END LOCATION: St. Louis, MO
MILES TRAVELED: 833.9
TOTAL MILES TO DATE: 8656.3
WEATHER SUMMARY: Getting hotter
This day really was to be a "put your head down, hold on and ride hard" day. The plan was a straight 830-mile day... gas, bathroom, hydration, and a quick lunch stop... determined to reach our goal of St. Louis, Missouri before sunset.
The first 710 miles went as well as could be expected. With 120 miles left to ride, we all started hearing an unfortunate sound. "Hey, we need to stop to check my bike." The sound we were all hearing through our PackTalk communicators was a lifter failing in one of the motors. In a separate post, I'll speak more to the providence of God in every challenge we faced. In this one, the evidence of the faithfulness of God was there was a Holiday Inn across the street from the service station where we stopped, and a Harley-Davidson dealership directly across the street from the hotel.
In a terribly-painful decision for me - made through tears as we prayed for the brother we would leave in Columbia, MO, and then again as I called a friend for wise counsel, asking if I was doing the right thing in continuing on to Nashville - we rode on, arriving in St. Louis well past our intended arrival time.
Just one photo... a shot of our band of brothers leaving the Rockies in our rear view. Some of the most beautiful roads we've ever ridden... roads that were taxing to reach... behind us as we headed for the finish line.
No comments:
Post a Comment