Day 10 Reflections

We all arrived safely in Iowa City and we were greeted warmly by the people of Iowa City, family, and friends. After the dinner and after packing things up the mood was a mixture between excitement, fatigue, sorrow, and joy. It dawned on me that the Journey that was Waters of Hope is much important than the destination. We all learned new things about ourselves and our world and I expect the lessons of this trip will continue to affect all of the riders for a long time.
For now let me sign off with just a few short remarks. First of all, thank you. Most importantly, thank you to the people of Swaziland and the Sudan who we are seeking to help. Thank you for your spirit, your love, and your ministry in the world. And thank you for allowing Waters of Hope to help. Thank you to The Rev. Joe Chambers and the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri.
Peace,
Mitch

Day 9 recap- May 9

Dubuque to Davenport

Today’s ride brought us in and out of the Mississippi valley and through some eastern Iowa country side. Even though it (more…)

The Chlorinator

Day 8 recap- May 8

Today was really fun coming into Dubuque.  The terrain changed and our next few days will be a lot of hills and less wind.

We stopped by the Field of Dreams on our way today…it seemed fitting that our ride, filled with hopes and dreams, should stop and pay homage to a great American symbol.

It was windy and hard, but the days have gotten easier as the ride is on its last few days.

Day 7 recap - May 7

Today’s route brought us from Mason City to Waterloo.

Day 7 photos: Click Here!!!

KWWL also covered the story, so go to www.kwwl.com to check it out!

It’s been a whole week since we all arrived in Keokuk to begin our journey around Iowa together to raise awareness and hope for the need for clean water. As many of the riders would agree, a rhythm has set in and we have become well versed in riding for Waters of Hope. The daily routine has consisted of waking in a foreign place, eating a breakfast prepared by strangers, riding long and hilly and windy roads, stopping for lunch in small towns along the way, ignoring the aches and pains, getting a little turned around (what day is it?), being welcomed with open arms by our host church, praying together with great thanksgiving, eating wonderfully prepared meals, and being welcomed into warm and comfortable homes to rest for the next day’s ride. It’s been a long road with mostly great weather and tail winds, but with a few days of winter-like conditions and direct headwinds strong enough to stop a train. Unfortunately, tomorrow’s forecast is calling for 10-15 mph winds out of the NE, shifting to ENE by late afternoon, which makes our easterly route of ~100 miles feel more like 130. We’ll make it there, of course, and I’m sure we’ll remember the effort.

Day 6 recap - May 6

Day 6 photos Click here!!

Day 6 brought us from Spirit Lake to Mason City, for a total distance of 128 miles. As you can see in the pictures, the weather started out wet and a little cold. By mid-day, it was hot and very windy with gusts reaching at least 30 mph. Luckily the winds were from the south and our primary direction was east. It was also very hot today. It was about 80 degrees and we were burning under the sun, so a few of us took a nice little swim in Crystal Lake, which was certainly frozen last month. It was very cold, but felt very nice!

Mason City brought another great welcome and the spirit of Waters of Hope is soaring. Our ride is fun, and our goal of making clean water available to more people in this world is why we continue to ride. It only takes a little to make a huge difference.

Peace,
Joe and Mitch

Day 5 Recap- May 5

Day 5 brought another great ride with great weather and great wind! We rode from just outside Sioux City to Spirit Lake, IA. Through fields and pastures and wind farms to the beautiful lakes surrounding the city of Spirit Lake, we rode with high hopes and with good spirits.

We were featured in last night’s 10pm news in Sioux City. Video from the newscast can be found on their websitee. Just look in their video section at www.kmeg14.com.

 

This morning’s breakfast was hosted by the St. Paul’s Indian Mission where (more…)

Day 4 Recap- May 4

VIDEO IS HERE!!! We have some clips of us along the road and will have more clips to come. Expect to see a video about the water cleaning Chlorinator very soon!

For more photos up to day 4: Click here!!

Our ride today was from Council Bluffs to Sioux City, IA. It was mostly flat with a nice tailwind for the first half, and a fairly strong crosswind and headwind towards the end, but it was a beautiful day for riding.

We head off to Spirit Lake tomorrow and we expect good weather for our trip!

Good night and God Bless!

Joe and Mitch

Day 3 recap- May 3

Only a few pictures tonight compliments of Dale Minner (Thanks Dale!), as I only took video today.  : Click here to view them!! And no posting the video until I can hook up to a high-speed connection, which could be tomorrow morning, but more likely tomorrow evening. 

 Today’s ride brought us from Creston to Council Bluffs by way of Red Oak.  We awoke in Creston to bone chilling temperatures and wind out of the northwest at 20-30 mph.  We were aware of the challenge that awaited us and realized that making it to Red Oak from Creston on a bike while battling the incredibly sharp hills and brisk wind would be nearly impossible with the 3 hour time frame in which we had to work.  So, without even pretending that any of us could make it, we loaded up the vans and drove to about 20 miles outside of Red Oak and rode in.  From there we were greeted warmly with a wonderful lunch and presentation by Charles, the visiting priest-in-charge, who is from Swaziland.       

Following lunch our path would not get easier.  The winds were strong and the hills were not forgiving.  We picked a spot a little bit outside of Council Bluffs and made our way slowly with one pedal stroke at a time. 

Tomorrow we head north to Sioux City.  We expect to make it as it’s relatively flat and we will have the winds in our favor.  This should make for a really fun day with beautiful views of the Missouri river.   

Props to all the support drivers and volunteers that have helped us along the way.  This is a huge effort that takes a huge team, and it’s all for a great cause that many people have made sacrifices for to make a difference. 

Good night and God bless!

Joe and Mitch

Day 2 Recap- May 2

Day 2 photos: Click Here!!!

With thunderstorms rattling Albia last night as we slept, we could only hope that the rain would subside before our morning departure.  Sure enough, the rains halted and our departure was relatively dry.  So with wet roads and a some heavy wind from the south we set off on our 125 mile west-south-west route towards Creston.  Unfortunately, only after an hour the winds shifted and brought scattered showers and a very challenging headwind that easily measured 20-30mph.  4 hours in, with no reprieve from the daunting and mind-boggling wind and a fairly significant temperature drop, we packed it in and drove until our route headed due north into Creston, where we gathered for a group ride into town.  Even with driving a portion of the course, it still took us 8 hours to travel the distance.

With the harsh conditions and completely sore bodies, the spirit of Waters of Hope is soaring.  The  hospitality at every stop has been remarkable, the donations have been flowing in, and the message of hope that we share has been received with open arms.   We are at a loss for words regarding the energy and support that the people along our path have offered.

Other day two highlights:

No dog chases

But we did have one bird attack

Amazing reception at St. Paul’s Creston

Blown off the road by a crosswind

The discovery of new muscles

Riding with the horses

The youth group band was great!

Killer wind.  Disgusting.

The forecast for possible snow tonight!

Video tomorrow night! For sure!

Good night and God bless!

Joe and Mitch

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