Thinking about God while keeping my feet (& wheels) on the ground!
Georgia Bound!
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Got up this morning and walked around down by the marsh. Needless to say it was beautiful. After I broke camp, I loaded up. Not liking the look of the hazy sky, I put the rain covers on the bags. Wet luggage is something that I learned how to deal with the hard way in 2017. I took off for Georgia headed to Kingsland which is south of Savannah.
I road to Mt. Pleasant and decided to have breakfast. I met up with Jim Brown who recently moved to Mt. Pleasant from Greeneville, TN and was a member of St. James. We chatted over breakfast and enjoyed some coffee. It was great to see him again.
When I got to West Ashley, I stopped for gas and it started to spit rain. (Glad I covered the luggage!) I donned my rain suit and off I went. The whole ride was periods of wet, dry, rain, wet, rain, dry, rain (you get the picture).
I was able to connect with another friend from my past, Amy Cadawader and her family. Amy and I have known each other for at least 53 years. From elementary school on. We’ve kept up over the years. The last time I saw Amy and her family was 2015 on a vacation to Florida when I came through Kingsland. They picked me up for dinner after I had a chance to dry off, have a much needed shower, and change. Seafood! Yummy, coastal, Georgia, seafood!
I’ve said before that this sabbatical is about re-connections and relationships. It’s not just about reminiscing about the past. I am intentionally connecting with folks, who through the years have supported me, prayed for me, cried with me, laughed with me, helped me, as well as people who I’ve influenced, prayed with, cried with, laughed with, etc.
As followers of Jesus, we are “communal,” which means our relationships with one another matter to the point that our faith depends on it. I’ve heard it said that people are in your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Many start out as reasons for a season, but often end up lifetime connections. I cherish these connections in my life. They give me great joy.
This past few Sundays, we’ve heard the bulk of the farewell discourse in the Gospel according to John. (Chapters 14-17) Jesus prays… “As you Father, are in me and I am in you, may they (speaking about his disciples / followers) also be in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me.” As believers, we are part of one another in Christ, part of the movement or faith community we call the church. We are part that is left in the world to prepare the world for reconciliation, when all creation will be made anew.
Challenge to St. James: Think about creative ways to build long lasting relationships. If we are truly part of one another in Christ, it should be pretty easy to find a starting point. I’ve seen several new faces on Sunday morning. Please make sure that we take the time to get to know them and they get to know us.
Challenge to Self: Continue to reconnect throughout the sabbatical and throughout your life. The people you are connecting with are made in the image of God and you are part of them and they are part of you and you both are part of God in Christ.
On 7/22, I completed Route 66 and road to Mequon, WI to stay with Kenny & Tania Miller, my friends since NC (almost 20 years). I love the Millers. They are great friends. Kenny and I are priest colleagues, even though he is running a recycling business now and not active in parish ministry. It is wonderful to spend a few days with them and think and decompress. I decided over the last couple of days in Mequon, that this is the end of my journey. I will call this the 4th corner, even though it isn’t Maine. From here I will set my sights on home and reunite with Kelly to spend some quality time with her. She and I will attend my 40th High School reunion on August 1st, and Jace’s birthday party at the end of August. I will spend September in a state of rest and small home projects. Some would say that I haven’t rested the past 2 months in my travels, but I have. Everyone rests differently. We may do some simple family stuff here and there on the few days I have left on my sabbatical, ...
And not a drop to drink… My grandfather’s favorite poem was the Rime of the Ancient Mariner and used that line quite a bit. Well, there is water everywhere, especially when you are headed down the coast of Florida. I stayed in a hotel last night. Mostly to recuperate from the rain the day before. When I woke up this morning, it had just finished raining. I uncovered and wiped down the bike and looked at the weather report. The report showed possibility of rain on the route, but the radar didn’t show anything but minor blips, so I risked it. I decided not to cover everything or put on a rain suit (man, those things are warm). It ended up being a beautiful day. Hot and humid (93°), but beautiful. It only got hazy toward the end of the day. One of the relaxing joys that I find while riding is what I see and experience vs. what I might see from a car. Relaxed, but hyper-aware and “safe” (for the worriers). I took in the sights today. The last time I was this way was 2015, and I took A...
This past week I’ve been riding the historic Route 66. From Santa Rosa, New Mexico, I crossed into the top of Texas (7/16), then to the middle of Oklahoma (7/17), into the corner of Kansas (7/18). In Texas, I had lunch again at the Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, TX. I ate there in 2017 when I was west bound. The place is full of nostalgia and signs. They are dedicated to keeping the memory of the mother road alive. The “Midpoint” is exactly 1139 miles in and equidistant between Santa Monica and Chicago. In Oklahoma, I crossed myself in Oklahoma City and was invited to spend the evening with the Fankhouser’s again on my way through. The scenery changes quickly on Route 66. Different towns offer different levels of preservation or dilapidation, depending on the circumstances. The landscape goes from high dessert to rolling hills, to flat prairie. Lots of agriculture and small towns. The Americana of yesteryear lurks in the shadows of neon gardens and museums. The “old road” is barely pass...
Yesterday 7/14, I rode from Williams, AZ to Gallup, NM. The scenery, while similar, was buttes, flats, washes, and interesting rock formations. I enjoyed the ride! Much of Route 66 lays under I-40, so a minimal amount of the “old road” exists. However, there are some parts through towns that have preserved the route. Today, I decided to not take the Santa Fe loop like I did in 2017 and just go straight to Santa Rosa, NM. I passed through famous Rt 66 areas like Albuquerque, NM and crossed over the mighty Rio Grande. However, I was disappointed that a river with the name Rio Grande (Great River) would be so dried up. I didn’t have anyone to “meet up” with, so I enjoyed the Americana and scenery along the route. In 2017, I spoke a lot about the sacredness of the road. To me the road is sacred because it is set apart and represents a time gone bye. Route 66 ceased to be a maintained E/W Hwy route in the 80s and much of the original road has either fallen into disrepair or been overla...
Yesterday (7/19) I rode Route 66 diagonally through the wide “hot” state of Missouri across the Ozark Plateau. I broke out my cooling towel that I had stowed since lower Texas back in June. It started out well and got warm, up to 94°. Route 66 did not disappoint. Leaving Baxter Springs, I got to see some of the most “famous” Route 66 sights, the Rainbow Bridge, the Devil’s Elbow, and some other Old Road places. In one area, past Devil’s Elbow, it’s obvious that the original concrete pavement of the road still exists. I pointed it out in the video. The road was paved with a concrete conglomerate with the edges of the road turned up, no shoulder to speak of, weeds growing onto the road. We’ve got to remember that this was the first of its kind. When it was finished in 1938, it was the first highway to be completely paved from start to finish. I had no “meet ups” yesterday. The one thing I did was against my normal protocol. When I stopped for gas, the heat was really picking up, so I for...
I went to worship this morning with Anne & Will at St. Martin’s - Metairie, LA. It was an enjoyable Trinity Sunday and a treat to worship with Anne and Will. The Church was a beautiful and welcoming space. The people at St. Martin’s were very friendly and hospitable. Magnificent Carved Doors The service was a Rite II Eucharist (Prayer B). I was struck by some of the simple liturgical differences. Good, just different (not my style). They sang some hymnody out of Lift Every Voice and Sing (I love that hymnal!) The sermon was interesting and engaging. Overall, a great worship experience. Anne and Will seem very happy there. After church we went to the Sculpture Garden at the New Orleans Museum of Art in the park and walked around. It was a beautiful garden park with awesome art creations on display. Needless to say, New Orleans is hot and humid this time of year and subject to pop-up thunderstorms in the mid afternoon. Tomorrow, I leave for Texas. It has been a...
Yesterday (6/18) after a very long and HOT ride (100°) to the Dallas Fort Worth area of Texas. Yes, I cheated a bit. It would have taken 7 hours to “go around” on back roads away from the interstate (and possibly avoid some heat). But, I had plans and needed to arrive in McKinney, TX by dinner time so I took I-35 North 🤷♂️. I finally arrived in McKinney at 5:30 p.m. to stay with a long time friend, Susan Bastian. Susan and I met in California when we were camping next to each other in the summer of 1983. She was with the Gibbons family (Beth Gibbons Tripp to appear later in this story!) Susan attended Johnson & Whales Culinary Institute in Charleston, SC when I was at the Citadel. I was the “guinea pig” and sampled her new culinary creations. We lost touch, but reconnected on social media several years ago. She’s been a great friend for a long time. We went out for a special dinner when I arrived (she’s a foodie and a chef, so good food is what she does!). Today, (6/19) we went t...
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