Day 45; Wednesday, August 7- Entering CANADA!!

Imlay City, MI - Sarnia, ON = 125 kms
Bike Team = Zack's Angels

Woke up at 6:15am. The breakfast/lunch tables were brought inside quickly because a major storm was coming. As we ate indoors, the lightening and rain started. We decided to stay in the school we were at and wait out the storm. It stopped finally around 8:00, but everything was absolutely soaked.

We biked hard and fast. Zack is from Sarnia, so he was in a rush to get home. Matt and I fell behind the rest of the group and went at a slower pace. It didn't matter because all the cyclists would be crossing over on the ferry at noon together. Once we got to the ferry, we ate our lunches and waited until all the other cyclists arrived. Once we crossed over there was a HUGE welcome to Canada for us! And Tim Hortons! I was so proud of my country's welcome.

 

 

The whole ride from Michigan had been terrible head winds, but we got lucky in Sarnia with fantastic tail winds. Zack brought us to a big bridge in Sarnia and we went to a fry stand where Wayne bought us all poutine! It was Laura's first time trying it- and her first time in Canada! On our way there, the route took us on a weird detour on tight pedestrian paths. I slipped on one and had my first fall- I cheered. It was about time I had my first fall - no battle wounds to show from it though.

 

 



We biked to Sarnia Christian School; they had treats and cupcakes set up for us. It was really neat.

 

 

We biked back to Zack's house- his family was SOOO nice. We told Zack it was like we were on the Bachelorette and this was "hometown dates". Based on this hometown visit, he would be given a rose for sure. We had beer, chatted, and showered. They told us they would sleep on their boat tonight just so we would have beds to sleep in tonight! That's true Canadian hospitality for you! We went back to the school for supper- porkchops, baked potatoes, salad bar, and a dessert buffet. We were sooo full.

 

A lady from the school was giving free haircuts to the cyclists so me, Laura and bearded Mark all walked over  to her house to get a free trim.

 

 

Headed back to Zack's house again. His brother, Mitch, made us martinis called "Blue Angels" - how appropriate for Zack's Angels :). We all drank, chatted and hung out. We watched "Horrible Bosses" and some of his other friends joined us. It's so fun having nights like these- where we can escape the camp and cycling atmosphere. We stayed up late - til 11:30 and then had a wonderful sleep in beds!! Thank you Van Reenen family!! 

 



Day 43; Monday, August 5

Grand Rapids, MI - Laingsburg, MI = 107kms
Bike Team = Zack's Angels
 
Woke up at 6:00 this morning and it was chilly! I went straight to the kitchen truck to pack my lunch before all the good food was taken; it was still dark outside. I took my time eating breakfast since it's a short bike ride today.
 
We stopped at 40kms at a place called Germaine's to eat a 2nd breakfast. They had exactly what we were looking for - good food for a good price. We were talking to 2 ladies at the restaurant and they gave us a 15$ donation.

 
We pulled into camp at 1:00 and ate our packed lunches right away. Today we're staying at an actual campground. Sites 1-50 were reserved for us. Zack's Angels stuck together and claimed our own site. So fun!
 
We showered and then got invited to the Kooy's campsite for a campfire. They had marshmallows to roast, hot dogs, speculaas cookies, and chocolate bars. Felt like we were on a real camping trip.
 
We had an early dinner at 5:00 of pulled pork sandwiches, corn on the cob, beans, salad and fresh fruit. Dessert was apple/berry crisp. As we ate there were scattered showers, but we managed to stay somewhat dry by crowding in a sheltered picnic area. One new cyclist introduced himself to me and said, "Your Uncle Adrian says hi!" - he's from Exeter, ON and goes to church with my uncle.
 
At our peloton meeting we found out our overall total of 300 flats since the beginning of the tour.
 
Afterwards there was small group. Len Kooy reformed and started a new small group for people who wanted to leave their assigned groups- called "Group 31". I signed up, and so did Karyn, Stretch Mark, and Joan. We had a short/fun meeting and then it was over- we agreed instead of meeting every day like everyone else, we would only meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
 
Since it was still early and fairly light outside, I went for a 1 hour hike by myself. When I got back to the campground I joined the Westra's at their campsite for a campfire before heading to bed.

Day 41; August 3 - Calvin College

Holland, MI - Grand Rapids, MI = 60kms
Bike Team = Zack's Angels

Since we have a short ride today, we got to sleep in until 7:00! I packed all of my things up and loaded them onto the gear truck. We had a pancake breakfast served by the church on campus. As usual... we waited for Matt forEVER, and were the last team to leave camp around 8:30. We had to peddle sooo fast because we had a deadline of 11:00am to get to our destination of Calvin CRC for lunch. There were additional stops along the way that churches and friends of cyclists set up.

We got there around 11:15, and Aunt Mare was there to greet me!! :)

 

She was my first visitor so far- just so happened to be in Grand Rapids and able to stop by to say hi. We quickly ate lunch of turkey/ham on buns, macaroni salad and desserts. However, cyclists kept pouring in after us and they quickly ran out of food because the church had been given the wrong number of cyclists requiring lunch. They had to order pizza for those who hadn't eaten. When we were all fed we all biked to Calvin College together. There were people there to cheer us on.

 

 

 

 

I got my very own dorm suite!! This is the first time on the tour I truly felt like I had privacy and independence- I even had my own private shower! What a treat. We also found out there were free laundry facilities in the basement. I brought every piece of clothing I had down to get washed. We enjoyed treats Calvin College provided for us in the shared kitchens.

 

Calvin College welcomes Sea to Sea Riders! Please enjoy the peaches and baked goods. Bottled water is in the refrigerator.

 

We got a ride with 'bearded Mark' to a local coffee shop for tea and Wi-Fi. We ate dinner on campus of Calvin College- it was the best dinner so far! Grilled chicken, wild rice, salad, steamed vegetables, strawberry shortcake for dessert. Super fancy. Most cyclists missed out on dinner because they ate at restaurants or with their friends/families' homes.

 

 



I watched Bachelorette Finale Part 1 with Laura on her laptop in our pj's. Bearded Mark came over to our lounge area with his friend Karl and they invited us over to Karl's place for drinks. We changed back into regular clothes, Karyn and Zack joined, and we all went to a grocery store to pick up liquor. We brought it to Karl's place and drank and just hang out- it felt so good to do something 'normal' on a Saturday night!!

 

Bearded Mark and Karl raved about "yesterdogs" - apparently the best hot dogs in the world. So we went to try them out. They were pretty tasty! Bearded Mark even paid for them.

 

 

 

Bearded Mark, me, Zack enjoying Yesterdogs

 

The guys dropped us back off at our dorms at Calvin around 1:00am. I wanted to take advantage of having a whole dorm suite to myself, plus Wi-Fi, so I watched another episode of the Bachelorette until 2am :) Seriously- it was SOOO nice to have my own place after over a month of camping with over 100 other people. 

 



Day 40; Friday, August 2

Bridgman, MI - Holland, MI = 95kms
Bike Team = Zack's Angels

Woke up at 6am and packed up my sleeping gear. I was outside eating breakfast with Laura and other cyclists when it started raining. Everyone grabbed their food and ran inside to try and wait out the rain, but it didn't let up. We heard it was going to rain all day :( We waited inside the church for a good hour then grudgingly headed out on our bikes. It was pouring rain and sooo cold... TERRIBLE. I kept praying for the rain to stop. The worst part is we have to bike in a peloton to block the wind, so the person in front of you, their back bike tire sprays a steady stream of water into your face.

 

We peddled the fastest we have ever biked before. Our first SAG stop was at 35kms. A church served us donuts, cookies, chocolate bars and blueberries. We girls spent a good amount of time in the washroom standing under the hand dryer to get warm.

 

 

Went back out on the road and the rain gradually cleared up! Thank you, God! It was so pretty biking along the lake. We were cruising at a fast pace and feeling so good- we didn't even stop at the second SAG stop. The third SAG wasn't until 85kms and it was a church again- this one served us ice cream!

 

 

We finished off our final 10kms with ease, and arrived to our destination by noon - Hope College! We are sleeping in dorms tonight!! We showered and received a voucher for a free drink at a new local brewery. We quickly went to redeem our voucher and enjoy an early dinner.

 

 

We walked around downtown Holland. I tried looking for a dutch store to buy dropjes, but no luck. We walked around some sports stores and took pictures with some random sculptures. 

 

 

Walked back to Hope College at 6:00 to eat a second dinner. It was cafeteria food, and pretty tasty. Again we were grateful not to eat spaghetti. We had it 5 times already this week! :S

 

We skipped peloton meeting to get into our pj's and blog because we finally had a good internet connection. Laura and I also got to catch up on an episode of the Bachelorette. I also skyped with Jenna for a bit. Matt and Zack were getting antsy, since it's a Friday night, so they convinced us to change back into our clothes and hit up the town again. We just walked around aimlessly, and took posed for some more pictures.



 

 

In bed by 11pm. 









Day 39; Thursday, August 1

Lansing, Illinois - Bridgman, Michigan = 141kms
Bike Team= Zack's Angels... minus Zack

Woke up at 6:00. Everyone slept together tonight in the gym of Illiana Christian High School. I actually slept well through the night thanks to exhaustion and ear plugs. We've had a lot of long rides lately, and today is another one. The school served us pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage links and fruit.

 

 

We were on the road by 8:00. Zack was pouty and took off because we were going too slow for him. It's hard to bike fast with a belly full of pancakes. At the 2nd SAG stop (60kms), we stopped at a recommended "Schoolhouse Coffee Shop/Antique Shop". It was pretty cool. We sat outside on a patio and had coffee with some other cyclists.

 

We biked along beaches most of the day- including Long Beach. It was sooo pretty! We were in a hurry because of the hour time change from switching states, so we didn't have time to swim :(

 

 

We quickly had our pictures taken at Indiana and Michigan state signs.

 

 

 

We stopped at a liquor store and enjoyed a quick drink of Mike's Hard Lemonade before entering camp. While we were having our drink we talked to an older gentleman for quite a while about the tour. He flaunted his wallet full of 100 dollar bills and told us he would donate to the cause online. Unfortunately he fell through on his word.  

 

Finally pulled into camp at 5:45pm. Laura fell off her bike right at the front entrance because it was all gravel. We were told there are 2 kinds of cyclists: those who have fallen, and those who will fall. I'm still wondering when my turn will be. Today we're sleeping inside a huge church. They served us dinner of fajitas, fruit, local peaches, cookies - we were so happy it wasn't spaghetti again!!

 

After peloton meeting they served us ice cream! They offered 30 varieties of their local brand- Hudsonville. YUM

 

 

A large group of us set up our sleeping bags in the same room in the church. I read and journalled until I fell asleep. I was woken up at 12:30 by someone snoring loudly. I grabbed my sleeping bag and dragged my sleeping pad to an area behind the pews for some peace and quiet. 







Day 37; Tuesday, July 30

Fulton, Illinois to Shabbona, Illinois = 135kms
Bike Team = Zack's Angels minus Matt

Woke up at 6:00am - everyone else was up and ready to go as usual. Even the new people are catching on and racing to exit camp as soon as possible - it just boggles my mind. My bike team, Zack's Angels', took their time and were still out by 7:30, which I think is pretty decent. They told us yesterday there was a 30% chance of rain for today. As we were leaving camp though it started raining hard. Apparently 30% chance of rain means it will rain all day long.

It kept raining all morning - it was MISERABLE. At km30 we decided we would skip the next SAG stop and try to find a coffee shop to warm up and dry off.

We kept biking and biking and biking, but only saw corn fields and farms. Laura and I were so desperate for a washroom, we ended up going in the corn fields. Sorry farmers.

 

Finally we got to 75km and the third SAG stop. Even though it was only 11:00am, we were so starving we all ate our lunches. The rain had finally stopped for a bit and we were finally drying up a bit, but as we ate our lunches it really started to pour down, heavier then ever. We had nowhere to take shelter, but we were told there was a town 10 miles away. We peddled hard and fast through the downpour until we got there. There was a Shell gas station that gave us free coffee and hot chocolate. What a blessing!

 



When we left Shell, it was still raining. We followed a biker and the rollerblader and turned left out of the parking lot. We went quite a ways down the highway when we realized there weren't any cyclists behind us whatsoever. We had made a wrong turn. Luckily Laura had her cell phone and was able to figure out an alternative route for us to take to get to camp. It ended up being a bit of a shortcut! Another blessing for today.

We arrived to camp and set up our tents that were still wet from this morning. We showered in the campground showers - my towel was still wet from yesterday too. Ugh. Everything is just so soaked. The kitchen ladies made us chips and dip for a snack and ants on a log (celery, peanut butter and raisins). We were so cold- we all bundled up in our sweats and sea to sea hoodies.

 

It was my team's turn for Sweep duties so I had to help do dishes for 2 hours. Supper was meatloaf, baked potatoes, green bean casserole, salad, and leftover pie. It was still raining lightly even as we ate dinner. We had our peloton meeting and then couldn't decide what to do afterwards. It was only 8:00pm, but we were in a camp ground and everything was soaked from the rain. I just went to my tent to read and go to bed early. Today was definitely my least favourite day of the tour. 

Weekend in Coralville, Iowa

Day 34; Saturday, July 27
Pella, Iowa - Coralville City, Iowa = 153kms
Bike Team = Zack's Angels minus Laura

Woke up reluctantly at 6:00. It's hard leaving a dorm room to head out and bike an American century just to camp in another park. We just ate a small breakfast because we will be served a second breakfast on the road.

At 30kms We stopped at a church for pancakes, bacon, eggs, and fruit. Alice's granddaughter also handed out monster cookies to all the cyclists; so cute!

 

 

We had started off biking with Laura and her boyfriend's dad, Tom, but we let them get ahead of us because they were in a rush to get to Iowa City.

 

It was a  really tough ride- a lot of rolling hills and we were the last team, even though we had left at 7:00am this morning! We stopped for lunch at a small town pub - the only food on their menu was pizza. I just had a Smirnoff ice and ate my packed sandwich.

 

The last SAG stop had boeterkoek from Carrie!! It was a perfect treat and gave us the energy we needed to finish off the day.

 

 

Pulled into camp finally at 3:30. This weekend we'll be camping in a city park - beside a pond and waterpark.

 

 

 I checked the mail and saw I had received a care package from my mom of gum, socks, energy gels and money- very welcomed surprise.

 

 

We all showered and put on our warmest clothes- so cold here! Karyn, Zack and I decided to go for a walk and find a restaurant to treat ourselves to. After walking 20minutes we finally stumbled across an Outback Steakhouse. It was 7:00 and we were absolutely starving. We told the server how hungry we were and he brought us 2 rolls of bread and butter that we devoured, plus beer. Karyn and I ordered "Alice's Chicken" It was smothered in cheese, bacon and mushrooms. We ate every morsel of our food from our plates. We weren't even full afterwards, so we walked to the Cold Stone Creamery for ice cream.

 

 

Walked back to camp and watched "Our Idiot Brother" in Zack's tent. Great day :)

 

Day 35; Sunday, July 28

Coralville, Iowa

 

Woke up at 8:00 for a nice big breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon and fruit. No church this morning. Zack, Karyn, and I walked over to Starbucks to use the Wi-Fi there all morning. I was able to catch up on writing two blogs.

 

At noon we walked back to camp and left with the Kooys (our Sea to Sea parents) and Herald for lunch at the Olive Garden! I had unlimited soup, salad and breadsticks. Herald's steak wasn't cooked properly so the manager let our whole table have free desserts!

 

 

We went to a bike shop and then went back to camp and I cleaned my whole bike. We walked over to a rec center and snuck inside to use their hot tub.

 

At 5:00 we took shuttle buses to a local church for a worship celebration. Then at 7:15pm the church served us dinner at camp of spaghetti, garlic bread, salad and cookies.

 

Laura came back from visiting her boyfriend John-Michael. She wanted to look at a condo she saw on Craig's list so I accompanied her for support and safety. The condo is owned by a body builder who's moving out of the country- the condo was set up as a workout facility. We both loved it and Laura signed a contract for it! YAY!

 

We biked back to camp and chatted with Matt. Karyn found me and said she couldn't find Laura and Zack. We searched the entire park - their tents were empty, but their bikes were still at camp. Finally we found them on the other side of the pond - they had bought drinks and munchies at a local convenient store because they didn't get enough dinner. We all hung out and chatted til 11pm then bed.