Week Five updated, sorry for te delay

Week five was awhile ago, so this will be a quick update.  This is a picture of a bike path we could take for part of the ride between Fairbury ne and Hickman NE. It was an option that we were glad we took.   It was a bit gravelly, but rideable, and smooth.  And the best part, there was no traffic.  Not many of us did the path, as most are afraid of a little gravel.   

Here Joyce is picking Mulberrys for a snack on the trail.

This is a view of the sunset from our tent door, at the oasis bible camp.

This is day two.  We are almost in Iowa.   This is Louis and Clarke discovery Center.  John had cycled to meet us and joined us for the ride back.  The discovery Center was quite nice.

I thought this picture of te Louis and Clarke discovery Center was a lot like what we have to do every night.  

This is just after crossing the Missouri River.

This is a beautiful state park, near Sidney Iowa.

A beautiful sunset looking over the valley, towards the Missouri River 

It was an almost uneventful night in the park, until a tree branch broke and fell on Bill's tent.  I actually heard it happen,   I heard the crack, and then Bill yelled out, and then it was quiet.  I just went back to sleep.  In the morning we heard the rest of the story.

Here is Bill leading the way between Sidney and Diagonal Iowa.   The main theme of this week is hills, one after the other, up and down, and quite often very steep grade.   It turned out to be a very difficult week, because of the hills.  We were very happy tha the weather was unseasonably cold.  

A church on the way.   I do not remember where exactly.  

Small town of garden grove Iowa.   Lots of little towns in Iowa, and some are almost ghost towns.   Small town Iowa is disappearing.

Old jail.   I do not think it is used much anymore

Derby Iowa.   This whole street was vacant except for the post office. 

Camping on a football field, in Chariton Iowa.  No showers, unless you took a shuttle to the pool.   We just used our portable outdoor showers, but it was cold.    The next day we will be going to Pella Iowa. We will be sleeping in a dorm at Central College.   It was very nice, but I was alone as Joyce was picked up by her sister Ruth, who stole her for the weekend.   Joyce rejoined me in Coralville city park, on  Sunday evening.  She did not want to pedal the 100 miles up and down the hills between Pella and Coralville.  It was a hard day, but nice to be able to go my own speed.  I am quite a bit faster, without Joyce.   But I should add that Joyce is getting much stronger, and faster.   She still has a hard time climbing hills.  

This is just before Knoxville Iowa.   It is Supposed to be the halfway point if you consider the miles we will pedal, when you subtract the ones we missed in the Arizona desert, because of the excess heat.  

Here is a park that we road thru just before Pella. We and a bike path into Pella. 

Celebration service in Pella.  Joyce missed this as she was visiting her sister.

I got a nice early start. I was the first to leave Pella, on the way to breakfast at Sulley Iowa.   This is a picture of a sunrise, at 06:04 Central time.

The ladies in a small church  in Sulley iowa about 25 miles from Pella served us a great pancake breakfast.   The idea was to go hungry between Pella and Sulley to experience a bit of what many people have to endure everyday.   The big difference was that we knew we were getting a big breakfast, of all you can eat, and most starving people do not have that waiting for them.   I was able to start early and was the second one in for the breakfast.   

It was a tough week.   The hills and sometimes the wind, made us really work.   We did ride through some Amish country, and I did see a horseo and buggy on the road, but was not able to get a picture. 

The corn and beans were not as good as Nebraska in my opinion, but mostly still very nice.   Some fields were really bad, but not many.    

About half way done

I think I finally have a method to get pictures on our blog.   We are at a McDonald's in shandah Iowa.   This will be short because we have 60 more miles to do and it is 9:44 am already.  

Harvey

We are in Iowa and today is the half way mark!   We made it.

Well it is Thursday night already and we have not yet started our blog.   It is all a blurr already and I cannot remember where to start.  One day just seems to run into the next. We have the routine down pretty good.    This is what we do.

1.      Wake up, usually around 0530

2.       Use the washroom before it gets too busy

3.       Get dressed for the day

4.       Pack up our sleeping bags, mattresses and then tent.

5.        Load aforementioned belongings on appropriate gear trailer

6.        Have breakfast, pack a lunch.

7.        Check out bike.

8.        Use washroom again before we hit the road.

9.        Fill water bottles and anything else we forgot

10.      Wait for Joyce to go to the washroom one last time

11.       Bike about 15 miles to first SAG stop.

12.       Eat bananas, and use portable toilet, fill water bottles.  (Not necessarily in that order.)

13.       Bike to next SAG stop.  (Another 15 miles)

14.       Eat apples and oranges, and use a near by corn field if necessary, fill water bottles.

15.       Try to bike without stopping to next SAG stop.  (Usually stop to eat, part off the lunch we packed, or just to rest, or use a handy corn field.

16.       Make it to SAG  stop, and repeat 14

17.        Repeat 15 three or four or more times depending on the difficulty of the road.

18.        Make it to SAG stop, rest, and repeat 14, and convince each othe that our butt does not actually hurt, and we can finish, the day.

19.         Repeat 17,

20.         Repeat 18 if more then 70 miles or very hot, or very difficult.

21.         Arrive at next campsite, between 02:30 and 05:30 p.m.

22.         Set up the tent, unless John has already.

23.         Make our beds, and get what we need from the gear truck.

24.         Have a snack, drink, and use the washroom.

25.         Take a shower

26.          Have a nap if time permits

27.         Fix bikes, if required, do laundry, use Internet if possible

29.         Have supper

30.         Have a meeting, called Peleton.

31.         Have a small group meeting.

32.         Repeat 27, if needed.

33.         Go to bed.

34.         Wake up, use washroom, and try to go back to sleep.

35.          Start over at number 1.    

We do is 6 days a week, resting and going to church on Sundays. 

Week 4

Had a wonderful day off at Colorado Springs, went to church at Cragmore Reformed Church. Had a good sermon and a bar b q dinner after. We went to see the Garden of the Gods, amazing large red rocks standing 300 ft in the air. There were a number of rock climbers so far up they looked like specks. After that we explored Manitou Springs, a touristy town with many art and craft type shops. They also have a number of carbonated artesian wells, according to the locals each one tastes different.
I met the new truck driver Matt Bosma, who told me he is my cousin Roger Bosma's grandson. How's that for Dutch Bingo?
We slept in the hallway of the Colorado Springs Christian School to avoid the rain storm which came and soaked those who slept outside.

Early Monday we started out for Limon CO. The weather was Cooler than we have been having. Shortly after we began it started raining, after we left Colorado Springs it became foggy, the visibility was about 50 ft. The lack of visibility worried me because the shoulder would disappear when there was a guard rail or wall by a culvert which would cause us to have to go into traffic. I quit at the next SAG. I started at the next stop but then had a flat tire which I could have changed on the road but then I still wouldn't have a matched set (I have a new tire on the back of my bike ) so I once again SAGed into camp and Harv and John Steendam put on a new tire and tube for me.
So I got a new bike tire for our anniversary. John will be driving the semi with the gear till the end of the ride.
We stayed at the Limon High School.

On Tuesday morning we weren't allowed to leave till we spoke individually with a Colorado State trooper because today's trip is partially on interstate 70. We were warned about the speed vehicles would be traveling and warned to cycle single file on the shoulder only. There were many rolling hills and we began to see dry land farming. Most of the wheat has been harvested. There was a very strong South wind and we were going East,so what we thought would be an easy down hill day turned into a day where everyone was leaning into the wind, that took away from the fun.
An amazing thing happened at our peloton meeting tonight Jake Kuipers, one of the cyclists was back from heart surgery. He started with us in LA. He is a strong cyclist. On Friday he cycled with his family, kids and grand kids. He did both Friday and Saturday rides on Friday so he could spend more time with his family. On Monday he cycled the whole trip, but was having difficulties. The support crew took note and advised our nurse who met him at the finish line. She advised him to see a doctor which he did with her assistance. He went to a local hospital, who did some tests and then sent him by helicopter to a major hospital. He had two stints put in his heart and was discharged. He was back in camp Tuesday night, talking to us. He was told he should not ride for awhile anyway. We stayed Tuesday night at the town park in Burlington CO.

Wednesday was started with a flat overnight on Harv's bike. John helped me fix it and we left by 0630 AM. It was very windy again, so Joyce is learning how to take advantage of and coast (well almost) along in my draft. I still have to work just as hard, actually harder, because I do not have to wait for Joyce anymore. We saw lots of corn fields, and wheat stubble. A harvesting crew with two John Deere combines passed us on the road, but it seems most of the wheat is harvested. Again we did not see much farming activity. The day was fairly uneventful and we knew what to expect with another day of cross wind. We ended to find our tent all set up in a prime location in the Palmer Park in Cody Kansas by our now favorite brother in-law, John, it is so nice to have green grass and large shady trees to set up camp in again. We have gone through 3 states so far,California, Arizona and Colorado.
We are on duty today to help with clean up and serving supper and breakfast in the morning.

You've heard of the blessing "May the wind be at your back" Thursday was another windy Kansas day but it's a beautiful thing when its pushing you along. We traveled from Cody KS to Prairie Dog State Park near Norton KS it was in a more northerly direction so at times the mostly southerly wind made us feel like very strong cyclist. The grass is not as nice here but there is a lake with brown water and a muddy bottom to cool off in and showers at the other side of the camp to clean up in.
Tomorrow is going to be another 100 mile day. I hope the wind is in our favour again.

We did the 100 mile ride to Red Cloud NE. It was fairly uneventful, except for a small crash, amongst a few riders. One ziqqed, when she should have zagged and wheels connected and one fell and then another, and two girls were slightly injured. This is what happens when you rose close together to get out of the wind. The wind was not too bad, mostly in our favour. It was a very long day. John found a bike and came to meet us. When we got back to camp, everyone was soaked as they had a huge rain storm. John had our tent all set up so we had everything nice and dry. We missed the rain all together. Sometimes it helps to be slow, and have a nice brother in law setting up your tent.

Saturday was another hard day. Just 77 miles, but lots of up and down, and a bad head wind most of the way. We had some rain, some got soaked, but again we missed most of it. The park we stayed in was beautiful, except for the train that goes by every 15 minutes or so, blowing the horn, constantly, all the way through town. We had church in the United Presbyterian Church. They provided us with a most wonderful meal after.

Tomorrow should be an easy day. Just 50 miles. We will be in Pella Iowa, on Friday. All is well, My butt is a bit sore, tired, but we are ready for another week.

Week 3

Shiprock to the Wines of SanJuan Turley Blanco NM
We packed up and got going a little later this morning we stopped in Farmington NM to see if we could get new clips for Harv's shoes, the bike shop is closed on Mondays. We were a ways off hwy 64 and had wandered a bit, so were surprised to see Sea to Sea people when we got back to the route. We found out later that they had enjoyed a stop at McDonalds or Dairy Queen while we were cycling the busiest streets of Farmington. Tonight we are staying at The Wines Of San Juan. Beautiful huge cottonwood/poplar trees. Flowers planted in found objects. A lesson in wine making and a tasting. We went for a swim in the irrigation ditch. Water so cold it numbed you. Very refreshing. Our team the blue team is sweep team tonight till tomorrow night. Tonight we were responsible for setting up the tables for supper, helping put out the meal, serving the meal, washing up the pots and pans and making sure there is water in basins so others can wash their dishes. Tomorrow we have the same responsibilities for breakfast plus have to help clean the grounds and load the gear truck, we used to have the task of making sure all cyclists were in off the road ( hence the name "sweep team"), but now they have a vehicle on the road for that.

Tuesday. What made Tuesday so bad? I can remember the hills, the busy road with many, many white dually pickups with the name of some oil co. or oil pump service co. on the side, no shoulders, Harv telling me in subtle and not so subtle ways that I should go faster or we wouldn't get in till 4 pm. Hmm, I decided to SAG in (load up the bike and ride the van in). Harv got in at 5. Many people said it was the hardest day so far. We stayed in Chama NM at the Little Creel resort (more of a campground), the most memorable thing about it was my mat and sleeping bag.

On Wednesday we cycled from Chama to Alamosa CO. Well I should say most of the Sea to Sea riders did, I helped with the SAG till the 30 mile mark because of the 15 mile climb up and the 15 mile steep descent to get over the LaManga pass. The rest of the ride was downhill into Alamosa CO we spent the night at the Rec Center.

Thursday we rode to Poncha Springs CO. We traveled US 285N a straight road through a wide valley with tall rolling hills on either side, at the end of the day we climbed out of the valley with a 25 mile gradual climb over the 9,000 ft elevation Poncha pass then a steep 5 mile descent along a river into Poncha CO. Speeds of over 50 mph were reported, not by me, I reached the top speed of 21 mph. Harv said he waited for me for half an hr. at the bottom. In defence of slow descents - I noticed the river rushing over the rocks. It was either the Arkansas river or a tributary. We spent the night at the Chaffee County Fairgrounds, the toilets weren't too bad but the showers in the back of the horse barn had so much pressure they just about took your skin off. We visited the Poncha Springs sister town of Salida CO a town with many little shops and old brick architecture. Would like to visit this area again. We had our peloton meeting in the horse barn since we experienced an evening shower,which seems to be the weather pattern here.
We are now back on the original route, it has been changed twice, first because of the heat we jumped forward from Quartsite AZ to Payson. Then due to forest fires we didn't go through Wolfs Creek pass but went East to Alamosa first then North

Friday we had the best ride yet a slow descent along the Arkansas River valley, we had the river and majestic rock formations along the way, the best day yet. We stayed Friday night at the Abby in Canon City CO. It is a former monastery which now is privately owned and available for weddings, conferences and you can rent a room if just passing through.

Saturday, just one more day of riding, this is the third week of riding yet it is the first full 6 day week we've put in, it seemed like a long week. I was happy to see that we had only 48 miles to do, disappointed that it was a lot of up hill and a lot of very busy highways. I was very glad that toward the end of the day we were on a dedicated cycling trail, so much more peaceful than the busy highways.

We are spending the weekend at the Colorado Springs Christian School. No coasting into camp at this stop, the parking lot of CSCS has an 8% gradefrom the entrance to the back where our tents will be. They've nicely put porta potties at the top of the hill so we don't have to walk down the block distance to the gym bathrooms and back up to our tents which are pitched on the playground on "Colorado grass" in other words sand and weeds.

Now I'm doing the weekly wash, not by hand and the neat wringer this time but at a laundromat. We'll have to go exploring tomorrow to see what this town is all about.

We checked out the Garden of the Gods today, Sunday after having church and a lunch at a CRC Church. The garden is actually a rock formation, but very neat. We also explored the little town of Manitou Springs. It is a neat little tourist trap type town. Missed our afternoon nap though. We packed up the tent and will sleep in the school hallway tonight. It looks like rain again anyway.

Tomorrow we will start another week. It will be mostly downhill, but the wind could be a problem. Anything under 100 F is cool to us now, so the temp should be nice. It may be a bit more humid then we are used to.

Week two completed

Another week is done and we are in Shiprock NM staying at the Bethel Christian Reformed Church. The congregation gave us Navajo Tacos for dinner. Before church the women taught us how to make the flat bread for the tacos.

We we had a very interesting day Saturday July 6, well really it goes back to Friday July 5 in Gallup. We were staying in Rehobeth touring the campus there when the 5:00 storm blew in and this time it was a monsoon. I don't know how much rain they got but the next morning when we were quickly packing, dressing eating breakfast and packing our lunch, we were told that a culvert had washed out an no one was allowed to go across. It was decided we would take Saturday off and Sunday after the road was fixed would be our travel day. Wow I could have slept in! So just as my mind was winding down a new announcement was made that a friend who knew a friend in NMDOT had convinced him that bikes would be let across, we would have to dismount and walk across 4 feet of mud so the ride was back on. The result of all this is that we had a smooth highway mostly to our self, The hard rain cleaned most of the radial tire wire off the shoulder too so there were fewer flats. We had a 98 mile day yesterday so it was nice to speed down the hills with lots of space, that was the longest 27 of our riders had ever gone - Harv and I included. Harvey actually rode around the Bethel Christian Reformed church a few times so that he could claim he rode a CENTURY. FYI, a century is 100 miles, in one day on a bike. Just another thing we have learned. it is a major milestone apparently.

There are a lot of Christian Reformed churches along the hwy we were on, Tohatchi, Naschitti and a few others, they were out with water and snacks for us.

We had a short week this week due to the jump by bus to Payson AZ. We didn't start till Tuesday, we traveled from Payson to Heber AZ. We stayed at the high school in Heber and it was our introduction to the storms of the monsoon season. Around 5pm (after everyone had set up there tents) supper was on the table a dark shelf of cloud slid across the sky, the distant thunder became ear splitting booms with crackling lighting and a strong wind that made the tents that weren't staked down roll across the ground. After everything was messed up the clouds moved on and the sun came out again.

On Wednesday we went from Heber to St.John's AZ, the same thing happened there around 5, not as much rain this time. The kids swimming in the pool didn't even stop and take cover, I could hear the diving board continue to bounce as Harv and I lay in our tent holding the four corners down so the tie down strings wouldn't snap off.

Thursday was 4th of July, luckily we were warned that the town of St John's has a tradition of shooting a canon 13 times once for each colony at independence. So at 5 am we heard and felt the ear drum compressing BOOM! Then 13 more over the next half hour.
On Thursday we rode to Zuni NM. We stayed at the new Zuni Christian Mission School, it is beautiful but the nicest thing I remember is the warm, private showers. If you are looking for a charity to support this school would be a good one, all employees take on many rolls to make this school a vital part of the Zuni Pueblo. I stopped in a jewelry shop and bought myself a dainty turquoise ring. We had a small sprinkle of rain without much wind this night

On Friday we rode to Gallup NM where we stayed at Rehobeth High school's sportsplex. This k- 12 has a wonderful history of the CRC serving the Navajo population for over 100 years. It was a very beautiful school that started out as a residential school way back in history. They served us a great meal and most of us stayed indoors. We did also, and after the big downpour that happened we thought we made a wise choice until we found out that all of our stuff got wet anyway because we were close to a door that was not exactly water proof. They separated the men and women, but couples could stay together and go with either group. Joyce chose the women's group thinking there would be less snoring. It was pretty quiet, so she may have been correct, in that assumption, although, there were a few snoring, including Joyce.

I still cannot figure out how to get pictures on here using an iPad. If you have any ideas, leave me a comment. Thanks.. Harvey and Joyce

Week 1

Week 1
NewportMy Favorite Castle
Vanguard University
We arrived. We had a fairly uneventful trip. We were concerned that our baggage would be too heavy and have to pay huge fees. Joyce pulled it off each bag was about .2, yes that is point two lbs under the limit. We just had to pay extra to ship our bikes. We did not bring a tent so we plan to buy one in CA.
Our trip had two stops, Denver and then San Francisco. Next time we would try for a direct flight. We were held up in San Francisco for about two hours so we missed our shuttle connection to Vanguard, but a few phone calls, some more waiting and we arrived. Everything was together, in fact one of our bags did get separated but it arrived ahead of us. No damage to our bikes. One of the other girls bike went to china or something , and they could not even trace it. After a number of calls by a lot of people she got a new bike, and then the old one also showed up so she now has two bikes. She likes her new one so she is very happy.
We had a relaxing couple of days to put our bikes together and get ready. We also had to buy a tent. When we checked google maps at home the Walmart was very close. Only 5 miles. We were still thinking like a car driver. Joyce, Bonita and I headed out in the early afternoon, first mistake, that is the hottest time of the day. I went to fast again and Joyce thought she lost me, but we did finally find the Walmart, and it was a very beautiful ride along a dry concrete river flood channel. The tent was in a package about 4 feet long so it was quite a ride back with it strapped to my bike. I told Joyce that I was used to taking wide loads down small roads. We made it, so now we have a tent.


Sunday afternoon we all went as a group to the ocean at Newport beach. That was a little stressful as there are a few inexperienced riders and accidents usually happen when in a group. We made it and all put our tires in the ocean and took pictures. Then we were on our own to eat and find our way back.





After we got back we had to pack up again, but not the bikes this time. We would be leaving vanguard first thing in the morning after a quick breakfast at the kitchen trailer. I don't think Anyone got much sleep.

Monday June 24 at about 0730 we hit the road. For the most of the day we follow the Santa Anna river trail. It was a very beautiful ride even though at the start it was pretty cool, and a very light rain. One of the riders did have a mishap, when he went off the side of the trail around mile 27 and hit a fence and as a result he hd a major fracture in his leg or ankle area. Him and his wife both left the ride. It did get a little warm but we both easily finished the day.

June 25th we started a little earlier. We are trying to beat the heat by cycling early in the morning. The first couple of hours was very difficult. As soon as we started we were climbing. It did not look like a climb, but everyone was going very slowly. Then the ride became easy, scary and fun. We had about 30 miles that was a nice downhill glide into Palm Springs with the wind behind us. You did not have to pedal at all and most of the time we were going at least 25 mph. I had a top speed of 38 mph. We did get a little lost and had to backtrack abit, and it was hot, so we did stop a few times to cool down in some lawn sprinklers. I also had my first flat. We both finished the day.

Day 3. June 26
Started out very nice, flat and cool. That did not last long. After riding through orchards, grape fields, that were being picked, we hit Box Canyon. It was beautiful, but very hot and a steady incline. There was very little shade, and no wind to cool us. Joyce almost made it through the worst of the hills, but we caught up to Rudy and Shirley Folkerts. Shirley could not go any further, so Joyce decided to join her and get a ride into camp. Rudy and I continued, and we cycled pretty fast. Joyce had a spot in an air conditioned hall on the floor for us to sleep, all set up when I got there. I was very tired and jumped into the lake with my biking clothes still on. After an hour or so of relaxing and cooling off in the water we took refuge in the hall. Some of the bikes were parked against the sunny side of the building and a few tires exploded. It was hot.



Day 5 June 27
It was very hot. There was reports of plastic bicycle parts melting. My IPhone quit at mile 42 telling me it was to hot. Most of the day was riding on interstate #10. That of course adds to the heat with all the hot truck going by. There was a 5 or 10 mile stretch were the shoulder was in terrible condition. It was like having a speed bump every 10 feet. I had a flat tire while stopped getting new ice and water and taking a short break. I guess I parked it to close to a thorn bush. By the time I found out it was flat Joyce was too far ahead and did not hear me calling. We were riding with Joann so they continued without me. I fixed my tire and joined up with a couple other guys. I wanted to catch up with Joyce, but that turned out to be very hard. We did finally catch up but I was almost exhausted. I was very happy to go her pace. We made it to the next SAG stop, and had a small break, food, new ice, and water, and we were on the road again.
The ice we used to keep us cool. I would put a couple of handfuls in a rag and put the rag in the pockets of my jersey which are located on my back. This proved to be very effective, and quite a few other riders also adopted this practice. We would also fill our helmets with ice and strap it down. This almost froze your brain at first, but when it melted it was great. We also had wet cold rags to put around your neck and we soaked our clothes when ever possible. This is the only way you could survive. It was not just uncomfortable hot, but very dangerous and possibly deadly heat. Lots of riders did not get even as far as we did. We made it almost all the way. About 8 miles from the destination, we stopped by what little shade we could find. Joyce was talking about quitting and a van rolled up to check on us. She decided to quit, and I was not allowed to continue on my own. We got a ride in. We thought we would have to be camping on a football field, but we had the pleasant surprise of a air conditioned community club.
At about 1 pm they picked up everyone left on the road. That evening they announced that they had suspended the ride until Tuesday morning and would be busing us to Payson AZ on Friday. They had rented a large 53 foot trailer to haul the bikes. Surprisingly no one complained to much.

Day 6 Friday June 28
We got off to a late start as we had to wait for the bus anyway. We left on the bus leaving our bikes behind, as they had not been loaded yet. We stopped in Phoenix,for ice cream and then continued on to Payson. At the water park in Phoenix I noticed a sign that showed the hours of operation. You cannot rent a paddle boat during the afternoon. I guess it is July, to hot for Anyone around here in the afternoon. There was also a bike shop in Quartsite that was closed for the summer. Not many bikers out in this heat.

We arrived in Payson. There was some disappointment and some relief that we missed seeing the beautiful scenery from Phoenix to Payson from a bike. The road did have some 6 & 7% grades in a lot of places. We set up our tents in a football field. No shade, no air conditioning, and only a very small washroom, but we are here for the weekend, and Monday.

We had church at a few locations that welcomed us. We attended the Lutheran church were they just happened to be celebrating their community day. Because of that we had I nice lunch served to us. Then they'd left the church open so we could beat the heat and stay indoors for the afternoon. I stayed at the campsite to repair a tube and it had cooled off anyway due to a nearby thunderstorm. This cause quite a stir as the gusts of wind blew a lot of tents around. Ours stood through it all. There is nothing nicer then sitting in a tent in a light rain storm writing a blog.