Boone
Thursday, October 24, 2013
short ride. short blog.
today's ride took us straight south from Damascus, VA and down into the northeast (and mountainous) corner of Tennesee.
every now and then, the tiniest of snowflakes could be seen in the chilly air as we followed the Laurel Creek through the Iron Mountains - great
pine-covered peaks capped with snow above a perfectly horizontal elevation line.
not more than 20 miles past our last state border sign on the trek, we stopped in Boone, NC for the day, welcomed into the home of Peter and Cynthia
Gaw, a superb couple that treated us to an amazing home-cooked dinner, warm beds & showers, laundry, and of course, great conversation and fellowship
over hot cups of tea. once more, God sees it in His will to take me to school in the meaning of grace, a lesson I will continue to lern all my life.
blessed without any chance of being able to repay such kindness, I've seen the power of God at work once more on this trip through the hospitality of
the Gaw family.
until next time, may the wind be always at your back
title of this post
Friday, October 25, 2013snappy intro sentence (i.e. the "hook"
(photo from the day's ride)
explanation of why photo has been included in blog post. further information on where photo was taken and what (if any) significance it's contents
have historically, culturally, etc.
(another photo of the day's ride)
nice segue into wordy description of current landscape features. creative weather report. exhibited wonder at uniqueness of said landscape features
compared to anything seen previously. realization those exact same sentiments have been expressed in every post thus far. failed attempt to reconvey
such feelings differently.
(yet another photo from the day's ride)
colorful elaboration of sights and scenery (i.e. to increase feelings of jealousy among readers). quirky fact noted about an aspect of touring
experienced that day. relation of aforementioned aspect to some deeper philosophical or biblical thought.
(yet another photo from the day's ride)
closing sentiments and conveyance of lodging accommodations (i.e. to ease parental worries).
overwhelming thankfulness for blessings and for those who have bestowed them. listing of any/all food and amenities provided. acknowledgement of
the trek's impossibility without others help. continued gratitude to all prayer warriors.
stated commitment of further documentation, (i.e. undisclosed desire for the follower(s) to continue following)partial irish proverb
saturdays in suburbia
Saturday, October 26, 2013
fifty-four roads of North Carolina Suburbia today.
rather than post a whole lot of pictures or try to describe what we saw, here's a ride you could try on your own and see for yourself! cycle
around your neighborhood houses (large or small neighborhoods will work just fine, the latter simply requiring more turns) for 80 miles and you'll
know exactly how our day went. easy riding, fairly flat, and a free lunch at Chick-Fil-A (note: you may have to have already cycled across the
country to enjoy that last feature). all in all though, a good starter day for a tourer if you ask me.
a sumptuous feast at the Davenports for supper this evening. warm house, warm showers, warm food, warm conversation and warm beds. feels great
after a few snowy days in appalachia.
until next time, may the rains fall softly on your fields
google bike. what the what?!?!
Sunday, October 27, 2013
a quick addendum to your arsenal of waves as a cross-continental cyclist before we get
started: the "non-touring-north-carolinian-sunday-afternoon-cyclist" (yes, it's rather limited in use, I know). you've got one of three options:
1) small wave
2) head nod
3) smile
at no point should you attempt more than one of these greetings at the same time. by doing so, you run the risk of appearing over-enthusiastic,
and at that point, your multiple forms of salutation will almost always go unanswered. it's simply the way things are down here, I suppose.
feel free to mix it up, of course, though be mindful of where they're at on their ride. don't expect a wave or smile from a cyclist climbing a hill,
for instance. best to just give them a nod of respect and roll on.
back to business. today started off the way all Sundays should start in the south: sweet fruit smoothies shared with fellow believers as the sun came
up over the back garden. birds singing. flowers blooming. a wonderful time of worship before the Lord and with his people. food and fellowship after.
then we followed google bike.
I cannot even begin to fathom what the programmers were thinking who coded google's suggested cyclist routes across north
carolina. brick sidewalks through UNC's campus. apartment complexes. bike paths. state parks. 5-lane highways. under bridges. over bridges.
quite the merry hunt for Raleigh they lead us on this afternoon, though I must give credit to those crafty programmers where credit is due: we rode by
Sir Galahad Road and on Camelot Road today.
it's the little things in life.
until next time, may God hold you in the hollow of His hand.
touring 101: you've been touring too long when....
Monday, October 28, 2013
10. you hear a noise behind you, and look first to where your rearview mirror should be before turning around.
9. you point out potholes and debris to your friend walking behind you.
8. you walk right down the middle of the road in small towns.
7. you attribute feelings and take into account the preferences of your bike.
6. you are furious when signs say "10 minutes ahead" rather than listing the mileage.
5. you keep your helmet and glasses on at all grocery stops, lunch stops, water stops, etc.
4. you talk about what you're going to eat for dinner when you're eating lunch.
3. you wait til you're already on your bike to figure out your route for the day, and til that afternoon to figure out where you're staying for the night.
2. no matter what type of building you walk into, the first thing you look for is a power outlet.
1. you run out of things to blog about.
until next time, may the road rise up to meet you
the road goes ever on and on ....
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
been rather absorbed in the steady blinking of my cursor for the last 20 minutes. how the dickens do you conclude a trek like
this in writing?
more than anything else, I want to thank each and every one of you for your prayers, your encouragement, your giving, your support and love. never
before have I seen grace so marvelously shown. from the bottom of my heart, thank you for the sacrifices each of you made to make our trip possible.
the Linkas (Morehead City)John & Alison (San Francisco)Paul & Sue (Del Valle State Park)Joel (Caswell State Park)Tom (Mocassin Point State Park)
Kevin (Sonora)Dave & Merrick (Sonora)Diane & Bill (Benton Springs)John & Geneva (Cathedal Gorge)Fred (Zion Cycles)William, Jessica, Helen & Keith (Zion)
Bob (Riverside RV Park)Mimi (Escalante Outfitters)Sharon (Arches National Park)The Haywoods (Moab)Tracy (Up The Creek)
Joey, Michelle, Brayden, Brittany, Bryce, Landon & Luke Burns (Montrose)Paul Janzen (Salida)James Walker (Salida)George & Sheri Hill (Salida)Salida Baptist Church (Salida)
Ron & Judy Dobson (Salida)Paco, Andrew & Brandon (Pueblo)Sheila & Dave (Chester)Rick (Chester)Grace Church Ministries (Chester)Jenny Brown (Chester)
Mike & Jo Jean (Chester)Bob Everidge (Chester)Sue (Bardstown)Dave, Kathie & Robby (Berea)Peter & Cynthia Gaw (Boone)Robert & Sandy Barrett (Lewisville)
Andy & Susan Davenport (Mebane)Guy & Kay Holsclaw (Raleigh)Rudy & Connie Mintz (Kinston)
and there are others. so many others, I'm glad the Lord's keeping track because I'm sure I missed quite a lot. He sees and He remembers and He
blesses those who are obedient to His calling, and who give grace to others in abundance.
I'm at a loss. how could one ever hope to fully capture all the emotions, thoughts & reflections of a trip of this magnitude, let alone write an
appropriate conclusion? will it ever truly be "over" for us? things we learn about biking, about each other, about others, about life - these will
forever influence who we are and how we choose to spend our time here on earth.
may the road rise up to meet you
may the wind be always at your back
may the sun shine warm upon your face
the rains fall soft upon your fields
and until we meet again
may God hold you in the palm of His hand
