I've just returned from the celebration service at the ball park in Grand Rapids. I was really delighted to hear Shane Claiborne. He was the main speaker and he has some pretty phenomenal things to say. He lives in a very poor part of Philadelphia in an intentional community called the Simple Way. He's written some books but he is quite good at deflecting praise for community to all the great people that surround him. He told some great stories about working in Calcutta with Mother Teresa, who had rather deformed feet because she made sure that she wore the worst of all the shoes that were donated to the work she and those surrounding her were doing; an act that over the years destroyed her feet; and some of the very cool people in Philly choosing to live lives that seem counter cultural. He spoke about the Amish as another group of people doing a similar thing, and their response to the school shooting that happened in their community. He said that the world was startled by the grace they showed to the family of the shooter, and in his book "Jesus for President" he suggests that the Amish be in charge of homeland security - a comment that got a significant positive response from the audience. He had a significant southern/Philly twang that was dramatically different from all the dutch people who spoke in the service. Once I had committed to the rhythm of his speech it was hard to return regular church service "talk". One of the fellows on the tour, Kyle, wrote a song and performed it in the service. It was delightful. I think he may have the kind of voice that will take him far. It was pretty cool.
***
This past week has been very fun. There were a number of shorter 70ish km days that just make biking feel like a dream. One day was significantly more difficult than the others, but good friends helped to make it all work out. It was Thursday, and we were biking 130 km. The morning started out mildly difficult with a flat. I had slept in, so I was leaving even later than usual, although late seems to be status quo for me. I started to fly, helped someone with a flat tire, and was a little sad because most of the people who might pass me on the road had already left. But, I was cruising for a number of miles knowing there were still a couple of 'fast boys' who would eventually pass me. And then I broke a spoke. Being the super prepared person that I always am, I had a spare, but I didn't know how to change it. Betsy and Jonathan stopped with the SAG wagon, and we had the wheel off in a moment trying to figure out what to do. I immediately thought of Alex, who knows so much about bikes and likes pissing around on the road which meant he would still be behind me and we called him for some expert advice. We attempted to fix it, got stuck, tried a lame bike shop who wanted to charge twice the regular price of labour to fix it in a hurry. They suggested leaving my bike there for a couple of days, not cluing in to the fact that we were biking across the country. Very annoying. Because we knew Alex would be able to fix it we phoned him up again and went to go meet him, Kyle, and Doug riding on the road. The van didn't have the tools need to fix the spoke, so we went back to the bike store to borrow their tools - finding out that they had no spare parts that fit my bike. It was really very lame. Then we went to another sports shop that the boys had seen as they zoomed into town. There were two very helpful girls at the shop, and though they didn't have anything that could help us, Audrey, one of the sales people, said she knew this guy called Terry who fixes bikes out of his barn. She took us to see him in the company van (the store was rather dead) to see Terry, and wouldn't you just know but he did have everything we needed. It still cost quite a bit of money, but I was just so happy that I was going to be able to finish the day.
After all the bike trauma, we went out for burgers, and then had to start riding to our final destination. We were only 20 miles into the actual ride and we still had 90 odd kilometers to go. It was 2:30, but actually 3:30 because we were changing states and time zones. For whatever ridiculous reason every time we changed time zones I would leave camp late, and just struggle to get in on time. So, we were in New Buffalo and it was technically 3:30 and we were supposed to be in by 7:00 p.m. I had been freaking out about making it on time, but Alex promised to stay with me. It is a pretty wonderful thing to have people who, when you need them to, will stick with you, even though they can motor along so much faster than your usual speed. We finally made it in at 6:45 - new time. EFI, thanks Alex.
So it turned out to be a totally sweet day, even though everyone was so totally mad that they were late because they waited to bike with me and my broken spoke.
Another sweet day occured just the next day when Alex happened to bike with me again. We were just having a blast. He kept looking for a store, and I was trying to pretend that I didn't know what was going on. We bought 2 delicious kinds of cheese, focaccia bread, cherries, chocolate, and wine. We stopped in a park in the middle of Holland Michigan and it was just so fun. It was sunny and short and an unbeleivable day.
The last couple of hours we have been sitting in the lobby of the some building on the Calvin College Campus. Just hanging out, watching ridiculous videos, listening to all kinds of music and just having a good ole' time.
Good Night.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
sitting here in jerusalem
Ah, it has been two weeks and there are just too many things to say my good friends. Life is brimming with good people and delightful experiences. Last weekend was so full that there was just not a minute of time to spend on the computer. I love loving life this much.
So, we were in Madison last weekend, and it just so happened that a friend from the first two weeks of tour had come by to visit. At first I couldn't believe that he was actually there. I was sitting at dinner, and I looked across the enormous dining tent and thought I recognized the back of his head. In my mind I thought, there is no way that that is who I think it is; his name is Joel. I knew that he should be in B.C. working on school, but the back of his head was very familiar. It took about twenty minutes before my brain caught up with my eyesight and they agreed that as impossible as it seemed, Joel really was back. And that kicked off a most amazing weekend. He was visiting two friend from school in B.C. who live in Wisconsin; Milwaukee I think. For whatever reason, I got to tag along with them and that evening we went to this fantastic pub on the University of Wisconsin campus. It has a many tiered terrace that has a bandstand right on the water, Lake Minona, or Mindosa, I can't really remember which. His friends are going to seminary and we just had these incredible talks. I love it when people are willing to go as far as it takes to explore an issue, particularly when they are becoming part of the institution under criticism. I also love it when people can hold close to the good bits of those organizations, and bring some hope to those of us with so many questions. They were very good talks.
On Sunday I spoke in church, which was quite frightening. Walter, one of the SAG driver who has taken me under his wing; "theresa, you're not just getting older, you're getting better" - a frequent phrase to me when I finally make it to his SAG stop on difficult days; said to me that he was surprised I was so nervous speaking at the front of church. Aside from the fact that there I finished writing my speech during the sermon, it is always frightening to be at the front of 400 or some odd people. I like being the center of attention when it happens spontaneously, and off to the side, not when people actually expect something of me - totally one of the scariest things in the world. But, I think it all turned out all right.
That afternoon we went to check out the town of Madison, a really wicked place to visit I must say. I was practically convinced to sign of for the University of Wisconsin right then. It was really incredible. And to top of the evening, we played cards, specifically spoons. And we were complete idiots about it. We (meaning I and Annette) got into all kinds of trouble for being noisy; can you speak?!
The week leading up to Madison was pretty incredible as well. I broke a number of personal goals, well one mostly. It was quite a difficult week in terms of the distances we were riding. There were three days in particular, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, that we biked 183, 182, and 167 km respectively. The group dynamics, once again, had high levels of stress as everyone was worried about being able to finish. A lot of that tension was broken with a beautiful tail wind on the first day. Spirits were high as everyone seemed to finish well that day. The next day was a little more difficult, and I happened to be on sweep which made for a later start. But, as with every day, you just keep pedalling. Wherever the gumption comes from to keep my legs moving is beyond me, but it still continues to happen. It is sometimes incredible. I've been mentioning to various people that I am cycling with a little 'club' that I was told about in Winnipeg. Randall, a fellow from the last tour whose encouragement was instrumental in getting me into this crazy adventure, spoke about this club of people who made every mile on the last tour. The people who belonged to the EFI club, he said, was those of us who biked 'Every "Fabulous" Inch' of the trip. Now it has become a simple way of checking up on the kind of day you have had. Those days that I come in later than usual; those days that are long and hard biking into a headwind; when I finally make it into camp a couple of people, and one in particular see my tired face and just say "EFI Theresa?" and so far, happily, I can say yes every single time.
In many ways it feels as though the hard part of the trip is over. There don't seem to be any more challenges in terms of distance, except of course the second last day, and there don't seem to be any more 'mountains' to climb. There will be a lot of festivities and excitement, and a lot of new people, and it would be very very easy to shut down. I don't want shut down, but we will see how it goes.
There are more stories to come, but just at this moment, I must go and eat lunch and head out for the grand celebration rally. here's hoping for good times.
much love,
theresa
So, we were in Madison last weekend, and it just so happened that a friend from the first two weeks of tour had come by to visit. At first I couldn't believe that he was actually there. I was sitting at dinner, and I looked across the enormous dining tent and thought I recognized the back of his head. In my mind I thought, there is no way that that is who I think it is; his name is Joel. I knew that he should be in B.C. working on school, but the back of his head was very familiar. It took about twenty minutes before my brain caught up with my eyesight and they agreed that as impossible as it seemed, Joel really was back. And that kicked off a most amazing weekend. He was visiting two friend from school in B.C. who live in Wisconsin; Milwaukee I think. For whatever reason, I got to tag along with them and that evening we went to this fantastic pub on the University of Wisconsin campus. It has a many tiered terrace that has a bandstand right on the water, Lake Minona, or Mindosa, I can't really remember which. His friends are going to seminary and we just had these incredible talks. I love it when people are willing to go as far as it takes to explore an issue, particularly when they are becoming part of the institution under criticism. I also love it when people can hold close to the good bits of those organizations, and bring some hope to those of us with so many questions. They were very good talks.
On Sunday I spoke in church, which was quite frightening. Walter, one of the SAG driver who has taken me under his wing; "theresa, you're not just getting older, you're getting better" - a frequent phrase to me when I finally make it to his SAG stop on difficult days; said to me that he was surprised I was so nervous speaking at the front of church. Aside from the fact that there I finished writing my speech during the sermon, it is always frightening to be at the front of 400 or some odd people. I like being the center of attention when it happens spontaneously, and off to the side, not when people actually expect something of me - totally one of the scariest things in the world. But, I think it all turned out all right.
That afternoon we went to check out the town of Madison, a really wicked place to visit I must say. I was practically convinced to sign of for the University of Wisconsin right then. It was really incredible. And to top of the evening, we played cards, specifically spoons. And we were complete idiots about it. We (meaning I and Annette) got into all kinds of trouble for being noisy; can you speak?!
The week leading up to Madison was pretty incredible as well. I broke a number of personal goals, well one mostly. It was quite a difficult week in terms of the distances we were riding. There were three days in particular, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, that we biked 183, 182, and 167 km respectively. The group dynamics, once again, had high levels of stress as everyone was worried about being able to finish. A lot of that tension was broken with a beautiful tail wind on the first day. Spirits were high as everyone seemed to finish well that day. The next day was a little more difficult, and I happened to be on sweep which made for a later start. But, as with every day, you just keep pedalling. Wherever the gumption comes from to keep my legs moving is beyond me, but it still continues to happen. It is sometimes incredible. I've been mentioning to various people that I am cycling with a little 'club' that I was told about in Winnipeg. Randall, a fellow from the last tour whose encouragement was instrumental in getting me into this crazy adventure, spoke about this club of people who made every mile on the last tour. The people who belonged to the EFI club, he said, was those of us who biked 'Every "Fabulous" Inch' of the trip. Now it has become a simple way of checking up on the kind of day you have had. Those days that I come in later than usual; those days that are long and hard biking into a headwind; when I finally make it into camp a couple of people, and one in particular see my tired face and just say "EFI Theresa?" and so far, happily, I can say yes every single time.
In many ways it feels as though the hard part of the trip is over. There don't seem to be any more challenges in terms of distance, except of course the second last day, and there don't seem to be any more 'mountains' to climb. There will be a lot of festivities and excitement, and a lot of new people, and it would be very very easy to shut down. I don't want shut down, but we will see how it goes.
There are more stories to come, but just at this moment, I must go and eat lunch and head out for the grand celebration rally. here's hoping for good times.
much love,
theresa
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
written last night - too late for my own good.
August 4, 2008
We have finished our 5th week of this crazy adventure, and things are going well for the most part. I just had the privilege of spending the weekend in a hotel as my parents and friends from Winnipeg came to visit me. It was wonderful and luxurious, and almost too good, because when the time came to get back in the saddle, it was hard to say goodbye to “the good life”. But it was a delight to see them, and they came with treats for everyone. Sunday morning breakfast was a big hit due to the Bake Oven’s finest double raison raison bread and dutch gouda cheese. Bringing enough to feed a camp of 160 odd people meant they couldn’t pack a lunch in their regular cooler for the trip down. There were 4 adults, 2 GPS’s and a handful of maps, and they couldn’t figure out the route we were going to take for Monday ~ to their credit they were trying to do so backwards. Anyways the weekend was a hoot, and everyone enjoyed the treats (boeterkoek included) very well. Thanks a million.
I am sitting in Sargeant Bluff, Iowa. The humidity is too high to dry my clothing overnight, and I fear that I won’t have dry clothes again until I return home to Winnipeg. But the air is coolish; a mere 18° Celsius. This morning, leaving at 6:45 a.m. we were already at 27c with a disgusting amount of humidity. It was quite a day, but about halfway through there was a bit of rain, and that made everything far more bearable.
I had quite a bit of fun playing with the wind today; we had a headwind for at least half the day. But, after finally waking up and dealing with the heat and humidity (a process that usually takes about 30 km) some of the fast boys caught up with me and the scenery changed to these rolling hills that were absolutely picturesque, and I was keeping up without too much trouble. That improved my mood considerably. A little later on I continued on my own, and, dealing with the headwind after entering Iowa from Nebraska, I went into my drops and was just cooking down the road for over and hour. My speed varied from 21-25 km/hr. Now, I realize that probably doesn’t sound very fast, but dealing with a headwind when I was training in Winnipeg I might be able to reach 18-20 km/hr, and that was with help. So I continued to be delighted with my ride, although however much I have improved over the summer, some of my success is definitely due to the fact that I have thinner tires on my bike, hurrah. The only trouble is that I’m feeling it now, quite significantly, but anyways.
I’ve been doing some thinking today, for a number of reasons, and I find it both interesting, and sometimes difficult how much of my life and thoughts this tour has become. It is an excellent way to spend a summer, and I have already pushed boundaries I didn’t even know existed in my head. For instance, changing a tire on the side of the road is no big deal – it’s happened 9 times, and I’ve personally fixed 5 of them. I can cycle up a mountain pass of 4000 feet and cycle back down, in a day. I am capable of making 6 days of 150km each, in 35-38° heat, saddle sores and all. People, generally speaking, are super sweet – as in cool more than as in nice, although both adjectives apply, and stereotypes that I immediately make in my head, are constantly being broken. But on a bicycle tour, most of what we eat live and breath is, appropriately, cycling. We watch “Le Tour de France” when we stop in a café for a drink. We count our flats and our falls and we talk about cleaning our bikes, and changing our tires, and fixing pedals, chains, derailers, cassettes; the list could go on for a long time. It is great but I forget about the outside world.
The tour tries to deal with this as well by talking about the cause we are riding for, poverty, and providing opportunities to do service projects in the various communities into which we rode. All of which are good things. Furthermore – I do not take the time to read the newspaper or check the internet for updates of what is happening in the wider world – I hardly do that in my regular daily life. So this insulation from the world is self-imposed, particularly when I’m having a good time. And it isn’t really too bad, but sometimes I am startled again by the wider world and other people and it surprises me.
There was an excellent scene in a delightful little animated movie where a critic is going to determine the fate of a restaurant that used to be popular, fell in the public standings, and had revived quite a bit of hype because it was going in a new direction. When the waiter asked for the critic’s choice of meal Anton Ego (the critic) said he would like a dish of perspective along with some very fine wine. He sliced through all the fervour of the public and the press, and demanded a meal of the quality the excitement suggested.
It is just a silly little scene, in a silly little movie, but today I was reminded that life is sometimes seen from too small a scope, and that the wider picture, needs to be taken into account.
Adieu, until next time.
We have finished our 5th week of this crazy adventure, and things are going well for the most part. I just had the privilege of spending the weekend in a hotel as my parents and friends from Winnipeg came to visit me. It was wonderful and luxurious, and almost too good, because when the time came to get back in the saddle, it was hard to say goodbye to “the good life”. But it was a delight to see them, and they came with treats for everyone. Sunday morning breakfast was a big hit due to the Bake Oven’s finest double raison raison bread and dutch gouda cheese. Bringing enough to feed a camp of 160 odd people meant they couldn’t pack a lunch in their regular cooler for the trip down. There were 4 adults, 2 GPS’s and a handful of maps, and they couldn’t figure out the route we were going to take for Monday ~ to their credit they were trying to do so backwards. Anyways the weekend was a hoot, and everyone enjoyed the treats (boeterkoek included) very well. Thanks a million.
I am sitting in Sargeant Bluff, Iowa. The humidity is too high to dry my clothing overnight, and I fear that I won’t have dry clothes again until I return home to Winnipeg. But the air is coolish; a mere 18° Celsius. This morning, leaving at 6:45 a.m. we were already at 27c with a disgusting amount of humidity. It was quite a day, but about halfway through there was a bit of rain, and that made everything far more bearable.
I had quite a bit of fun playing with the wind today; we had a headwind for at least half the day. But, after finally waking up and dealing with the heat and humidity (a process that usually takes about 30 km) some of the fast boys caught up with me and the scenery changed to these rolling hills that were absolutely picturesque, and I was keeping up without too much trouble. That improved my mood considerably. A little later on I continued on my own, and, dealing with the headwind after entering Iowa from Nebraska, I went into my drops and was just cooking down the road for over and hour. My speed varied from 21-25 km/hr. Now, I realize that probably doesn’t sound very fast, but dealing with a headwind when I was training in Winnipeg I might be able to reach 18-20 km/hr, and that was with help. So I continued to be delighted with my ride, although however much I have improved over the summer, some of my success is definitely due to the fact that I have thinner tires on my bike, hurrah. The only trouble is that I’m feeling it now, quite significantly, but anyways.
I’ve been doing some thinking today, for a number of reasons, and I find it both interesting, and sometimes difficult how much of my life and thoughts this tour has become. It is an excellent way to spend a summer, and I have already pushed boundaries I didn’t even know existed in my head. For instance, changing a tire on the side of the road is no big deal – it’s happened 9 times, and I’ve personally fixed 5 of them. I can cycle up a mountain pass of 4000 feet and cycle back down, in a day. I am capable of making 6 days of 150km each, in 35-38° heat, saddle sores and all. People, generally speaking, are super sweet – as in cool more than as in nice, although both adjectives apply, and stereotypes that I immediately make in my head, are constantly being broken. But on a bicycle tour, most of what we eat live and breath is, appropriately, cycling. We watch “Le Tour de France” when we stop in a café for a drink. We count our flats and our falls and we talk about cleaning our bikes, and changing our tires, and fixing pedals, chains, derailers, cassettes; the list could go on for a long time. It is great but I forget about the outside world.
The tour tries to deal with this as well by talking about the cause we are riding for, poverty, and providing opportunities to do service projects in the various communities into which we rode. All of which are good things. Furthermore – I do not take the time to read the newspaper or check the internet for updates of what is happening in the wider world – I hardly do that in my regular daily life. So this insulation from the world is self-imposed, particularly when I’m having a good time. And it isn’t really too bad, but sometimes I am startled again by the wider world and other people and it surprises me.
There was an excellent scene in a delightful little animated movie where a critic is going to determine the fate of a restaurant that used to be popular, fell in the public standings, and had revived quite a bit of hype because it was going in a new direction. When the waiter asked for the critic’s choice of meal Anton Ego (the critic) said he would like a dish of perspective along with some very fine wine. He sliced through all the fervour of the public and the press, and demanded a meal of the quality the excitement suggested.
It is just a silly little scene, in a silly little movie, but today I was reminded that life is sometimes seen from too small a scope, and that the wider picture, needs to be taken into account.
Adieu, until next time.
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