If a Picture Paints a Thousand Words...

… then perhaps you'll get an idea of some of the things we are experiencing along the road less traveled. No time for commentary tonight. This morning, actually. It's late. We rode some 640 miles today - and still pulled up about 90 miles short of our goal. That's better than last night, when we stopped somewhere in Nebraska, 190 miles short of our goal of Sheldon, Iowa, concerned about traveling late at night where deer abound.

We're tired, but thrilled by the adventure and the sights along the way. Tomorrow, we ride to Milwaukee to visit the Harley Davidson museum, and then ride another leisurely 200 miles or so to our destination. For now, here are some pics of things we've experienced:

Chief Joseph Highway, on our way to Beartooth Pass

Our first glimpse of Beartooth Pass

Riding Beartooth Pass, an All-American Road

The Black Hills, where we visited

The Crazy Horse Memorial and Mount Rushmore

Lunch at the iconic Wall Drug Store in Wall, South Dakota

The Badlands

The Great River Road south of La Crosse, Wisconsin

These things make us smile!

July 4th, National Parks, Goodbyes, and More

RIDE UPDATE
The Garmin Zumo 665 GPS, our trusty guide for the ride, indicates we have traveled 5,808 miles so far. My motorcycle odometer has recorded more miles - but who's counting? However we track the distance, we've seen a lot of America in the past week-and-a-half. Here is a visual overview of where we have been so far:

Yesterday, we rode two great motorcycle roads - the Chief Joseph Highway and Beartooth Pass. White-knuckle excitement would be an apt description. We did it, and I have the t-shirt to prove it! Pictures and video to come later. Tonight, we are resting in Rapid City, South Dakota. We're in a motorcycle mecca of sorts, as the largest bike rally in America, based in Sturgis, will begin in a few short weeks. Riders come from everywhere to ride The Black Hills and The Badlands. We are enjoying these areas in our time here. We were  also able to visit Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial. All were inspired by the sights and the history associated with these national treasures.

National parks are always a part of these epic adventures. This year, we visited two of the gems of the national park system as we made our way through The Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. Our visit was preceded by expectation and apprehension. The apprehension centered on visiting these national parks on the July 4th weekend: I was concerned that our attempt to see such a vast area in two days would be compromised by holiday traffic. Traffic was a non-factor, and we saw everything we planned to see… Old Faithful, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, the Fountain Paint Pots, Tower Falls, and so much more. We saw a bear, buffalo (or bison - not sure which is which), elk, mountain goats of some sort. And we were able to savor the experiences along the way.

My expectations were high. Still, I was not prepared for the splendor and majesty of God's artistry evidenced in our ride - especially in Yellowstone. Oh, my goodness! I won't even begin to put into words the grandeur of creation. Perhaps the pictures will give you an idea of the beauty of it all.

JULY 4th
The July 4th consideration (happy Independence Day, by the way!) turned from concern about traffic to appreciation for this great land we call America.

• We should be grateful. The foresight of those who envisioned a national park system, protected the natural beauty of these lands, and then made them accessible for us - these things should be appreciated.
• We should be proud. We saw people from so many peoples and tongues who were here in our country to experience our great land.
• We should treasure our heritage. In striking up conversation with a server in a restaurant in Yellowstone, I discovered she was from Bulgaria, working in the park for the summer. When I asked if she would stay in America, this server spoke of how much she wished she could remain in the United States. Our nation, with all of her challenges, is still the greatest place in the world to live. Let us give thanks!

GOODBYES

We said goodbye to one of our riders yesterday after our ride through Beartooth Pass. Trent Schelin in making a bee-line for San Antonio to share an unexpected and wildly exciting family blessing. I won't share details, as Trent, Wendy, Sally, and Larry should be allowed to share their excitement with the world on their own timetable. I'll simply say (1) God is good - all the time, and (2) Pray for Trent as he rides solo from Montana to Texas to celebrate with his family.

Tomorrow, we say goodbye to Annette and Elizabeth. They fly home to resume normal life. Because someone has to work to pay for this crazy adventure! We have enjoyed a wonderful time riding together, and they have endured the long days and miles with tremendous grace. Randall and I are blessed beyond measure. These lifelong friends are pictured at the end of The Devil's Tail in Hell's Canyon - just before we turned around and rode it again - the other direction. And they are still smiling. The ladies are the best!

THE DAY AHEAD

We get our oil changed. We visit Sturgis, ride more of The Black Hills, make our way through The Badlands, stop in at Wall Drugs, and then press east into Nebraska on our way to some place called Sheldon, Iowa. And the adventure continues.

The Best-Laid Plans…

My intention was to provide a quick daily summary and a highlight image each day. FAIL!

I am SO sorry about my failure to provide ride updates here. We are well into our 2014 Northwest Adventure, and are having the time of our lives. But the pace is grueling. We ride more miles in a day on this trip than we have ever attempted. When we arrive at our hotel each evening, we unload, clean up, eat.. Next, I have to get back to the room, confirm our route for the next day, and email the route to the other riders. At that point, I'm done. And I know I must sleep. Hence the failure to update.

We have seen so much of what this great country offers! Everyone who calls America home should see as much of this country as possible. From the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam… we've been privileged to see all of these already on this adventure of a lifetime.

Each year, the trip has a focal destination. In 2012, it was The Grand Canyon. In 2013, Niagara Falls was "the prize". This year, it's Yellowstone. Our sights our set on that destination now. We leave Pocatello, Idaho this morning and make our way to Jackson Hole for lunch. Then we head north into the Grand Tetons. If time allows, we'll venture into Yellowstone late this afternoon. If not - tomorrow is the day!

Yesterday, we rode motorcycle roller coasters in Hell's Canyon and The Devil's Tail, carving canyons along the Snake River. You'll see video soon!

Here are a few pictures of things we've experienced so far. More pics and video to come!

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:

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 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.

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0qkJsBHuPg0jD6se4XqDq6zPQmDdIn1zT

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:

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:

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0qkJsBHuPg0jD6se4XqDq6zPQmDdIn1zT

Check back here often for ride updates and pictures.  Let the adventure begin!