I'm A Hick Magnet: Chamberlain, SD - Murdo, SD (6/28)

Last night we ran into some accidental good luck. There is a campground in Chamberlain right on the river, but because of unusually high rain, the river is flooded and the campground is almost completely under water.

We called City Hall who connected us to the Chamber of Commerce who connected us to Parks and Recreation who connected us to City Hall (did someone chop off a wing of the government and tell it to fly?) Eventually they agreed to let us camp at a park called Roam Free. Google it, its awesome!

After exploring the town and asking everyone we could if they knew where the park was we had all but given up since it didn't show up on my blackberry. We met three guys who had toured before (I'll call them Harry, Larry, and Brad) and they said to just camp off somewhere out of sight. We were ready to do this until we decided to go to a motel on the river. I'll admit that part of me wanted to be like William Shatner and negotiate for a last minute room at rock bottom prices but instead we simply asked if they knew of the park and finally we got directions.

By this time it was pretty much pitch black out so by the light of our bicycle lights and the stars we climbed up a bike trail headed up a cliff. I barely made it without stopping but I suppose the darkness helped distract me from the grade and distance. Eventually we made it to the top of a cliff overlooking the beautifully swollen Missouri River and town of Chamberlain. We could see the lights reflecting off the water and the crystal clear starry night made all the headwind and climbing worth it. Its amazing how God works, assuming this to be the work of God. Had the day been easy we would have pushed to Presho and breezed through the river valley and even if we had decided to stay here, had it been an easy day I don't think we would have appreciated it. Joy does not come without a cost as I've learned from Donald Miller's book. The camp site we found was top shelf and worth every penny.

We woke up early to the most beautiful view of the river valley as it was waking up to the sun. Unfortunately we weren't quite ready to do the same because it was rather cold outside so we stayed in bed and didn't get going until 8am.

Because of the flood we had to go over to Interstate 90 which we were hesitant about at first but we immediately took a liking to the well paved shoulder and may stay on it awhile.

It also brought us to Al's Oasis, a total tourist trap but a cool place anyway. They actually sell $.05 coffee and our waitress Amanda hooked us up with free sausage gravy because she was trying to put the moves on Jared.

As we headed off from Al's, I couldn't help but day dream about Jared staying with Amanda to settle on 500 acres of useless grassland so I wouldn't have to deal with him anymore, but after a lovely breakfast together Jared just couldn't commit, typical Jared.

Then we began a day full of hills, long, gradual, and even sometimes steep hills. We're glad we took the interstate because the country roads had to of been worse.

Despite making arrangements with a church for the night we decided that it wasn't going to be far enough for the pace we were carrying. I don't think we realized just how boring this area of the state was but we weren't really in the mood to stop and smell the roses because there aren't any, just tall grass and dead crushed turtles and owls.

We came up to our first highway rest area today where we met Nancy and Bob. They are from Wisconsin and heading to Spokane, WA to see Nancy's father who is battling cancer. It was nice to chat with them about our trip and our thoughts and prayers go out to them in this difficult time of mourning what seems the inevitable while celebrating a life in its last season.

Out of the rest area we tackled some more hills while having RVs blow by us. It seems most everyone we see is a tourist out here and with July 4th close its no wonder.

Eventually we came to a "town" called Vivian. They had advertised a coffee diner 24 miles prior so when we arrived to find it was being remodeled we were deeply saddened. If I'm a business owner in this part of South Dakota on I-90 I'm definitely remodeling in the other 9 months of the year when nobody probably comes through but what do I know about running a truck stop really?

Instead we sat under an awning at the diner next door which was closed while we ate peanut butter and other delicacies.

And then more hills. I may have gotten high hopes a bit soon for cranking out high miles because around 7pm I just got tired. Saddle soreness reared its ugly head and I found myself yawning, not a good sign. I could have kept pushing but fatigue got the best of me and I knew I was one bar of a Coldplay song from swerving out into traffic so I decided to stop at the exit for Murdo, a tourist trap by all accounts with an automotive museum and little diners and hotels for weary travelers who like to quit down the home stretch instead of finishing the drive like champions (like the Chicago Cubs of drivers if you will).

But Murdo is also home to some and we saw evidence of this in the presence of a high school and a swimming pool which I saw as a beacon of hope. See I've worked at the pool in my hometown before and I know that most pools are run with a relatively easy going attitude so after riding for days without a shower I suspected that it might be our lucky day. A bit of batting my eye lashes at Megan, the guard at front desk, and Jared and were lathering on all the soap in the place, doubling as both a shower and laundry mat.

I felt refreshed after a great shower and figured people might be slightly more likely to like me. Come to think of it, maybe Megan was just trying to do the world a favor by letting us shower, but either way I have fantastic eye lashes so let's remember that.

Turns out I was right about people liking me, but apparently a well showered me attracts self proclaimed high school hick boys (eye lashes, blessing and curse). Ben, Kyle, and Steven were really interested in my trip and we got to chatting and learned quite a bit about each other. I taught them about the price range of gear while they taught me that hicks chew tobacco and spend all Tuesday trying to find a way to score beer. There was a lot of learning going on but alas I had to get going as Jared had run over to a church to see if they would let us stay there only to come to find that it was the very same church we spoke with early in the day. So after making a Chef Boyardee canned dinner along with Rice Sides I lay here ready for bed.

In case you're wondering, yes I do make up almost all the names in these posts. Hosts are usually the only ones I remember unless I write it down right away.

Hope you're ready for the Badlands, be there before you know it!
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Plankinton, SD - Chamberlain, SD...holy headwind!

Our second time camping illegally went off without a hitch. We were fortunate enough to find a town park with a covered pavilion so it hid our tent and gear a bit and allowed us to leave the rain fly off for better ventilation.

We planned to get up early (7am) but didn't end up waking up until 8am, just in time to be taking down our tent when the parks and rec crew arrived to collect the trash. It was awkward for them, but probably more because we weren't wearing any clothes than anything else.

The morning was rather chilly so I put on my ankle high wool socks for the first time all trip and my long sleeve jersey all day to help deal with the cold wind.

And wind there was plenty! We hit headwinds all day for the first time as previously we have had mostly cross wind. Headwind is definitely worse than hills because during our day today we could see up to 50 miles because its so flat but with the wind it seemed as though the objects you feel are so close will never be any closer. To top it off you couldn't stop pedaling ever or the wind would bring you to a dead stop. On downhills we even had to keep pedaling which was quite a weird experience.

And then I met Jeremiah. He was struggling with the wind so much that he couldn't move an inch as he was practically paralyzed in the middle of the road. I took a picture of him from within 3 inches which was a dead giveaway that he needed help and since the wind was blowing so hard he was unable to call out to his parents who were probably too busy enjoying their empty nest.

So after taking my handlebar bag cover and scooping up Jeremiah so he wouldn't bite me, I placed him on the ground near the grass off the road. He said thank you and goodbye but I could tell he was being insincere, ungrateful baby bird he was. I checked to see if he would stay put and he had, but I suspect he probably flew into the next available semi truck because while many birds are enjoying the trees across the country, Jeremiah was stuck in nothing but the tall grass of South Dakota...happy thoughts.

I must say that in spite of the wind, South Dakota is quickly growing to be perhaps my favorite state. You can see forever out here on the prairie and I've never seen a sky so massive with such incredibly beautiful clouds. The majority of the land is tall green grass but it sets in stark contrast to the vibrant yellow, pink, violet, and white flowers and dark blue lakes and flooded fields. It felt like I had been watching life on a wood paneled television all my life and then God upgraded me to an HD Vizio today.

We stopped at a gas station along the way and I took the opportunity to finish reading A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. It was an incredible book and the best $20 I've spent on this trip so far, but I guess I'll have to go back and re-read it since its my only book. That or my posts will just get longer (shout out to Dr. Michelson who encourages me to write in as many words as possible).

Anyway, then we climbed a nice large hill that opened us up to a surprise view of the swollen Missouri River. It felt as if I could throw a baseball into it (because I could, but didn't have one) but it was still 10 miles away. Now we're in the town of Chamberlain just east of the river. I'm updating from McDonald's right now since they have wifi that allowed me to call my beautiful girlfriend and write this overly wordy blog post. We'll be heading out soon to find a park to illegally camp in again tonight along the river. We called City Hall to get permission but they told us about a park that seems to not exist so we're going to pick the one we want and claim ignorance.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to check out www.urbanlighthouse.org or simply donate $1000 on the link below. You can also get short and frequent updates on my twitter page at www.twitter.com/clementefan87.

Hope you're enjoying our journey. You'll get to the coast soon enough but remember to enjoy the ride along the way.
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Mitchell, SD - Plankinton, SD (take 2)

I swear I don't do as well with technology as most people my age. I didn't mean to send the post prematurely.

So after the peroxide didn't work we did a measly 25 miles to the small town of Plankinton. We considered another night in Mitchell but we decided that a short day was better than nothing after leaving at 4, and it would set us up to do a reasonable day to Presho tomorrow morning. From there we'll head south and then take highway 44 through the Badlands. We're also eager to cross the Missouri River tomorrow at Chamberlain because we keep getting warned that its at a record high and from seeing flooded fields across the state we don't doubt it.

The ride to Plankinton was uneventful. There was a steady grade but nothing too bad as we were around a 12mph average. The rain made it a bit more interesting and eventually the sky split into stark contrast. On one half you had a dark purple sky with lightning bolts and on the other a bright heavenly sky with massive pillow looking clouds, all the while being under rainy conditions.

And now we lay in "bed" in our tent under a paved pavilion in the town park, which of course is illegal as we've been told but we're not apart of their system here and besides how can cops in a small town like this expect me to take them seriously when I've lived in real towns with real cops before? We'll see if I talk this boldly in the morning. I'm pretty tired now after having read 12 chapters of the book. Only 20 more pages which makes me kind of sad since its the only book I have with me, but its too good to put down, unlike this wordy blog you've been reading for some reason, all five of you (or mom logging in on five computers to make me feel better).

Thanks for joining me today. Sleep well because tomorrow is going to be 80+ miles through pretty empty country. Lots of time for you to reflect on your lives.
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Mitchell, SD - Plankinton, SD

Today we got to sleep in! What a joy to be back to the days of civilian life!

I took a quick shower and then headed to church with Aaron, the pastor's son, who offered to drive us to the 11am service. Along the way we passed the famous Corn Palace, a building that is covered in corn in a very ornate fashion. It was impressive from the glimpse I got but we saw no need to explore it any further.

I was surprised at how large the church was but even more surprised to hear that they had out grown it and were planning to build a new sanctuary. I guess knowing they have 3 services should have been a give away.

During the service I tried to sing but in Marshall I had been a bit too vigorous with a Q-tip and had pushed the ear wax down in such a way that my hearing was almost completely impaired and my joyful noise would have brought great sorrow to the body of believers we worshiped with. We took communion together which I find interesting because on this trip we have attended church all but once, each time with a different denomination and each time partaking in communion. As a Nazarene I'm on overload from all this blood and body but thankfully the blood was not fermented as was the case at the Lutheran service we attended in Conyngham a month ago.

After service and a good deal of fellowship with people who were interested in our journey, we headed to Corona Village which is a Mexican restaurant and not a place where people live in drunken beer induced harmony. It was nice to be able to discuss matters of the church with the pastor and I found myself referring to Desiring The Kingdom by James Smith and A Royal Waste of Time by Marva Dawn...did I actually pay attention during my last semester of college? Thank you Dr. Dunnington!

After loading up on chips, burrito, and conversation, we headed back to the house to get changed and load up the bikes.

I must say that God must be looking out for us and you all must be praying like pros because yet again we stayed with a family who in just a short period of time almost adopted us. I feel like I gained another foster mother and father and a wise older brother and for that I am blessed.

We took our pictures with the family and off we went in search of Walgreens so Jared could buy a new toothbrush to replace the one he left in Sioux Falls and I could get peroxide (per my mother's suggestion) so that I could pour it in my ear in order to look like a complete idiot in public (or to clear it out supposedly). Of course I couldn't justify throwing out most of a bottle that I shelled out a dollar for so I packed it like the pack rat I am.
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Rochester, MN - Mitchell, SD (Current Location 6/25)

June 19
We took our rest day in style, going to see Super 8, eating Wendy's for lunch, eating Sam's Club samples, and soaking in the hot tub before falling asleep to The Big Lebowski. Can't beat that.

June 20
We left the house early but we didn't really leave Rochester until around 5pm. I'll briefly explain.

Since we decided to split the group up (Jared and I; Carson and Travis) due to time constraints, Jared and I were awaiting a Blackberry that my grandpa Ron was sending us. It was supposed to arrive on the 18th but didn't come until today. (Thanks grandpa, it helps a ton). So we had to ride down to the post office where they were unable to do anything to help us. Then we rode downtown and grabbed a cup of coffee at Caribou before heading over to Barnes and Noble where I picked up a copy of Donald Miller's, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, at the recommendation of Spencer Cook from Olivet. It's been a fantastic book so far and I can't help but want to get lost in it.

As we sat outside of the bookstore a woman who was meeting her daughter for lunch came over and talked to us before her daughter, who is doing Americorp, joined her. I can't stress how much random conversations mean to us during a day so if you're reading this, thank you so much for just taking the time to chat. I sometimes feel like we make ourselves unapproachable by wearing our bandanas and growing out our patchy facial hair so it's nice when people talk to us anyway.

Eventually we decided the mail had to have arrived so we rode back to the house to find the package had made it. We took it down to Fazoli's to load up on carbs and set the phone up which is always fun for me. I can't get enough of blackberry despite all the other smartphones out there.

After realizing we wouldn't be able to do a century ride we settled on Pine Island which was only about 13 miles away, almost entirely by bike trail. We didn't complain about this day one bit.

When arriving in town we realized that we had made the classic mistake of not making any arrangements for a place to stay so after looking for a town park that didn't exist Jared decided to knock on the door of a home that he suspected might be the parsonage of a church in town. Luckily he was correct and the pastor agreed to let us set up our tent on the church lawn.

While we were setting up she came over and brought us some boneless chicken, mashed potatoes, and sugar cookies and bananas for breakfast. People are unbelievable sometimes and on this trip what I mean is always. No matter how many times it happens you never get over just how wonderful people are across this nation in every town we hit. Imagine if people would just open up to everyone the way they do for us scraggly looking cyclists, this world would be so much better off.

June 21
We set out from Pine Island without much delay after a morning of rain. The plan was to keep heading north but when we reached the small town of Zumbrota we decided that we were ready for our second breakfast at a small diner.

At the diner we took the initiative to sit at the counter across from two men having their coffee and reading the newspaper. Our new goal for the trip is to have as many people interactions as possible and this was our first way of doing it rather than being closed off at our own table. It paid dividends right away as the two men chatted with us and helped us find a route that would get us off of the dirt roads we had been on all morning.

From there we set out for New Prague which was still a considerable distance away. After a long ride in the wind we finally reached the town of Northfield which is definitely a college town with some really cool people. As seems to be the case always, whenever we need a bike shop we find something awesome. As we got to Northfield my rear tire went flat and I discovered a rip in it so I knew I should replace the tire as soon as I could.

I went to the first shop I could find and after a very mediocre experience at Mike's Shop I headed out with a new tire in hand as I went down Main Street.

That's when I was stopped by an employee at Fit To Be Tri'd, a cycling, running, shop that I was invited to come in to switch my tire and share stories. This is the shop I would have gone to had I known better and I was glad to have been able to talk with them.

Northfield is a town full of very curious and friendly people. One such person is Bill Nelson who I met at the bike shop. He's a fellow Browns fan who slightly resembles Drew Carey in a way. Well Bill rode his truck ahead of us and about 5 miles outside of town he flagged us down. He said that he didn't want to make a big deal of it but that he wanted to buy our dinner in New Prague. So he handed us money and went to get back in his truck immediately. I stopped him to get a picture with him but I will never forget the graciousness and humility that Bill showed to us that day. It's moments like these that make the trip and seem almost miraculous, no make that absolutely.

When we arrived in New Prague we sat down for Mexican food which was perfectly filling and delicious and just the right thing to send us off to bed in our tent outside a church.

June 22
We started out our day very slowly on this day. I rode down to McDonald's without taking down the camp as Jared slept. Having a nice breakfast for cheap and being able to talk to the girlfriend and mother helped me feel connected to my normal life that I've grown to miss. I love riding and this trip is incredible but it's exciting knowing that the life that awaits me when I get back is a good one.

After breaking camp we rode down the street until we saw the New Prague Czech bakery. We were told in Northfield that we needed to czech it out and eat a colachky (what a terrible Czech I am that I can't spell that correctly). We also purchased day old donuts for $.50 which was the price for a bag of six huge and delicious donuts...challenged my mercantile purchase.

Just a moment after leaving the bakery, a man with gauged ears stopped me. I'm naming him Rex because he's a cool guy. He asked me if we were riding across the country but I said "the country," matter of factly. I sometimes forget that we've actually come pretty far and that it's a big deal to other people so I don't always sound as excited when I say it. He shook my hand and said it was awesome and it was a real encouragement to me. Thanks Rex, you're the man!

The rest of the day was pretty much terrible as we faced boring roads, wind, and rain. We limped into Redwood Falls where a pastor offered to let us stay at the church. It had all the amenities we needed, bathrooms, computers, and comfy sanctuary chairs that we laid across. Just before bed we went to Burger King and I ate a triple whopper, double stacker, fries, coke, and some of Jared's nuggets but thankfully I still had snacks back at the church in my bags.

After trying to update my blog for over an hour and losing my post I went to bed mad at everything in the world.

June 23
The pastor had told us that there would be some ladies coming to clean the church at 9am so we thought we would be out in time in the morning, but it was a miscommunication as we woke to the sound of two women coming into the church to clean. We tried to stay out of their way but then one of the women handed us some money and told us we should try the deli across the street for breakfast. It was another miracle to me even if I was pretty sure she just wanted us to get out of her way.

We went back to the church after breakfast and finished loading up the bikes, eager to get on the road and get going to Hendricks where we were going to be staying. It was late and we knew we were making the day more stressful for ourselves but when Eric, a tall slender man with a V for Vendetta kind of look (handlebar mustache included) approached us asking to shake the hands of fellow "tribe" members we had to stop. He then asked us where we get our lunch and coffee and then offered to treat us at the coffee shop he owned across the street. We spent about an hour in Calf Fiend with Eric talking cycling and it was a moment that we knew could never have happened prior to the split so it was encouraging to receive that moment of affirmation that our decision was the right one.

As soon as we left the coffee shop we were greeted by the same wind as the day prior which was a bit crippling and discouraging. We gritted out each mile and rode to towns where all they had was a gas station but eventually we reached the town of Marshall which was a reasonable sized town on the way to our destination.

I called Jared when I got in to see where he was and as I was on the phone with him a man named John rode up to me on an unloaded touring bike. Not just any touring bike, a Novara (I ride a Novara). John offered to take me for a cup of coffee and since I have made it my motto to never turn down free food, drink, or conversation, I followed him to the coffee shop in town.

Once there we all chatted at length about the trip and in the middle of conversation John offered to take us in if we wanted to stay in Marshall. We gladly accepted since Hendricks was still a good distance away and we wanted to head straight south from Marshall. After John left the shop the owners treated us to a healthy dinner that hit the spot.

When we got to John's house we got to relax, shower and chat with him before watching the NBA Draft which took me back to civilian life.

June 24
In the morning John fixed us some breakfast and after taking pictures with him we said our goodbyes before heading into town. John was a guy who just met us on the street and had no reason to offer such hospitality, but he boosted our morale in a huge way and made June 23rd possibly the most miraculous day in awhile.

We went back to the coffee shop because they told us the day before they would treat us to coffee so I got a delicious turtle mocha and bagel with cream cheese and then a lemon poppy seed muffin for the road that was out of this world. Daily Grind, you're amazing! Thank you so much for treating us so well. You really spoiled us.

Then we hit the bike shop in town where a mechanic lubricated our chains and helped find me a replacement screw for my sandal cleat. They are a very efficient and helpful shop, great experience.

And then it was on to a long day that took us over 100 miles to Sioux Falls, SD.

We stopped in Pipestone at McDonald's for some cheap calories and then it was just a grind it out kind of day in the wind.

Reaching South Dakota proved to be not such a big deal as we didn't cross on a major road and didn't find a real sign but we were there and that was cool I suppose. To be honest we haven't really come to love this state just yet, but the people have been more than great enough to overcome the dirt roads.

When we reached our hosts in Sioux Falls we were relieved to be off the bike. After showers we had a nice pasta dinner and conversation about touring with our hosts before climbing into the warmest bed all trip. I was out like a light.

June 25
Today we road out of Sioux Falls with the intention of reaching Mitchell. We reached it by 5pm somehow which is pretty remarkable for a 68 mile day.

Early into the day we met Jessa and Nick who are touring the same way as us right now. We met them after our chow down at Pizza Ranch buffet and for most of the day we played a game called we ride as fast as we can without letting them catch us. It wore me out but it was kind of nice to see another group of tourists who had learned how to do it on their own. We saw them throughout the day until Mitchell and expect we'll see them again before Black Hills, although with our route it's possible we may not.

And so now we're at Pastor Keith's house in Mitchell. Pastor Keith is the pastor of the Wesleyan church here in town and graciously invited us to stay here with him. We'll attend service tomorrow morning and then head out again toward Chamberlain where we'll cross the Missouri River which we hear is at a record high right now.

So now I'm caught up. I'll try to do a better job of making use of email posting to make the posts shorter from now on but my phone signal is getting a bit dicey and my best bet is going to be wifi which might become hard to find given how few towns we're going to encounter.

Thank you for reading and I hope you'll continue joining us on our journey. I'm on google latitude now so you can follow me that way if you want to know when we get to the Badlands or mountains.

God Bless!

Bourbonais, IL - Rochester, MN

June 13th
After leaving Olivet we set out on to an adventure of circumnavigation of the city of Chicago. Not too much to report other than a long stretch of gravel roads, some busy "suburbs" like Joliet and Aurora with populations of 200,000, and fear of death instilled in us by a local who told us that there had been 3 shootings recently in the neighborhood.

Luckily we were staying in Batavia which is an affluent community north of Aurora with our warmshowers hosts Mike and Dorey. Mike is a fellow tourist who has worked as a paramedic for over 20 years and on his off days he runs his own business as a mobile bicycle mechanic (the bike medic). Talk about the perfect guy to take on the road with you. Dorey has a sense of sarcasm that made me feel at home and she was refreshing in probing into our personal lives, asking if any of us were in love. This of course was the perfect opportunity for Carson and I to make a joke of the absence of a love life for Jared and Travis.

June 14th
In the morning Mike helped fix Travis and Jared's spokes and fixed us an egg and pancake breakfast with real maple syrup which has a way sweeter taste than most store bought stuff and was really something we came to like. After taking pictures with our hosts we set out for the Rockford area in northern Illinois.

It was a tough ride with rolling hills and serious headwind/crosswind that almost knocked me over a few times but we kept at it and slowly and steadily made our way through the miles. For the sake of brevity I will mention the lone real highlight of the ride that day. As we headed up a hill I stopped part of the way up and looked back down onto a field that was the most beautiful thing I had seen all day. The wind was sweeping through the lush green space and poetically dancing in waves. After all the days of riding through these farms I cannot help but wonder how there are children who go to bed hungry, but the reality is that they do. I encourage you to check out www.urbanlighthouse.org which is the organization I would normally be working with in the summer and whom I am riding for. They find a way to feed thousands of underprivileged children each week and are faithful stewards of the money they are entrusted with. There is a link at the end of each post I write where you can donate if you feel led to do so, but I really encourage you to contact them and find out when you can donate a few hours on a Saturday to help on Heaventrain. Anyway, I'll get down from my soapbox, but humor me and check them out.

So after a few more rollers (series of hills) we reached the lovely farm home of Earl and Arlene, fellow cycling enthusiasts and perhaps the most eclectic conversationalists we've met. We sat down over a home cooked meal and chatted for hours with these folks about just about anything you could think of. We shared our cycling stories, but it was also nice to talk about other things, to be grounded to reality for awhile. Arlene said we were rock stars but honestly they were the ones I looked up to. They work hard every day on their farm, cycle, and travel the world to visit their daughters. These are rock stars if I've ever seen one.

June 15
After sitting down for breakfast with the Williams family we headed out for Madison, WI and some good cheese. Of course Jared took care of the customary leaving of the cell phone charger as it was becoming a habit for one of us to do so each day. More hills waited for us as we reached Wisconsin where we were saddened to not find cheese stands waiting for us.

We rode through the pouring rain and over time I became separated from the group. When I got to Oregon, WI the road I was on became a highway that prohibited cycling so I frantically called my parents to have them look up directions online and read them to me over the phone. About a half hour later Travis came riding by and said, "well, those miles aren't going to ride themselves." We finished the last 20 miles into Madison where we stayed with my high school friend and a person I respect a lot, Liz.

Because Carson and Jared got lost they decided to meet us at Buffalo Wild Wings and Liz agreed to join us and drive us "down the street," which really turned out to be several miles through hills. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't getting a great deal of satisfaction out of knowing they would have to ride up each of them.

When we got back from dinner Liz and I went through our senior year book discussing what people were up to and it was nice to be reminded of a much simpler time even if the present is quite satisfying. Then my brother called from Custer, SD where we'll be visiting soon to chat which was a nice surprise. A shower and some conversation later and I was off to sleep.

June 16
Liz had to get up and out for work early because she's an old lady with a real job and everything so we took our time crawling up to our feet in the morning before heading out into some more hills/mountains of Wisconsin toward Richland Ctr where our warmshower hosts, John and Sue awaited us at the top of a massive hill that was much like they were in PA, but they didn't tell us, hoping we would enjoy the surprise.

During the day we actually hit a flat stretch on highway 14 that went most of the day. We stopped at a bike shop called Uphill Grind where they have a coffee shop incorporated into it. After getting Jared's bike fixed and having some fantastic coffee we headed out for a few more miles before hitting the bar and grill of dreams. Rookies, is a bar and grill designed perfectly. It has floor to ceiling memorabilia, a bathroom entirely done in real baseball cards, and to top it off, a wiffle ball stadium where patrons play. They also serve a mean burger, 1/2 pound of beef with a gob of Wisconsin cheese all served on a soft pretzel bun. What's not to love? I never wanted to leave, but I had to because I wanted ice cream.

Later in the day we stopped in to Culver's for some buttery ice cream goodness. It was just enough to power us up the huge grade hill we needed to climb to get to our hosts farm house at the highest point in the county. But John and Sue made it worth our while with grilled steaks and salad and hours of good conversation. We went to sleep easily that night and woke up thinking it would be all downhill from there after so much climbing...

June 17
It was not all downhill. In fact there were more uphills than down from what I remember but we eventually made it to La Crosse for dinner.

It came after a day of steady grade hills for almost the entire time, a lot of sweat, and escalating tempers over a Chinese buffet lunch. Chinese food always brings out the beast in me!

Being more emotional than 14 year old girls, we rode into the second half of the day, but to let myself cool down I decided to lay back a bit and split from the group for the rest of the ride that day. I knew they were going to stop at a town park up the hill but I kept riding until I reached the next one. It had a covered pavilion, water, and an outlet where I could charge my phone while talking to mom and the girlfriend, just the ticket.

Later in the day I reached a mercantile shop which apparently means a store that sells things that are past their expiration date for super cheap. I bought protein bars for $.75 and Kool-Aid Jammers for $.25. I would say this may have been the best purchase since the invention of currency.

Then a few more huge hills and a long sweeping downhill that could have killed me if I so much as hit a twig just enough to throw off my balance and before I knew it I found the guys with our host Ed who rode his upright recumbent touring bike down to meet us. Had I known they were waiting I would have pushed harder, so I felt a bit guilty holding up the group.

Luckily Ed took away all that guilt by offering bratwurst which cleared my head completely. After a day like this particular day I was ready for bed pretty early.

June 18
Not much to say about this day other than we crossed the Mississippi River rather unceremoniously (it wasn't impressive up this far north), took pictures at the Minnesota sign, and then climbed some hills before riding on a gorgeous bicycle trail under tree cover, surrounded by the bluffs. It was a really scenic day of riding when I wasn't thinking about how many gnats I had consumed (unintentionally most of the time).

And then we reached Rochester, a small city that feels big. It's as though they took a piece of a large U.S. city and cut it out and placed it in Minnesota. Still as quaint a city as it was we hate riding in cities and this was no exception as we were yelled at and honked at for riding in the rain and dark.

But eventually we reached Carson's aunt's home which was equipped with all we needed: food, beds, television, a hot tub, and great hosts. After a good soak and dinner we passed out and were excited for a rest day the next morning.

...I've been on for quite a while so I'm hopping off now to be social and/or sleep. I'll slowly work to get caught up through email posting on my Blackberry when I can so expect it to take about a week before it's caught up. Thanks for reading and I hope you're enjoying the journey with us.

Stupid Blog

Hello all, so I did it again. After spending 3 hours writing I found out that by switching email accounts I signed out and lost all of it.

So I'm setting up email blogging and will try to update more regularly once I get caught up. My next post will probably be more brief because its frustrating to go back and write about the same things.

Exciting stuff to tell you all though. Talk to you soon!
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Bedford, OH - Bourbonais, IL...It's Starting to Get Awesome!

Back in a magical land called Perrysburg, where we were all able to get a hotel and Hometown Buffet paid for by Jared's uncle Kurt, I spent about an hour and a half working on a blog post in the hotel lobby before the computer lost all my data so I will attempt to update you on a significant amount of days in as concise a way as possible. I will make use of a skeletal format to do so since I now have less than 2 hours remaining of the internet time I purchased at the Sycamore, IL library for $5.

After getting picked up in Bellefonte we returned home for a few days to explore Cleveland and it's best food, West Side Market, and take in a Cleveland Indians game, but primarily to see my sister graduate from high school, attend her grad party, and let Carson heal from his wounds. We did all of those things successfully and then on June 5th, after attending the 9:30 service and being prayed for by Lois, Pastor Doug, and Matt Henry, we headed out with Sandusky in our sights. Pastor Doug told us to think of our pain as a worship experience, a reminder of what Christ endured out of love for us and in spite of our hate for him at the time. This has stayed with us throughout the days following.

June 5th, 2011
We headed out of Bedford along the Canal Towpath and took it as far toward Cleveland as we possibly could. There was an organized ride going on between Cleveland and Akron that day and one of the riders rode up alongside me to talk and offer words of encouragement...before leaving me in his old man dust. Thanks old guy who made me feel like a wannabe.

When we reached downtown we decided to take the alternate route 6 pretty much all the way to Sandusky. There were boring stretches that looked familiar but we also had a good time seeing some of the gorgeous areas along the lake. It was great for me to see this place I grew up around in a new way because I had never taken state roads along the lake, opting for major highways instead. We took a short break at Bay Village and saw our first tourist who was just heading to Cleveland, probably doing the route that goes around the lakes...amateur.

In Lorain there was a clerk at a gas station who allowed us to fill up our bottles with ice and water because her father is a touring cyclist as well. She was a sweet person, but sadly I found that Ohio is a state full of jerks who like to yell and honk their horns. Even sadder, prior to this trip I may well have been one of them, but I'm working on being better than everyone so that's a start in the right direction.

Other than the brief stop in Bay Village there wasn't much else to report besides the Bel Airesque homes along the lakefront in Rocky River that sent me into daydreams about what it must have been like when Cleveland was one of the wealthiest cities in the country, prospering on the backs of steelworkers who worked hard each day to keep America running.

We arrived in Sandusky and the first glimpse of Cedar Point welcomed us in. It was tough to be so close and not go on Millenium Force or Top Thrill Dragster, but it was late and we were tired, hungry, and cheap college students.

After dropping off our bags at Sandusky Church of the Nazarene under a nice covered porch we rode back into town and sat down at Steak and Shake while Carson went to Ruby Tuesdays because he had a gift card and is a cheap college student...I would have preferred the Chipotle we passed but it was just nice to sit down and have ice water honestly. I can recommend the avacado burger.

We camped out and got a good amount of sleep before waking to the sounds of car doors closing in the church parking lot, a weird event as we lay shirtless in our tents as church people who we weren't sure knew of us or why we were there came walking by. After showering with the garden hose outside the night before, we were pretty refreshed so we packed up and headed out for another long day of riding.

June 6th, 2011
Our ride this day would take us to Perrysburg, a town just short of the limits of Toledo. I wish I had something clever to say about the ride out of Sandusky but honestly the entire day was just boring farm land as has been the case throughout our time in the Midwest.

We reached Perrysburg pretty early as we had little reason to want to stop before reaching the town. Fortunately Jared's uncle Kurt had arranged for us to be able to check in early to the Holiday Inn Express where he booked us two rooms. Jared and I hit the pool and the hot tub, giving us a chance to rejuvenate our legs and spirits. After showering I passed out in one of the beds and woke to the sight of Uncle Kurt as I thought I was going crazy to see a man in a green polo in our room.

Kurt took us to Hometown Buffet where I polished off 5 plates of food and probably made them put serious thought into reconsidering their business model. Kurt is an amazing guy and having the chance to chat with him about just about everything was a rare treat for us touring guys. Along our entire trip it has really been people like Uncle Kurt who make the experience and for that reason you will come to notice that my updates will be more focusing on the people than the places in most cases as each day would blend together were it not for interesting people.

Speaking of interesting people, we met a married couple that night who were touring. Uncle Kurt drove us over to meet them and it may have been a mistake as they were pretty much as crazy as they come. He an old man appearing to be 70 and of sound mind. She appearing to be 35 and maybe a few screws loose. The man gave us helpful hints such as how to flag down a car when you are in trouble or how we really ought to consider bringing our stimulators (as he looked at his psycho wife with the kind of loving eyes only a truly mentally ill man could have). When I went down my packing list I never even once considered taking a stimulator, probably because I had no idea you couldn't ride without one. The woman on the other hand was too interested in lifting up her sports bra to show Jared her scars and tanlines to talk to us so we left them alone until our ears unfortunately perked up when she spoke of dressing her little brother up in women's underwear and having him walk outside as a child.

Note to self: Don't stop touring cyclists to talk.

June 7th, 2011
After going to an impressive complimentary breakfast in the Holiday Inn lobby (twice), I was sad to have to say goodbye to Uncle Kurt but we had to ride off away from the sunrise toward the town of Lyons where Travis' grandparents live.

Let me say this, I have always hated Michigan, but until riding in a small part of it I never had a really good reason. It was 97 degrees that day and at least twice I found my tires sticking to the tar on the country roads that seemed to go on forever. Only two highlights from this day really.

We met an Asian man running a small convenience store who was very friendly and offered the chance to come inside to a cool building away from the heat.

We met John O'Neil, a kind man who invited us up onto his front porch to chat and drink ice water and eat fruit. John is the kind of person I hope we come across more often on the trip, the genuinely interested and randomly friendly type. He had no reason to invite us over but he did anyway and it made a huge difference to break up the boring riding of the day. God provides through strange ways sometimes and this was no exception. People are God's greatest instrument.

Just before we reached our destination I was riding along and in the two foot gap between myself and the fields came Carson trying to squeeze by. I can't see behind me and I never would expect someone to be so foolish as to try and pass on the right hand side of me so I was shocked and in one swift motion I told Carson who was boss by pushing him off the road into a field.

Note to Carson: Not in my house!

After arriving at Travis' grandparents house we were pretty tired so after eating a good homecooked meal and talking with some of his family about our trip we headed off to bed.

June 8th, 2011
After being treated to breakfast by Travis' grandparents at Bob Evans we had to pack up and head out for our next day.

We had another boring day until we reached the town of Reading. After unsuccessfully locating the rainbow we settled for the best deal in town, a diner offering a burger and fries dinner for $2.50, the kind of meal old people keep living just to enjoy each and every day. Our combined ages may have equaled the average age of the rest of the patrons in the building that day, maybe.

We arrived at our destination, a Christian campground where Travis' cousin works as a program coordinator. This place was just the ticket as we were put up in a dorm, got to swim in a lake, and take a shower...all for free as per the usual. We have been blessed. After beating Carson in a minnow spearfishing contest we were tired so off to bed we went with visions of boring farm country dancing through our heads.

June 9th, 2011
Today we rode past farms, which is normal because that's all there has been since Ohio pretty much, but on this day we reached the town of Shipshewana which is basically Vegas if designed by the Mennonites. We rode on through the tourist trap into Amish country where we saw some beautiful horses and Amish people riding expensive bicycles. Worth noting, we were passed by the Lance Armstrong of buggy pulling horses despite our best efforts to stay ahead. This was a low moment for us.

After a stretch along a dirt road we met a Mennonite gentleman on a scooter who runs the buggy tour company in town. He told us to go to his house and ask his son for a glass of fresh milk right out of the cow but he had to go into town so we felt awkward doing so and elected not to. Talk about the biggest regret since Eve wondering what apple pie might taste like. Kicking myself right now as I write about it.

We reached the town of Goshen which as we came to find out from our host family is a town run by Hispanic and Amish gangs...I've got nothing.

Our host family was awesome, fellow tourists like us who go on trips as a family to places, including the Oregon coast. It was great to sit down and chat with them about riding amongst other things and eat some great meals. They were a huge blessing to us.

In the morning it was raining and because Jared and I didn't attach the rainfly properly the tent was flooded but eventually we got on the road, heading to a bike shop in town so I could get a new pair of cycling shorts since my other ones had gone sheer, causing me to moon most of the people we saw in Michigan (can't say that was a bad thing). After shelling out $70 for a pair of shorts and a new tube we hit the road and set out for Knox, Indiana.

Along the way, more boring farm country, but then a man named Jim who seemed like a normal, not crazy old man at first but eventually he asked us for our address and phone number so he could mail us his autobiography because he "had a good life." Travis bit the bullet for us and is eager to receive his copy which will almost certainly be written in crayon on the back of Jim's tax forms.

More boring riding.

And then we reached the town of Knox and discovered the Knox Church of the Nazarene there where we would be staying. Knox Naz is a small church of about 30 warm people who were willing to let us use their sanctuary as a bedroom. We got to hang out with some of their teens who were having a lock in across the parking lot while doing Would You Rathers.

Then we gave in to temptation and walked to Taco Bell where Carson and I shared the 12 tacos for $10. On the way back we wanted fries so out of McDonald's we walked with our fries and ice cream cones. So much for losing weight today.

After pitching the tent to let it dry out from the morning rain we fell asleep with visions of Olivet giving us sweet dreams.

June 11th, 2011.
I'm going to skip everything about the ride to Olivet because Olivet is awesome and more important...except Shadow a woman who just retired from teaching physical education. She stopped us on a country road and invited us in to have some ice water and chat with her husband Eric who runs triathalons, no big deal. Three things stood out about Shadow.
1.) Super funny: She used the phrase, "come on in, I pay for sex," as an ice breaker. It was awkward but you can't say it wasn't funny in light of understanding that she did not try any funny business.
2.) Super excited: She kept exclaiming, "This is so exciting!" and she truly seemed to like having us there.
3.) Super hospitable: She offered to put us up for the night, offered us ice cream, and even told us that if we had a hard time getting a ride to the train station to ride into Chicago to call her because she would come give us a ride. Shadow and Eric were unbelievable and in the only 30 minutes our paths intertwined, these people became instant friends and I hope they are reading this post because they could never understand how much of an uplifting experience these random encounters make in days.

People who want to stop cyclists to say hello, please do. We may have to keep going but it's really a huge blessing to be asked and we don't deserve it but gladly and humbly always try to accept. Just please don't go all Texas Chainsaw Massacre on us or anything, that'd be weird and uncomfortable.

When we arrived on campus we had a hard time finding where to go because it is huge by Naz school standards but eventually we found Dustin, the RD who was putting us up in an apartment for our time there. Dustin is amazing for a lot of reasons but I'd be lying if I said that the sight of a fridge stocked with Gatorade and a counter with Pringles and PB&J didn't add to it.

Jared and I joined Dustin and some of the staff in playing some sand volleyball. They marked out their courts much larger than I was used to but eventually I got comfortable with it and it was a good time despite the long day of riding we had just endured.

After a game of sand volleyball you need to replace the calories and there is nothing better on a cold day than some ice cream outside at Dairy Queen where Dustin treated us.

June 12th, 2011.
We woke up and enjoyed a nice breakfast prepared by Dustin and his wonderful wife Amanda before heading off to College Church of the Nazarene with Spencer Cook, another RD and Admissions Counselor at the school. Spencer should be a pastor someday because the man has the gift of significating people and he was a wonderful friend to make.

After church we joined Dustin and Amanda for lunch at Spencer and his wife Ashley's apartment. We had a great time chatting and sharing Carson's Amish story (ask him, not me) before talking about how we had hoped to see Chicago while there.

Apparently Olivet is not where sinners go (sorry to tell you MVNU) but saints because Dustin and Amanda offered us the use of their car to drive in to the city. Ridiculous hospitality, seriously.

Chicago is legit, maybe just a bit too much to quit. We walked through Millenium park where a Blues festival was going on and then down to Navy Pier, one of the biggest tourist traps I've ever seen but a sight worth checking out for sure.

We had to use the restroom so we went into one at Navy Pier but were confused by the 6 out of 8 urinals that were not being used and the line of men standing in line facing them. After a few moments of waiting, Carson (being Carson) asked the crowd of men, "hey, can we pee in these?" Classic.

We then walked down to Giordano's for some deep dish pizza and while in line we met Katie, a recent college graduate from London who is traveling across the United States by bus (finally someone who is traveling in a way worse than us) so we invited her to join us so she didn't have to eat alone. We had fun discussing American things like how fat we all are and then British things with her like oral hygiene and why they are so much weaker and had to get beat up by us in the Revolutionary War. Then we ate some pizza in typical American fashion before walking her to the bus station and heading back to the parking garage.

June 13th, 2011.
After a breakfast with Dustin and Amanda we reluctantly packed up our things and dreadfully prepared to leave our new favorite place on the trip. They prayed for us and then 10 minutes later Spencer came over with Ashley and they prayed for us and took pictures with us so we were pretty well prayed for on this day.

You'll notice that I'm posting this on the 14th but not including anything about the trip between Olivet and Sycamore. That's because I haven't updated my notes yet so hang on and I'll try as soon as I can. Thanks for reading! Hope you're all having fun on our journey.

Danville, PA-Bedford, OH (Hills and Bumps and Bruises)

After putting on freshly laundered clothes thanks for our hosts in Danville, we rode out looking for a nice high mile day and aimed for the town of Bellefonte which would be about 75 miles away. The day started out relatively flat and we were optimistic that we could make it through the rolling hills of the farm country, tucked away between the mountains. We pressed on and eventually the country hills turned in to long gradual hills leading into Bald Eagle State Park.

There we decided to take lunch at a river where they had a covered pavilion in the shade (a luxury from God while touring). I loaded up on peanut butter and banana sandwiches and some of the elk jerky and sausage that Jack had given us. Jared had some as well, but also decided to compliment it with the taste of moldy Ragu sauce that he had been keeping since the first day in Dover.

After heading out from lunch we stumbled into a lake that Jack had told us was spring fed so it would be super cold. The water was full of sunscreen and overweight Americans...so we fit right in aside from Jared. As soon as you entered the water, your body went numb, but after riding hard in the heat we didn't mind. I dunked my head under twice for a couple seconds each and that was plenty for me. After gorging ourselves on water from the fountain, we topped off our bottles and pack and headed out, quickly leaving the park and entering Amish country.

Amish country was gorgeous, sprawling farms nestled beneath the mountains, made for great thinking time as we just geared down and enjoyed the view. Then just as we finished this area and reached the base of the mountain standing in front of us before Bellefonte, Jared's moldy Ragu struck back on the side of the road where he decided to release the Ragu (and everything he's probably eaten in the past month) from bondage into the soft Pennsylvania grass. Throwing up doesn't really bother me, but seeing a little guy heave that much was too much and part of me changed that day.

Realizing there was no way he could make it up the mountain we decided to sit down at a restaurant in Centre Hall to eat and figure out a solution. None of us were sensitive enough to Jared to resist eating marinara sauce in front of him but we did come up with a solution. Carson called the police and arranged for a state trooper to come pick up Jared and his bags and take him to a hotel in Bellefonte.

After pushing my loaded bicycle with my left hand and carrying his unloaded bicycle on my right shoulder up a mountain, we decided the best way to get it down the other side was to load his bike on my rear rack so it made for an airplane wing kind of function. As I glided down the mountain trying to keep Jared's bike from throwing me over, I prayed that this not be the unglorious end to my life. Thankfully Jared's bike did me the service of knocking off my rear light because an older man named Lyle saw the light and came looking for a cyclist in need of being visible to traffic. He found us at the bottom of the hill with still another 5 miles until Bellefonte and not much resolve as to how to get there and thankfully Lyle was a friendly enough (and eccentric) old man with an adventurous and resourceful wife and a pickup truck. He loaded Jared's bike into his truck and took it to Pastor Ron's house for us.

As we approached Pastor Ron's house we saw a giant hill but just when I was about ready to break my bicycle over my knee with the power of rage, we saw the blinking light of Carson's light showing us the way and we powered up to the house. Pastor Ron is another gem who we lucked into finding. He offered to let us stay inside the house in beds he had upstairs and shower. After the day we had we gladly accepted. I got to talk old time baseball with Ron for a good hour before heading to bed and hear about the greats like my favorite, Roberto Clemente, and his favorite, Mike Schmidt.

In the morning Pastor Ron went and picked up Jared from the hotel and whipped us up some pancakes and eggs. This man is as godly as they come and will have all the jewels in his crown that he spoke of. He even offered to take Jared to our next destination in Clearfield so off we went. Unfortunately the first several miles from Ron's house were all uphill, big hills. After 3 miles we hit a small downhill and that's when I heard my name being screamed. Carson had lost control of his handlebar as it came loose and had fallen hard at about 25mph, banging his head and legs and ripping up his shoulder like a bear's claws. --Matt went to take a shower so this is Carson taking over-- First of all, I wasn't screaming. I would say I was hollering. screaming implies a hapless damsel in distress. Hollering is more informative, it communicates "hey Matt whenever you have a second I'm over here bleeding. No rush." I was pretty out of it for a few minutes, apparently I pumped my head pretty good. they tell me I asked for Ibuprofen, which is uncharacteristic of me as I generally see medication as a sign of weakness. Then I asked where Jared was, which was not a good sign because Jared was back sick at the house. Next, Travis went about dressing my wounds and checking my head for signs of serious injury and (just to make things clear) I asked again where Jared was. They told me that not only had I already asked that but that they had already told me Jared wasn't here because he was sick.

Travis and Matt decided it would be a good idea to head back to Pastor Ron's house. I don't know why I was ready to push on as always, but leave it to Travis to want extra breaks. In any case, I jumped on my bike- by this mean I crawled onto my bike slowly and with great effort- and headed back into town. Matt called his dad to come pick us up and it looked like that wasn't going to happen until about nine that night so we went to town to hang out for a bit. We walked around town and visited the local coffee shop which was fantastic. As I walked about the town with an obvious limp and signs of pain on my face- children would point and ask there mothers "what's wrong that guy?"
"oh him? He's just a bad ass"