We're making progress! Today we passed through lots of Illinois cornfields, had an incredible meal and evening with our hosts in Cornell, IL and were even treated to some homemade chocolates. It is going to be hard to go back to eating normally after this experience! Last Saturday evening and our Sunday rest day were spent in Kewanee, IL where we were again treated wonderfully. Tomorrow it is on to Indiana.

At our presentation tonight someone asked our riders that come from out of the U.S. what is something from the experience that really stands out. Emma said it was the second day of our ride going from misty forests to three feet of snow on top of the mountains to desert all in one day. Jonny said it was the number of dead animals hanging on people's walls. Stuart said it was the consistent and gracious hospitality we have seen. He said he asked one woman why they would host us when really we are just strangers. She said, "Because you are our brothers and sisters in Christ." The connection is certainly evident and what a great family to be a part of.


Our team is doing well. Even the few of us who picked up some bug along the way seem to be recovering.

Iowa Has Hills!

The last three days we have been traveling through Iowa. I told everyone Iowa was flat. Was I ever wrong. The first day we actually did more climbing than we did when we crossed the Rockies. We were very glad to see our hosts in Edgewood, the next night in Central City and tonight in Muscatine. Tomorrow we are on to Illinois.

Today was quite interesting. First our route overlapped the huge RAG BRAI ride that involves about ten thousand cyclists going across Iowa. For about 15-20 miles we ended up riding with them. Their day ended well before ours. The last section took us across roads wiped out by the flooding in Iowa earlier this summer. They were closed to traffic, but on our bikes we could get by. The destruction is really unbelievable. Well--most of us went through. A few of our riders followed the detours signs and ended up putting on an extra 16 miles. Ouch!

God continues to be good to us by providing us with wonderful hosts, good weather and supporters along the way. Someone on the RAG BRAI ride today even gave us a donation. All of our riders are still raising funds, so pass the word! We want to raise as much as we can to help reach young people around the world through YFC.

Meeting People Along the Way

Here you see Mike and Dan with a farmer they met along a county road between Glencoe and Northfield, MN on Saturday. The best part about this experience so far has to be all the great and interesting people we get to meet.

So many people have taken us, strangers, into their homes and made us feel welcome. We get to tell our story and the story about what this is all about--reaching young people through YFC--lots of times.

A few days ago we spent a day at the Sonshine Festival. I think Mike alone, passed out about 500 of the little cards to people he met that have our pictures and information about our trip on them. We even ran into and talked with a couple Power Rangers and a human size banana!

Our team members continue to work hard, not just a biking, but at trying to raise funds for the youth outreach projects we are raising funds for. Through postcards, calls, the web, personal conversations we keep trying to encourage people to get involved in these really worthwhile projects. Beating the drum for young people worldwide is really what this trip is all about.

Everyone is doing well--a few colds settling in, a few sore muscles, but overall doing well.

This coming week will have us traveling down the southeast border of Minnesota and through Iowa.

Come See Us at Sonshine! Nearly Half-way to the Finish

Wednesday night and Thursday our group will be at the Sonshine Festival in Willmar, MN. If you happen to be there or are nearby come on out an meet us at the YFC booth in the Civic Center. We will be easy to spot--we are the ones with the funny tans that end at our wrists and our ankles. Some of us even have stripes on our heads from the sun burning us through the holes in our helmets!

Tomorrow marks our 30th day on the road--half of our 60 day experience--and we will end up in New London, MN.It is incredible to think back to our orientation time in Anacortes, Washington and see how the group has changed and gotten to know each other since then. They are a fantastic group and are representing YFC in a brilliant way as they travel across the country.

This past week has taken us through North Dakota into Minnesota. We have had stops in Stanley, Rugby, Tokio, Cooperstown, Page, and Fargo, North Dakota. Last night we were in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota and tonight in Alexandria. We had a beautiful ride today through rolling hills and between lakes. God creation still astounds us and he has blessed us with beautiful weather, safety and health.

The Waiter, the Cook, and the 120 Mile Day

Celebrating our longest mileage day yet--120 miles, from Stanley to Rugby, North Dakota--we were having dinner at a local cafe. Two young people were serving us and did an excellent job. But more amazing than that, was that before we even paid the bill, the young man gave us $30 towards our projects. "I don't have a lot," he said. "But I want to give what I can." That topped off a day that began with a wonderful pancake breakfast provided by our hosting church in Stanley where a woman, who not only got up to make and serve us a breakfast by 6 a.m., but also handed us $20 for the cause.

We are nearly 1,500 miles through our trip and realize that though there are 11 of us riding the entire distance, but there are hundreds and hundreds of people that are part of this experience with us.

We are buoyed by the prayers of many people and have enjoyed good weather, health and safety. We have been provided for richly by people and churches in towns across the west. We have been supported financially by many at home, but also strangers along the way who are giving and contributing. We have an awesome team of support people traveling with us--some for part of the way, some the entire way.

This is not our "Ride Across America." This is God's project. Our goal is not so much to ride every mile across the country, but that in the end the Kingdom would be built--that people sea to sea would see that that can be involved in reaching young people around the world--and that is happening. Only God really knows where the relationships and contacts begun on this trip will lead in eternity.

Someone said the other day, "Do you know how to tell a happy biker? By the numbers of bugs in their teeth!" If you looked at our team so far, I think you'd find quite a few bugs in their teeth. We are tired tonight, but we know we are happy to know we are part of a much larger team--a team that includes many of you.

Simple Pleasures--"Look There's a Tree!"

For the past week we have been crossing the vast plains of Montana. For the most part the road has stretched straight and as far as we can see, an undulating landscape of grasslands and wheat fields. At one point, one of our cyclists exclaimed "Look there's a tree!"

You begin to celebrate and appreciate the little things when you are riding down the road on a bicycle--a tree, a spot of shade, a soft car seat, a bed, cold water, a phone call home. Life get stripped down to essentials and what is most important.

Sometimes life does the same thing to us. The loss of a loved one, a crisis, an accident, and suddenly all the distractions of life tend to fall away. What remains is what really matters--the presence of a family member or friend, the promises of God, the hope we have in Christ.

We've met some interesting people crossing Montana. At one of our lunch stops two farmers wandered over. One said he had a small farm--of 5,000 acres. The other had another job and just had a hobby farm--of 1000 acres. True enough, as at breakfast the next morning I sat across from a man whose family farmed 30.000 acres! As I looked over the vastness of the countryside I couldn't help but be amazed to think that it all belongs to my Father, God. What a privilege to be part of his family.

Independence Day landed us on an Indian Reservation where we took in what was for all of us our first Powwow. The next day God blessed us with 25 mile an hour winds at our backs. Today we have a rest day in Williston, North Dakota. This coming week, (our fourth on the road) we will be crossing North Dakota.