After a day of rest on Saturday the 24th in Syracuse capped by another gourmet meal with the whole gang at Jim and Maureen Awads’, Memorial weekend was launched with a bang as we rode from Bridgeport, NY to Newark, NY on a gorgeous Sunday morning covering about 72 miles and fighting some headwinds along the way. That afternoon we were treated to an extended family gathering at Mike and Debbie Loucy’s including the LaCourses’, Studt’s and Awad’s, all friends from our home away from home in Syracuse. That evening we were able to catch up with Bob and Marsha Chopko. Rest and wonderful relationships do much to recharge the batteries! The rest of our second week began in Newark, NY on Memorial Day and ended in Marysville, Michigan Friday night at a fish fry at a local café and bar. My highlights include biking stats, sights and sounds of New York and Ontario, Canada, personal musings, and quotes for the week.

-Biking Stats: We have traveled over 875 miles, slightly over 25% of the journey, and crossed through New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, and Ontario, Canada. In the process we have eaten like horses, grazed like cows, and burned between 4000 and 6000 calories a day riding. Incredibly our bodies are holding up although I have developed a case of ABSS (Annoying Butt Sore Syndrome). The onset occurs about 50 miles into a ride which then requires a jig on the seat every 10-15 minutes. It quickly goes away when I get off the bike. Paul had his thorn, though I don’t believe it was physical. Gary has his ABSS. 🙂 Last week we were physically and mentally challenged with the hills of New England and eastern New York. This week our giant in the land was the headwinds. We fought 15mph headwinds all day on Tuesday from Newark, NY to Albion, NY; a grinder of a day. Those are the days we just work through it. We celebrated some personal bests for the week. Alan and I completed our first century (100 miles) on Wednesday, followed by 85 miles on Thursday, and 103.5 miles on Friday. Two centuries in one week is a record for all three of us. Considering this is the warm-up phase, we are really pleased with where we are.

-The Sights and Sounds of New York and Ontario, Canada: We landed at Niagara Falls on Tuesday afternoon.

We rode along the Ontario side of the Niagara River for about 20 miles. What a gorgeous ride through a treelined recreational and residential area such a contrast to the Industrial corridor on the US side from Niagara Falls to Buffalo. For the next three days we meandered along the North side of Lake Erie west.

We enjoyed the rural nature of this ride through Ontario with the various smells of farm, friendly people and something we did not expect-miles and miles of windmills. Indeed we must have ridden 70 miles or more with windmills in sight. Apparently they are going to build 77 of the largest in the world soon….475 feet tall! Along the way we stumbled across the real “Uncle Tom’s cabin”-Josiah Henson a slave who escaped to Canada and established a training area for former slaves near Dresden. He was who Harriet Beecher Stowe used as the character for her book on Uncle Tom’s cabin which Lincoln credited with being one of the catalysts for the Civil War.

Finally, one day we had a young man named Mason travel with us on part of the journey. He rides his bike 28KM to school and back each day and caught up to us. He is a ninth grader who just moved to the area along Lake Erie from the big city of Toronto. I had a wonderful conversation with him as we rode and let him know we were riding for him…the next generation. That brought a smile to his face. As he left us…Alan called out to him…”we will be watching you on the Tour de France in 10 years!”

-Musings on this Bike Ride: Yesterday in the wee morning hours in my quiet time I was journaling around James 1:22: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” What are you sharing with me personally this morning Lord? A verse then came to mind that became a defining verse for my life back when I left Parsons to move on with the beginnings of Jholdas: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek Him.” -Hebrews 11:6 When I left Parsons, I left a company and friends that I had spent a career with. I loved my work and the people I worked with, but the Lord led me to step out of my comfort zone into something that had no salary and no consistent income other than the clients I developed relationships with to eventually serve, but indeed an opportunity to continue to learn and influence. The firms I have worked with in the A/E/C industry these past 14 years and the people I have met have been a tremendous blessing to me personally. I won’t name you all, because the blog would get too long and I would not want to leave someone out. Similarly, with this bike journey, I knew that I was supposed to do it, but there have been plenty of doubts. It is easy to manufacture my own doubts, but I also got help from others who suggested I am crazy. 🙂 As I pondered all this I realized that faith in Him and His leading enables being a doer not just a hearer. This faith then enables focus. Riding cross country requires incredible focus. I don’t have capacity to do a lot of other things while journeying on this ride. There is focus required on the road at all times. There is focus on proper hydration, fueling my body properly ( although at times I felt like a garbage disposal) , and the proper rest. I have been getting 8+ hours of sleep each night. It is amazing how the body repairs itself overnight when fueled properly and rested properly. From this daily rest, we are able to ride (work). It is also clear after two weeks, that after a full day of rest, we can do 6 days of riding. We are able to ride because we have rested.

-Quotes for the week: The first was a quote from the Rhubarb capital of Ontario: “Slow down and listen to the Rhubarb grow.” Alan and Sheryl highlight the entry to the Town of Shedden, Ontario.

At one of our stops in Ontario to confirm directions, a guy working at a car dealer ask where we were from and where we were heading? We responded we were from Atlanta, NC and Kentucky and heading to Seattle. His buddy working in the shop quipped: “I think you took a wrong turn.”