WE MADE IT!

We made it! After biking our final 90 miles on a glorious, beautiful Maine day, our team sailed into Bar Harbor Friday on the heals of a police escort, greeted by family members, friends, and locals alike at the town pier.

Over 4,000 miles from Washington to Maine; countless opportunities to share about Youth for Christ and the needs of young people; gifts given for the youth outreach projects from thousands of people from kids emptying their piggy banks, to cashiers and waiters, to churches, vbs groups, our own family and friends; wonderful host families and churches; potlucks, picnics, getting up at 5 a.m. day after day and plenty of sore muscles and tushes--we made it.

God has been extremely good to us and we have enjoyed his protection (only minor scrapes and bumps), great weather and care all along the way.

Our team was extraordinary. Only God could take such a motley crew of individuals (different ages, countries, personalities) and meld them into a team like ours--a team that never had major issues with each other and in fact, had a great time together.

Yesterday in Bar Harbor I saw a t-shirt that said "It seemed like a good idea at the time." In this case, it seemed like a good idea...and it was.

It is not over yet. People are still in the midst of traveling home and then there will be all the opportunities to share our message with people back home. Thanks to all of you who have been and are a part of this with us.

The Last Week

We are down to our last week on the road! Tomorrow morning we will leave New York and in quick succession this week will travel through Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Friday night, Lord willing, we will be celebrating the completion of this epic journey across America in Bar Harbor, Maine.

Yesterday we had one of our most challenging days yet on the road. We biked over 120 miles from Redfield to Newcomb, New York, up and down and through the Adirondacks. Upon arrival at nearly 7 p.m. (we started before 7 a.m.) I told Lloyd (who is driving our advance support vehicle) that if I ever had such a crazy idea again to slap me! However, we were greeted by such warm hosts here that the pain has quickly vanished. Tom, our biker from California, figured out that we burned about 7,900 calories yesterday--meaning we can pretty much eat whatever we want these days and not gain weight!

Speaking of support--we are so blessed to have had a number of wonderful support people travel with us over the last eight weeks. Currently we have Lloyd and Marie Bakke from New London, Minnesota who are driving our advance support vehicle and Emma Duncan (who has been with us since the beginning) and Becky Luedtke (almost the entire time) in our Support and Gear Van. They have been a tremendous blessing and help to all of us.

We have also enjoyed the support of so many people along the way--people back home, financial and prayer supporters, wonderful hosts and churches. We are all tremendously grateful for them. As John Duncan said in our church presentation this morning, the way people have supported us and taken us in is a wonderful testament and example of the love and connection amongst the family of God.

Thanks so much to all of you for being part of this adventure with us. Please keep praying and giving. We are not done yet!

Ohio, Pennsylvannia, New York...Counting Down to Maine

In the last three days we have traveled out of Ohio, through Pennsylvania and are now into our second night in New York. We are nine days away from our finish in Bar Harbor, Maine on August 15.


The last couple days have taken us along the shore of Lake Erie, through vineyards in Pennsylvania, today around thunderous Niagara Falls to the the town of Medina, along the Erie Canal.

What are we learning? Lots of things. One thing that stands out to me, though, is what a gracious God we have. Time and again he provides for our needs as a team and personally, protects us, loves us, provides amazing people to care for us, for us to share with, and an incredible creation for us to enjoy.


As a team, I'm sometimes amazed we all end up in the same city at night. Today we had people go this way and that (the route was confusing), but in the end we all showed up. Perhaps the promise of a good meal and soft bed draws us.

And the Road Goes Through....a Lake?

We have good bike maps--usually. Of course, you have to look at them if you expect them to help--which seems to be a problem with a few of our bikers. Most often though we are pretty good at following the route and so far have always gotten to our destination--eventually.

Today though was exceptional. We traveled from Gibsonburg to Cleveland, Ohio--about a 100 mile trip. We travel at different paces and are usually biking in little groups. So today, within minutes out of Gibsonburg, for some reason, we had people going in multiple directions. Amazingly, we all reunited in the next town. Then, just down the route the road was closed. As you can see by the picture it was washed out and now was quite a lake. But did that stop us? No! A few did the sensible thing and found an alternate route, a few never even found the closed road, but Arek convinced me to ditch the bike shoes and socks and go straight through. Was he insane? Could the road be completely gone? Big unseen holes? Ah--let's give it a try. And so we had our little swim before lunch and had a good laugh at the same time.

Later we came to another detour. Emma, our support van driver had called to alert us. "There is a detour, but see if you can get your bikes over the bridge, because the detour is really long," she said. Right. When we got there we found the detour with the bridge just beyond it--split in the middle with both spans straight up in the air! We didn't try to make it across that one.

Detours, roadblocks, unexpected turns--they are all part of life, too. Arek was telling me while we were riding about a Christian comedian who says his favorite words in the Bible are "...and it came to pass." Because everything--problems, situations, troubles, good things--they all do pass eventually. Only God remains the same and he is trustworthy, loving and good. We made it today--put on a few extra miles than we were planning--but we made it all the same. For those whose trust and faith is in Christ, we will eventually make it, too. When that day comes it is going to feel even better, eternally better, that a hot shower and soft bed at the end of a long day.

Day off tomorrow. No maps. No bikes. Just time to refresh spiritually and physically. Monday it is on to Pennsylvania and then New York for the rest of the week. Less than two weeks to go until we dip our tires in the Atlantic!

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.

Over the Mountains to New Challenges

We have made it across the Cascades and the Rockies! As you can see from the picture, it was not easy! After a memorable worship service yesterday morning, with the Rockies as a backdrop, everyone spent the remainder of the day resting and enjoying the Glacier National Park. It was a much appreciated day off the bicycle seats!

Today we started out heading across the plains of Montana. No mountains, but new challenges--we faced sweltering heat today. One of our riders bike computers said it was 111 degrees f.. Whether or not that was accurate, the fact was it was blazing hot. We all made it fine, though, but were glad to get a shower and out of the heat.

We continue to meet and share with all sorts of people--train enthusiasts, retired cruise ship captains, waitresses, forest service people, every sort imaginable. Tonight we will do a presentation in Cut Bank, MT.

Potlucks, Pancakes, and Lots of Pedaling

We are now on Day 10 of Ride Across America and we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of our hosts in the communities we have visited. We have enjoyed and eaten more food than is probably legal. We have been treated to potlucks, chicken dinners, pancake breakfasts, and sack lunches that could feed a crowd three times the size of ours. People have taken us, strangers, into their homes and we always leave town feeling like we have a whole new group of people on this adventure with us.

We have had an opportunity almost every night to share about why we are doing this. We have been given some gifts by churches, individuals, at the gas station and by a darling 12 year-old girl, who not only gave us her $18 to go toward the projects, but moved us with the worship song she wrote and played for us on her guitar before we left town.

We are now on the second leg of our journey. We left the beautiful mountains of Washington, not thinking it could get any better, only to discover that God decided to add lakes and rivers among the mountains in Idaho, making them different, but incredibly beautiful. We are now in Montana--the state we will spend the most time in--and going through more mountains, and again they look different. What a spectacular, creative God we have.

The team is all in good health and good spirits. Today we had a record six flat tires--five of which were on one bike. Despite that, God has been good and our problems have been minor. Please continue to pray for safety, and that God would be honored and glorified through this trip.

Sometimes it is Just One Tenth of a Mile at a Time—Days 4-6

The past five days have taken us over five mountain passes—the most recent of which was our tallest yet at 5,575 feet. Sherman Pass is what stood between our Friday stop in Republic and our Saturday/Sunday stop and rest day in Colville. Again, the scenery was incredible—mountains, forests, rivers, lakes, deer and even a moose sighting.

Sometimes, though, pedaling up the side of the mountain meant trying just to make the next mile, sometimes the next tenth of a mile, and then the next and the next. Eventually, we all made it.

Reminds me of the rest of life in many ways. We all face mountains in our lives. You could say we chose these mountains ourselves and sometimes our trials and troubles are the result of our own choices. Sometimes, though, they are things life just throws at us and we can’t see coming.

God never promised it would be easy, but he did promise his presence with us. Sometimes, though it is one mile, one day, one moment at a time. Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) And Romans 8 reminds us that neither trouble or hardship or persecution or anything else will ever separate us from the love of Christ. “No in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (v.37) Just like we made it over the North Cascades, Jesus promises in the end we, too, will be victorious.

We continue to meet interesting and wonderful people. People like Spider, part of a Christian motorcycle outreach at a rally in Republic, the couple who made a U-turn on a mountain pass to come back and see if we were really going across the country on bicycles, little kids, elderly couples, the young man at the youth event who just happened to be going by, just got out of drugs and wanting to connect with a church.

Today is a welcome rest day. People are tired and sore, but in great spirits. Tomorrow we have a 92 mile ride to Newport, our last stop in Washington.

Sea to Snow to Sunburn in Three Days

On Tuesday morning our team dipped their tires in Fidalgo Bay and left on our journey across America. After many months of preparations on everyone's part, and the prayers and support of hundreds and hundreds of people behind us, it was great to finally get underway.

Our first day of 80 plus miles took us to the little town of Marblemount, Washington. Within miles our van supposed to be offering us support got lost. We did 30 miles before they caught up with us--but they had done 60. We decided maybe we should mark the roads for them.

We were hosted that night by a little church with a big heart--North Cascade Community Church. Not only did they treat us wonderfully, with a barbecue in a beautiful setting, encouraging and warm host homes, but on the wall of their church I noticed this little church supports 18 missionaries around the world. Amazing.

Our second day took us over two mountain passes (with snow at the top!)--the highest of which was Washington Pass at 5,500 feet. As John Duncan, our YFC Area Director for Europe, the Middle East and North Africa said, "It was absolutely the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life." But we made it! The scenery was spectacular, forests, snow-capped mountains and the constant sound of rushing water from all the mountain streams and rivers. Going downhill was almost worth the climb--almost. We ended the night in Twisp and appreciated the hospitality of our host church there.

Today took us over one more mountain pass and then we pretty much headed downhill. Besides a couple of us falling over on our bikes (you have to remember to take your foot out of those pedals when you stop!) everything went well. The weather went from chilly to hot and a few of us have sunburn. Tonight we are in the little town of Riverside, where we just participated in a community-wide youth event.

We have had lots of opportunities to share about YFC and all the projects we are trying to raise funds for.

The Team Arrives

We are on the verge of leaving on this epic journey across America. To the right you can see the first leg of our ride.

Most of our riders have already arrived here in Anacortes with a few more scheduled to pull in today. This afternoon and evening we will all meet for the first time and do an orientation. There is a mixture of excitement, anxiety and perhaps unbelief that we are actually doing this.

Already, though, we have been able to talk about Youth for Christ and why we are doing this--and that is what this is all about.

We have learned a few things already, too. For instance, when the support van's low fuel light comes on (a van we leased for the trip), it is already too late! Had to already make one walk for fuel. Also, the trailer behind the van does not fit in airport parking! All the people behind me in the parking line were as thrilled as I was to learn that!

We are meeting lots of people and are looking forward to seeing what God has in store. Thanks much to everyone who is praying and supporting all of us on this trip.

Two Weeks Until Launch

One week from today I and twelve other insane people from around the world will dip our tires in the waters off of Anacortes, Washington and begin our 4,300 mile ride across America on bicycles. Keep watching here for more information on our journey.