Jekyll Island - The final stop!

New post available on the Pedal for Haiti Website - just click to go!

Don't forget to check out Monty and Don's blogs as well. There's three sides to every story!

See you down the road!

Tifton to Waycross, GA

New post available on the Pedal for Haiti Website - just click to go!

Don't forget to check out Monty and Don's blogs as well. There's three sides to every story!

See you down the road!

Tuscaloosa to Prattville, AL + Thanks

New post available on the Pedal for Haiti Website - just click to go!

Don't forget to check out Monty and Don's blogs as well. There's three sides to every story!

See you down the road!

Columbus, MS to Tuscaloosa, AL + Giving

New post available on the Pedal for Haiti Website - just click to go!

Don't forget to check out Monty and Don's blogs as well. There's three sides to every story!

See you down the road!

Winona to Columbus, MS

New post available on the Pedal for Haiti Website - just click to go!

Don't forget to check out Monty and Don's blogs as well. There's three sides to every story!

See you down the road!

Crossett, AR to Greenville, MS

New post available on the Pedal for Haiti Website - just click to go!

Don't forget to check out Monty and Don's blogs as well. There's three sides to every story!

See you down the road!

Magnolia to Crossett, AR + Cholera in Haiti

New post available on the Pedal for Haiti Website - just click to go!

Don't forget to check out Monty and Don's blogs as well. There's three sides to every story!

See you down the road!

Paris to Texarkana to Magnolia, AR

New post available on the Pedal for Haiti Website - just click to go!

Don't forget to check out Monty and Don's blogs as well. There's three sides to every story!

See you down the road!

Sherman to Paris, TX

New post available on the Pedal for Haiti Website - just click to go!

Don't forget to check out Monty and Don's blogs as well. There's three sides to every story!

See you down the road!

Decatur to Sherman, TX

New post available on the Pedal for Haiti Website - just click to go!

Don't forget to check out Monty and Don's blogs as well. There's three sides to every story!

See you down the road!

Graham to Decatur, TX

New post available on the Pedal for Haiti Website - just click to go!

Don't forget to check out Monty and Don's blogs as well. There's three sides to every story!

See you down the road!

Dave

Haskell to Graham, TX

New post available on the Pedal for Haiti Website - just click to go!

Don't forget to check out Monty and Don's blogs as well. There's three sides to every story!

See you down the road!

Post to Haskell, TX - 110 miles!

New post available on the Pedal for Haiti Website - just click to go!

Don't forget to check out Monty and Don's blogs as well. There's three sides to every story!

See you down the road!

Denver City to Post, TX

New post available on the Pedal for Haiti Website - just click to go!

Don't forget to check out Monty and Don's blogs as well. There's three sides to every story!

See you down the road!

Alamogordo, New Mexico

New Mexico is a beautiful state with wonderful people. I've enjoyed the hospitality very much. In Las Cruces we had the privilege to spend the evening with Quinlan Family who were great hosts and took good care of his. Mr. Quinlan shared some local history and I was able to talk fish with him for a littlewhile as he's a hobbyist and has bred quite a few different tropical species. He also told me about the Oryx herds which inhabit the plains around LasCruces/Alamogordo. They're neat critters. Check em' out by clicking here. They were introduced from Africa. Unfortunately we didn't see any while we riding, but they tell us they're out there in large numbers. Very cool stuff.

In the morning we departed Las Cruces for Alamogordo. Our first task of the day was to climb about 2000 feet to the San Augustin pass which put us about 5800 feet above sea level. It was a little bit chilly in the morning but outside of that it was the perfect climb. I dropped it into a little gear, put my

head down and just kept pedaling. Had I known what was going to greet me at the summit, I might have pedaled a little faster. After we took the picture to the right and celebrated a good climb we looked over the other side and were stunned with th

e view. Hard to capture in a photo. I'm told that you can see 100 miles from the summit there and I believe it. To the Northeast we could see the White Sands of Alamogordo and across the landscape we could also see theWhite Sands Missile Range. There was also a very cool Nike Missile at the summit with a some cool info. After we took it all infor a few moments we hoppedon our rides and headed down towards the valley - always a rush zipping down those mountain passes. I was able to hit 34 mph although I probably could have passed 40 but I'm too chicken (gotta survive the whole ride - don't want to blow it hot rodding down a mountain pass!). When we got to the bottom we were faced with about 40 flat miles of route 70 into Alamogordo. By itself,that would have been awesome. Unfortunately, our

old friend the headwind was back and we were treading wind for all 40 miles or so.....exhausting.....but

we survived and rolled into Alamogordo at a reasonable hour. It's a good thing we did when we did because Monty's rim got all out of whack, started rubbing on the frame and we had to seek out the best bike shop in town to get that thing fixed. A big thanks to the guys at Outdoor Adventures in Alamogordo, NM - they were awesome, fast and inexpensive. They fixed Monty up in less than 15 minutes and we were on our way. Once the rim was fixed up we headed over to the Miller home for a fantastic meal and some great fellowship. We were also able to watch a little college football which was pretty cool - although I'm not a big football fan I enjoyed watching the game and relaxing.

Off to bed early on Saturday night and up early for church on Sunday morning. The Millers took us to their church, Bethel Baptist and we were able to share some info about the bike ride and the need in Haiti. It was a great time of sharing and the people of Bethel Baptist were very welcoming.

After church we headed back to the Millers for a great lunch and more fellowship with some new friends. Cool stuff. Meeting folks and sharing has been a big bonus of this journey.

So here we are in Cloudcroft, NM. Its an absolutely beautiful mountain town with a touch of western history. We're staying in a small hotel with simple rooms and simple decor. I love it. It was 54 degrees when we arrived and I suspect it will be in the high 30's when we depart in the morning. I've got my warm undershirt, full length pants and full finger gloves ready for the decent out in the morning. We're looking at a 92 mile day as we head out to Artesia, NM. The good news is that our Specialized Armadillo tires are holding up quite nicely and I am fairly confident we won't spend the day changing flat tires. It should be a good ride and great start to the new week.

Ok....tomorrow comes fast so I'm gonna pack it up and hit the hay. We'll head out from Cloudcroft bright and early.

Thanks for your continued support!

See you down the road!

Dave

Tired.....of changing flats

The race is on! As quickly as we eat, shower and visit with our always gracious hosts - we jump on our computers to share the days happenings. You'll have to read all three to get a well rounded view on our day. I'll add the links to their blogs at the bottom of this page.

In short, today's activities were characterized by one word - "Flat". The ground was flat, the wind was flat and our tires were constantly flat. By the numbers we covered approximately 60 miles and experienced 9 flat tires between us (you'll definitely need to check out Don's blog - he took pictures of a few of the changes). That's a flat tire every 6.5 miles or so - very frustrating stuff. Now you're probably wondering what causes all these flats.....here's my thoughts on that one......

• Older tires (they were about a month old when we started)
• Really poor quality shoulders on the highway
• Lots of "shrapnel" from re-tread tires on the shoulder

By the time we finally rigged, patched and/or repaired every tire we could possibly find we rolled into Las Cruces. It's a beautiful city in a valley just outside the Organ Mountain Range. I was glad to be done with what I thought was going to be a short day. In the end, I changed

more flats today than I've changed during the last three months combined! Amazing. As soon as we arrived in Las Cruces we sought the first bike shop we could find. We ended up at Ride On Sports on Telshor Rd. They were very helpful and recommended the Specialized Armadillo tires. We bought new sets for each of us and also picked up liners for the inside of the tires just for added security. Changing 9 tires today really scarred us! Once we arrived at the Quinlan home we took their garage over and proceeded to install the new tires and liners. We're hoping for much better performance on the road to Alamogordo. I have high hopes. That said, I'd like to give another big note of thanks to the Schaeffner family - if it weren't for their donation of 100 tubes I don't know where we'd be. I think we're down to around 75 or so and we used up 10% or just today!

A cool highlight of the ride was crossing the Rio Grande River - I've seen it on a map and read about it in books, but today I got to see it.......heck....I got to pedal over it. Very cool. Here's a pic of Monty and I.

That reminds me - I don't think I've said how much we appreciate having Don here to support us. He's been such a great deal of help. Whether it's plotting the next stop, helping us fix a flat or just plain providing comic relief....I'm very grateful for Don and his support. He's sacrificing his time and energy for the cause and I really appreciate it. Thank you Don.

Ok - it's bed time. 80 miles and a 2000 foot climb await us tomorrow as we head into Alamogordo, NM. Should be a great flat free day (better be!). We're looking forward to just plain pedaling and nothing else. I imagine that once we hit 6,000 feet or so I'll have to come up with a new John Denver song for Monty. I'm thinking Annie's Song, but I'm not sure yet. We'll see what inspires me.

By the way.....the grasshoppers seem to have disappeared.....not sure how that all works. I don't miss them though......they were pretty gross. Who'da guessed we'd schedule the ride during giant scary grasshopper mating season....ewwwww.

Thanks for all your support, prayers and giving! We appreciate it!

See you down the road!

Dave

Grasshoppers.......everywhere!!!

Since leaving the Duncans in Willcox we've been battling monster grasshoppers along the shoulder. We're talking big and abundant! These are not your typical grasshoppers my friends.

It seems the further we got into New Mexico, the more abundant these guys became. After a while it was practically impossible not too smoosh them as your pedaling along. At one point I had a flat tire and while I was repairing it a grasshopper jumped right up on the sprocket - no fear! It was crazy. Here's one sitting on my bike seat.....just staring at me! There must have been thousands of them - no kidding! Check out Monty's blog too - he has more pics and some funny comments.

The ride from Willcox to Lordsburg was pretty quiet although the wind still seems to want to go East to West......I wish it would decide to go West to East for once. It's like your working 4x as hard to move forward...sheesh. Nonetheless it's still a lot of fun and I haven't lost site of the goal. We went through a time zone change when we entered New Mexico so we had to start an hour later this morning - which meant we were able to sleep in an extra hour (which was nice). As we set out for Deming the wind greeted us almost immediately. I became a little frustrated but shook it off and kept pedaling. By the mid-point it had calmed down quite a bit and we were able to maintain 17-18mph for some distance. Today was some of the best cruising we've had since last week's rides. I'm hoping tomorrow is the same!

Once we arrived in Deming we checked in and headed out for some supplies. Nothing much just odds and ends. After that we headed back to the hotel and I was able to get some PetSmart work done for the first time in a few days. Thank goodness! I was getting frustrated because my email server was full and all I could do was receive messages but not send them. Speaking of work, I am so very grateful for Mary and Karen who managing Pet Care while I'm away (they do it while I'm there too). Mary and Karen are fantastic and I appreciate them very much. Nothing beats having a passionate team to work with.

The picture at the top of this post is me at the Continental Divide. The Continental Divide is.....well...click here for the Wikipedia link...they say it much better than I do. For me, it was one of the things I was looking forward to achieving. Glad I made it. Monty and Don made it too!

We also took a few minutes to visit a piece of property my parents own here in Deming. They've never seen it so I was able to stop and take some pictures. It was pretty cool. Very peaceful and some pretty views of the mountains. I never thought I'd see it before them....who'd a thunk?
New Mexico is going along quite well and it's a beautiful state. The people have been very nice as well. Tomorrow we'll be staying at another home which is always cool. Monty's made all the arrangements so each stop is a new introduction for me and Don (sometimes Monty too).

Tonight we went back to Wal-Mart to get a few additional things. I know, why Wal-Mart, right? I'm not a fan either but I haven't seen a Target since I left Phoenix. Anyway, it appears I either have allergies or a cold so I picked up some tissues and DayQuil as well as a few cards because the Kless family has some special occasions coming up. Not being home for them is going to be tough. I am grateful for a family that makes sacrifices with me. I love you so much Christy, Jacob, Matthew and Aaron. Monty and I got our own plastic cups for Diet Pepsi too - this way we can buy a two liter and split it. They were 2/.50 - what a bargain. Unfortunately, they are the same color so I wrapped electrical tape around mine.

For dinner we went to a place on Main St. called Si Senor - it was pretty good and very inexpensive. Monty, Don and I all ate well for $18 - that's another bargain! If there was a John Denver song for bargains I woulda been singing it.

Tomorrow morning comes early so I should call it an evening. I want to thank everyone for their kind words, thoughts and prayers - it means the world to us. We leave for Las Cruces in the morning - short ride - only 60 miles. Praying for a West to East wind pattern!

See you down the road!

Dave

Against the Wind......

The last two days have been quite the test. We've been getting a headwind from the east that wouldn't let up. Coming out of last week and averaging 16-17 mph, the drop to 11-12 mph has been a real bummer. The best way to illustrate it is to imagine treading water or riding on mostly flat tires. It's like doing all the work and receiving only 1/4 of the reward. Oh well - enough negative stuff - it's all good.

We got into Tucson Monday night and had the privilege of spending the evening with the Burnett Family. What wonderful people. Although I must admit every family we've spent time with has been fantastic. Great hospitality, great food and great fellowship. Mrs. Burnett (Claudia) which is pronounced "clowdya", because she is Brazilian, cooked us a chicken stroganoff meal from Brazil that was absolutely amazing. I'm so grateful that we're burning so many calories each day - it allows me to go back for seconds! After dinner we had a pineapple dessert that was equally awesome! Sheesh - it was good! Thank you Claudia! Pastor Bret and his family were a lot of fun and it was nice to watch a little Monday Night Football and relax after having the wind in our faces for 4 hours straight.

Tuesday started much like Monday ended. The wind was right in our faces and didn't appear to want to give up. Monty had read online that it was supposed to change mid-day so we were praying for an early reprieve. It's amazing how much wind impacts your pedaling (and your mood). With approximately 75-80 miles ahead of us we put our heads down focused on the next few feet and just kept pedaling. We came out of Tucson and climbed as high as 5,000 feet. The higher desert is very pretty and we noticed the scenery change as the miles fell behind us. All of the sudden I found the need to belt out some John Denver again. Monty's not a fan of that because then the song gets stuck in his head all day and he can't think of anything else. Kinda funny......

Somewhere around hour five in the saddle the wind began to shift. We climbed to our maximum elevation at a rest stop named "Texas Canyon" which had some very cool rock formations. We took a short break and then busted out down a 800-900 foot decline. I was able to get the bike up to 37mph which is the fastest I've been since last week. It was awesome! It sort of reminded me of descending the hill out of Julian last Tuesday - which, by the way, was another day I serenaded Monty and Bruce with John Denver songs. What a blast....

That was it for tough pedaling and we spent the last 18 miles casually cruising into Willcox, AZ. Sitting at 4200 feet and founded in the late 1800's, Willcox is an old cattle town of about 4000. I am enjoying learning about the towns we pass through. The highway was lined with small sunflowers and monster crickets (probably true grasshoppers). These critters were big! They were at least 10x bigger than the little brown guys we see in Phoenix. As your pedaling along they're sitting on the shoulder just staring at you. They're neat critters.....I must've been hungry or delirious because I found myself thinking hmmmm...bet you a couple of these guys would make for a fine meal......

In Willcox we are staying with Pastor Kyle Duncan and his family. His wife Kris prepared an awesome meal of pasta and chicken with vegetables. Again, I had seconds. Can't pass up great food! Then there was the strawberry dessert......(again...seconds). Home cooked meals are the best. I'm really enjoying learning about our hosts and their families as well as the pastors churches and some of the things they are doing.

Alright....heading to bed.....75 miles and we crossover into New Mexico, our third state of the trip. Looks like we'll be changing time zones too. What a journey!

Don't forget to think about helping us support 100 kids by donating. Currently we're at about $2400 with a goal of $36k so we need your help. You can click on the donate button on this page or go to http://www.pedalforhaiti.org and donate. Either way is good. We appreciate you! Thanks for your giving and your prayers.

See you down the road!

Dave

Week One - Complete

Here I sit. It's Sunday and we're getting ready to embark on a life-changing 6 week adventure. The first week was incredible! We learned a lot, met some great people and are so excited to do it again. The biggest weight on my shoulders (and I'm sure Monty's too) - is leaving our families again. Tougher than the pedaling, tougher than the heat, tougher than anything else is being away for so long.

Last we talked the team was heading from Gila Bend to Eloy on Friday. It was scheduled to be a relatively uneventful 75 miles across quiet desert and for the most part it was. The landscape was atypically Sonoran with Saguaros all around and Creosote Bush in the air. Two reasons why I'm a big fan of the desert. Becca and Susan - now an expert chase vehicle crew were ready for anything and practically able to anticipate our needs at each stop. They were awesome! What none of us anticipated were desert pirates!

That's right.....At one point along the way we stopped for fresh water along the side of Route 8 and were almost immediately greeted by Customs and US Border Patrol. It was like a scene from the reality series on the NatGeo Channel. They swooped in with hands on weapons (not drawn, of course) and begin to ask questions. After seeing all these guys do, it's amazing anything gets across the border! The main officer informed us that the chase vehicle had stopped in one of the most dangerous human/drug smuggling areas of Arizona and that we needed to move along right quick. Car jackings and kidnappings weren't uncommon for this area he told us. We obliged and met back up with the chase vehicle about 10 miles down the road. It was our second experience with the law in 5 days. Hope we're not setting the standard for the rest of the trip!

Just prior to that we came upon two riders pedaling along in much the same fashion we were. They were heading in the same direction and looked equally as road worn as us - turns out they were suffering a little worse having spent the night in a noisy campground. You've got to check these guys out. Jacques and Brad call San Diego home and have pretty cool stories. They are riding to raise funds for an orphanage in South Africa (www.beautifulgate.org) and from their website it appears they've got a strong following. They seemed like really nice guys and Monty and I hope to run into them again along they way.

Check out their website: www.irideyougivetheylive.org

Here's one of the things I'm learning - although the learning been going on for a couple of years now. Poverty is real. It's a horrible thing and it affects people all over the world. It shows itself in many ways and none of them are attractive. You can be here in the states or in a 3rd world nation people can't find on a map. It's everywhere. Until you smell it, see it in person or let your heart be affected by it, it has a sinister way of not appearing real. Believe me, it's real. It's ugly and it kills children every single day. Jacques and Brad were impacted - so they are pedaling for the Beautiful Gate in South Africa. Monty and I are impacted and we're pedaling for Haiti. We can each do our part to stop this awful plague wherever it touches us. It's not God's job - that's not how He works. We are to be God's hands and feet in the world and we are to make a difference. Our faith, our belief, our love for God should drive our action. Let it drive yours - step out and take a risk. In the Book of James, James writes that our faith should drive action (2:26). Again, let it drive yours. Small steps and big steps - it doesn't matter - just take steps.




This is Wildnel - he's 10 years old and lives in Croix des Per, Haiti and attends the school in Concrab - at 10, he has statistical significance. He's won a lottery of sorts. Most children born in Haiti don't live to see the age of 5 more or less 10. Through your generosity we can equip Wildnel with the education and immunities he needs to take the next steps. Wildnel could be the next change maker in a nation that needs great leaders of integrity. Although I have never met him, I believe in Wildnel and I'm asking that you do as well. The children of Haiti need a hand up and yes, there are hundreds of different organizations doing that already, but it's going to take more. Help us help Wildnel and the other children at the Concrab School.

Tomorrow morning we drive down to where we left off on Friday and we begin our journey again. I hope you'll do a few things - (1) Pray - pray for Monty, Don and I and pray for our families who really have the hard work with us away. Pray for Haiti and it's beautiful people as well. (2) Follow us - I'll note the different options for following us below. (3) Spread the word. Help us get the word out. Help us connect with others to make the needs of Haiti known. Let's not allow Haiti to fall back into obscurity.

Thanks for reading.

Blogs:

Monty - montysbikeride.com
Don - donsblogstuff.blogspot.com

Facebook: Pedal for Haiti

Twitter: pedalforhaiti

See you down the road!

Dave
James 2:26

Day 4 - Gila Bend

Here we are at the end of day 4 and it's been quite a ride already. We're in beautiful Gila Bend, AZ which is about 75 miles south of Phoenix. Let me see if I can catch you up on what we've experienced so far....

Yesterday we started the morning in Brawley, CA. Pastor Jim and his wonderful wife Joy hosted the team and we had a great night. Joy sent us off in the morning and we hit the road for Yuma. Almost immediately into the the ride to Yuma my front derailleur stopped working and I lost the ability to shift into any of my lower gears. I rigged it with the help of Bruce Ford and a nice guy at the Shell station who let us borrow his pliers. With my short term fix in place we were off towards Yuma. We merged onto Highway 8 and started making some headway. Fortunately there weren't any hills so my lack of gears wasn't as critical as it could have been. Had that occured on Monday we might have been in trouble.

Pretty much uneventful till we got a few miles outside of the AZ state line - the California Highway Patrol paid us a visit and informed us it's illegal to ride on Route 8 if there are other options. What he didn't say was that the other option was last repaved in 1946. It was the absolute worst road I've ever been on. It shook us and our bikes for what seemed like an hour or so (although I don't think it really was that long). We made it though and as soon as we passed into AZ we got back on 8 for a smoother ride. Onward to Yuma!

Yuma couldn't come quick enough - it was getting very hot and we were tired. We rolled into Foothills Baptist Church around 3pm and met up with our hosts Pastor James Doyle and Don Kelso (a deacon at the church). What a great bunch of folks! Don took me to his house and I was able to get cleaned up. Each of the other guys had a host family as well. It's really cool to see churches coming together to support us. What a privilege. After I got cleaned up and changed Don and I were off to the local bike shop to get my derailleur fixed. We found ourselves at Mr. B's Bicycles and Fitness in Yuma and Dan Hopkins took me in right away and made quick work of fixing my broken parts. All for $15 nonetheless - what a guy! He finished the job and stated, "Next time buy a Trek....much better bike....". I think Don had a lot of fun watching Dan work on the bike. We both thought Dan was a pretty interesting guy. I'm sure glad he was able to take care of me. We had a mountain climb coming on Thursday and I was going to need the extra gears.

Wednesday night at Foothills Baptist is dinner and Bible study so we were able to join the folks at Foothills for both. Very cool. The men cooked a great dinner and Bruce and I went back for seconds! After that, Pastor James taught about prayer using the Lord's Prayer as a model (you know....Our Father who art in heaven.....). It was cool - he used a lot of video in his lesson and I thought that was a nice touch. The folks at Foothills were really welcoming and it was a pleasure to spend the evening with them. I was especially impressed with their Youth Program - it was youth night and there were kids everywhere!

As I mentioned, Don hosted me at his home and it was great to get to know him. He sells magnetic in-soles so if you're ever in Yuma and your nerve endings are bugging you - look him up. In the morning Don took me back to Foothills so we could start up again - he gave me a protein shake and a set of magnetic in-soles of my own. I am grateful for new friends.

6:33am and we're on the road from Yuma to Gila Bend. We were climbing through the Signal Hill Pass less than 5 miles into the ride and our legs weren't even warmed up! It was a much easier climb than Monday so you weren't going to hear any complaints from our group. Chris Shulze and a photographer/journalist from the Navy (MC1 Adrian) joined us for this leg of the ride. We're always grateful to have Chris along. He's a tough Navy guy and he's always funny. Chris is good people. MC1 Adrian was going to document the day and take photos. It was kinda neat to see him along the highway and at various overpasses snapping photos - we all felt like we had paparazzi! Ha!

After 105 miles and some pretty high temps we rolled into Gila Bend with some sore muscles and big appetites. We got cleaned up and headed over to the finest Italian restaurant in all of Gila Bend - it was yummy.

So here we are - calling it a night from GB, Arizona. We'll saddle up in the morning and head down to Eloy, AZ for our final ride of the week. It should be about 75 miles. I'm actually excited to get back on the road (but my butt isn't).

Dont forget to check out the assorted photos from the past few days on-line. You'll find them in the following places:

- Pedal for Haiti (Facebook and Twitter)
- Phxokie - (Monty's Twitter Account)
- Monty's Blog - (montysbikeride.com)

We appreciate you! Thanks for your kind words, comments and prayers - it means the world to us!

Keep spreading the word and we'll keep pedaling!

See you down the road!

Dave
James 2:26

Day Two - Complete!

Oh my! It's been quite a journey and we're only two days into it. Where to begin.......

If you haven't read Monty's blog, I would highly recommend you check it out - I'm sure we'll each have different perspectives and stories to tell. Let's see.......

It all started innocently enough back in Del Mar, California on Monday morning. From there we pedaled and pedaled and pedaled some more. About 10 hours of pedaling to be exact. It was a long, hard day. We went from sea level to approximately 4300 feet but not before we ran into quite a few cool things along the way. What a trip.

I found 4 snakes - all dead unfortunately, but 2 of the 4 were Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus helleri) - a species I've never seen in person before. I took a picture (it's a little gross though). I also found a nice looking garter and what I think was a juvenile pine snake.

Those were the reptile finds of the day - add to that a couple of fox, camels, wild turkeys and even deer and you've got quite the menagerie of critters.

The day ended in Julian, CA and we were all happy to arrive safely. Becca Matlock and Susan Gibson have gone above and beyond to make sure we're cared for along the way and they have been fantastic. We are very grateful for their sacrifice. Who wants to follow three sweaty guys for 80 miles a day? We're gross....

The scenery has been beautiful and the people we've met along the way have been great. We met a woman and her friend at Subway who took our names and said she and her ladies Bible study would pray for us - how cool is that! We've met a few bikers also (they thought we were crazy too).

After a restful sleep in Julian we coasted 15-20 miles down from 4300 to -113 ft above sea level and then we pedaled another 50 miles or so (for a total of 73) and found ourselves just south of the Sultan Sea in Brawley, CA. It's a good place to be!

We've had the pleasure of spending time with Pastor Tucker and his wife Joy and it's been fantastic! They are passionate about Haiti and we spent the night trading Haiti memories and learning about the many different ministries serving the island. We were also able to spend time with Ryan and Nicki who are involved in serving Haiti and have done some great things. What a great way to spend an evening. The food was awesome, the fellowship was fantastic and the stories were inspiring. Good people!

Tomorrow starts day 3 - We'll cross into Arizona and spend the evening in Yuma. I imagine it'll be hot, I'll even guess that it's gonna be windy - but that's all ok. 75 miles from now - we'll be ready to go again.

Don't forget why we ride. The children in Concrab win in the end. We're close to sponsoring our first 10 kids - consider helping us hit that milestone. Every dollar counts toward the ultimate goal of $36k. Give if you can, spread the word if you can - definitely say a prayer or two but most importantly, pray for Haiti.

Thanks for all the kind words and encouragement on Facebook and Twitter - keep it coming! We love to hear from you.

Also, my laptop is in the shop getting a new screen (thank you friends in Store Ops!) and I'll have it back this weekend. In the meantime I can't update the website so be sure to be checking Monty's blog, this blog, FB and Twitter for on-going updates.

Monty on Twitter: phxokie
Dave on FB and Twitter: pedal for haiti


See you down the road!

Dave
James 2:26

Pedal for Haiti Site Updated

We've updated the site to include the first 15 students who'll have an opportunity (or continued opportunity) in New Missions schools. For some of these children it will be there first opportunity to attend a school and receive medical care as well as a guaranteed meal each day. For others it means an opportunity to stay in school when no previous chance existed.

Thanks for joining Monty and I in this mission! Seeing the children's faces and reading about them makes it so much more real. The next big step will be getting out there to see them!

Thanks for sharing in our mission! We appreciate you.



Dave

Almost on the road..........

Ok friends.....we are exactly one week out of the big ride. We're going to leave from Del Mar, California next Monday, September 27 and head east until we hit the Atlantic Ocean! As I've noted on the site we've slightly shifted our focus from building a building to filling a building. Let me explain what I mean by that. Originally, it was the goal of Pedal for Haiti to re-build a New Missions School on the Leogane Plain in Haiti. After discussing this goal with our friends at New Missions we determined that it would be easier to measure and much more tangible to focus on sending children to school. We loved the idea and New Missions had a school in mind that we could serve. Where you ask? Concrab. Concrab is a small oceanside village just a short walk from the New Missions compound. It's poverty and need isn't much different from the other 21 schools New Missions runs there on the Leogane Plain. As a matter of fact we had the privilege of visiting Concrab during our October 2009 trip to Haiti. Check out the pictures of the school/church on http://www.pedalforhaiti.org.

The girls in the photo at the top of this post were kind enough to pose for pics while we visited. They have the New Missions yellow and white gingham uniforms on. It's amazing how that pattern effects me now. If I see it anywhere it takes me to Haiti and reminds me of the children.

So, we are going to focus on filling the church/school at Concrab. We would like to see 100 children sponsored as a result of the ride and this is where you come in. Through your giving we can make this happen. Each $360 increment is one more child in the Concrab school. We're already approaching 10 children thanks to your generosity. Remember, you don't have to give $360 - you can give $5 or $10 or $100 - whatever works for you. When you do - you change the life of a child forever. In Haiti, going to school is a big, big deal. If you can go to school, you might be able to redirect your family tree. Going to school is a privilege and children and adults alike know the value. I've sat with mothers who've told me that their one wish is to get their children in school. That they'd give anything to see their children in school. Why you ask? Well there are many reasons - here are a few. Children in New Missions school have opportunity - opportunity for a better life. In a New Missions school they receive a meal a day, they are given special gifts for the holidays and most importantly they are taught biblical life changing truths. Combine all that with medical care and you can begin to see why it's so critical for these children to be part of a New Missions school.

Poverty of education is a terrible reality in Haiti. Its just one of many forms of poverty that grips this nation. Pastor George DeTellis set out 27 years ago to make a change and we can honor his dream - we can be a part of his legacy. New Missions has an opportunity to change the path of an entire country through the development of strong Christian leaders. Those of you who have spent time with New Missions kids or even better New Missions graduates know that this dream is entirely possible. Each child educated, nurtured and loved through the New Missions schools represents another opportunity to change Haiti forever. Through our ride you and I may be part of sponsoring a future lawyer, doctor or government official each capable of leading change in a nation so desperately in need of a brighter tomorrow. We love these kids! We believe in these kids! Help us help them make a change.

We truly love Haiti and it's people. We beleive in Haiti. One child at a time, Haiti is moving into a brighter future. Help us to help those in need. The least of these.

7 days to go! More to come.......

We Can't Do This Without You - Thank You

I wanted to take a minute and thank some of the great folks who are making this ride possible. It takes a lot of preparation and equipment to make something like this ride possible. Although the list is not comprehensive and I'm bound to miss something, it's a start! We've got more time to send thanks along the way as we prepare.

First, thanks to my family. Without their blessing this wouldn't be happening. They are making a sacrifice so that we can raise money to help others. Think about it...a mere 6-7 weeks in trade for years of children in Haiti receiving an education, medical care and a place to worship and learn of God's love for them. These may seem like commonplace in the US but in Haiti, it's worth everything. I love you Christy. I love you Jacob. I love you Matthew. I love you Aaron. Thanks for letting your husband (dad) do crazy things like pedal across America....

Next, thanks to my church family. Mountain Ridge has a great group of people who love God and love to serve. It's an honor to serve with them. We've only just begun to realize the things we can do as a church to impact Glendale, Arizona and the global community. I am thankful to the family at MRBC for their prayers and support.

Thanks to Pastor Monty for being my friend and my riding buddy. I wouldn't be in this crazy position if it weren't for him. Ha! I am grateful for Monty's encouraging heart. He's a true friend and I appreciate all he's done for me.

Also, my work family. The folks at work have gone above and beyond to support this mission. I am forever grateful and really love what I do. It makes it even more special when they embrace what I'm doing by working with me to make it possible. They didn't have to be flexible, they don't "owe" me anything and they certainly could have pushed back on this whole crazy plan....but they didn't. They worked with me to make it happen. I am thankful for them. Thanks Michelle and work family.

Donors - We've had great folks step and offer their time, their finances, their prayers, their advice and their resources. Just this past week we had an anonymous donation of $1,000! We've had our bicycle tubes donated, our return flights home from Georgia and we've even had people step up and offer us their homes for a place to stay. Isn't that awesome? I believe it is! A shout out to Nathan Brummer - Nathan designed our super cool Pedal for Haiti logo.

That said - We need more. Not for us - for Haiti. We need to raise $50,000 to make this dream a reality. Of that $50,000 - 100% will go to build a School/Clinic/Church on the Leogane Plain in Haiti. That one building will change lives forever! I'm not just assuming, I'm telling you that I am 100% sure that one School/Clinic/Church building will make a tremendous difference. I've seen it with my own eyes. I've seen children and their parents run to a New Missions school to get registered. Just like you and I, Haitian parents want the best for their kids. In Haiti, that's really hard to come by.

Your gift will be part of making that happen. It doesn't need to be much. A little from everyone will get us where we need to be. I want to be clear that your money will go directly to New Missions. We will then see it go to funding a school/clinic/church. This is the real deal - we've been there and we'll be there again soon. You don't have to worry about your giving being caught up in bureaucracy.

So, give it some thought. Thanks for your kind words, encouragement, prayers and giving. It means the world to Monty and I. We're excited to be a vessel by which change will happen. Join us and be part of it too!

Don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter at PedalforHaiti - We'll be updating often - especially after we get rolling on 9/27.

See you on the road!

Less than 60 Days!

Well, we're less than 60 days away from the big ride! Can you believe it? It's been about a year in the making and we're almost ready to hit road.

Just today, Monty and I began the process of purchasing equipment we'll need for the ride. Things like rain gear, a portable bike pump, butt butter (I still laugh at that one), leggings for colder mornings and the scariest of all - a road rash emergency kit! The packaging said something along the lines of, "treats four large areas". Yikes! I'm thinking if I've got four large areas of road rash - you'd best be calling the ambulance!

Monty's put together a well detailed packing list and we're checking it twice to be sure we've covered all the bases. The trick here is to pack comprehensive but light. Can I get everything I need for 40 days on the road into 20/30 pounds? If anyone has packing tips I'd appreciate hearing them. We're going to have to be creative.

That's all for now. If your interested in donating - visit the site or send one of us an email. 100% of your donation will go to Haiti.

Don't forget the site: http://www.pedalforhaiti.org or check us out on Twitter and Facebook at: pedalforhaiti

T-shirts coming soon!

Thanks for reading!

Dave

Hello Everyone!

As you can see the I've changed the name to "Pedal for Haiti" as this best fits our next big adventure. In September (3 months from this coming Sunday), Monty Patton and I will be heading out from San Diego, CA to pedal across the United States in an effort to raise money to rebuild schools and churches on the Leogane Plain.

We need you to "come along for the ride". This means you can do one or many of the following:

1. Ride with us! Side by side on our route across America. You pick the distance. We'd love to have you!
2. Meet us at one of our 39+ destination cities along the way! We'd love to meet you and we need all the encouragement we can get!
3. Donate to the cause. Be part of making Haiti a better place. We can't make all of it better, but we can make it better one person, one school, one church at a time!
4. Much more!!!

I'll have much more over the coming weeks as we ramp up training and fundraising.Our partner on the ride will be New Missions (www.newmissions.org) and outside of minor ride expenses all funds raised will go to New Missions - serving in Haiti for 27 years!

Talk to you all soon!

Dave

P.S. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter at pedalforhaiti!

Still Here

Hello Everyone,

I'm still here. I may have left the blogosphere but my heart never left Haiti. My reason for hopping on and posting at this time is to share information on where you can most effectively give during Haiti's time of need. Remember to continue to give after the news stories and internet coverage die down. Haiti needs us for the long run.

The organizations I would recommend would be:

New Missions
www.newmissions.org

World Wide Village
www.worldwidevillage.org

Haiti Rescue Center
http://haitirescuecenter.wordpress.com/

Thanks for caring, for praying and for giving. It is my prayer that Haiti's future be brighter than it's past.

Coming Soon:

Haiti 2010: A Night for Haiti - Dinner and Learning Event - Phoenix, AZ
Fall 2010: Bike Across America for Haiti - It's on!!

Thanks for reading,

Dave