ONE HUNDRED, EIGHTY EIGHT KM

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 6 2008

THE DREADED FEARED DAY : Well when i first got my shifting gears book, and printed out my schedule of the cycling we were to be doing, i right off the bat looked for the long days. 182 km back to back sounded pretty tough....well, as i dreaded it, it approached all the more quickly...and creeped right up and now it's done.

It ended up being 188 k and it went fantabulously! If i do say, the people i rode with and the stops along the way made it one great ride. The wind was also blowing, FINALLY behind us when we were cycling east, but not when we were cycling north, we did a smattering of both the whole day.

AT first, when we were getting our stuff together, at dordt college, and getting out of the dorms and running around like usual, fill water bottles, make your lunch, pack your stuff for the day, you know the normal stuff, IT STARTED TO POUR, so we went to the breakfast hall and had breakfast, hoping it would stop. This was the first real day of rain we have encountered, and it continued on and off until around 1pm...Kaitlyn and I both had left with just our tank tops...no jackets because the forecast was calling for 7% chance of rain so we figured it was going to clear up...eventually. I rode with Jonathan, Annette, Jenna, Kaitlyn and Jeff (caboose-cause he always is at the back) and Jonathan's Fiance is in town-with her friend and they are being our personal SAG drivers....they are the best in the world. Jonathan had extra clothes in their car, and he lent us his jackets.

We had to fabulous stops at to churches along the way. They had refreshments and conversation for us. We enjoyed them immensely, they gave us a chance to get out of the rain. One time i dried my gloves by the hand dryer in the washroom.

In all it was a great ride, and it felt shorter than 188 - maybe because we were on the bikes for less than 6 and 1/2 hours....we were expecting alot longer.

We got into camp and set up. Had showers at the local YMCA...and then time for peleton, small groups. Many people needed to clean their bikes, as did I since the rain made it seem like i had a nest of birds taking a free ride....my bike was chirping something fierce!

MOST FUNNY TIME OF THE DAY

When Jeff went in the ditch...in the following picture this jeff coming out of the ditch from an experience of a lifetime...there are rumbles when you approach a stop sign, three sets...and well he just went too far over and went right into the ditch. What was even funnier, was the fact that he landed on his back and his feet were straight up and that was all you could see in through the grass, a set of legs, and nothing else..

OH YEAH, dordt is surrounded by fields...and the smell of this land in IOWA is over bearing...

likelihood of fainting, or falling off your bike due to the smells of pigs and cow manure is HIGH!