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Chatham to London—74 Miles Day 53 August 21, 2008

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Barb Mellema
on August 21, 2008
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It was hard to wake up out of a bed this morning. Usually the tent taking down ceremony helps wake me up—but his morning it was the smell of coffee & egg dish. :-)

We headed out in arm warmers and vests & kept them on for the first 30 miles. Our line was big but we stayed to the end of the line…Jerry at the back, then Cynthia & I was ahead of her before all the other guys that were pulling in the wind. I can’t imagine how she felt having to sit the saddle 2 days in a row—only this one longer. Head wind today and a bit stronger then yesterday kept us at it. We didn’t dismount or take a break until we were at Walt’s SAG stop—mile 32—time for coffee. When Cynthia is on the bike it’s best for her to stay on as long as she can before she takes a break—that’s great for us because we’re used to sitting in the saddle longer since our century days in Iowa. It’s fun to hear her give the guys a hard time again & I can sit back & laugh along.

Pete wanted to get going because he was meeting his son so they could ride together for the day. Jake wanted to get in because his daughter & 2 grandkids (cuties) were meeting them in the park. Pieter Pereboom joined us as we left Walt’s SAG. He’s from London as well as John and between the 2 of them we knew we could get in without having to take an alternate route—or if they took us on a short cut they would know where it would truly end up.

A time trial was scheduled today for those who wanted to sign up & see how well they could do for 40 km. I think they had a good turn out—I hope to find out how well it went tonight at peloton—but the headwinds had to slow some of the times down. Another exciting thing was the opportunity to go to a velodrome—indoor, slanted, wooden track with single gear bikes. They just had to bring their pedals & helmet. I’d love to try it if it would be at the end of the tour. I could see myself wiping out this close to NewJersey—not pretty—save it for another day. I’m anxious to find out how well they enjoyed it.

While we were going to Mt Bridges a pick up comes along beside & asks for Andy De Vries—I tell the happy couple that he’s at the front of the line pulling—it’s Andy’s brother & sister-in-law. We arrived at the lunch stop at 10:00—Mt. Brydges Hope Community CRC opened their church and arms to all of us. Sandwiches, fruit, beans…don’t want to be at the back of the line in the morning…It’s a blessing to be encouraged in all the ways people are willing to demonstrate their support. On our way out of town we were greeted by more of Andy’s family—a sister & niece. This tour went from being a Vander Steen reunion ride to a De Vries gathering—I’m happy for him & it’s great to meet family.

There are times when I’m riding here that I think I’m still in the Midwest—corn on one side & beans on the other. Today we did see a blueberry orchard and a tobacco field—not Midwest crops, but very interesting to hear about the harvesting of those crops.

While we were getting close to the end of the ride John VS pulls into a parking lot—we were on our way to his dentist, Dr. Jerry Heerema—a friend, church member & supporter of John. He gave us tooth brushes, paste and floss. I told the dentist thank you on our way out—then I told John I didn’t care if his proctologist was a donor/friend—we weren’t going there.

On arriving to London we went to Springbank Park to pick up a bike path that would lead us safely through part of the city. It was well marked with chalk and at the Y in the path we were greeted by many cheering kids with watermelon and water. Shortly the press showed up and interviews were conducted. At that time I remembered I hadn’t checked in with John Slagers back at KDCR for quite a while—I made the call.

We headed to the school here where Jake Pasma is on maintenance, London District Christian Secondary School—we all told Jake we we’re going to eat in the library so he’d have job security when he gets back.

(By the way—will you hold my contract back at the office for me—I know I missed that deadline—couldn’t help it—plan to sign again—Lord willing.)

On our arrival I met more of Pete, Andy & John’s family members—kids, grand kids, siblings…they had a great welcome. They had food around the back of the school—bakes goods & fresh veggies & dip. But the best dip for most of the people was the ice cream supplied by the Elgin County Dairy Producers. The woman serving knew my name—at times I’m at a disadvantage because of this blog but I like to meet the people. I took her picture with all the helpers—thanks for the cone & chocolate milk. Chocolate milk is very popular after a ride as a recovery drink so it was great to have it right in camp. I also met Heather F. who has encouraged me through my blog. London is doing a great job here.

I’m being hosted (billeted) by John & Irene Vander Steen tonight. As I’m sitting here blogging you wouldn’t believe the people that are bringing food here for us. All the weight I lost due to the desert will be back on due to dessert. They are treating us well in Canada—their hospitality is unbelievable.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes. I honestly forgot how old I was. When some people asked me & said I was 2 years older than I thought I was. It was my son who caught it last night in a conversation. With age goes brain cells I guess. :-)

I met a few Dordt alums at the school—Pete Minnesma, computer instructor here and Uncle to Marty who was on the 1st stage of the ride. And Gerald Vaandering—art major. Gerald asked how Norm M. is back in Sioux Center. Please tell Jo A. & Norm M. that they are fondly remembered.

Also, remember JimBeezhold who injured himself unrelated to biking–he has a few broken ribs–and a thank you to his family for the water stop on our way into GR.

Thanks for reading and please introduce yourself to me if I’m in your area. I may not remember all the names but some I can put together with your comments to my blog.

Richmond to Chatham—56 Miles Day 52 August 20, 2008

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Barb Mellema
on August 21, 2008
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Last night while I was blogging I was sitting by Art Mulder—he blogged that he was sitting by me—trading barbs with Barb. You need to know I didn’t trade art with Art—I can only doodle. :-)

At peloton it was announced that Lynn Verros, from Knoxville, IA, left for home. She had a hard time biking after her accident—all the fun goes when you’re in pain. Lynn, please know we’re keeping you in prayer and I understand what it took to leave the tour.

We had a special guest at peloton last night, Marcia Van’t Hof—in February her 46 yr old husband Mark died unexpectedly of a heart attack. He was a pastor and a real supporter of the tour—Mark Dekkinga rode his bike from Denver to Grand Rapids. Marcia has been given the grace to stand in front of us and encourage us to continue on to help any way we can to fight poverty. She explained how her in-laws stayed around their area of MI during white-flight.

My phone went off at 1:03 this morning—I usually have it off but I forgot. It was my son singing me a Happy Birthday song. I was in my sleeping bag at 9:00 & in a deep sleep—hard to get mad at a son who remembers your birthday and is watching the clock when it flips to the right day—only he forgot about the time change…I didn’t tell any one in camp—more about this later…

This morning I was on sweep duty—help out at breakfast. Extra people in camp added extra people to the sweep team. I swapped with Larry Meyer the other night so I didn’t serve in the evening dinner line. I missed seeing who was added to our sweep team—that’s always a good way to meet the people on the tour. The breakfast line was closed down early so everyone would get out on time and into Marine City for the ferry crossing.

It was so cold when we left this morning. I had just as much clothing on this morning as I did when we left Snow Mountain Ranch in Colorado. I left with Christeena today and picked up John Klyn & Chris Mulder on our way out of camp. We were doing 20 mph when a line of 5 riders came on right in front of us. They slowed down to 18 mph—what’s up with that? Christeena told me to drop them because we can… :-) We didn’t because if they wanted to do all the work with the wind I was going to let them!

We took the ferry in shifts after checking in with Jen Van Beek. We all had to meet with passport in hand 20 miles down the road in Marine City, take the ferry to cross into Sombra, Canada. Kids in a candy store…most of the Canadians couldn’t wait to “go home” they were so excited. I don’t know if it was to the mother land or the first Tim Hortons.

You can’t believe how smoothly the crossing went at the boarder. It was a prayer issue for all of us when we consider everything that could hold us up. Give your passport—say your name—walk on. It was that way for all of us as riders & Support.

I was on the last ferry across the St. Claire River—I think it took 3 or 4 trips to get us all across, gear truck & all. When I got off Cynthia was there waiting with a big hug. It was so good to see her. So many people were there to cheers us into Canada I couldn’t believe it—very welcoming. They served Tim Horton coffee, timbits (donut holes) cupcakes, candy and fruit. (I was able to meet family members of the people I’ve been riding with.) A very nice entry through customs & into Sombra—I didn’t get this kind of welcome the other times I visited…

I finally got to meet Irene—John VS wife and I hope to get to know her better this week. I also met Heidi Oshcner’s brother wearing a Dordt shirt while I was eating a timbit—I love it.

We left Sombra with our usual group but without John VS & Louis (they were talking with many friends.) We had Cynthia & Mike VH with us. Cynthia told us the speed she was good with, the guys were in front for headwind control & I brought up the rear to keep everyone off our line. Shortly out of Sombra we had 3 guys hop on our line. I asked them to give us the needed space Cynthia needed for reaction time & they backed off. We did chat for a bit first and he introduced himself as John De Pooter (this is as close as I can get right now.) He was the organizer of the welcome into Sombra & they were riding for the day. I thanked him because it was so well organized, he dropped back & explained to his friends who we were with Cynthia ahead of me. Maybe 100’ behind us now & I hear a loud SNAP! I looked in my mirror & saw a guy go down—it was John DP. His buddies didn’t know it was him & I’m watching them approach as I’m yelling biker down. We slowed our line and as John’s friends got closer I had to yell at them that it was John who went down. I saw John go to the side of the road & other bikers coming up from the back. We didn’t turn around—experience after Cynthia went down—too many people around can be another accident waiting to happen. His buddies went there, other bikers came up & a SAG was behind shortly. I must admit that just that quickly I was mentally back on the interstate to Fort Morgan watching Cynthia in my mirror again—I got an instant adrenaline rush and a case of the shakes. We found out later that John suffered a broken nose, split lip to the gum & facial road rash. He’s thankful for his helmet.

Cynthia did great today! We kept the stops to a minimum to avoid crowding and b/c it takes so much out of her to click in & out—so we skipped all the SAG’s. She can’t stop for a half hour at a time—she needs to keep going or it hurts her ‘sit bones.’ She told me that in the evenings she gets tired & them a limp is more pronounced. She plans to ride one day at a time—it’s REALLY flat here so it’s easier for her—climbing puts too much pressure on the pelvic region. The guys were good about yelling out the cracks and bumps—that’s huge for her.

When we got to Chatham (chat-um) she did humor me & stop by the sign for a photo. I’m not going to try to pronounce any of the names here because many are French influenced—and they’re laughing at ‘my accent’. When we went past a sign that read ‘Pain Court’ I asked her who holds court for pain? She told me it’s pronounced Pan Cor—I give up. And, it’s not hockey unless you say it with that lugee/horking ( hacking throat action)—I just can’t say it correctly for them—my family will tell you that I can’t hack a lugee.

I met new faces when we arrived at the community center like Nancy Schoon—she’s a blog reader. Andy’s sister in-law, Anne, sent me some ‘colored money.’ Very cute Anne—thanks! It will take me a bit to get used to the monopoly-like money. I’ll just get them to buy the coffee…

Tonight we are guests at Cynthia and Ralph’s home. She served a great meal, with help from her family—way to go Janessa, Jolene & Andrew. They opened up their home to many of us & we are so appreciative. The bed I’m sleeping in is so far off the floor I have to be mindful not to roll—falling off my tent mattress is nothing—falling out of this bed could break my pelvis.

We left after dinner for peloton & Len R, our head Chaplin, announced that they had a special surprise for someone—me! They had me come up & he told everyone it was my birthday & that they were serving cake courtesy of Dordt College. The card reads, “Happy Birthday from the crew at work.” Before I left I joked that I was getting out of serving treats because I was going to be on the ride—paybacks—I understand them. They had 3 cakes & sang to me so I’m celebrating with 200 & some of my new best biking friends. Very embarrassed but very blessed to be remembered—thank you all very much.

Thanks for reading… :-) And just so you know, the snow plow didn’t meet me at the border to escort me to my igloo likeJeff Schoon told me it would.

Nancy Krygsman, (my Canadian counterpart in the office)…do you want me to bring you anything back from Canada when I cross in a few days? Remember my packing weight limit though… :-) Pastor Herm? Now’s the time to get your order in. Oh yeah…how about some ketchup chips?

Laingsburg to Richmond—95 Miles Day 51 August 19, 2008

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Barb Mellema
on August 19, 2008
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Leave early, ride hard, get in…Yep—that summed up the day! We prayed that we’d be blessed with a tail wind—we had a head wind all day. We were blessed but in other ways. Cloud coverage and cool temps helped us rather than hindered today.

Andy & Louis were on sweep, so we added Mike Vander Horst—another Canadian—where are the Americans first thing in the morning besides Jerry K. (WA) & myself? Today Jerry & I pulled the whole group closer to the Canadian boarder. :-} Actually, we all took turns leading the line—I couldn’t fall back on the “weaker sex” excuse to get out of my turn and I won’t stoop to whining. We would take the lead for 3 miles, drop to the back & rotate up to the lead. We averaged 17 mph for the day—not bad with the winds and 95 miles. I think there may be a few people who will be ‘winded’ today.

Grand Rapids was a homecoming for many of the riders—but now we’re heading to Canada for a homecoming for many of the other riders.

A few things they’ve told me about Canada

· –they might have flush toilets at some places

· –the first place we’re stopping is at Timmy’s

· –we might be able to blog if we can get internet

· –Dini Meyerink’s husband used to have a polar bear farm

· –they’re not all lumberjacks

· –we’ll have to change our bikes in for dog sleds

· –you can get mukluks with SPD’s

· –pretty cool, eh?

Someone asked Art Mulder if he was part of a race. We do draw attention as a group and that gives us an opportunity to talk about poverty & the ride.

I don’t really remember too much about the towns today because we didn’t stop but for a quick coffee at a gas station, with a flush. Durand, what I do remember of it, was a pretty community with quaint homes.

When we arrived to Richmond we found a bike shop & I took the opportunity to have my bike tuned up. I’m going to need a new bottom bracket soon—I just need 10 more good biking days out of it first.

Tonight is supposed to get down to 49*–see we’re getting closer to Canada… :-)

Grand Rapids to Laingsburg—65 Miles Day 50 August 18, 2008

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Barb Mellema
on August 19, 2008
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If people didn’t like the ride today they should go home. :-) Good roads, good temps, and great tail winds.

I was able to show Aunt Frieda the kitchen truck when they were serving breakfast. The meals that come out of there are great. We hate to report how good because we are on a poverty ride…

Lynn Postma met me this morning for the send off from Calvin. It was good to visit with my high school friend—she graduated from Dordt ahead of me & moved off to MI!

We had a bit of confusion this morning with the road markings. I don’t know if Tyler didn’t want us to leave but we missed a turn on Ada. Ryan B. came up beside us & said we were on the wrong road—we were like lemmings & just following the rider in front of us. I headed out this morning with Corinne S., Dora VW., Anne M., & Rita W. We went back a few blocks to Hwy 21 & went right on that road—we had a great shoulder for the five us to ride on—we knew we were on an alternate path but we’d connect with the route up ahead. We took inventory amongst us all—spare tubes, tire irons & pumps were accounted for so we were in good shape. Leave no rider behind.

We met up with everyone at Lowell CRC—our lunch stop. They had fruit, egg dish, muffins, bagels & sugar. It was a good stop for everyone.

We made a decision to stay on Hwy 21 & drop down when it tied in & worked on the map. We only put on a few extra miles but it sounds like we missed a few stinky farm places. We did come beside a correctional facility—a maximum security facility—take no passengers or hitchhikers. The amount of barbed wire there…

For the most part the ride was uneventful—we didn’t see or hear of any one going down—everyone safe makes it a great day.

We’re camping at Sleepy Hollow State Park—don’t need to see the headless horseman tonight—we have lots of shade & right now many are down at the beach. The kitchen ladies had cut oranges for us as well as left over pizza from last night—gone before I could get it. They also had cherry tomatoes & whole cucumbers—find me the salt!

I’m serving dinner for Larry Meyer tonight & he’ll take my turn next time I’m on sweep. I’m trying to meet all the new riders & serving dinner is a great way to do it. I did meet Stan & Galen—Dordt alums who are starting this stage of the ride. Pray we all adjust & stay safe.

At peloton tonight Corinne S. spoke and told the group about our ride today—it was her best day of riding…we all had a great day together.

At our small group meeting after peloton our devotion for the next day was about the prisoner and freedoms we enjoy on the outside—no jokes now when we reflect on the prison we passed today.

Also, Lois Craven bid us goodbye tonight—she came in with a lung condition which she battled in high altitudes, hurt her shoulder, & then got hit by a car—she said she’s listening to God to get off her bike. Please remember Lois and some of the riders that are facing injuries.

Grand Rapids—Sunday August 17, 2008

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Barb Mellema
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After enjoying a very comfortable evening with Aunt Frieda and a great sleep, I still woke at 5:00 but just lay like a lump on the bed until 6:30. No tent zippers calling, no sweep duty this weekend—a rest-filled morning.

We worshipped at Alger Park CRC where Aunt Frieda is a member. She told me that they have an intern pastor but didn’t give a name—it was Stephen De Wit from Sioux Center. (Tell Ver & June they have a cute little grandchild over here!) Stephen had a fitting sermon on community. Our community will change today as we add 60 new riders for the last stage of the ride. Please continue to pray for all the riders and for the adjustments we will all be making. May we be grace filled in welcoming them as we are all bonded by the mission we’re on—and safety for all.

Our Celebration Service was at 5/3 Ball Park (—why isn’t it 1 & 2/3?) I’ll have to get the story on that one. Our speaker was Shane Claiborne from inner city Pilly, PA. He’s the author of The Simple Way. He delivered a message that was what this ride is all about—poverty and our response to it. He told about his personal experience with Mother Teresa and living in community to help others. Well received.

During the service a story was mentioned about a group that took an offering early in the service & then later again in the same service. When a guest asked about it he was told that the first one is for their tithe & the second one was for how they were blessed & thankful for their blessings. What a way to explain helping others.

Before the service I met with Kelly Ram, a former classmate from Dordt. I was a non-traditional student, old fart, compared to the other students. Her heart bleeds on the job as she works with kids/families that need extra assistance in life. Kelly is the Director of Girls Ministries for Juvenile Justice and Director of Teen Parents. After the service I was able to visit with Sandi and John Vander Stelt, former members of my church back home. They decided to retire closer to their children/grandchildren in GR after many years of teaching at Dordt.

I met a few blog readers today—thanks for getting my attention—it helps to know people are interested and along for the ride this way.

I enjoyed dinner with my Aunt & cousin Lyle & Sue Bierma. It’s great to reconnect after 5 yrs. Also, Happy Birthday to my Aunt Kirkie back home.

Peloton was at the Woodlawn Ministry Center where Josh Krabbe said he’s going to try & ride tomorrow—he took a tumble over the handle bars & hurt his shoulder. He was icing it tonight at the meeting—keep him in your prayers. I think John Vanderveen tells the story on his blog.

I didn’t get to spend enough time with Cynthia this weekend—I missed her as she left this afternoon. I’ll see her in a bit as we enter Canada this week. Please pray for her continued healing—but I know she had a great day of riding yesterday! Praise God!

It was a quick walk back to Aunt Frieda, blogged a few lines & gather/organize my stuff for tomorrow.

Do we ever wonder why it’s others in poverty & not us, not me? I wonder that. Why not me?

Grand Haven to Grand Rapids—45 Miles Day 48 August 16, 2008

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on August 16, 2008
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Cold this morning so the arm warmers & vest went on for a bit. Many new faces (135 day riders) in camp this morning & they have some questions. I wish that I’d had answers but we really don’t know much of the administration side of the ride—thank God for Erinn & Jen. Where do we sign in? Do you know where this is? How does this work out? But, we help if we can.

What I forgot to tell you all last night is that Cynthia is blogging again—check her out on-line. She’s riding today with her son Andrew & Jerry Kobes so I know she’ll have stories. Also, Jerry Kobes wife surprised him along the road—it was so cool.

John rode with his brother Dan and Jake went out with his son. Pete, Andy & Louise were on their own—Pete said they were able to find an alternate route without John’s help. J

It was a girls day out as I was in a group with Corinne Smienk & Claire Elgersma. As we left from the conference grounds we skipped the bike trail idea—too many morning dog walkers. It was fun to ride with different people today—we all ride so differently. I ride in higher gears & like to go a bit faster than some, Claire rides with a higher cadence—she spins her pedals more rotations than I do to go the same distance) and Corinne is between our two styles. I should do more spinning to avoid knee problems but so far I’ve been blessed to have minimal knee problems. Not Corinne—she started getting a sharp pain in her left knee. We stopped so she could stretch, she took a few anti-inflams, and then she limped into Walter’s SAG (support and gear) stop. Rick Gritters even came along & pushed her bike for a while to give her knee a rest. She decided to wait for a ride to the gathering point and ride from there rather than do damage to her knee.

Claire & I decided to stop at the places holding Sea 2 Sea signs today—they went through the time & trouble & we wanted to show our appreciation. We should have rethought the idea after we were on our 4th stop. :-} It made for a slower day but it was so well worth the time. We came around a corner in Eastmanville & ran into Roger Feenstra’s family reunion. Roger didn’t know it but his 90 yr. old parents were waiting for him along with other family members. We had a great cup of coffee & a muffin & we were off again.

I finally met Ron, Lavonne Koedam’s husband (Dordt alum)& got to shake his hand. He was in camp one evening serving ice cream but his hands were too sticky & I didn’t Purell up.

Then we went through Lamont and had a bit of a scare. We saw flashing red lights from a cop car on the hill. I right away thought the worse but it was Bob Brouwers sister at work—she’s in law enforcement here & was welcoming her brother & Lisa. It was a fine way to spend some time off the saddle and to meet some of the people that were going along for the day. I met Bill Waanders at this stop. He was on Dordt’s campus last summer & we were discussing this ride—now here he is. Bingo! I don’t know why I walked over & introduced myself last summer—maybe because he was on a bike—but here we meet again. It’s all part of the God plan.

I also met Lorilee (Bykerk) & Mike Bruxvoort at the lunch stop stop at Westview CRC. Both are Dordt alums and Lorilee is teaching at Unity Christian High School & Mike is working at Zondervona. She looked so familiar to me & I asked if we’d met before—yes we had—she’s a cousin to Angela Walstra Llerena. Westview CRC had yogurt and granola cereal with fresh blueberries. I can walk past the cookies but it’s hard to pass up a combination like that.

One mile down the road we had a SAG stop at Tyler’s & Anita Buitenwerf’s house & Arnie Issette & his wife Judy were there too. Arnie on crutches & Tyler favoring his shoulder—glad you’re improving boys but know that you’re missed.

We had another break as we stopped beside the road and we were greeted by Mayfair CRC. They offered us some goodies, more sugar which I declined, but I did spot a jar of dill pickles. I did get a few sour looks when I requested one of those—but they willingly handed one over. Oh, for the love of sodium…

Claire & I picked up Fred M & Randy DW at Tyler’s place & we finished grazing into Grand Rapids before noon as we headed to the gathering area. Then it was all of us riding to Calvin College. They have a very nice campus—Bev (alum of Dordt) & Corinne Vander Well gave me a tour as they took me to their place for a shower.

I bid Sheryl Taylor goodbye, it’s tough to leave when the experience has been so good—she went 3 weeks without a flat…just not right. She was riding with Curtis’s dad today—where’s Curtis? Maybe like my husband Brian—if it doesn’t have a motor why would I want to get on a bike…

My Aunt Frieda Bierma is hosting me this weekend. My laundry is done, my tummy is fed, and now I’m going to hit her hot tub. It’s funny how much I think we have in common in our taste—she ordered what I had picked off the menu down to the water with lemon. It’s great to get to know her & bathe in her hospitality.

South Haven to Grand Haven—47 Miles Day 47 August 15, 2008

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Last night the guys said we’d sleep in because it was a short day & our lunch stop was at mile 20—so I did sleep, until 6:30. When I got up John had finished breakfast, Louis and Jake were putting their safety vests on, and Andy was putting air in his tires. They were all ready to leave & I told them to just go with out me. But nooooo… I put my clothes on & the guys took down my tent—pressure! I went to grab my daily morning bagel & flipped the seeded side on the pavement c ream cheese side down…forget the 5 second rule on that one. I’m not eating that one. When I walked back to them Pete was helping slid my camel-bak on, Andy held my gloves, Louis had my sunglasses & John my bike—thank goodness I’m not a high-maintenance woman. My hairs getting longer and I’m getting the style that many of the others here have been sporting. I think I’ll just keep it growing even though it’s taking longer to dry—but now I go from bed head to helmet hair.

It was cool this morning as we rode out of camp. We saw the lake and the sun reflecting on it, wild turkeys, a cucumber field, and orchards of blueberries and peaches. The road was deceiving at times—we thought there were holes in the road but it was only shade.

Half way through our biking day we had a lunch stop that started at 10:00. When you leave early like we do…well, we had to find a place for coffee long before 10:00. Claire Elgersma took us through Saugatuck—a pretty artsy community along the water—where we could visit with a few people and have a good Chai Tea too.

Our lunch stop took me to the first CRC in North America. Graafschaap CRC hosted us in fine fashion. If you’ve never stopped for a visit here—please do. They have a great church history display in their lower level—I’d like to come back without the spandex.

Cheers from many woman & kids as we entered the CRC Conference Grounds ended the riding portion of the day. The cheers are great but I hope the people cheering understand we can’t do it without them. We need their prayers and finances to do this. We need them to be the hands of Christ when work projects beckon. And we need them to offer open hands to help the poor in their own communities and others. The cheers at times make me uncomfortable…and it’s hard to explain why, so bear with me. I think I’m just biking, and I know with a purpose—but aren’t the ones we should be cheering for those who daily work in poverty fighting situations/places? Like our missionary teams? I know it takes all of us to fight poverty and I know that I’m part of something big here…but more will always need to be done…by us all.

I had a conversation with Rachele Krull when we were in Salt Lake that is still going through my head. She deals with different family situations and at times they have craft projects with noodles—she has to be mindful of using food for crafts when she’s dealing with people caught in the cycle of poverty… I heard a statistic on this ride that my garbage disposal eats better than a person in poverty…scary huh?

Once here we headed right to the beach—well, I stood on the landing, soaked up the warmth of the sun, admired the water & avoided the sand. Then we kick into a different routine of set up tent, find showers & blog.

Coby de Blaeij, Ad’s wife, works here at the CRC Conference Grounds. She made 30 pies for today & the wonderful crème puff that Denise Neutel Witvoet enjoyed soooo much that she licked her plate! Besides Denise…let’s say that many enjoyed her Coby’s baked goods to the fullest.

This afternoon Cynthia was in camp. She took Ralph, Janessa, and Andrew with her. The plan is that she will ride tomorrow with Andrew. We volunteered to go too, but she’ll have to weigh the pros & cons. So we’ll have to see how it plays out. She needs physical space to ride, which I understand, at her pace. We don’t want to add pressure but we could be extra eyes. She doesn’t want to hold us up, we don’t want to leave her behind. She’ll have to make the call & we’ll respect it.

Home Missions served us a steak dinner tonight which beefed us up—we can eat and we thank you! While in the dinner line I was greeted by Steve & Judy De Ridder welcoming me to MI. Since Dave DR, his brother, stopped in Denver I got the greetings instead.

We’re seeing lots of extras in camp as we get closer to GR…people riding for a day or two, others wanting to check out our gear/kitchen trucks, and family members of the riders. We all know that the closer we get to Grand Rapids the ride will change for us. We’re losing 10 riders and adding 60 new riders. Please pray that they make the adjustment to the ride & that we are a welcoming community for them. The dynamics will change…you know how well CR’s like change…:-)

Bill VanTol, Dordt alum & former World Missions Director, introduced himself to me tonight. I have met so many people that have spent years of their lives working in missions and each story is unique. Earlier I was talking about Dutch Bingo with Ed Speis (don’t know how to spell it Ed) & how I like to play it. I should say I like talking with people & making connections—Bingo in general! I think God puts people in my life at different times for different reasons. Years later I may make a connection between people or places—that’s the bingo part of life…making connections. :-)

Chesterton to South Haven—79 Miles Day 46 August 14, 2008

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Barb Mellema
on August 14, 2008
in Sea to Sea
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This morning I quickly posted the blog from yesterday. (Some times we have better connections when others aren’t all downloading photos & video.) I was reading my comments & saw one about Deb De Jong. Deb came to say “hi” at Trinity & told me she was biking in the mornings. The next morning while I was riding to Chesterton she was on her morning ride & went down. The comment said she shattered her elbow & will need surgery—please pray for healing & patience—for her & the whole family.

Another comment was from Martin—sorry you aren’t on the ride with us! I did give your Uncle Dick & Hans V your greeting.

What a day. We left after 6:30 & it was head down, eyes forward, butt up & piston pumping legs, kind of day. Let’s get in. It took us 4 ½ hr’s of seat time—17.5 mph average. We had the need for speed. I don’t think anyone said much this morning for the first 10-12 miles. The roads were clear & smooth so we didn’t need to call out warnings.

Earlier in the ride, when we hit the mid-west states & had longer days, we spaced our breaks differently & have stuck to that pattern. We stop at Cory & say “hi” & keep moving down the road. We really don’t get off the bikes until we have 25-30 miles in. We make fewer stops & spend a bit more time over coffee. This could all be because…I don’t know why we do it. Maybe because that’s how long it takes for one of us to say we need a break.

It was lightly misting this morning & slightly cooler—I think I’ve put on my long sleeves & pants more after I left IA then I did in the mountains. We left Indiana & entered Michigan today—another state, another time zone—we lost an hour just like that!

We did have some beautiful scenery this morning that reminded me of being on the Okoboji bike ride. Through the houses along the lake, some flat land, some slightly rolling, nice homes—Lake Okoboji is close in comparison to Lake Michigan isn’t it? :-)

We did stop at mile 32 for coffee at a Swedish Bakery/Café. Nice place for a quick visit.

When we did arrive at South Haven we stopped for ice cream before heading in to see if the truck was in—once the truck got in place we helped unload it, set up my tent, shower & give a few hair cuts. Before I set up my tent I had to do house/tent cleaning. Turn the tent inside out & shake—quick & easy. I got sand in my tent yesterday with our sand dune camping location—I hate sand! It was on my mattress & in the bottom of my sleeping bag even though I wiped my feet before I crawled in—not much but just knowing it was there was enough to drive me nuts.

John VS & Bert Slofstra were both stung by bees today—John in the left eyelid & Bert under the right arm.

Lois Craven, who works for World Missions, was hit by a car this morning. The lady was doing 55mph & looked away for a bit. Lois didn’t get knocked down but took a mirror to the bum. She spent the rest of the day getting checked out & came to camp on crutches. Do you know that song from Hee Haw…Gloom, despair, and agony on me? I think that’s how she’s feeling. She’s had breathing problems, shoulder problems & now this…please add her to your prayers.

Right now as I blog I’m sitting on a tennis ball positioned on a side of the rump where the nerves/muscles pass through the hip bone. It’s that spot where you roll your eye-balls, curl your toes & moan a bit when the massage therapist puts their elbow there and presses—to relax you—yeah, right! Well I was told that sitting on a tennis ball can do the same thing for me after a long ride—so I’m trying it—so far, so good.

Shirley M.—Marc Frassee is the same guy you’re thinking of & he send his greeting back to you. Between you & Sally J. I don’t know who is rolling their eyes more about my sentence structure or lack there of…

Palos Heights to Chesterton—59 Miles—Day 45 August 13, 2008

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Barb Mellema
on August 14, 2008
in Sea to Sea
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Stories from yesterday of others:

Lynn Verros (Knoxville, IA) got taken down by a sunflower that wrapped around her handlebars & she took Alida Van Dyk (Canada) with her. Alida landed in the wildflowers & is alright but Lynn landed on her knee & had to go for X-rays today—she didn’t bike today & her knee is in pain but not broken.

Denise & Heidi Bentum had an adventure with a car—Heidi missed the car but Denise bumped the car—the car left the scene—everyone is alright.

Angela and the kids brought me back to Trinity and we avoided Chicago rush hour traffic. At 8:00 this morning Trinity had a send off for us and it was really neat. Rev Michael Kooy from Grace Community in Oak Lawn gave the message. He told us this ride is the church at street level. Please pray for God’s peace for this city and peace for all.

While w e were going to pray Walt & Jeri Vink held hands, they were sitting beside me & they did the same thing on Sunday at the service—that’s what I miss with Brian. Simple little contact that I take for granted.

This morning was a late start for our group but we were purposely taking an “alternate route.” We had the opportunity to stick to the original plan or go through the area of the city & see Roseland Christian Ministries. Last night Sarah Mollema & Deb De Jong told me that if I haven’t seen it I needed to see what this trip is all about. Around 50 of the cyclists took the different route which only added a few miles to the ride. We had to go in groups of 6—safety in numbers—but not too big of groups because then we would cause problems in traffic. Graffiti, boarded up doors & windows, and buildings that would be torn down anywhere else mark the once Dutch infested area. At one time 8 CRC’s made their homes here—now, the church is still present through the people that serve this area, but not with too many church buildings.

Because I took the alternate route I missed a water stop at Bethel CRC—sorry Deb. But, meeting Rev. Tony Van Zanten at Roseland and getting a tour of the Ministry Center was well worth the extra miles. Please add Roseland to your prayer list—the prayer list is getting longer but trust me when I say they all have their own needs and we know prayer works.

As we were making our way to connect with original route a man in a van yelled & asked if we were with Sea 2 Sea. Yep! He turned around & it was a Dykstra (I lost my paper with the names of people in the dark & am trying to go by memory—always a dangerous thing in the evening) from Sauk Village CRC. He told us he read about us last night in the Banner. He wanted to know why we were in South Chicago. At this point I had no idea where I was any way but explained about the alternate route. I think this is one of many times in my life where ignorance is bliss—when we told others where we had been on our bikes, Roseland, they told me they don’t even go there by car.

We crossed some tracks on a back country, but busy, road and on the center of the road our SAG people had painted a “Welcome to Indiana” sign. Another state—they seem to be going faster then the first 6 or 7 states did.

Lunch was provided at Second CRC of Highland, IN. Thanks for the warm welcome, feeding the group with food & encouragement. I know I’ve lost a few pounds on this ride, but if I don’t start watching my food intake I’ll be rolling down these roads in a whole different way. We’re going into shorter days so I need to make sure my spandex doesn’t need to expand any more than necessary.

When we arrived at Indiana Dunes State Park—beautiful location on Lake Michigan—Crown Pointe CRC was supplying us with enough goodies to send a diabetic into a coma. Cookies, bars, muffins…can you hear the spandex stretching? Thanks for the goodies & the welcome—both are very much appreciated. I also met a faithful blog follower, Nancy Eades, her sister is Melissa Klooster who started riding with us on Monday. Sheryl Taylor’s brother is the pastor there & he’s on vacation—she’s missing him by a day. I also missed Dawn Van Kuiken, a student worker for me, but she’s on a mission project in Queens, NY. I did get to meet Nathan & Kristen Cederstrom (both alums) and their 5 cute little kids—she just delivered twins & her they are to meet S2S—wow!

We’re all doing the slap dance now—otherwise known as ‘get the mosquito before it gets you.’ At peloton we were warned to put all our food into the gear truck or we’ll have little furry visitors during the night. I guess raccoons have to fight poverty in their own way—attack the unsuspecting campers.

Woodstock to Palos Heights—83 Miles—Day 44—August 12, 2008

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Barb Mellema
on August 13, 2008
in Sea to Sea
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Round up the horses & get in line—it’s an 83 mile day. I left with arm warmers again—that’s 2 days in a row. I don’t think I even did that in the mountains. I’ve been enjoying the clouds & cool temps—wet tents I can do without.

We departed from our usual routine—ride hard in the morning & dink around in the afternoon. Today we flip-flopped our day. It was such a great day for riding. When we left we were detoured through the town & around their city square. The cobblestone streets woke up our muscles like an alarm clock never could.

After our first 10 miles we hopped on the Prairie Trail/Fox River Trail bike path—paved path for the next 37 miles—or so we’d been told. It had a few spots of gravel, a few areas of tree roots & a few areas of sun. Mostly the trail was shaded and cool in more ways than one. The trail had such an array of wildflowers that I wished Clare Kooistra was riding with us to give colorful commentary—I’m not good at naming flowers other than the daisies and sunflowers—but they were all pretty.

As we took the trail we were on the Fox River edge in of a few communities & stopped for a few photos in Carpentersville at an old steel factory—beautiful old brick buildings that looked well maintained on the outside. We decided to stop for a coffee break at 10:00 AM at mile 33 when we were in St. Charles.

Life along the river, the closer we get to towns, is upscale—no visible poverty here—but we did see a guy sleeping on a bench. John hit the brakes & decided to bring a sandwich over—I couldn’t get my camera out fast enough or I would have had a photo—maybe it was meant to be that I didn’t get a photo because the man ended up being a homeless woman. Poverty is all over—we just need to open our eyes to it.

We found a Starbucks that was on the route and headed over to it. I have always considered myself blessed beyond deserving—so I try to be a blessing to others & know I fall short. Today, I was blessed by others in a humbling way. While at Starbucks we were passing out cards & explaining what/who we were and why we’re doing this ride. Louis was talking with two ladies sitting at a table together. He told them he was from Canada & that I was from Iowa—Karen and Randi are from IA too—Karen from Clear Lake & Randi from the Quad Cities. Karen started asking me about RAGBRAI & the conversation kept going. I told them about wanting to show the guys notable IA locations but we missed the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake the missing bridge in Charles City, & them not wanting to go to Nashua to see the “little brown church in the vale.” While we were talking Karen asked us to pray for Russell, her 14 yr. old son, who is battling leukemia. Then Randi asked us to pray for her—her 2 yr. old son Gabe Donovan went home to the Lord in the past few months after losing his battle to leukemia. These 2 boys were hospital roommates who connected—Gabe adored Russell like a big brother. The mom’s are support for each other. I told them we would take it back to camp & that tonight 160 some people would be praying for Russell, his family & Randi’s family. Then Louis suggested we pray right there—so we hugged in a circle & prayed for Russell & the decisions that need to be made about his care & the doctors that will care for him, and for comfort for Randi and her family. Ladies, if you’re reading—please know that I’m keeping you in my prayers, you will be prayed for at our next peloton meeting and by all who read this blog. I’m confident the prayers of God’s people are powerful and the people who are praying for our safety will also pray for you.

We went to Batavia, to take our photo by a windmill that just had $1 million renovation, and met a welcoming group of women from Wheaton CRC. They handed out water and cookies—we appreciate all the goodies. I had to ask if they knew Mindy (Walstra from Sioux Center) & Craig Hummel.

After we left that stop we ended up on an “alternate route”—(we never saw a SAG all day.) We didn’t take a right but stayed left—after a few miles or more it was evident that we were off the Fox River Trail and on the Batavia Spur of the trail. If we worked it right we could still connect with the route in Naperville—and so we did. We didn’t cut any miles off the ride so everything is still legal…

In the middle of our day as we were riding the trail we came upon 2 men, not with the tour, who were walking their bikes. One guy had a flat & I asked if they needed help—no help needed—really it was after I told them they were supposed to be riding those things & not walking them that I asked if they needed help. A quarter of a mile down the road we stopped on the trail to admire a collection of train switches. The owner had been collecting & restoring them for years & had a varied collection. Along came the two bike pushing guys & we found out one had a flat. I pulled out my spare tube, John got out his tire irons/levers & Peter his pump. We changed the tire & they told us how to connect back with the trail.

One of the roads we took today had me not looking in my mirror—if they were going to hit me I didn’t want to see it coming. For 11 miles we were on 75th St & the drivers had little respect for bikers. It was also hard on knees—city riding with many stoplights causing stops & starts.

We arrived at Trinity Christian College—me in my Dordt jersey—yes that was planned—and they were cheering as we arrived. We were the first group to come in other than Aaron Carpenter, who was on the alternate route with us earlier today—but he’s from here. Aaron is a Soc major here & his mom, Jenny, is the Dean of Students here at Trinity if I have it right—if not I’ll correct it later. I also ran into Pete Hamstra, Dordt Alum, and our Sea to Sea contact on this campus. Thanks for hosting us Trinity!

And then I saw Angela Walstra Llerena—I saw her kids, Annika & Nate, cheering too. Angela and I started biking together—bought bikes alike, dressed alike, tented together—in the early ‘90’s. We did our first 5 RAGBRAI’s together—then she moved to the Chicago area. I’m a guest at her home for the evening. Tomorrow is a short ride (45 Miles) and Trinity is giving us a send off at 8:00 AM—plenty of time for me to miss morning rush hour & get back to the college.

Angela & I went back to Trinity after I showered & she fed me—pasta, my favorite. As I was making my way around Trinity, checking out the campus of a sister college—okay I was being nosey—Angela pointed to a guy wearing a Dordt shirt. It was Peter Mollema & his sister Sarah—Sarah works for me & will be a Jr. & Peter is coming (sooner then I’ll be ready for) to play soccer & work for me too. Oh yeah, he’s going to take classes in between. J Thanks for the visit!

Right after peloton I met Deb De Jong, she & Dave are alums & were card playing buddies of ours—and faithful blog readers. Then I met Ed & Helen Mulder—they are CRWRC Disaster Response Services (DRS) leaders/trainers and grandparents to Dawn Van Kuiken, another student worker of mine. I went & got Sarah to introduce the two because Dawn & Sarah are roommates & best buds—I love connecting people with mutual contacts.

Lou Haveman brought a gentleman over to meet me—it was Stan De Vries. Stan is also a Dordt alum and will join us on the ride in Grand Rapids. I visited earlier with Stan by phone when he ordered a jersey and recognized him right away.

I’m typing this as Angela is driving us down I 294 and I’m thanking God that I ride bike on quiet roads—these people drive worse than some of the people who ride bikes.

Please don’t forget to pray for Randi & Karen & Russell.