Grounded Theology

Catching up with friends has become one of the big benefits of this trip. Not only have I ridden an epic journey across the US, but I have continued to connect with folks that I haven't seen in years. These aren't just anybody... At one time in my life, these were my best friends. The ride on Thursday 8/17 took me to Kingston, TN were I had a chance to catch up with Tracy Hanson. Tracy and I went to Frederick Military Academy together c/o '85. We were even lab partners in Chemistry class. It was fun to swap stories (she showed up with year books!) and meet her husband, Don. We enjoyed dinner at the historic "downtown" Jackson Square of the once "secret city" of Oak Ridge, TN. Tracy and I haven't seen each other in 32 years. From Kingston, I headed southeast and stayed overnight in Spartanburg, SC on my way to Kingstree, SC. I arrived in Kingstree this afternoon at the home of my best friend at the Citadel, Mark Whetsel. Mark and I were the class of ...

Yesterday I rode from Memphis, TN to Sewanee, TN on HWY 64. Little did I know that it was the original route of the Trail of Tears - the forced removal of the Native Americans from the Southeastern United States to an area west designated as "Indian Terratory." The ride was beautiful and much less rainy than Friday's ride to Memphis.  It's been 10 years since I graduated and 9 years since being back "on the mountain" or "on the domain" in Sewanee, TN - atop the Cumberland Plateau, where the University of the South resides on 10,000 acres. The DuBose lectures in 2008 was the last time I was back. There is something about the place that is awesomely mysterious. Even though I had been gone so long, there was a great and peaceful feeling that came over me when I crossed the domain gate and released my angel back into the wild. ( See this on Sewanee Angels! 👼 ) The place is truly holy - set apart for God's purposes. I immediately went to the C...

But do I really feel the way I feel? 🎶 (thank you Marc Cohn - now I have that song stuck in my head!) Well, for me, it was more like "drying out in Memphis." Friday 8/11 was one of the most wet rides I have had. 250 miles in the POURING rain. I was soaked! Luckly the dry bag and the rain gear works. I was only going to stay in Memphis for the evening and head out to Sewanee on Saturday and spend the bulk of the weekend there. However, I was wet and tired, so I decided to stay for a couple of days - mostly to rest and dry out. I didn't take many pictures on the ride because it was so nasty. I spent Saturday sleeping in and not riding. I walked to the local IHOP resturant for brunch and I just chilled... much needed. No, I didn't go to Graceland and I didn't see the ghost of Elvis. Let the poor man Rest In Peace. On Sunday, I did attend worship at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion. Big Place! Lots going on. They have just completed a capital cam...

Today (8/10) I rode to Mount Magazine State Park in the Ozark Mountians of Arkansas. What a wonderful place. I am camping in the campground, but there are cabins and a lodge there also. The lodge has a restaurant where I ate dinner. The view was spectacular! It was a great day. I highly recommend Mt. Magazine State Park!! The ride here was great with changing scenery from prairie flats to hills and mountians. The ride up to Mt. Magazine was a nice twisty road that takes you to the highest peak in Arkansas (2753ft.). I know, not very high, but high enough. It was a simple day with not much on my mind. The thing that I thought of at dinner was perspective. It seems that the higher I get in elevation, the more perspective that I gain of the area around me. In church development, perspective is much of the game. How do we get a different perspective? It often takes someone that is from the outside to honestly give a different perspective on things. In management, we call it "ge...

When considering my next destination on Monday, yesterday 8/8 I decided to ride to Dodge City, Kansas. Yes, that Dodge City. No, I didn't see Marshal Dillon, Ms. Kitty, or Festus, but I did learn some great history of the old west and how Ft. Dodge became Dodge City and why they called the burial mound "Boot Hill." Dodge City was once home to the great lawmen of the west, such as Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp.   The way I understand it, in the times of the conflicts between the US and Native Americans, the government wanted to deplete the buffalo herds so they invited a hunting "free for all." They thought this would cause the This caused every ragtag hunter within hundreds of miles to decend upon Ft. Dodge. Most of them took a liking to the many saloons. Fights would break out and then be taken to the streets. Someone would end up killed. If they were an unknown or of little means, then they would end up in a mass grave that was called Boot Hill. This was becaus...

The ride on Saturday (8/5) from Rock Springs, WY to Denver, CO was challenging! Not only was it on and off rain, but I ran into hail when I got to Denver. Yes, I said HAIL! Crazy little balls of ice that are challenging in a car let alone a motorcycle! Anyhow, all is well... I am safe and the bike is unscathed. Upon arrival to Denver, I was greeted with grilled Salmon and cocktails! Much welcomed after the stress of hail! It was absolutely wonderful to be invited to spend the weekend with my seminary buddy, the Rev. Jim Gilchrist and his wife Fabian. They were so kind to offer me a place to stay a couple nights. It was great to catch up with Jim, who has just recently retired. I tried to connect with my cousin, Brian while I was in the area, but we were unable to work it out. On Sunday (8/6), we attended the early service at St. Luke's Denver. That is the parish were Fabian was the Parish Administrator. Jim also went to seminary from there, so it is their home parish. Our morning s...

I spoke a bit yesterday of my time in Idaho Falls, ID. Today I crossed the Teton Pass! That is significant to me because the last time I went over the Teton Pass it was in December 1989 in a blizzard in a rental car (Mercury Tracer) with bald tires. The story is... Lisa Montelongo and I decided to take one of our days off to go explore the Palisades and Jackson Hole. When we were eating dinner in Jackson and here comes the snow. We decided to look at the map and rather than backtrack our path, go across the mountains and beat the snow. That didn't work! Lisa's fingerprints are probably still in the dash of the rental car that we had. Even though I got to go over Teton Pass doesn't mean that I got to see anything. Today's trip was extremely disappointing.    I think it was only disappointing because I knew what was on the other side of the misty haze. The majesty of the Teton Mountains is awesome. On a clear day, they jut up into the sky like they were just painted ther...

The ride today (8/3) was interesting. The first part of the ride was absolutely beautiful, but the second part was trying. It's the closest I have come to running out of gas. I forgot about the long straight ways with no services in Idaho. You can ride for 30 to 45 minutes without seeing a tree or a house! On the way to Idaho Falls, I passed through the corner of the Idaho National Laboratory. This flooded back the memories of December of 1989 and my time with Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory (Westinghouse MTS) when I was a young technician in Idaho for qualification.   I arrived in Idaho Falls, safe and sound. It has changed much over the last 28 years. Reconstruction and new developments have the place looking great. I wasn't able to get a picture of the fountain in the round-a-bout, but I found one to share with you. It really is magnificent! It was nice to be able to be here once again after all the years of being away. Places change and people change. It's ...

I left Clarkeston, WA this morning 8/2, headed for Hamilton, MT. At first, I didn't think I was going to go through Montana, but I decided it was better than going through the hot desert areas and cities. The nice treat was that the route I planned took me all the way through Clearwater Canyon, winding for miles along the Clearwater River. This path was part of the Lewis and Clark expedition from 1805-1806. What an awesome ride! (Yes, that sign says twisties, next 77 miles!!! - a motorcyclist's dream!) I stopped about 1/2 way at a Historic Ranger Station and stretched my legs walking around the buildings and learning a bit about the forest service in that region back in the late 20s. They used pack animals to supply the station where a ranger stayed to keep the fire watch. It was a simple set-up, but during an incident, the station could be overrun with hundreds of fire fighters. It was pretty great to see this preserved rustic setting at Lochsa Historic Ranger Station. ...