On July 1, Steve Boeve and I began a trip we had planned and anticipated for a number of years. We got on our bicycles, with trailers in tow, and headed north. Our goal was to make it around Lake Michigan, going north through Michigan and south through Wisconsin. Because of limited vacation time, we pushed quite hard, averaging 90 miles in 8 ½ hours each day, enjoying God’s creation from the slower pace of our bikes.There were several challenges on this trip, such as the hill climbs in the northern Lower Peninsula, the head winds on US2, and difficult road conditions on parts of the trip, but we experienced God’s presence along the way. We felt God’s protection especially on day three when I hit a dog. I could have gone down on the pavement, getting badly scraped or breaking a bone, but the fall only resulted in a sore shoulder and hand.  Another time we felt God’s presence was maneuvering a tight squeeze between a road kill and the shoulder of the road as a semi was  barreling up behind us in a  construction zone. Also, the timing of the rain and storms was perfect! We were stopped at a gas station to get some smoked fish, and the sky let loose with rain, but we were protected under the store awning. The second storm arrived on day five, just after we had set up camp in a sheltered area. The third storm arrived on day 11 (the day of the big Holland windstorm) and I was able to find protection under an I-80 overpass as the storm went by. On day nine of the trip, Steve took the ferry from Milwaukee to Muskegon, due to limited vacation time, completing 794 miles. I was able to continue on and complete the trip in 12 days, traveling 1,015 miles on the seat  of a bike. What a trip!Steve and I collected pledges for our trip, raising $1,000 for Haiti earthquake relief. Thank you to our sponsors for their pledges, and to God for his protection along the way. God is good!       

~ Story by Ray Masselink