After 21 days, a few route changes and a couple of flat bicycle tires, two fraternity brothers from the University of North Dakota arrived in Mexico.

"We made it! 91 miles on the day and we made it. We reached the border around 5:30 pm. What a glorious moment!," started off the entry of Day 21 on Dan Howell's online trip journal.

Howell and Chad Boehm arrived at the United States-Mexico border Aug. 10. They left on bicycles July 21 from the United States-Canada border.

They took the trip, at first, to visit Howell's sister in Texas, then as fundraisers for Campus Crusade for Christ and the American Cancer Society. Boehm raised money for the American Cancer Society and Howell raised money for Campus Crusade for Christ.

The men kept daily journals online of their experience. They said they reached their destination through the kindness of strangers. A pastor in Burlington, Colo. put them up during their stay there, and helped contact other pastors along their route to help them out, according to the entries. Also, the men found other people willing to help, such as some families in Levelland, Texas, who saw them at a gas station where they were fixing yet another flat tire. One family gave them money and the other a ride into Lubbock to a bike shop. A woman also bought them several spare tubes, just in case. Howell had seven flat tires by this point.

Boehm's parents were there to meet them, and they will be driving back to North Dakota.

To read their journal entries, visit www.xanga.com/dhowell04 to view Howell's, or visit www.xanga.com/canadatomexico to view Boehm's journal.

(Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@;bismarcktribune.com.)