Signing Off from St. Ignace

We made it! St. Ignace was a beautiful sight as we rode in yesterday morning around 8:20 a.m. to get ready for a day on Mackinac Island. We were also quite a sight on the island with our lime green "Bike UP 2008" t-shirts ... lots of questions and opportunities to tell the story.

With the exception of one final six-bike pile-up about Mile 7 on the island (everyone survived, with the exception of a few spokes), it was an amazing end to an amazing journey. We all enjoyed a few hours of site-seeing (the Grand Hotel, horse-drawn carriages, the fort) and shopping (fudge, sweatshirts, gifts) before heading back to St. Ignace via ferry.

Today we will unload all the vehicles, clean tents, find owners for all the lost items :-) and then travel to the Siefken's cabin in northern Michigan. Tomorrow we head home to you all.

Don't forget to check with our picasaweb.google.com/bikeup2008 site in the weeks to come for new photos from Logan Shaw and Arthur Kerle, Sr. You will now find new pics from Days 11, 12 and 13 ... Robyn

The Hills Are Alive

Wow ... would love to see a little more flatland for the last few days. :-) Although the hills the second half of yesterday and today were a bit more gradual than earlier ones, one of today's hills went on for a mile. Then we stopped for lunch in Munising and had one more lovely slope to climb to get to the hotel. Knees are sore, bottoms are chaffed, necks are notted up and skin is sunburned (well, only for the those who ignored motherly advice to apply sunscreen) ... but we're having a great time. :-)

It is again quite late, and with 50+ miles awaiting us tomorrow at 7 a.m., I will have to make this a short one again (I hope that the rest of Day 8, all of Day 9 and most of Day 10 pics will upload to picasaweb.google.com/bikeup2008 while I write).

Today (Monday) was a long day ... 78 miles that started quite early (we ate in the dark) with an interesting group ride through a tight three-mile construction zone. We traveled as a group on this first leg for safety reasons, and were followed by one of our vehicles. We had numerous amazing views of Lake Superior and related lakes and bays as we journeyed from Baraga to Munising ... we also had numerous flat tires (thank goodness for Kevin Williams) due to the rough-at-times shoulder littered with lots of road "trash" (tire parts, glass, metal pieces, etc.). We all made it to Munising in time for lunch and a quick shower before boarding the Picture Rocks cruise in Lake Superior. It was a beautiful evening. You'll see some of the unique rock structures in Day 10 photos.

Looking back ... After a beautiful Saturday evening in Baraga (during which time we accepted the invite to participate in the annual "Christmas in July" bike parade through the campground ... with decorated bikes and all :-)), we spent Sunday morning worshipping with a welcoming Lutheran church community in a nearby town. (We did Pastor Scott Williams about 12 hours notice that his church may have a few uniquely-dressed visitors the next day, to which he warmly encouraged our presence. Thank you to the United Lutheran Church!)

After church we headed east for a 40-mile trip to Van Riper State Park (Campion, MI) with a quick stop at Canyon Falls (see pics) roadside park. Another beautiful Michigan state park, this one located on Lake Michigamme. FMYers enjoyed the lake, beach, bathrooms (very important) and other ammenities.

We had a wonderful evening of worship and sharing in Van Riper, that started with an interesting game of "Hi-Ya" (you'll have to get an FMYer to explain) and songwriting (see closing comment).

Greg asked us all to compare the various aspects of our biking journey with our spiritual journey. A few excerpts:

Clair Brendel: Like my spiritual journey, the challenges of the bike journey make me stronger - physically, spiritually, emotionally and mentally.

Hannah Groves: Thanking God for the discomfort of being cold and going up hill, so that we can better appreciate being warm and the joys of going down hill.

Della Field: Regardless of the detours and repairs that delay us, it's so satisfying to complete a ride. The reward is matched by the effort, on the ride and in our spiritual journey.

Greg Groves: I'm thankful for his life's traveling companion, his wife, Sue, who encourages him on his spiritual walk like our SAG support team encourages us on this trip.

Okay, must stop for now. :-) To close I share a profound verse written by Shawn Cox's Saturday-Sunday riding group, sung to the army marching chant/song "I don't know what I've been told," etc. (each group was asked to make up a verse based on the trip):

If you want to hear two men scream,
Take away their chaffing cream.
Barber and Hoag,
Monkey Butt (hope no one is offended, but the cream is called "Anti-Monkey Butt Cream" :-))
Weebly, weebly wobbly wutt.

Three riding days left with Mackinac Island looking ever so promising, but many of us are trying to enjoy every day of this once (possibly twice for me and others)-in-a-lifetime experience ... Robyn

With the Wind at Our Backs ...

We arrived in Baraga, MI earlier than expected this morning! Such a blessing ... 63 miles - with some reasonable hills - in just over 3 1/2 hours. Usually this leg would have taken us into the late afternoon hours, but a strong wind encouraged us along the whole way. We had camp set up and were eating lunch by 12:30 p.m. (CST). (We decided, due to light availability in the early a.m., to wait until this afternoon to move to eastern time.)

I have snuck away to the local Best Western (Carol Knight and Jill Mohnkern's room :-)) to use the high-speed Internet access for a few moments. As the photos for Days 7 & 8 are downloading, I'll try to backtrack a bit and comment on various moments of the last few days. (By the way ... after we return photos by Arthur Kerle, Logan Shaw and others will be added to the Picasa web album, so make sure to check back with these albums again soon. I will be adding a few more to Day 8 (today) the next time we have Internet access, which should be Monday night.)

After some llllooooonnnnnggggg days of riding, we've had two short days ... yesterday was a short (it's all relative these days :-)) 39-mile ride through the Porcupine Mountains, ending at Union Bay Campground on Lake Superior. It was a beautiful campground (and the showers weren't bad either :-)), and we took advantage of the view for our evening worship.

Today's ride was long-ish, but, as I mentioned at the start of this post, we finished quickly. We are all enjoying a little time to relax, sleep, swim in the lake/bay, play cards, clean up, ride into town for soda and other simple pleasures such as these. :-)

Tomorrow's ride will take us around the other side of the bay and straight up a tough hill. For those of you awake around 6:30 a.m., we'd love your prayers for this and the other challenges we will face in the morning.

A little catching up now ... As I mentioned in the last blog, we are memorizing and studying Ephesians 4: 1-6 during the course of our journey:

As a prisoner for the Lord, the, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

The theme of the trip (which I believe I have shared already) is "On the journey ... with my friends."

Our evening worship and sharing focuses on these two thoughts. Last night Greg challenged the group to expand their definition of "friends" ... to envelope a larger community - specifically Greenville High School as friends as Christ would view them as friends. He also asked FMYers to share their thoughts on specific phrases in the Ephesians verses. (I captured some of these comments on video, so hopefully we'll be able to share some of these comments with you at the stockholders dinner.)

Previously Greg posed the question, "What's the difference between going on a 700-mile journey alone vs. with friends?" Some of the responses ... "I'd lose motivation if I were alone," "I'd get lost more," "I'd get really bored," "I'd give in to challenges more quickly," "I just wouldn't be able to complete it," and "We can't do it without the support vehicle."

He also asked them to share the best and worst parts of that day (one of the longer than expected days) ... beautiful trees, how hard it was to lose the support of the sag wagon for almost 30 miles because of detours and lost groups (we usually have sag support, where a van meets us on our route with water and snacks - many of those provided by you all and we thank you :-)), the challenge of riding on a gravel trail for 3o miles, the great feeling of jumping into the water at the campground lake, riders willing to stay back with slower friends to encourage them, positive attitudes, willingness to continue on in spite of not-so-positive attitudes (someone said this about my son, Will :-)), the fact that everyone completed the challenging day and no one gave up, great attitudes once we got to camp.

Here are a couple of funny conversations we had with people:

Logan Shaw: When we stopped at the bike shop a lady asked, "Where are you going?" Logan responded with, "Mackinac Island" to which the lady responded, "Shut up!" :-)

Sarah Groves: Sarah was asked during a quick stop in central Wisconsin, "Where are you from?" Sarah said, "Illinois" to which the person responded, "Good God, what time did you get up this morning?"

I just got called for dinner, so I'll sign off for now. We look forward to another short day tomorrow (40 miles .... hopefully).

Thankful for the ONE HOPE we have to make this journey and the many others with which life will likely challenge us ... Robyn

Waking Up in Wakefield (MI)

Hey all ... We made it over the Michigan border yesterday to a quaint town called Wakefield. Although they have Internet access, it is a bit slow ... so last night I uploaded pictures for Days 4, 5 and 6, but I wasn't able to complete a blog entry at the same time.

There's so much to tell, but no time to tell it this morning. :-) My group leader likes to leave without me if I'm not ready with my gloves and helmet on at 6:00 a.m. sharp (actually since today is a shorter day, we will leave at 8:00 a.m. and we're all quite happy about this :-)).

A brief synopsis ... We turned a 58-mile day into approximately 78 miles on Tuesday due to necessary detours for road conditions and construction. We turned a 67-mile day into another 78 miles or so on Wednesday due to another road construction-related detour.

Needless to say we were a little nervous leaving for our 82-mile day yesterday ... a little unsure of how many miles it would actually require of us. :-) It ended up being an 84-mile day, but a large group of us wanted to ride a century ride (100 miles) and continued on around a nearby lake route to get in the final 16 miles.

We're studying Ephesians 4:1-6 ... wonderful ministry happening ... awesome community experiences ... a beautiful ride for the first 65 miles Wednesday ... some incredible hills during the last 15 ... rough road and smooth road ... a very rough bike trail on Monday lead to one of our detours (we decided 30 miles was enough riding on sandy conditions and chose asphalt for the next 30 :-)) ... great food ... beautiful campgrounds ... not so beautiful shower facilities (although kudos to The Harbor Tuesday night for nice showers!) ... a few more flat tires ... some significant chaffing (especially leaders! :-)) ... awesome groups (we travel in groups of 7-8 with at least one adult leader in each group) ... and so much more. I have to run to breakfast, but will post again as soon as life allows!

Thank you for your comments, prayers and encouragement on this journey. Our VERY sore thighs appreciate it ... Robyn

Hotel Happy

We just can't tell you how thankful we are to be greeting you all from a hotel this evening. After "sleeping" through a severe storm last night - with a few wet sleeping bags, pillows and FMYers :-) - a night in a dry, clean bed is much appreciated.

Today's ride broke our first 100-mile mark as we enjoyed a less hilly journey (than Sunday) with frequent views of the water. Other than a slightly traumatic intersection between Joni Hoag, the road and Owen Beans - in that order - today's trip was uneventful and beautiful. (Joni and Owen both lived to tell the tale, but not before Owen unavoidably rode over Joni, who had just wiped out on some gravel. Other than a little skin, the greatest loss was Joni's mirror.)

I asked Owen, Aaron Disch, Peter Huston and Jimmy Stilt to share their thoughts about today ... "We went down a really big hill during which we broke the speed limit (of 35 miles)," "We had fun in go-carts," "We had sandwiches for lunch," "We almost left on time this morning," "There was a hot tub," and "We ate in a restaurant today" (a simply profound retelling of the day :-)). Now, if I had a few girls nearby, they might provide a little more detail, but you've got the basic facts.

The most excitement we had in the last 24 hours occurred between 10:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. last night during which time a severe storm went through the area. Tents were swaying, adults were pondering possible evacuation senarios (well, at least Della Field and I were :-)) and a few FMYers were escaping wet tents for dry ones (thank you to those who took pity on Will Florian and Ryan Cole). With the exception of wet tents and some damp sleeping gear, we weathered the night pretty well. The web album for Day 3 includes a couple of shots of us setting up our tents at a park in Green Bay so they could air-out while we ate lunch.

Speaking of lunch ... we spent a few hours at wonderful park, Bay Beach Amusement Park, located on the shores of Green Bay. Earlier in the day we made a snack stop at Bay Shore Park, where a large park entertained our "children." (See the Day 3 web album for further explanation. :-))

We enjoyed a pleasant afternoon at the hotel - swimming, napping, showering, reading, and watching movies (a few girls absconded my laptop for a couple of hours) - and then headed out to a local restaurant for wonderful meat-and-potatoes dinner. A few have hit the hot tub one last time, but many have headed to bed ... which is what I should probably do as well.

Blessings from Green Bay ... Robyn

P.S. This evening I added a few pics to Day 2 web album as well as today's pics (Day 3). Visit http://picasaweb.google.com/bikeup2008 to view these as well as previous days' photos.

We're Here!!!

After a trouble-free drive to Camp Zion near the Gill's Rock at the tip of Door County, WI and a wonderful evening with Greenville College alums, Dale and Carol (Finger) Stewart (camp directors), Bike UP 2008 officially kicked off from Gill's Rock around 8:00 a.m. this morning.

Fifty-five miles later, with only a couple of flat tires, all have arrived safe and weary at Tranquil Timbers, a campsite near Sturgeon Bay, WI. I sit here in my comfy camp chair (a luxury item for leaders :-)) watching Scott Mohnkern and Kevin Williams repair bikes while Greg Groves plays worship choruses on his guitar in the background. Life is good.

FMY teens have hit the pool for a little recreation, the showers for some clean up and their tents for a few minutes of shut-eye. Dinner is cooking (we're very thankful for amazing support staff - the Lewises, Williams, Mohnkerns and Carol Knight) and I'm taking advantage of the campground's wi-fi signal. :-)

A brief run-down on yesterday ... We left Greenvile at 6:30 a.m., stopped for gas and potty breaks a few times on the way up and arrived at Camp Zion around 6:30 p.m. (See, I told you it would be brief. :-)) What's missing in this synopsis (thankfully) are stories of flat tires, broken-down people movers, leaving kids behind at rest stops, etc. :-) Although we are rarely immune from these trip challenges, God blessed us with a smooth journey north.

After arriving at Camp Zion and quickly setting up our tents, we were treated to a good old "fish boil" ... with all the butter you can eat. :-) Even this non-fish eater enjoyed the white fish, potatoes and onions provided for us. Thank you Stewarts and Stephens (Ande Stewart Stephens was visiting her family while we were there) for a wonderful evening. The FMYers headed for the lake and a little evening dock jumping before an evening ride meeting and lights out.

We were awaken (as promised :-)) a little after 5:00 a.m. for our first day of riding. The group packed up, ate and readied themselves for what threatened to be a wet trip. Although a bit cloudy with a slight drizzle early on, God provided us a dry day with an afternoon of sunshine. Slight modifications in the route turned a 48-mile day into a little over 55 miles (we chose to avoid the annual Door County 1000-participant triathalon :-)).

With dinner awaiting and a personal goal of getting photos posted to our Picasa Web Album, I will bring this post to a close. Thank you for your support and prayers. Hopefully a hotel stay tomorrow evening will allow for another update soon! Here's a few teasers from http://picasaweb.google.com/bikeup2008:










From Tranquil Timbers ... This is Robyn signing out.

Welcome to Bike UP 2008

We invite you to join us on our journey through Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan! Stay connected to the trip via this blog and view photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/bikeup2008.

As the "official" photographer on the trip, I'll be putting my photojournalist skills - with the assistance of a few capable high schoolers - to work to bring you all a visual essay of our trip.

We invite your comments and your prayers during this scenic trip from Door County, WI to Mackinac Island, MI ... with many beautiful stops in between. :-)