Dale Mowry cycled from Sea To Sea in 2008

Starting Your Meeting or Event Off Right with a Dynamic Lobby - Adobe Connect User Community

2011-02-14T07:58:00.000-05:00

Starting Your Meeting or Event Off Right with a Dynamic Lobby - Adobe Connect User Community

Revel In Your Unique Creativity

2010-04-09T09:07:00.001-04:00

Revel In Your Unique Creativity: "
By Greg Fullerton

All my life I’ve struggled with thinking that I wasn’t very creative. In fact, not being able to create (or so I thought) has been one of my greatest fears.

But a friend of mine taught me something that totally transformed my thinking.

2009-10-10T07:05:00.000-04:00

Steve Scott's son competed for high jump at Eastern Michigan in June 2009. Steve chose to deliver a MAX presentation in Jackson, Michigan. Tammy Wightman and I attended.

Danae goes viral...?

2009-09-22T19:33:00.001-04:00

When families employ their wealth, they enhance society. So when Danae began to direct her social network towards ArtPrize, a radical enterprize promoted by a local wealthy family, unemployment levels dropped. Hundreds of thousands of people also re-directed their social networks which continued this process of enhancing society.

How can others engage in this process? How can you engage in this process? Everyone making a small effort, makes a difference. Danae is asking for your vote www.artprize.org.

http://danaemowrydesign.blogspot.com

Easter at Home in Grand Rapids 2009

2009-04-12T22:57:00.000-04:00

Easter Sunday we sat outside for a brief moment without jackets
to snap a picture of how we were in April 2009.

In fact, it is David's 25th birthday, too!

Front row: Dana, Alayna, Deb (with Captain Morgan) Danielle, Braeden(with two bears), David (with Babbitt).
Back row: Dale, Dreena, Danae, DeVonne. Yes, we all have a last name of Mowry.

With cool temperatures, 47 degree F, we quickly rushed off to church after four pictures attempts to make sure everyone was looking at the camera, including the two stuffed bears.

This bike should be red!

2008-12-19T11:02:00.001-05:00

On our way home from New Jersey, we stopped in New York. Near ground-zero a local bike shop displayed their idea of a perfect bicycle configuration. Why not visit www.candencecycling.com?

Time trials in Canada, eh?

2008-12-19T10:10:00.000-05:00

New Holiday Visitors...

2008-12-05T22:52:00.002-05:00

Because holiday times bring friends and relatives together, more people curiously ask how about the summer bike tour and my significant weight reduction.

It is fun to share the summer bike stories and learn how others react to hearing about such an adventure.

Most struggle to get a brief glimpse of such a journey and force that image into their current life circumstances. If that glimpse does not fit into their life's routine, they abandon all further attempts to reason how it could ever become feasible to take on such a challenge. And yet, thousands of people world-wide have accomplished this task over many different continents over multiple number of years.

For me, there has been a latent desire to complete a long distant tour but it was buried by years of "pressing" issues that blocked out or snuffed out all efforts to organize such an adventure. When a simple comment was over heard in a bike shop, it was that simple "nudge" that kicked over a pile of "pressing" issues and this latent desire rekindled.

My point has to do with the series of comments generated during holiday discussions. Everything from "no way" to "WOW, I would love to do something like that". Could it be true, that everyone who chose to accept the challenge and crossed the US and Canada, are also telling their stories to their holiday visitors? Why not do just that...rekindle these latent desires in each others lives? It may not be about the bike or poverty, but it may be about acknowledging how our excuse building habits constrain us down paths which could only benefit our immediate short term needs and never letting ourselves give ourselves a chance?

For all the new holiday visitors, especially, try leaving a comment. Also visit all the other blog sites associated with http://www.seatosea.org/ and click on Cyclists Blogs .

NAW...it ain't really over...right?

2008-09-05T10:33:00.002-04:00

It just isn't over until the multimedia player in our brains stop replaying the summer re-runs about our adventuresome tour.

In Michigan after New Jersey, I was able to ride for three consecutive days in sunny warm conditions until the Thursday/Friday hurricane initiated rains. Now under grey and cloudy conditions, there is the real possibility that the tour is really over. And yet, I am certain every time I ride, I will believe I am on permanent "Sweep Team" duty ever looking for cyclists (even tri-cyclists) who may need assistance.

Looking forward to your comments until or if we are able to organize a forum to expand our 9 week newly formed community of cyclists.

Next time...remind me to explain what Catherine did...(stay tuned)

How many days left...?

2008-08-29T21:08:00.003-04:00

ONE DAY LEFT...What an incredible journey with amazing challenges! Tomorrow's activities will punctuate just what it takes to always content and let each moment of each day take care of itself.

Many times during our conversations, we caught ourselves taking back words we inadvertently expressed about our fears thinking about the next day's ride. For instance, the east coast mountains presented an entirely different terrain from that of the west coast mountains and Rockies. Some feared the wide swing in grade level changes would crush us and we would not be able to continue. And yet, we all arrived somewhat on time to enjoy an awesome supper and celebrate how great our God is.

May we all remember how we prepared to cross into the US from Canada. What an amazing discovery that was when we cycled across the the bridge into the US without any interruptions from the border guards. Just an example of diligent planning.

So...may we pray for tomorrow's activities as we use three separate police escorts from three different jurisdictions protecting us as we wander through 10 miles of heavy traffic to dip our tires into the sea. What an amazing process that will be as we leave early in the morning to be certain we arrive on time and begin the escorting process.

After I arrive back home I hope those who read blogs will continue to read them as some of us were quite challenged by Internet access and other technical hiccups. I will post pictures and other stories that should prove entertaining and fun.

Any comments....please...

yes, we have no internet today

2008-08-26T22:08:00.002-04:00

Our dish needs repairs and will not occur until NEXT week, sad but true.
So we must wait for libraries tomorrow.

Try leaving a comment!

What about St. Catherines...?

2008-08-24T22:07:00.002-04:00

Despite what seemed to be an overwhelming amount of social activities especially on our day of rest, we were refreshed when we discovered just how sincere our hosts showed concern for our well being. Everyone wanted to connect in some way with each rider. An unusual discovery occured as we learned just how often our blog sites were being read!

During our celebration ceremony, we discovered just how many people read ALL various blog websites. Because there were so many readers, the time required to "get acquainted" during the celebration ceremony was shortened significantly. Under much different circumstances, it might have been considered rude to suggest to someone you just met that they were not "blogging" often enough. And yet, with so many people reading the blogs, we had conversations like we were all "old" friends. So it was suggested that if comments were submitted more often, it might enhance the overall participation level and response time bloggers blog. This could expand way beyond our immediate support groups as well?

So with some simple survey questions, why did the world-wide Sea to Sea blog readers avoid leaving comments and enhance the desire of cyclists to blog more often? Some readers were unfamiliar with the technical methods on how to submit a comment and some were either shy or wanted to keep their messages private. In any of these cases, it was suggested that during the last six days of riding, it might be fun to expand our friendships and overall number of supporters.

Some cyclists launched some internet tools to measure the amount of "hits" their respective blog sites actually receive per day. Some sites receive over 200 hits per day! Still others monitor our progress using Google maps with "Street View" to get the feeling of the actual ride.

The published book called "Switching Gears" was distributed to attendees who wanted to follow share the trip's route with others. Some of these books were autographed to encourage new sponsor's with a specific cyclists name. This helps any of us feel we have a specific connection and ownership with this whole effort to raise awareness towards poverty and its devasting effects.

Thank you St. Catherines.

Special note...Chris and Joanne, who attend Maranatha CRC, made an extra special effort and assisted me some laundry needs. They actually delivered the laundry to the door of my tent! I missed saying 'Thank you' because we were all attending Sunday nights meeting preparing for tomorrow's ride. So...a special thanks to Chris and Joanne's effort. (Please help Chris and Joane receive word of my appreciation.)

All comments are welcome and encouraged!

The Incredible Day...in Canada

2008-08-22T22:10:00.003-04:00

Simply amazing to ride for a day and have SO many rest stops filled with SO many people clapping and cheering! Should we discuss the food and refreshments provided? I chose to ride aggresively between stops to be certain ALL the consumed products eaten at the last stop were completely digested and burned off before arriving at the next stop.

Here is the other observation...many of the well wishers actually engaged in proactive conversations with sincere curosity. Once they learned your name and home town location, they wanted to know about your well being, where you started, how far to you intend to travel, etc. In some cases, we had to pull ourselves away from all the questions to continue on to the next stop. (Pictures will follow soon due to some technical challenges.)

By the way...comments posted to this Blog site were read to tonite for the first time. My apologies for not paying attention to this feature when using blog sites.

Danae, our 4th of 6 children, chose to drive to Chatham, ON Canada and drop me off so I could rejoin the tour. Soon after arriving, a time trial event was discussed with others. There were some restrictions. One, you had to ride out about 40 Km and in order to arrive at the start line before 9:00am. Second, you had to register the day before!?!?

Anyways, the 9:00am deadline was met. The registration effort was accomplished with a permanent marker number scrolled on my right leg calf, "30". I felt "attached" to an elite group of cyclists. Each of the 30 cyclists started fully clipped and launched after one minute intervals. We were to race against the clock for another 40 Km. There was a slight head wind and a slight up hill grade. Breaking time without an age compensated bhandicap was one hour and 18 minutes! The equates to 18.74 mph! I was number 20! However, if there was an age handicap, a sixty year old guy beat me by 7 minutes.

(Pictures arrive during the weekend Stay tuned.)

Appointment Conflict Resolved...!

2008-08-20T14:49:00.004-04:00

This picture shows the "DNA" supporters.

Our schedule conflict went away when Hurricane Fay rained on everyone's parade in Key West.

Without this scheduling conflict, I will continue to ride to the Atlantic Ocean and dip the tires!

Trinity College

2008-08-12T23:22:00.002-04:00

What a wonderful level of encouragement and refreshments from the staff and others as we approached the college. It was so well attended with people interested in our bike stories. Herman, from Trinity, wants to find a way to ride along with us respecting the rules for safety and liability.

It is true there are many people who have secret desires to ride, but looked for excuses which they felt complied with a reasonable justification level.,

Green Days ahead!

2008-08-11T20:02:00.001-04:00

Do you see how corn and wind mills compete?

Madison Crossroads Church

2008-08-10T18:25:00.004-04:00

Our weekend in Madison demonstrated what it is like to be serviced. We received a fanfare greeting with waves and waves of follow up supplies that filled our bellies and met our physical needs of our bikes and sleeping accommodations. They attended to entertainment needs as well as our escape from camp routines.

Many families rushed in to provide meals in restaurants and sleeping accommodations in real beds without normal camp life distractions. With the cooler weather and sunshine it all appeared as a day of significant rest despite the fact we frantically got caught up with our blogging as Internet access became high speed in the church Wi-Fi bubble. Praise the Lord!

Just imagine soda from a self serve fountain and snacks laying around to consume as bike and camp gear is re-organized (again) getting ready for the new week's ride.

Just a brief note about lifestyle. As we ride with the same group of people over many weeks our minds map characteristics of each rider and we begin to believe this is our life and future lifestyle. It is somewhat disturbing to think how abruptly this will end and yet it sort of reflects on the potential how fragile our lives are anyways.

Maybe we could reflect and act in tangible ways how it is we stay so overwhelmed in our personal lifestyles often at the expense of others as we rush past them.

This past seven weeks demonstrates to all of us just what it takes to catch our own attention let alone the attention of others concerning poverty lifestyles. In some respects how do we end our own poverty lifestyle?

over bill over dale

2008-08-10T18:20:00.001-04:00

Gentlemen and Ladies Start your?

2008-08-10T17:18:00.003-04:00

More and more Pix!

2008-08-10T16:49:00.003-04:00

Picture Picture on the Wall. ..

2008-08-10T16:44:00.001-04:00

Day 38

2008-08-06T23:44:00.002-04:00

What a new adventure riding in the rain on a 114 mile day! WOW! We ate so much food in order to deal with the demands of this longest distance ride and yet...wait, there is more. We have another LONG distance ride in tomorrow, too.

Today all of us were very excited about the cool rains, cloud cover and TAIL WINDS! (Sweet)

The extra challenge today included not one but two flat tires. The first occured inside the dormitory at Dordt College out of the rain. The second, well with a little help from friends, we changed not just the tube but the whole tire. Two thousand miles on one tire was not too bad. I rode the whole day with Justin. Great ride getting to know about each other and fullfilling the intergenerational interaction relationship building activities. (Thanks Justin!)

Our satellite technician may arrive tomorrow so many more will be able to post blog content soon. I am using cell phone technology as a modem.

Remember, it is ok to post a comment or two.

Day 36

2008-08-04T23:22:00.003-04:00

Shifting Gears booklet indicates we are on our 36th day of riding. We departed from Fremont, NE and headed into head winds. After 3 hours of riding, Tekamah seemed like a bustling community that would support a thriving cafe. The Tailgators Bus Stop Cafe certainly proved to be the spot for a breakfast recharging station.

Diane served a pancake the size of a medium pizza for an awesome price of $1.50! She obviously had to ask where I was going with all the bike stuff on. She quickly donate money for the effort.
Later at camp, Diane enthusiastically served many other who came along later in the day. She proudly displayed the "Sea to Sea" bracelet I had given her for generous donation.

Many tonight decided to sleep inside a basketball court gymnasium. I appreciate the generosity of the local community leaders for opening up their facility, but it seems a bit too crowded especially IF I were to display my snoring performance at an inappropriate time. So, with the threat of rain, my tent is under the roof of an outdoor shelter next to the train tracks. YIKES!

Enough of all this for now...I have been quite challenged and amazed how difficult it has been for me to post to this blog daily and yet thrilled to see so many passionate journalists who overcome all these daily details to post to their blog sites so faithfully.

Quiz for a Google look up... What is Dordt College all about?

Ralph and Emily Wiersma our hosts...

2008-07-27T17:01:00.003-04:00

Ralph and Emily are the best family to visit and serve as hosts for travelers. Their home is organized to accomodate guests in the most comfortable way.

Cool bedrooms including laundry room and tool rooms.

The meals were awesome and the converstations were incredible.

We highly recommend everyone who stop in Denver to stop and say "Hi", if they are home. They travel extensively helping others across the world.

2008-07-24T00:02:00.002-04:00

It is a priviledge to the lead out of camp early since using a pace line would be too difficult given the number hill climbs. It is risky to ride alone because it is possible to run out of energy before arriving at the destination. When using a pace line, others help when mechanical troubles occur.

Anyways there is a since of accomplishment when arriving into camp early 2:15PM.

Tomorrow... well sleeping in. Because of the Kitchen duty departure will happen after nine!

Let's face it...?

2008-07-22T23:11:00.004-04:00

Riding over 90 mile continous days certainly spins a new challenge into the tour adventure. Yikes...!

Talk about close calls...everyone has stories upon stories how traffic and tight squeezes forced us to concentrate on road details with little time to observe the landscape. And yet we all agreed how thankful we were that no one sustained serious physical injuries.

On our way to Craig, CO in the morning using the same road we used today, BUT we are in a different state with better road construction techniques.

So...Pray that God chooses to re-direct the wind directions from the west instead of the forcasted directions of north? and south?. What is that all about?

Monday, July 14th...Mountain Home, ID

2008-07-14T23:54:00.002-04:00

What are sweep teams? This duty occurs about every 7 days. This small group "sweeps" the route making sure everyone arrives to camp before 6PM. During these past seven days, the heat has been a challenge. I wear pants and lots of sun screen.

Watch for new pictures...

I finally left Michigan...WHAT!?

2008-07-13T21:08:00.000-04:00

Join in and watch our GPS tracking device for www.seatosea.org.

I trained for 3 days to ride 3,000 miles from Seattle, WA to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 7 weeks! Others will continue onto Jersey City, New Jersey.

Watch my blog for updates... www.dalemowry.blogspot.com

Our GPS tracking device will be upgraded on Monday as we pull out of Boise, ID Monday morning at 7:00am MST.

Donations are welcome as we impact the cycle of poverty, but our online stories are priceless. If you go to www.flickr.com and search for "seatosea08" you will find thousands of pictures transmitted by 200 cyclists by our campsite satellite dish daily. My individual goal is $8,000. The team of cyclists goal is $1.5 to $2.0 million.

Join in on the fun and tell others to watch our summer unfold. Order tickets for the celebration event at the Fifth Third stadium on August 17th. Tickets are free. Place your order online at www.seatosea.org. Thousands expect to attend.

Calvin College in Grand Rapids will host our overnight stay Saturday/Sunday nights August 16th and 17th. Share with others how we make a difference in the lives of others. Various media outlets are now locking into our progress.

We will be in Salt Lake City next weekend.

Dale Mowry
616-540-2170
www.dalemowry.blogspot.com

Friday, July 11, 2008

2008-07-11T14:40:00.003-04:00

Guess what...? Huntington, Oregon sits low in the valley surrounded by mountains wtihout internet or cell phone signals!

Very challenging night with winds howling at 35 mph gusts whipping tents and flapping our rain covers like snapping towels. It was warn for most the night dropping to 61 degrees by dawn. Many abandoned their tents to sleep in the high school gym.

We slept in an hour longer to compensate for the time zone change to Mountain Standard Time and we only rode 32 miles to Ontario, OR. We had a 19 to 20 mile an hour tail wind with lots of downhill opportunities.

Clear fresh air in the high 60's with mountains and the Snake River dancing light from the morning sun. Just so very cool with all the companionship and encouragement.

Remember...jump over to www.flickr.com and search for "seatosea08"

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

2008-07-09T16:36:00.002-04:00

What a great ride....out of LaGrande, Oregon to Baker City. We started early with cool 52 degree air. We left very early to avoid heat of the day.

If you ever pass through Haines, OR, visit with Connie Brown. She make a mead potatoe soup at the center of town bar.

Since we arrived so early to Baker City, my reading glasses are still in the gear Trailers. With these new prescribtion sun glasses, I am not able to read the computer screen except at arms length.

Towering wind mills were along today's journey as we climbed 2,500 feet. The down hill decends were incredibly long running out for miles.

Mike, the manager at the local Bi-Mart warned us to purchase special bike tubes to avoid punctures from "goat-heads". Goat-heads break off tumble weeds and pierce tires easily.

We found a library with internet access. Our sweaty bodies fill the air driving the local patrons out of the internet room.

Donations could be made manually by calling Deb. 616-443-1684. She has been very helpful helping others interact with the Seatosea.org website, too.

My strength has dramatically increased in the last several days. This lets me arrive on camp earlier to post content on this blog.

More to follow...join with us and carefully consider ways to help us raise money for those trapped in poverty.

Dale

Day 7 Sunday, July 6th

2008-07-06T10:38:00.005-04:00

WOW! Sunday a welcome day of rest!

Our dish which should communicates with a southwestern satellite has some serious issues! This has delayed the entire camps capacity to blog.

In the meantime, here are some pictures instead of words.

Correct, this is a first day picture while I am standing in the water at the Pacific coast line. What is in my hand? MAXGXL. So, who do you know who trains for three days then leaves on a 3 thousand mile bike ride across the United States?

Get the factual product information at www.maxgxl.com/11437.

I am just saying, if there is any curiosity or doubt how this product plays a role in our bodies ability to restore itself, then it will be clear why so many in one years time are telling so many about the dramatic changes this product has made in their lives !

Day 4 Yakima

2008-07-03T19:23:00.004-04:00

On Day 4, the weather was warm before dawn. The sun broke through scattered clouds, waking bikers who suffered from fragmented sleep. During the early morning hours, thunder, lighting and very little rain woke everyone. However, the event which distrubed us the most, was the sprinkling system.

Tents positioned on top of sprinkler heads, woke everyone as the water pressure against the tent shells sounded like freight trains chugging through the camp ground. After everyone determined what the challenge was, everyone return to their sleep patterns holding their screened windows closed to prevent the tents from flooding.

Today's ride was extremely short...finally. The road way followed the river with fewer up and down challenges compared how we spent ourselves on the first three days with 30 to 40 mile climbs. (Imogene is playing in the school hall way as we enjoy the air conditioning inside tonights campground sponsored school. If you don't know who Imogene is, call Danae!)

It is so extremely hot today, we cooked ourselves setting up tents. Ice tea and orange slices were consumed in record time at the campsite. (Pictures will follow soon. This is a teaser technique used on news shows to keep you tuned in and come back for updates.)

Once again, may I please ask you to consider making a donation. Just click the link to "Donate".

I appreciate your consideration in advance.

Dale Mowry
dale@dalemowry.com
616-540-2170 Voice mail/Direct Cell phone.

P.S. I will answer questions, if you comment on this site or send me emails.

Day 1

2008-07-01T01:43:00.006-04:00

Many friends and personal acquaintenances may not yet be aware of my recent decision to tour across the United States on a bicycle.

All of us may know someone who has riden across the United States, but it is always fun to zero in on someone we personally know. This 9 week excursion occured with a 7 day notice!

Let me explain...Soon after I discovered the seatosea.org Steering Committe organizer, Claire Elgersma, was my neighbor, our conversations led to some exciting possibilites. I was faced with an opportunity which required a 24-hour decision.

Consider these trade offs, could I endure a such journey with two days of training!? How will I be able to raise $8,000 when most other riders signed up 7 to 12 months ago!? I had to scramble to arrange our personal finances to procure new cycling equipment. This presented a substantial amount of effort and planning. Would Deb and I be in agreement?

But just think, how would any of us respond anytime a challenge of a lifetime presents itself? Just imagine if you could participate in a nation-wide bike marathon to help others "escape" that viscious grueling cycle of poverty. What if an event such as this captured media attention prompting hundreds of donors to contribute while supporting all the riders efforts. This could become the largest bike tour of its kind in this country.

Are you in?

Who do you know who has been prepared to make a difference and do it in a meaningful way?

Use your "Google" expertise and search for this "seatosea08". Pictures, blog sites, and other podcasts are populating the internet as riders upload their stories using the satellite "uplink" donated so we can stay connected keeping others informed world-wide.

When we arrive in Grand Rapids, over 8,000 people plan to be in attendance at the 5/3 Ball Park greeting us as we enter the stadium. This is so exciting...are you in?

Watch our progress by following our GPS transmitter. Everyone is watching us using tracking software over the internet. Visit http://www.seatosea.org/ and watch our streaming videos, pictures and stories.

Most importantly would you help me tell others as I raise support money?

Save as your favorite...and check back daily.

Dale