Tailwinds on Monday, Headwinds on Tuesday

We started out the day with a strong headwind, very different from Monday, when we got more help than we deserved with the wind at our backs. I wrote up a lot of reflections in a word document on Monday and will post that later because I can't figure out how to cut and paste from the word document to the posting box. Anyway, suffice it to say that both days have been gorgeous. Rich and I finished 67 miles yesterday starting at 8 a.m. from Calvin after a brief send-off blessing by Mike Van Denend and Dale Cooper, and finished by 2 p.m., (remember, tailwinds) and 97 today - he by 3:30 p.m. and myself by 4 p.m. We started early (6:40 am. - remember, headwinds!) I really slowed down at the end of the day. We're supposed to stop and talk with people about the purpose of the tour. We have little business cards with a lot of information on them which we can hand out when people ask what the bike tour is about, and last night we were told to be more assertive. Don't wait until people ask; make yourself available. Hang out a little a corner stores, ice cream shops, roadside parks, etc. if people are curious. So I did that a little more often just to get off the bike! It's 7:14 pm right now and I have to get going to peloton (big group gathering of cyclists) and small group discussion (all women, all just starting the tour this week.) We had a very good time of reading the Shifting Gears devotional, introducing ourselves, and praying together until about 8:30 pm.

So this posting will be rather brief, but I wanted to at least let you know that we're fine and looking forward to entering 'en masse' into Canada tomorrow. We were warned last night already that we can't use the PortaPotty again until we're in Canada, because Ed (the tour manager) doesn't want to have to 'declare' the contents. He will do a DNA sample if there is anything in the pot, and someone may be denied access to the country.

All the Canadians are very excited about going home. I think it was chaplain for the tour Len Riemersma who said on Sunday evening that up until this point, "we've been heading to Grand Rapids, and now we're heading away from Grand Rapids," and someone yelled, "We've always been heading to Canada!"

Tomorrow is a very short cycling day - 50 some miles - but it's full of busyness. We plan on sleeping well tonight in our little tent on our thin ThermaRests.