The Million Dollar Tour

Someone asked me why I was calling my bike tour the “Million Dollar Tour”. “Was it because that’s what it will cost to do it?” Well, no, but it would almost seem to be.

Actually, one thing that I love to do is handout Million Dollar Bill gospel tracts. People love to get them and they have the Gospel message on the back. They come from a company called Living Waters which is the store front for their Way of the Master ministry founded by Ray Comfort and run with the help of Kirk Cameron. I plan to try and hand out at least 300 of them as I travel on my trip. Please be in prayer that whoever receives the tracts, and doesn’t know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, will give their lives to Him before it’s too late. You can order your own Million Dollar Bill tracts at http://www.livingwaters.com/.

Bibles For The World

Bibles For The World is an organization that is based in Colorado Springs. They send New Testament Bibles all over the world. They have many ministries and one that my family is involved in is sponsoring a child in India. We’ve sponsored a girl named Daisy since 2001. She’ll turn 19 this June. BFTW also brings a children’s choir to the U.S. every year made up of about 23 Indian kids from the ages of 9-12. Daisy was a part of the 2002 choir, her younger brother Kevin and a cousin were in the 2006 choir, and her younger sister Esther was in the 2008 choir. We got to meet all of them and have them stay in our home when our church hosted them. We were so excited and very blessed.

Bibles For The World helps countless people in Northeast India during time of famine and drought. Thru BFTW, you can sponsor a child, seminary student or missionary. They have a Stewardship and Estate Planning program. You can help to rebuild and expand a flood ravaged hospital. You can supply food for hungry families. And, you can help send Bibles all over the world to those who are in need of reading God’s Good News in their own language.

I have decided to partner with Bibles For The World by trying to raise funds for their many evangelistic ministries. I’ll be taking pledges towards how many miles I actually ride on the trip. I’ll be asking my home church, Westfair Baptist Church, to get involved and also any churches I visit along the way. If someone would pledge, say, a penny a mile, then that would only be about $20 since I figure it’s about a 2000 mile journey. They could pledge 1-1/2 cents or 2 cents or whatever they wish. Anything would help and be appreciated.

All donations will go directly to BFTW. They just have to be in form of a personal check and the words BIKE TRIP or BIKE RIDE put in the memo space. I will receive no compensation for my part. Also, all donations are tax deductable and you will receive a receipt from BFTW.

They are a great organization and I look forward to meeting their office staff when I visit Colorado Springs. Please email me for any further information on how you can be a part of their work around the world. You can visit their website at http://www.bftw.org/.

Commemorating the 50th.....

This year I turned 50 years old and, since my memory will be worse than ever now, I felt I needed a way to commemorate this milestone. So….. I’m going for a 2000 mile bike ride. I started planning the tour a couple years ago, not actually knowing whether it was possible to do or not. I got the approval from my employer for my vacation time and, more importantly, I got the approval from my wife Pat.

The plan is to ride a large loop from my home in Illinois, into northern Missouri, veering up into southern Nebraska, then drop down into Colorado to the home of my Aunt and Uncle who live in Lone Tree, south side of Denver. I’ll then visit Colorado Springs and the office of Bibles For The World (more about them later). Then I’ll continue south to Canon City and visit a long time friend. After this I’ll head east towards home. I’ll head into Kansas and ride on the Trans Am bicycle route and maybe pick up the Santa Fe Trail. After a short ways on them I’ll cross into mid Missouri and get on the Katy Trail and ride its entire 225 mile length to Old St. Charles. Then it will be just a day’s ride on home. I’ll start the trip on Friday Sept. 3rd and plan to be back no later than Oct. 3rd (if possible).

I plan to tent camp the entire tour, unless severe weather would drive me indoors. When not staying overnight with friends or family I’ll be in city parks, firehouses, churches and campgrounds. Stealth camping may happen a few times as well.

At this time, I will be going solo, unless someone between now and start time volunteers to go along. You’re only as fast as your slowest rider and, since I’m on a tight time schedule, I’ll not have a lot of time to stop and sight see. I also won’t take time for rest days until I reach my relatives house and later my friends home. I also think it’s easier for me to plan this trip by myself and if I mess up some way, I’m the only one to blame.

I hope you’ll frequent my blog to follow along with my training and preparations and then the tour itself. Please feel free to leave comments, greetings and suggestions. Please forgive any typing errors. I would love to hear from you. I will also covet your prayers throughout the year as I embark on this adventure. I know it will fill me with many memories, some good and probably some….not so good. But, that’s part of the journey and adventure.

The Beginning...

My first experience in bicycle touring was back in August of 2005 when my friend Steve Ford and I went on a 78 mile test ride of the Katy Trail from Old St. Charles, MO. on westward towards Sedalia. We were planning a multiday trip the next month but wanted to check out some places to spend the night and the services along the way. After turning around to head back, a bad storm headed our way. The temperature dropped, the rain and hail began, the winds became fierce, the lightning cracked, tree branches were falling and the trail became like cold oatmeal. We felt pretty helpless standing in the middle of the trail while the brunt of the storm passed. We couldn’t have jumped in the nearby Missouri River and been any wetter.

We were able to make it back even though a tornado had passed thru and left some trail damage in its wake. Parts of Old St. Charles were left without power. Some trees were down across the trail. It was a great adventure and one I’ll never forget.

A few weeks later, the anticipated trip day arrived. We only spent one night camped on the trail at a bike shop at Marthasville but it was a great experience and one that I have longed to do again. The weather was much better and we got to visit with many people along the trail. A good time was had by Steve and I both.

My love for bike riding goes back to when I was first able to ride a bike, around age 5. I didn't lose the training wheels until around age 7 though. I rode quite a bit from that age on thru high school. Once I was able to purchase my first car though, my bike riding days took a back seat. And once I got married those days moved from the back seat to the trunk. There never seemed to be time or much of an interest after I could drive. I think I rode my bike to work once in a while but that was not far, only about a block away.

That long lost love was renewed back in 2003 when my wife asked me if I’d be interested in going on a bike ride with some of our church friends down on the Katy Trail. She never knew the impact that question would have on me. If she did, she probably would never have asked.