Back to Church!

Sabbatical All Over

Back to Church on Sunday- the right place to be!

and... what it's all about, really.

Ok- when all is said & done & ridden,

the riding is great, but without others to enjoy it with-

it just doesn't work.

Here we are, enjoying soda-fountain sundaes in Steamboat Springs, CO.

Pretty nice smiles on our faces.

No, we didn't know each other 5 days before, 

but we were sure enjoying sharing our time together!

Lafayette!

Riding full circle, as it were....

wouldn't be complete without getting by Easton, PA

and Alma Mater, Lafayette College!

Along Cayuga's friendly banks....

Took a really nice ride up the w. side of Lake Cayuga...

it was rollier than I thought ( I had imagined it was VERY hilly.)

But after the Rockies, not too much is going to seem too long & steep, at least for a while...

What a pleasant place to be, ahhhhh, Ithaca!

a birthday ride

and off I went.... on a nice birthday ride in the great state of NJ... to guess where?

( not far away from my hometown at all..)

Pocono rides

Back in the Poconos for a while- visiting family, having fun, riding my bike ( of course.)

Here I crossed the Delaware River on the foot bridge at Portland, PA. They still make you walk across... ( at least the sign asks you to.)

comrades in cycling...

So we we to the ice cream shop in Steamboat Springs... $1 for one dip- what a deal!

Met a good group of guys along the way.... who knows; we may meet up again on another ride someday.... (!)

That would be a good thing, too.

rewards

Sometimes it's just nice to stop and say, 'wow'- thanks for being able to do this!

Although there wasn't a terrible climb to get here ( from Steamboat Springs- though a 7 mile mountain at a 6% grade is no small thing...) is was a good place for a pic.

I'm glad, too, that someone else was gracious enough to take this picture.

the view (2)

So I could post a hundred of these pics.

This is from the base of Mt. Evans... looking up at that glorious monstrosity of a piece of land.

From this vantage, it looks pretty tame. But I know better now. The storms can come up & kill you & not care at all.

From this distance, though, you'd never guess.

the view

Riding the Rockies gives you a you- doesn't it?

Here's from day One, entering Estes Park, from the back side.

We had just climbed an atrocious hill to get here (the steepest grade all week, but we didn't know that at the time...)

It was worth it, of course, can't you see?

The way I'll do it next time (?)

There is another 'housing'  option to choose....
"Sherpa camping".... The crew sets the tent up for you each night & you get to live in a "sherpa tent village' all week.

Not a bad option. More privacy, a little more adventure, less bother from the guy who snores, but you do have to deal with those overnight storms ( which, thankfully, in Colorado, don't seem to happen all that often.)

back to the beginning.....

the Beginning of the Colorado Rocky Mountain Bike Tour, that is.....

( Since I was without a laptop all last week, I'll post some notes about some highlights (and lowlights- though few) about the event & experience....

Starting with... Indoor Camping

 Here's my stuff!

Sleeping on a ThermaRest mat, on a high school gym floor, next to a guy you never met before who snores like a train, is not the best way to start off on a 475 mile week of riding the Rockies, but so it goes.
It is humbling, and somewhat revelatory, to live with so little- but you soon realize that you have so much. I didn't unpack a third of what I brought, and I soon made pretty good friends with my snoring neighbor.
Thank God for small miracles!

last day of the tour

So this is how the Colorado Bike Tour ended...

with a broken spoke,

 the bike on the support vehicle

and me inside. Not the way I would have wanted it to end..

but more miles to ride over the next two weeks,

in PA & Maryland!

Logistics !

Does this look familiar?

One more time- back in the shop..

the rear wheel is trued once again, at Vecchio's- and final adjustments are made on the rear derailleur.

Now, if it were just that simple to make all the adjustments I need to be ready for the next 6 days of cycling, I'd be set.

Wish me luck!

470 mountain miles, descents and climbs, to go!

Not What I would Have Expected...

So I drove into Silverton, CO, the other day- happily enough.

I had just spent a good day riding in Durango, and was ready to settle in.

The I saw the sign and my curiosity was piqued, to say the least.

I'll keep this brief. Turns out that in 1871, a Thomas Blair (no foolin') established the first

brothel in Silverton (there would eventually be 34!- not all his...) He was one of the founders of this 

Rocky Mountain mining town and has the dubious distinction of having the "red light district" of this 

little town named for him, and the name stuck.

When I mentioned my name to the proprietor of the Hotel I was staying in, he said- 'Really? Are you 

kidding me?" I received the same reaction at various gift shops & the eating establishment I visited that 

evening.

I'm not sure if I was glad, relieved or sad to leave that place.

I've never experienced anything quite like that before.... not exactly profound,

 but noteworthy, for sure!

Durango!

I thought it would be great- and it was maybe better than I had thought...

great roads- wind, not too strong in the AM, and a great tailwind on the way back...

but I didn't count on 14 miles of dirt/ or maybe it was 16... and only one store on a 73 mile ride-- whew!

I'm glad it was cool today!

The western edge of this ride bordered the Ute Reservation lands-- wonder that's why it wasn't paved-- or maybe the neighbors just like it that way....

Ended up in Silverton- a nice drive away, with an even more interesting story to tell...

later...

Why I like New Mexico so much....

I think I've finally put my finger on why I like New Mexico so much, ( neither new- nor "Mexico").... so much more than it's northerly sister state, Colorado, anyway.

It's that in NM it seems that people (white Anglos, anyway), recognize that this is not really, totally OUR land... that it's someone else's ... the Pueblos, or whoever... but it is not really OURS. We are then caretakers of the land... which I what I understand God intended for us to be; not dominating it, but working with it, along side it, as partners together. The overwhelming awesomeness of New Mexico stares you in the face and you realize what a small part of God's creation you really are... which is a good and humbling thing, for one and all.

There is also another language used in NM (Spanish, of course) to label everything, which I take to help keep clear our status as 'tenant's of the land, rather than those more dominant, boisterous, prosperous and domineering, as some might think the northern neighbor is....

Anyway- a thought for today.

(Not that I'm regretting cycling on these wonderful Colorado roads at all!)

what's interesting about New Mexico.....

As they say here- it's not "New"-- and it's not "Mexico"...

makes sense to me.

( Though the cemeteries sure do look different!)

This one is just north of Taos, outside Arroyo Seco - near the local Catholic Parish,
"Our Lady of Suffering."

Rob & Charlie's- in Santa Fe ( Bike Shop- that is...)

So when I go to a new town- I check out the Bike Shop; and Rob & Charlie's is another first-rate establishment.

I did a 30+ mile ride- went up to Hyde Park, a 7 mile climb, not too bad, really, and noticed that my rear wheel was out of true.

Derek here did a great job, charged just a little for it- we had a great conversation about all sorts of things. A day well spent, with thanks to those who know their way around bicycle wheels!

Do I know you?

So I was cycling in Taos, New Mexico-- ( a place, as I'm told- which is neither "new" nor "Mexican"- but that's another story....

As I pulled into to the gas station to buy some water- to help battle the 104 degree heat, the attendant told me that he just saw my wife that morning!!

( Hmmm!)

Now, I was wearing my dark cycling glasses & helmet- but I thought it rather odd to receive that comment!

Thing is, I just shaved off my 'sabbatical beard'- and while I had it, no one mistook me for someone else (not that that's bad, or anything..)

Maybe I'll start to grow the beard again.... we'll see.

There must be a sermon there, somewhere...

That other day- when I was riding up Pike's Peak--( or was it Mt.Evans?), anyway- riding on the edge of the road, at 13,000 feet, can be a little unsettling, especially if you have a little bit of fear of heights.Who doesn't?

But all I could think, as I went higher & higher, on narrow and narrower roads, was  ''I've got 13,000 feet of solid rock directly underneath me. I couldn't find a safer place on earth."

Can that preach?

The Case for the LBS (Local Bike Shop)

OK- Vecchio's it is, in the 1800 block of Pearl Street, in Boulder, CO.

They diagnosed by wheel problems & have ordered new spokes, pronto.

I had purchased said wheels ( really nice ones!) from a Mail Order company ( mea culpa)- and where are they when I need the wheels trued??  ( Far, far away.)

Another plug for the LBS-- great service with a smile, and a cup of cappacino on the side!

My kind of Shopping!

Rarely do I spend more than ten minutes in a store, but sometimes, I make exceptions.

Here's a place I like.

Vecchio's, on Pearl Street, in Boulder.

"If God wanted men to ride bicycles, He wouldn't have invented Harleys."

So I was quoted, at the filling station, just after passing this Church sign...

I was getting more water, wearing my cyclists spandex, helmet, etc- & a guy came up to me, put his hand on my shoulder, shared the above quote--- and then said, "Well, that must be in the Bible somewhere, right?"

I was 75 miles into my ride & not about to make a smart retort- I was too tired too, anyway. Just as well.

God bless Cowboys & Cowgirls too.

Pike's Peak!!

My  it is high!!


About 20 times harder than Mt. Mitchell, too! ( honest) this one doesn't stop!

8% to 10% grades, over & over again.

I was turned back, a mile from the top, by the Park Service- because a BIG storm was rolling in, and rolling down that mountain, in the rain- 40 degrees, with 40 mile an hour winds- just didn't seem smart to do.

I got down the mountain before that all happened-- had a pretty nice descent, too!

Mt. Evans

A really BIG mountain!

a beautiful day- and over 14,000 feet of elevation- ( actually- just over 7,000 feet of climbing from Golden.)

But I did it!

Slow & steady ( very slow!)-

But the best thing was that I felt no ill effects at altitude ( well- a little light headed at the end- but I was AOK!)

Hope the same happens when I do Pikes Peak!!

first day in the saddle-

51 miles of Rockies- or was it 59? Either way, it was a good start with this good group ride.

I broke a spoke at mile 4 !!!

But these folks with Carmichael Training are great. They had a spare wheel ready for me, so I was able to go uphill, uphill, uphill.

And then downhill some, too. I learned some good things about descents, which will help - a lot!

Now, if I could only lose ten pounds overnight- to prepare for the climb up Mt. Evans tomorrow. That one is over 14,000 feet- really! Today we went up to 8,500- and that was relatively easy enough.

Fingers crossed for Thursday!!

The night before...

Before the ride begins-  we just had our first orientation session....

pretty intimidating, actually... I’m the heaviest rider here- by 30 pounds, likely.

All good people & very seasoned riders, it looks like. 17 of us.

Our first uphill will be on Lookout Mountain in Golden, which I just happened to drive up on my way here.

It’s a big one, lots of switchbacks- a 6 mile climb or so. Which is just the start of the day’s 53 miles.

This week (what’s left of it- now on Tuesday)- will give me over 350 miles & 40,000 feet of elevation.

Wish me luck- I’ll need it!

The kindness of Strangers--

OK-

So on my first test ride in Boulder, riding up Four Mile Canyon Rd., not too much of a slope, a 5-6 % grade, feeling pretty good about it all- with no warning, my rear derailleur snapped off- oh no!

There is no way to ride a bike like that.

I waited a minute for my brother to come up & as we pondered what in the world to do-  a driver - Ellie, who works with Wilderness Women International ( or something like that), came up & asked if she could help. This being Boulder- one of the cycling capitals of the world, she had a bike rack on the car & in a minute I was zipping down the road to the local bike shop- which is Bicycle Village (go there whenever you're in Boulder!!!)

They were able to get replacement parts from a local supplier here & had me back on the road in good time. Had I been nearly anywhere else- this could have meant a very long wait for parts-- and who knows what I'd be doing now.

Thanks to the kindness of strangers- I was just now out on the road for a good 28 mile loop, testing things out again, (my derailleur set up, for sure- but most of all- me), and I'm ready to head down to Golden for my Big Bike Tour orientation this afternoon.

Remember- Bicycle Village- a great place for all things Bicycle!!

Airport Waiting

After the tragic crash landing of the Boeing 777 coming in from S. Korea yesterday,
at the San Francisco airport,
my flight here has been cancelled-
redirected across the bay to Oakland.

I'll make the change just find.

Prayers- please for the families of the two Chinese girls who died at landing, part of a middle school summer travel program. It looks like there were 70 or so on the trip. So sad to have happened...

I'll end up in Denver tonight, after dark, welcomed by my brother. It'll be good to get there.

Do you know the way ( to San Jose?)

So I'm at a gas station in SF

stopped, filling up the rental car with gas.

A biker lady comes over and ( I kid you not)

asks me, "Do you know the way to San Jose?"

I almost break out in song... glad I didn't.

( Who sang that, anyway- besides Tom Jones?)

I humbly said, "sorry, I'm from Baltimore- and I'm

just figuring this place out myself."

Funny things happen while traveling, don't they?

Day 2 in San Francisco ! ( The City by the Bay)

Well- it's a city by the bay- isn't it-- but so is Baltimore!
( But, hey- they do have a bigger bridge here-

and it's windier & foggier, too!)

bike shipped!

Thanks to LUGGAGE FIRST

my bike is on its way to Boulder, CO. I will meet it on Monday, in a week, at our favorite Boulder Bike Shop-  Bicycle Village- all set to go.

In between now and then, San Francisco- first pictures to come tomorrow night....

best Sermon of the week...

at Montreat...

on John 21 ( Jesus calling to the disciples in the boat)

point 1:  Peter was ready for an opportunity to redeem himself and had no clue if it would ever come about....

point 2: Jesus asked Peter & the others if they had a clue what they were doing; fishing, that is, while tossing their nets on the wrong side of the boat ( while all the time they just knew they were doing it the right way)

point 3: when Jesus asks, insistently ( and annoyingly, to many) "do you love me?"- he may well be asking this because he himself really needs the affirmation. After all, following the resurrection, Jesus might have been a little lonely, looking for a friend-- someone who would stick with him for a while, don't you think?

point 4 & onward  -- nice inspirational words; good enough of a message for me!

What I'm told about Sabbaticals....

Or rather-

what I remember.

When I was an Associate Pastor, in 1991, my 'Head of Staff' would take two months of the Summer off, and drive a mobile home out to Glacier National Park ( from NC.)

He always said that he did that to leave all the issues behind... and it would take the better part of two weeks to have that happen.

Three days into this time away-- who knows how that might happen for me ( and I'm not worrying about it.)
For now- cycling in the mountains of Western NC is pretty good for me.

Day 2

In Montreat - ( pictures will come up sooner or later)-

with Emma & her bff.

First thoughts-- 'whew!'-- then '' ahhhh"

bike bike ride tomorrow - up these mtns!

( Meeting gobs of Presbyterians, too-- with some great worship going on!)

first fridày

no sermon rollîng aroûnd in my head.

what a notion!

Getting ready!

It's less than a week away now- but I'm getting ready....

thinking about how to pack & putting together this basic blog site....

I'll be posting lots of pics & some random musings of the next 9 weeks ahead!!