By Ed Vander Pol
Today was just peachy! I rode my bike another day! Today we started at the Calvary Chapel in Willits, CA and ended at the First Baptist Church in Clearlake Oaks, over 47 miles and less than 4,700 feet of climbing!Continue reading
Category Archives: 2019 Parks & Peaks
Follow along with the Parks & Peaks riders as they traverse the western US in the summer of 2019!
A Wonderful Time
By Bill Turner
565 miles done, 29,780 feet of climbing. Time flies when we have been riding for over a week. The scenic beauty has been wonderful once we left the rain of the Portland, Oregon area. In California we now ride with the bike computer reading 99 to 100 degrees in the sun, verses the 50-60 degrees along the coast in Oregon.Continue reading
New Adventures
By CeLynn Siemons
Going into this media internship I had no idea what to expect. Most of all, I did not expect to have a sense of community and family that I’ve experienced in only the first two weeks here. The members I have lived with are some of the most generous and thoughtful people I’ve met in my life. This past weekend a rider bought a pizza for us to share saying the media team does so much for the riders. We are thanked daily for our little tasks and are made to feel like we are contributing to the big picture, just as much as the bicyclists. It’s amazing to see so many different people put forth their unique skills to contribute in making this trip successful. We have had members cook some amazing meals including cobbler, homemade cinnamon rolls, fajitas and more.
Hello, California!
By Courtney Fields
Hello, sunny California! Boy, was it a journey to reach you. When Ryan gave me a quick and easy route from Atlanta to Crescent City, CA, there was no way I couldn’t make it more complicated. Instead of booking the last flight, I asked dear FCBA veterans Stephany and Julio if they would like to drive me the last portion of my trip. Little did we know that this drive would be a whopping 12 hours!
Climbing Up Out of the Clouds
By Connor Ciment
Riding out of Crescent City, we had only a few miles of warm up before we came to a big climb into Del Norte Coasts Redwoods State Park. It was a cool and cloudy morning as we began to climb, one pedal stroke after another, and we began to warm up. Some folks stopped to take off layers and have a photo op at the Redwoods National and State Parks signs. I stopped to take a break, and ended up in a selfie of Dan’s at the sign.
Living Simply
by Sam Vandenheede
Today was another beautiful ride down the west coast, we left the incredible state of Oregon and entered California. We were greeted by a fine mist of fog rolling off the Pacific Ocean into the mountains, through pastures of cattle. Just one of todays gorgeous sights. As we peddled on through the winding roads of the countryside the sun peaked over the mountains to our left and melted away the fog, revealing incredible vistas of the Pacific. We all gathered for lunch at a local “hole in the wall” diner, Alta’s. We feasted on some of the best burgers we’ve encountered, then settled in for the remaining 12 miles to Crescent City, our home for the night.Continue reading
Truly Thankful
By David Chris Johnson
I woke this morning wondering what would my blog would be about. I decided to list things that I am thankful on this trip.
4:00 AM I woke up this morning based on my natural clock of waking up at 7:00 on the east coast. It is a good feeling to wake up and understand any obstacles in or challenges put in your path are the way of the Lord. With your belief in him, you can truly live life without fear. He will never give you more than you can handle. Thankful.
We Are 5% Done!
By Fred Smoak
Some of you may have heard me say on occasion that I am not sure I like riding my bike as much as having ridden my bike. This has not been the case this trip. Whether at sea level or up 800 feet, there were wonderful vistas of long, slow rolling surf, wide beaches, dramatic rock outcropping, and stands of trees so windswept they look they have been styled with a blower and giant brush.
Continue reading
Along The Oregon Coastal Road
By Peter Asmuth
The first three days of the ride were a tough ride for me: day one, it was cold and raining; day two, my left knee began to hurt; day three, the knee felt better, however, despite the cool weather, I became dehydrated and felt pretty ill by the end of the ride.Continue reading
Leaving the World Behind
By Justin Smith
Riding a bike across the country (or in a 4,000 mile loop, as it were), is not really about the bike ride. The pedaling, the exhaustion, the many hills, roads, and turns, are all much more ancillary than they are vital. Riding this far, and in this manner, is about leaving things behind. When I first rode in 2014, I was riding to leave behind a chapter of my life, and find my new self. This time I’m just on for a week, and riding to leave my day-to-day stresses behind, locked away in my work phone and social media accounts.
