We descended upon Des Moines Mennonite Church much like we do any other church, with bags, bikes, mounds of laundry, food and technological paraphinalia EVERYWHERE. The patience of our hosts amazes me. With her pastor on sabbatical (this seems to be a trend in the churches we are visiting—interim pastors or pastors on sabbatical), Esther Streed welcomed us with places to dry out sopping wet tents, sleeping bags and clothing from an overnight downpour. The next morning she would follow us through the streets of Des Moines during a thunderstorm just to make sure we were o.k.. And then she waited out the lightening with us in a carwash. We have been blessed with many guardian angels along the way. Ones in flesh and bone. I could talk about the police man that gave me directions on Tuesday from the airport in Omaha, NE to the countryside in IA such that I did not miss a single turn (a truly remarkable feat, since I am known as the U-turn lady). I thought he was going to kick me out of the passanger drop off zone, instead he asked me if he could be of help. Lovely people…. (more…)

I have only been a part of this wonderful biking journey for a short time, yet I am amazed by the abundance of crazy adventures I have already encountered. Today we not only hung out in a car wash stall for one hour due to weather conditions but we also went shopping for groceries three times. On top of that we rode over 100 miles and I was chased by two crazy dogs. I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. (more…)

The bus station wasn’t really a bus station. The woman in the convenient store directed us to a dark building which we still wouldn’t have found were it not for the family gathered around waiting for the bus. Son and daughter-in-law (grandchildren/uncle and aunt) were headed for Chiapas, Mexico, via Denver, on Greyhound. Two days later they would arrive – about the same amount of time it took Holly, my older sister, to get from Charlottesville, VA to Grand Island, NE. (more…)

The first day that I spent off the bicycle in Denver, Colorado, I was overwhelmed by everything to see in all directions. I was used to keeping a strong focus on the objects in front of me with limited peripheral use. When I turned my head to the right and left for extended amounts of time, I would have the sensation that I was seeing everyday objects for the first time. Things such as refrigerator magnets, newspapers stacked on a table, and domestic animal toys made me quite giddy because it was so exciting to look at household items that were now out of my ordinary. At one point in the day my eyes were so over-stimulated that I had to sit down and close my eyes. When I opened them and stood up to continue with the day, I extended my hands in front of me and bent my back somewhat as if I was leaning aerodynamically over my handlebars. I walked around the house this way for about five minutes. It helped. Then, the son of my hosts saw me and we convulsed on the ground in laughter. (more…)

At Pastor Orlan Koehn’s laidback leading, we enter relaxed into Bikemovement’s first experience leading a major portion of a Sunday morning service. We seek to share of both our experiences and thinking, offering stories, then reflection. (more…)

One of the questions that the Bike Movement members have been grappling with is, “what is church?” I have been privileged to spend two days resting and two days riding with the group as they ask questions such as this one amongst themselves and in discussions with other people they come into contact with. What I have realized, and what I believe they have discovered over the past four weeks of riding, is that their group and what they are doing is really a micro example of what church is. They are a group of unique individuals, each with a unique history and belief system, and yet they are committed to each other and to the purpose of their bike journey. Their group is a model for what I believe our macro church community should strive to be. They have recognized the talents that each person has to offer, have supported and encouraged one another, and have empowered one another in the pursuit of their goals. (more…)

By lunch break at mile 132, the riders were well over halfway to their double century mark. “I was having my doubts around mile 116,” Kendra said. “But then we stopped and we ate something, and I felt a lot better.” Tim Showalter was even more confident. “It wasn’t even hard yet.” He later added, “I love doing stupid stuff like this.” After a half an hour lunch break, the riders were anxious to get back on road. The afternoon warmed up quite a bit when the sun poked through the clouds, however overall the weather was ideal. (more…)

Today is a day of records, as BikeMovement will try for a double century. Already they have set the record for earliest rise time (4:15am), earliest departure time (5:10am), and fewest riders (4). (more…)