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!”

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tom-

18 days til Ragbrai and you are climbing in the Tetons... we will miss you this year, but carry on... and know we will think of you during the ride!!!

Leanne Bike World

Unknown said...

Hey Tom,

Monica and I are home safely from the Philippines. Thanks so much for letting us be a part of the great work that is being done there! What an amazing organization with tremendous impact! Truly inspiring. Toto took great care of us, the kids were amazing, and all around it was a life-changing experience. I'll be praying for the rest of your trip. Godspeed!

Ben