Today we loaded the truck at 5:20 AM and rode to breakfast in the dark so we could be at the restaurant by 6:00 AM. We didn’t dilly dally because we had so far to go today, 115 miles. When we began riding it was cold and dark. The sun had not come up yet. The smart people had wind breakers on and were still cold. I actually love riding at this time of day. The air is fresh and still and there was a heavy dew like we get in the fall in Oregon. The other thing I like is that by 11:00 AM we had gotten nearly 70 miles of riding in already.

We rode well today. We were all a bit more focused on the riding and moved along. We didn’t linger as long at SAG stops and were more deliberate in sticking to the tempo of our riding. We saw more beautiful farms and a greater variety of crops like dill, beans, oats, and corn. We also saw a number of small lakes like the one my mother lived on for many years. I love Michigan and this entire area.

W\e had to ride on many miles of loose gravel today due to the road being resurfaced. These are stressful and dangerous and riding conditions but everyone managed to navigate through them OK.

We did have one near accident this morning. Each morning before I leave I pray for everyone’s safety and today I saw my prayers answered right before my very eyes. The four Stop A Lots had just made a left turn behind another group of riders. They were ahead of us by 25 yards or so when a pickup truck was coming from behind us. We yelled out the typical, “car back”. The other riders were preparing to make a left hand turn. We yelled again and then we could hear the truck accelerating and moving to the left lane as it went by us. At the same time two of the riders had started making their turn. We all yelled again. The truck slammed on its brakes and slid towards the two riders. In the meantime the riders had tried to turn back from where they had come. One rider’s bike was hit and it broke her rear fender and both her water bottles fell on the road, but she did not fall down. The other rider managed to miss the truck all together.

The driver was a young lady who was late to work. Everyone was shaken by this near miss. In the twinkling of an eye two or three lives would have been changed forever. Thank you Lord for answering my prayers. Bicyclists have to ride defensively at all times; even if they are right, they could end up being dead right.

We arrived at our motel in good shape and fairly early for us, about 2:00 PM. We had lunch and checked in and started preparing for another day. This was our last day that would be over 100 miles. We are not starting to have lasts, the last one of this or the last one of that.

As I close I just want to say how grateful I am to always have Christ as my constant companion. Throughout my entire life, I have seen time after time how He has blessed me and intervened on my behalf. I am also very thankful for those of you who have been praying for me and the others on this trip. I am so thankful that I could participate in this adventure. I am also thankful that God has provided me the opportunity to get to know some wonderful people and in particular, provided me three wonderful riding companions in Dan, Mary, and Steve.

I’ll look for you on the road. Be safe and keep the tire side down.

Click here to see more pictures from today!