I’m going to spend most of this post with pictures and videos. A lot of people have told me they enjoyed reading the blog and my sense of humor. I tried to share the trip with you the reader in as candid a manner as possible to give a taste of the fun, the toils and the issues that I as a rider faced. I tried to keep it clean but not sanitized of the human emotions and flavors. So like life it was sometimes funny, sometimes boring and most the time in between.

Let me get you caught up. On Friday we rode from South Haven to Grand Haven. On Saturday we rode from Grand Haven to Grand Rapids which was my shortest day. We gathered at a central point and rode onto the grounds of Calvin College in mass formation. It was fun. On Sunday we gathered in Fifth Third Ballpark for a rally and listed to Shane Clairborne speak. If you get a chance to read one of his books you should. Look him up on Amazon or find him in your local library. He spent years working with Mother Theresa and his outlook on what it means to serve is right on with alot of issues.

The rally marked the end of my portion of the Sea to Sea ride. It also means that 60 people are joining for the last 2 weeks to the Atlantic ocean. I can’t imagine what it will be like in the gear truck, the bathrooms, the food line and of course the evening digestive symphony with the extra 60 wind instruments!

In Grand Haven those of us leaving had to give a few words of goodbye to our fellow riders. What I shared with them was: 1) On the first day of the ride I imploded and the people who helped me were just a sample of the caliber of people who are on this ride. They are good caring people who are sacrificing for something greater than themselves. 2) I was proud to be part of something that was working to fight global poverty and hoped that all of us would continue to do something after our part in this ride was over. 3) I looked forward to the day when I’m in heaven that someone walks up to one of us and says “I’m here because I saw these people ride by on a bike and learned that they were sacrificing themselves for others.”

I hope this ride has made you think about what you can do to help those around you. It does not have to be something big and huge like this ride. It does not have to be about people on the other side of the world. Make it small and about those people in your town. Walk through your house and ask do I need two of these and three of those? Will I ever really use that thing I’ve been saving for someday? How many coats, pants, shoes and gloves do I really need? Couldn’t I share these with people who don’t have even one? Could I sell this stuff and give the money to those who need help? Do I need a vehicle the size of a house in many places around the world? Do I need a house this big? Do I need to use so much of the worlds resources for my own personal pleasure? Then go do something to help those around you. Do anything. Its easier to just go do something than it is to plan or research or decide. Just walk around the corner to the local shelther, food pantry or other organization and say “I’m here, how can you use me?” Here are the pictures and videos and thanks for sharing this journey with me.

Terry

Final Ride Stat’s

Flats – ZERO!!

Crashes – Zero

Mechanical Failures – Zero

Click any picture for a bigger shot

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