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.
Friday, 6/27, I rode from Helena, MT to Clarkston, WA through the Clearwater canyon. Beautiful scenery and 100+ miles of nice smooth winding roads (aka “twisties”). Truly a motorcyclist’s dream. I enjoyed HWY 12 through Clearwater in 2017 going in the opposite direction. It was better this time, from the ascent to Lolo Pass into Idaho and then along the river. The pictures are good but don’t do it justice. I stayed the night in Clarkston, resting up for the long Saturday ahead where I will go diagonally across Washington State. (I road the Cascades last time I was out here). Yesterday was a beast and I was beat! So glad today was a rest day. Very thankful. I road from Clarkston to Port Angeles, WA. (Yes I crossed the Puget Sound on the ferry!) Beautiful ride all around… taxing when going through Seattle and Bellevue. The traffic was miserable. View of the Olympic Mts on the way to church. I was good to be with Gail and Doug Wheatley and their family again. The last time I sa...
Today (7/24) I rode from Coos Bay, OR to Seaside, OR. Talk about a cold ride! This one was really cool with the cross winds and overcast. I don't think I saw the sun but twice. I tend to take more pictures when the sun is out, so the bulk of the pictures from today include sunshine. The ride up Hwy 101 and the coast of Oregon was great, even though it was cold and overcast. At one time, I felt wet from all the sea spray. So, not every day has been the bliss of sunshine! Hmmm... it reminds me of life. While the good days definitely outnumber the bad, I've had my share of clouds. I think that the clouds are what help us appreciate the sunshine. It's the gloomy pieces that make the bright pieces so much more enjoyable. Church life is not any different. Church is a messy place sometimes. It isn't all sunshine and daffodils. Sometimes there can be real challenge and real hardship for the community, but if the community is living for Christ, then it is possible to get thr...
Well, I got off to an interesting start. I spent the morning around the house with Kelly. We were watching the weather, hoping that the rain would let up. However, no luck! So, I ended up “rigging for rain.” Full rain gear, covers for the bags, etc… making sure everything stays nice and dry. I dislike riding in the rain, but sometimes you got to do what you got to do. All in all it was a nice ride. Only one unintended “detour” (down a weird mountain road somewhere in backwoods Western North Carolina) but I quickly got back on the right track. The more I rode, the more the rain became virtually non-existent. It cleared up the closer I got to Salisbury, NC as I headed to my Son Kyle and his wife Kara’s house. About 80 miles out I stopped and took off the rain suit. Today, I’m thinking about fears. So many have approached me when preparing for the trip, scared for me being out there “on my own” on the open road. Fear is natural, we need fear sometimes to keep our selves from d...
Yesterday (Saturday 7/8), I rode 66 from Joplin, MO through the "corner of Kansas," 1/2 way through Oklahoma to Oklahoma City (actually Moore, OK) where my friends, The Fankhauser's, live. Bill Fankhauser was my roommate sophomore year at The Citadel, and we haven't seen each other since 1989. He recently retired from the USAF and now works in the private sector. Catching up with Bill and meeting his family over the past couple of days has been fantastic. Saturday evening we went into Oklahoma City and ate dinner then walked along the riverwalk. It was a very nice evening. This morning (Sunday 7/9), I attended Mass with the whole Fankhauser family at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in Norman, OK. It was very encouraging for me to be staying with a family who goes to church together after we had breakfast as a family. (And no, this wasn't because of me being there) Worship is a regular thing in the Fankhauser house... regular attendance at Mass,...
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...
Why Bradenton? I have a bunch of family in Bradenton! I am going to stay with my cousin, Donna, her husband, Robert, and my Great Aunt Mary (Mary is my maternal grandmother’s Brother’s widow). I saw 3 of Donna’s 5 Children, Amy, Erin, and Robbie. Jessica was away with her husband and Sara lives in Georgia. Hopefully I’ll get to catch up with them soon. (Note: forgot to take pics of Erin, Robbie, and their families and Donna don’t like pictures!). Aunt Mary & Ken Cousin Amy & Ken Today, I woke up early and wanted to attend the early service at St. John’s in Homestead, FL. They advertised a 7:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist. However, when I arrived at the church at 7:15 a.m. there was no one in sight. I looked at the sign and they had removed the 7:30 a.m. service time and were only offering 10:00 a.m. and Noon (La Missa en Español). So much for the “Episcopal Sacred Cow that is the early service.” Disappointed, I decided to start making my way toward Bradenton. I was looking forward to s...
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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