Sunday, April 8, 2001   (written by Hannah)

        At about 4:15 in the morning, we stopped at a restaurant parking lot to sleep a little.  Then we got up, and had scrambled eggs and cereal and left again.  We drove and drove some more.  We finally got  to Kentucky and there was a huge traffic jam.  It held us up soooo long!  There was a wreck.  Finally, we started moving again.  We got to our Papaw's at about 5:00 to park the trailer and clean it up.  We ordered pizza, and got home at about 9:15 p.m.

David rode 340 miles from Chattahoochee to St. Augustine, Florida.  Hannah rode 131.6 miles (she kept very close track!); and Sarah rode about 140 miles.  Dan's total cross-country mileage was about 3,180.
Dan and Norma are spending a few more days relaxing on the beach; and should be home by the end of the week.

Saturday, April 7, 2001   (written by Hannah)

        This morning, my sunburn hurts really bad!  We went down to the beach and took a walk.  I found some pretty shells.  At the end of the walk, we saw lots of dolphins jumping around.  When we walked back to the motor-home, we had pancakes and bacon.  At 11:00, Florida time, they're going to launch a rocket.  Just a minute ago, I saw it go up.  It will take 2 years to get to Mars.  This is the last day at the campground.  We left and went to St. Augustine.  We saw the fort that the Spanish lived in during a war.  They shot a cannon over the ocean.  After we looked around there a little bit, we ate at a restaurant.  Then we went to a little shop to get another souvenir.  I bought a hat that says St. Augustine, Florida, USA!  It was neat.  My mom looked in some more stores.  We went back to the van and had some ice cream before we left.  We drove a real long time, it seemed like.  For supper, we stopped at Fazoli's.  Then, we left and started driving again.

Friday, April 6, 2001   (written by Hannah)

        This morning, we went down to the beach again, and I went rafting.  My mom and brother saw lots of sting rays.  I got really burned around my eyes.  I got raw on my knees because of the raft.  But, it was fun!  Then we went back to our campsite and had lunch.  After that, Mom, Mike, Sarah, and I went down to the campstore.  They didn't have much.  So, I bought a magent and a postcard.  We walked back out to the ocean again, and I saw lots of pretty shells.  I rafted alot more!  It was more fun because the tide was coming in, and so the waves were really big.  After I got really cold and tired, we all built a big sand-castle.  It was a really cool castle!  We had to go in to have supper.  We had barbecued chicken!  Yum!  After we cleaned up, we drove to a really big fishing pier.  It was really pretty.  Papaw gave us each a rock from the Pacific Ocean.  When I threw the rock into the Atlantic Ocean, I made a wish.  But, I can't tell you, or it won't come true!  Then we went back to the campsite and slept.

Thursday, April 5, 2001   (written by Hannah)

        We had breakfast, and at 9:00 we got ready to ride.  When we ride we're going to go on a draw-bridge.  They're going to lower the bridge for us when we get there, so we can go across.  (The bridge is closed for maintenance this week  --  that's why we had to drive on the detour last night; but, they said they will let us go across on the bikes.)  It started to rain really hard before we got to the bridge.  We got pretty wet, but then it stopped.  When we got to the bridge, we had to walk our bikes one at a time over the draw-bridge part.  It was scary because you could see the splashing waves underneath you.  We finally got to the beach.  Papaw finished!!  After he took off his shoes, he put his front bike tire in the ocean.  Then he wrote, "I love you, Jane!" in the sand.  We got him a medal.  We drove back to the campground and had cake and ice cream!  We surprised him!  After that, we swam in the pool.  It was freezing, so we went to the ocean and went out real far and rafted the waves.  It was really fun!  We went back to the swimming pool in our wetsuits.  It was still cold, but it was better!  I dove for pennies, and jumped, swam, and raced.  It got even colder so we left.  We finally got a real campsite tonight, and it's real nice.  Pat and Merrill left after lunch.  Pat was really funny.  We're going out to eat to celebrate that Papaw finished.  We went to a place called Zaharia's.  I had spaghetti.  It was really good.  After we ate, we drove down to Wal-Mart and got a raft and some kites for tomorrow.  It will feel kind of weird not riding our bicycles tomorrow!

Wednesday, April 4, 2001   (written by Hannah)

        We ate breakfast, and we're packing up.  We drove out of the campground, and the bikers started riding at about 8:30.  After they got back, I rode for about 8 miles.  Then we stopped for a snack and other people rode.  Grandma, Mom and I stopped to meet them and made lunch.  I didn't ride this time, so David rode on the back of the tandem.  Grandma, Sarah, and I got majorly lost in a little town.  But, Mom and Mike went another way to get some groceries.  Finally, we found out where we were.  We met everybody who was biking.  They biked some more.  Then we drove some more and stopped at a dirt place off the side of the rode to meet them.  After that, I rode about 10 more miles!  Then we stopped for the day.  We had to drive around a detour to get the campground.  But, when we got there, they had the wrong days for our reservations, so we had to park in the overflow area.  Then we went down to see the beach.  Papaw's and Grandma's friends, Pat and Merrill, were there, too.  I did lots of cartwheels when the water swooshed up on us!  I got some seashells.  Then we went back to our trailer to have supper.  We had pizza pies, and strawberries.  Tomorrow will be the last day to ride our bikes.  We'll all ride the last 10 or 20 miles.

Tuesday, April 3, 2001  (written by Hannah)

        It's about 9:10 and my mom, dad, sister, brother, and Papaw are ready to go.  This stretch is maybe about 10 or 15 miles.  Mike, Grandma, and I got to a parking lot to wait on them.  My brother told us over the walkie-talkie that Sarah has a flat tire.  So, they had to stop and fix it; and Sarah got bit by some fire ants when they stopped.  We had lunch when they got back.  Now, they have started to ride towards Archer, FL.  Grandma, Mom, and I are meeting them there.  We went to the grocery, then we walked to an outside place to get some strawberries.  Grandma bought a crate of strawberries, and 6 grapefruits.  Then the bikers got back.  Then I rode on the tandem with Mike for 9 1/2 miles and took a 5 minute break; then rode another 10 1/2 miles.  So a total of 20 miles  --  in about an hour and 5 minutes.  We rode mostly around 20 miles per hour.  Then, other people rode.  Tonight, we're going to sleep in a campground on Twin Lakes Road.  We had sloppy joes for supper.  It was really good!  Tonight it seems like we're sleeping in a jungle.  There are alligators and snakes in the swamp next to us; but, I haven't seen any alligators.  We did see a bald eagle fly by really close.  That was neat!

Monday, April 2, 2001   (written by Hannah)

        Papaw started riding early this morning.  He had to go back to where we left off last night.  He'll meet us back at the Winn Dixie later.  It's about 9:40 now, and I'm ready to ride.  I'm starting at Madison.  I'm going to ride about 17 miles.  It took about an hour and 22 minutes.  What a bumpy ride!  Now other people are riding and we're waiting on them.  I rode again later, and Sarah rode Aunt Jane's bike.  We were only supposed to ride about 10 or 15 miles, but we got really lost.  We went around sooo many roads.  We went about 30 miles.  We finally found the campground where Mom and Mike have the campers set up.  Mom was getting worried.  We were gone for about 3 hours.  Now, we're having supper  --  chicken and corn on the cob.  Yummy!  Then we went to bed.

Sunday, April 1, 2001   (written by Hannah)

        We had breakfast, and we're ready to ride.  We have the tandem, so I'm going to ride later.  Sarah's riding now.  It's 9:30, and they've started riding.  We're meeting them in Gretna, and then I'll ride.  I'm riding with my Grandma in the motor-home to where we're meeting them.  After we met them, I got to ride.  I rode 15 miles on huge hills.  I went 35 miles per hour down one of the hills!  Papaw, Mike, David, Sarah, and my dad are riding next.  My Grandma, Mom and I took a walk while we were waiting on them to finish.  We saw horses and asked if we could pet them.  So, we did.  Then Judy, the owner, asked if I wanted to ride one; and of course, I said, "YES!"  The first time around, she had Twister walk; then the 2nd time around, he trotted!  It was so much fun!  Judy was really nice.  Then we walked back to where we were parked to keep on biking.  We drove to the next stopping point, and the key wouldn't work on our trailer.  So, I had to crawl into the storage room underneath our trailer.  Under there, I had to push up on the bed to get inside the trailer.  Then, I had to pull the button to unlock the door from the inside; but, it didn't work there either!  So, I opened the emergency window and got out.  My dad climbed through the window and finally got the door unlocked.  Then, he fixed the door!  It's about 6:10 now, and we're trying to find a place to stay.  We might sleep at a post office, but I don't think this area is too good!  So, we're staying at a Winn Dixie parking lot.  We went to bed at 10:10 p.m.
 

Saturday, March 31, 2001   (written by Hannah)

        I got a little bit of sleep; but, then we started driving again.  Now, we are stopped at a McDonald's in Alabama to have breakfast.  Finally, it's 5:40 p.m. and we're there!  We met them at Chattahoochi, Florida.  We took a walk and it was really pretty.  By the pond, a goose chased me a little because I got too close to its nest.  Then we fed it bread.  After we walked, we had hamburgers.  Boy, they were GOOD!  My cousin's Uncle Mike went with us and he was really funny.  We talked about my Papaw's and Grandma's adventures.  Then we went to bed.

Friday, March 30, 2001   (written by 10 year old Hannah)

        My papaw is riding his bike in the lower part of the United States.  Grandma is driving the motor-home behind him.  My family is meeting him in Florida to ride with him.  The reason why he's riding is because his 50 year old sister died of cancer last year.  So, he is raising money to help find a cure for cancer.  On Friday, we left at about 8:30 and drove all night.  We stopped at a rest stop and tried to sleep a little.
 

Sunday, April 8, 2001

        The journey has been successfully and safely completed!  Dan finished riding on Thursday, along with Norma; Danny and Peggy; grandchildren, David, Sarah, and Hannah; and friend, Mike.  They entered Crescent Beach at St. Augustine at about 11:00 a.m. Indiana time.  More details will be added to the journal tomorrow.  While we were gone, we were not able to connect to a phone line all week to make journal entries.

Thursday, March 29, 2001   (telephone call)

        7 States Down  --  1 to Go!!!  They've arrived in Pensacola, Florida.  Dan had a great time riding with Ron on Wednesday, although they got very wet during the rainstorm.  Tonight, they are once again parked in a Wal-Mart parking lot, and Dan is once again Wal-Mart shopping!

Tuesday, March 27, 2001   (e-mail message)

        Dan was able to get a cool dentist named Dr. Cooley.  He worked over 2 hours taking xrays and fixing the tooth and didn't charge.  He donated his time after hours.  The USA is full of wonderful people!   There is a huge storm coming our way today.  Keep us in your prayers.  Love, Norma
 

Tuesday, March 27, 2001   (telephone call)

        Dan & Norma are in Ocean Springs, Mississippi visiting with their friends, Ron and Mary.  He didn't get in as many miles as he would have liked today because he chipped a tooth and had to find a dentist to get it fixed.  The dentist that they found was very kind and fixed it for free.  They have an interview scheduled early tomorrow morning with a television station, and one tomorrow afternoon with a newspaper reporter.  They had a good time with their friends, Larry and Keith and family,  from Muncie.  They rode with them on Sunday and Monday, and left today to head back to Muncie.
 

Wednesday, March 21, 2001    (telephone call)

        Norma called this evening at about 8:00 p.m.  They are in Conroe, Texas parked behind a Cooper Tire Shop for the night.  They are about 40 miles short of Koontz.  They changed their route a bit today to a less hilly road, but busier.  Dan rode 105 miles today.  They may be able to reach Louisiana tomorrow.  The weather was 75° and beautiful today.  There are lots of beautiful flowers.  In one area, the Texas blue-bonnets were so thick that it looked like a lake from a distance.  There are also roses and azaleas blooming, and people are mowing their lawns!  They have seen many, many horses - lots of the small sheltie horses.  They really enjoyed spending time with Judy Reed and her husband Mark, who live near Austin.  Judy rode for a couple of days with Dan.  Mark was very helpful - he took Norma's computer to his house to send out all of her e-mail messages and to print out the ones that she had received.  He also tried to help get their camera battery charged.  They were treated to a barbecue dinner one evening with Judy and Mark.  The next night, Norma cooked for the four of them.
 
 

Sunday, March 18, 2001   (Norma's Journal Entry by e-mail)

         We rested well and awakened to a gentle rain.  We were not surprised because rain had been predicted.  We dressed and had breakfast and left to find a church.  We drove toward Kerrville and found 2 within a block of each other.  By this time it was really raining.  We changed into church clothes and walked to church in a down pour.  It was a Church of Christ.  People were really friendly.  The ones that we talked with seemed interested in what we were doing.  The service was good, but it does seem strange to not have any accompaniment to the music.  They say that they want to be just like the 1st century church, but they have warm buildings, hymnals, lights, etc.  They just draw the line at musical accompaniment.  It was a large church with 2 services.  They invited us to the carry-in, but we needed to move on.
        We drove back to Wal-Mart to grocery shop.  I had been cooking mostly from supplies I had brought from home, so I really needed to restock.  I spent $123.19.   We had lunch and then Dan started to ride from Kerrville.  He rode 43 miles today.  It rained on him at one point and was really cold!  I don’t know how he did it!  I had the heater going full force in the motor home.  He said that after he started pedaling he got warm.  He rode really hard again through what they call hills, but the grade is so steep that it is more difficult that the mountains.  The elevation is only 1,500 - 1,700 ft., but it is never constant, always up and down.  Dan wanted to draft to keep the rain and wind off, but there was too much traffic and the road was too narrow.  He rode until 7:00 when it got too dark to go farther.
    He made it to Kendalia - a spot in the road with 1 store that serves as a restaurant, grocery, and post office.  It is 15 miles from State Park where we planned to spend the night.  Judy, Patty’s sister is planning to meet us there tomorrow.  So, we put the bicycles on and drove to the Blanco State Park.  No one was at the desk, so we started back to the camping areas and encountered one of those low bridges again.  This time this one is flooded over the bridge, and I refused to go across.  I pulled into a picnic spot and said I would stay there for the night.  Dan went out to look for an electric hook up.  That’s when a park ranger came up and told us it was fine to cross the bridge.  It was just a few inches deep, but it looked deeper.  The ranger assured us that we would be able to get out in the morning.  We took a good warm shower at the shower house.  A good day in spite of the rain!  We are really hoping for warmer weather tomorrow.
 

Saturday, March 17, 2001   (Norma's Journal Entry by e-mail)

         We had a good nights rest in the Leakey (pronounced Lakey) Post Office parking lot.  We were on the road by 9:00.  There was a headwind, and it was cool all day.  We had a cloud cover all day.  We had isolated roads for the morning, and Dan tried to draft from me, but there were so many ups and downs that it was difficult to draft.  I finally had to just give up and go ahead and wait for him.  Dan rode from Leakey to Kerrville State Park. He rode 80 difficult miles.  We went across several small one-lane bridges that warned that they would flood in rain.  It was hard on the nerves to be coming fast down the hill right into a single lane bridges with water on both sides.  I wouldn’t cross if there was water.  It has not rained today.  God is good.
         We followed the Guadalupe River most of the afternoon.  It was pretty with high canyon walls, then a valley with a swollen river winding through the valley.  We went through one area that was a tourist area.  It was the first sign of civilization we had seen for some time.
         As we entered Kerrville, I looked for a Wal-Mart. You know you have been isolated when you haven’t seen a Wal-Mart for an entire week!!  Well, I found one - a super store.  Dan hollered on the walkie-talkie for me to wait for him.  I don’t know why I was suppose to wait, but I did.  It was during this wait that I noticed something strange.  There were only a few cars in the parking lot.  There were used shopping carts everywhere but few cars.  Really odd for a Sat. afternoon.  Then I noticed several teens gathered along the road with their cars.   They looked like they were gathering to cruise or hand out.  It was such an odd scene.  I began to think that the teens had scared away the shoppers.  Dan came, put his bike inside, changed clothes, and got ready to go inside.   It was then that I discovered that the Wal-Mart had lost its electricity and was closed.  Imagine that.  My first Wal-Mart in a week and it is closed.!!
         So, we drove on to the State Park and got the last campsite they had with electricity.  It is so cold that we did not walk to the shower house.  We just stayed in our warm camper.  We recharged everything electrical - the computer, video cam, and rechargeable batteries.  It looked like Circuit City in here.
 

Friday, March 16, 2001   (Norma's Journal Entry by e-mail)

        We slept pretty well in the picnic area.  We had to ride busy 90 for about 5 miles and then got on a side rode TX334.   It had maybe 3 cars all morning.  But it had a wind facing us and that was hard for Dan to ride.  For about 20 miles I drove really slowly and Dan rode behind the motor home.  It helped him to have that wind blocked.  I liked driving that slowly because the land had changed.  It still has cacti but only one kind - the prickly pear.  And now there is green grass everywhere.  The sun is out bright and it is so exciting to see bright, green grass with spring flowers blowing right in the grass.  I picked about 15 different kinds of flowers and put them in a cup and on the table for dinner.  There are pine trees everywhere and regular trees have leaves or are budding.
        After so much dry desert, I really like this part of central Texas.  But, it is called the hill country because it goes up and down.  We passed through a town called Camp Wood.  It looked like a real western town that you might see in movies.  Every store was connected and each had a porch to walk under.
         I pulled off the road to wait for Dan just about anywhere I could.  Often I would pull in a drive that looked like it went no where and hadn’t been used for a long time.  Two times when I stopped like that Jeeps or trucks came up and had to drive through the grass to get into their lanes.  Today, a truck loaded with about 15 people in the front and back came up and went around us.  Dan was sitting in our doorway resting and apologized for using their drive.  They said it was fine.  I told them what he was doing, and they took his picture.  They were excited about seeing us.  One said, “I would still be trying to get out of California.
        Then in the afternoon it started going down a little and up a lot.  Dan had to really ride hard.  We kept climbing all afternoon.  At one point we climbed for 5 or 6 miles up a curvy road.  I kept thinking it would level out, but it just kept going up.  We were glad to finally get to Leakey, TX in the evening.  We stayed in the parking lot of the Post Office.  People don't get   their mail delivered here.  They have boxes at the post office and come to pick it up there.  We had a good night's rest here.
 

Thursday, March 15, 2001   (Norma's Journal Entry by e-mail)

         We awakened in the RV park in the town of Langtry to a bright sunny day.  At first there was no wind, but it picked up later.  We did some cleaning (sweeping and cleaning the bathroom) and then went to the Visitor’s Center to see the Judge Roy Bean display.  There was a video that told how Judge Bean owned the local tavern and served as Justice of the Peace.  He had a good thing going because he could get them drunk and then arrest them for disturbing the peace.  We toured his restored tavern where he served at the law of the west.  Dioramas told the story in the Visitor’s Center.  They had a beautiful walk with over 50 varieties of cacti, many of them in bloom.
         I saw a biker at the Center that I had seen in Marathon yesterday.  He is riding from San Diego to Houston.  One time earlier he had ridden from Florida to Houston, so now he is completing the ride.  He has been gone 6 weeks and looked pretty tanned.  On his bike he had bags over the front and back wheels and on the bars and seat.  He was really loaded.  He has to carry everything.  Dan is getting the luxury tour this time!
         Then the ride began.  There were many hills with pretty steep climbs today.  Dan really had to work because the wind was not a big help today.  It seemed to be circling around and not consistently from the West.  Many times it was a cross wind.  The sun was very pretty all day and it got quite warm in the afternoon.  It was the first day that Dan was able to get down to only a T-shirt.
         At a look out point early in the ride, I saw a car with bicycles on top that said, “Just Married”  and “Got Hitched”.  I congratulated them and told them about when Tony got married and how we drove his car home with everyone coming from the 500 race honking and waving at us.  They loved the story.  They had honeymooned in Big Bend National Park.  They had the bikes along, but they had not used them.
        We drove across a bridge over the Amistad Lake.  It is very large and even extends into Mexico.  I was hoping for a pull off for a picture but never found one.  We went through Del Rio at 5:00 and there was lots of traffic.  I was glad to get away from the town, but the traffic continued.  It seems that everyone uses highway 90  here.  We went by Laughlin Air Force Base where training jets were flying low.
        Dan had a difficult ride, and it seemed as if the miles were clicking off slowly, especially after yesterday’s record day.  But, he ended up getting 84 miles which is excellent considering the wind and climbs.  We are camped on a dirt road next to a picnic area.  We pulled back away from the noise of the road.  This place has grass!  The first we have seen for awhile.  We are right along the Rio Grande, and they must get more rain here, because there are trees and thick brush unlike in the desert.
Not a great day or a bad day.  Just an OK day.  I found a new shinny penny while I was walking in the picnic area.
 

Wednesday, March 14, 2001   (part of Norma's Journal Entry by e-mail)

         About 10 miles outside of Alpine, there was a rest stop that is called a picnic area.  Dan got on the walkie-talkie and asked me to stop so he could get more warm clothes.  It was sunny, but the wind was cold.  When I pulled in there was a horse trailer with 2 horses and two men.  The horses were tied to the outside of the trailer.  Dan told them that I would need to get pictures for our granddaughter.  I took a little video, but when I tried to get a photo, the horse turned his back-end to me.  Then the man said, “Come on.  I will give you some pictures you never expected to get.  He walked the horse over to a grassy area and had him rear up on his back legs, kneel, lie down, roll over, and then the cowboy stood on the horses neck until the horse threw him off.  It was quite a show.  I wasn’t expecting it, so I didn’t get video - only photos.
 
 

Wednesday, March 14, 2001   (we actually got to talk to them this time!)

            Dan and Norma are about 30 miles northwest of Del Rio, Texas (which is along 90 west of San Antonio.)  They had a great day.  Dan rode 145 miles with an average speed of 18.9 miles per hour!  There was a strong tailwind helping him out.  They have gone down quite a bit in elevation, and the weather was warmer today.  Norma enjoyed walking around a little town full of shops and antiques.  They have driven through areas of huge cattle ranches.  Norma commented that the desert flowers are amazing; and she especially likes the yucca plants with their huge 1 1/2 foot blooms of clustered white flowers.  (Dan says they're at least 3 feet!)  Norma says they look like big pineapples on top.  She is still watching for the state flower  --  the blue-bonnets.
        Dan was very excited about some new tubes he used in his tires today.  He was able to really test them out!  He rode through alot of thorns; and also hit something on the road.  At one point, a bunch of green slime squirted out of the tube all over the front of Dan as he was riding.  The slime instantly sealed the puncture in the tire!  He said he would have had 3 flats today if not for the slime!  They also had to pull alot of these 1 inch thorns out of the motor-home tires this evening.  They're very grateful none of the motor-home tires have gone flat!
 

Tuesday, March 13, 2001   (phone message)

           Dan and Norma are in Alpine, Texas and are headed for Sanford, Texas.  The wind has been really bad today, so he has been able to ride only 50 miles.  They had a really good day yesterday, though, and he was able to ride 100 miles.   They have decided not to go to Big Bend Park as originally planned.  It is located at a higher elevation, and they decided they didn't want to go where it would be colder.  Also, they want to keep going so they can meet up with everyone as scheduled.
 

Sunday, March 11, 2001   (phone message)

           Dan and Norma left El Paso this morning after the El Paso Channel 9 News Team did a nice story on him.
They were stopped in a truck stop in Esperaza, Texas. Esperaza consists of one house, a truck stop, and two "Welcome" signs. Dan and Norma both got lost and Dan almost wound up in Mexico. He rode more than he had planned on Sunday because there was a strong tail wind and he could coast 20-25 mph without pedalling. The day before there was such a strong head wind that he made Norma drive 10mph in front of him to block the wind.
 

Thursday, March 8, 2001   (phone call)

            Dan and Norma are in New Mexico, and hope to reach El Paso, Texas on Friday, possible Saturday.  He rode about 70 miles today  --  most of it climbing!  Dan was outrunning a storm most of the day on Wednesday.  It finally caught up with him when he had a flat tire.  He had to ride in some rain and some sleet.  After the flat, they decided to call it a day.  There was 14 inches of snow in some of the mountain passes, so they changed their route a little bit, and headed south.  After talking to a state trooper, they got the okay for Dan to ride on the interstate for a ways.  On Tuesday night, they stayed on an Apache Indian Reservation; and on Wednesday night, they stayed in a Wal-Mart parking lot.  Dan really enjoyed that!  He had not been to a Wal-Mart for awhile, so he shopped in this particular one 5 times in a 24 hour period.  He even tried to go in at 3:00 a.m., but it was closed!
 

Tuesday, March 6, 2001    (phone message)

            Norma is in Bylof, Arizona waiting on Dan; then they plan to head on down the road a bit farther.  The temperature was in the 60's yesterday, 75 today, and the forecast is for even nicer weather tomorrow!
 

Monday, March 5, 2001    (e-mail entry received on the morning of March 6)

            We met Sam H., Danny's classmate, last evening.  He drove over to Dan's cousin's house and met us along with a former biker, Ike C.,  from our '91 Cross Country trip.  Ike is 69 now, and wanted to ride with Dan.  He rode out about 35 miles and then turned around and rode back to Mesa.  He had a great time.  He would really love to go on with us.  Sam H.  has been very interested in what we're doing.  He went out to dinner with us and is calling several newspapers.  Today, he arranged with his son's teacher for us to come to his classroom and tell about what we are doing.  Dan is riding out about 70 miles, then we are driving back to Sam's house, spending the night, and visiting school at 8:30 on Tuesday.  Is is amazing how God is working out so many contacts for us.  It is exciting to meet so many people and have them respond with enthusiasm for what we are doing.
 

Sunday, March 4, 2001  (Norma's Actual Journal Entry, received on 3/5/01)

            We slept in the camper at the Montgomery’s home and awakened about 6:45.  We got ready for church and then went in for breakfast.  We had fresh grapefruit from the neighbors tree.  It was delicious.
            The church was 25 minutes toward Phoenix, so we drove the motorhome and followed  the Montgomerys.  They are meeting in a Seventh Day Adventist Church that meets on Saturday.  So they use the church on Sunday.  There were about 60 people there.  The service was much more casual in clothing, singing, and order of service than our Muncie church.
            Pat introduced  us to the church and asked Dan to tell what he is doing.  When he finished, the man behind us asked for a card.  We gave him one of our letters.  After the service, he talked to Dan.  It seems that he is the owner of a bicycle tire manufacturing company.  The tire is iridescent and puncture proof.  He wanted to send Dan tires for his trip.  We had to take measurements of the bike tire and fax them to him.  He said that he will send them to the Texas address.  These people had never been at the church before.  Why do you suppose that he sat behind us today?  Time after time this has happened.
            After church Dan and I drove back to Popago Park where Dan finished  riding the day before.  He had a long ride because he got lost.  I went on to Bill’s house and did some laundry.  Bill’s wife’s name is Buelah and seems nice.
            About 4:30 Ike Claussen and his wife Lorena came to visit us at Bill’s.  Ike rode Coast to Coast with us in ’91.  He is 69 now.  He had planned to come visit a friend in Mesa sometime this winter.  When he saw that we were doing the bike ride and coming to Mesa, he decided to come see us.  He plans to ride with Dan tomorrow.  We had an enjoyable evening rehashing the old bike trip.  His friend in Mesa where they are staying is only 5 minutes away from Bill’s.  Another coincidence!!  They just keep happening.
            About 6:00 Sam Hulse came over.  I had called him earlier, and he said that he would like to come over.  It really surprised us.  He was calling the newspapers to try to get publicity for us.  Sam was in school with Danny and Tony.  He lives 15 minutes south of here.  He heard about the trip from Wayne Miller, another school classmate.  Wayne had been home for his mother’s funeral, and we told him about our trip.  He was interested and asked for information.  I e-mailed it to him and he sent it on to Sam.  Now, Sam is becoming our publicity agent and is even trying to get us a visit to his sons school.  It is really amazing.
            We took Ike, Lorena, and Sam out to dinner at the Black-Eyed Pea restaurant.  It was an enjoyable evening of reminiscing, laughing, and enjoying company of friends.
 

Sunday, March 4, 2001
        I know you have all been anxiously awaiting updates on Dan & Norma.  We don't hear from them everyday, and Norma has only been able to send e-mails a couple of times so far.  She writes them, saves them up, and sends them when she can hook up to a phone line.  We got 10 e-mails from them today!  So, here is a summary of what they had to say  --  some of it you may have already read bits and pieces of in other entries.
        The night before they started, they spent the night in an airport parking lot.  They began riding from Spanish Landing on the San Diego Bay.  The tv news crew met up with them Sunday morning.  The rain let up long enough for the photographer to interview Dan for about 45 minutes.  He filmed Dan with his bicycle, dipping his wheel in the water, he photographed the t-shirt, front and back, and taped him as he began riding.  They were able to watch the news report later that evening, and commented that the news crew had done a very nice job.  They even posted the American Cancer Society address.
        After the hail-storm on Tuesday, Dan and Norma saw a huge, complete rainbow in the sky.  They felt very grateful to God for protecting them through the bad weather.
        On Thursday, Norma writes to her grandkids, Because of all the rain there are yellow and purple flowers and the cactus is in bloom.  It is really interesting.  There are many different kinds of cactus out here.  It is called the Sonoran Desert and is famous for its Saguaro cactus (pronounced suh-wah-row.)  Tonight, we are camped in a town called Hope.  We are parked on Faith Street in the campground.  I thought that was interesting.  Hope, Arizona has only this campground, a Shell Gas Station, and an antique shop.  That's all!  Towns out here are interesting.  Well, I am going to have to sign off.  Grandpa has so much Ben Gay on that the camper smells so strong and my eyes are watering!!  Love, Grandma
        On Saturday, Norma writes, Hello, friends!  We are in Phoenix and are glad because it is much warmer.  We still need a jacket, but the sun feels warm.  The trip through the desert has been beautiful.  It is our first time to see saguaro cacti.  They are majestic, standing so tall as old men of the desert.  They tell us that the cacti grow about 75 years before growing an "arm".  Many are 150 - 200 years old.   The desert is in bloom now because of the recent rains.  There are yellow, purple, and red flowers everywhere.  Quite a site.  I was able to drive slow enough to really enjoy the beauty.  We saw pistachio nut trees growing in the desert and many vegetables like lettuce, broccoli, alfalfa, etc.  Dan has ridden very well and is right on schedule.  We are staying with friends tonight in Scottsburg, AZ and with Dan's cousin in Mesa, AZ Sunday night.  Then we have a treat.  A friend who rode with us on the '91 Coast to Coast bike trip is meeting us in Mesa to ride with Dan on Monday.  We have met many wonderful people along the way, and most have a cancer story.  I am journaling these stories.  We have many, many stories of how we have been blessed and protected as we have traveled.  It has been a great trip so far.  Keep on praying.  It works!  Love, Dan and Norma
 

Thursday, March 1, 2001

The weather is improving!  Thank you for your prayers.  Dan had a great day yesterday, and rode 99 miles by the time he reached the campground.  He made an extra loop to make it an even 100 miles!  Today, he had ridden approximately 70 miles at the time of the phone call; and planned to ride for another hour or so.  He has had to battle some strong headwinds, and some steep climbs today.  While riding through an Air Force Base yesterday, Dan felt like a target for the jets flying overhead.  They would fly directly towards him before turning off to perform loops!  They plan to reach Phoenix to visit with some friends and family tomorrow or Saturday.
 

Tuesday, February 27, 2001

After raining all night, Dan and Norma woke up to a nice sunny morning. However, by afternoon, California had a huge hailstorm!  There were several wrecks in front of Norma as she drove along; and 4 inches of hail accumulated on the ground.  She saved some in her freezer for us to see!  They are parked for the night in a parking lot near the Border Patrol.  Norma said she feels very safe there!  The Border Patrol employees have been very kind to them, and offered them free pop, ice, etc.  --  whatever they need.  Norma commented that California has some very nice people, but lousy weather!
 

Sunday, February 25, 2001

This entry is made per a telephone conversation  --  more details will follow at a later date.  We just spoke to Dan and Norma, and the adventure has begun!  After visiting with a dear 91 year old acquaintance and his daughter in San Diego, the bicycling began.  Dan took a wrong turn, but all was not lost, as he happened to run into a television crew along the way.  The crew was busy at that time, but they caught up with Dan a little further down the route.  After the interview, Dan continued to ride, and the photographer continued to talk with Norma for another hour and a half.  This interview was to be broadcast on San Diego Television Channel 8 at 5:30 this evening.  Dan had ridden about 30 miles at the time we spoke to him.  His plan was to ride another 10 miles or so before stopping for the day.  The weather was very rainy and getting cold.  This first day has been very adventuresome as Dan has already flipped his chain off 5 to 6 times, and has had a flat tire.  Perhaps this means the rest of the trip will be smooth-sailing!  They said that as they approached San Diego a couple of days ago, there was quite a bit of snow in the mountains.  They have not yet stayed in any campgrounds since they left home.  They have stayed in an airport parking lot and a Home Depot parking lot.
 

Sunday, February 18, 2001

After much loading and packing, we are on our way west.  After visiting 2 elderly aunts, we spent the night in Evansville with cousins and then Saturday night in a "Flying J Truck Stop".  We went to church with the truckers in the truck stop Sunday morning and heard a powerful testimony of how the Lord had turned one trucker's life around. We are in Oklahoma City and haven't found warm weather yet!  I hope to be able to send this message at a truck stop tonight.  Love, Norma and Dan and the truckers!
 

Sunday, February 11, 2001

Our dear family had us over to Tony and Jenni's home for dinner together before we leave on our trip.  They gave us 24 white T-shirts with a lamb riding on a blue bicycle with the verse, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" on the front, and the map with the route on the back.  Both of these designs are also on the web site.  They are really clever, and we really love them.  Our granddaughter, Hannah, told her class about her Grandpa's trip, and the class members all made him cards wishing him well.  The kids did such a great job with their drawings and messages!  One message especially touched us because the girl wrote that "Grandpa L is my friend even though I don't know you."  She thanked him for trying to raise money for cancer, because she herself has cancer.  After dinner and exchanging gifts, we joined hands in a circle and had a time of prayer for safety and blessings on the trip.  It was a very special  "going away" party.
 

Thursday, February 8, 2001

I had an interesting twist of a telemarketing phone call this evening.  I received a "canned" phone call from someone as follows:  "Good Evening, Mrs. Lambert.  How are you this evening?  I am calling for the American Cancer Society to tell you about our current campaign to raise money for cancer.  I see by our records that you donated $ XX last year, and we would like to send you our packet for this year."  At this point, I interrupted him and asked if I could tell him about our project.  As he listened to our planned "Great Adventure across the United States", he dropped his "canned" presentation, and began to ask many questions with excitement in his voice.  I told him about the web site.  He thought that was so cool and promised to go home and look it up.  He then asked if we had limitations on how much one could donate.  I told him we were not professional fundraisers, that we were accepting any amount, and that we were just raising funds with our hearts.  He said that he wanted to donate to our cause.  I thought it was ironic that a telemarketer would call asking me to donate, and then end up donating himself!
 

Tuesday, February 6, 2001

We were finally able to contact our international student from France this evening.  Actually, we awakened Beatrice at midnight her time since there is a 7 hour difference in the time zone.  It was good to hear her voice, but sad to learn that her mother is battling colon cancer.  Her mother is 55.  She has had surgery, and the prognosis is good since the cancer was found early.  She will have 6 months of chemotherapy now.  Please keep her in your prayers.
 

Friday, February 2, 2001

Dan spoke to the Liberty-Perry students in the middle school and at Wapahani High School.  The students were very attentive and polite.  We were impressed with their concern and response.  Dan asked the middle school students to raise their hands if they had a family member who has had cancer or who is currently battling the disease.  Approximately 75% of the students responded.  Everywhere we go we hear of large numbers of people touched by cancer.  It makes the ride seem even more urgent.  At the high school, the students stood and applauded as Dan completed his presentation.  It was very warm and comforting.  Liberty-Perry should be very proud of its teenagers!
 

Friday, January 26, 2001

We were interviewed on the radio (WMDH 102.5) by Mike Lee in New Castle, Indiana. Mike told us, as many, many people have, of a close friend that died at the age of 41 leaving 3 small children behind. He said that he knew first hand the pain of losing a friend.