AcrossBelize : A ROW Expedition

The Blog

A cup of coffee to get me going

A cup of coffee goes a long way in the mornings. The one special thing about the coffee is that it is the same type of coffee you get when you are in Belize: Nescafe, cane sugar, and hot water. This was a nice treat to get the trip off on the right start, and to get me thinking about all of ROW’s friends and partners in Belize.

I am thinking about all of this because today starts the process of getting from the US to Belize, and then tomorrow will be when the pedaling starts. We are lucky to save the space and money by not bringing our own bikes with us. Instead, we are going to be renting bikes from Shane Vasquez (the Lance Armstrong of Belize!) and Brainard will meet us at the airport and take us north to where we will be staying tonight.

Tomorrow morning will begin with us starting at the Mexico/Belize border and heading south to Orange Walk. Come rain or shine we will be riding, and I am eager to see how well the training this summer has paid off. With rides like this, the first leg is always the hardest, but we will find out for sure tomorrow.

Keep us in your prayers and let us know what you think about everything. If you have any deep questions you want us to think on, then please pass them along and we will do our best to answer them on camera during the ride!

Well, it is time to board the plane. See you all in Belize!

Nick

2007 08 14 Nick All Entries Comments (4) Permalink

Mapping out the details

Scott and I were able to actually meet up in South Carolina to put the finishing touches on the big bike ride across Belize. It was an eye opening experience for us to add up the miles that we are going to be riding, but it was very helpful for us to see what we were up against and map out a plan on how to accomplish it.

We hope you enjoy the short video, too. Some of the members of Scott’s Middle School Youth Group were even nice enough to send the two of us off with some words of wisdom. Enjoy the video below!

If you have any words of wisdom for the trip, then let us know.

~Nick

2007 07 23 Nick All Entries Comments (2) Permalink

Training in Chicago

When I first hatched the plan to ride a bike across Belize I didn’t have any experience with long bike rides, so I have been riding as much as possible to get used to the workout. Chicago has been nice to train in because there is the Lake Path that runs up Lake Michigan. The only problem is that right now I don’t have any mountains to simulate the mountains of Belize.

2007 05 24 Nick All Entries Comments (0) Permalink

Delivering MegaVoice Audio Bibles

On the morning of May 16, we (Matt, Brainard, Joseph, and I) set out for the village of Santa Familia. The purpose of the trip was to visit with the community and give away several MegaVoice Audio Bibles to some people in the village. Apart from a close call on a swinging bridge, the bike trip went according to plan, and we were able to give out several audio bibles.

The first audio bible that we gave out was to a man that had trouble reading. It wasn’t that he wasn’t able to read, but rather the fact that when he tried to read his eyes would get irritated and watery after just 5-10 minutes. Because of this, he was unable to read the bible as often and as long as he wanted. The gift of the audio bible brought a smile to his face that I can only begin to describe. The thought of being able to end a long day of work by sitting in a hammock and listening to the Word of God was something that this man had only dreamed of doing. The simple gift of this bible truly changed his life.

After this visit, we continued on our bikes around the village.

2007 05 21 Nick All Entries Comments (0) Permalink

Finishing the Column

Before we left San Ignacio for Orange Walk, we drove back out to Santa Familia to remove the frame from the column that Matt and I had helped to make. It was a great feeling to be able to pull off the frame and see a brand new, and functioning, column that we had made. This was also the last column that needed to be erected before the beams and roof could be added.

We already have a group coming in June to help with the beams! Let me know if your group wants to help with the roof!

2007 05 19 Nick All Entries Comments (0) Permalink

Donating Clothes

During a previous trip to Belize, Brainard mentioned to Nick that it’s cheaper to feed people in Belize than to clothe them. With that in mind, I brought some clothes down to Belize that my girlfriend Nat and I donated. As you can see from the picture above, Nat’s clothes were on the nicer side, while I had some flannel and denim shirts with me. Brainard assured us that all would be put to good use.

So if you’re planning to come on a mission trip (especially to Belize), pack an extra bag with some clothes to donate. They’ll get a lot of use down here, maybe more than in your closet at home.

2007 05 17 Matt All Entries Comments (1) Permalink

The Swinging Bridge: Second Attempt

A wise person once told me, “If at first you don’t succeed, then try, try again.”

Well, to get back home it was either take on the swinging bridge for a second time or ride an extra eight miles to the road bridge. With the sun doing its best to melt us, we chose to travel the same path home.

Of course, this time we tried it one at a time, with the added plus of kids hanging on the bridge!

2007 05 17 Nick All Entries Comments (1) Permalink

Riding in the Cayo District

As a preview for the bike ride across Belize this summer, Matt and I were treated to a short 13 mile ride with Brainard and his cousin Joseph. The ride proved beneficial in many ways, and gave us some insight to the do’s and don’ts of riding bikes in Belize. One of the lessons that we learned has been featured in a video clip in a previous post, and that was to go one at a time across a swinging bridge. However, we learned that if you want to bike in Belize the key is to get up early and then be off the road before the midday sun cooks you.

Hopefully, all of this will be able to help Scott and I on the big ride this summer, but we encourage all the experienced bikers to offer their thoughts on what to do.
Let us know what you think, and get involved in the project!

2007 05 17 Nick All Entries Comments (0) Permalink

The Swinging Bridge

This clip speaks for itself…

If you have trouble loading this video, Click Here for the YouTube version of the video.

Please know that you should always wear helmets when riding a bike!

2007 05 16 Nick All Entries Comments (7) Permalink

Shane Vasquez: Champion Cyclist

Today was a great day because we were able to meet a true Belizean Cyclist Champion. The man we met was none other than Shane Vasquez, a member of the Belizean National Cycling Team. We were lucky to track him down because on Friday he heads to Venezuela for the Pan American Championship.

Despite his busy schedule, Shane was generous enough to spend a good bit of time with us telling us about what it is like to cycle in Belize, as well as some of his favorite race stories. He also offered us some good advice on what types of bikes we would need for the trip, and the length of rides we should take.

We also found out that Shane rents bikes, so tomorrow morning we are going to pick some up and see what it is like to ride in Belize. This ride won’t be too long, but we are going to ride to the village of Santa Familia to hand out MegaVoice Audio Bibles and visit with some of those people.

Let us know what you think, and we will be sure to keep updating the blog.

Click here to check out photos from our current trip to Belize.

2007 05 15 Nick All Entries Comments (0) Permalink