Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota

On Saturday, we took care of laundry and cleaning up our little camper and got ready for another week. We had originally planned to come up to Forest Lake to meet Pastor Mike at the Maranatha Church. To say this was an amazing church is an understatement. Their dedication to the local police and fire departments is outstanding and their outreach to the community was like nothing we’ve ever seen. The music and message were like a much larger version of Impact Ministries in Wheatland, Wyoming. It was good to be in the house of the Lord. Bill had the opportunity to tell them what we are doing and we were greatly encouraged. We were prayed for and supported and treated with kindness. Pastor Mike treated us to lunch in the 11,000 square foot lobby where we tasted the best oriental food we’ve had in a very long time. The church even had their own challenge coins

and Pastor Mike was generous with them to us. Thank-you Pastor Mike for welcoming us and praying for us. We will continue to pray for you and your ministry there. Jill from the church-owned radio station spoke to us after the service and wanted to arrange an interview. We later received an email letting us know that we were scheduled for 1:30 on Monday. We were up and out at 9:00 this morning heading to Minneapolis to visit the Police Department. It was a little tricky getting there but the building the department was in was just amazing.

It was built in 1891 and we just happened to arrive the day they were holding the 125^th anniversary of the building. It reminded me of a castle and I felt like a tourist gazing up at it. We went in and saw they were getting ready for the celebration.

We thanked the young police officer at the front desk and talked with him a bit. Another gentleman offered us a few of the pins they were going to be handing out at the celebration.

We found the office of Deputy Chief Travis Glampe and were buzzed in. We offered him New Testaments for some of the officers and told him what we were doing. He was very excited and we traded patches and coins.

We chatted for a bit and I got a shot of him with Bill.

By then it was getting close to noon so we had a quick lunch and headed over to the radio interview. Jill was there to greet us and escorted us to the studio.

It was being taped so I didn’t have to worry about imagining thousands of people hearing me talk. Bill did really well and I enjoyed myself.

We thanked them and they prayed for us and we were on our way to see the police in St. Paul. Now, we didn’t know that there was going to be so much trouble in St. Paul when we decided to come up here. We found the police department and talked to a very nice young man, Justin McCray, in the parking lot who was a photographer for Fox 9 KMSP.

The Police Department building was on lockdown so they buzzed us in, bicycle and all and we met a Sargeant that we told our story to. We talked at length and he introduced us to the men and young woman who were the department’s bicycle officers.

We shared New Testaments with a few of them and told them about the ministry of Maranatha Church to police officers. They were the first responders to protests and were hoping for a quiet evening. One of the officers shared a SWAT patch with us and another a personal item that meant much to him.

Please be in prayer for these folks as they stand in the gap for us. We traded patches with the Sargeant

and Justin and the gentleman working with him got permission to interview Bill for a story! So Bill got another chance to share the Thank-You Tour with more people than we can reach face to face.

We thanked all the officers once more and headed back to the little beach house on wheels, after picking up a few groceries at Walmart. So here I am writing to you now and thanking you for reading. 

To keep the Thank-You Tour going, please donate at Generosity.com

Faribeault, Minnesota to Woodbury, Minnesota

Not too long after we set up yesterday in Camp Faribo, it started to rain. Not the violent rain we had the two nights before, but a soft shining rain. Light was shining down through the rain, so I took a short video to see if I could capture the look.

It isn’t quite what my eyes saw, but close. I just love the sound of the rain on the roof of our little beach house on wheels. When morning came, Bill left at 7:15 and I took my time and left at 10.  It was a good thing I relaxed a little this morning as the day’s ride had some very exciting moments. The roads were very busy and this little country girl got just a wee bit tense. Toss in lots of road construction, closed roads, tiny roundabouts, and tight spaces and you have a good part of my day. Miss Garmin was especially enjoying her day as she guided me in circles with multiple left and right turns and down back roads. At some point, I wasn’t even sure where I was, so blindly followed and was pleasantly surprised to end up in Lake Elmo. No, not actually in the lake…it’s the name of the town. LOL! Feeling frazzled, I went to the camper and put on some Young Living Essentials oils…Stress Away and Tranquil and tried not to hyperventilate. ;)

I called Bill and he gave me the address of a campground he found so I punched it in and started out. Wouldn’t you know, I had to drive back through some of the construction and closed road that I had just gone through! That’s okay, I’m parked in the St. Paul East RV Park where the people run a tight ship and are friendly and helpful. Bill was here to meet me and he drove into the spot for me. Nice showers and I’ll be able to do our laundry here too. Bill had a pretty good ride once he found a bike path and went by a field where a couple of pieces of machinery were picking green beans.

When we lived in Wisconsin years ago, Bill worked for a company that built a similar machine. He also got a picture of the bridges over the Mississippi River.

I did remember going over that, fortunately only once today. LOL! On one of the rough roads I was on yesterday, one of the door shelves in the fridge cracked so we went to Hobby Lobby for some model cement and then over to Staples to pick up some business card sheets so we can wrangle all the business cards that have accumulated. Now we’re back in our little camper and it looks like rain again tonight. That’s okay; at least Bill doesn’t have to bicycle in it. Tomorrow will be cleaning and laundry day and then on Sunday we’ll be worshiping with a church up in Forest Lake. Thank-you for reading.

Albert Lea, Minnesota to Faribault, Minnesota

Big storms came through the State Park we were staying in. Lots of lightning and thunder in the middle of the night. Sleep was intermittent but we woke to clear skies and no wind. Bill was out by 8 to take advantage of the early morning quiet and I followed 2 hours later. Some of the road was excellent; some more of the bucking bronco type. On the way there, there was a huge wind power farm. There were dozens of them. They were so big and the area was so large that it was difficult to get a good picture. Here are a couple, but it was just amazing driving through these. The second one was taken from the driver's side while I was driving...what can I say....;)

Some of them were quite close to the road. By the time I caught up to Bill in Waseca, Minnesota and stopped for a few minutes I felt like my insides had been shaken, not stirred after the bouncy road.LOL! He was talking to a police officer by the side of the road. He was saying Thank-You! He was also craving pizza. We usually make a sandwich in the camper, but there was a place called the Yellow Mushroom with an all-you-can-eat-buffet for a reasonable price so we went in. Well, first of all, I thought I could pull around back and park…there was a cement divider all the  way across in the back  so I kinda boxed myself in. But I wasn’t blocking anyone so we went in to enjoy some pizza! We were greeted by June Munduhl who was very nice and showed interest in what we were doing. She asked thoughtful questions and showed us the buffet. Oh my, what delicious pizza! If you are ever in Waseca, Minnesota, stop in at the Yellow Mushroom. The present owner's father had bought the recipe quite a few years before when he ran the restaurant. A good purchase indeed! Once they knew what we were doing, we were shown kindness and generosity. We appreciate it so much. So Bill got in the truck and had me out of the jam I was in in no time flat.  What a guy! Our next stop was Waterville, where I somehow ended up off the right road. So I found the local high school and parked in the parking lot. I called Bill and told him where I was and he found me shortly after. From there, we decided to stop for the night in about 18 more miles at Camp Faribo in Faribault. Bill followed the bike path, I followed the Garmin hoping she wasn’t going to take me for a joyride again. While Bill was on the bike path, he met a nice couple from Spain.

They were pedaling from New York to Oregon. They said before they left, their family warned them that Americans were violent, had lots of guns, and there were lots of gangs. Also, that their lives would probably be in danger. When they heard what Bill was doing, they said that where they come from, the police write tickets for everything. Here, they have found the police to be quite helpful. They were surprised by the number of nice people they have met along the way. I made it to Camp Faribo and plugged in the electric so we could start the AC! I have a nice shady spot and the people running the place are friendly and helpful. Bill should be showing up soon where he can sit on something soft! Thank-you for reading.

To be part of the Thank-You tour, donate at Generosity.com

Forest City, Iowa to Albert Lea, Minnesota

Three Fingers Campground was quiet and peaceful overnight. No trains, no traffic, just an occasional rain storm that I never heard.

Since we wanted to visit the Forest City Police, Sheriff, and Fire Departments, we both were ready by 8:15 and away. We stopped at the Police Station first but the Chief wasn’t in yet so we drove over to the Sheriff’s Office. We met with Sheriff David Peterson where we enjoyed a conversation with him and traded patches.

He was one of the men who participated in the “Rolling Thunder” motorcycle ride in Washington, D.C.! Thank-you Sheriff for the job you do.

We went back to the Police Department and Chief Douglas Jenson was ready to see us. He was very interested in what we were doing and we swapped stories and shared concerns. When you read this, pray for this Chief. He has an injury he’s been dealing with. We traded coins and patches

and I took a picture of him and Bill.

Lesson learned today, always take 2 pictures. I didn’t check closely right away and the Chief blinked. Thank-you sir for what you do! Our last stop of the morning was the fire department. They have a really nice new facility. When we arrived, there was no one around so we headed back to the truck. We were part way across the parking lot when who drives up but the Chief! We thanked him and chatted for awhile and gave him one of our patches.

Their new patches were supposed to arrive tomorrow so he will be mailing one to us that we can pick up when we stop by home. Thank-you Chief! After that, we continued north to Albert Lea, Minnesota. Why north you say…there’s a church up in Forest River that would like to hear what Bill has to say. The church was recommended to us back at Impact Ministries in Wheatland, Wyoming. Bill checked his email last night and that’s how we found out about it. Route 69 was quiet, so Bill has been able to pedal in the road.  As soon I crossed the Minnesota line, a small breakdown lane appeared so that will mean safer traveling for Bill. The Albert Lea Police Station is only a little over a mile from where I’m parked waiting for Bill so perhaps we’ll stop by there today too. When our tired cyclist arrived, we went over to the police and sheriff’s department that are in the same building to say Thank-You. This mural was inside the station.

We met with Chief Deputy Todd Earl first who was very interested in what we were doing. We talked at length and he actually gave us several patches and a coin

in exchange for the patch and coin we gave him. The Director of Public Safety, Dwaine Winkels, came out too and I took pictures of them with Bill.

So we are calling it a day and are headed for Myre-Big Island State Park for some much needed rest. 

Help to keep the wheels turning by donating at Generosity.com

Spencer, Iowa to Forest City, Iowa

We enjoyed a quiet 4th at the campground in Spencer, Iowa. Bill cleaned out the back of the truck and I cleaned the kitchen and got a bushel of dust out of the camper. The bicycle was cleaned and prepped, laundry done, and everything ship shape. This morning Bill left at 7:15 to get miles in and I followed an hour and a half later. We had decided to skip Route 18 because of traffic so Bill pedaled north to Route 9.  Well, Miss Garmin decided to have a little fun with me. Bill turned right out of the campground, the Garmin told me to turn left. I thought maybe I was avoiding the downtown. The Garmin had me make a couple of turns and when I was on a straight road feeling proud of myself, the Garmin said, "Stay on Route 18 for 7 miles." What?! I'm not supposed to be on Route 18! It finally directed me to the next road going north and I was on my way at last. It was actually a good thing that I went a few miles on 18; the road was in terrible shape and parts of the breakdown lane had large holes half the size of the truck. Sure glad we decided not to ride this one. When I caught up to Bill, he had gone 37 miles and since the road had recently been repaved, it was a smooth ride so far. I'm in Armstrong, Iowa in a little golf course parking lot. Bill will have over 50 miles when he gets here. With no wind and smooth road, we'll see how many more he'll want to do. Bill arrived doing well. The new seat has made a big difference. He had a snack and I refilled his water and we're both headed for Lakota, Iowa. Route 9 is one long straight road! I made it to Lakota and drove around in the town but didn't find anywhere to camp. Bill will have 70 miles when he gets here so we'll check his phone to see if there's a campground near here. I parked near the town park and almost jumped out of my skin when the tornado siren went off right near me! LOL! Just meant it was noon. Whew! I called Bill to let him know I was here and he said he'll just wait at the turn rather than come into town. So, I'll wait for his call here in this sleepy little town. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you...I was listening to the radio when I heard the announcer talking about a  local event in Burt, Iowa. It was the second annual toilet toss! So many thoughts came to mind...do you lose points if the toilet breaks? Do you get bonus points if it lands right side up? What a picture that would be...a lineup of guys chucking toilets! LOL! I actually found a YouTube video of someone tossing a toilet....it's here.  Bill should be showing up soon; I'll have to share that one with him. When he arrived, he wanted to do 7 more miles into Buffalo Center.

He told me about a gentleman he met on horse back.

He left Pierre, South Dakota and was headed for Washington, DC. It was called "A cowboy's ride for Veterans Awareness". His name is Tony and you can follow along at this link. I was parked near the city park with lunch in the oven when Bill arrived. I heard him talking to someone outside. When I looked out the window, I saw a hot rod looking John Deere tractor!

It was so cool. It was built by Gene Brass and him and his wife Marilyn were taking it for a ride.

I just know my brother will love this! We talked for awhile

and then went in and had our lunch. The closest campground was in Forest City, so we packed up and headed there for the night. 3 Fingers Campground; and yes, the hostess has all her fingers....:) Nice place around a small lake and.....wifi! Thank-you for reading. 

Spencer, Iowa

Saturday morning, what a nice sound! Since we are staying here in Spencer, Nebraska this weekend, we decided to get some of our chores done. There was a nice Laundromat right around the corner, so we carried all our laundry in and did all the necessary washing, drying, and folding. After we started up the washers, we saw a little museum across the street with an interesting looking fire truck in the window. When we went in, the kind lady there told us the story of the big fire of 1931 that was started by some fireworks being accidentally shot off inside the local drug store.  Multiple businesses were destroyed in town and the fire truck in the window was one of the trucks that had fought that fire. While I was putting clothes in the dryers, Bill went back to get a patch to give to the firefighter he had talked to earlier while I was loading washers. When I pulled Bill’s bicycling shorts out of the dryer, I wondered just what people might think about seeing these shorts with the big green gel pads in them. Probably think they’re some kind of adult diaper! LOL! Since they can’t go in the dryer, we hang them all over inside the camper to dry.  After everything was loaded in the truck, we went over to the fire station to meet with the firefighter on duty. What an amazing fleet of trucks they have!

He told us about the different trucks and presented Bill with a hat and a patch.

We had a patch and a coin for him and I took his picture with Bill.

Thank-you sir for what you do! I took pictures of the bronze

and the stained glass window they had out front

and also their big white 1949 fire truck.

We said our good-byes and it was back to the campground we went and carried in all the clean clothing, towels, and sheets. After putting all the clothes away and doing the extreme exercise routine called “making the bed”, we collapsed for a short nap. Then it was on to WalMart for a few groceries and back to the little beach house on wheels. Thank-you for reading.

Be a part of this trip by donating at Generosity.com

South Sioux City, Nebraska to Spencer, Nebraska

July 1, 2016

What a whirlwind day yesterday was! We needed to dump all the tanks, so we were both ready to head out at 8:15 and Bill drove through Sioux City. There are no bike lanes in the city and I didn’t want him flattened. He pulled out his bike in a Menard’s parking lot on the edge of town and rode away.

I did some primping and left ½ hour later. I drove about 9 miles on Route 20 and noticed that the bike lane got narrower and narrower until it went to gravel. Bill called and was just a mile ahead of me. No bike path and heavy truck traffic meant driving north to find another road going east. Route 3 looked good so back on the bike he went.

I’m sitting on the side of the road just outside of Cherokee, Iowa. A little more traffic here, but so far the bike lane is good. Arghh! Famous last words! The bike lane just turned to gravel. There are still too many big rigs for him to ride in the road. Looks like we pull out the map and see what else we can find. Route 18 looked like it might work. Bill called the State Police and asked them about it. So we are driving another 35 miles north to find this road. When we arrived, a good part of the day had already been spent, so we went into Spencer, Iowa to look for a place for the night. Since we have been stopped from going east today, guess we have to stay put. We stopped by the police station and met the Chief, Mark Warburton. He told us a little bit about the town and we exchanged patches

and got a picture. Also shook hands and thanked him for what he does.

Spencer is supposed to be the safest town in Iowa…nice place to end up after a frustrating day. We went over to the city park and they have campsites here with electric and water for only $15 a day! Showers too. So we decided to stay until after the 4^th hoping that the traffic will be a bit lighter after the holiday. There’s a cool looking fire department here in town, we’ll have to stop by tomorrow. Thank-you for reading.

 Be a part of the journey by donating at Generosity.com