We all started out fresher and ready to go after a day off but the 106 mile ride turned out to be a difficult ride for all. At mile 65 there was a horrific accident ahead of us. We saw the smoke and watched the police and fire departments race past us. A truck and van collided on the road and the van had burst into flames killing the driver. With all the traffic stopped we had to pick up our bikes and hike around the accident site.
We all felt so sad for the driver and affected family we lost our desire to pedal for awhile. Our support vehicle could not get through the backed up traffic so we got into a long, hot ride with limited water and food the last 40 miles. We ride in small groups and water and food tucked in pockets was shared around. Those struggling with the desert heat were pulled and looked after by the others. It was just like it says in Proverbs 11:25. “The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”
Our new opponent is the heat. We ride 92 miles tomorrow. I know we will accomplish it because the riders are working together!
Love, Tom
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Day 19, Rest Day in Casper, WY, July 4
One of our riders, Paul, was left behind in a hospital a few days ago but is back with us now. Tracy is back from the ER, Norman survived a crash within a couple miles of the hotel on Thursday, Jim hopes to ride Saturday after three days out, David has back spasms, and a number of people are suffering from altitude sickness. Whew! We all enjoyed a day off here in Casper!
I slept, did laundry, cleaned and oiled my bike, and had a long quiet and reading time. Over 1500 miles ridden and I feel very contented. Even soreness, altitude headaches, sunburn or weight loss has no negative effect on my spiritual condition!
Physical and mental exhaustion need not take away your peace and contentment when you feel God’s presence. In fact, it may increase because you depend on Him more and yourself less.
I see how Paul felt in his letter to the Philippians. Here is what Paul had to say in verses 4:10-14 taken from The Message: “I’m glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess--happy that you’re again showing such strong concern for me. Not that you ever quit praying and thinking about me. You just had no chance to show it. Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. I don’t mean that your help didn’t mean a lot to me--it did. It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles.”
Contented in Christ,
Tom
I slept, did laundry, cleaned and oiled my bike, and had a long quiet and reading time. Over 1500 miles ridden and I feel very contented. Even soreness, altitude headaches, sunburn or weight loss has no negative effect on my spiritual condition!
Physical and mental exhaustion need not take away your peace and contentment when you feel God’s presence. In fact, it may increase because you depend on Him more and yourself less.
I see how Paul felt in his letter to the Philippians. Here is what Paul had to say in verses 4:10-14 taken from The Message: “I’m glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess--happy that you’re again showing such strong concern for me. Not that you ever quit praying and thinking about me. You just had no chance to show it. Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. I don’t mean that your help didn’t mean a lot to me--it did. It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles.”
Contented in Christ,
Tom
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Day 18, Riverton, WY to Casper, WY, 120 miles
We rode 120 miles to Casper, WY today! This day will be the most mileage of my trip. At the half-way point we were surprised by Nathan’s mom!! (Nathan and Kelli are the Marines I mentioned yesterday.) She had driven 900 miles to surprise all of us. She brought us sandwiches, drinks, and some unbelievable desserts! Everyone’s spirits were lifted by this generous act. The last 60 miles went by easier than the first 60 miles!
The relief and satisfaction of finishing 120 miles was obvious at dinner. Doing it with other people increases the satisfaction. When we work together in a pace line the rider in front drives through the wind and the riders following closely behind spend 30% less energy. As each rider takes his turn in front the group is able to accomplish much more than a single rider could hope to do. This teamwork is efficient and creates working relationships and friendships.
Solomon said it best in Ecclesiastes 4; 9, 10 and 12. “It’s better to have a partner than go it alone. Share the work, share the wealth. And if one falls down, the other helps. But if there’s no one to help, tough! By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped.” (Taken from The Message.)
We need not go through life alone when we can be far more efficient, happy and effective by joining with others to serve our precious Savior.
Please pray for some of my new friends who need some encouragement and healing. Norman crashed today and is bloody and sore. Paul was left in the last town at the hospital in pain. Jim has been out for several days with serious saddle sores. Many have had to ride in the van because of the difficulty of the ride. It is on my heart to ride every mile and I am partnering with other riders so we can survive and ride them all.
Thanks for praying for me and watching my back. My total miles (includes riding to eat, shop or sight-see) are over 1500 miles now and I’m having the time of my life!
Sore but content, Tom
The relief and satisfaction of finishing 120 miles was obvious at dinner. Doing it with other people increases the satisfaction. When we work together in a pace line the rider in front drives through the wind and the riders following closely behind spend 30% less energy. As each rider takes his turn in front the group is able to accomplish much more than a single rider could hope to do. This teamwork is efficient and creates working relationships and friendships.
Solomon said it best in Ecclesiastes 4; 9, 10 and 12. “It’s better to have a partner than go it alone. Share the work, share the wealth. And if one falls down, the other helps. But if there’s no one to help, tough! By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped.” (Taken from The Message.)
We need not go through life alone when we can be far more efficient, happy and effective by joining with others to serve our precious Savior.
Please pray for some of my new friends who need some encouragement and healing. Norman crashed today and is bloody and sore. Paul was left in the last town at the hospital in pain. Jim has been out for several days with serious saddle sores. Many have had to ride in the van because of the difficulty of the ride. It is on my heart to ride every mile and I am partnering with other riders so we can survive and ride them all.
Thanks for praying for me and watching my back. My total miles (includes riding to eat, shop or sight-see) are over 1500 miles now and I’m having the time of my life!
Sore but content, Tom
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Day 17, Dubois, WY to Riverton, WY, 79 miles
From Dubois to Riverton is 80 miles of beautiful scenery and thankfully, is also pretty flat. After two days of incredible climbs in the mountains it started out very easily with a tailwind for the first 40 miles. And even though we had headwinds the last 40 miles it was a very reasonable 80 mile ride! (I must be nuts!)
The first 30 miles I talked with Nathan and Kelli, a young couple in the Marines. They have asked me for suggestions to help them in their future. In enjoyed telling them about how the Lord helped Karen and me and the time and miles went by quickly. This couple is so special. They give you joy just visiting with them. Their online blog is at www.americabybicycle.wordpress.com. There are a number of military and retired military riding and their discipline, training, and perseverance is impressive.
Tomorrow (Thursday) we are going to ride 120 miles to Casper, WY across desolate country where the towns are as small as 10 people! There may be head winds, severe thunderstorms, and temperatures in the 90’s but at least no mountains are in the way!!
Everyday I celebrate finishing another day and have learned to think and live for one day at a time. My ribs are now improving and I look forward to my longest one day ride ever. I have made it over the mountains!
Philippians 4:6, 7 taken from The Message encourages me. “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”
The first 30 miles I talked with Nathan and Kelli, a young couple in the Marines. They have asked me for suggestions to help them in their future. In enjoyed telling them about how the Lord helped Karen and me and the time and miles went by quickly. This couple is so special. They give you joy just visiting with them. Their online blog is at www.americabybicycle.wordpress.com. There are a number of military and retired military riding and their discipline, training, and perseverance is impressive.
Tomorrow (Thursday) we are going to ride 120 miles to Casper, WY across desolate country where the towns are as small as 10 people! There may be head winds, severe thunderstorms, and temperatures in the 90’s but at least no mountains are in the way!!
Everyday I celebrate finishing another day and have learned to think and live for one day at a time. My ribs are now improving and I look forward to my longest one day ride ever. I have made it over the mountains!
Philippians 4:6, 7 taken from The Message encourages me. “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Day 16, Jackson, WY to Dubois, WY, 88 miles
Last night as a celebration for climbing Grand Teton Pass I decided to treat everyone to a Dairy Queen milk shake. I took a cab to the DQ and had wonderful fellowship with the cab driver! He has been a Christian many years and was very interested in what I am doing on this ride. You never know when you will run into a brother in Christ!
I looked pretty ridiculous carrying 35 milk shakes into the hotel but we had a great time sipping them and talking about the conquering of Teton Pass! We all need to take time to celebrate life a little more.
Today’s ride was the most beautiful and picturesque yet! The Grand Tetons, the Teton National Park, the 20 mile climb to the continental divide at nearly 10,000 feet, snow fields, and huge meadows framed by rivers and mountains were my inspiration today.
Since I was the first one in today I had to laugh when riders coming in immediately yelled out vanilla or chocolate at me assuming milk shakes were certainly in order for today’s climb, too!
It reminds me of playing four games in one day in the Philippines and finding a water fall or river to swim in as a reward and celebration for accomplishing all we did. It helps the spirit and overcomes the saddle sores, blisters, lip ulcers, sunburn, dehydration, and the extreme fatigue. We have climbed three huge mountain passes in two days and it demands a celebration!
What are you celebrating these days? God loves celebrations and our thankfulness. I sure enjoy my time with Him in the mountains! Philippians 4:4 says, “Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean revel in Him!”
I looked pretty ridiculous carrying 35 milk shakes into the hotel but we had a great time sipping them and talking about the conquering of Teton Pass! We all need to take time to celebrate life a little more.
Today’s ride was the most beautiful and picturesque yet! The Grand Tetons, the Teton National Park, the 20 mile climb to the continental divide at nearly 10,000 feet, snow fields, and huge meadows framed by rivers and mountains were my inspiration today.
Since I was the first one in today I had to laugh when riders coming in immediately yelled out vanilla or chocolate at me assuming milk shakes were certainly in order for today’s climb, too!
It reminds me of playing four games in one day in the Philippines and finding a water fall or river to swim in as a reward and celebration for accomplishing all we did. It helps the spirit and overcomes the saddle sores, blisters, lip ulcers, sunburn, dehydration, and the extreme fatigue. We have climbed three huge mountain passes in two days and it demands a celebration!
What are you celebrating these days? God loves celebrations and our thankfulness. I sure enjoy my time with Him in the mountains! Philippians 4:4 says, “Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean revel in Him!”
Monday, June 30, 2008
Day 15, Idaho Falls, ID to Jackson, WY, 88 miles
Wow! What a day. A surprise 15-20 mph headwind greeted us the first 30 miles and we grouped up to work through the wind as we approached the mountains and anticipated the upcoming climbs with even less energy.
The mountains look majestic, wild flowers were everywhere all day, the rivers are full, and the scenery was absolutely spectacular!
At the summit of the first climb (Pine Creek Pass – 5820 ft) I was spent and gasping for air and I still had 30 miles and an even more difficult climb ahead. At this point I was politely offered a ride in the support vehicle and with the aching ribs could do so with dignity. I then had a flashback to my high school cross country coach, Bruce Waha. He always tried to entice us to give up and ride in his car when tired only to humiliate us later for quitting the run. He even carried a spray can with “Gutless” printed across the front to spray at us! We learned to resist getting in the car if at all possible.
Well, Coach Waha, Coach Helm and Coach Sziksai would have been pleased to see me struggling up that last beautiful snow capped mountain pass to the 8431 ft. summit at 54 years old! I had to stand up and climb the last mile it was so steep and looked an absolute wreck to the staff waiting at the summit. But I was an exhilarated, thrilled wreck when I got there!
I celebrated by screaming down the descent at a top speed of 54 mph. It was truly a mountain top experience today and reminds me of what that great missionary, Dick Hillis, once told me. “It’s really serving when it’s hard but the blessings can be overwhelming!” The Christian life is a journey of difficult walks of faith and serving. But what a blessing we are privileged to share with the King of Kings!
My hope is still to ride every mile to Minneapolis and we got over a big obstacle today.
Tell Zach thanks for his special prayers.
Wyoming is spectacular!
Philippians 3:12-14 “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
The mountains look majestic, wild flowers were everywhere all day, the rivers are full, and the scenery was absolutely spectacular!
At the summit of the first climb (Pine Creek Pass – 5820 ft) I was spent and gasping for air and I still had 30 miles and an even more difficult climb ahead. At this point I was politely offered a ride in the support vehicle and with the aching ribs could do so with dignity. I then had a flashback to my high school cross country coach, Bruce Waha. He always tried to entice us to give up and ride in his car when tired only to humiliate us later for quitting the run. He even carried a spray can with “Gutless” printed across the front to spray at us! We learned to resist getting in the car if at all possible.
Well, Coach Waha, Coach Helm and Coach Sziksai would have been pleased to see me struggling up that last beautiful snow capped mountain pass to the 8431 ft. summit at 54 years old! I had to stand up and climb the last mile it was so steep and looked an absolute wreck to the staff waiting at the summit. But I was an exhilarated, thrilled wreck when I got there!
I celebrated by screaming down the descent at a top speed of 54 mph. It was truly a mountain top experience today and reminds me of what that great missionary, Dick Hillis, once told me. “It’s really serving when it’s hard but the blessings can be overwhelming!” The Christian life is a journey of difficult walks of faith and serving. But what a blessing we are privileged to share with the King of Kings!
My hope is still to ride every mile to Minneapolis and we got over a big obstacle today.
Tell Zach thanks for his special prayers.
Wyoming is spectacular!
Philippians 3:12-14 “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Day 14, Blackfoot, ID to Idaho Falls, ID, 33 miles
Even though today was only 33 miles to Idaho Falls everyone was sore, tired, and mentally worn out from the 110 mile ride into the wind yesterday. I also must admit I am tired, sore, and my ribs are a significant problem.
But my room here is on the sixth floor and overlooks the river and some beautiful falls! I am also looking at the Grand Teton Mtns. from my balcony and they are breathtaking and intimidating at the same time. It is 88 miles to Jackson Hole, WY climbing to Pine Creek Pass at 6764 feet, a brief recovery, and then climbing to the Teton Pass Summit at 8431 feet. The descent off the last summit is five miles with possible speeds of 50 mph on the bike!
The sore ribs and breathing the thinner air will make it a great challenge tomorrow. I feel like I did before a basketball game or halftime show sometimes. In fact, this reminds me of going into China to play basketball with Bibles in my bags or playing in Mindanao, Philippines, or hearing the gunfire at night or the ambush in Pampanga in 1979.
It’s good to try something you are not sure you can do. Or as that great missionary, David Morken, once said, “Try something you are destined to fail at unless God intervenes.”
God lives in the Grand Tetons and I will say hello tomorrow and enjoy His fellowship and encouragement all the way to Jackson Hole!
Psalm 121: 1, 2 says, “I look up to the mountains—does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!”
But my room here is on the sixth floor and overlooks the river and some beautiful falls! I am also looking at the Grand Teton Mtns. from my balcony and they are breathtaking and intimidating at the same time. It is 88 miles to Jackson Hole, WY climbing to Pine Creek Pass at 6764 feet, a brief recovery, and then climbing to the Teton Pass Summit at 8431 feet. The descent off the last summit is five miles with possible speeds of 50 mph on the bike!
The sore ribs and breathing the thinner air will make it a great challenge tomorrow. I feel like I did before a basketball game or halftime show sometimes. In fact, this reminds me of going into China to play basketball with Bibles in my bags or playing in Mindanao, Philippines, or hearing the gunfire at night or the ambush in Pampanga in 1979.
It’s good to try something you are not sure you can do. Or as that great missionary, David Morken, once said, “Try something you are destined to fail at unless God intervenes.”
God lives in the Grand Tetons and I will say hello tomorrow and enjoy His fellowship and encouragement all the way to Jackson Hole!
Psalm 121: 1, 2 says, “I look up to the mountains—does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
