Day 8 (58) August 25 Crossing into USA

Map Distance - 123.1 km

Distance Travelled - 135.64 km

Total Time 8 1/2 hr

Time in Saddle 6 hr, 20 min, 08 sec

Avg Speed 21.4 km/hr

Set the alarm for 5 this morning but was awake before it went off. Got up and got myself ready, packed my tent belongings, had breakfast, packed a lunch and was on the bike by 7 a.m. We were all asked to get up early and be at the border by 9:30 for a scheduled 10 a.m. crossing.

At 10 we all left on our bikes across the bridge by Bill on his Harley. At the other side the officials were so impressed by the orderliness of the cyclists that we were all allowed to drive right through customs. It helps when our logistical team had everyone's passport information registered with border security ahead of time. We were asked to cycle together through the US Niagara Falls area. This we did and once out of the city each cyclist found his or her own pattern.

Arrived at the RV Camping site, secured my possessions and put up my tent. Showered I was ready for supper. Lots of spaghetti and I had two helpings. After supper we had a campfire and smores. A couple camping near by played for us at the campfire. They had a guitar, large bass and a fiddle. Lots of fun and laughter and singing around the fire.

Day 7 (56) Sunday August 24

Woke up at 6 am as I did not sleep well last night. Breakfast was again being served at 8 by one of the local churches. Nothing officially scheduled until 1:30 p.m. Some went biking, some went shopping and others attended local churches. Lunch was again served and at 1:30 we were on the buses to the celebration event at Brock Memorial. On the way to the park it poured. Fortunately for the meet and greet function we were in a pavilion being served local peaches and were able to stay dry. A number of people from London including Irene Vandersteen, Jean Talsma, Elly de Vries, and Ed and Lennie Lammers all drove together. There were many other local people who came to support the riders. By 4 p.m. when the celebration rally started the rain stopped and the sun came out. It was a miracle of sorts. Brian Walsh was the guest speaker. After the service all cyclists were asked to come forward for acknowledgement and a BBQ supper was served. We said goodbye to our spouses and the we boarded the buses at 6:30 back to our tent city for the night. I went to bed early as we all need to get up early tomorrow for an early start crossing into the USA.

Day 6 (55) Ancaster to St. Catherines - August 23

Distance Travelled - 77.76 km.

Average Speed 22.4 km

Total Time 5 1/2 hr
Time in Saddle 3:28:06

Today I do not think to many cyclists packed any snacks or lunches as we had 5 stops scheduled along the route by the many churches in the area. Left Redeemer at 6:45 About 20 km in along the top of the Niagara Escarpment Fruitland CRC had out there welcome mat. From there it was a short distance as we travelled down the escarpment on the way to Grimsby. My top speed on the way down was around 65 mph, before I began working my brakes. One of the female cyclists was doing over 80 mph. On the way I met Max & Liz Meijer (parents to my son-in-law). I spent some time with them before moving on first to Shalom Manor (Seniors Residence) and then on to Grimsby CRC where the welcome mat was out as well. Other stops along the way today were in Beamsville, Pereboom Residence, and Providence CRC where I met Mike Fluit (one of our worship leaders) parents. In Port Dalhousie a number of us stopped by a local watering hole for some cool ones and some food. Arrived at the school in St. Catherines around 1:30 p.m. Quick set up the tent, showered and relaxed under a shade tree. Tomorrow our day of non riding is set to be a busy day with celebration rallies and other activities. Tonight a number of riders have been taken to see Niagara Falls.

Day 5 (54) London to Ancaster - August 22

Distance Travelled - 130.21 km

Average Speed - 21.4 km

Total Time 7 1/2 hours

Time in Saddle 6:04:27

Got up at 6, gathered my clean laundary, had breakfast and had Jean drive me back to LDCSS. Arrived there at 7:30 and was out on the road by 7:45. There were a number of stops scheduled today so did not bother to pack snacks. Fifteen minutes into the ride the Spoelstra's had the welcome mat out with coffee and snacks. Less than a block away Grace Ann Huygen was out waving everyone on. The first stop on the tour was Ingersoll CRC. From there to Woodstock the De Jong family had out the welcome mat. Then it was off to Woodstock for there welcome. At this stop I came across and old friend Fred Eringa. We had a good chat. From here it as onto Brantford where the Cambridge church had the welcome mat out. From here a slight detour on Jerseyville road to the Brantford CRC welcome. Here I met Fred Reitsma (friend of the family through marriage). From here it was a short hop to Redeemer University College. Our kitchen staff have the whole weekend off as all of our meals through to Monday morning are all being served to us. We were served a wonderfull supper. After supper a number of ladies from the area began a conversation with me and I did not see the lady behind me. As she got up and moved into my line of vision I realized that it was my Aunt from Hamilton. I went to her and tapped her on the shoulder and you should have seen her eyes. She said to me: You look just like your mother. We connected and shared information on our families. I also met Mike and Anne Wynands (formerly from London) as well.

Day 4 (53) August 21 "Chatham to London"

No Statistics as my computer has a dead battery.

Got up at 5 a.m. to be ready to help with breakfast. By 8:45 most things were packed away and Scott and I were given permission to begin our ride as they had enough cylclist back as sweepers. It was quite windy today and Scott stayed with me to the first SAG. He did not want to stop and I did and I had encouraged him earlier to ride on without me as he sets a faster pace than I can handle. I took my time and got to Mt. Brydges (lunch stop) at about 1 p.m. I was met by Gary Aalbers, and Jake and Marg Bulk. The area churches had prepared beef on a bun and it was delicious. I also took notice that one of the sponsors for this event was one of my companies retail locations. "Belmont Farm Supply" Thank you Graham and staff for the support. Before I left I called Jean to let her know approximately what time I would be arriving at the Forks of the Thames as that is where she would be with Kayleigh, Makenna, and Jaelyn (granddaughters). As I arrived into London on the bike path was welcomed by Keith and Frances Anjema, Jerry and Donna Kuiken and Paula Robertson. As I left them to head for Jean and the grandchildren, I teared up a bit, knowing that I was coming home to those who support me and love me very much. After spending some time with the grandchildren and the others there welcoming cyclistst to London, I detoured to the bike shop to get my computer fixed. Arrive at LDCSS about 4:30. As I was going to spend the night at home I quickly put away my bike and gathered some clean clothes as well as some laundry. As it was Marvin's (my son) birthday today and since they live close to school, I went there for a shower and a cool one. Came back to the school for a wonderful feast of corn on the cob, sausage on a bun/hamburg and all the desert one could eat. Upon our arrival we were aslo blessed with cold chocolate milk and ice cream. Stayed for pelaton and then left for home to sleep in my own bed for one night.

Day 3 (52) August 20 - Border Crossing

Mapstance - 90 km.

Distance Travelled - 92.41 km.

Total Time - 7 1/2 hours
Time in Saddle 3:41:57

Average Speed 21.2 km.

Today was the day we would return back to Canada. We had all been instruced the night before that it would be an early start. Everyone needed to be in Marine City (Lighthouse) before 9:45 a.m. That morning John Vandersteen, Thea Hiemstra and myself (Connections Crew) rode together into Marine City.

We were there about 8 a.m. We were not the first to arrive and a local coffee/breakfast place was already packed with cyclists. We went in and ordered our coffees and home made cinnamon buns. It was suggested that perhaps they should call in extra staff as as many as 200 cyclists would most likely be coming in while waiting for our ferry crossing.

Also took a picture of the cyclists from First CRC London while we were waiting.

Finally we were ready to move to the Ferry Terminal for our crossing into Canada. What a Canadian welcome. For me it was very emotional seeing upwards of 300 plus waving flags and welcoming all the cyclists into Canada. There was Tim Horton's coffee and pastries/tarts with Canadian flags. From London were: Irene Vandersteen, Cora Fledderus, Heather Fieten, Heather Wallace, Jody Andody, Alice Winters and Christine Vandendool. Scott Fletcher's parents and in-laws were also there.

Soon it was time to go, and a steady stream of cyclists left for Chatham. I arrived at about 2 p.m., helped unload the gear truck and set up my tent. Scott and I are on SWEEP tonight but we may be freed of our duties as the food is being served by the Chatham churches. However tomorrow morning we need to be ready to work at 5:30 a.m. to help get the breakfast ready and after that is finished to clean up the area and load up the gear truck. That night Peter and Marianna Hogeterp dropped by. While our hosts were busy preparing our supper I noticed a familiar face and found out my cousin Cathy Vandersluis (Bouma) was helping to serve the meal.

Butt Sore Day DAY 2 (51) August 19

Map Distance - 153.5 km
Distance Cycled - 157.09
Total Time - 9 hours
TIme in Saddle - 7 hr 23 min 45 sec.
Average Speed - 21.2 km

Went to bed early Monday evening as I did not sleep the night before. Had to find my earplugs to drown out all the noise of the insects. I slept soundly and woke up with a start at 6 a.m. and noticed a lot of tents were already down. Had breakfast, packed all my tent supplies and was on the road by 7 a.m.. We had been informed the previous night at pelaton that the prevailing winds for today would be from the east. It was a difficult day. Lots of SAG stops, even stopped for a coffee and a donut at a local donut shop. Didn't realize that there was a Tim Hortons in town as well, but we did not know that ahead of time. Started riding with Scott Fletcher, but I felt I was holding him back and encouraged him to cyle ahead which he did. I met up with Ad (Alt) from Haiti working for CRWRC and Frank (Michigan) who were cycling close to my speed. At about 100-125 km my right knee was starting to pain, so I encouraged them to cycle on ahead. At the last SAG stop I met up with Art Mulder, changing a flat tire. At this point we were about an hour from our destination. We arrived at 4 p.m. Picked up my tent equipment and set up camp, had a refreshing shower and waited for supper at 6 p.m.

Day 1 (50)

Map Distance - 102.8 km
Distance Travelled - 113.72 km

Total Time 5 hr 30 min

Time in Saddle - 4 hr 26 min 33 sec

Pumped!, Was I ready to go, so much so that I did not sleep Sunday night. I think I heard every tent zipper do up and down during the night, so I decided to get up at 6 a.m. and get ready for the day. We had a formal send off today on the parking lot of the Prince Centre. I also met and talked with John Rozeboom. We were all of at 8 a.m.; quite a site seeing all the cyclists heading out. Today I biked with John Vandersteen, John de Vries, Raph Fledderus and Herb Goodhooofd.

It did not take long for the gaps between bikers to form. Lowell CRC was our first stop, and they had quite a feast prepared. Would not have needed breakfast if I knew this was going to be available so early into our day. From Lowell it was straight east with the wind in our backs. We stopped at 3 SAG stops today to refill our bottles, eat our snacks and lunches and to rest if needed. We arrived at the state park at 1:30 and had to wait for the Gear Truck to get positioned. Soon tents were being set up everywhere. Scott, Art and I set up our tents in the same area tonight. After this we went for a quick swim at the beach. Water was refreshing, but a little murky. As I did not sleep well last night, I was ready for bed early tonight.

Let's get Going

Saturday morning we met Scott & Linda Fletcher at their home to begin our journey to Grand Rapids. It was quickly decided that we needed to change plans and use our van to transport the bikes and bags. The car just would not hold all the gear. We arrived at the border around 9:30 and were on schedule to arrive for our "Bike Training". As we arrived at the border we noticed a lot of cars in line, a line that was not moving. We were starting to be boxed in by highway trailers and we made an executive decision to head to Sombra and take the ferry. We only had to wait 10 minutes for a crossing and while we were there a large line had already started. This detour made us late for the training by about a half and hour. While Scott and I were in for training our girls went shopping. After training we checked into our motel and went our for supper. After supper spent some time in the pool and met a number of cyclist also doing a little R & R.

Sunday morning Scott and I needed to register (Sign in, get our biking jersey, safety vest and shirt). After this we spent two hours be introduced to all the things we would need to know during the tour. The girls went to church and joined us for lunch. After lunch we had a chance to set up our tents and find our spots on the gear trailer for our clothes etc. Then it was off to the ball bark for a celebration service. Cyclists were asked to wear their jerseys and all gather together. Prior to the service we needed to walk to the other end of the ball field and needed to pass by the stands. During this procession we were given a standing ovation and this was awesome. To me it was so emotional, we had not yet even cycled one km and we were being given this ovation. Service was not quite what I had expected but we had a wonderful speaker speak to us about how we are to live out our passion. We are not biking from sea to sea to reach a destination but we are cycling to raise awareness of the cause of poverty. The celebration service was over around 4:30 and we said goodbye to our girls and they headed off home, while we boarded the school bus back to our tented city. Supper was served around 6 and after this we were introduced to our 1st peleton meeting, which basically updates the cyclist of the events of the ride just finished (5 flats, 2 falls), as well as give us the weather forcast for the next day as well as our road map and directions. It has been an awesome weekend, and have met a lot of bikers also joining the tour and starting to bike tomorrow. Each one we have talked to are just pumped and eager to get this tour underway. Both Scott and myself fully agree with this and would be ready to go first thing tomorrow morning (6 a.m.) but we are having a special send off service at 7:45 a.m. tomorrow. Tomorrow will be an exciting day. This week has not yet started and yet we are already thinking that this week will go SO Fast. I am already looking forward to the crossing into Canada knowing that a number of supporters will be there. I believe our entry into Canada will be an emotional one and also when we arrive home in London.

I am not sure what kind of connection I may have tomorrow. I will try to update daily. Till my next post. Mike

Almost Time to Go

Well, it's almost time to go. I believe I am ready. I have biked sufficient distance this spring and summer to know that I am ready. Two weeks ago we biked 160 km on a Saturday morning. Now with less than 5 days to go, it is time to gather all my supplies and equipment together for packing and not to be over 60 lbs. I pick up my bike again tonight as I needed to replace a seat that broke last Saturday. Saturday morning Jean and I will meet up with Scott and Linda Fletcher (Scott is also biking) as they have agreed to drive us to Grand Rapids where we will start the tour on Monday morning. We are to be there by 2 p.m. on Saturday to participate in some bike training.
While I am ready, I am also a little nervous, as I and others join up with the group that has biked together since the end of June from Seattle. Biking groups have been formed and all of us "newbies" will have to feel our way into the groupings.
I am thankful that my IT team at the office willl be providing me with a laptop so that I can hopefully keep each of you informed of our daily adventures.
With this posting I also would like to thank all of my supporters for their generosity and interest in the Sea to Sea 2008 tour. Each of them when I have the opportunity to speak with them, offer me encouragement and ask how my training is going. I beleive the hard work is soon to start and am asking for your prayer support as I cycle with the tour.