August 9, 2009
We’d like to catch you up on our family happenings since our last blog on July 17. We enjoyed some time at home July 14-25. It was a busy time of catching up with mail, garden work, and we enjoyed a visit from Carl’s parents and went to two different family reunions.
July 27 we arrived in Waynesville, NC and spent the next few days with Carl’s sister, Sonya and her family (Ellis, Nathan, Kirstin and Logan) near the Great Smoky Mountains. It was a joy to have the cousins together, and to take in the beauty of the area. The NC hills gave us some good final conditioning on our bikes. Tuesday, July 28 we had great weather to go to Deep Creek and we went tubing. The water (despite the creek’s name) was not 
extremely deep, so sometimes one would get stuck, but it was lots of fun gliding and banging (into rocks) down the creek. Another day we enjoyed touring a settler’s homestead and learning how they lived in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. We returned to PA Thursday night, July 30 and unpacked and then repacked for our bike trip. Before we left for our trip though, we had time for a great evening on Friday with John and Barb Benner who graciously took us along to a Baltimore Orioles game with Player Pass tickets they had purchased at a fund-raising auction. We love baseball and the game was made special by having passes to go down and meet Mark Hendrickson, the player of whom we were guests, outside the locker room after the game. Quite a few “baseball greats” walked by us as we waited. We saw John Smoltz pitch what will likely be the last win of his storied career. Thanks, John and Barb!
Only Carl & I were going on the bike trip so Katrina stayed with Monica Miller and family, Deanna with her Zimmerman grandparents and Aunt Ranee, and Stephanie with Ken & Rosetta Landis (friends that live in upstate New York) whose daughter Jessie is a good friend of hers.
Saturday, August 1
We arrived in the Finger Lakes region of New York. We were about to embark on a biking adventure with 55 riders as a fundraiser for Mennonite Central Committee. The money raised was for “Creation Care” projects all over the world. We were happy to see fellow rider Ari Wadel (from Marion Mennnonite) when we arrived at Keuka College. We rested well that night and woke up Sunday morning to clouds and drizzle. By the time breakfast was finished, it was raining…but off we were for our first day of biking. The ride was so well organized. Our “stuff” (everything from clothes to camping supplies) was carried in a truck that met us each afternoon at our destination. We rode 60 miles the first day…about 30 minutes into the ride I (Rochelle) had my first flat tire. Carl was by my side and fixed the flat for me. We rode fairly hard that day and by early afternoon the rains had stopped.
Each day we had a morning & afternoon snack along the route (provided by our sag wagon), we also had a lunch destination (usually at a picturesque place by a lake). The first day we rode the 60-mile perimeter of Keuka Lake and ended up near where we started. We set up camp, showered and enjoyed an excellent meal. After eating, there was a time of input from Grant Rissler (MCC representative) and each of us shared our name, what we do when we don’t bike and any other info. we wanted to share. We headed off to bed early…between 8:30 and 9:00. (Ari said, ”I haven’t gone to bed this early since I was 12.) We needed the sleep!!!Monday, August 3
We awoke to bright sunshine and sang “I owe the Lord a morning song” for our breakfast prayer. About 10 minutes into the ride I had another flat, this time my back tire! Carl fixed it well, but he was beginning to be concerned about my tires so we ordered 2 new tires to help me through the week. We were thankful someone could pick up those tires for my bike. I just needed to meet the sag wagon at break time. Later in the morning we had a long climb up a hill followed by an amazing downhill. Carl hit around 43 mph and I was at 39 mph. 5 minutes after that hill, I had another flat tire (up to 3 for the ride)… I was praising God that it hadn’t happened on the downhill to create an unsafe situation.
It was about 8 miles to our break and with a missed turn, we finally arrived at Weaver’s Baked Goods. The store and area reminded me so much of Lancaster County (except for the amazing views of the lakes), as recent years have seen an influx of Old Order Mennonites and Amish into the area. Carl graciously replaced my two old tires there and after I was pumped up with around 120 pounds of air…I was ready to roll! We ate lunch by Seneca Lake and took a lower mileage route option for the afternoon. We met up with a solo biker from Mount Joy, PA that was finishing 100+ miles for the day. We had a nice time talking while riding and shared with him about MCC. We finished that day of riding with 48 miles. That night we stayed at Cayuga Lake State Park. Bedtime by 9:00 p.m.Tuesday, August 4/hump day
Carl & I both woke up to some aching muscles, but I was extra sore in my thighs and was feeling quite cranky. I needed to remind myself why I was riding…to support other people around the world that were hurting due to poverty, war, climate changes, etc. The day continued to be a challenge all day long with strong gusts of wind, hills and hot sun. The scenery after lunch was breathtaking at times. Carl had one flat that morning. We rode 57 miles. (A cute side story…other campers were always gawking at our group, lots of people, bikes and many tents. Also, the food wagon, supply wagon and sag van. Close to meal time, a little boy around 10 yrs. old said to me “Wow, a cooking show!” I conversed with him and told him that those ladies were our cooks and that was their kitchen. He was quite impressed, but I still think he was looking for Paula Dean or Emeril.
Wednesday, August 5/Ithaca area
The weather continued to be beautiful.
It was great not having to pack up our tent and supplies in the morning. We were returning to this campsite in the evening. We had two nasty up hills, but an amazing downhill before our campground that had Carl hit 45 mph and I hit 40 mph. We took more of a leisurely day and only rode 45 miles. Before lunch we had a special creation moment on a back road. The Finger Lakes region seems to have lots of wild flowers and we looked to our left and saw a deer standing in a thick field of flowers, just looking at us. The noise of getting the camera scared it off before we could “shoot” it, but we got to see the deer run and jump through those flowers. It was a special gift from God. Also, most days we were greeted by goldfinches that were flying across the road, and red fox and wild turkeys were spotted numerous times. 
We enjoyed time in Ithaca, ate lunch at restaurant of local fame called “Moosewood” and Carl enjoyed time in a guitar shop near the restaurant. We spent some time in Ithaca Commons downtown, even coming across a 10,000 Villages Store to browse in. The Ithaca area has beautiful waterfalls that we enjoyed along the ride. Ari Wadel and 5 other men/boys did a century (100 miles) that day. Congratulations Centurions!Thursday, August 6/Last day
It was hard to believe we were already at day 5.
It was so special meeting and getting to know other riders from PA, OH, NY, IN, IL, MD & VA. The conversations around mealtime and during the rides were meaningful and we were sad to see the 5 days end. The last day had some major climbs (well…hills everyday was a given), and after lunch we hit the highest point of the Finger Lakes region at 1605 ft. 
Carl, with his outgoing personality saw a lady drive up to her mailbox and asked her to take our picture. We had a bunch of riders together, and Carl asked if this was the highest point and she confirmed that it was and had a U.S. Geological Survey cement marker on her property to prove it! It was a quick ride after that back to Keuka College…basically all downhill. (Ari rode with Carl & I most of the day…he was into a slower ride since his 19 yr. old muscles found their limit from the 100 mile ride the day before.) We had a lot of good times that week!!A big thank you to all of you who prayed for us and gave a donation towards MCC. Besides a few sore muscles, a few black and blue spots from one fall, and grease tattoos from our chains…we finished quite strong with a 56 mile day for an approximate total of 265 miles.
August 7 we rounded up all our girls and returned home. It’s only a few weeks until school begins and Carl will leave for an 8-day silent retreat Aug. 27-Sept. 3 to end his sabbatical time. We all are anxious to see our friends at Marion Mennonite. This time away has shown us how much our church family means to us. This may be the end of our blog, but you can check sometime in September to see. Enjoy the rest of your summer!!
Blessings,
Rochelle
