Ride for the Dominican 2026 — Indiana

 Here we go again.

In just a couple of weeks, I’ll load up the bike and head out for another Ride for the Dominican.

This year the ride takes will take me across Indiana, starting at Lake Michigan and riding south through the heart of the state until I reach Louisville, Kentucky. The route will be right around 300 miles.

And this year there is one major change: I’ll be riding with a full SAG wagon. I'm thankful to have my friend Larry Anspach driving along the route to support me. 

After hauling everything last year-- camping gear, clothes, food, tools, and everything else we need on the bikes, somebody else will be carrying the load. I’ll still have to pedal every mile, but I won’t have to drag all my worldly possessions along behind me.

I’m not complaining!

But as always, the bike ride is the part that gets attention. The reason we ride is in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

Why We Ride

Our relationship with the church in Santiago goes back to 2012.

What impressed us then continues to impress us today. These are men and women faithfully following the Word, discipling believers, serving their community, and doing the work God has put in front of them whether Americans are there to see it or not.

Over the years, the Ride for the Dominican has given our family a way to come alongside that work.

By God’s grace and through the generosity of a lot of friends and family, the Ride has helped support school teachers, construction projects, a church for deaf Christians, a church kitchen, theological education, and other ministry needs in Santiago.

This year we are focusing on two needs.

Helping Train the Next Generation of Church Leaders

Once again, the ride will help support the theological training class at Central Baptist Church in Santiago.

They are currently praying for 14–16 participants to join the next class beginning in October.

This isn’t simply a matter of opening a classroom and asking people to show up. Students need books and materials. Teachers travel from different areas to help teach the course. That means transportation costs, gas money, and other expenses that make the training possible.

Our goal is to help provide all of the books for the students and help support the teachers who are traveling to Santiago to teach.

We’ve supported this theological training for several years now because we believe it is an important investment in the local church. Training men and women to understand Scripture well, teach it faithfully, and serve their churches will have an impact long after our bicycle ride is forgotten.

There’s Also a Hill That Needs Some Attention

The second need this year is much more concrete.

And I mean that somewhat literally.

The church property in Santiago sits on top of pretty steep hill.

Because the area has been experiencing small earthquakes and ground movement recently, portions of the cement and stone covering along the hillside have developed cracks.

Cracks may not sound particularly dramatic, but on a steep hill they create a serious problem.

Water gets into those cracks.

Once water gets underneath the protective covering, it begins eroding the soil below it.

And when the church building is sitting on that hillside, erosion near the foundation is something you want to deal with before it becomes a much bigger problem.

So part of this year’s fundraising will help shore up and repair the side of the hill, sealing and strengthening those damaged areas before additional erosion occurs.

It’s not glamorous work.

It is necessary work.

The Goal: $4,500

Between supporting the October theological class and repairing the hillside, our fundraising goal for the 2026 Ride for the Dominican is $4,500.

That means this year’s numbers are pretty simple:

September 4-9, 2026.

About 300 miles.

Across Indiana.

Lake Michigan to Louisville.

$4,500 for Central Baptist Church.

The money will help put books into the hands of theology students, help teachers get to the classroom, and help protect the church property from continued erosion.

That seems like a pretty good reason to ride a bicycle across Indiana.

Where Does the Money Go?

A question we have answered over the years is whether donations help pay for our bicycles, food, hotels, transportation, or other ride expenses.

They do not.

We cover the expenses of the ride ourselves.

The money donated through Ride for the Dominican is for the ministry work in Santiago. That has been the pattern from the beginning, and it continues this year. In previous years we have also used Veritas Church’s giving system simply as a convenient and accountable way to collect and transfer the donations; Veritas does not receive a portion of those gifts.

https://www.veritaschurch.org/give/give-now 

Under "Accounts" select Ride for the Dominican. Yes, you must have an account and we recognize it is a hassle, however, it protects you, it protects us. You WILL NOT BE ADDED TO ANY MAILING LIST.

If you would like to sponsor a few miles ($15 a mile), a day of riding ($900), or simply make a gift of any amount toward the $4,500 goal, we would be incredibly thankful.

You Can Help Without Giving Money

We would also appreciate your prayers.

Pray for the men and women considering the theological class this October.

Pray that God would provide the 14–16 students they are hoping to train.

Pray for the teachers who will give their time and travel to Santiago to teach.

Pray for the church as they deal with the repairs to the hillside.

And, if you think of us while we are riding, pray for safety, healthy bodies, cooperative bicycles, and maybe a little less Indiana headwind than we probably deserve.

You can also help simply by sharing our posts. Every year people hear about the Ride because somebody else passed the story along.

Lake Michigan to Louisville

So that is the plan.

In a little over two weeks, I’ll put a tire in Lake Michigan-- or at least get close enough to make the picture convincing-- and start heading south.

About 300 miles later, Lord willing, I’ll roll into Louisville.

Along the way I’ll post updates, pictures, mileage, stories from the road, and probably whatever goes wrong, because something always does.

But behind every one of those miles are friends in Santiago doing faithful ministry day after day.

That is why we ride.

Ride for the Dominican 2026 is officially underway.

Let’s ride.

Ride for the Dominican 2025 — North Dakota

 

I am apparently much better at riding bicycles than I am at keeping this blog updated.

So, before we start talking about another Ride for the Dominican, I need to go back and fill in a pretty significant gap: the 2025 ride through North Dakota.

Last year we once again loaded up the bikes and headed out for several days of riding. Our route took us roughly 350 miles through North Dakota, continuing a tradition that began more than a decade ago when we first decided to use our love of cycling to support the ministry of our friends in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

As always, the miles were only part of the story.

Why We Rode

Our goal for the 2025 ride was to raise $5,000 for two specific needs in Santiago.

Part of the money was designated to support a Theology School at Central Baptist Church, where men and women are being trained to better understand and the Word of God. At the time they had 10 participants in the school. Supporting the school looks like buying books and the things needed for class nights and supporting the various pastors that traveled from throughout the Dominican Republic to help teach the classes. 

The other portion was designated for cement work at Central Baptist Church.

The church sits on a hill and has a rock wall on one side and this cement covered side. The picture above is the sealing work that was necessary up top and the picture below shows the sealed concrete after the work was through. 

One of the things we have appreciated about our relationship with the church in Santiago is that these are not projects created to give Americans something to do. The church is there every week preaching the gospel, discipling people, serving its community, and training believers. We simply get the privilege of coming alongside them and helping with some of the needs they already have.

That has been the heart of the Ride for the Dominican from the beginning.

The Ride

The 2025 route took us through North Dakota on Highway 5, covering approximately 353.42 miles from Westby, Montana, to Minnesota border near Hallock.

This year was different in that the Morken family did not ride, but Michael Kohlmann joined me (Matthew) in the journey. Michael is an excellent rider and a brother in Christ from Veritas Church. 

As anyone who has followed these rides knows, bicycle touring has a way of producing stories. Some are great. Some are miserable while they are happening and become great stories about two weeks later.

A few things that stand out from this ride:

• Day 4 was the most intense headwind I've ever ridden into in my life! 22 miles into 25+ MPH wind. It was exhausting
• On day 5, we had an incredible tail wind! Fully loaded we were going 20 MPH!
• There was no rain in the forecast so Michael slept without his rainfly on the tent. When he got up to take a quick shower, it down poured for about 5 minutes. 
• We met so many wonderful people. Columbus, North Dakota is the place to BE!
• On the last day we dropped into the Red River Valley just east of Cavalier, North Dakota. What a beautiful descent! 

We also continue to learn that riding is about considerably more than accumulating miles. There are long days, tired legs, meals eaten wherever we can find them, campgrounds of varying quality, unexpected kindness from strangers, and a whole lot of time turning the cranks.

Those are some of the reasons we keep doing it.

What You Helped Accomplish

By the end of the ride, friends, family, churches, and supporters had given $4,939.48 toward the work in Santiago.

We are incredibly thankful.

Every year I am reminded that while our family(and a friend) may be the ones turning the pedals, this has never been something we have done by ourselves. Hundreds of people have prayed, followed along, shared our posts, encouraged our kids, and given generously over the years.

By God's grace, those miles have helped provide tangible support for ministry in the Dominican Republic.

And that is ultimately why we keep getting back on the bikes.

One More Ride in the Books

So, very belatedly, Ride for the Dominican 2025 is officially in the books.

About 352 miles across North Dakota.

$4,939.48 raised.

Theological training materials for 10 people. Teachers fully supported. 

Work at Central Baptist Church shoring up the concrete in the front of the building. 

A lot of miles ridden and another state accomplished.

And another reminder of God's kindness to us through the people who continue to support this strange little combination of bicycles, adventure, and ministry.

Thank you to everyone who was part of it.

And now that I have finally written about last year's ride...

it's probably time to tell you where I'll be riding this year.

Getting Packed Up

 Wow, the day is here! In less than 12 hours we will role out toward Northern Minnesota. The plan is to spend a night with family then head for Baudette, MN. Like most trips, the plan is laid out and then before you know it the day is here. Packing a bike trip for 5 people is complicated to say the least! 

5 sleeping pads

5 sleeping bags

socks

underwear

bike shorts

sweatshirts

long pants

shorts

hats (cause it's gonna be cold)

The list goes on and on. Then there is food. We will blog about food in the future. As for now, it is complicated. The beginning of the trip is when you have the largest load and then after several days when you go stronger, you are out of everything and the trailer and bags feel so much lighter! Last year we found it helpful to freeze a few meals and use those meals as ice packs for our cold bag for a couple of days. Hamburger helper worked really well for this and this year we added taco meat. The plan will be to grab some chips at a grocery store prior to going to the camp site then pigging out once we get there. Anyway, here is a look at our preparation to camp. If you have any questions please feel free to ask below. 

We are nervous. It is going to be a big trip. It will come together.... it will. 

Ride for the Dominican 2020

 Check out this video for an update on our 2020 Ride! We look forward to having you follow along. As we have learned over the last several years, it is very difficult to ride lots of miles, camp, maintain social media and blog presence so therefore the blog gets the last of our energies. We are sorry if this is an inconvenience. Our goal will be to post our ride over time throughout the fall and winter. 

We love our friends in Santiago, Dominican Republic and look forward to seeing the completion of this worship center. If you are interested in supporting the mission please check out THIS LINK. 

If you have any questions about the Ride for the Dominican or about giving, please let us know in the comment section below. 

The Morkens 

We Begin the Ride

Well we had made it to Peoria, Illinois and spent a night in a hotel. The last 24 miles driven slowly with three lug bolts in place. There are a lot of plans contingent on a pretty straight forward schedule. We were supposed to be at Kurt's house for the night and dropped off in downtown Cincinnati by about 9 so we could hit the road. 

Nope!

I hope I don't sound bitter, everything happens for a purpose it is just so interesting to reflect on the feelings then as apposed to the feelings after the ride is done. This isn't the first time we have experienced something like this and going into this situation we knew that as well and I was trying to apply what had happened every other time our plans had fallen apart... everything had always worked out. I'd be tempted to rip Jeremiah 29:11 out of context to talk about my plans and God's plans... but that would be ripping a verse out of context...

Here was THE PLAN for if we left at 9ish in the morning. Sadly I can't embed the picture.

Anyway, in 30 minutes the spacer was removed and our tire was replaced on the vehicle. The cost for this whole fiasco: <$22.00! I guess I could count the unforeseen hotel room... but that wasn't the cost I was scared of. That was absolutely astonishing. A huge shout out to Tires Plus on 150 in Peoria. Thanks for getting us in and safely on the road.

Well we got to Cincinnati about 2ish and connected with Kurt who was gracious enough to drive us down to the center of Cincinnati on his day off. The area where the OTET trail starts is right between Paul Brown Stadium (the Bengals call this home) and the Great American Ball Park (where the Reds play. There was a Red's game happening so it was busier than expected. The Reds were losing by double digits so more people were outside the stadium. We couldn't find a place to park so we ended up pulling up next to a sidewalk and putting our flashers on.

It took about an hour and a half to unload the vehicle, put Ollie's wheels on his bike (his bike didn't fit on the bike rack), put the panniers on Sharon's bike, get Finley's bike loaded and set up the Burley. While pumping up the Burley's tire one exploded very loudly. It was awkward... and people are really jumpy these days. Thankfully I had a new tube and it was fixed easily.

Here we are ready to go! There are a lot of nerves in this picture. How are the boys going to do? Are we going to have bike issues? Are we going to raise the money for the school? Will any of us be hurt on this ride? Is it going to rain? Will we get lost? But that is how you start a bicycle tour.

We said our goodbyes and started pedaling.

It was pretty crazy, there were lots of people and lots of sights to see. Within about 100 yards, Finley got his bike tire caught in a trolley track and he went down hard. Thankfully he was not hurt.

These signs were very helpful in getting started. There were several local trails here and there and these kept us on the right path.

It was a beautiful day and as we road next to the Ohio River the sights were awesome.

After about 6 miles on the road we got to the "train track trail." This is where we would stay for about 200ish miles. It was incredible.

This cool cat was doing it! We were a little scared for Piper as we went... he was busy looking around and went off the trail at least a few times nearly wiping out. He also didn't get hurt which was amazing.

There were several massive bridges that we drove under that were pretty spectacular. Not significant for any other reason than for the fact that they were HUGE.

So we made it 31.2 miles by 8:15 or so in the evening. Two crashes (Finley and Piper) but no injuries! We were near Goshen, Ohio, at Lake Cozy-Dale.  We set up the tent and ate supper, showered up, celebrated Finn a little bit for his 12th birthday and played Skipbo. It was a fantastic day.

The Road to Cincinnati

It's hard to know where to start as this has been an epic year but many of you are just hearing about this because of the bike ride. Please keep checking out the page as we break down the story piece by piece.

We have mentioned the details before. We've worked with Pedro Juan since 2012 and his church and its school known as The Center. That is why we ride. During the ride we raise awareness of their needs for the year and many of you jump in. I (Matthew) chuckle because if each one of my Facebook friends gave $9 this year's goal would have been met. It's the concept of "many hands make light work." But there are also other significant missions and social projects worth giving to and I totally understand that. Even as we rode and the hurricane ravaged the Bahamas we knew there was a lot that needed to happen to put those islands back together. What we have experienced though is the joy of long-term investment. The investment is in people not just buildings and people are far more exciting than buildings!

We did start this ride building a kitchen which is used almost everyday for the kids there. The school is doing a fantastic job impacting the children in this area - the next generation with the Gospel and with some practical helps to walk through life. As we mention in one of our videos, as fun as the riding is, it's about the school. It's about the people. The ride each year is based off of the needs of the school and for that we communicate with Pedro Juan to make sure we are doing what they need. So after talks throughout the Spring and the Summer concluded the need for $10,000 for teachers salaries once again this year was shared.

From there we were adding an element. The kids would be riding with us. Finley would be turning 12 on our ride and Piper (9) and Ollie (8) would really change the dynamic of the ride. Sharon and I had ridden 4 rides together and Matthew an extra 2 in years past. Questions swirled in our minds:
Would they be able to ride the distance?
How would we carry all the stuff necessary?
What would we do about food?

  
They seemed tough, but in past rides they had complained about almost everything. We were going to do this last year and had backed out. There is a fear factor when you go public with something like this as you feel pretty committed. We didn't want to say we were going to do something with the boys then bail on it.

After much training we determined the boys needed lighter bikes. From late 80's model kids Trek bikes to more "modern" bikes we got their bike weights down an extra 10lbs. This made SUCH a difference and increased their interest! It was early August and we decided we were going to give it a shot.

The date is also complicated. It would be fun to look ahead and find weeks without rain and wind. That's not possible so weaving one way or another through other things in life begins. Calendars and planning ... well basically Google happens. Google weather, Google maps, Google calendar and no we are not sponsored by Google. I should mention that the Ohio to Erie Trail (OTET) had been decided and researched last year. We still needed camp grounds and just a basic idea of where we were going, and whether or not there were hills. This planning phase was disrupted as Sharon headed south to spend a week with her Grandpa who was not doing well.

Upon her return we kept researching and planning. Basically, no matter how much planning one does for a tour, there is NO WAY to nail it all down.

So on September 1st, after preaching at Veritas Church, we loaded up our vehicle and headed for a college friend of Matthew's who lives in Cincinnati.

It's always hard to get out the door, but we did OK. Not knowing what was coming. I was excited to see my friend Kurt and his family and excited to get this ride underway. We had lots of variables that were up in the air. 

Upon entering Illinois, our "new to us" vehicle which is fun to drive, became increasingly noisy. Eventually a slight wobble came. This was perfect as it was late Sunday afternoon before Labor Day. I was getting increasingly nervous and stopped. I figured the tires were separating or something. I found nothing and kept going but it only got worse. I called a friend who advised me to stop. Two sharp popping sounds made me pull over all the faster. 

Two wheel bolts had broke and the other 3 were loose! Thank God we stopped when we did. The vehicle was loaded down with four bikes on the back bike rack and all our gear and Ollie's bike in the back area. We were calling around trying to make connections with Peoria, Illinois, so we could get help. After a solid 20 minutes I remembered roadside assistance! What a blessing that was! 

This was our little map. You can see our "broken down" car at the top. That little tow truck couldn't move fast enough.

Being on interstate in trouble is a scary situation. It was a great personal reminder to move over when someone is stuck on the road. It was also a reminder that though we live in a cell phone saturated culture, I could still swing by and ask if they needed help. Two people stopped and tried to help. 

After about 3 hours, we were finally able to secure the tire (though it wasn't fixed) and gimp into Peoria. I had a free tow if I was 15 miles or less from the destination. We were going to drive the 15 miles... but then just kept driving at a slow pace. 

So much for getting to Kurt's house! Comfort Inn and Suites was our home for the night and the reality of leaving on bike from downtown Cincinnati by 9 am on Monday faded. Ugh, what would we do now?

While the boys swam, I drove to the local Walmart to see if their service center would take care of us in the morning. The boys were really overjoyed with the hotel pool and we all slept very well. 

Tomorrow would be a big day! Finley turned 12, we needed a working vehicle, we needed to travel a long way and we needed to get this ride started. 

We Made IT!

Yesterday at about 5 pm we rolled down the last several feet of the trail, unloaded, marched through the sand and touched Lake Erie! 

I can't tell you what an awesome experience that is. It reminded me a lot of riding through North Carolina. The exhilaration, all the work and physical discomfort at time culminating in an achieved goal... mind-blowing.

Mostly, I'm proud of the boys. If our expectations were 5 on a scale of 1-10, they were at level 9.

Over the next few weeks we will break down each day with details, pictures and our videos. Please keep checking back in.

Confession

I confess...

Every time we go on a ride I want to keep this page up to date for those of you who don't use social media (I have much respect for      you) However, after riding a bunch of miles, scrambling to get the tent set up, helping make the meal and clean up that I'm pretty much ready for bed!


Here's the plan. In a couple weeks we will start the trip over on the blog. I will do my best to give you the best picture of how each day went. Here are the important things.

We are riding the Ohio to Erie Trail.
We started Monday September 2nd and will end Saturday September 7.
Our goal is to raise $10,000.
100% of the donations will go down to the Dominican Republic (except for the wiring fee).
-Your money doesn't pay for food
-doesn't pay for camping
-no bike stuff either
-not even a massage at the end of the ride.

We love The Center in the Dominican Republic and want you to love it to. The best way to do that is through relationship. We hope to share our relationship with you over time. If you ever have questions please ask.


Here's how you can give
https://my.veritascr.church/give

If you find the giving page confusing this video can help.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTsS6pQNXIc

Thanks for following us. Thanks for cheering us on.

Welp... that wasn't what we expected!

It is the first of September, the day we set out for Cincinnati! The plan was to leave after church and head for a college friend's home there.

The goal was to get out of the house by 2PM.... and we made it out at 2:02! 

But we didn't make it to Cincinnati! 

After driving into Illinois a ways we noticed that our vehicle was getting pretty loud. No big deal, we just turned the music up louder, but with time it began to have a little shimmy action going on. I stopped at a rest area to check the tires to see if they had any bulges in them. Nothing. We got back on the road, the noise was louder and the shimmying could not be ignored. We were scoping out places to pull over and I (Matthew) was seeking advice from a wise man when more of a popping sound happened. That was the place we stopped and sat for roughly 4 hours. 

For some strange reason two lug nuts broke on the driver's side back wheel and the others were loose! 

We set the Burley out back in an effort to not get run over by crazy cars on the interstate! 

After several minutes I realized we had roadside assistance! That was pretty cool. There is nothing like looking for help on a Sunday afternoon...on a holiday weekend. 

Slowly but surely the little tow truck icon made its way toward us. He was there within 45 minutes then tried to help for nearly two hours. We couldn't quite solve the problem but were able to tighten remaining tire bolts and gimp the last 20 miles into Peoria, Illinois. 

We are really grateful to God for several things. We were not hurt and our stuff wasn't damaged at all, Peoria wasn't that far away and the mechanic was pretty cool. 

This will definitely impact the trip and we are trying to get to another mechanic first thing in the morning. I was bummed not to get to Kurt's place tonight. I haven't seen him in several years. I'm hoping we can still connect sometime tomorrow. Will we ride tomorrow? That is the question.

Hey, this is only the beginning of the adventure. While we get to tell our story, there is a greater story going on in the Dominican Republic. WE love The Center in Santiago, Dominican Republic and want to share it with all of you. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. 

If you are interested in supporting PLEASE CLICK HERE.

If you are unsure how to give at that link please watch this video.

The Ride: 2019

It is with great excitement we announce our ride for the Dominican Republic.

This year, we will ride through the state of Ohio!

This year, the whole family is going!

While we are excited and nervous for this on our end, we are really excited for what is happening at The Center in Santiago, Dominican Republic. Each fall they gear up for 60-80 children and teach them English and music along with other things to increase their opportunity to thrive.

The goal this year is to raise $10,000! Sounds insane, but it costs $15,000 to pay for a full year of teachers salaries at this school!!! That also seems crazy. These teachers are making an impact in the next generation of Dominicans. 

 Would you consider supporting our ride? We will be the first to admit that there are a lot of great organizations to support. There are many doing amazing things. We are passionate about what is happening at The Center and its impact on children in that region. If you have any questions please ask and we would be happy to connect and discuss the school and the opportunities there.

So this is how we are doing it. $10,000 divided by 330 miles, divided by 5 riders comes out to 6.07 a mile. When miles are sponsored it is a fun way to encourage us to get going even on the difficult days with a headwind or lots of hills. Sponsor a mile, sponsor 10 miles... or even more. Know that 100% of your tax-deductible donation, apart from a wiring fee to get the money in the hands of Pastor Pedro Juan, goes to the school. No donations are used for bicycling or any part of that trip.

Keep an eye out on this website as we add updates from the journey. We want to bring you along!

HERE IS A LINK SO YOU CAN SPONSOR MILES.

For instruction on how to give  you can WATCH THIS VIDEO.

Day 5 (Sharon)

(Sharon) Day 5. The last day of the ride. I've struggled with how much detail to write about. The previous night was rough. The morning was rough. It was so cold. We had issues. But we hopped on our bikes and hobbled (ok, WE didn't hobble, I hobbled) the first 15 miles until my butt was "used" to the saddle again. I say used in quotes because at some point you start praying for your butt to go numb. I've said it many times and I'll say it again. Almost anyone's legs can take them across a state in a short amount of time, but their butt can't.

This was the day that we needed encouragement and that encouragement came in the form of the most precious video from Pedro Juan, a couple of the teachers and several of the kids at The Center in Santiago! It was just what we needed to give us a good kick in the pants to get it done. We stopped at The 4-Square Restaurant in a tiny town about 30 miles from Dubuque for cheeseburgers. Believe me, we've learned our lesson in not skimping on the meat. The farmers there for lunch weren't accustomed to seeing people in skin-tight pants and we got a couple of questions and more than a few stares, but we got our cheeseburgers! 

Roadkill Report for day 5...

There were a lot of dead moles in one area about 30 miles in

many, many frogs

5 birds 

4 possums

1 skunk

1 cat

The road got busier the closer to Dubuque we got, so the Roadkill Report took a back burner. There were an awful lot of birds circling overhead throughout the ride on day 5, so there were either a lot of dead animals along the way, or I was in worse shape than I thought! 

Thank you so much for all of the support, likes on Facebook, encouraging texts and messages. We know The Center will use the money raised to reach more kids and their families for Jesus. 

Post Ride Financial Update

Hey all,

Thank you so much for supporting the Ride for the Dominican Republic. Amidst the busyness of the bike ride I want to be continuously mindful of the purpose of our ride.

The purpose:

It is important to me that you see the people we are connected with and hear about their needs and the plan from them.  We love Pedro Juan and his staff. We wish you could get to know them as well.

The Plan:

The ask:

660 (2 cyclists) miles at $17.42 ($18) = About $11,500.

The project is estimated at $9,000 and we added $2,500 to go down and further our relationship with the school and see the project getting done.

So now the moment you all have been waiting for, where did we END UP!

*Drum roll please* 

Currently we have 150 miles sponsored or just under $2,700! 

We are SO grateful for the many who jumped on board with us on this adventure! Every dollar boosts this project forward and we are humbled by so many gifts! Thank you, thank you!

We will keep the giving open for about another week and a half in case you want to JUMP IN. If you have any questions about the project or the ride, please let us know.

HERE IS A LINK TO GIVE. 

If you need help giving please watch the video below.

We are grateful,
Matthew and Sharon

Day 5- Strawberry Point to Dubuque

The last day is upon us! The previous night was amazing and brutal. Earlier that day we sat in a restaurant in Waverly and discussed the location of where we would camp. There was some small campsite showing up on Google maps yet upon further inspection it seemed to not actually exist. My trust in Google Maps was strained on this trip to say the least. A new search had an RV right in Strawberry Point. So many RV parks don't allow tenting so without much optimism I gave this place a call to see if they would allow us to tent there. They said they would have us! We rolled in about 7 PM and were met with so many blessings.

Wally and Dana Rowcliffe own Lil' Bit of Country RV Park. They greeted us and shared with us their heart for a ministry in Haiti. While we love the Dominican Republic, we love Haiti as well. Hispaniola needs the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Wally offered us a trailer with a carpeted floor since rain was coming and it was awesome. We had an incredible bathroom and laundromat and trailer. Anytime we don't have to unpack (and repack) the tent is amazing. Thank you Wally and Dana Rowcliffe!

Given the weather situation and the forecast for day 5 we left our bags in the trailer and raced for the boarder! Sharon had been riding with about 35lbs while I was pulling about 45lbs so to ride without all the weight was AMAZING.

Did I mention it was cold. MAN IT WAS COLD. Leaving our luggage behind meant we had to make decisions about stuff... and I made the wrong decisions about stuff. I had a long sleeve T-shirt and a rain jacket but that wasn't really cutting it with the 46 degree temps!

This angle of the camera doesn't show you the hill that is behind us, but it was fairly large and was one of Sharon's first big hills.

About this time we received this message from Pedro Juan at the school in Santiago.

It is good to be reminded what we are doing this for, especially on cold, rainy days.

This last leg of State Highway 3 was so beautiful. The weather was super gray but the view and the roadway was absolutely fantastic.

The wind was blowing across us for most of the day which added to our gratefulness that we did not bring all our gear.

We love these signs for obvious reasons...

After all the bad luck we had had with train track trails we tried one more as we entered the city of Dubuque. This one was legit!

After riding for several miles on the trail then weaving our way through the back streets of town (thank Google Maps!) we made it!

It was incredible and would have been more incredible if we weren't frozen to the bone!

Ride for the Dominican 2018 had covered 340 miles from Akron, Iowa to Dubuque, Iowa in 5 days.

Mega kudos to Sharon who rode these miles with very minimal practice!

The Mississippi River has always been an awesome spectacle/mystery even from my youth. I love its hugeness and grandeur! The City of Dubuque is so awesome along the river as well.

It was a great place to end a ride!