When the radar said rain, we stayed dry. Roads were wet. Bikes are dirty. But the rain suit was packed away all day. Great fun!
Here's where we are:
And here is what the GPS looks like:
Friday, June 27, 2014
Must Sleep!
No time for a detailed update tonight. We rode a long way… for a long time… and made it to our target destination in Childress, TX. Got in late. Had to eat. Now, must sleep in order to be ready - and be safe - as we set our sights on Williams, AZ.
When the radar said rain, we stayed dry. Roads were wet. Bikes are dirty. But the rain suit was packed away all day. Great fun!
Here's where we are:
And here is what the GPS looks like:
When the radar said rain, we stayed dry. Roads were wet. Bikes are dirty. But the rain suit was packed away all day. Great fun!
Here's where we are:
And here is what the GPS looks like:
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Day 0 - The Good, The Bad, and Other Observations
I call it Day 0 because I am the only one to ride on Wednesday. Four other riders join me tomorrow, and since they are the majority, I called Thursday Day 1 in all of our trip planning.
THE GOOD
I enjoyed an absolutely wonderful day of riding for about 640 miles. The problem is that I rode 691.1 miles. The solitude was refreshing. It wasn't terribly hot. And the brithday-present-from-Jaimee Cool Vest worked like a charm. The AirHawk R seat cushion worked well, too - so much so that at the 600-mile mark I was thinking that I could keep going if I needed to. And that's good. Because tomorrow I will need to keep going. And then the weather changed.
THE BAD
Yes, the weather turned ugly. And if that wasn't bad enough, I left an hour later than I hoped, and the result was that I hit the weather AND rush hour traffic in Baton Rouge. I'm not a fan of riding in the rain. I'm not a fan of rush hour traffic. I'm really not a fan of combining the two.
But that's not all of the "the ugly". My first adventure of the trip came at my first fuel stop. Got off of my bike to hear, "that is one beautiful bike." Well, I liked that, and quickly struck up a conversation with a photographer for Harley Davidson dealerships. (I failed to notice he was traveling in a van covered in Harley graphics.) So I was trying to be interested in the conversation while looking through my wallet for my debit card. We are pretty much a cashless family - so the debit card is an important resource. And it was nowhere to be found. I looked. And looked again. And again. While carrying on conversation with the Harley photographer. No debit card. Nope. Didn't make the trip. This is ugly.
OTHER OBSERVATIONS
I enjoyed an absolutely wonderful day of riding for about 640 miles. The problem is that I rode 691.1 miles. The solitude was refreshing. It wasn't terribly hot. And the brithday-present-from-Jaimee Cool Vest worked like a charm. The AirHawk R seat cushion worked well, too - so much so that at the 600-mile mark I was thinking that I could keep going if I needed to. And that's good. Because tomorrow I will need to keep going. And then the weather changed.
But that's not all of the "the ugly". My first adventure of the trip came at my first fuel stop. Got off of my bike to hear, "that is one beautiful bike." Well, I liked that, and quickly struck up a conversation with a photographer for Harley Davidson dealerships. (I failed to notice he was traveling in a van covered in Harley graphics.) So I was trying to be interested in the conversation while looking through my wallet for my debit card. We are pretty much a cashless family - so the debit card is an important resource. And it was nowhere to be found. I looked. And looked again. And again. While carrying on conversation with the Harley photographer. No debit card. Nope. Didn't make the trip. This is ugly.
OTHER OBSERVATIONS
- I rode in four states today - Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
- I saw 13 State Police cars while on Florida roads. I saw none in Alabama, none in Mississippi, and 2 in Louisiana.
- Drivers in Louisiana drive faster than drivers in Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. Without question. At least 5 miles per hour faster than those in the other states. I found that interesting.
- I captured no video and few pictures today. There just isn't much to see on the interstate - and the first few days are mostly interstate, as the real ride begins in San Francisco.
- I am looking forward to seeing my friends tomorrow. Their names are Randall, Trent, Matt, and Steve. Readers will meet them in the days to come.
- I can't wait to share this experience with my best friend, who also happens to be my wife. I will be reunited with her on Saturday night if we stay on schedule.
- I am grateful to my Lord for a safe, pleasant ride today - and especially for safety while riding in the rain and traffic. He is good. He is faithful.
OH, YEAH - ABOUT THAT DEBIT CARD
"We" [translated Annette] found it, though. At a place in Orlando where I used it to claim some will-call tickets on Monday. The card will meet me - along with Annette - in San Francisco. Until then, it's all AMEX.
Here's the Spot Tracker map of today's 691.1 miles. You can follow along using the link below.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
The Time Of My Departure Is At Hand
When the Apostle Paul penned these words, as recorded in 2 Timothy 4:6, his situation was much different than my own. I am less than 12 hours away from embarking on a motorcycle adventure that is all about fun and fellowship with friends. Paul was writing in anticipation of his death… celebrating a life well lived as a sacrifice to the God he served. But I love, love, love the metaphor Paul uses when he speaks of his "departure. I think I can enjoy just a bit of a parallel, not at all in life circumstance, but in the metaphor.
The Greek word for departure is analusis. Paul used a metaphor for "loosing from moorings as one prepares to set sail" or "loosening the bands that permit the soul to go forth with expanded sails."
I have two thoughts: Most importantly, we all need assurance that the end of this life simply means we are "setting sail" on an adventure beyond our wildest imagination… an eternity in the presence of Jesus. Second, we need to admit that life can sometimes take the wind out of our sails. I'm committed to finding opportunities in this life to "set sail" on adventures that allow me to catch some fresh wind and expand those sails. That's what these next 20 days or so are about.
Tomorrow, early in the morning, I "set sail" on my iron horse, heading out on another adventure of a lifetime. It's an aggressive plan - because I am all about going big or not going at all. I'm not sure if we can finish the entire course, really. Starting and ending in Florida, the ride totals more than 8,000 miles. Difficult? Yes! Possible? I think so!! Is there a possibility I will have to miss some sights and states as I turn toward home? Another yes!!! But... I would rather try and fail than not try at all. Rosalynn Carter said, "You must accept that you might fail; then if you do your best and still don't win, at least you can be satisfied that you tried. If you don't accept failure as a possibility, you don't set high goals, you don't branch out, you don't try - you don't take the risk." So I'm going for it! Here's an overview of the entire crazy adventure:
The Greek word for departure is analusis. Paul used a metaphor for "loosing from moorings as one prepares to set sail" or "loosening the bands that permit the soul to go forth with expanded sails."
I have two thoughts: Most importantly, we all need assurance that the end of this life simply means we are "setting sail" on an adventure beyond our wildest imagination… an eternity in the presence of Jesus. Second, we need to admit that life can sometimes take the wind out of our sails. I'm committed to finding opportunities in this life to "set sail" on adventures that allow me to catch some fresh wind and expand those sails. That's what these next 20 days or so are about.
Tomorrow, early in the morning, I "set sail" on my iron horse, heading out on another adventure of a lifetime. It's an aggressive plan - because I am all about going big or not going at all. I'm not sure if we can finish the entire course, really. Starting and ending in Florida, the ride totals more than 8,000 miles. Difficult? Yes! Possible? I think so!! Is there a possibility I will have to miss some sights and states as I turn toward home? Another yes!!! But... I would rather try and fail than not try at all. Rosalynn Carter said, "You must accept that you might fail; then if you do your best and still don't win, at least you can be satisfied that you tried. If you don't accept failure as a possibility, you don't set high goals, you don't branch out, you don't try - you don't take the risk." So I'm going for it! Here's an overview of the entire crazy adventure:
Pray that God would grant us safety and camaraderie. Agreeable weather would be nice, too - but most of all, safety as we ride. And if you would like to follow along, we will be using a GPS device called a Spot Gen3 satellite tracker. You can check our progress at any time by following this link:
Check back here often for ride updates and pictures. Let the adventure begin!
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