Vegas, Baby! 😉👍

The ONLY reason that I would ever go to Las Vegas is because I knew someone there or I was going to a concert or a show. It’s not that it’s a bad place, it’s just me. As extroverted as I am, Vegas does nothing for me. Some folks like it. For some it’s a destination vacation. Whatever. 


The reason that I am going to Vegas is to see some other parts of my family. I have 2 cousins there. They are related through my maternal grandmother. Val and April are sisters. Their mom, Joan, lives with April. Dale is Val’s husband. Not bad for a bunch of Furman blood. (Furman is my Grandmother’s maiden name). My grandmother’s father (My great grandfather) and Val & April’s grandmother (my great great Aunt Louise) were 1/2 siblings. My Aunt Louise lived in the same neighborhood as I did growing up and I was responsible for cutting her grass. Our family was close. I knew Val & April growing up, but didn’t know them well as they grew up in Santa Monica, CA. They came east to visit on occasion. I saw Val & Dale on my 2017 trip (blog post here). April and their mom just moved to Vegas.



My first tragedy (well, I could have been worse!) was discovered in Las Vegas, NV. Evidently, I picked up a screw in my rear tire. Dale noticed it when I drove into the garage. I called Red Rock Harley Davidson and they worked me in the next day for repair. I decided to have some service done while I was there. While the bike was in the shop we took a drive through Red Rock Canyon. Beautiful place!


I lucked out by not having a blowout which would have been catastrophic! Another saving grace was that I leave on Saturday and was an able to stop by Boulder City, NV to see my friend Beth and her husband Anthony. 

With the bike fixed and clean, I feel more confident about the remaining parts of my journey. It was a joy to see folks in my family that I don’t often see. Connecting with them reminds me of the great family I come from and our many connections around the US.

The question today that kept popping up is, “why the desert?” Of all places to put an adult playground, why put it in the middle of a desert? 🤷‍♂️ The average high temperature for Las Vegas this time of year is 107°. That’s the AVERAGE with one day of rain… DRY and HOT! So, why the desert? I don’t know. There are answers, of course. But I don’t know them.

There are a group of monastics called the “Desert Fathers” who were early Christian hermits and ascetics who lived primarily in the Wadi El Natrun in Egypt around the third century. Why did they choose the desert? I don’t know. Scholars speculate that the wilderness offered a closer connection with God who created everything, even the desert. In early times, demons were thought to have dwelt in the wilderness. The desert was a place of danger with very little water or substance by which to survive. So why the desert? Maybe it was so that they could fully depend on God for their survival. Maybe it was so that they could show that all that God has created is good and suitable. Maybe it was to show that God would provide sustenance and blessing even in the most harsh and challenging circumstances. Whatever the reason, the Desert Fathers and Mothers left their imprint on Christianity, and we can learn a great deal from them. One of my mentors, the Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Canham, wrote a book, A Table of Delight: Feasting with God in the Wilderness. I highly recommend it! It’s available here

Challenge to St. James and Self: Think about what it would be like to be a desert hermit in an age prior to air conditioning. Imagine what it would feel like. Would you be able to endure the conditions and the experience? Where would God be in all of it? When we think about this, we think about other times where life and conditions are challenging and harsh. How do we fully rely on God in those times? 

Laughlin, NV to Las Vegas, NV
Ride: 107 miles










Location: Las Vegas, NV, USA

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This Week!

Day in Salisbury

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Today was a lazy Saturday. Definitely a rest day! I met up with Bishop William Gregg who is retired and living in Salisbury. He is the bishop that ordained me to the priesthood. Throughout my ordained life, he has been a wonderful mentor and friend. We met at lunch at a place called Recipe downtown Salisbury. It was great to spend some time with him and catch up.  The afternoon was spent with Kyle figuring the materials it would take to fix/build his fence, I washed the bike for tomorrows ride, and had some quiet time around the house. Kyle and Kara have a bit of a zoo: 3 Cats and 2 Dogs. Peaches, Mopar, Bella, Shelby, and Yami.      Today is the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It’s the celebration of the time that Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth when they were both pregnant; Mary with Jesus, and Elizabeth with John who will be known as John the Baptizer. If you remember the account from Luke 1:39-57, when Mary greeted Elizabeth, John “leapt” fo...
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Route 66 (Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas)

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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...
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Big Sky!

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Today’s ride was clear and wonderful! Montana is truly the Big Sky state! The beauty of the colors does not come across in the pictures. I left this morning early and rode from Piedmont, SD to Billings, MT. I am staying with a new friend, the Rev. Gary Waddingham, a retired priest in the diocese of Montana. We were connected by my friend, Bishop Marty Stebbins (Bishop of Montana). I plan to arrive at her house tomorrow. I am grateful for Gary’s hospitality. Gary is cool. He’s an armature radio operator (ham radio). He’s got radio equipment and antenna’s everywhere. 😳 He’s definitely ready for the zombie apocalypse. 🤣 In all seriousness, since I’ve been in the Tennessee State Guard, I’ve developed a lot of respect for this type of hobby that is always an asset in times of disaster. It was a joy to sit and chat with Gary over dinner and talk about church. He’s been a priest for 50 years and is a treasure trove of information.  On the ride today through the tribal lands of the indig...
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Couple Days in McKinney, TX

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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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Route 66 (through Missouri)

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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...
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In and Out of Dodge!

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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...
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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...
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