a few more pics

A day 5 shot. Amazing bridge.














Day 6...crazy traffic coming into Edmonton.












Only a few irritated drivers and horns blaring. Mostly drivers were very generous and gave us lots of room and affirming honks.

Forward from Day 6 .. Cycle for Life, Alberta South

Great fotos, Kim. People always say it's about 800 km from La Crete to Edmonton, and the same distance going the other way too. Well, Adam and John, in 6 days of careful counting, arrived in Edmonton today, counting 808 km distance. Pretty cool. All those roadsign counters are actually fairly accurate.

Tomorrow is a day off. Canada Day. And John will have his knee checked and we will see if he is able to continue. July 2, Adam (and maybe John and maybe Byron Thiessen) will cycle from Lethbridge up the 24 a distance. Then will drive back to Lethbridge for night. Sunday, July 3, Kim and I will join Adam (and maybe John and Byron) at Lethbridge Mennonite Church for an MCC Morning about Cycle for Life, after which they will commission the Southern portion of Cycle for Life Alberta. The Cyclists will then bike beginning from where they left off Sat, and at the end of the day, overnight in Calgary. Monday, up towards Linden. Tuesday, arriving in Linden at noon to spend some time with children and adults there who are excited about Cycle for Life and have created numerous neat ways to connect, locally, with this project. Again, Calgary for the night. Wednesday, continue up towards Sherwood Park, arriving there, later in the afternoon on Thursday. Something like that. And on Friday, Cindy Klassen, and a bunch of other rides, younger and older, including me, will do either 50 or 100 km as part of Summerfest and Auction this year. We look forward very much to the Sale. Should be a very good event.

Hi folks,

Well, it felt a bit longer, but it was actually only 98 km today (sorry Kim). It was nice to have a bit of a shorter day today- the long mileages we've been doing have felt a bit taxing both physically and mentally- when you're on your bike for 5 or 6 hours day after day, and you can't admire the scenery too much because you need to watch where your going, you get a bit drained. Today I was riding by myself, but I was only riding for 2 hours and 45 min or so. I also had a tailwind which was nice- thus the 36 km/h average speed (or 35 according to the endomondo map on the mcc alberta website, which has been consistently short-changing us). Traffic was heavy coming into Edmonton, but if you can get over the unpleasant aspects of several tons of semi whizzing close by you at high speed, you reap the benefits of getting a bit of a speed boost from its slipstream. All in all, I think I prefer less busy roads.

Tomorrow, there is no biking. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to it. I plan to do as little as possible, and rest up for Saturday, when we start riding north. We've all been meaning to shoot some video along the ride, but the couple of times we've tried it, things haven't worked out so well. Something to work at in the 6 days we have to go.

Also, Kim and Abe, after putting up with 6 days of bad jokes, smelly bike clothes and complaining from me and John, are finishing their support driving duties- thank you so much to you both!

Adam

Highlight of Day 6...the Reynar family

On our way home from Edmonton today, we made a really important and wonderful stop. We visited Rod and Susan Reynar and family in Olds. They are an amazing family...warm, kind, hospitable, fun, inspiring. And Susan makes a mean pot of chili. Rod has been in bed for months, with severe pain, and no answers from doctors and specialists. It has been this way for him for years. It is very difficult to see a friend suffer. It is also inspiring to see a family cope with the suffering with hope, optimism, love, and care, embracing the visits and interruptions of friends, colleagues and family. We were very blessed by our visit. Thank you, Rod, Susan, Anika and Joya, for welcoming us into your home and lives. We are richer knowing you.

Day 6 total - 808 kms!

Entering Edmonton...over half way to the total of 1450 kms!

A very generous donation from friends we met at a gas station!

Adam taking off for a solo ride. John sad that he cannot ride with him.

A badly swollen and sore knee.

Day 6 - Whitecourt to Edmonton

Hi everyone! Well, today did not work out as we had planned. John woke up with a very swollen and sore knee. He has been struggling with this for the past few days, and just did not feel able to ride today. So, with a lot of disappointment, John joined Abe and me in the support van today. Adam rode 110 kms on his own, from just south of Mayerthorpe to Edmonton. He averaged 36 kms/hr with a nice tail-wind.

John hopes to see a doctor tomorrow about his knee, as well as get some physio-therapy in before Saturday. Adam hopes to get a massage. They are both tired, having ridden more than 800 kms in the past 6 days.

Today we met Chris and Stan Burkholder from Bluesky at a gas station south of Mayerthorpe. They were excited to catch up with the Cycle for Life van and cyclists. It was very good to receive their encouragement, along with a very generous donation. Thank you Chris and Stan!

Pics to come.

Day 6 Morning

Lovely morning in Whitecourt. Weather seems to change on a dime these days, but yesterday we had a tailwind most of the day ... so far, it's calm and sunny. Thanks all for reading this blog. We checked two days ago and saw that since Cycle for Life Kenya, in early May, just under 5,000 stops have been made on this blog. Really cool. Trucks and cars keep honking as they roar by us on the rode... that is also good. Only one "honker" seemed irritated that we took up a bit of space on the right lane yesterday. I think Christians need to be interruptible .... that is what this ride is about. Interrupting ourselves for people who live lives of desperation. Got a note two days ago from Nepal saying that the highest cause of death among women ages 15 to 49, is suicide. And they said that is largely caused by despair. AIDs and relentless poverty is part of that despair in many lives in Nepal. And in many other countries. This ride is intended to bring hope to some of those lives, and our evidence is that it does. A widow in Nepal, last September, whose husband had died of AIDS, and who, herself, now has AIDS, told Kathy and me after a meeting about the SAKRIA AIDS project, that "you are the reason we are alive here". SAKRIA makes sure they have access to the daily medication ARVs, to a Support Group, and to Income Generation Loans. That is what Cycle for Life Kenya and Alberta is about. Bringing awareness, and raising funds ... so that people like the widow and the widows of Nepal and of Kenya, and of many countries where MCC works, can live, can keep their children in school. This is a big big big deal. One driver did not want to give us a bit of extra space on highway 43, but all the others move easily aside as they pass, and honk their support. (Have been making phone calls the last two evenings... some generous responses last night and we are now with pledges, at 224,000 for AIDS. Let's see if we can reach 230,000, yes?!!!!!)

709 kms...end of Day 5!

The only rain that hit John and Adam today came from the big trucks passing by.

Day 5

Super 8 Whitecourt General Manager, Natalie Spencer, with John and Adam. Thank you so much for the sponsorship and free rooms, Natalie and Super 8 staff!

Where they went...

And where they came from. Big hills!

Faces that inspire. Breakfast in Whitecourt.

This is what they rode by the end of day 4.

Day 4 total

Well, 100,000 or 1,000,000...it doesn't matter...it's just a really long ride!

Day 5

This morning we hit the road early, hoping to make the AB highways shorter by cycling longer. The guys put down 182 kms today. Good tail wind, with an average speed of 30-35 kms/hr. It was fun to watch them ride. So, they have cycled 709 kms, just about half way to the goal of 1450 kms. Tomorrow they will cycle from just south of Whitecourt to St. Albert, about 110 kms. From there we head home to Calgary for the night. Adam and John will enjoy a well deserved day off on Friday, July 1st, and then Saturday will head to Lethbridge, and cycle north to Vulcan, beginning the ride north to Sherwood Park.

Tonight we are staying at the Super 8 in Whitecourt. We met the General Manager of the hotel, Natalie Spencer, and we were very warmly welcomed. This is the second year that the Whitecourt Super 8 has generously donated rooms to us for Cycle for Life. Thanks, Natalie and staff! I will include a picture of Natalie, John and Adam in front of the van, showing the Super 8 logo.

More tomorrow.

First flat tire.
And first sighting of a moose.

Day 4 - Donnelly Corner to Fox Creek...almost

Hi all! Day 4 went well! A 140 km day. The riders are amazing, but today was kind of tough. These long days are hard on Adam and John, and they are both needing some down time, a massage, maybe a chiropractor, maybe a counselor?? It's a crazy trip, and they are tired, but still driven to get the job done. Tomorrow is a 135 km day, and Thursday too. Hopefully we will be in Calgary Thursday evening and will have a day off on Friday.

Pics to follow.

Mike, the manager of Paradise Inn and Suites, in Valleyview, AB. Thanks, Mike, for the complimentary rooms! We love staying here! It's a beautiful place!

The Bridge, crossing the Peace River, in Peace River city. What a lovely location. Followed by the longest hill up towards Nampa and Valleyview.

John pulling a Grandpa Schellenberg pose.

Cruising up the hill out of Peace River.

At Donnelly Corner. Good weather today. Donnelly Corner is about 65 km North of Valleyview.

John riding with no hands. Crazy. He does that all the time. Drives his worried aunt nuts.

Taking off! Day 3.

Abe smiling. Nice to be travelling with a great support driving companion!

Kim, just after leaving Peace River today, shooting fotos, while I was on a conference call with other MCCs, during a 4-hour period. She is multi tasked.

Whew. 166 km today. Felt long, but okay. The climb out of Peace River was pretty good actually- it sounds weird, but a good climb breaks up the monotony of long (reasonably ) straight highway. Apparently we passed a bear today without noticing- total road concentration. Speaking of that, I tried to take some over the shoulder riding pictures. The moisture on the lens from my phone sitting in my jersey pocket makes it seem a bit more gloomy than it was.

Day 3 - Manning to Donnelly Corner

It has been a looooong day for the cyclists...166 kms. Tomorrow another 160 kms day, Wednesday, 140 kms, and Thursday 160 kms. These guys are amazing. So strong. Determined. It was a good day, in spite of the length of the ride. Dustin Elias (nephew to Jake) and his wife were travelling to Edmonton today, and very kindly transported Adam's duffle bag. They met us on the highway and delivered the goods! Thank you! Adam can now change his clothes and brush his teeth. Yaaay!!

Highlights: saw a black bear dart out of the bush, take one look at the highway and cars, and dart back into the trees; drivers honking in support and affirmation, rather than irritation...nice change; met the nicest manager at the Paradise Inn and Suites in Valleyview, Mike, where we are staying tonight. A year ago they sponsored us with free accommodations, and this year they agree to do so again. Abe saw him taking a picture of the Cycle for Life signs on the van and introduced himself. Thank you, Mike and staff at the Paradise Inn and Suites!

Pics from Day 2

End of the day...227 kms. Great day!

After a fast ride to the bottom of a great hill, Adam and John were stopped by a red light. ??

After riding about 70 kms, the wind picked up and the weather got a bit colder. John and Adam stopped to put on some warmer clothes. It was only then that we realized that Adam's bag was missing. He had left it outside of the church in LaCrete. One call to Jake Elias, and lots of calls made by him, and the bag was found exactly where Adam had left it...on the sidewalk outside the church. Thanks to Jake, and his nephews, Calvin and Dustin, the bag will get to us sometime tomorrow on the highway between Manning and Peace River. Only in the lovely community of LaCrete would a bag be left in plain view for more than 6 hours and not touched!

Some fishing on Twin Lakes.

Tough climb up the Twin Lakes hills.

A very positive commissioning service in La Crete, and a long detour caused by the ferry across the Peace River being out of service because of high waters, we didn't start biking today until around 4:15. We made pretty decent time once we got on the bikes though and the hills and valleys we are starting to see more of already are a nice change from long flat stretches.

Turns out, our 160 km day is tomorrow, not today. Also, I may have misjudged a couple of distances on our route, which may make for either a very challenging couple of days, or some rejigging of our schedule. We'll see how things go.

Adam

Getting ready to go riding, after a two hour delay because of the ferry closure.

Commissioning Service at LaCrete Christian Fellowship

This morning we were treated to a very nice breakfast at the home of Jake and Eva Elias, along with their daughter, Sharon and son-in-law, David. All four of them are tireless supporters of MCCA and good friends, and the support we feel from them is so appreciated. After breakfast we went to LaCrete Christian Fellowship, where we sang, visited and listened to a very timely sermon from Pastor Peter Doerksen, who focused on the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7, and challenged us to continue on with the work and way of living and engaging that Jesus calls us to. At the end of the service, Peter Fehr invited Abe, John and Adam forward, and the three of them talked about Cycle for Life, both Kenya and Alberta. Abe showed some slides of the Kenya trip, and of our day yesterday in LaCrete, and then people were invited forward to pray for us all, for safe travels, for successful awareness raising of the AIDS crisis, and for raising funds to help MCC partners continue the critical work they are doing. All four of us were struck by the warmth and affirmation we felt from everyone at the church. It was a really wonderful way to begin another day of riding south.

During his introduction of the group, Peter Fehr told the crowd that 5500 people die every day from complications of AIDS. He said, "That is the population of LaCrete, dieing twice a day, everyday." Stunning. One in four people in Swaziland are living with AIDS. 15 million AIDS orphans in subsaharan Africa, many of whom contracted AIDS during childbirth. Communities are continuing to lose teachers, farmers, bankers, government and police officials, mothers, fathers, siblings...all from AIDS.

The commitment that Adam and John are undertaking to raise awareness for MCCs work with AIDS is huge. 1450 kms is very long...and sometimes boring and just plain hard work. Most of all it is inspiring to watch them work their way up the hills, and into head winds, and horseflies, and finally get off their bikes at 9 oclock at night, and be ready to start again the next day. I am so proud of them both. Makes me weep.

Day 2 Cycle for Life Alberta

A lovely, sunny, warm morning to wake up to in La Crete. No sign at that time of the giant horse flies that practically overtook the cyclists, not to mention the support vehicle yesterday as we travelled south. John, Adam, Kim and I left La Crete after the morning church service at La Crete Christian Fellowship, where we talked about AIDS, Peace, Cycle for Life Kenya, to a packed church audience of at least 450 people. (See Kim's blog coming up). We drove to the ferry at Tompkins landing, and had apparently missed the two signs that said "Ferry Closed". We got to the ferry at 1:29, and they had just closed because of high water levels. Even suggesting they take just one more run across the river didn't work, and so we drove back to La Crete, to High Level, and then back down HWY 35 to Paddle Prairie where Adam and John resumed the Cycling at the spot we marked yesterday. That little "back flip" cost us 2 hours of cycling time ... but Adam and John still, by 8:15, had packed away 117 km. They are amazing cyclists. Steady. Determined. Fast. This is only my second day in the support van, and now I want to work harder raising funds for AIDS .... what John and Adam are doing is hard, amazing work ... cycling for people affected by AIDS.

Simon Wiebe, Adam, John, and Phil Peters, at the ferry!

6 km ride in LaCrete!

Peter Fehr giving his son a little help on the ride.

Day 1 - 110 km

Well, the first day of riding is done. It was great to kick off the ride with a tour around La Crete and then out of town. Thanks to Jake and Eve Elias, Peter Fehr, Willy Schellenberg and others for making this all come together! Then, we headed out of town with Phil Peters and Simon Wiebe- two great riding companions who stayed with us all the way to the ferry. After crossing the river, John and I were accompanied by some less amiable companions: swarms of horseflies (which fly surprisingly fast- it's a bit humbling getting outpaced by a horsefly when you're cruising along at 33 clicks or so. Also unpleasant.

Looking ahead to tomorrow's ride- there's a lot of distance to cover; around 160 km. Haven't done a century since the ride last year. I'm feeling a bit tired and sore, so here's hoping for a good nights sleep.

Adam

Simon Wiebe from LaCrete, having a chat on his cell phone while cycling.

The trip around LaCrete was led by an ambulance, lights flashing, going about 12 kms an hour.

Jake Elias, good friend of us and MCCA, cycling with his grandson, Jeremy.

Abe Janzen making opening comments before the cycle around LaCrete.

Adam, John, and the LaCrete cycling crew! Plus a really great banner created by Annie and Ernie Engbrecht from Lethbridge, AB. Thanks, Annie and Ernie!

Adam being interviewed by Ashley Foley, journalist for the Northern Pioneer.

George Neudorf, owner of the LaCrete Hotel, generously donated three rooms again this year for Cycle for Life. Thanks, George!

LaCrete, AB

We had a great morning in LaCrete, cycling through town with 10 riders, from the ages of 4 to 65! Thanks so much to the wonderful organizers who put this together! Two riders continued cycling with John and Adam from LaCrete to the ferry...about 70 kms. Simon and Phil were great companions for John and Adam to ride with, and we think we have found two new Cycle for Lifers! Total kms today was 6 in LaCrete, plus 110 from LaCrete to just outside of Paddle Prairie, AB. Tomorrow morning we will worship at the LaCrete EMC Church, have a short presentation on Cycle for Life Kenya, and then a commissioning service for John and Adam. It's been a very good day, making connections, meeting old friends, making new ones...horseflies and all!

Mugasa Ateenyi, Refugee Sponsorship Coordinator, MCCA

Anika, Mugasa and Kennedy at start of the ride with Menno Simons.