As I began packing on the night of June 24th, I wasn’t really sure what
to expect or what I would be getting out of the bike trip. I just
knew it would be a huge change of pace from the rest of my summer.
I was gone to Colorado last year during the trip, so I never got the chance
to hear many of my brother’s stories from when he returned home.
But now that I’ve truly experienced the bike trip, I can say that it blew
me away.
Starting in downtown Chicago was nice. The trails along
the lake were great and it was cool seeing other bikers from the city.
10 miles into the trip and we were already stopping for Gatorade and candy
bars; I won’t complain. It was later in the day that Kyle’s stuffed
animal monkey mysteriously disappeared...how very odd!! At lunch
time, Kyle, Eric, and Jenn had the guts to go swimming, but I wasn’t quite
up to it. Most of us went later that day at the campsite. Brian
and Liz played guitar amazingly well. Singing along that night was
a great feeling despite the fact that I was having trouble breathing after
the first 50 miles of the trip. Our music put “bag-man” and his Pearl
Jam to shame. It was a great experience that night sleeping under
the stars, pointing out fake constellations, and looking for far-off satellites.
I buried myself in my sleeping bag away from the bugs, thinking of what
the next day would bring.
Brian had a mosquito bite on his lip the next morning.
We started out pretty early that day. It wasn’t long before Eric’s
water supply started leaking all over him. Kyle and I were cracking
up but Eric looked kind of pissed. When we entered the first bike
trail of the day, Mr. Sladkey gave us the option of going as fast or as
slow as we wanted to. Kyle and Eric were out of sight in no time.
I was really flying there for a while but Kyle and Eric were going too
incredibly fast for anyone to keep up. Ali and Michelle took a wrong
turn on the trail, but luckily Brian and I tracked them down. It’s
a good thing we did; I can’t live without music, Ali. Meanwhile,
Mr. Sladkey was getting in on other people’s conversations with his hand-held
radio. Biking was tougher that day with all the hills, but I learned
to take them on. I enjoyed watching Eric harass the turkey at lunch
that day. The owner described her as a “friendly turkey”. I
found it funny that the turkey, Franchesca, actually tried to come over
by us when we were singing, when earlier she seemed to be afraid of us.
This day was mostly country roads. We ate dinner at a church in Mukwanago,
Wisconsin. The Jello desert they had prepared for us was...interesting.
Everyone from the church was very welcoming. I felt comfortable talking
in front of them, even though I wasn’t too prepared. Lauren and Jenny
both had some very well-thought-out speeches. Kyle, Eric, Mr. Sladkey,
and I stayed at a home with a small golf course and an old go-cart track.
Our family was unbelievably accommodating. It was like being at a
home outside of my home.
Day 3 was smooth riding all the way. The trails were flat
and the day went by so fast. That day, Kyle, Eric, and I tried to
sing one of the CDs we know really well in its entirety. It was fun
watching Eric and Kyle go at it on their bikes, kicking each other back
and forth. We had an awesome game of Ultimate Frisbee during lunch.
P.J. used his irresistible charm to get three kids around our age to join
us. Before long, we reached Deerfield, Wisconsin, after Kyle had
gone to the bathroom 3 more times--haha, Bladder Boy!! By this time
I had developed a scale. Every time Kyle goes to the bathroom, it
means we have gone approximately 10 miles since the last time he had to
stop. I guess that’s what taking in four 70 oz. pouches of water
a day can do to you. The service at Deerfield was outside.
I thought the first one went better because it felt somewhat repetitive
doing it for the second time. We met a lot of people at the church,
though, and they were excited that we were there. Brian and I stayed
with “Mr. Trek” and his family that night. Jenn and her host came
over to play marco polo with us in the pool there. I was so fortunate
to be staying with Jeff, the bike expert. He fixed my shoes, tuned
up my bike, and taught me so much I had never thought about.
Day 4 took us all the way to Lake Geneva. We came across
some huge hills and I know I reached a new top speed. Wow, this was
a long day!! Lake Geneva was the first big city we had been through
since Chicago. We passed right by Madison where Eric was at the time.
A hot fudge brownie sundae was nice after all that biking. Kyle,
Brian, and I started sleeping outside but ran to our tent when the mosquito
candle expired. Sorry about ditching you, Jenn!!
The next day was a walk in the park compared to Day 4.
We biked around 15 miles to our canoes. I was so glad to be canoeing
with Liz that day. It was awesome to get to know each other even
better. We’re so sorry about making you go head on with the riverbank,
Mr. Sladkey and Mr Snyder!! Who would have thought we would be coming
across cows in the river that day? One of those cows was staring
straight at Liz and I. We decided to form an alliance with Brian
and Michelle later on, but it never did us much good since the other boats
never came close enough for us to attack them. This was by far one
of the most exciting points of the trip and a nice break from biking.
When we got on shore, Mr. Sladkey took the famous picture of Kyle watering
the leaves (see Day 5 pictures). Another 15 miles on our bikes and
we had reached P.J.’s cottage. I was starting to deny that the bike
trip was almost over. It was exciting to know that you were almost
home, but I was sad that it was coming to an end. We were all proud
of P.J. for making it this far. The picnic was a great way to spend
the last night of the trip. Kyle and Eric were united after being
apart from each other for 2 days. Get a room, you two!! Tonight
was the night I was scheduled for my devotional. I never really got
the chance to know P.J. too well over the trip, but it was amazing the
way he reached out to me. We were looking for a bible verse for quite
a while, and he wouldn’t give up until we found the right one for me.
He knew the bible from front to back. It’s crazy how good of a memory
he has and how much knowledge he is filled with. I will never forget
you P.J.; you taught me so much that night.
The next morning as we began riding, I started to think about
how much I had changed on the trip and how many interesting people I had
met. I was shocked that we were on our final day and our destination
for today would be home. I tried to make the most out of this day.
Riding on the Prairie Path made me realize that we were only getting closer
to home. Everyone was so pumped once we could finally recognize where
we were. Riding through Naperville after biking 350 miles was a great
feeling. I felt a sense of completeness as we arrived at the Krema’s.
We had just biked to Wisconsin and back!! I hope to see some of the
people I got to know on the trip in the future. I’m already looking
forward to next year’s bike trip. Liz, Brian, Ali, Michelle, Jenn...hopefully
you can all make it next year. Thank you, Lord for all the seniors
on the trip this year. They served as an inspiration to us all.
Kyle, you’re amazing on your bike!! Bikers rule!!!!!!!!!!!!!!