Ride America for God Today

Welcome, I’m happy to see you here at Ride/ For God Today

This Ride is Completed Click here for ride Details

My vision for this trip is to raise support via pledges per mile ridden for International Students inc. – www.ISIPortland.org

ISI is a nonprofit Christian organization supporting International students in American colleges with a number of activities that relate to International student needs.

My goal in Support of ISI is to travel across the USA from Portland to Boston and back, biking in every state I can and raising pledges wherever I am.

You may have seen me with the American Flag, Oregon Flag and flags from 25 international countries flying on my bike.

I have a goal to ride my bicycle 100 miles per week (6 weeks -600 miles) and between 5 – 50 miles in 25 states and Canada.

My start point is here in Oregon at Marylhurst University for PIA (Pacific International Academy) where I have enjoyed being a language partner to several students.

My current language partners

My bicycle carries International Flags from 25 countries and the USA for recognition.

I’m counting on your support and as gift for the first 25 Pledges/Donations I will send you an International Flag used on the ride.

First of all – prayer works miracles – Please pray for biking safety on unfamiliar roads.

Next: Make a Pledge – It can be be paid directly to ISI after the trip is completed at the end of August using the ‘Donate to ISI Button’ – a pledge of 10 cents per mile will be approx. $60 @ 600 miles – ( I’ll not exceed 700 total)

If you prefer Donate to ISI any amount anytime as God leads.

ISI activities and times of sharing helps introduce Christ into student lives. Active students in the group often return to their home countries with a new view on life and a willingness to share their experiences with family and friends spreading His love across the globe.

^{Matthew 28:}¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”

For more about language partners read /languagepartner To learn more about ISI visit their national website at www.ISIonline.org or you may donate to your local ISI through this link.

Ride For God Status: Complete

Aug 18th, I arrived back to Oregon — Miles ridden 607 – in 27 states & Canada

Ride details: week 1, week 2, week 3, week 4, week 5, week 6

Thank You for Your pledges! – If you were not able to make a pledge you can donate directly to ISI at anytime by using this button Donate to ISI

The Flags below represent 27 States & Canada where I rode (My goal was 25 states)

NE Flag Kentucky State Flag

Travel was completed on 08/18/2013, A distance of 7,708 miles,

Many of my rides are mapped on MapMyRide . click the location link “mapped” in the text to see the track & distance ridden in each state. Not all rides were mapped completely.

July 08th-14th – Week 1 –

I rode in 9 states for a total of 90 miles during my first week. I need to work a little harder since I fell short of my weekly goal of 100 miles. It was tougher than I thought it would be because of all the miles traveled in the car. Stopping in each state as I passed though added about an hour for each ride to the already 9 hour long driving days. However I met my goal of riding at least 5 miles in each state I passed through. With over 2000 miles behind, I still have 5000 miles ahead.

My first ride after leaving Oregon was one of the most beautiful. I didn’t think there was a good place to ride in Twin Falls ID but I found this path along the gorge. “mapped” It was so pretty there and the falls are even more beautiful. (I saw them on a previous trip) .

The sun was just coming up when I got to the bridge. I met a photographer there who was working on a movie to be shown in a few weeks. He was waiting for a truck load of ice to be poured off the bridge so a skier on a wire could ski down the ice as it fell. The movie was about extreme skiing. I wish I could have seen it but I had to travel on.

The Next state I rode in was Utah. It was a very hot day around noon but I needed to to stop and ride. I chose Brigham City “mapped” to ride in since it seemed like a peaceful easy place to ride.

The churches there stood tall and I could see them in the middle of town. It was about 96 degrees but very low humidity about 4%.

There were few people out except a family on the church lawn under the trees having a picnic.

Wyoming was the next state. It was still very hot and with lots of mountains and long hills along the drive I waited until evening before taking my next ride in Laramie.

Along the river was a green-way that was easy to ride on. I saw several people walking along the path as the air cooled that I was able to stop and talk with and give out a card describing the trip I was taking and how I was looking for pledges to support International students.

The old west style ranches were interesting to see along the path & Laramie WY was one of the most comfortable places to take an easy ride. “mapped“

As the sun set it was quiet and peaceful just like you see when watching the old west movies.

I spent the night in Fort Collins Colorado where early the next morning I got up to take a ride before starting my day.

The roads had a bike lane but I decided to ride on a nature trail along the lake. the sun was still low and I saw several ducks on the pond. “mapped“

The trail got smaller as I rode further and I ended up in a different location than expected but I met a couple of ladies walking their dogs that listened as I told them about International Students.

Leaving Colorado, driving strait west from fort Collins I was able to nip the corner of Nebraska giving me another state to ride in toward my goal of 25 states. “mapped“

You can see from my flags the wind was very strong that day. Pat dropped me off at the state line and I rode to meet her in town about 7.5 miles ahead.

The closer to town I got the more the road turned toward the wind. It was the hardest short ride I’ve taken with the air very hot near 100 deg and the wind blowing about 30 mph I was worn out upon reaching the car again.

We entered Kansas on the NW corner and we would be leaving out the SE corner of the state. It is so long we stopped for the night in Topeka.

In the morning before leaving for the day I looked for a place to ride. the area I was in was not the best for riding a bike. I rode down a busy highway a short distance until I was able to turn off on a business road.

That road was OK for riding and the little traffic on it. Soon I was beside a cornfield and the road turned to gravel. I ended up on this overpass above the freeway.

It worked out fine to get over 5 miles in for Kansas and I was on my way again. “mapped“

This was the day we would reach our destination planned for half way across the US. We had a family reunion planned and would be in Holiday Island Arkansas for two days. (not mapped)

On the drive through Missouri I didn’t stop to ride since I was planning to be in Missouri most of the following week. It felt good to have finally arrived for the reunion and most of all knowing we were stopping for a few days in one place.

July 15th-21st– Week 2 – Much of my riding this week was in Missouri near Branson. It’s tough riding here with no bike trails or paths. Hills, curves and narrow roads make riding dangerous but I found a few safe places to ride where I added to my weekly goal of 100 miles.

The picture to the right and below was taken at the college of the Ozarks. It was pretty there with the green grass and a waterfall. I rode from the college down the hill through the town of Hollis and back again three times for a total of 15 miles. “mapped”

Later in the week I took a ride through Branson over the hills past Silver City. It was early in the morning still a little cool and the fog was settled in between the hills. They looked like waves in the ocean.

It was an interesting ride up and down several large hills but I found that returning was much easier than going. Later in the day the sky was bright blue, heating fast. “mapped”

The Row flags are near Shepard of the hills and the tower in the background has several zip lines down the mountain.

Back in Branson there were lots things to do I likes seeing, not riding the thrill rides such as this slingshot I saw in the evening while playing mini golf.

Saturday we left Branson driving and riding through Illinois to Indiana.

In Illinois it was nice to ride on an actual bike path.

In the middle of a hot and humid day riding down the dirt path under the shade of trees still felt comfortable. (not mapped)

The bike path called “Tunnel Hill State Trail” was 55 miles long but I only had time to ride 10 miles on it.

I took a couple rides near Princeton, IN. “mapped“

It was nice to have a chance to spend a couple days with my older brother Larry in Indiana. He pulled his bike out just so we could take a short ride together before I continued my trip east.

July 22nd- 28th– Week 3 – This week I’m traveling and riding between Indiana and New England. KY, OH, PA, NJ, MA, NH. I have arrived at my destination in New Hampshire where I will stay with my son, his wife and child for two weeks before heading West again.

Traveling on from Indiana East I Stopped to ride in Louisville Kentucky at a park by the Ohio River. The bike path there followed the river for several miles.

It had just rained hard and there were places where Tree limbs were down on the path but it was a good ride although warm and humid as was expected. Since it had just rained I didn’t see anyone but it made for a peaceful quiet ride. “mapped“

Later in the day I drove through Ohio. There were rain storms off and on so when I found dry patch I decided I had better stop to ride before I left the state. Since I was in a hurry with rain on the horizon I didn’t get any pictures there. The town was small and I gave out a couple of my cards in the grocery parking lot when I returned from riding. Just as I put my bike up the rain started again so we were off toward Pennsylvania.

My route took me through the northern most tip of West Virginia where I planned to ride next. I was only passing through about 10 miles of the state but with the thunderstorms and my late arrival there I decided it would not be safe to ride there.

First thing next morning after the late night thunderstorms I went for my ride in PA. The roads were already busy with people going to work but I found a quiet little residential road through the country. The small creek was swollen with muddy water but the grass was green and pretty as the sun came up. On the way back to my hotel the road I turned off on surprised me when it became a super highway. Luckily I only had a mile to travel before getting off and God was watching over me as I crossed the entrance and exit ramps although it was a little unnerving. “mapped“

Just as God often does when what you expected to do, doesn’t work out, He provides another way. As I neared the Eastern end of Pennsylvania I saw that we would be passing through the intersection of three states. New Jersey to the south and New York ahead.

Stopping at the first exit I was able to enter New Jersey and drive to the top of a hill at High Point State Park not far from Port Jervis NY. “mapped” It was a fun ride coming down the hill at over 30 MPH. It’s not often getting my 5 mile ride in is that easy and fun to do. This part of New Jersey is not what I think of seeing in this state. It is was very pretty here in the forested area with lakes along my ride.

I knew I would have another chance to ride in New York State and with a long way yet to travel we pushed on arriving at my son’s home in New Hampshire late in the evening. It was great to be at my eastern most destination and to see my son and his family. From here I know I’ll be able to ride in several more states around New England.

My first ride in New Hampshire was the next day. Though hot and humid it was expected so I geared up to see how riding this state would be. I headed out up the local roads and was pleasantly surprised to find a different experience than expected. New Hampshire has many rural roads lightly traveled that wind through the forest. It was very enjoyable, like riding a path through the woods although without my gps map loaded I went down several dead end roads. It was no problem because I just wanted to ride, enjoy and get some miles in to meet my goal. Eventually coming out on the North South highway it was a nice ride there too with a wide berm for biking making it safe and easy to ride.

Near the northern state border of Massachusetts. It’s also easy to ride there as well.

The next day I road through a few of the back roads in Massachusetts. “mapped” People here are very patriotic with American flags stuck in pots, lawns, mail boxes and even hanging on the clothes line.

I liked seeing all the old trucks, or tractors and farm equipment displayed on the farms and lots between the forested or swampy land.

It’s also common to see a mix of conifers and deciduous trees in this part of both New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The old style farms also have an interesting house barn combination to see.

It all makes for a nice quiet ride where a person can reflect on Gods creation.

Riding in NH I come across this piece of history. Uncle Sam’s house. I never knew Uncle Sam was once a real person. “mapped“

I also find all the old grave yards very interesting. I guess because the dates are so old.

People did not settle Oregon until much later so seeing dates on tombstones that are from 250 years ago makes you wonder what it must have really been like at that time.

July 29th – Aug 3rd Week – 4 I’m staying in NH for the next two weeks. My rides will mostly be meet my goal of 100 miles per week. Week 4 goal of 100 miles has been met. Praise God, thanks to his Power.

Since I need one extra state to meet my goal of 25 states I took a drive to Rhode Island on Monday. It was a nice state to visit. Here I am near the Light house at point Judith. I enjoyed a ride here in the ocean breeze.

After riding I took some time to visit Newport RI. It was an interesting city with a lot of old style houses and shopping.

A couple of fun sites was this statue of an Organ grinder with his monkey.

Later as the sun was getting low from the back side of this statue it looked to me like a disco dancer. What do you think? Actually it was a historical war figure. You’ll just have to visit Newport square to find out who.

Back in NH I rode some back roads to find this pretty river where the trees reflect on the water.

The steeples and clock towers of the NE are interesting works of architecture.

This tree is another cool reflection in the still waters of a pond.

In the morning when the sun comes up is prettiest time of day. Especially on a bike trip with God in your heart while you’re doing something for him.

I hope you are enjoying my pictures and following me across the country. It’s a blessing for me and I believe especially those who Pray or make a pledge will be a blessing for you as well as to the International students who find Christ because of your willingness sacrifice time in prayer and a few dollars for ISI.

Sometimes the ride doesn’t go perfectly. As you can see I had a flat tire riding in Massachusetts this week. A flat tire is easy to fix and probably won’t be last but they are always unexpected.

The sign to the right seems funny to me. I have seen it several times in Massachusetts. I guess that is their way of saying heavily populated or congested area.

I liked the look of this old fashion fruit stand equipped complete with and old bicycle and chair.

Ending week 4, on an early ride I took Sunday morning I went past this old mill on the river. It’s not something you see everyday.

This was a nice end to a good week.

Starting out week 5 – (Aug. 4th – 10th) I took the opportunity to go to Portland Maine. It is the furthest point east traveled. Portland is an interesting city which was nice to visit. The old buildings there are much different from the Portland I know near my home.

Riding around the bay there I added yet another state to my list bring the total number of states ridden in so far to 19.

There was a nice riding / walking trail around the bay. It was very popular on the day I rode there with other bikes and joggers. It was a beautiful day and provided a nice view of the city and wildlife around the waters edge.

Aug 11th – 18th – Week 6 – I traveling back home to Oregon there were some long days driving but taking the route north after riding in Vermont I also visited Niagara Falls, Canada and Mackinac Island MI.

Down a long hill and beside a pretty river my ride in Vermont was very nice . “Mapped” The air cool on my trip back in the thick trees of the north.

From Vermont I went through New York State. Away from New York City the state landscape is covered with trees and hills. I found a park by the lake in Syracuse with a long bike path to ride on. “mapped” It was not what I normally think of for NY.

Reaching the north east corner of NY I took time to visit Niagara Falls.

I have seen a lot of waterfalls but seeing Niagara was more impressive than I expected. It was worth the stop and time to see it.

From Niagara I crossed into Canada and drove to London where early the next morning I rode the Path through the woods beside the river there. Canada is a good place to ride a bike at least in this area there were several paths accommodating to bikes. “mapped“

Along the path I saw 2 racoons and 2 cottontail rabbits. Unfortunately I was not able to get their picture before they ducked under cover in the woods.

I also saw several places with nice flowers along the way. Beside this park near the center of town was a plaque describing the river system with a fountain in in the river.

Michigan was my next stop. Driving north through the south peninsula I stopped just south of Mackinaw City and rode on old railroad path to get my miles in Michigan. Surrounded by thick trees I dared not stop in the woods or I would be attacked by mosquitoes. “mapped“

However later in the day I found a park where the wind was blowing so hard I could hardly stand. The waves on Lake Huron were rolling big with whitecaps as the sun set.

the highlight of Michigan was visiting Mackinac Island. This Island was interesting because no motor vehicles of any kind are allowed,.

The Grand Hotel on the Island is quite spectacular as well as the many old style homes. It’s as if you are living in the past when only your only option for travel is walking, horse and buggy or riding a bike.

The famous Mackinaw Suspension bridge is also something to see. Crossing this long and high suspension bridge I continued my trip up through Michigan’s upper peninsula to Wisconsin.

Wisconsin, known for it’s cheese was not far across as I followed lake superior’s south shore.

There I found another good bike trial along the water and then across town. “mapped” Adding extra miles to help with my weekly commitment I rode about 20 miles enjoying the fresh air that was blowing from the cool waters of the great lake.

Riding along the lake I found this artisan well. I filled my water bottles with the cold fresh water that flowed out from beneath Lake Superior.

Soon I was entering the state of 10,000 lakes, Minnesota. It is a fairly flat state thick with a lot of trees, it’s still part of the north woods.

Since I spent the night about a mile from the North Dakota boarder when I went riding in the morning I decided I would ride in both states. “mapped” I started in Minnesota and came to this bridge where I was about to cross into North Dakota. I noticed it was a toll bridge, $0.75 but I didn’t bring any money. Luckily I was waved on through since I was on a bike. Coming back I rode down the sidewalk that bypassed the toll booth.

This river divides North Dakota and Minnesota. It’s muddy even though there has not been any rain recently.

Almost on the border of North Dakota the trees began to thin and the plains began to open up. Crossing ND is much different than going through the thick trees of the north woods.

Then comes Montana. Still a plains state about half way through going west the mountains start to rise higher and higher.

Beside the Yellowstone river in Columbus MT I enjoyed the view of the sun, orange in the sky with a light cloud cover. It was a nice ride in the cool morning. “mapped“

After traveling through Idaho I came to Washington state.

Washington is the last state I need to ride in. Actually I already had surpassed my goal of 25 states but this was my chance to do even more.

Saturday Morning I got up and found a great trail to ride out along a ridge from Spokane. It is called bear lake trail. “mapped” A converted railroad paved for 8 miles out of town. It was all up hill but easy to ride the grade designed for a train. Back in the west I enjoyed riding through the familiar smell of the pines. Coming back to town was easy, It’s all down hill.

Back home again I was short 58 miles of meeting my 100 mile a week goal which would give me 600 miles for the 6 week trip. It was time to Ride For God one more time. “mostly mapped” (till my phone died)

It was a long ride, finally almost finished I stopped to rest beside the Willamette River just south of Portland. With only a few more miles back home I knew from here I would meet all the goals I set for for myself promised to God and ISI.

It’s never too late to make a donation for International students (ISI). They are doing great things here in Portland as well as all across the country.

This ride is just my way of doing something for God. I receive nothing but blessings for riding and I know God will also bless you if you decide to donate to ISI. Donate to ISI

Pledges are now closed but if you decide you want to donate use the button above – Then send me a note on the form below – I would like to hear from you. Include your email so I can send you a personal Thank You…