If you don't go and go, you'll find you've gone.

I have no idea what that means, but if you take it for what it’s worth, which may be little, you realize that life tends to come and go WAY to fast. Many of us have been preparing for this trip for months and find ourselves now asking how we only have 2 weeks left??

It always happens…

I can’t believe that it’s been over a year since my first Ride:Well trip and now to think that this trip is drawing closer to an end is a hard realization, but I remind myself often there is still so much more to experience, floors to sleep on, a new kind of spaghetti to enjoy, rivers to jump in, ocean to ride along, random adventures to be had, and communities to connect with!

Rewind…

The last two days have been some of my most memorable/favorite days on a bicycle. Here we are in northern California riding our bikes through the largest trees in the world. The Avenue of the Giants or Old growth groves some 2400 years old just towering some 300ft over us as we cruise beneath their curtain. Pastor David from Redway said the Redwoods put to rest that old question, “If a tree falls in the forest, would anyone hear it?” “Yea, because they register on the Richter scale!”

You can make anything out of a Redwood trunk…

Being on a bike gives us the opportunity to stop pretty much whenever/wherever we want, which is awesome when you see one of these giants laying in the woods that you can walk through. Or when you see these sweet boulders in the river that scream, “Hey! Come and jump off me into the water,
I’m awesome!” I couldn’t disagree.

Wrong way – Do not enter…

I can’t tell you how many people, well actually it would be easier to tell you the amount of people that haven’t told us that we were going the wrong way. It’s all we know. The wind is hard at times, we DO seem to be going up hill all the way, no shoulder, log trucks, more and more
fog/cold/cloudy days, but there is glory in that! If you want to get serious, take a look at Jesus. He was sent to this earth knowing that he would face trials and tribulation, but “He did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many-Mark 10:45.” Jesus came into this world with a selfless and servant’s heart to lay down his life for us and give us an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that does NOT fade away, and is reserved for us! James 1:3-4.

So, we too lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters in Marsibit, Kenya. Doing our best to follow in Christ’s perfect example. It’s what keeps us motivated. It’s how we put aside our exhaustion, hunger, thirst, aches, and pains on the bicycle to keep pedaling each and every day reminding ourselves what Romans 5:3-5 says. “We glory in tribulation, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope. And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God is poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

Greatness is measured by our service…

My team is a constant reminder of what greatness looks like. If I’m being completely honest it should be all of their middle names. Each of them has such a heart and value for people that transcend financial/cultural barriers. If I could borrow a word from one of our riders, the wordsmith, “genuinity” would be a quality they all posses. I’ve seen them push on despite everyone telling us we’re going the wrong way, despite headwinds, ER visits, no shoulders, carrying 30lbs of gear, flats, bike problems, aches and pains, wrecks, and exhaustion for a people that they might never meet. They don’t let that stop them, and it is a constant reminder of what servanthood and faith
look like.

Despite all the reasons not to go south to north, it only gets more beautiful the farther we go, and despite there being only two weeks left, I’m looking forward to the time I have with my team, adventures yet to be had, communities to connect and share with, and serving people and Christ.

Let us never graduate from serving in simple ways, let our focus always be on others, and let us choose the cross over control.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Hanging with both Ride:Well teams in Sunny San Diego

Riding up the 1 along the coast. B E A UTIFUL!

Surfing

Writing and recording a Ride:Well/Venture rap song.

Seeing the whole team bike over a mountain and finish everyday

Random hikes/trails found on the side of the road that lead to beaches/caves

People on the west coast

Burritos in Ventura

Riding through the Redwoods/Ave of the Giants

Finding an awesome swimming h***/boulder jumping in the Eel River

Having a different kind of spaghetti every other night

Big gear challenge up the coast.

Riding through LB, Solvang, Santa Monica/Barbara, Monterey, Pebble Beach, San Francisco, Across the Golden Gate bridge.

Having these 10 riders become a part of my life.

Guadalupe lunch.

Lighthouses

Elephant seals and the Hearst Castle

Vista Points

So many more…