Glory to God. The bicycle journey for the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ has eclipsed 2,000 miles. It’s been arduous and eventful since the 1,000th milemarker on that stormy August night outside of Bourbon, Indiana. Here in South Dakota, we press on … The headwind sweeping across the Dakota prairie was absolutely NASTY today.  No bike, no matter how aerodynamic, could minimize it enough.

On Thursday morning, after a good night’s rest in the Crofton, Nebraska city park, I mounted the bike and again headed west.  The scenery dropping down into the Missouri River Valley was quite pleasant, and in just 90 minutes, I had knocked out 28 miles. 

Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ, God of the Universe. I am writing this from Sioux Falls in the bottom southeast corner of South Dakota. How we got here is a long and somewhat frustrating story, at least from a human perspective. Then, what we were greeted with here in Sioux Falls, South Dakota’s largest city, was just plain sad. But first, here is how we ended up here.

Enroute to Rosseau, the next town, the Lord gave me a great reminder of His grace at a time when I really needed such a reminder. Lying on the side of the highway was a cross someone had constructed with two solid sticks and some string. Oh, the cross …

After penning the last report, we crossed the border at International Falls, Minnesota, and I pedaled approximately 30 miles to Barwick, a very small Canadian farm town. There, we camped alone for the night in what was basically a large field. Monday’s weather was absolutely incredible. Temperatures climbed into the 70’s, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

It has been almost a week since I penned our last report, and some of you may be wondering what has become of us. Well, I am sitting in the front seat of my truck typing this update on Sunday night, October 5th in International Falls, Minnesota … Let me go back and recap the past week.

Greetings in the name of the Most High God and the fellowship of Jesus Christ our Lord. All praise to the Maker of this wilderness in the midst of which I now sit. But, more about that later. The last couple of days have been an amazing chapter in this journey, and there is much to say.

I am penning this brief from a public library in downtown Iron River, Wisconsin. The facility is actually closed, but this kind lady let us come inside to use the computers anyway. Last night, after the email from Washburn, I pedaled up Hwy. 13 another 12 miles north.

FINALLY, I completed the ride across Michigan's Upper Peninsula. And along the way, we have met a few people and have seen a few places. I am penning this post from a public library in the small town of Washburn, Wisconsin.

It has been almost a week since our last correspondence, and we apologize. Much has happened, and there has been no access to the internet. The last epistle was penned, as you might recall, in a high school library in Munising, Michigan. Immediately after I walked outside to resume pedaling, I noticed a group of high school boys from a shop class looking at my bicycle.

Since my last report penned in Green Bay, Wisconsin, much has occurred. Presently, I am sitting in a high school library in Munising, Michigan on the shore of Lake Superior. The weather is absolutely gorgeous, albeit quite windy . . . God also gave us an amazing gift.

The last couple of days have been an enigmatic roller-coaster physically, emotionally, and spiritually. At this moment, this email is being penned in the Brown County Library in downtown Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Greetings in spirit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the only message of any real eternal value: I am penning this email at the public library in the quaint seaside town of St. Ignace on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. After some thought wrestling and prayer last night, the dawn brought confirmation that it was time to move on. So, we drove the 250 miles NNE to the Mackinac Bridge, crossing over from the mitten to the U.P.

It has been several days since I penned the last post, and since, the lay-over has continued. However, we have come to understand that this “leaky camper shell” delay, like the first “leaky camper shell” delay, was God-ordained for the glory of His Word and the Testimony of Jesus Christ.

We are stranded here (not necessarily a bad thing other than the fact of an encroaching winter). On Sunday, we were pelted with much rain. At this point, I noticed that our new camper shell (i.e. truck cap) shared something in common with the previous one (formerly replaced back in Raleigh, NC)—IT WAS LEAKING BADLY.

Yesterday I took 8 young people down to the Windy City. We left around noon, and it took 4 hours to make the 90 mile drive. I thought Los Angeles held the "most annoying and frustrating traffic" award in this country. I guess I was wrong. Chicago takes the cake hands down. By the time we found parking for two vehicles and gathered all our stuff together, it was 5:00pm before we got onto the streets. Nevertheless, the work began and continued for hours.

About 6 miles outside of Bourbon, I hit the 1000 mile point of my bicycle trek. Only Jamie, the planet Mars, the stars, and a couple of cows were there to share in this milestone. And, the Lord God presided. He deserves all the credit.

Forgive the recent lack of news; I have not had access to the internet. Earlier today, I was at a public library in Muncie, Indiana, intent upon sending out an email, but when I sat down at the computer, I suddenly realized that I simply did not have the strength. Since last time, the adventure has continued.