We finally made it home! As I heard Steve say so many times on the trip, “Thank you Jesus!”

It seems every leg of the trip required endurance. Getting the motor home from Maine to San Diego was no exception. God continued to guide and provide all along the way though! We are so grateful for the family, friends, and even strangers that helped us. We spent some unexpected time near Iowa City getting the motorhome fixed. Other than that, the Shasta was doing pretty good. We were able to have a nice visit with family and friends in IL and CO. This made the journey more enjoyable. I was able to share about our biking adventure with my mom’s 5th grade class and be present for my nephew’s baptism in IL. It was a blessing.

The motor home was slow but did well getting us through the Rockies and it was beautiful. When we went through the desert on Thurs., I felt like we had made it full circle. It was hotter than blazes again. Megan said, “It’s 100 degrees in here”. I thought she was just expressing how hot if felt but then she showed me the thermometer. It really was 100 degrees. We were eager for the ride to come to an end. I kept telling Megan, “We’re almost there”. So close, and yet so far away. . .

The good ol’ Shasta motor home couldn’t quite make the entire trip home. After going through the desert and then being stuck in horrible traffic on the 15 freeway, she called it quits. Fortunately, Dave was able to get her off the freeway and with some help from someone at Advance Auto Care we made it to Steve’s Towing. AAA helped Shasta make her last leg of the journey by towing her to San Marcos. The motor home had gotten us to Lake Elsinore- about 70 miles from home. It was really something to have made it that far and then watch a big truck tow the motor home down the road. We’re so thankful for “Duck”, our tow truck driver, Jim Tapley for driving us to San Marcos, and Dave’s cousin, Jimmy, for meeting us at Don Hubbard Contracting Co. Dave, more than anyone, was relieved to be finished. I’m not sure what was harder on him. . . the bike ride or driving that thing.

I have not appreciated the extreme of going from riding 100 miles a day to sitting in a motor home most of the day. We were able to get in a great bike ride in IL and now that I’m home I’m eager to ride some more. Maybe not 100 miles but something would be nice. I don’t quite feel all here yet but it is good to be back. I’m especially enjoying the San Diego weather right now. You know you’ve been gone a long time when you get home and the name of your grocery store changed.

Thanks so much for all your prayers and encouragment on our journey! You can’t imagine how much it has meant.

In the back of my mind I knew the ride would come to an end but with so far to go every day I didn’t think about it much. Generally my goal would be to ride the next 20-30 miles. This helped. To think of the overall goal would overwhelm me but focusing on what was right in front of me kept me going. Somehow all those miles added up. When I finally came to the last 20 miles, it’s hard to describe how it felt to take it all in. It never got easy. However, during the last few miles there was a stretch that I could have ridden forever. It seemed a perfect ending with green and golden hills, the sun, the gentle wind, and a smooth road. It all felt right. The conditions made it possible to do a lot of reflecting. There was a sense of being together and yet it was mostly quiet. We were alone with our thoughts. There weren’t too many other miles, if any, that I can say I’d want to repeat – but those I would. I shed a couple tears after entering Fort Kent. The trip had been so hard and I made it.

Although I don’t know what life will look like when I return home, I do know.  .  . if I trust and take life one mile . . . moment . . . day at a time, God will get me to my destination and it will be an amazing journey!

We all have quite a transition to make. There will be a lot of processing for a long time to come I suspect. I still have pain in my seat and back. It will probably take some time for our bodies to mend.  We need lots of stretching and rest. I’ve got to watch what I eat now too. I ate an astonishing amount of food. We’re so thankful for the Ellis Family and so many from the Ashland Church that have shared their hospitality. They have provided a loving space for the entire team to take care of many details before parting ways.

I’m looking at our motorhome. It’s really a miracle it made it! Hopefully it will get us home. Thanks for prayer!

Our last day of riding started with our coldest morning – it was in the forties. It took an hour for my fingers to warm up. What a contrast to our first day of riding when we were looking for shade. Now we were looking for sunshine. As we rode through the towns, Craig continued our tour of the area. He told us about the people and places where he had grown up. I was still uncomfortable from the volume of homemade food I had eaten at Craig’s mom’s house. As we approached the town of Presque Isle, Jody and I stopped at Perry’s mini-mart. While I waited for Jody, a gentleman asked me how far I had ridden. When I told him from Key West, Florida he was extremely surprised. When I explained what we were doing he (Tom Ramsay) immediately handed me a donation. His wife (Jody Ramsay) said they would continue to pray for us and look us up on the web. This was another example of people along the way who have supported and encouraged us on this adventure. Kristi’s brother, Jaye, brought us lunch in Caribou. We were warmly greeted there by a number of Ellis friends and family from the Ashland area. Our ride to Fort Kent was hilly with a slight tailwind. The scenery was beautiful. At about 2:00 we received the weekly call from Pastor Brad at the North Park Community Church. These calls have been encouraging and I’m grateful they always want to know how they can continue to pray for us. As soon as I finished the phone call, a gentleman and his 5 year old daughter came by. He was walking but she was riding a bike. We encouraged her to keep riding and then found out he had lived in San Diego and had also done missions with Operation Mobilization in Russia. It was amazing because He and Jody knew some of the same missionaries in Russia. He had moved to the area not long ago to pastor a Baptist Church. We prayed together and then continued on our journey. As we rode into Fort Kent, Maine we were again greeted by family and friends at the finish. We took many pictures and then a few of us road across the bridge into Canada. After that we loaded up the bikes and headed to the Ashland Church for a potluck dinner and celebration. I thank the Lord for His protection and for getting us all 2175 miles! Thank you for your prayers and encouragement along the way!

The following is written by the group. . .

It’s hard to believe we only have one more day of riding!

We have so many things to be grateful for. . .

Sunshine all day and strength to face the headwind!

The beautiful Maine countryside and not much traffic.

The riders that started at Key West reached 2000 miles today!

The Grace, Love, and Patience of the Bike4Christ team.

We’re grateful to have stayed at the River City Wesleyan Church at Bangor, Maine last night. Rev. Steve Sinclair was so hospitable and such a blessing! The showers and wifi were a big help!

We’re thankful for Craig, the manager of the Quickstop Sunoco Station for his kindness- he offered whatever we needed and the American Legion for letting us use their picturesque park for lunch in Dixmont yesterday.

During a nasty stretch of road that was under construction yesterday, we discovered a great “rail trail” bike path we were able to ride.

Joe Quill blessed us by stopping by our lunch stop yesterday. He prayed for us and made a generous donation. It was a pleasure to meet him! Then Mike the game warden talked with us at our breakfast stop today. He had been parked nearby and was praying and reading the Bible when he felt God lead him to bring us bottled water. He was so encouraging!

We’re so thankful for God’s protection! We’ve been reminded that every day we’re inches from lying in a ditch or being hit by a car. On Thurs. Pastor Bill took a bad spill when he hit a pot hole as a big truck drove by. It’s so hard to hold steady on the road when traffic is passing and there’s no good shoulder to ride on. We thank God Pastor Bill wasn’t hurt worse and that the fire rescue paramedics were nearby. Ron and Mike bandaged Pastor Bill and took care of him without payment or paper work. We also thank God that after this accident, Pastor Bill continues to ride with us as much as he’s able. He has persevered despite injuries and has made it over 100 miles.

Dave cleaned my(Jody’s) bike – what a great guy! It shifts beautifully now and my taillight started working after going down the hills and hitting bumps repeatedly. . . it must have knocked the dirt loose.

We’re so thankful to be able to stay at Craig’s parent’s home! Their hospitality has been wonderful. We’ve enjoyed an amazing feast complete with fiddle heads and homemade ice cream. We’ve all commented that it feels like Thanksgiving. Wayne and Sandra have given so generously!!

The ministry of the day is Vernon Home which Brad Ellis is riding for. Please visit www.vernonhome.com to find out more.

Every night for many days I’ve wanted to write something.
Two nights ago I was really tired but decided to blog while Dave went to the
airport. After writing a lot on the Bike4Christ blog, I went to save it and got
a message telling me the connection failed so I lost everything. By this time
it was after 11 pm and I had ridden over 100 miles in the rain that day. I felt
like crying or throwing something so I knew I needed to go to sleep.

Then I thought I’d be able to write last night. After being
soaked to the bone all day, Dave and I opted to get a hotel room instead of
sleep in a tent in the rain. We got to the hotel after 9 pm though. We were
still soaked and in our cycling clothes. We needed to shower and I had to do
our laundry. The hotel had one washer and dryer. When I put the quarters in,
they jammed and so the washing machine wouldn’t start. To make a long story short,
neither Dave, I, nor Nancy (from the front desk) could get the washer to work
after much effort. Nancy was exceptionally kind and I was so grateful! Not only
did she refund my money, she took me to the staff’s laundry facilities (where
they do the hotel’s laundry) and let me do all our laundry there for free. I
was so impressed. She was such a blessing! I still didn’t get to bed until
almost midnight though.

I’m generally challenged to take care of my body and bike never
mind anything else. With the amount of time we’re on the road riding, I don’t
know of a way to do everything needed. After riding for two days in the rain,
our bikes really need attention. It was hard shifting today and they all seem
to click and creak and make noises because they are so full of sand and debris.
My taillight and Buck’s taillight won’t turn off – I guess they won’t work
because they’ve gotten so full of water and dirt. Well, now Buck’s won’t turn on because the battery is dead. We could use someone on our support team just for bike maintenance. Our bikes are neglected. They keep
going though – like us.

It’s amazing to think I started this week in shorts and a
sleeveless jersey. I was still putting on sunscreen at every stop. It was sunny
and pretty hot. Then Tuesday morning we started out in the rain. I had on
neoprene boots, rain pants, a jacket, my warmest gloves, and a headband to
cover my ears. I wasn’t able to shed this extra riding gear until after lunch
today. We rode in the rain Tues., Wed., and today until after breakfast. I was
starting to wonder if I’d ever see the sun again. It was such a relief today to
see some blue sky and finally start to dry!

Not only did we ride in the rain on Tues. but we
biked up and down all day too. And when I say up and down I don’t mean wimpy
rolling hills. It was up and down. It would have been a good roller coaster had
I not been doing so much work. The good thing about this though is it kept me warm.

We were soaking wet and covered in dirt but not
cold. One hill we flew down at 35-40 miles an hour on the wet pavement. I thought, “This is great
if I live to tell about it”. We were going down another hill when we came to a sign
that said “Grooved Pavement – Motorcycles use caution”. I’m thinking, “Motorcycles?!
What about bicyclists!?” As Steve passed me, he said “I hope this is short”. It
wasn’t short enough. It was horrible. My hands went pretty much numb from
holding onto the handle bars so tight and vibrating on that rough road. Due to
a combination of things our riding was lengthened and we ended up riding into
camp in the dark and rain that day. I could say a lot about those miles.  . .

The reception we received at Grotonwood Camp though was so encouraging! A million thanks!

Wednesday was another story. I woke up listening to the water running down the gutter. I honestly
didn’t have the will to get up, put on wet, filthy cycling gear in the dark and
cold and ride in the rain again. I told God I couldn’t do it and asked for help. He did and somehow we
got on our way. Wednesday we not only were soaking all day but it was cold. I
think we saw somewhere it was 57 degrees. If I shook my head torrents of water
ran from my helmet. The worst part was standing still. We had to keep moving to
keep our body temperature up enough to stay warm. I actually wanted hills
because it warmed me up. I got a flat tire and
we went through 3 tubes before we got one that would hold air. It was our last
option so even though it had a problem too we had to use it. A dear woman who looked to be in her 80′s stopped to see if we needed help. She offered to call the police. Contrary to all the evidence, we assured her we were fine.

The  really cool thing was that in the midst of all the stuff that day I had an unexplainable joy. It was so hard to ride after stopping for lunch. The wind was blowing and some of us were so cold we were chattering and
shivering. I was thinking . . . I really don’t know that I can continue to do
this. I put my heart into riding though and an old hymn came to me “Tis so Sweet
to Trust in Jesus”. I started whistling the tune as I rode. I whistled loud  – although it kind of sounded like I was
under water. I had fun and I just kept whistling and I felt warmer for a bit.
Then later I read my devotional reading for that day, Sept. 7, and it started
out. . . “Enjoy the warmth of my presence . . . ”

When I think of the past couple of days, it sort
of runs together in a watery blur. It’s easier to enjoy the scenery now that
it’s stopped raining. Maine has been beautiful. We saw our first “Moose
Crossing” sign today and we saw lots of wild turkeys. Craig saw a herd of
porcupines crossing a grassy field. Craig loves Maine and seems to know every
inch. He’s an amazing tour guide. He was telling us about each building,
street, and bay as we road today.

It’s amazing when I think of all the terrain
we’ve covered. I feel like we’ve been through it all. . . heat, humidity, a
hurricane, headwinds, traffic, bad roads, terrible roads, good roads, up hill,
down hill, dodging iguanas. . . hopefully we won’t see any snow. I often
think people can’t imagine the places I’ve ridden my bike. The blog I lost was partially about New York and riding in the Bronx. Hopefully that story will be told some day. It was like nothing else. It would be cool if
one of us had a video camera mounted on our bike.

It was hard to see Rita leave. She was such a
special part of the team. She was in tune with the cyclist’s needs and made
great smoothies. I miss her but I’m so glad she’s able to spend time with her
family and I’m so glad she’ll be in San Diego when I get home.

It’s been a special joy to have Megan join us. I
love having her here. For years Megan was in my youth group at North Park
Community Church. One of the best things
about being in youth ministry is being able to invest in someone like Megan! It’s a blessing to
have her join me on a trip like this. I’ve been remembering my youth group a
lot this week as students have returned to school and we’ve passed quite a few
schools. It’s cool to see kids at the bus stop or practicing football. I’m
especially thankful for everyone that is keeping the youth group going at NPCC
while I’m away by hosting the Youth Zone on Friday nights. I’m biking to raise
money for our youth group. Please sponsor us!

I was thinking of Uncle Ernie today. Not long ago he passed
away at the young age of 99. He was a friend I visited regularly. He would have
loved hearing about this trip. When I would ask him how he was, he often
responded, “I’m in good shape for the shape I’m in.” I think this could be said
of us tonight. By the grace of God, we’re in good shape for the shape we’re in.

We are stopped in Freeport, Maine- the home of LL Bean for lunch.  I, Kristi, am waiting for the cyclists to come rolling in. The rain has finally stopped, and by the look of the weather forcast it should be stopped for the rest of the trip. It’s been cold, wet, and dirty for the cyclists, but they aren’t complaining, just pressing on. Breaks have been warm and crowded as we sit and stand around in the motorhome. We can see a flicker of light at the end of the tunnel. All are well.

Hard to believe tonight we will be in Maine! We are looking forward to starting the last leg of our journey. Also looking forward to having Pastor Bill join us.  Yesterday was a long hard day as it rained ALL day. The riders were soaked and dirty when they pulled in…111 miles were pedaled!  Many thanks to Grotonwood camp for our sleeping spot last night. Also HUGE thanks and hugs to Lynne, Kelly, Suellen, and Kim for a great dinner and company last night. It was great to see you. Thanks too for the notebook…it’s in use:)

We were sad to say good-bye to Rita last night. She has family in Boston and opted to visit her grandbabies for a few days before she flies back to San Diego. Thanks for all you did for us Rita. We love you! Christopher & Dave drove to Boston to drop Rita and pick up Megan Ricord at Logan airport. Megan is doing a great job playing with Josh & Katie and keeping them entertained, while Kristi is blogging and cooking.  It’s good to have her along.

We are hoping for a place to wash some clothes when we make it to the park tonight. Everything is damp and the riders are mud from head to toe. Praising God for his goodness and provision for our needs.

Thank you to those of you who are supporting us. We are grateful. We’ve had several drop notes and say that they are supporting Josh and/or Katie… thank you! The cyclists love to hear that they are being supported. It helps push them on through the elements.  Thanks for reading!

Ahh..thankful spots I don’t remember what day I left off with, but here’s a couple more.. I am thankful once again for Rita and her dedication and help on this trip. I don’t know how I would have done it without her…so she gets special recognition again.

I am thankful for New England… the history, the architecture, the friends, the green grass and trees, even the rain. It’s beautiful here and I love it!

So, while we have written about different things, I don’t know that we have gone through the whole day. This is more or less what one of our days is like. The times actually vary, but this is what we aim for.

6 AM- cyclists start stirring to prepare for the day

6:30 AM- Kristi and/or Rita get sport bars, juice, and fruit out for the cyclists. Cyclists eat a little something, finish getting ready (complete with sunscreen), Dave and/or Craig review the bike route with Christopher on the maps and computer.

7:00 AM- cyclists start pedaling. Christopher starts tearing down tents and packing up the exterior (chairs, tables, and hook ups) of the van. Rita & Kristi turn the interior of the RV from bedrooms to daytime living quarters. Rita starts prepping lunch. Katherine restocks her van with power bars, fruit, water and gatorade and heads out around 8 AM to track down the cyclists. She stays within a 10-15 mile radius of the cyclists all day. Ready to restock their water, gatorade and snacks as needed.

9:30 AM  RV is ready to pull out of it’s spot and head north. After stopping to get gas (yes, filling the RV with gas is a daily stop), we catch up to the cyclists, ring our cow bells as we pass them and go ahead about 10 miles. This gives us about 20 minutes to set up for breakfast. Chrisopher finds us a parking spot, pulls out the chairs, sets up two tables, then takes Josh, Katie (and Caroline for those couple of days) with flags and cow bells to direct the cyclists into our parking spot. This has become Josh’s official job and he takes pride in doing it. Sometimes we are parked alongside the road, other times in a large store parking lot. Rita & Kristi prepare oatmeal, smoothies, and toast for breakfast.

10:30 AM cyclists are off again for another 30-40 mile stretch. Christopher packs up the chairs and tables. Kristi & Rita pick up the food and fasten everything down inside the motor home again. Often this happens to be the best time for Kristi, Josh & Katie to ride their miles for the day.  For safety, they ride when conditions are right and when there are no team needs, such as grocery shopping or errands.

1:30 PM we repeat the breakfast stop, only this time have lunch. Usually sandwiches and salad. Rita is doing a great job at cooking, keeping the kitchen clean, and knowing where things are in the fridge.

2:30 PM cyclists head out for their last leg of the day, generally another 30-40 miles. Often this is when the RV will find a grocery store. It takes about an hour to do the grocery shopping. While we try to do this every other day, we are limited on space in the RV to store items. Often times the RV runs another errand while Kristi, Katie, and sometimes Josh & Rita head into the grocery store.

5 PM(ish) the RV arrives at our night time destination and gets set up. Christopher gets the RV parked level, hooks us up to electricity, water, and sewer, then sets up the tents. Rita and Kristi work on supper- generally something on the grill.

6 PM (ish) the cyclists arrive and are directed to the site by waving flags. The cyclists sit, have snacks, shower (or swim if there is a pool), eat dinner, we have devotions and head to bed around 9 PM.

Times vary, but the routine is pretty much the same. The cyclists share the stories from the most recent section of their ride at each stop. For much of this ride they have had to ride one behind the other, so they aren’t able to talk much on the bikes. Meal time is really the time to chat about the things that have happened, and people they have met.

Shared by all, typed by Kristi:

Day 16- Friday- 100.35 miles

We left the beautiful state park with the wild horses and as we were riding through Ocean City we met Mark, a fellow cyclist who gave us a wealth of information and tips for getting through New York and other rides as well. We used his advice and found it very helpful. We all made it onto the ferry taking us from Delaware to New Jersey.  Then we rode up to New Gretna where we stayed at Chips Folly Campground. They were very generous and gave us a discount. Thank you! It was the first campground that we stayed at on this trip that was full. It was very busy and they made room for us. We were grateful. Rita was sad that the pool closed before she was able to get into it.

Day 17- Saturday – 93.94 miles

We ended up getting a late start that morning. Katherine developed some back problems this morning, necessitating Christopher doing more work to help out.  The riders rode up and over the bridge into New York, ending at the Staten Island Ferry. From there they loaded into the van to head off to the hotel we had secured for the night. Katherine drove them back to East Rutherford, NJ.  Christopher, at the laundrymat with the RV, helped the van navigate through NY back to the hotel via cell phone and computer. The van arrived at the hotel the same time as the pizza delivery guy. Good timing! The RV was still at the laundrymat. Dave was happy to meet Arnez in the hotel parking lot.

Day 18- Sunday 49.92 miles

Allowing Katherine to rest her back, Christopher offered to drive the van with the cyclists to the Staten Island ferry landing. While in the parking lot packing for the early morning trip Christopher’s computer and other electronic equipment was stolen from the van making navigation a little more difficult. The cyclists enjoyed the ferry ride past the Statue of Liberty and arrived in Manhatten, Battery Park.  On the ferry they talked with a cyclist who worked for Bike and Roll. He gave important information on cycling through NYC. Sunday is a good day to cycle through NYC. The cyclists spent the first 10 miles riding up the bike path alongside the Hudson river and quickly traversed the west side of Manhatten. No support vehicles were available to the cyclists until they reached the state line of CT due to traffic concerns. The cyclists reached their 1,500 mile mark at the state line.  The support vehicles had the experience of driving across the George Washington bridge… it took us forever.  For the cyclists it was a short, but hard ride as they completed 50 miles that day. Josh rode the last 18 miles of the day with his dad. Our hosts for the evening were Pastor Bob & Brenda Story and Chris & Karen Cooke from the Norwalk Community Advent Christian Church.  Pastor Bob was a great help in navigating the city. Thank you Chris & Karen for opening your home to us. It was a great evening. Katie & Josh especially enjoyed playing in the church’s preschool room.

Day 19- Monday- 78 miles

We were sad to say good-bye to Tom and Caroline this morning. We enjoyed their time with us.  On the cycling end, it was nice day to ride. There was a good tail wind today and not a lot of traffic because of the holiday. Downtown Hartford was empty. Josh, Katie & Kristi rode from breakfast to lunch for 20 miles. It was an easy flat stretch so we could cruise around 17 mph. (Not very fast for true cyclists, we understand, but for us amateurs it is a good clip.)The lunch stop was  a bit remarkable today…  We were at the Wendy’s drive thru. Rita heard people placing their order and thinking she was making sandwiches for them.  In appreciation for use of their parking lot we were sure to purchase a few frosties before we left. It was good to have Buck join us tonight. He cycled from Vernon, VT to Windsor today to join us. He actually cycled 85 miles today. We had a warm reception (complete with dinner and chocolate chip cookies!) at Trinity United Methodist Church in Windsor, CT. Thank you to Jen McGoldrick and her mom Mary, Donna & Larry Myers, Kristi, Wanda  Carmen and Pastor John and Yogi the dog for their warm reception, provision of food and lodging. Thank you!

 The cyclists made it through NYC on their own today as the support crew took a different route around the city and over the George Washington bridge. I sat down to type for Craig to blog after we settled down for the night, but he fell asleep while I was getting the kids down. Josh rode 18 miles with his dad today and loved it. We hadn’t been able to ride the past couple of days. Katie is missing in this team photo as she was napping in the RV. We are happy to be in New England!