave a week from today.  Since our bikes have shipped, we won’t be able to ride for a whole week.  It feels counterproductive, but they--that is, Barb--says it’s good to take a break before the tour begins.  I’ve never done anything like this before, so I’ll take her word for it. 

I’m looking forward to a seven-hour retreat of silence and solitude tomorrow with 15 other retreatants.  It will be hard to let go of my to-do list but it’s what I need.  I want to be fully present and attentive.

This post resembles how I feel.  Scattered.  There are so many things to take care of before we leave.  I jump from one thing to another and back to the first.  I get to the end of the day and remember the things I did not get done.  One thing I/we did get done today was to meet up with my mom at the Ireton Super-Stop for a snack break before we turned around on our morning ride.  When I was in middle school (we called it junior high back then) I wanted to bike the five miles to Ireton on my 3-speed Schwinn bicycle, but as I remember it, I wasn’t allowed to bike to town.  One time, I road within a half-mile.  I know, living on the edge, right?  And now, just to think, I am planning, the Lord willing, to bike across North America! 

One of the things on my to-do list is to make a sign to put on my bike that says “End Poverty”.   We’re biking Sea to Sea to raise awareness and money, and this would be a way for people to know what we’re about, even if they don’t talk to us but just see us on their roads.  I’ll post a picture of it on the ride.

I have way more thoughts than I have time to write.