Ridin' Cross America

Lincoln, Helena, White Sulfer Springs, Harlowton, Billings... These are the Montana towns we've stayed in since my last post. I can't believe how quickly the last week went, but it certainly wasn't without its challenges.
We've really battled some head winds the last few days... a biker's worst nightmare. We'd all rather climb tall mountains than push against the winds. They wear you down (and we've certainly all been pretty tired). But together, we've been able to conquer the winds. We ride in groups and switch off who leads and blocks some of the wind for the others to have an easier time. It's amazing how much of a difference drafting behind each other makes. Yesterday I believe we had 7 or so people in a nice little line and switched the leader every 1/2 mile or so. Teamwork!

Drafting in the wind

 We biked through some rain a few days ago

Speaking of teamwork, our group of 13 riders is having quite a good time together. You can feel the community aspect starting to come together. We laugh together, sing together, and have already cried together too... we had a night last week when we really all felt God moving and it was a pretty special night. I'm looking forward to what this summer all has in store!

The team (minus Clayton and Shanysa who joined in Missoula)

A little run down of how things work: we ride each day somewhere usually between 60-100 miles. We usually stop every 15-25 miles at the support van for water and snacks/lunch if needed (we eat way too much food!). At night we arrive at a church/school/home that was set up before our journey. The communities we've stayed in have all been special in their own ways and have all been very welcoming so far (we received an invite after church today to someone's home for dinner). Often, we have some kind of event in which we set up a display and/or share with a group our own stories and about the cause. We sleep on our sleeping pads anywhere we can find room and in the morning we get up early to do it all again! We try to build community in all the things we do and make sure to keep focused on God too.

A few random photos

The week ahead looks like its going to be a challenging one. We have over 500 miles in store before next Sunday. So far, so good for me. The body is tired and sore, but still working. I've been worried about my knee, but to this point, it has not caused any issues. Please continue to pray for my strength and for the team's. We have a few knee injuries that people are battling through, and one rider who took a spill (our only incident so far) is back to riding but has some pain in her arm as she rides. Spirits have been pretty high, but yesterday, as the second day in a row with head winds, was a frustrating day for some. Pray that we remain passionate about the ride and our work through the Just+Hope Campaign.
Thanks so much to all those reading this here blog!
~Rob

To my blog readers,
My apologies for the semi slow start to blogging. A week (plus) in, and its been a little tough to take time out to update this here bloggy. It can and will happen from time to time though. What follows will be a little update on some of the main events from our tour so far.

What a ride so far! The past week has been filled with some spectacular moments... beautiful sights around every corner, quite literally!

So, with a week of riding completed, our team has biked from downtown Seattle to our current location of Missoula, Montana. Into our third state already! (Idaho was pretty quick). We've had some short days of riding (<40 miles the first day, and another day that was <60 miles) and we've done two 100 mile days already. My longest ride so far was 109.5 miles from Leavenworth WA to Cooley City WA. This was one of my favorite stretches so far.

A few photos from that ride:

Some other photos:

 Entering Idaha

 

Moose! (Also, raced beside a deer today and saw a bear cub!)

On the dock at Harrison, Idaho (Lake Coeur de'Alene)

 Lake Coeur de'Alene, very cool bridge that went across

 Thompson Falls, Montana

(Heading (with head wind!) to Missoula, Montana)

So far, the trip has been awesome. I've really enjoyed riding, growing with my teammates, and seeing the beauty around. God has been very present in what we've been doing and so evident in the incredible sights we see, and in the many great folks we've met along the way. We've stayed at mainly churches, but also stayed at one school, and got to spend Saturday night (and our day off, Sunday afternoon) at host families from a church here. Sleeping in a real bed was pretty fantastic and the hosts Craig, Connor and I had were absolutely amazing.

Highlights have been many. Not any real low point as of now to be completely honest. I hurt, of course, but its been so worth it. We all really feel like this experience is transforming us, but also really making a difference in the communities where we're staying (and making a big difference for those we're raising awareness/support for). This is going to be a good summer.

More blogs later, hopefully some better insights. Time is limited for these types of opportunities as of now, and its getting late (and I have a 5:30 am wake up call), so goodnight for now!

Thanks so much for those who have been checking in here. (if you do have facebook, add me! I have a lot more photos on there!). I'll try to add more on here too!

A few vids:

 

Chasing a deer

p.s. since this post, I also saw another bear, a bald eagle, elk, and big horn sheep... 

A few poor quality videos for my friends and family. Be warned that the audio is pure wind on a few, so turn down your speakers...

 

And a few photos... there are many others, but here is a small sampling. Sorry for little commentary... its 10:15 and we need to be up at 5:30am for a 80-90 mile ride. Goodnight!

The Team

From Left to Right: Ellen, Jacob, Jessica, Daria, Me, Shannon, Liz, Connor, Ashley, Nicholas, Craig (two other riders will join us further into the trip)

And Here We Go...

Packing up the bicycle today... heading to Seattle nice and early tomorrow morning!

I don't think its really hit me fully yet that I'm in for a big change starting tomorrow. Thousands of miles will be ridden, but I expect many other challenges as well. I've been living at home for these last 5 years while attending school around here... I guess I'm used to living with just my parents, so living like a vagabond (well, sorta not, but sorta so) is going to be a change too. I expect to get to know my fellow cyclists pretty well over the course of the next 8 weeks. But more importantly, I really think its time to get to know myself and my God better too over the next while. Yeah, its going to be a good summer...

As my rubbermaid bin is filling with my clothes and gear, and my bike is about to get put in a cardboard box, I remember back to other changes in my life. They've been tough at first, but I've always settled into new situations well once I realize its where I'm supposed to be. This trip is where I'm supposed to be this summer and I'm pretty excited about it.

Keep your eyes open for new blog updates along the way... I'll post pictures when I can... and I think I might do nearly daily updates with my biking location (via text messaging from my phone) so folks like you (and you!) can see where I am in this big country.

Stay tuned, we're in for a big adventure,
~Rob