Ward and Jacky's Adventures

Home Sweet Home

2010-07-26T09:00:00.001-07:00

Here is our new home. The address is 109 N. Mill Street in Decorah, IA. We bought it over the internet so it was unseen until June 30th. It needs some TLC but will work for us. I mean, it has running water, a shower, refrigerator, stove and washer/dryer. What more can we ask for, especially since we have mainly been living in a tent for 3 years?

We didn't keep much in storage but our friends came through and our house is almost fully furnished. We're still lacking a bed and dressers so we are still sleeping on the floor and living out of bins but it will come around.

What are we doing now? We certainly haven't been bored. After going to see our families we have been very busy working on a forclosure house in Cedar Rapids (for pay). I have also been working on my resume and continuing education credits so I can re-instate my Iowa license and work again as a dietitian in Iowa. This week (7/25 - 7/31) is Ragbrai and Ward is providing sag service for a group. I will be joining them on Tuesday. I'm looking forward to getting back on the bike again.

The end of the trip was a bitter sweet. We are both ready to get back to a more routine life and to know what is around the corner. However, it has been a dream for so long that it is sad to see it come to an end. Are there plans in the works? Of course. We will be writing a book after we review our 18,000 photos and numerous tablets of journals. We will also be traveling to India and Thailand in 2012.

We'll keep you informed of any new happenings. Until then, thanks to everyone that has been following us and supporting us through the trip. We couldn't have done it without you.

The 1106th day of our trip, the final day!

2010-07-26T08:33:00.000-07:00

June 30th was the final day of our 1106 day bike trip. We did it in style. Fifteen friends from Decorah came to bike the last day with us. It started out with a complimentary breakfast at the Lady Luck Casino for all of us (thank you Lady Luck). It was then followed by many organized stops and a lot of fun! We certainly didn't want to hurry our last day. Ward tried to get rid of his burly. Russ volunteered to drag it but found out he needed a little extra help.

One of our final stops was at Shanna (Putnam) Dibble's house where she had beverages and snacks for us. She also provided us with a package that was mailed to her house. It was intended to be a house warming present for us from an unknown person (I'm sure it was one of my sister's). So meet Lucy Goosey. Ward tied her on the bike and she rode in with us. She now sits on our new porch and people watches.

Once we hit Decorah we were tracked down by the poporatsi (Eric Clement). He took many photos of us as we biked our last miles, including a photo in front of the Decorah sign (photos to be coming). Our first stop, once in town, was at TBocks where many other friends joined us. It was the best homecoming that we could have had. Now its time to see our new house. The gang came to our house with us to see it for the first time. We enjoyed beer and wine and broke it in the right way.

We

2010-07-26T08:13:00.000-07:00

Welcome Back Party in Madison, WI

2010-07-26T07:46:00.000-07:00

The party continues...the last day of the ride (June 26th), Kay and Harry Lum threw us a welcome back party at their home in Madison, WI. It was really fun to see some of our other friends that weren't on the ride.

Then the next day they organized a bike ride around Madison with re-hydration stops every 5-10 miles. Great strategy. We had a beautiful day and I thank everyone that came out to join us for the ride. A special treat for me was when my sister, brother-in-law, and niece showed up to ride with us. My niece Emily is only 7 and loves to ride. She came decked out in her bike gear.

Monday we rode 60 miles to our friend's (Den and Maggie) cabin. It happened to be on the route and a was a great welcoming as we needed to relax after a full week of fun. Tuesday we rode to Prairie du Chein where we would then meet up with our local friends and bike the final day into Decorah.

Grabaawr, a week of celebration with friends (6/20 - 6/26)

2010-07-26T07:14:00.000-07:00

The second part of the week offered more fun and craziness. They decided to have a canoe race across the WI river with a lemond start (running) and ending with a run to the finish line. My team, named Team Bone Dry, consisted of Ward, Dale Putnam and myself. We were surprised that the press showed up for the event. We actually got 4th out of about 15 teams. We could have done better if Dale wouldn't have tipped us over at the end.

Ward and I continued to carry our own gear which made us a lot slower than everyone else. Its quite humbling to be at the back of the pack. We rode hard but allowed time and energy for line dancing and relaxing.

We had to say goodbye to our great friends...until next year.

2010-07-26T06:44:00.000-07:00

Grabaawr, the first part of the week (6/19 - 6/22)

2010-07-26T06:02:00.000-07:00

We made it to Eagle River with a day to spare. We needed that extra day of rest to get ready for what lay ahead...a week of celebration! It just happened that Dennis, whom we had met in Florida, was going to be up in our area. So, he drove to Eagle River to meet us and took us out to lunch. What a nice beginning to the ride.

We had many friends do the ride with us. What a great way to reconnect after 3 years of being away. If you recall, we started our trip in June of 2007 by riding the Grabaawr. It was a week of toasting, telling lies and stories that only had to be 50% true, hanging out with our friends, dancing and singing at the bars, and wearing the blue jersey that was made in memory of our friend, Mark, who had been killed last fall riding his bike in Iowa. He was definitely with us in spirit.

We had a couple of guest appearances from Kelsey and Paul Scanlon, and my mom and my sister, Lorna and Donna. What a fun first part of the trip!

2010-07-25T19:29:00.000-07:00

Heading West Through MI to Bike the Grabaawr! Bike Ride Across Wisconsin.

2010-06-18T09:59:00.000-07:00

We left Dave and Annette's place in the Sault Saint Marie area to head to the Grabaawr (Great Annual Bicycle Adventure Along the Wisconsin River). Our goal was to be in Eagle River by June 18th so that we could have a rest day prior to the ride starting. We will be doing the ride fully loaded while most of the other riders will be riding very light road bikes.

As we started heading west we found ourselves traveling through bear country. In fact, Strong Corners is the bear capitol of the WORLD! The roads were outlined by heavily wooded areas and we had to keep a close eye on the ditches and woods. We actually saw a a bear on the side of the road. We weren't really paying attention as we were talking at the time and by the time Jacky saw it and slammed on her brakes, Ward didn't expect this and ran into her. Luckily no one fell and the bear, after taking a second look, walked back into the woods. Its quite ironic because we just got rid of our bear spray a few days prior after carrying it all the way from Alaska. Yes, we are in the northern woods of Wisconsin.

We are mainly camping now but occasionally stay in a cheap hotel if weather warrants it. We have had a lot of fun sitting outside talking to the construction workers that stay at these hotels while they are completing jobs. We not only tell lies and stories but we learn a lot from them about the area.

As we bike we notice most everything. As you can see we passed a unique billboard. One that seemed to be talking to us. We also passed the Rosebud Cafe. Ward's mother's name is Rose and she would sign her name "Rosebud".

Our last night in Michigan we spent free camping in a little park just outside of the town of Norway. They had a natural springs there. As we cooked our supper we observed tons and tons of people coming from all around to fill their water jugs, water bottles, anything they had with them. They said it was the purist and best water you could ever get. We tried some ourselves and confirmed this to be true.

Now onto Wisconsin! Jacky's old stomping grounds! She felt very welcomed by all of the Green Bay packer signs.

Visiting Friends in Sault Saint Marie

2010-06-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

Our goal was to arrive in the Sault Saint Marie area on June 12th. We actually arrived a day early. Why did we want to go so far north? Ward's friends have a summer home up here, Dave and Annette Swick. Ward and Dave's friendship and debauchery started back in college. They haven't seen each other in many years so spending a few days here was going to be a real treat.

They built this beautiful summer home with their own sweat. It took them 7 years to finish but it will be a nice retirement home once they quit teaching in Waterloo, IA. While we were there we had to arm wrestle to be able to do some work. They were insisting that we just rest but that is not in our vocabulary. We had great fun helping them put in the dock, plant flowers and start a perennial flower garden. But, you know Ward, he can't leave without tuning up all the bikes.

We had such a fun time and we're looking forward too hooking up with them in Iowa.

Heading up to Sault Saint Marie, MI

2010-06-18T09:24:00.001-07:00

We had a great ride up through MI. We pushed it hard on the nice days so that we could have the flexibility to take off a day that was stormy. We also made sure we allowed a little time to do some re-hydrating. You just have to stop at "Jack's R Wild". Jacky has a bad reputation she has to uphold!

Along the way we passed by many signs and billboards that seemed to tell the story. Yes, this was Jacky's dream. But, sometimes for Ward it was a nightmare! (just kidding).

As we approached Mackinac Bridge, we were informed that they did not allow bicycles to cross it. The prior night we stayed with a Rotarian, Walter, who provided a nice camper for us to stay in. He volunteered to drive us across the bridge. Boy was this appreciated. It made it so much easier for us. As we were crossing the bridge we soon realized why they don't let bicycles cross it. There wasn't any shoulder at all and a lot of construction going on so it was down to 2 lanes. It would have been very dangerous. The bridge is 5 miles long. One time it was so windy that a small car was blown over the side. So, now they have an escort system where someone will drive your car across the bridge for you.

Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada

2010-06-06T05:36:00.000-07:00

We crossed the border into Canada and visited Niagara Falls. What a beautiful sight. There was so much spray from the falls that we ended up soaked.

From there we booked across Canada staying with Dave Mitchell (warm showers organization) along the way. We passed by a curling stone manufacturer. This was Jacky's sport through High School and very popular back in the Midwest so we stopped to check it out. It turns out that there are only 2 curling stone manufacturers in the whole world. This one and one in Scotland. Pretty cool.

We entered back into the US (through MI)on June 5th. We were questioned at the U.S. border for 45 minutes. I guess we need to clean ourselves up. We must look dangerous.

Now we are heading up to Sault Saint Marie and from there we will head to Eagle River, WI where we will start the Grabaawr (week long ride from north WI to the south) on June 20th. We will be biking into Decorah, IA on June 30th!

On the Way to Niagara Falls

2010-06-06T05:23:00.000-07:00

In the northwestern part of New York we found many houses made of cobblestone. They were very beautiful.

We also found more wonderful hospitality. As we arrived in Lewiston, NY, out running the predicted severe thunderstorms, we stopped for directions to the Portage Motel (cheap one in town). The man we asked, Dave Kimball, said, "why don't you come and stay at my house". So, we did. He is quite an adventurer himself and when he was young his parents used to run a "free" hostel because they believed in the importance of travel. What a special family.

Upstate New York

2010-06-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

On May 27th we entered back into the US through New York. We found Upstate New York to be very beautiful with rolling hills and fields. We were very happy the NW winds wouldn't be bothering us for awhile. As we rode through Amish country we stopped at a farm that was selling baked goods. The family brought coffee out for us and we shared stories with the kids for some time as we ate our warm creme filled donuts and chocolate chip cookies. Reminded me of childhood expereinces.

We also found the same friendliness that we have been experiencing up the whole east coast. Jim Mousaw, an Elk member from Potsdam, let us camp in his yard, but...not before a night cap up in his tiki bar that he built right off from his bedroom. Then John from Ace Hardware, also an Elk member, picked us up and took us to breakfast the next morning.

We have been running pretty hard the past few weeks averaging 70-85 miles a day. But, we always take time to see the beauty along the way (flowers and swan).

"Old Quebec"

2010-06-01T10:39:00.001-07:00

We had a great day walking around the city of Quebec. As you can see it is a very old and beautiful french city. Over 90% of the Quebecers(as they call themselves) only speak French. We visited Chateaus, parks, breweries and just enjoyed walking through the narrow and beautiful streets and watching the boats. A visit to Quebec must include a picnic of french bread, brie cheese and red wine. Quite a day.

2010-06-01T09:56:00.000-07:00

Bonjour! The Wonderful French Canadian Hospitality!

2010-06-01T09:06:00.001-07:00

We had a tiring ride to Quebec as we were facing daily headwinds, heat and long distances. Our reprieve from the wind was eating lunch behind some dumpsters.

We found the French Canadians to be very friendly. We passed one lady, Bridget, walking her bike with a flat tire. Ward fixed her tire and she was so grateful that, through the use of charades, she invited us to her house for dinner and to sleep. Unfortunately, we needed to get farther down the road and had to decline.

In route to Quebec we met another local cyclist, Jean-Luc, that invited us to stay at his house for 2 nights while we toured Quebec City. He lives right next to "Old Quebec" which made it very convenient for touring.

To get to Quebec City from Levis, we took the local ferry. We were amazed at how many bikers were on the ferry. Ward noticed a biker with a bike problem and had to lend a hand. We also met a young couple on the ferry that took interest in our trip. Who would have thought that we would end up running into them the next day on the street and enjoy more conversation and drinks together.

Back into Maine on our way to Quebec

2010-06-01T08:37:00.001-07:00

We were anxious to get our budget back on track and re-enter the US. We had wanted to camp but the campgrounds were not open yet. We found that the Elks Lodges come to our rescue. The Elks Lodge in Houlton, which is still all men members, welcomed us in. They were having a grill out that evening and they fed us a fantastic chicken dinner. Then Donald Dunn took us in for the night and gave us a comfy bed to sleep in.

In the northeast they don't have bowling like we know it. They have candlestick bowling which entails a smaller ball and smaller pins. They say a score of 100 is good!

Its also interesting to see the signs showing when these cities were established.

Before entering back into Canada on our way to Quebec, we were stopped on the road by a TV crew and interviewed. It was funny because locals would yell to us on the road that they saw us on TV and wish us good luck!

Maine was very good to us!!

New Brunswick, Canada

2010-06-01T07:28:00.000-07:00

From Maine we headed up to Frederickton in New Brunswick, Canada to see Stacey Mclean. She is a friend that we met while we were in Bolivia. Ward climbed a mountain with her in La Paz.

After a grueling day of fighting strong headwinds, Stacey and Jerry made us a scrumptious dinner of salmon, fiddleheads, roasted potatoes and corn on the cob. The next night we introduced them to German bratwursts. Great time.

While in Frederickton we presented at the Rotary Club and tooled around the city.

Three days was all we could afford in Canada. Its very expensive so we decided to head back into Maine on our way to Quebec.

Maine is an Unbelievably Beautiful

2010-05-26T03:37:00.000-07:00

After leaving Cumberland we were headed to Camden, Maine. Gary and Roberta Walker, a Rotary couple that we met in the Villages in Florida, hosted us and had us present at their West Bay Camden Rotary Club. Its always great fun to share our story with fellow Rotarians. Gary and Roberta gave us a wonderful tour of their city.

Look out lobsters here we come

2010-05-26T02:39:00.000-07:00

We left the history of Boston and went to Cumberland, Maine. Our friend Aaron and his wife, Kristen, live there. Aaron took the train to Boston and he joined us for 2 days of "Budweg" style riding. You know....eating lunch in the park, taking lots of photos of everything and then at night enjoying a local beer. We spent the night in Portsmouth, NH and had a random stranger invite us to his home to stay. He was a cyclist also and he saw our bikes in front of the Rusty Hammer Pub. Super friendly people in New England.

We started our Lobster onslaught when we arrived at Aaron and Kristen's. When in Maine do what the Mainers do. EAT LOBSTER!!!!! It was only $4.99 per pound and scallops and shrimp were the same. Jacky really loves seafood as I do also. Great to spend time with Aaron and Kristen.

The Boston Connection

2010-05-25T17:24:00.000-07:00

Our ride into Boston was long and the traffic was a bit chaotic. We were pushing our global positioning tracker and Jacky's cousin, Lisa, was following us. I guess we were heading through the rough part of Boston. They told us if we did not arrive they were going to send out the search team. A week visiting Lisa and Wayne included many walks around Boston and along the freedom trail...Fenway Park, Old Ironsides, Paul Revere's house, and the Boston Garden. We took in the tour of North Boston and the coastal communities for a look at the good life. Oh yes the Marines were in town for the week and we felt very secure.

Wayne is pretending that he is "living the dream".

Rock climbing in Connecticut

2010-05-25T16:57:00.000-07:00

My first time rock climbing. Again a new adventure. Scott and Missy took me to new heights of fear. Hanging 30 meters above the ground is crazy. I loved it.

Onto Boston

2010-05-25T16:20:00.000-07:00

Leaving New York using Google maps, (bicycle function) took us through Harlem and the Bronx. I told Jacky that if I run a stoplight that she should follow. We were not in harms way but our early morning departure helped with the security.

As we headed into Connecticut we were seeing the nice homes of the New Yorkers that commuted into the city. Our next stop was to see Scott and Missy in Canterbury, CT. This was the 3rd time that we have seen them on our trip. I went rock climbing while Jacky worked at their house. Two nights with Scott and Missy seemed very comfortable. We felt right at home. Connecticut has lots of stone fences and the houses have the New England style. We only rode 20 miles in Rhode Island. It was not much different than Connecticut or Massachusetts.

New York is the Big Apple

2010-05-14T05:30:00.000-07:00

Arriving in New York and seeing it by bicycle is really cool. Mark had been here before on bicycle and he was our guide.New York has put in many bike lanes and has many bike paths. Most noticeably were the signs that said a $350 fine for honking. We did not have the annoyance of an eager taxi driver bearing down on us. We visited the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, Central Park, Grand Central station, Wall Street, Ellis Island. We also saw all the famous bridges of New York, the Empire State Building. Our whistles were wet at McSorley's, the oldest ale house in New York. We road the subway and felt very comfortable getting around the city both by bike and subway.

We had the goal of getting seen on the Today show and we were seen 3 times by our loyal fans back in Iowa.

New Jersey to New York

2010-05-14T05:20:00.000-07:00

Having our friend Mark as our on road travel guide was great. We left Pennsylvania and headed to Mark's home in Princeton, NJ. Crazy as it might sound Mark likes beer also, We shared a Blatz together. Mark also joined us in New York for the day.

A little more of Eastern Pennsylvania

2010-05-14T05:09:00.000-07:00

We knew when it was wash day as the clothes were hung out in the wind. Also the road had horseshoe hazards. An Amish horse for sure.

Our friend Mark joined us in King of Prussia and road us through Philadelphia. Rocky Balboa was there to greet us.

On to the Mason Dixon Line

2010-05-14T04:46:00.001-07:00

We left Ashburn, Va in the rain. Not a heavy rain, but after 4 hours of riding we were very cold and very wet. We had made into Maryland and spent the night in Frederick. Maryland had nice rolling hills and beautiful style colonial houses, but the roads were very narrow and not easy to ride.

We entered Pennsylvania and crossed the Mason Dixon Line. The line that now classified everyone north of it as a Yankee. This was the line of Demarcation. A nights stay in Lancaster with some warm shower hosts. Janet and Kevin were very kind and had done some serious touring on bicycles in the past and will do again in the future. Traveling through eastern Pennsylvania we south the Amish part of Pennsylvania. This Amish community was a lot different than our Canton, Minnesota community. I found the barns were very different and I was trying to figure out why so many windows were in the barn.

The Potomac Green

2010-05-04T06:30:00.000-07:00

The Potomac Green was magically fun.

Virginia Time

2010-05-03T09:31:00.000-07:00

As we headed into Virginia we had many opportunities to see the early makings of America. A visit to Jamestown had us thinking of the struggles that people encountered has they came to a new land. The houses and landscape were very distinctive and we could tell of the colonial influences.

We were graciously hosted by Rotarian Doug and Grace Boyce and also hosted by a Warm Shower member Bill Cummins. I was also able to present at the Franklin VA Rotary club.

Our goal in Virginia was to stop in Washington D.C., but on a more important note I wanted to see my sister Greta and her partner Susan. Greta and Susan made us feel like we were home. We were busied with house chores and projects. I just loved it. We were invited over to many of their neighbors for coffee or dinner or a late afternoon cocktail.

Susan and Greta had us at the pool and going to Leesburg for the flower expo. I was line dancing with Greta and just enjoying our time together. Some of the neighbors also had little projects to do. Ceiling fans were installed, bikes were fixed, and closet and screen doors were installed. I was in heaven.

Washington DC

2010-04-30T11:57:00.001-07:00

It was quite scary biking on Hwy 1 into Washington DC. The road didn't have a shoulder which forced us to bike out in the lane. It can be a little harry when you're traveling at 13mph and cars buzz by you at 65mph. Once we entered the city we were able to bike on the city bike path which brought us right to Union Station.

We biked around the Memorials and Monuments. Its so breath taking. We were even able to have lunch on the Capitol's lawn.

Ward was thrilled to be able to speak at the Capitol Hill's Rotary Club.

Welcome to North Carolina

2010-04-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

On April 2 we entered North Carolina. The terrain continued to provide us with some ups and downs. We were using google to map our route. The new bicycle option that it offers left us at the end of dead end roads, and guided us through pastures, dirt roads and even streams. We opted to go back to the standard maps.

We found liver and gizzards to be a cultural food in North Carolina. Not a delicacy in our eyes.

We had some really fun home stays. We stayed with Jerome and Cheryl Smith. They are friends of ours and have done Ragbrai with us in the past. Ward was in heaven with Jerome's home brew. (Keep your eye out for "Wardweiser" beer.) Ken and Marsha are a couple that we met cycling while we were in Florida. What fun it was to meet up at their homes again.

bike ride video

2010-04-27T08:22:00.000-07:00

South Carolina photo with Kathy

2010-04-27T08:06:00.000-07:00

More photos of bike ride.

Heading to Anderson South Carolina

2010-04-27T07:39:00.000-07:00

We left Georgia and headed to Anderson S.C.. Kathy Friedl Krob,(Sara Putnam's sister) showed a great time in the Anderson. We rode bikes with her bike club. A real highlight was to give a presentation to some of her students. She works with children that are from broken homes and need alot of extra TLC. We were invited to have mac and cheese at one students Grandma's.

Kathy even let me have some mental therapy. I cleaned gutters, mowed lawn and fixed her bikes and did some plumbing in her spare bathroom.

We were really treated to landmark event. I had gizzards a plenty at the Beacon Restaurant in Spartanburg.

We were also able to meet Kathy's close friend John.

The weather warms and we head north.

2010-04-27T07:32:00.000-07:00

We are on a fast schedule to reach many of our planned stops. Leaving Florida we headed in Georgia. It starts to get a little hilly compared to Florida. We were treated to a true southern breakfast on chees grits, bacon and eggs at the campground in Waycross.

We had a Great Time in Summerfield, Florida...Now it is Time to Leave (March 22)

2010-04-04T19:45:00.000-07:00

What a great 2 months hanging out in Florida...even if it was cold!

We had such a good time integrating with the locals and snowbirds, and having friends come and stay with us. One of the most desirable factors of being stationary for a period of time is to have some normalcy and to experience a sense of community.

Ward had a great time working at Greenway Bicycles. It was such good therapy for him and the owners, Dan and Jessica, made him feel right at home. They actually incorporated in some of his crazy ideas. (see photo: wood delivery on a bike)

We continued to work on the house that we were staying in and completed most of the projects. Our biggest accomplishment was running the squirrels out of the house. We felt like Bill Murray in Caddy Shack.

2010-04-04T19:23:00.000-07:00

Missy and Scott (Snappy) had cycled down part of the West Coast with us. We met them at a campground in northern California. They make fun of all the stuff that we carry BUT they are pulling their dog in a trailer! They ended their trip in October but decided to get back out on the road and, they too, came to Summerfield. It is so much fun to meet up with these folks again. Kindred spirits.

Adam Biel was a bicyclist that we met when we were crossing from Alaska into the Yukon. He was riding with his friend to raise money and awareness for Autism. We rode with them for a few days and then parted ways. Ward and I headed down the West Coast and he cut over through Canada to the East Coast. It just happened that he was traveling through the Summerfield area while we were there. We had a great time while he stayed with us.

While in Summerfield we biked with the clyclists from the Villages. After each ride we would stop at Paneras. It was always intersting to see all the golf carts in this gated community. I never knew they had so many different designs.

In the lower picture you will see Carol Brown making fresh juice from her orange trees. Ward and I picked them and then helped with the juicing process. Let me tell you there is nothing like the taste of fresh orange juice.

Further Hosptilaty While We Were in Summerfield, Florida

2010-04-04T14:31:00.000-07:00

We were given exceptional hospitality. I don't think we could have picked a better place than Summerfield (near The Villages)to hang out. Thanks to the locals and snowbirds ... Bud and Barb Mangels, Rita and Joe Barton, Charles and Diane Jacobson, Gordon and Jacquie Ralph, Walter and Gerry Dodds, Linda and the girls, Dick and Carol Brown and to friends that came to visit us...Doug and Sue Burks (Iowa), Adam Biel (Canada, bicycling for Autism) and Missy and Scott (Connecticut and bicyclists)...we enjoyed wonderful dinners and conversation. (Additional hospitalities were mentioned in previous blogs).

Explanation of photos (top to bottom):
- upper left: Jacky's Birthday at Barb and Bud Mangels
- upper right: dinner at Joe and Rita Bartons
- below in chronological order: Doug and Sue Burks , Walt Dodds, the gals (Linda, Ann, Judy and Kathy)

12 Hour Mountain Bike Race in Santos, Florida

2010-02-23T08:56:00.000-08:00

We had a great time last weekend when we attended a 12 hour mountain bike race in Santos, Florida. Santos is where Greenway Bicycles (the shop where Ward is working) is located. Ward worked on and off throughout the weekend while the owners, Dan and Jessica, raced on a 4 person team. The race started with a Lemond start (you had to run to your bikes). All their friends from Orlando came up for it and we all camped at the race site, Friday to Sunday. Their friends accepted us immediately and we had such a great time with them. It reminded us a lot of our friends back home. Michelle and Tommy did all the cooking for the group and, as you can see, it was pretty primitive camping.

Dan let us take some of his mountain bikes out on the trails. They have superb trails that are color coded and offer a fun experience not only to the experts but also to the beginners. The trails certainly wet Jacky's pallet and she is eager to get back into mountain biking. We thank Greenway Bicycles, Dan and Jessica, for this opportunity.

Its Feeling Like "Home Sweet Home"

2010-02-23T08:30:00.000-08:00

Little things have become so special to us like...being able to say, "I'm going home." Or, stopping at a store or pub and they know your name. After 2 1/2 years it is a treat to have an oven and to cook a casserole or a roast. Jacky doesn't even mind cleaning (however, I'm sure that is short lived). Ward has found a part-time job at a bike shop 12 miles away and Jacky is working on updating her dietetic CEUs (that she has neglected for 3 years) so she will be ready to run once we hit ground in Iowa this July. Otherwise, we continue to help fix up the house that we are staying in.

We have been trying to integrate with the locals. We are biking with the local bike club and Ward has joined 2 Rotary Clubs. It was really fun to help with their annual chili cook-off. They have been very good to us and have provided numerous dinner invitations. We have been presenting at schools, Rotary Clubs, bike clubs and hospitals. We don't do it to toot our horn but to show our pictures, give our message, and to let people know just how great the world is.

We're loving our temporary home at this time but we are getting antsy to get back on the road. We plan on leaving Florida on March 22.

Daytona 500 - just when you think it doesn't get any better

2010-02-15T14:15:00.000-08:00

On Friday, Feb. 12th we met up with 4 other friends from Iowa to go to the Daytona 500. Dan Splide(Rotocast) and Eric Clement (Featherlite) needed to be at the race to conduct business and Marc Folkedahl, Lee Hackman and ourselves were the recipients of the great hospitality that they provided. We stayed about 30 miles north of the track in a beautiful ocean side condo. Saturday morning we got up bright and early to get our passes so that we could get right down in the pits next to the drivers and cars. It was unbelievable to be so close to all this action. Once they started the practice runs you had to be very careful. Cars were zooming in and out of the garage area and you didn't want to be in their path.

The National race started at 1:15. Eric lined up a very special treat for us. We got to have a ride in the pace car prior to the start of the race. It was incredible. Going at 120mph on banks as steep as 33 degrees! I can't even imagine the 200mph speeds that the drivers go. We kept saying to each other, "does it get any better than this?" Yes, it does. We didn't have to watch the race from metal seats in the stands. We got to go up into one of the suites and watch it from there! You had a panoramic view of the whole track with complimentary food and drink. Again, totally unbelievable. We had a great time watching the race and enjoying festivities after wards. The following day was the grand daddy of the races, the Daytona 500. The rest of the group could only watch a portion of it since they had to catch flights. Because Ward and I had a flexible schedule, Eric arranged another day up in the suites for us. It was truly an unbelievable weekend. Thanks Dan and Eric for all your extra efforts in making it so.

2010-02-15T09:29:00.000-08:00

Kennedy Space Center

2010-02-10T05:37:00.000-08:00

Being stationed near Orlanda, Florida's family vacation spot, we have been able to meet up with various friends. On Feb. 2 we met up with Kelly Reagan and Craig Chyles along with their families. We spent a day at the Kennedy Space Center. All I can say is, "WOW". It is amazing to see the size of the space shuttles and rockets. One of the highlights was listening to Al Worden, an astronaut from Apollo 15, tell about his trip up into space (pictured with the Chyles). We tried to view the space shuttle launch on Feb. 7. Kelly Reagan actually drove to the Space Center and had a great parking spot 10 miles from the launch pad. He said it was amazing to see it all lit up. The 4:39 am scheduled launch was cancelled at 4:32 am. How disappointing. He was in bumper to bumper traffic and almost missed his 11:00 am flight back to Iowa.

Setting Up A Temporary Home Base

2010-02-07T11:12:00.001-08:00

From Key West we headed back to the Orlando area. We set up a home base for 2 months as we wait for the weather to warm up along the east coast. (We thought Florida would be a warm place to hang out...not! But still warmer than anywhere else.) We are staying in our friend, Carol's, rental house and helping her remodel it. We met Carol in Thailand last year in a hostel. Its amazing how friendships can carry on.

Ward just landed a temporary job at a bike shop and Jacky is still looking. We have tried to integrate ourselves into this retirement community, called The Villages, by joining the local bike club, Rotary Club, and by giving talks to nearby schools. The people are very friendly and have extended many invitations to dinner and other events. We are actually enjoying having a home base and house and a sense of community. We find having a shower, oven/stove, refrigerator and shower is heaven...no matter what condition it is in. Our friends from Madison, WI, Greg Franken and his wife, Judy, were in the area meeting other friends and we were able to meet and have dinner together. Its so fun to get a taste of home.

Photos:
1st: The house that we are staying in for 2 months.
2nd: Ward, Carol and Dick (her husband)in their home.
3rd: Jacky sheet rocking and mudding.
4th: Ward making the cement cover for the sewer.
5th: Greg Franken and his friend having an after dinner drink in the kitchen of the house that we are staying in.

Tribute to Uncle Maury

2010-02-07T10:28:00.000-08:00

On Jan. 23rd we observed the life of Maury Peters, Ward's uncle and godfather. He and his wife, Maria, were very special to us. We were lucky to have spent 5 days with them in San Diego (where they resided) last Oct. as we made our way down the coast of California. After serving 25 years in the Navy he was given a Military funeral. If you never been to one, they are incredibly moving as the flag is presented to the next family member followed by Taps played on the trumpet and a gun salute. It is so special it gives you the chills. Maury chose to be buried in Iowa and family members made the trek from California. So, we did just what Maury would want us to do...we celebrated his life.

To the Most Southern Tip in the Continental U.S.A. - Key West, Florida

2010-01-21T05:43:00.000-08:00

We made it to the tip of the U.S., Key West. It was strange to look over the water and know that Cuba was just 90 miles away. Because touching the four corners of the U.S. is a goal of ours we felt inclined to dip our tires into the ocean. While we were there we enjoyed walking around and hearing the music, both in establishments and also on the streets. Key West is very artsy and many of the artists set up their stands on the harbor. One night we had a clear sky so we took in the sunset. What a magnificant sight that was! We also ran into some very friendly locals. The sailboat pictured is a schooner. This schooner has sailed around the world. We were offered a complimentary sailboat ride but unfortunately the afternoon sail was cancelled and our schedule didn't allow us to go on the sunset sail. I guess we'll have to go back to Key West.

Our Trip Through the Keys of Florida

2010-01-21T05:19:00.000-08:00

Our trip from Key Largo, through the Keys to Key West was an adventure. We were very fortunate to have friends from Sweden come to join us for this leg. (We actually met Ralph and Louise 2.5 years ago. They camped next to us at a campground in Germany.) They were our support from Key Largo to Marathon. It was a luxury to not have to haul our gear. We had a fabulous time with them and even learned their Swedish "toasting" song.

If you know anything about the Keys, you know its 100 miles from one end to the other and it consists of a string of islands connected by many, many bridges. Ralph and Louise had to leave us so we had to haul our gear for the last 50 miles. The weather was cold with 20mph crosswinds. As we tried to ride across these very exposed bridges (one of them was 7 miles long) the wind would get a hold of our bikes and whip us back and forth. We literally had to lean at a 45 degree angle into the wind. I (Jacky) had to get off and walk across 2 of the bridges because the strong winds were blowing me into the traffic. I was very relieved to finally ride into Key West. I was also very happy to make it in time to watch the Green Bay Packer game, even though I had to wear my winter clothes indoor to watch it. Key West is suppose to be warm so no hotel room has heat. The inside of our room was 52 degrees. It made us think of home.

Cycling the Altantic Coast from Orlando to Miami

2010-01-21T04:34:00.000-08:00

On our way to Miami we were side tracked by the sound of music. The country tunes were coming from a little band playing in the courtyard of a resort. It made for a nice relaxing break.

Along our route we cycled along the ocean and saw many beautiful sights, as well as unique ones. How often do you see a "Crocodile Crossing" sign?

All through Florida we have experienced outstanding hospitality. We have stayed with other fellow bicyclists through the "warm showers" organization. It was great to get a warm meal and fun to share stories. But, one unique event occurred when we were sitting on a curb making our sandwich for lunch. A truck pulled up with a woman and man in it. The woman said, "I don't mean to offend you but, would you guys like a shower or a warm bed to sleep in?" Normally we would have snatched that one up as the Florida temps were reaching record lows. However, we already had arrangements made for that evening. Then she gave me her business card and proceeded to say, "if you need anything now or in the future, please call us." Now that is refreshing. It made me ask myself, "would I do that for a stranger?"

Orlando - Champs Bowl game and Sea World with the Putnams

2010-01-21T04:00:00.000-08:00

We had planned on meeting the Putnams in Orlando on Dec. 29th. Coincidently, the UW-Madison Badger football team was going to be playing Miami in the Champs Bowl on that same day! What luck. That is my (Jacky)alamater. When we pedalled into Orlando we immediately went to the Citrus Bowl Stadium to check out the tailgating and activity. Fans were grilling, tossing the football and having a great time. It didn't take us but a minute to join in on the fun. It was so nice to talk to people from "home" and get riled up by the UW-Madison band. The night was topped off with a Wisconsin win.

The next day we spent that day at Sea World with the Putnams. We saw many shows and even went on the Mantra ride. This exhilirating ride, that kept me upside down for much of it, was so frightening that I couldn't even scream. I just shut my eyes and held on. But, the best part of Sea World was spending time with Dale and his kids.

Holiday Season in Florida.

2010-01-21T03:30:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas in Tallahassee, Florida. It was a quiet time for us but we made it special by attending Christmas service and having shrimp cocktail with cheese and crackers topped off with beer and wine. Simple things made it special for us. After taking Christmas Day off we had to high tail it towards Orlando to meet our friends (the Putnams) on Dec. 29th. But first, we had to celebrate New Years Eve. We found a small town with a VFW that let us join in on their fun. Music was sung, toasts were said and friendships were made. 2010 started off on a good note.

Louisiana - the "Big Easy"

2009-12-21T17:25:00.000-08:00

Heading west enabled us to leave the snow that we experienced in New Mexico and Texas, however, we were faced with another challenge...the torrential rains! By Dec. 15, Louisiana had hit the record for the most rain in a month, 22.24 inches, and they still had 15 days of the month to go! We were in Raceland, 40 miles east of New Orleans, and we had to wait out a rain storm that brought down 8 inches of rain during the night and that next morning. (You can see the flooding in the pictures.) Because of the wet conditions our only chance to camp was if we had a raft.

We made it to New Orleans and we were greeted by Ward's cousin, Russ Carll, and his wife, Angela. We stayed in their quaint B&B in the French Quarter, 1 block from Bourbon Street. So, of course they had to show us some N'awlins culture. After enjoying some crawfish bisque and oysters we listened to some fantastic jazz music!

We were also able to learn more about their culture by visiting the grade schools and talking to the children through our Pedaling For Pencils program. We were so impressed with the structure and support that these schools provided to these poverty stricken kids. As a result, you could see the respect that the kids gave the staff. We were also very intrigued that every child knew what year they would be going to college per staff encouragement.

Good Ole Southern Hospitality

2009-12-12T16:54:00.000-08:00

We experienced the Texan Southern Hospitality that you always hear about. Marty and Gary Summerall hosted us one night in Corsicana. They have a beautiful B&B and have had Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman stay there in the past. Marty was originally from Mississippi and put on the southern charm.

We spent 2 nights in Houston with Malte and Courtney Bruegmann. Malte was an exchange student from Germany that stayed with Ward in 1991. They put on the ritz and Malte even took us on our first helicopter ride around Houston. All I can say is...it was incredible.

Paul and Monica Lucas from Bedford were very gracious to put us up for 3 nights and store our bikes and bags as we took a trip to the midwest to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with our families. Paul is also a biker that has cyled across the U.S. in the past and has ridden RAGBRAI (7 day bicycle ride across Iowa) 5 times. He is the Rotary District Governor Elect in that area.

Mark and Eileen Morton from Muleshoe put us up one night and fed us jumbalya and chili that was literally worth $400 a pound. Their passion is to go to other countries and to hunt exotic animals. They bring the meat home to eat, display the hides around the house and mount the heads in their grand room. I felt like I was in a zoo.

Not shown but also wonderful hosts have been Steve and Sandra Burda, and Darrel and Betty Branhagen. We found Steve and Sandra through warm showers (a biker hospitality org). Steve is also an avid cyclist and they were kind enough to watch the Packer/Dallas game that Sunday afternoon. Sorry Steve, the Packers won!

We knew Darrel and Betty from the RAGBRAI. They had gone with us (Decorah Bicycles) many years and Darrel is originally from Decorah. They invited their bicycle club over to their house that tonight and we had a fun talk with all of them.

Thanks Texas for showing us what you are made of.

Oil wells, cotton fields and windmills. Where's Waylon, Willie and the boys?

2009-11-17T13:39:00.000-08:00

As we cycled down into the lower elevations we entered warmer and more humid climates. We welcomed them. However, along our route we encountered many shredded tires on the shoulder of the road. Not so bad in a car but your demon on a bike. The tiny wires were the cause of many flats and frustration! Also, campgrounds were difficult to find so free camping was frequently our only option which meant days without a shower (4 days at one point). Towns were far apart so lunch tended to be anywhere you could find a descent place out of the wind and away from the goat heads (tiny thorns).

It was easy to figure out what state you were in. Not necessarily by the southern drawl or the cowboys with their pickups. Nor by traveling through the home towns of Waylon Jennings (Littlefield) and Buddy Holly. But, by the vast fields of wheat and cotton interspersed with oil rigs and windmills. And, don't forget that hometown southern cooking. Yes, we are in Texas.

I Thought New Mexico was Suppose to Be Warm!

2009-11-05T09:56:00.000-08:00

Silly us. We assumed New Mexico was going to be warm just because it was in the South. We forgot to consider elevation. Boy were we in for a surprise as we had to wait out a 2 day winter storm. We ended up biking in 20-30 degree weather before it warmed up again. It also helped that we took a turn South.

More Great Grand Canyon Pics.

2009-11-04T15:33:00.000-08:00

We have so many great Grand Canyon photos. We can only show you a few on the blog but please go to our photo gallery where you will see a story.

Photos: (They did not download in the order that I had wanted them to. Down scroll and start with the last picture. I am explaining them from the last photo to the first.)

(Last to first)
#5. We are heading out on our hike down the South Kaibob Trail to the canyon floor.
#4. Harry Lum asking if we could please pick him up on the way up the trail in 2 days.
#3. We made it to the bottom of the canyon and we are setting up camp at the Bight Angel Campground. We will stay here for 2 nights.
#2. We met the caravan of mules that came down the canyon that morning to deliver goods to the Phanton Ranch.
#1. We did a 12 mile hike on the canyon floor to the Ribbons Waterfall which is shown in the previous blog.

more photos from Los Angeles to Grand Canyon

2009-10-19T13:05:00.001-07:00

From Los Angeles to the Grand Canyon

2009-10-19T12:11:00.000-07:00

Our Pacific coast ride was great as we met many other cyclists doing some of the same route as us. Nick was super kind to get us through Los Angeles without any problems and then we were invited to stay at his home. Also, Mary Dillon joined for 3 days along the ride. We met her in Peru last year.

A bicycle ride through the United State Marine Corps Camp Pendleton, was very nice as we new that our son, Ross, was in the final preparations for his Iraq/Afghanistan deployment.

A few nights of rest at Aunt Maria's and Uncle Maury's was good for our spirits. We even took in a Padres Game with my cousins, Linda and Caesar.

The route to Phoenix was very close to a very busy border with Mexico. The Border Patrol seemed to be working constantly to keep the illegals from entering. The border fence was very close and quite impressive. Sort of like the Great Wall of China.

Seeing my Godmother, Lorraine, was a real treat in Phoenix. We also enjoyed staying with Jacky's cousin, Judi.

Our next stop was the Grand Canyon. Kay and Harry, Denise and Anna Marie joined us for 30 miles of hiking (with packs) into and out of the Canyon, as well as to the Ribbons Waterfall on the Canyon floor. We camped at the bottom for 2 nights. Sore muscles and toes are being mended before we head for New Mexico.

coastal travel

2009-09-04T16:18:00.000-07:00

a few photos along the coast

Golden Gate Bridge

2009-09-04T11:11:00.001-07:00

After crossing the Golden Gate Bridge with fellow cyclists Snappy and Missy and Buckaroo.

Vancouver to San Fransisco

2009-09-04T10:53:00.000-07:00

Making it to Vancouver was a real treat. David and Alice treated us like royalty. Meat and vegetables were only outdone by platters of sushi. A great walk up Grouse Mountain and we were tested for climbing fitness.

Entering in Washington was a real treat because food prices came down drastically. We are now eating fruit and vegetables.

We have cycled the coast of Washington, Oregon and now California. Highway 101 or highway 1.

Camping at the hiker/biker sites has helped us meet many other cyclists doing some of the same things we are doing. The redwood trees of California are unbelievable. Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge was a another goal achieved.

We Survived the Bears, Now we Have to Survive the Fires

2009-08-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

After 9 bear encounters (while bicycling) we thought we were in the clear. What laid around the corner?? Forest Fires! One day there were 700+ forest fires burning. Our planned route soon had closed roads and evacuated towns. The ash in the air gave you headaches and sore throats. We were forced to change our route from Whistler to the Fraser Canyon.

The canyon itself was quite a sight to see. Initially it was a desert with temps of 106 degrees. After 75 miles it changed to a rain forest. We welcomed the cooler temps. After the canyon we met some friends and went to Vancouver to their home. They were bound and determined to spoil us and they did. Alice and Dave made Vancouver very memorable with one last hurrah before we ended our foreign travel.

Mile Post 0 of the Alaskan Highway

2009-07-29T11:12:00.000-07:00

We've finally hit Mile Post 0 of the Alaskan Highway in Dawson Creek. We have cycled 1650 miles from Anchorage in 30 days and still have 650 miles before we reach Vancouver! This is a big, vast country! We are ready to hit more populated areas where food and water are more dependable.

The terrain is beautiful but after seeing it day after day for 7-8 hours on the bike (70-90+ miles a day), it is starting to become monotonous. The Canadian Mountains and the heat (which is now reaching 100+ degrees) are challenging. It is definitly toughening us up. All in all we are really enjoying it and loving all the friendly people that we are meeting along the way.

Photos of: sunset in northern BC, Ward catching fish for supper, sign for chains on tires (never a good sign for cyclists) and the Mile Post 0 sign.

Bison and Moose and Bears, Oh my! Bison and....

2009-07-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

Little did we know what was in store for us as we entered the Canadian Rockies. Not only did the terrain change from flat and rolling hills to steep grades, summits and sections of gravel but the wildlife changed as well. In a 2 day period we had 3 different encounters with bear, woke up to a moose in the pond right next to our tent, saw many dahl sheep, played "chicken" with a caribou and passed by many bison right on the side of the road. Do you know how big and intimidating they can be when they are only 10 feet away?

Some things that did not change were the miles of nothing, the many stores and lodges that were closed because of economic times, the wild camping, the cycling 7 hours a day (65-90 miles), the duration of 4-5 days without a shower, the diet of rice and pasta and...of course, the GIANT MOSQUITOES!!!! When we do come to a town we tend to take the day off to hopefully internet, do laundry, resupply our food, enjoy some civilization and mentally prepare for the next leg.

Biking in the Yukon

2009-07-11T13:08:00.001-07:00

I knew we were in for very desolate wilderness but I was surprised at how beautiful the landscape was. The dark green pines standing tall in front of the snow capped mountains were phenominal. It was just as pretty as Denali Park.

Along the way we saw many moose, a fox, wild horses and we even had a black bear cross the road right in front of us. Because we had to bike stretches of 400 miles without a town, we had to carry all of our food with us. We tended to free camp in the forest and a real shower was a luxury. Otherwise, in desparation we would wash up in a nearby ice cold lake.

We ran into 2 younger guys that are biking down to the tip of South America. They are raising money for Autism. We also met up with an English guy who started biking in Prudhoe Bay. We biked together for a few days. The additional company helped the miles go by faster and also increased our safety level.

We are in Whitehorse at this time and we're enjoying a day off of the bike in real civilization. Tomorrow we hit the road again.

Alaska gets an "A" rating for hospitality

2009-07-11T12:49:00.000-07:00

Alaska has totally overwhelmed us by the hospitality that has been offered to us. Because of the vast wilderness, lack of roads, harsh winters and generally hard living...the Alaskan people really depend on each other. Nina, a fellow Rotarian provided us with all the necessary fishing gear that we would need and had us over twice for dinner. The halibut and king crab were a specialty. We were also invited to outdoor barbecues while we were standing in line at the grocery store and had numerous home stay invitations. One invitation was just too good to pass up. We stopped at the Midway Service Station to have a rest and take a break for lunch. Before we knew it the owner had arranged for us to stay in a refurbished bus behind his station, he had 2 fisherman take Ward out fishing, grilled cod and halibut for supper and asked us to help him deplete his supply of beer. He would not take any payment. He said, "this is what we do in Alaska." WOW! Hats off Alaskans. You are some really cool dudes.

Fishing in Alaska with John and Molly

2009-06-29T15:22:00.000-07:00

We were to do some fishing. Our son John and his wife Molly joined us for 5 days of marathon fishing. We fished the Russian River for Red Salmon and then the waters off Homer for Halibut. We clammed at the Clam Gulch. Great fun and 160 pounds of fish sent back to Decorah. It was a great time to be with John and Molly. Great memories. Now to Canada.

A Day with the Bears - Denali Park

2009-06-20T22:22:00.000-07:00

Alaska Adventure - Chapter 2. After the Arctic Circle ride Jeff and Joanne had to leave while the rest of us continued our excursion up to Denali Park. (No bikes for this portion.)

We took the camper bus back to Wonder Lake, a 5 hour ride. Along the way we saw a mother grizzly and her cub come running up toward us from afar. We all sat silently and motionless as we watched both bears walk right between 2 vehicles parked next to us and then cross the road. Wow! Can it get better than this????

We drove further down the very narrow, windy road up along the mountain. We stopped at Eilson Visitor's Center and witnessed Mt. McKinley unveil itself right before our eyes. 1 out of 5 days of the month the mountain can be seen. It makes its own weather.

After Wonder Lake (which is a mosquito haven) we jumped on a bus to take us back. The mountain no longer could be seen. However, we did see many moose, caribou, dahl sheep, and wolves. We also saw 5 more grizzlies. Two were from afar but the other 3 were 2 cubs and a mother. They were smack dab in the middle of the road. The mother was content on eating while the 2 cubs wrestled on and on. Yes, it did get better.

Along the way we would get off of the bus and do our own hikes.

It was a spectacular trip. Wow, we feel so lucky!

Alaska - Arctic Circle Ride

2009-06-20T21:26:00.000-07:00

Its great to be back in the United States!
We always appreciated the United States but, after experiencing 47 countries, we feel extremely lucky to live here! We should all be proud.

we landed on American soil on June 7th. This was the start of quite a magnificant adventure...the ride to the Arctic C1rcle. Six cyclist friends from the midwest met us in Fairbanks. (cyclists: Paul and Kelsey Scanlon, Mark Pernitz, Frank Pollari, Joanne Snow and Jeff Freidhoff ) That day we started the adventure north with Jacky driving a 30ft motorhome.

We heard many horror stories about the Dalton Hwy...loose gravel, mud, many semis, grizzlies, mountain passes, an unbearable amount of mosquitos and black flies, etc. Much to our surprise, the gravel was not that bad, the semis were very curteous and slowed way down, we didn't have to use the revolver or shotgun and we didn't run into black flies (until we hit the way north). What they were dead right about was the extremely hilly terrain and the amount of mosquitos. Many of us had huge welts covering all parts of our bodies. We all learned the mosquito dance.

Ward's dream was reached when we hit the Arctic Circle on June 11th. From there we continued up to Coldfoot to visit the most northern bar in North America.

During this trip Ward caught 5 fish which made a fantastic supper one night, we went to a natural hot springs, told a ton of lies, watched the sun that never set, biked 356 miles and managed to all stay sane and get along. That is quite an accomplishment when you have 8 people living in a 30ft motorhome for 7 days.

Great trip!

Dodging missiles in South Korea

2009-06-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

After our adventure in Mongolia, we re-entered China for another week before taking the ferry to South Korea. This was not without incident. Two days prior to departing China we were kicked out of our hotel by the police. They only allow foreigners to stay in certain hotels in certain cities. These hotels have to report their foreign guests each night to the police. This is how they keep track of where you are at all times. Luckily, the policeman made an exception and let us stay with a local that night because it was already late but he was at our door at 7:00am making sure we left the city immediately...he wanted money and wanted us to bribe him. (Please see our egroups on China for many, many more details on Communistic beauracracy. Email us if you cannot obtain them and we will send them to you.)

On May 29th we entered South Korea only to learn about the "testing of missiles" by the North Koreans. Oooh, is this bad timing? Luckily, nothing transpired but it was unnerving.

While in South Korea we did a 6 day loop. This gave us the opportunity to experience small villages in addition to the cities. We were pleasantly surprised by the kindness of the people and by how clean the country is. While we were there we did do a trip to the DMZ between North and South Korea. It was pretty neat but very strange.

Other than the prices being quite a bit higher than what we were used to, we loved everything about this country!

Description of photos (not necessarily in this order):
- jumping rope tournament (Sunday family festivities are valued)
- manicured landscape, beautiful flowers
- DMZ, Ward and I are trying to help rejoin North and South Korea
- a typical Korean dining experience. The hot coals are in the center of the table
and the silver vent hanging from the ceiling helps to suck air and expediate the
heat and coals
- they place a high value on health. Many parks had free exercise equipment and
people were using them

Jeep Adventure in Mongolia

2009-06-19T21:21:00.000-07:00

Since we could not move north until Jacky had her passport in hand, we were behind schedule which placed a concern with our visa expiration date. So, to rectify this problem we decided to head up to Mongolia. Why not, it is so close and when else would we go to Mongolia?! This way we could re-enter China for another 60 days if we chose to. We had to go by train because it was still quite far away. In fact, it was a 30 hour train ride one-way.

We had planned on biking but soon found out that the only roads that existed were in the cities. We had to take a jeep tour to be able to see anything. 4 of us (plus driver) traveled through pastures with pathways that resembled cow paths. Most drivers picked their own path... weaving around boulders, driving through rivers, etc. We had wild horses, sheep, and yaks that we constantly had to watch out for. I thought I was on a National Geographic program.

We stayed in gers which is the type of housing style that the nomadic people live in. They provided us supper, a nice place to sleep and breakfast for $3/each. We ate alot of mutton and cultural foods. Fantastic! Much better than the Hilton! We also went horse back riding along with the nomads. We had such a fantastic time.

Description of pictures (not necessarily in the right order):
- the only road sign we saw in the pastures after leaving the city
- Ward getting ready to bathe in the ice cold river (actually we all did).
- crossing the water in the jeep
- the type of housing (gers) that we stayed in.
- our friends horse back riding (we also did it).

Pictures of the Great Wall

2009-06-01T07:26:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the Great Wall.

Beijing, the beautiful Capitol city.

2009-06-01T06:51:00.000-07:00

We spent a week or so in Beijing touring the capitol city. We saw the Olympic Stadium, Forbidden city, Tiananmen Square, Llama Temple, and of course...the Great Wall. All the sites were magnificant but the Great Wall was unbelievable. The remote, unbuilt portion that we hiked only brought about 20 tourists our way over the course of 4 hours.

Beijing is a crowded, vibrant city that not only has its tourist restaurants but also its back streets food stands. We frequented our favorite stands daily which normally included some sort of dumpling.

Many of the Beijing roads were very wide or had bike lanes so biking, in that sense, was easy. However, the challenging part came with the traffic laws. Do you obey them....or not, like the rest of the drivers, bikers, walkers, etc.? We quickly learned that you had to bike like "no one sees you"!

Pictures from Hangzhou and Suzhou

2009-06-01T04:21:00.000-07:00

These are pictures from Hangzhou and Suzhou. Some of them were taken by a friend of ours that took better pictures than us. The bikers were from China and they were the only bikers that we have met since Vietnam, 2 months ago.

Onward to Shanghai

2009-06-01T03:13:00.000-07:00

After hiking in the Yellow Mountains (which Ward forgot to mention that we were chased down the hiking path by a bunch of hissing, lunging baboons), we headed into Shanghai. Shanghai's economic development was fascinating. Its amazing how within 10 years they have changed the Bund region from rice paddies to a magnificant show of high rise buildings that put on quite a light show at night. Their vision is to be the world's financial center by 2020.

We were told it would take 2 weeks for my (Jacky's) new passport to get processed (the other one fell apart). During this time we did a loop to Hangzhou and Suzhou, both are Chinese tourist spots with the latter being called, "China's Venice". We returned to Shanghai, toured the city and stayed at the Captan's Hostel.

The Captain's Hostel was a great place to hang out. It had its transient travelers but also its longtermers. Many people stayed there while they taught English or just tried to figure out what direction to go next in their life. It was a magical place and one where we met many long time friends. We've often said that we should start a sitcom, "Captain's Hostel" where only 50% of what you say has to be true. After being away for 2 years it was a welcoming experience.

Notice Ward and our friend Jonathon singing karaoke. My harmonica playing on the street corners wasn't bringing in any money so Ward decided to try his hand at singing. Some call it Chinese torture. We're still eating Ramen noodles.

After seeing the Chinese fellow hauling a refrigerator on his bike, Ward has come up with some new "go green" business ideas. I'm scared to find out what they are.

Now off to Beijing!

What town are we in?

2009-04-28T05:22:00.000-07:00

We entered China on the 24th of March and things got even more difficult than any other part of Asia. The language has been throwing us for a loop. Our map is in Chinese and many days we have to ask what town are we in?

The food is good, but we have only pointed at it and have yet to order something by name. The dialect changes about every 60 miles, so we are struggling to stay ahead of the language changes.

We took a few days off the bike and climbed Yellow Mountain. If was all steps and after 7 hours of climbing we were really exhausted. Our legs took a few days to recover. Jacky thought I was the drill Sargeant as I made her ride everyday afterwards. Jacky is still smiling though.

We also rode through tons and tons of tea country. Coffee is out and tea is in.

Halong Bay and Hue Vietnam

2009-04-01T22:21:00.000-07:00

During our time in Hanoi Jacky took to the street selling fruit. I think she will be a natural in Hanoi. We also met up with Duyen. He spent 6 years in the USA studying and had lived with some of our cycling friends during that time.

Halong Bay was amazing and mystical. I have never seen landscape like this before. We also toured a huge cave during our overnight cruise.

We have now entered Vietnam

2009-03-18T21:50:00.000-07:00

March 7th we entered our 42 country. A rainy crossing of the border on a very muddy road makes it memorable. Vietnam is different as compared to Laos. The people are more outward and so quiet and laid back. We met up with a German that we had met 2 weeks earlier. He joined us as we headed for Hue.

Our goal in Hue was to visit the school and orphanage that Jacky's cousin Phil and Hung sponsor. Great to see the work that is done.

Threee young men who had been at the orphanage gave a superb tour of Hue.

It was fun to spend the day with them.

Passing through the Secret War

2009-03-18T21:33:00.000-07:00

As we travelled in eastern Laos we noticed alot of bomb shells along the way. The area was heavily bombed during the Vietnam war and Laos was not even involved in the war. We saw the bomb squad locating unexploded bombs in the fields. We did not even go off the road to answer the call of nature for fear that the metal of our bicycle cleats would explode a bomb.

Kids have grown up with bomb casings around them their entire lives.

Big Cities and Small Villages in Laos

2009-03-18T01:05:00.000-07:00

As we biked through Laos we experienced both the bigger touristy cities like Ventiene, Vang Viene, Luang Prabang, and Phosavan as well as the very small villages that only had one sketchy guesthouse.

While in the bigger cities we would stock up on supplies and food. Bread, cheese and peanut butter are pretty scarce as well as deodorant, etc. We would also try to use the ATM and obtain as much money as we thought we would need until we got to the next large city with an ATM. When we reached Luang Prabang, which is the largest tourist city in Laos, we were sure they would have an ATM. They had 4 actually but none of them had been working for the past 4 days. Tourists were lined up trying to get any kind of money since they also found themselves in a pickle. We traded in the US dollars that we had. That bought us a little time but they had no idea how long the ATMs would be down. We couldn't leave the city without money because the next ATM might not be until we reached Vietnam since we were crossing over the northern Laos mountains on bicycle. We downgraded our hotel and ate rice and bread. We were ready to sleep on a tarp if we had to. After a total of 7 days being down the ATMs finally worked. Hurray! We can now head down the road.

We did visit Don Det Island in southern Cambodia. Everyone said you had to go see it so we went and stayed for 2 nights. Again, we stayed in bungalows but this island was like a little village. Our bungalow was only $3.00 total a night. Food was just as cheap. We met alot of other travelers on the island and had a nice relaxing time.

Photo with the girl eating at the table: the clay pot is full of hot coals and sitting in a hole in the middle of the table. You cook your food yourself over the pan that sits on top of the clay pot. This is very traditional way of eating.

Other typical grilled street foods were rat, snake and dog.

Hot and Humid Days Ahead in Laos

2009-03-18T00:42:00.000-07:00

We had gotten used to the 100+ degrees that we had in Cambodia. But, in Laos it was a whole different ball game. Not only did we have extreme heat, we had extreme humidity. This caused us to change our routine and be on the bikes between 6:00-7:00am with hopes of being in the overnight town early afternoon to beat the real intense sun. Drinking 4-6 liters of water (each) per day was not enough to keep us hydrated.

We didn't know what to expect from Laos. What we found was a Communist country that opened up its borders to tourists over the last 10-15 years and has the foresight to see how valuable tourism is for their economy. The people are genuinely kind and courteous and very willing to help you if you have a question. Laos is a very poor country but you feel safe. They don't want any bad press so they have strict laws against asaulting, etc a tourist.

It is a very bicycle friendly country with wide roads and very few cars. Many days we were forced to bike 130-160km to get to a town that had a place to sleep. We don't have a tent with us at this time, but, that wasn't really an option anyways as we did not want to camp in fields for fear of setting off a cluster bomb.

Yes, the war is real here.

A Small Cultural Spattering: View our Photo Gallery and Egroups to learn more about Cambodia

2009-03-18T00:21:00.000-07:00

These pictures are just a very small spattering of what we all encountered in Cambodia. A brief explanation of each is as follows:

1) Live ducks are hanging upside down from the scooter. They are going to the market.

2) They sell petro for the scooters in these old pop bottles.

3) Road hazards come in all forms...even water buffalo.

4) Typical scaffolding made out of bamboo. I don't think I would climb upon it.

5) Most villages didnot have electricity. They had coolers vs. refrigerators. A truck would deliver ice to the people.

We had such a fantastic and cultural experience in Cambodia that I cannot include all the stories and pictures in the blog. Please see our photo gallery and egroup write-ups for more information.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia - the Killing Fields

2009-03-18T00:07:00.000-07:00

Ward and I biked up to Phnom Penh where we waited to obtain our Laos visas for 2 days. While we were there we visited "the Killing Fields" and "Toul Sleng" also known as "SR 21".

The Killing Fields is a place where more than 17,000 civilians were killed and buried in mass graves. Many of them were transported here after detention and torture in Toul Sleng. This place is a reminder of the brutalities of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime. In the center of the area is a 17 story glass stupa which contains 8000 skulls exhumed from mass graves.

Its mind boggling to think that these things occured during our lifetime.

Beaches of Cambodia...time for some R&R

2009-03-17T23:40:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Sihanoukville, which is a beach town in southeastern Cambodia. As soon as we got settled in our hotel rooms we hit the beach. Time for some beach action which included beer/wine, music, ocean breeze, sunset and sand everywhere.

The next morning we took a small boat to Bamboo Island where we spent the night. Currently this island is very basic with some rustic bungalows, a few food stands, and electricity that only comes on between the hours of 5:00pm and 11:00pm. We feel very fortunate to have been able to enjoy this island in this state. The island has been purchased by foreigners and the construction of 5 star resorts is scheduled to start this coming May.

While on the island we had no option but to lay in our hammocks and relax. Ward actually did okay with this. We also passed the time by reading, swimming, walking around the island and taking a sunset fishing cruise. The little restaurant on the island was out of fish so they told us whatever we caught would be on the menu. Needless to say...we didn't eat fish for supper. Instead, we had rice. Imagine that. We did have a great time on the fishing cruise. Instead of reeling in the fish we were singing to Frank's harmonica.

We returned to the mainland the following day. Bad luck hit us. Ward got sick, then Frank and then Anna Marie. By the time all 3 had recovered 5 days had slipped by and now Frank and Anna Marie had a tight schedule. We ended up parting ways as they took planes, trains and automobiles to get to Hanoi, Vietnam and Ward and I headed north through Cambodia on our bikes.

Cambodia - Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom (Seim Reap)

2009-03-17T23:03:00.000-07:00

On our way to the southern beach we stopped in Seim Reap to see Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. They are as astonishing as we were told.

Here is a little history about them from wikipedia. You can do further research on your own if you would like.

"Angkor Wat (or Angkor Vat), is a temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia, built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation—first Hindu, dedicated to Vishnu, then Buddhist. The temple is the epitome of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors."

Angkor Thom was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire. It was established in the late twelfth century by king Jayavarman VII."

These were the mecca of Wats.

The Canadians are coming, the Canadians are coming.

2009-03-17T20:14:00.000-07:00

On January 20th, Frank Pollari and Anna Marie from ThunderBay, Canada joined us for 3 weeks of bicycling and touring through Asia. This was Anna Marie's first bicycle adventure and she was psyched. What she wasn't prepared for was the toll that 5 hours on a bicycle seat takes on your bum when you are not wearing bike shorts. Through it all she was a good sport.

We biked through Thailand to Cambodia. We endured temperatures up to 108 degrees F and direct intense sun. The heat was bad enough for Ward and I but we have been in warm weather for quite some time now. These poor northerners came from temperatures of 40 below F. Yes, quite a shock to their system. Adjusting to these new conditions involved many Fanta (orange soda) stops and Thai and Cambodia massages. $5.00 US for 1-2 hours.

Once we hit Cambodia they were anxious to reach the Cambodian beach so we jumped on a bus and high tailed it to southeast Cambodia. (Bus picture above is of the beautiful buses in Thailand.)

Welcome to Asia and its Challenges

2009-03-17T19:51:00.000-07:00

On January 16, 2009 we flew to Bangkok, Thailand. We were looking forward to the challenges that a new language brings but we plum forgot about their different alphabet. Not only do we typically struggle to learn the necessary words of a country but we also battle through trying to phonetically pronounce them in any recognizable way. However, Thailand's beautiful ornamental alphabet faced us with another problem. We couldn't read the signs, maps, menus...nothing.

As we biked through Bangkok we encountered traffic of mass quanities. We were encased by trucks, buses, cars, scooters, 3 wheeled bicycles carrying stacks 4 feet high, and animals coming from every direction (even though its suppose to be a one-way). This chaos totally overwelmed us and tested our nerves. Once we made it to our hostel we parked our bikes and made our way through the city by foot, metro, and river taxis. Yes, welcome to Asia. The land of scooters and chaos! Unfortunetely we don't have any pictures of all the scooters and choitic traffic in Bangkok. That's because we had to keep moving so we wouldn't get hit.

Above are some photos of Bangkok. We visited the market and not only saw where they have cock fights but also where they have fish fights. Yes, its quite humorous to see grown men staring at a small fish bowl watching 2 fish go at each other. Money was flying across the table.

In Search of the Tasmanian Devil

2009-01-31T04:48:00.000-08:00

After Christmas we took the ferry to Tasmania. After being told "you have to go to Tasmania" 5 different times we decided we better check it out. It is a very beautiful unique island. It has the lush green rolling hills like New Zealand. But most interesting to me were the people. They are very down to earth and will go out of their way to help ANYBODY out. They take pride in their simpler life and state, "we are 10 years behind and we like it that way". While we were there we biked around the northern half of the island. That is where we had gotten jobs in an apple orchard so we needed to stay around that area. We had some great bike rides to Canyons and some beautiful hikes. While free camping we experienced the life of the nocturnal animals. We had kangaroos, wallabies, tasmanian devils and even penguins roaming around our tent at various times. We were literally in a zoo with no bars!

We attended a bicycle race that included Olympians and World Class riders. We met 4 American cyclists. It was so fun to have people to cheer on. We also attended a local Ho Down. What a hoot. They had 2 country bands and various wood chopping competitions. We shared spirits and lies with our new local friends. From here we took the ferry back to Melbourne and flew to Thailand.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

2009-01-18T08:51:00.000-08:00

We've been told over and over to go to Tasmania. I remember watching the Tasmanian
Devil on Bugs Bunny but never really thought I'd be going there. Because of this new change of plans we needed to get to Melbourne (1000km south of Sydney) right away. So, we took a bus to Melbourne. We arrived right before Christmas so we spent a few days prior to Christmas biking around the the bay and then spent Christmas at a beach camp ground in Barwon Bay. We were told it would be hopping with campers and beach lovers. We were guaranteed to see santa in a bikini but with temps around 70 degrees, it wasn't going to happen. It turned out to be a quiter Christmas than expected. However, we met some super people and their families camping next to us and we shared Christmas cheer together more than once. It was really nice. We found out the crowd of campers show up on Boxing Day (Dec. 26) which is also a holiday for them and everything is closed. N othing beats being with our own families but this was nice for this year.

The Golden Coast, hot and humid

2009-01-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

Now...we only have 45 days in Australia and, being the country is almost as large as the US, we had to make some decisions so we could see as much as we could and meet as many locals as possible. So, we took a train 900km north to Brisbane to start our bicycling adventure south. We biked south along the Gold Coast of Queensland. It was gorgeous like we had heard and very touristy. We camped along the way and Ward tried his hand at fishing. We tried to take side roads as much as possible as sometimes the traffic (trucks) can make biking a little harry (Ward has seriously used 4 of his lives already). The temps were reaching highs of 108 degrees with very high humidity. Not very conducive for biking which really made the ocean water tempting. Remember, this is the Christmas season so it was a little hard to get into the spirit when you are drenched in sweat. Lawn bowling is really popular in Australia and they have special clubs for it with real members. We saw signs of kangaroo and koala crossings and had the opportunity of seeing a koala hanging on a tree on the side of the road. We returned to Sydney where we needed to pick up our Vietnam and China visas. We were fortunate to meet Susan Zbornik (from Decorah and a sister of Jacky's friend). We spent 2 nights with her and learned alot more about the Australian culture as she has lived here for 18 years. Thanks Susan.

Sydney, Australia - the home of the Opera House

2009-01-18T05:10:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Sydney on Dec. 3rd. We took a couple of days to assemble the bikes,
make a plan and tour the city. Sydney is absolutely beautiful. We viewed the Opera House, the Harbor Bridge, world famous beaches and tasted some of the quisine. We were able to meetup with Royce Fullerton (from Decorah). It was good to see a familiar face. We also took the time in Sydney to get our visas for Vietnam and China. Since we knew that we would be returning through Sydney we felt we could leave our passports for the necessary time.

Wrapping up New Zealand

2009-01-18T04:50:00.000-08:00

We finished up our time in New Zealand by biking up around the Bay of Islands (the northern peninsula). We decided to try to save some money by working at campgrounds in lieu of our nights tariff. We were able to do this at 3 different campgrounds and we were surprised that they only required one hour of work from each of us to cover our costs. Most campgrounds were trying to spruce up their grounds in preparation for Christmas so we had extra work that we could do for pay. We really enjoyed doing this. It made us one of the staff which allowed us to spend more time with the locals and enjoy their company. Sometimes they actually gave us nice cabins to stay in vs our tent. The New Zealand campgrounds are some of the best campgrounds we have seen so far. Before we left New Zealand we had entered a 160km (100 mile bike race. It was the Taupo Lake Challenge which was sponsored by the Rotary and had 10,000 bicyclists. It was GREAT! Then off to Australia.

Whirlwind Tour of New Zealand with Iowan Friends

2008-11-11T18:27:00.000-08:00

The pace picks up. When Ben Garrett and his girlfriend, Christina, joined us on November 1st we had 10 days to get as much ground covered as possible. Needless to say a car was required to complete this mission. Unfortunately, the 60-80 degree weather we had experienced the 3 weeks prior was replaced with 30-50 degree weather. Along with these colder temperatures we experienced rain, sleet and snow!

In the North Island we experienced:
* Coromandel Penninsula (we actually sat in the hot water holes this time at Hot
Water Beach...see previous blog posting)
* Taupo Lake (hiked)

We didn't spend alot of time in the North Island because we were trying to get to
the South Island which everyone said was absolutely beautiful.

In the South Island we had a great time:
* Did some hikes in the mountains and had great vistas.
* Ward, Christina and Ben went skydiving at 12,000ft (air temperature at that
elevation was -4 degrees F). They said it was quite an adrenaline rush. They were
free falling for 45 seconds.
* Ward and I drove to Milford Sound and did an overnight cruise through the Fjords
(If you wonder why I didn't go skydiving its because I spent my money on this
instead.) It was incredible!! We kayaked and saw penguins, seals, and dolphins.
Highly recommended. You'll have to read the egroup and see the pictures.
* Christina and Ben bungy jumped off the bridge where the bungy jumping
originated. Too scary for Ward and I. They did it in tandem. Some people
actually got their body dipped into the water head first.
* Christina and Ben went scuba diving.
* We all went mountain biking on single track through the hills.

The North Island has rolling green lush hills with lots of dairy farms. It is much more populated than the South Island. The South Island is known for its picturesque mountains, fjords, and adventurous activities (as well as its "sand flies!"). An egroup will be coming shortly and will explain all the activities, etc we did in more detail. Please let us know if you have had difficulty signing up for the egroup. If so, we will send the email to you directly.

Pictures from Coromandel Pennisula

2008-10-20T16:30:00.001-07:00

Coromandel Pennisula in New Zealand

2008-10-20T16:12:00.000-07:00

Before we started our whirlwind tour of New Zealand schools we were able to bike around the Coromandel Pennisula. Wow! Is it gorgeous! We did't even mind the on and off rain. Some hills are small but some are down right arduous, especially when you don't have a triple ring bike. We've had to stand up hills that are 2 and 3 miles long! Ward says its good for us but I beg to differ. We've had beautiful vistas and the various colors of green are unbelievable. We have scoped out the beaches. One in particular that was very interesting was the Hot Water Beach. People literally brought shovels to the beach and dug a hole and let the hot water from the underground bubble up. Then they would relax in it. In some areas the water was actually boiling so you had to take caution. One guy was even trying to boil an egg. This was a good time for us to bike the penninsula because it will be packed with tourists in a matter of a couple of weeks. It will make the biking dangerous through the winding hills.

Pedaling For Pencils is in Full Force

2008-10-20T15:33:00.001-07:00

Our Pedaling for Pencils: Write to Remember project is in full force. While we were in the U.S. we toured Northeast Iowa by bicycle and visited schools and Rotary Clubs. We spread our message and tried to inspire over 1600 school kids to follow their dreams. We also spoke to 6 Rotary Clubs.

We are currently in New Zealand and continuing our Pedaling For Pencils mission. This week we will talk to 9 schools and 2 Rotary Clubs. We are having a blast and we learn as much from them as they learn from us. Thanks to everyone that has donated to our project. The project will continue to live on.

New Zealand's Hopitality Gets An "A" Rating

2008-10-19T20:36:00.000-07:00

New Zealand not only has beautiful scenery it has beautiful people! We have been overwhelmed with the hospitality that we've received from the local Kiwis. We have not only been excepted into their homes but have experienced real Kiwi culture. We've learned the most by attending school events such as the goat and lamb showing competitions at the local country school as well as observing their dairy farming businesses. We are including pictures of the champion dairy type (Keegan) and the reserve champion (Joel).

Great Monuments of Washington DC

2008-10-19T20:26:00.000-07:00

We were able to go to Washinton DC while we were back in the United States. We saw the Capitol, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Korean Memorial, White House and many other beautiful buildings. All admissions were free and we were surprised at how clean the city was. We can't wait to go back.

There's No Place Like Home...the U.S. Visiting family and friends.

2008-10-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

South America was a wonderful experience but there is no place like the United States. The freedom and security provided to us here makes us prouder than ever to be Americans. On our way to New Zealand we spent time in the U.S. We visited our son and his wife, John and Molly, in North Carolina and helped them weather out Hurricane Hanna. John also took us fishing in the ocean and we actually caught fish! John has since been deployed to Iraq and we will keep him in our prayers.

We then headed to Chicago where we visited Jacky's sister, Gail and Connie. Gail and Dennis took us to a boat drag racing competition. I got to be the passenger in this rocket boat for the warm-up session and skip across the water at 60 mph. Exilarating. Then we visited Connie at the Experimental Station which contains a bike shop. We talked to the local school kids about our trip and tried to inspire them to dream. Ward was in his glory working on bikes and I helped my nephew Axel sell mushrooms at the Farmers' Market.

We were also able to visit our son Ross in Ames who is enjoying life on Sorority Circle. We visited friends from Decorah and Madison and we spent a weekend with the Budweg family and also with the Spreen family. It was sure great to see everyone. It makes it easier to leave again.

Ecuador, it was an experience.

2008-09-01T16:14:00.000-07:00

Ecuador provided us with a good variety of experiences. We met a really cool bike shop guy that lent us bikes and took us on a mountain bike ride through the incredible lush green rolling mountains of Cuenca. Wow, was it beautiful. The only down fall (no pun intended) was that as I was dodging a bigger than life, ferocious snarling dog...I crashed! My foot swelled up and it is still swollen 12 days later. I'm not sure what I did to it but I'm milking Ward for all the sympathy I can get.

We also met up with our friend, Bryan (Pastor from the Decorah Lutheran Church). He taught in Cuenca in the past so he was our tour guide and knew all the great places to eat. It was fun to see a familiar face and speak English again.

Then it was time to remove all of our jewelry (soap and twisting works great for wedding rings) and prepare for our risky bus ride to the Colombian border.