THE ROUTE & ITINERARY

A number of people have asked me about my route lately. I only vaguely had it posted back in an April post called “The Route”. So, I’ll go ahead and give you some semi-details of where I’ll be and when I’ll be there. I’ll not take time to list every route number but try and give you a few towns along the way.

Friday, Sept. 3rd – Departure day. I’ll be leaving home (Winchester, IL.) and going thru Pittsfield and finishing in Quincy, IL.

Saturday, Sept. 4th – Leaving Quincy and going thru Ewing and finishing in LaPlata, MO.

Sunday, Sept. 5th – Leaving LaPlata, going thru New Boston, Laredo and finishing in Trenton, MO.

Monday, Sept. 6th (Labor Day) – Leaving Trenton to Coffey then finishing in King City, MO.

Tuesday, Sept. 7th – Leaving King City to Savannah, Oregon, crossing into Nebraska at Rulo, NE. then finishing in Falls City, NE.

Wednesday, Sept. 8th – Leaving Falls City going thru Pawnee City and possibly finishing in Barneston, NE. I say possibly because there is very little in Barneston. If the weather is good and my legs are good I may proceed on to my next stop in Hebron, Ne. If I do this I’ll take a rest day in Franklin.

Thursday, Sept. 9th – If I’m not in Hebron, I’ll leave Barneston to Fairbury and finish in Hebron, NE. If I am in Hebron I’ll be finishing this day in Franklin and taking a rest day on Friday.

Friday, Sept. 10th – Leaving Hebron going to Franklin, NE. If I actually get here a day early I’ll be taking a rest day here today.

Saturday, Sept. 11th – Leaving Franklin going to Alma, Orleans, Oxford, Edison and ending in Cambridge, NE.

Sunday, Sept. 12th – Leaving Cambridge, going thru McCook and finishing in Benkelman, NE.

Monday, Sept. 13th – Leaving Benkelman, going to Wray, CO. and turning South then back West to Joes, CO.

Tuesday, Sept. 14th – Leaving Joes and finishing about 6 miles before Byers, CO.

Wednesday, Sept. 15th – Leaving Byers area and finishing in Lone Tree (Littleton), CO.

Thursday, Sept. 16th – Rest Day.

Friday, Sept. 17th – Leaving Lone Tree and making my way to Bibles For the World in Colorado Springs, CO.

Saturday, Sept. 18th – Leaving Colorado Springs and finishing in Canon City, CO.

Sunday, Sept. 19th – Rest Day.

Monday, Sept. 20th – Leaving Canon City to Florence Pueblo then finishing in Fowler, CO.

Tuesday, Sept. 21st – Leaving Fowler and finishing in Eeds, CO.

Wednesday, Sept. 22nd – Leaving Eeds and finishing in Tribune, KS.

Thursday, Sept. 23rd – Leaving Tribune and finishing in Dighton, KS.

Friday, Sept. 24th – Leaving Dighton and finishing in Rush Center, KS.

Saturday, Sept. 25th – Leaving Rush Center, going thru Great Bend to Lyons, KS.

Sunday, Sept. 26th – Leaving Lyons and going to the East edge of Hillsboro, KS.

Monday, Sept. 27th – Leaving Hillsboro to Emporia and turn South to finishing in Madison, KS.

Tuesday, Sept. 28th – Leaving Madison to Lone Elm then finishing in Mound City, KS.

Wednesday, Sept. 29th – Leaving Mound City to Pleasanton then Butler, MO. then finishing in Clinton, MO.

Thursday, Sept. 30th – Leaving Clinton on the Katy Trail finishing at Cooper’s Landing in Easley, MO.

Friday, Oct. 1st – Leaving Cooper’s Landing to Klondike Camp Ground in Augusta, MO.

Saturday, Oct. 2nd – Leaving Augusta to St. Charles then crossing the river into Illinois at Grafton then to Pier Marquette State Park.

Sunday, Oct. 3rd – Leaving PM State Park to Eldred then to home!

Feel free to email me about any part of my route and if you would like to ride along at any point along the way. Be glad to have ya. Bring some food!

Oh, by the way, this could be the last post before I depart, but I can’t promise anything.

Here's a rough map of the route:

View Untitled in a larger map

IN SEARCH OF GOLDEN NUGGETS (and Ice Cream)

One thing I’d like to do as I travel each day is to find some type of “gold nugget”. This is not a literal gold nugget, of course, but something unusual or interesting that I can put in my daily posts. It might be a good story someone relates to me of their life or maybe their testimony of faith in Christ. It might be a, not so common, food I’ll eat. It actually might be common depending on where I’m at, but, not common to where I live….like grits are in the South. Yuck!

It could be just a beautiful landscape or mountain range that I’ve never seen before. Possibly a generous act of kindness a stranger does for me. It might be where I can find the best scoop of ice cream during the day. I know there have been some touring cyclists who have made a goal to find the best piece of pie during their travels. Maybe I’ll see how many different flavors of ice cream I can eat before I get back home. I got in the habit of rewarding myself with a bowl of ice cream after my training rides. I started sampling all the different pint size Ben & Jerry flavors. I’m not sure this was a good habit but it sure tasted good at the time.

I’ve found that the Bible is full of golden nuggets of information and blessings if you take time to search and look for them. The wonder of God’s Word is hard to explain at times. It’s just so good! A lot of times you can read and reread, then go back and rereread the same passage over and over and you’ll find something you never thought about before or God will reveal a truth you’d overlooked.

One of my favorite passages is found in Psalm 1:1-3, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” That should really motivate us into serving God and searching His Word.


Back to the ice cream…..yeah, I may just have to have a fun goal of sampling as many flavors as I can find between home and Colorado….and back again. That should help slow my pace down thru the day as well. The hard part may be breaking that habit once I get back home.

Well maybe THIS will be the last post before I leave.

ON YOUR MARK.....

I had better be set….cause it’s almost time to go! Time has really flown by since I first thought up this bike tour a couple of years ago. I’m down to the final few days before departure. I’ve still got a lot to do. Today though, we are having a parade in our home town. It’s the perfect opportunity to pass out gospel tracts. And if you’ve never visited the Living Waters website you’re missing out on some of the best tracts and literature made. I’ve been giving out their Million Dollar tracts and witnessing coins for years. I highly recommend them. Visit their site at www.livingwaters.com.

I’ve been asked to give a radio interview about the trip this coming Thursday with Mission Network News out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. It will be aired on Labor Day and you can go to their website to listen by clicking on the interview button. Visit them at www.mnnonline.org.

One thing I am very thankful for, and I know I’ll be repeating this as the next month unfolds, is everyone offering to keep me in their prayers as I travel. I can’t say enough how much I appreciate this. People I don’t even know have emailed me and offered encouragement, sometimes a bed to sleep in, and their prayers on my behalf. So, thank you very much to all of you. You have greatly blessed and encouraged me. Please keep my family in your prayers while I am away as well.

My next post may be the day I depart, so until then, remember, our Lord, first served.

THE GREAT ESCAPE

This past Saturday I rode my last fully loaded training ride before my departure Sept. 3rd. I wanted to test the cargo one more time. Next Saturday is going to be pretty busy so it was now or never. I had everything balanced pretty good I think. The bike performed well. I weighed all the bags, the bike and the water the night before. The bike itself weighs in at about 45 pds. The cargo weighed 59 pds. and the five bottles of water around 11 pds. So, the Pilgrim will be laden with 70 pds. of stuff most the time. That weight will fluctuate a little as I go. Some food will be eaten but then replenished. Some media items handed out but then restocked at the half way point of the trip again.

I rode my normal training ride from my house to Woodson, then to Franklin, back to Woodson, then home, 46 miles total. I was surprised that it really didn’t take me much longer than I normally do it unloaded with the same bike. But, I was a little more tired of course.

My final hill coming into my hometown is pretty steep and I normally go right up it (usually panting) but I had a line of cars behind me and was just too tired this time. Half way up the hill there is a road to the left that goes into the town cemetery. It’s my way of escape in these situations. It has just a slight incline but mostly level and dumps me back out on the main highway just past the top of the hill. I took it.

Here are a few pictures from the route. I know…..some of them might make you squeamish, I’m sorry.




I normally see more dead frogs, turtles and birds, and a lot of possums, but I decided to spare you their photos. You might think the looks of them smashed on the road is bad, but you ought to try riding by them at 12 miles per hour and having to smell them! Yuck! But, there’s no getting around it (or them) when you’re traveling by bike. Plus, any picture of a dead snake is a good picture as far as I’m concerned.

Anytime I’m riding down a road I constantly have to be on the defensive and be looking for avenues of escape in case I get in a bad situation. That happened Saturday. I was getting ready to drop down over a steep hill and there was a car following me that wanted to pass (even though he was in a no passing zone). I could see, even though he could not, that there was another vehicle coming up the hill and that we all three were going to meet. To my right I approached a gravel entrance to a stock barn. Here was my way of escape. As the oncoming vehicle topped the hill I pointed to it, so the rear car could see it coming, then, I bailed off to the right and into the adjoining entrance. Everything turned out fine because I kept my cool and didn’t try and remain on the road in harm’s way.

As a Christian, it’s nice to have the assurance that God gives us, in that He will always offer us a way of escape when temptations come our way. We don’t always take the escape route because we think we know best or we want our will to be done instead of God’s will. Satan knows our weaknesses and will capitalize on them if we let him. But, God promises a way out and we need to keep our cool and turn to Him for help in those times. I’ve been hard headed and not taken the escape route before. We all live and learn but in many instances it is far better to learn and live.

I Cor. 10:13, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

LITTLE BOATS MUST KEEP THE SHORE, LARGER SHIPS MAY VENTURE MORE - THE CARGO LIST

Usually, in the biking journals that I have read, they make a long list of all the paraphernalia that they carry on the trip. I’ll spare you all the minor details. I’ll just highlight a few of the major items and let the pictures do the talking. I’m sure that what I think I need and what I really need are two different lists. I may have to mail some stuff back home but time will tell.

As I was trying to pack all the gear in my panniers my youngest daughter walked by and asked if all that stuff was going with me. I said yes, I hoped so. She couldn’t believe it would all fit on the bike. Well, I’ve had it all packed and traveled with it before so it should all fit again. I’ve altered a few items since my maiden voyage but not a lot.

My front left pannier will be my kitchen, filled with food stuffs and my stove. I actually should have enough food to last me for about three days if needed. Of course, the weight of that pannier will increase and decrease depending on how often I resupply and how much I eat out of it.

The front right pannier will be my office, carrying my netbook, full fingered gloves (to help pad the netbook), collapsible dishes and possibly anything else that may overflow from the other panniers.

The right rear pannier will be my closet which will have all my clothes in it. Probably, too many clothes actually. Also, some zip ties, camp soap and a couple tire tubes.

The left rear pannier is the junk room. It will have everything else that won’t go into the other three bags. I’ll have some lights, toiletries, bike repair kit, shaver, spare water bottle, flip flops, pain killer (ah, that would be ibuprofen), first aid kit (that would contain band-aids, stretcher, wheelchair, lots of chocolate, Daisy my Basset) and other misc. stuff.

On top the rear rack I’ll lash down my tent, air mattress, pillow, bike fly, rain poncho, camp chair & mattress seat. Each of the rear panniers will have a water bottle in their rear pockets and rain covers in their attic. One of the rear panniers will have my rubber sandals hanging from it (kind of a rear bumper in case anyone gets too close).

The handlebar bag will house my tracts, BFTW brochures, digital camera, Bible, maps, Propel pouches, snack bars, sunglasses, pens, notebook and rain cover.
I have a small top tube pannier that will carry my rear tail light, knife, HALT spray, lip balm, phone & mp3 player.

On my person I’ll have a small, belly bag I guess you’d call it, that I’ll keep my wallet, journal, loose change and some tracts in. (I might not carry this depending on how my next test ride goes.)

Lastly, the Pilgrim, along with all the luggage plus myself, will be laden with a tire pump, one 24 oz. water bottle, a one and a half liter water bottle, rear mirror, a small seat bag for a multi-tool and tire gauge, two spare spokes, a computer, bell, two headlights, one taillight, a cable lock, an air horn and…..my sleeping bag on the front rack.

I’m sure I’ll be sorry I have some of this stuff, especially while climbing a tall hill, but hopefully I can put it all to good use. I pray I won’t run into any ill winds named Euroclydon during my trip as Paul did before he was shipped wrecked on his way to Rome. I’d hate to have to start throwing the freight overboard or casting off my tackle just to make headway.

I believe, as a Christian, that the closer I am to God and the more I meditate on His Word and study to grow more complete and mature in my walk with Him, that He will give me more responsibility and more opportunities to fulfill His purposes. If I am content with my relationship with Him and never do much to try and get to know Him more and His ways then I’ll be like that little boat and never venture out any further than I have to on the seas of life.

But, the more I get to know God and understand His ways and His hatred for sin; the more I understand the importance of obeying, following and submitting to His will and not my own. I can venture out further on life’s seas, even when the storms come, with the assurance that He is with me and leading me thru His righteousness. I have nothing to fear.

See, it all fit. I’m ready to go!

Colossians 1:10-17, "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness;
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature:
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him. and for him:
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."

30th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

Today is my lovely wife Pat’s and my 30th Wedding Anniversary. God has blessed me with such a wonderful wife and I love her so much. Proverbs 18:22 says, “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favor of the Lord.” The Lord has indeed shown me favor and I have found a good thing in her. Happy Anniversary Honey! I love you! - Mark

TIME IS SHORT

Concerning my departure on the Million Dollar Tour, I’m down to the short rows. I’ve got a lot to do and a short time to do it before I leave. I feel like physically I’m pretty much ready and I know I’ll get stronger once I get underway. But, as far as having a number of projects and tasks completed at home and at work, I’m really pressed. So, I’ll do as much as I can and hope the rest will be waiting for me upon my return.

I took the bike in to the Village Cycle Shop in Jacksonville for a tune up and general look over. Jordie did a great job getting it adjusted. It shifts better and he said the rear axle was worn out so I got it replaced. Good thing I took it in. I won’t have been able to fix that on my own on the road. There isn't any bike shops between Quincy, Illinois and Denver, Colorado that I can find. I can’t say enough about the service that John, Judell and Jordie give at the Cycle Shop. If you’re ever in South Jacksonville stop in and see them.

Time is short on another front as well. Christ’s return is soon. Are you ready? Whether you want to believe it or not, God’s Word says that His Son, Jesus Christ, will be coming back to earth some day, and that could happened at any moment. If you’re a Christian you’re supposed to be about doing God’s business; telling others about God’s wrath, His grace, the Good News of the Gospel and living a life that is pleasing to God.

We should be witnessing as Christ did to the rich, young ruler. We can’t water down the Gospel message and only proclaim God as wanting us to live our “best life now”. God is a god of wrath and judgment and every person has broken His Laws. He will hold us accountable and we will stand before Him in judgment. But, He is merciful and doesn’t want anyone to perish, but, for all to come to repentance. He shows us His grace thru the shed blood of His Son Jesus Christ, that was spelt for every man, woman and child on the Cross at Mt. Calvary. It’s a free gift that he offers. There’s no way you can purchase or earn it thru any good works or penitence.

We are to be about doing good works, though they won’t merit our salvation, just as Christ did while on earth. Though, it was an inconvenience to others, the good Samaritan showed compassion and love to the man he found beaten and broken along the way. We are to follow the example that Christ explained in that parable and, of which, Christ exemplified while walking among us.

So, time is indeed very short. Are you witnessing as often as you can thru word and deed? Do you have a Christ-like attitude and doing good whenever the opportunity comes? How’s your spiritual growth? Are you closer to God today than you were a yesterday, a week ago, a month ago or a year ago? Are you studying your Bible daily? You wouldn’t miss a meal each day so why would you not read God’s Word each day? The Apostle Paul says we should “examine ourselves daily”. How often do you do that? I know I need to more.

Take advantage of what time God has left you with. Never think there is always tomorrow because tomorrow may never come. Salvation is needed today. It will not do you any good to think that you’ll just ask God’s forgiveness or that you’ll turn to Him after you die. Scripture says that it will be too late then and you’ll spend eternity in Hell. So, turn to God today in true repentance and faith thru Jesus Christ. What are you waiting for?

EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED

When I’m riding my bike, I usually like to listen to music. I’m totally the opposite when I’m in a vehicle, I prefer no music. But, the music seems to make the miles go by quicker and sometimes can motivate me up a steep hill when the right song comes on.

My first mp3 player was a Sansa. It worked great for a while but then it wouldn’t allow me to add any more songs to it. This happened, of course, after the warranty went out. I called the factory and they had me do some things with it but still it didn’t work. So, I decided I’d need a different one for my tour.

I was able to find a newer Sansa, the Sansa Fuze, that someone was selling on ebay. A real plus to winning it was that it already had about 750 songs loaded on it. Whoever had it liked about every genre of music you can think of. I deleted most of what I didn’t like and installed my own songs. I think it has about 850 on it so far. Which should be enough to last me for a 31 day trip, I think.

One feature that I like on mp3 players is the ability to shuffle the songs. I will start my practice ride with a particular song and then I never know what song will play next, it’s always unexpected.

Life seems to be the same way. We never know for sure what’s going to happen from one day to the next. Yeah, you can go into the same job, day after day, and do the same routine, but there is always the chance of something different happening each day, or a different opportunity that may arise. The unexpected could happen at any moment.

Sudden death is usually unexpected. People don’t normally like to talk about death, but, ten out of ten people die and we need to be as prepared for it as we possibly can. I heard news lately of three boys, aged 15-20, that were working at a grain elevator and one fell in a large corn bin. The other two jumped in to try and save him. Two of the boys died. That was an unexpected accident.

I have a number of friends that have developed cancer or other illnesses and none of them ever expected it. I work in an industry that accidents happen, no matter how many safety precautions you make, that are never expected. One of our employees was riding his motorcycle to work the other day and a deer ran out in front of him. He hit and killed the deer, destroyed the bike and barely escaped, what could have been, a fatal accident. He didn’t expect that to happen that day.

We don’t often know why things happen when they do. If we did, we’d probably try and be a little more prepared, or we should anyway. There’s nothing wrong with asking God “why” this or that happened but we should never doubt Him. We can’t see the big picture, just a small bit of it.

There’s a song by one of my favorite Christian groups, Go Fish, that is called Parade. Here’s how the lyrics go:

“Life rolls down the street right in front of me / Marchin’ to a rhythm of its own / Up, down, I feel like I’m livin’ on a slide trombone / Watchin’ it all with my heart parked in a tow-away zone / You never really know what’s comin’ up next / If you blink it’ll pass you by / Right when you think you’ve seen it all – Surprise! // You see the whole parade / From the beginning to the end / You know the route my life will take / You know exactly where I’ve been / ‘Cuz while I only see what’s goin’ by in front of me / You see the whole parade.”

Are you prepared for death? God’s Word says in Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Everyone who has lived will someday stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Are you ready for that day?

Even though so many things in this life happen unexpected, I have an expectation that someday when I die I’ll be in the presence of my Lord Jesus and find rest in Him and my Heavenly home. I have gladness and joy in that hope. Proverbs 10:28 says, “The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.” I pray you might have my same expectation.

I’m thankful for what my God has in store for me and that there is nothing unexpected that happens that He does not know about. He always knows what’s best and His ways are just and right. I just need to make sure that I always allow Him to lead my parade.