Hello, Giraffe!

One of Bike Kenya 2012's more unique photos, snapped by Becca Lamp. This is getting up close (and maybe a bit too personal?) with a giraffa camelopardalis at the Giraffe Centre in Nairobi.  Our team visited the centre during the last day of our cycling in Kenya. We thought the giraffe were just really friendly, but the centre staff made it clear they liked us only for the food pellets we had for them.

Bishop Nixon's Vision for a High School

Kenyan Free Methodist Bishop Nixon Dingili stands on an 11.5 acre piece of property adjacent to the Eldoret International Airport and shares the vision he and other faith leaders have for a unique high school at this location.  Our cycling team joined him at this property and prayed for the fulfillment of this dream for our Kenyan friends.

Our Bike Kenya 2012 cycling ride is in support of this vision. We've asked friends, loved ones, associates, and neighbors to give 5 cents, 10c, 25c or $1 per mile of our 600-mile journey to help purchase the property and build the first phase of the school.  Thus far, over 100 households or organizations have responded to our appeal. We are about 3/4 of the way to our goal of $40,000.

If you have been able to contribute, THANK YOU.  Thanks to ALL who have supported with prayers and encouragements.  We will continue to share our mission and story throughout the summer in hopes of reaching our goal and supporting our Kenyan friends as they dream of brighter futures for the children of Kenya.

Lots of Photos to View

We've posted over 200 photos of our Bike Kenya 2012 experience on Flickr. More photos and video clips will be added.  We're anxious for you to see a bit of what we experienced along our two-week cycling adventure in Kenya in May 2012.

Here's the link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23707511@N07/sets/72157629909912440/with/7276214240/

The photos are in relative sequential order. We'll add context and comments as we have time. For now, browse and enjoy.

Back Home and Reminiscing

It already seems like a distant dream.  Less than a week back home and the memories of cycling through Kenya come from an entirely different consciousness, it seems.

While the images are fresh and the recollections are easy, our team is journaling, sorting photos, sharing stories, and trying to get back into the swing of daily life.  It's not easy.  As much as I value normalcy, part of me does not want things to resume as "normal." I want what made an impression on me in Kenya--what moved me there--to impact my life here, now, today.

Part of that must be an appreciation for the vastness of the Great Rift Valley and its rich diversity of life.  Like these pelican and leopard at Lake Nakuru, everything we encountered seemed way beyond our expectations and we had little to compare it to.  No zoo we've ever been to can approach the expanse and wildness of Lake Nakuru's natural habitat of life.  One just looks in every direction and back again in sheer awe.

At some point early in the journey, I let go of comparing everything to home and America. "You're not in Kansas, anymore, John," I began to say to myself.  As I let go of comparisons, I began to be able to take in and receive what Kenya was and is, what it offers one's soul, one's senses, the world.  Letting go of comparisons to home makes it possible to enjoy what is occurring all around without reference to one's framework of value, priority, etc.

It's an incredible feeling to turn that corner, to open up to a place and people in that way.  But it makes getting back to "normal" rather difficult.  Instead of getting back to "normal," my prayer for our team--and those who were our hosts and companions on the journey--is that we will all live a new normal: with a wider perspective, with a fuller heart, with a ready compassion, with an awe at the unexpected, and with gratitude for what is possible beyond the horizons we see at the moment.

-- John Franklin Hay

Bike Kenya 2012 - Top Ten

Through the course of a two-week cross-country cycling tour among friends old and new, there develops a repertoire of experiences, words and phrases that punctuate the event and bring humor anew to the group every time the phrase or experience is mentioned.  Bike Kenya 2012 had more than a few of these. Here's our Top Ten:

1.  “Alex has ANOTHER flat.”

Alex Drummond’s bike punctured tires 7 times--the only bike that flatted.

2. “After we get out of the town, it’s RELATIVELY flat.”

Promises, promises. We had only one flat-land riding day. All the rest were hilly almost from start to finish.  But our guides kept trying to make it seem like "just around the river bend..."

3. “Hey! Hi! Obama!”

To get our attention as we passed by, a man in Kisumu yelled out to us perhaps the only three English words he knew (and, technically, one isn’t English).  You know, of course, that Barak Obama's father was from Kenya (near Eldoret). 

4. “Is that a white or black hippo?”

It’s white or black rhinos, not hippos, Alex.

5. “Finish it!”

A man walking along the roadway, watching us struggle up a difficult hill, gave us a thumbs up and these two encouraging words.  We took his word...and did!

6. “Was that a ‘slip’ or a ‘fall?’”

When one of our team members would have a mishap on the bike, we would enter into a friendly debate with theological implications: "Was that really a fall?  Or was it just a slip?"  A few times it was profoundly a crash. I "fell" or "slipped" five times during the two weeks--four times in Hell's Gate National Park.  Go figure the theological nuances of that!

7. “These transportation vouchers will get you a taxi right to the hotel.”

When our flight in Chicago was cancelled, KLM gave us ground transportation vouchers, which for several hours not a single Chicago taxi driver would accept.

8. “What kind of giraffe [insert any other animal or plant here] are those, Bob?”

Bob, our team member who is a PhD biologist, knew much more about the animals and plants we saw than the game park or zoo guides. He provided context and color commentary to much of what we saw and experienced.

9. “Jambo!” and “How are you?”

Shouted a thousand times a day by children and adults we passed along the roadways. Often toddlers would start jumping up and down and yell at the sight of us and school children would run along beside as long as they could.

10. “Black Mamba.”

a. The name of a deadly-poisonous African snake.

b. A name given to a heavy, steel-frame, single-speed bicycle most common in Kenya.  These tanks carried heavy commercial burdens--eggs, baskets, milk containers, steel.  Sometimes, we would pass riders of black mambas and they would then make incredible efforts to catch up to us--sometimes succeeding.  One young man, Joseph, rode over 10 miles with us.

c. The name Bishop Nixon Dingili gave his bike.  We all named our bikes for fun. Names included: "The Rift Rider," "Kermit the Frog," "Jill," "Dundee," "The Eldoret Express," and "The Blue Bird."

Climbing in Hell's Gate

ICCM Kenya staff member Benard Kimanzi crests a challenging hill inside
Hell's Gate National Park with Lake Naivasha in the distance. Benard
participated in several stages of our Bike Kenya 2012 experience.

On Our Way Home...With Gratitude

Our Bike Kenya 2012 team said goodbyes to fellow cycling team member Bishop Nixon Dingili and our support /logistics group Sunday evening in Nairobi and headed to Kenyata International Airport for the journey home.  Our team (the "Chicago Five" and "BLT" or "Booths, Lamp Trio") will be en route throughout Monday, with arrivals in Chicago and Cleveland scheduled in the afternoon and evening hours.  We leave behind incredible memories and good friendships; we bring home with us gratitude and an inspired perspective on Kenya's land, people, faith and possibilities.

Bishop Nixon Dingili rode valiantly with our Bike Kenya 2012
 team. Thanks for your inspiration and leadership, Nixon!

The range of people we wish to express gratitude is wide. We simply could not have enjoyed this unique experience without them, whether they served on the front lines, behind the scenes, or in indirect but incredibly supportive ways.

We thank our families--for your blessing and support for our participation in Bike Kenya 2012. Thanks for your patience and grace. We've stepped out of your daily lives for a few weeks, but we hope to bring into each household and relationship a fresh perspective and love because of this unique experience.

We thank every friend, associate, family member, group, congregation, and neighbor who has invested in Bike Kenya 2012's cause: to build a new ICCM high school in Kenya.  Your contribution joins with others to move us closer toward our goal of $40,000 for this critically-needed education initiative. Gracias!

We thank Kenyan Free Methodist Bishop Nixon Dingili for his invitation to do a fundraising bicycle ride in Kenya and for his inspiring participation as a cyclist on the team. Here is a man both of great vision and  great heart.  He trained seriously and rode the ride of a lifetime with us.  I challenge every Free Methodist around the world to dare to follow Bishop Nixon Dingili's example in projects like this.

Vickie Reynen coordinated
daily logistics on our ride.
Thanks so much, Vickie!

We thank ICCM Director Linda Adams, ICCM Kenya National Coordinator Daniel Shanzuh and his assistant Benard Kimanzi, and all who are connected with International Child Care Ministries in Indianapolis and in Kenya.  With the focus of our pedaling effort to raise funds to purchase property and build an ICCM high school in Kenya, their encouragement and coordination has been vital and a blessing. As our team visited ICCM school after school along our route, it became clear to us that ICCM deeply cares for and is determined to create hopeful futures for thousands of Kenyan children.

We thank Free Methodist missionaries Vickie Reynen and Ken Myers for making preparations and coordinating daily logistics for our tour of Kenya and for accompanying us in vehicles every mile of the way.  We simply could not have done it without them.  They led us with grace and patience and kept us focused.

Ken Myers (right) drove a van and assisted with logistics
during our ride. Thanks, Ken, for your grace.

We thank the volunteers who accompanied Vickie and Ken to assist our team in numerous ways.  These became part of our little traveling fellowship as we made our way across Kenya: Emma Buterbaugh, Evan Guse, Emily Guse (all from Columbus, Indiana), Jake Sebok (from Decatur, Illinois), and Daniel Shanzuh and Benard (from the ICCM staff in Kenya). These were always ready with encouragement, humor and helpfulness all along the way.

We thank Alison Osborn, our VISA/Mobilization Team Coordinator in Indianapolis, for providing logistical support and making sure all our papers have been in order.

Team member Becca Lamp with our
three "Columbus Crew" - Ellen Guse,
Evan Guse and Emma Buterbaugh.

We thank every Kenyan ICCM school and church that opened hearts and doors to us during our tour.  We were heartily welcomed by schoolchildren, greeted by school leaders, and spent the night in several schools. We were fed (well!) by people of congregations who made room in their time and efforts for our ragtag crew.  We joined in gracious celebrations and assemblies.  We were permitted to participate in Sunday services in Nyakach and Nairobi and Kibera.  Thank you so much!

To all: thank you.  As Moses declared to the people after they finished constructing the sanctuary in the wilderness: 'May it be God's will that God's presence lives in the work of your hands."

- John Franklin Hay

We Complete our Cycling Journey in Kenya!

The Karen Blixen house

Hurray! Our Bike Kenya 2012 team safely completed the cycling portion of our journey in Kenya today (Saturday). Our trek took us from Nairobi last week eastward to Narok, Bomet and Kericho, northward to Kisumu and Eldoret, and westward to Nakuru, Naivasha and back to Nairobi.

We concluded with a vigorous ride through the beautiful Ngong Hills in the Karen area of Nairobi, a place made famous by Karen Blixen's life and writings and the "Out of Africa" book and movies. We ended up at the Karen Free Methodist Church and celebrated safety and an unforgettable adventure we will surely never forget.

Mark Booth rejoined our
riders. He's on the mend!

Mark Booth rejoined our riders today, after several days on the mend from a wreck he had last Saturday. Mark took a tumble trying to avoid a pothole as our team departed Kericho. He rode through pain for several days and, after experiencing some swelling in his side and increased pain, underwent x-rays and tests at a hospital in Nakuru. X-rays all showed no broken bones or damage to organs, just bruising. He's been taking prescribed meds and staying off the bike for a few days. Today, he rode the route with vigor. On Sunday, he will speak to the Kibera FMC. Glad he and Megan have been a vital part of our team and that he is well on his way to mending.

Today's ride was surprisingly challenging. It was, after all, the Ngong HILLS. It was undulating terrain with steep descents and just as steep ascents. But the area is so lush and well cultivated.  We stopped by the Karen Blixen house but did not tour it.  Watch the movie "Out of Africa" with Meryl Streep and Robert Redford for the beautiful setting here and across Kenya.  Another movie, "I Dreamed of Africa" is filmed in this area, as well.

Our group also stopped at the Giraffe Centre and had a great time feeding numerous giraffe that are harbored and highlighted here.  A few of us dared to let giraffe take the feed pellets from our mouths. Yuck!  What interesting creatures giraffe are.  Having seen them in the wild at Nakuru and in Hell's Gate National Park, it was fun to learn more about them and have this close encounter.

Our ride today was not only hilly, but in heavy traffic.  It was our closest encounter with so many vehicles all at once. Cycling in urban areas is always a challenge, but it is also very interesting.  What is spread out over many miles and days in the countryside is compacted into a few miles and hours in the city.  For a cyclist, it takes full concentration and a bit of nerve to navigate urban terrains. But the reward can be thrilling.

We celebrated the conclusion of the cycling portion of our journey with dinner at The Carnivore, a popular and unique Nairobi restaurant that features a wide variety of game prepared and brought to your plate--everything from chicken and beef to ostrich and alligator. After peanut butter & jelly sandwiches for lunch most days, it tasted so good. We were happy to gather around a table together and give thanks for the good things of the past two weeks.

On Sunday, we plan to gather with local faith communities and tour some in the afternoon before heading to the airport in the evening for late-night flights. Our journey isn't complete, but we're definitely in wrap-up and return mode.

Again, to all: thank you for your support, prayers, attention, comments, and encouragement. We couldn't have done it without you.

Nearly 3/4 of the Way to Our School Support Goal

This handmade sign welcomed our team back to Nairobi on Friday afternoon.

We pleased to share that more than $10,000 has been received for the new ICCM high school since we began our journey in Kenya. Added to the nearly $20,000 that had been committed to support our Bike Kenya 2012 team per mile before we boarded planes for this international fundraising cycling adventure, we are nearly 3/4 of the way to our goal of raising $40,000.  Thank you!

Having visited the site that is proposed for the new school, having listened to Kenyan leaders and educators describe their vision and plans for it, and having understood the pressing need for it in the lives of young people who are being educated through the seven ICCM primary schools here, we are convinced this project is a cause worthy of your investment.

A few days ago, Becca Lamp, one of our team members, shared an insight and observation about the school what she had while we rode through a driving rain. She likened every raindrop falling as a blessing that will be received as a result of this school and every raindrop hitting the pavement and spreading as the multiple impacts in the lives and leadership through it. Wow! May it be so.

One of many vegetable vendors
 along our ride today.

If you have not yet invested in this effort, please do so or share the need and opportunity with your friends, associates and faith communities.  We really want to leave the gift of a full investment with our Kenyan friends when we leave their beautiful country in about 36 hours from now.

Again...thank you for your support and prayers and investment!

From Naivasha to Nairobi (Karendi)

The day’s ride from Naivasha started with a steady incline that became a more dramatic ascent. We climbed and climbed until we reached the highest point of our two-week journey at 2717 meters, somewhere between Naivasha and Nairobi. The four-hour climb from 8 am to 12 noon was exhausting.

Our exhaustion faded as we looked out over the Great Rift Valley.  It seemed like we could see forever.  We briefly glimpsed a similar view last week as we headed into the south side of the Great Rift Valley.  Today, our view from the north was breathtaking.

A long steady descent into Nairobi was the thrill of the afternoon.  We hardly cranked a pedal for many miles and our speeds were over 25 miles per hour most of the way into Nairobi.  After all the climbing we’ve done, it felt great to coast downhill for a while.

We rode into the Karendi area of Nairobi in formation, led by team member Bishop Nixon Dingili and were welcomed at the Karen Free Methodist Church by those who had sent us off at the beginning of our excursion.  We honored one another and our Kenyan friends with a ceremonial foot washing—trying to reflect the actions of Jesus and the spirit of the “serving safari” we’ve been on.

Tomorrow (Saturday), we take our last ride together in the Ngong Hills on the southwest area of Nairobi.  We’re looking forward to this and to a day of celebration and departure on Sunday.

Lots of Kids in Kenya

Everywhere we go in Kenya, there are lots of kids. They see our entourage coming and run to the road waving, "Jambo" and "How are you?" They walk along the side of the road on their way to and from school.  They they call out from fields in which they are made to work.  They greet us as we ride onto their school campus.  They inspire us with songs and recitations in school assemblies.  They grab our hearts. They are the promise of Kenya and the world.


And they are the focus of our ride from Nairobi to Narok, from Bomet to Kericho, from Kerisho to Kisumu, from Kisumu to Eldoret, from Eldoret to Nakuru, from Nakuru to Naivasha, and from Naivasha to Nairobi.  Please join us in our prayer and confidence in their collective future with a contribution that will help build a needed new ICCM high school in Eldoret. Our goal is to raise $40,000 to make the financial resources for this available and to surround the effort with moral and prayer support until it is accomplished.

Riding Through Hell's Gate

That's the name of the national park our Bike Kenya 2012 rode through today: Hell's Gate.

It is so named both for the craggy cliffs that overlook a deep gorge as well as hot springs that boil up from its lower end. The geothermal power generated in Hell's Gate National Park is a major source of clean, natural energy.

Jack Hughey in front of Fischers's
Tower in Hell's Gate National Park.
Alex Drummond, Ken Myers and
Daniel Shanzu would scale the
peak later in the day.

Hell's Gate is the only national park in Kenya in which visitors are permitted to abandon a guided vehicle and bicycle or hike through the park among the wildlife. There are a few cautions offered guests, but we were pretty much on our own to explore.

Imagine cresting a hill on your bicycle to see grazing leisurely before you giraffe, gazelle, impala, warthogs, water buck and zebra. Imagine waiting for a herd of zebra to cross the road before you can continue down the road. Imagine observing a giraffe in its natural habitat just fifty yards away while you rest on your bicycle.  That's Hell's Gate.  It had a Jurassic Park feel to it.

The rock formations and geothermal aspects of the park were compelling.  Magma is close to the surface in the Great Rift Valley and the boiling springs are part of that reality.  Team member Bob Burtch has shared details of the geography and diversity of life in this area in ways that have helped us appreciate it so much more.

Our team rode our bikes 10 miles to the park entrance, cycled about 20 miles inside it through the course of the day, and then rode 10 miles back to our guest house in heavy rain. Though our ride was less than usual and did not take us anywhere closer to our destination, it was vigorous and the day was fascinating.

We were happy to have our support team join us on bikes as we explored Hell's Gate today.  Vickie Reynen, Emma Buterbaugh, and Evan and Ellen Guse (all from Columbus, Indiana) enjoyed the day with us in the park.

Our team is invigorated, but tired and sore. Some are sunburned. Some are saddle sore. Some are dealing with some short-term numbness in our fingers. But we are generally in pretty good condition.  Mark Booth continues to feel better from the impacts of his tumble last week. We are determined to finish well.

Tomorrow morning, we saddle up early and head for Nairobi. It's a 54-mile trek. It will be mostly uphill, as we are in the Great Rift Valley beside Lake Naivasha. We will ascend to over 1600 meters--which is the elevation of Nairobi.  We look forward to riding to Nairobi on Friday and then to a day-long ride among the Ngong Hills on Saturday.

Down a Dirt Road Somewhere in Kenya

Bike Kenya 2012 team member Alex Drummond of Indianapolis
makes his way down a dirt road between Kisumu and Eldoret.

From Nakuru to Naivasha

Our morning in Nakuru was spent at the Lake Nakuru game park.  Our afternoon was spent pedaling through an hour of heavy rain and then several hours of a stiff headwind to Naivasha.

Our team members piled into two safari vehicles and were treated to an amazing journey though the game reserve at Lake Nakuru.  It was like Animal Planet and Nature and National Geographic brought to life.  How surreal to be moving at stone’s-throw distance among massive water buffalo, giraffe, gazelle, impala, zebra, flamingo, white pelican, rhinoceros, and monkey.  Our biggest treat was spotting a leopard just 100 yards from our safari vehicle.   Our joy at observing some of Africa’s distinguishing wildlife was intensified by the commentary of Bob Burtch, our team member who is a retired biology professor.  He told us more about what were seeing than the guide ever could.  What a treat.

After our tour of the game park, we grabbed a quick lunch, changed into our cycling gear and started pedaling toward Naivasha—some 40 miles down the road.  Since reaching Eldoret, we have been heading east toward Nairobi.  Our plan is now to arrive in Nairobi on Friday evening and take an 80 km ride in the Ngong Hills near Nairobi (the setting of the movie “Out of Africa”) on Saturday.  Sunday will be our last day in Kenya.

We didn’t even get out of Nakuru before the rains of a thunderstorm began to soak us, even pelt us.  It was tough slogging for about an hour.  The spray from each other’s wheels drenched us.  The spray from passing trucks splashed us.  But, since the temperature was in the mid-70s, we were not cold.  Eventually, we saw the sun break through far down the road.  And, eventually, we rode out of the rain and clouds and into sunshine. 

But even with the rain gone, we struggled against strong headwind.  That made the few long hills we climbed especially grueling.  What goes on in one’s head during the toil up a long and/or steep hill is quite interesting.  It’s an internal battle to persevere through pain and fatigue and all kinds of excuses to just stop.  Much of cycling—like many other sports or tests of perseverance—is about breaking through threshold after threshold of pain and resistance and to, if nothing else, just stay on the bike.  A number of team members have experienced these challenges and breakthroughs along our route, day after day.

From Eldoret to Nakuru

Eldoret is called the “City of Champions.”  More world and Olympic champion long distance and marathon runners come from the Kalingen tribe of this region than any other.  We rode past a number of these champions out on training runs as we made our way into and away from the city.

In Eldoret, we visited the piece of property that Kenyan ICCM leaders are hoping to be able to purchase and build a high school on.  It is about 11 acres near Eldoret International Airport.  There is enough land for a high school campus as well as land for cultivation to develop sustainable projects.  We are riding through Kenya in order to draw attention to this project and invite friends, associates and ICCM supporters to make a per-mile contribution for the school.  At the property, we joined hands with our Kenyan friends and prayed together for fulfillment of the vision of this ambitious project.

Our ride from Eldoret was intended to be a destination about halfway between Eldoret and Nakuru.  However, when we reached the town, the arrangements that had been made for our lodging had been voided and there was nowhere else in the small town suitable to stay for the evening.  Tired from a 5-hour bike ride from Eldoret, we decided to put our bikes on the back and top of the little van and the 4WD that are traveling with us and drive what would have been a day’s cycling ride.  We arrived in Nakuru late in the evening and checked in to a guest house.

Because of circumstances beyond our control, our plans have changed several times along this Bike Kenya 2012 journey.  Five of us were delayed a day in getting to Nairobi because lightning struck the plane we would have boarded in Chicago.  Lodging was unexpectedly denied us in the town between Eldoret and Nakuru, forcing us to skip a day’s worth of cycling.  We don't know why these things happen.

But here’s what happened today that made us grateful to be in a major city like Nakuru today. Mark Booth, our team member who took an incredible head-over-heels tumble several days ago and seemed to suffer mere road rash and who had continued riding through yesterday, started experiencing intense pain and swelling along his right side early this morning. It was very concerning to him and to us all. But the fact that we were in a major city with an excellent hospital (we wouldn’t have been had we stayed in that small town 50 miles back toward Eldoret), Mark was able to get expert medical attention. X-rays showed no broken bones or punctures; just some internal bruising. He was able to get some medication and will take a few days break from riding. He hopes to join us for our last two stages of riding.

From Kisumu to Eldoret

This was the ride that seemed like it would never end. After a brief circuit of the lakeside city of Kisumu, our team was immediately faced with a 3.5-mile steep-grade climb into the surrounding highlands.  It was the first of a seemingly endless day of significant hills with few descents.  We ascended over 3000 feet in the course of the day.  The climbs just kept coming at us and all we could do was grind our way up them as best we could.  But our team kept at the challenge and by nightfall rode into Eldoret.

The payoffs of hill climbing are breathtaking vistas of the valleys and distance places.  In this area, the valleys are many miles wide and full of rich life.  Again, the hills were filled with tea plantations and the roads were lined with well-wishing children walking to and from school, vendors and local laborers.

Our ride to Eldoret took all day.  Midway through the ride, we stopped for lunch at a Free Methodist Church and were welcomed by children at the ICCM school and parishioners.  The pastor and his family invited us to their home for  a delicious lunch.  After it, a few of us stole a few moments of a nap before rejoining the journey of hills, hills and more hills.  We rolled into Eldoret and the Free Methodist Bible School well after sundown.  We were exhausted, but somehow satisfied with our effort.

From Nyakach to Kisumu

The sun sets on the eastern border of Lake Victoria at Kisumu.

SInging at the Nyakach Free Methodist Church

Our brief stay in Nyakach was another high mark for our 600-mile adventure on bicycles. On Saturday evening, we stayed at a Catholic hospital on the top of a mountain. The staff was gracious and hospitable. On Sunday morning, we road our bikes to the Nyakach Free Methodist Church and joined them for Sunday morning services.  The morning included bright singing first by children joined later by adults. Team members Alex Drummond and Jack Hughey, along with a VISA volunteer, led singing with their guitars and mandolin. John Franklin Hay shared a story from the Bible, interpreted into Luo by Daniel Shanzuh.

Jack Hughey and Kevin WIlliams repair a tire.

After a quick lunch, our team hit the road for Kisumu, taking advantage of sunshine and determined to outrun an approaching thunderstorm. Our team was escorted by a Kenyan district police unit on our 35-mile ride to Kisumu.  We road out of the mountains in onto a long, flat road, riding at the highest average speed for the trip thus far.  We checked in to a guesthouse and drove to see the sunset on the eastern border of Lake Victoria.  It was worth the effort.  What a beautiful spectacle it was.

On Monday, we will have our longest stage of the journey--a 69-mile/111 kilometer ride to Eldoret. It will be the furthest some of our team members will have ever ridden in one day. We know that there are some climbs along the route. So, keep us in heart and mind as we tackle this segment of our journey.

Team member Alex Drummond (a recent Purdue
University graduate) shares his mandolin with a
neighbor in Nyakach.

We hope to arrive in Eldoret and visit the property that is being considered for purchase to become the site of the high school--the purpose of our ride. We are asking friends and associates and groups to support our ride at 5 cents, 10c, 25c or $1 per mile to help us raise $40,000 so that the property and first buildings of a new high school can become a reality where it is significantly needed.  Use the right sidebar options to donate today.

Thanks for your prayers and support. We feel the love.

From Kericho to Nyakach

Bike Kenya 2012 team member and Spring Arbor University student Becca Lamp
 embraces a child in Nyakach

We're in the Kenyan highlands. The Great Rift Valley
is in the background. Alex Drummond is missing in
this photo. He had pedaled on ahead to the school
at Nyakach, just a kilometer away. Also not in the
photo is team member Megan Booth.

Our third full day of pedaling took us through more Kenyan highlands to Nyakach. Again, we had the challenge of climbing hills and the joy of breathtaking vistas. We had one accident today; Mark Booth took a head-over-heels tumble early on.  Thankfully, he suffered only road rash. We were welcomed by the children of the ICCM school in Nyakach after a good day in the saddle.

We had great weather again today. Temperatures in the mid-70s F and sunny. The pattern is a mid-afternoon thunderstorm passing through. Even when it rains, it's not cold (at least so far), so it is bearable.

We are accompanied on our journey by Vickie Reynen and three visiting students from Indiana, and Ken Myers, who drives a van with all our luggage and food for the road.  We eat an early breakfast (usually eggs, toast and fruit), eat lunch on the road (peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chips, bananas, etc., and then have a dinner that is provided at the schools or guesthouses we are staying in.

This is a good adventure for us all, it seems. Everyone is learning and taking in so much every day. What we see of the land and encounter through the people inspire us. We are experiencing gracious, simple, profound hospitality. We're grateful for it.

Riding into Kericho

Bishop Nixon Dingili leads our team toward Kericho.

Our second full day of riding east from Nairobi took us from Bomet into the Kenyan highlands. The roads seemed to go no direction but up. We steadily climbed into lush, green areas that are the heart of Kenya's tea plantations. The vast fields cultivated with tea plants filled the hilltops.

Our cyclists seem to be fully recovered from the first day's ride. Collectively, we rode well. Most improved cyclist for the day: Bishop Nixon Dingili.  He seemed to rise to the occasion of riding into areas where he served for so many years and to Kericho, our destination for the evening.

We were blessed with a cloudless sky for most of the day. Our first two days of riding are in stark contrast to the weather Kenya has been experiencing up until now. Our sunshine finally gave way to a thunderstorm about the time we reached Kericho mid-afternoon. A downpour drenched us as we rode the last few miles to Kericho Free Methodist Academy.

Picture the most broken up, steepest road you've ever driven, ridden or walked. Now add heavy rainfall.  Now add mud on the steep, broken-up road, making it impossible to ride up.  Now add eight drenched cyclists who've been climbing through hills all day.  Now picture those cyclists, led by a Kenyan bishop pushing their bikes up that hill to the gates of a children's school at the top of the hill.  Now picture one cyclist--Kevin Williams--actually staying on his bike and picking his way through the pot holes and slipping through the mud and pedaling to the top of the hill. Impressive.

We have no way to describe what happened as we pushed our bikes through the gate of Kericho Free Methodist Academy. There was an eruption of cheers from 300 children who had been anticipating our arrival. As each cyclist straggled through the gate, another uproarious round of cheers ensued.  Frankly, it was overwhelming.  I wish every person could experience something like this at some point in their life.

The school held a special assembly for us, singing songs, reciting verses from the Bible, playing games, and making introductions.  Though our team was shivering from wet clothes, we so appreciated the welcome and feel very much honored.  The memory of this will spur us on in the days ahead.  Our thanks to the Kericho FM Academy and Free Methodist Church for their gracious hospitality.

Next up: we pedal our way from Kericho to Nyakach. That means more hilly pedaling.  We are making our way northward and on Sunday will see the shores of Lake Victoria.

Thanks for sharing this journey with us.  And thanks for sharing in the purpose for which we ride: support for a high school where one does not currently exist. Tomorrow, we will share why building this high school is so important for the educational opportunities of many children.

A sister at the retreat center at which our team stayed for the first two days in Nairobi was interested in John Franklin Hay's bike and our effort to raise funds for a new ICCM high school by pedaling across Kenya and asking folks to support with a per-mile donation to the school.