Day 57: Quesnel, BC

So my hope for good weather was kind of thrown out the window. We woke up and went outside to see dark clouds and a wet ground. A little while later, it started sprinkling. Pastor Wes got us bagels, cereal, and fruit for breakfast, and we happily indulged in that before packing the van in the rain.

We took off with roughly 73 miles/ 117 km ahead of us. I love Andi! He volunteered first, knowing full well that it was freezing outside. By now, the rain was coming down hard, but Andi perservered, and took on the first 20 miles. When he came back to the van, he had 2 jackets on, but was still shivering. His shoes were soaked and, thanks to the trucks, he was covered in muck. Justin went next, but he was fortunate enough the catch a lot of downhill. He still hit some cold rain, though. Nate went next, and then I finished out the run for the day with a measley 10 miles; we thought the stretch was longer, but we were happy to get out of the cold weather.

Kyle called today! :D While Justin and Nate were out biking, Andi and I got to hear Kyle tell us how bored he is back home, and how excited he us to meet up with us in Anchorage. He wanted to know all the juicy details since leaving him in Portland... he hasn't been able to access the internet. We miss you Key-lay!!!

We arrived in Quesnel (pronounced "Qua-nell"), and talked with 2 separate reporters along the way. Yeah media! We're excited that we're getting Canadian coverage. :)

The Senior Pastor of Maple Park Alliance Church, Garth Witzke, welcomed us into his home situated on a 5-acre farm, complete with a horse, 4 cats, 2 dogs, and 5 fish. I love animals. (Don't worry parents, the cats are outdoors. Allergies are dorment for now.) Pastor Garth told us that so many people from the church volunteered to feed us, that he had to turn them down. One lady did make us a baked macaroni dish, strawberry pie, and cookies. It was amazing!

After dinner, Justin and I cleaned the bikes. It took quite a while, seeing as this was one of the best cleaning jobs we've done in a long time. Everything's shiny and new. Nate and Andi pitched in today and did the laundry, since Justin and I had to clean. I was so happy to hear them offer to do what had been my job for the past month and a half. Go team! :)

Right now, we're meeting with some youth from the church. Pastor Garth has done an amazing job of hooking us up with the 2 media crews and the youth from his church. We couldn't have asked for a more friendly and eventful day. It's been awesome to spend time talking with everyone; I love meeting new people! I can't say that enough.

I think today I've found out how much we care for one another. Andi came in soaking wet, and we got him a towel to dry off, and a blanket to keep him warm. We helped each other rack and unrack bikes quickly so no one was in the rain longer than they had to be. I'm continually impressed with how close our team is. I love our road family! I saw a note posted on the wall at the house here, and it says: "Beginning a quarrel is like opening a floodgate, so stop the matter before a dispute breaks out" -Proverbs 17:14.

We've realized what's more important on the trip, and the past few weeks have been much more peaceful... except when we get lost in big cities. Haha. But honestly, I think we're able to understand, at the end of the day, we can't all agree on everything. We're so different. What matters most is our friendship, what we're doing on this trip, the lives we touch, and the lifetime of memories we're making this summer.

Alive and well,
Alyson