Day 22 (Final Day) Forest Grove, OR to Seaside,OR

Final Day—Day 22: Forest Grove, OR to Seaside, OR

Final HR2010 video: CLICK HERE

Miles on my Specialized Allez Comp Triple: 65

Weather: Perfect—not a cloud in the sky! Temps in the mid 60’s! One of the best days we’ve had yet. A great way to end HR 2010!

Wind: Not really a factor. Sort of ironic considering it was such a factor virtually the entire trip.

Songs stuck in my head: “Walk on” –U2

Flat tire contest: Luke ended up with 4 flats, Tom with 2. There will be a dinner followed by an awards ceremony and trophy presentation where I’ll be giving a speech later on in July at the Cherry Hills country club to accept this very prestigious award for having fewer flat tires than Luke. Thanks to all who supported me every mile of the way.

Road we traveled on today: The always dangerous Hwy 26 out of Portland. Our destination was Seaside, OR which is a beach town that many folks from Portland travel to on the weekends….especially when the weather is nice like it was today. Trying to take my best guess without exaggerating, I would say that somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,500 cars passed us on the 55mph road today. Most of the time we had a decent shoulder but there certainly were some rather hairy moments on the ride today where the shoulder was slim. Praise be to God for his mercy on us today, and me as I’ve traveled this road twice now in two Hunger Rides.

FUNDRAISING UPDATE: We actually do not have news for you that is any different from the blog post on the 21st of June. However, I will be posting updates a couple of times next week, starting Monday night with an updated total. You can still donate online at www.hungerride2010.com! We are less than $10k away from building a health center in Tikoling, Uganda and we are confident in the Lord that His plans will be carried out in this endeavor.



TEN HIGHLIGHTS OF THE HUNGER RIDE…..not necessarily in any particular order

#10 The Day ONE Ride from Highlands Ranch to Georgetown was certainly a fun way to kick off the start of HR 2010! 17 riders, beautiful weather, tasty donuts from Lamar’s and Panera as well as over 3,000 feet of elevation gain on the first day of riding! What more could we have asked for?

#9 As expected, hitting Grand Teton NP and Yellowstone NP on back-to-back days was an amazing experience. Psalm 19:1 says it best. Read it. God’s creation is absolutely stunning. And it’s even better to see when you’re on a bike!

#8 Riding 6 centuries in a 22-day time period was both a thrill and a challenge. The best century was riding from Missoula to Kooskia, ID where we had what seemed like thousands upon thousands of feet of downhill. We certainly don’t have anything on the guys that do the Tour de France. But, on the other hand, I guarantee that we listened to more Taylor Swift in a three-week time period than they do.

#7 Our sag crews. We had a total of four support crews that drove my car and carried our stuff to each location. Each crew was gifted in their own way, unique and had a personality of their own. Moreover, they were true servants, continually encouraging of our efforts and a ton of fun to be around! I literally feel like Luke and I laughed our way across the northwest with each of these crews at our side. So many good times, funny stories that will be recalled for years to come. THANK YOU to Tad Jones, Martin Butler, Andrew Aymami, Randall and Kathy Thompson, Williiam Bateman, Stewart Gunther, Roger and Rose Rand and my bride Annie Rand. WE COULD NOT HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT YOU. (Well, maybe we could have. But it would have hurt A TON more and it would not have been as much fun) In the words of my mother, “YOU are amazing!”

We also were super proud to have Davis Butler, Luke's friend from Dakota Ridge HS with us for the first 600 miles. Very fun. Nice job on knocking out a big 600 brotha!

#6 Nightly runs to Dairy Queen for the recovery meal of champions. I pounded a total of 8, maybe 9 blizzards on this trip. I don’t know what his total count was, but I’m pretty sure Luke beat me out in the blizzard count. It’s just too bad that there is no award given for this accomplishment.

#5 Luke talking about his weight (and the growth of his butt & quads from hundreds of miles of riding) more than a woman does. It was a continual source of entertainment for anyone who was lucky enough to hear him discuss these critical issues in life. Equally funny was his love and infatuation with the Lion King and Taylor Swift. Who would’ve thought? I’ll never look at both in the same way.

#4 The people that we saw/met along the way. Too many to mention ….but we’re grateful for Brian and Brent in Missoula, the Furman’s in Dubios, WY and our dear friends here in Beaverton, Oregon, the Siraks. A HUGE shout out to Jolynn, her husband Ken and their two kids, Savannah and Andrew. We had the opportunity to reconnect with them, play a few intense games of fooseball, eat one of the best meals we’ve had on the trip as well as stay at their house tonight. For the veteran Hunger Ride bloggers, you will recall how significant the Siraks efforts were in both 2006 and 2007. (They raised over $2,000 in garage sale profits for the HR!) We’re thankful for their friendship over the years and the opportunity to share and laugh with them tonight! A real blessing and the best end the ride--eating dinner out on their deck in Beaverton! Fun fact of the day—Jolynn and Savannah are the only ones to be at the finish line of all three Hunger Rides. Pretty dang awesome!

#3 Tan lines. We haven’t talked as much about our lines as we could/should have, but let’s just say they are some of the best I’ve had since, well, the last time I went on a bike trip.

#2 The heart and toughness of Luke Jones. Now, if you’ve been reading and following the past 21 days, you’ve heard me give Luke a ton of crap for a myriad of things. All in fun, of course. But, I’ve gotta give it to this tall drink of water for how well he held up over that past three weeks. I won’t lie, I knew that he could do it, but he did a lot better than I thought he would do. He handled riding an average of 80-some miles per day like a champ. A real sturdy ox, if you will. When I met with Luke and his parents back in December, I remember carefully choosing my words …. trying to give an accurate picture of what life on the road is really like day after day. I wanted them to know it would be challenging without scaring anyone away. But, in many ways that’s a hard thing to do. It’s hard to explain what it’s like to be on a bike without just going out and doing it. Hats off to you, Mr. Luke Jones. A job well done! I will not forget the good times that we spent on the road together. Most of all, I will not forget your heart for Africa. You did this ride for Tikoling. That was very clear and evident throughout this trip. And Tikoling will be a different place because of you. We need more students like Luke Jones at Valor.

#1 Gosh, there’s so many more things that I could mention. Kind of cliché, I suppose, but the highlight was simply the journey itself. And when I say journey, what I mean is the journey that started back in November of 2009. It's really been an 8 month journey in the works here. It started with an idea, then, prayer, then trying to figure out if this would even work. What’s been the highlight of the whole thing is to see the number of people that have jumped on board and been involved. The number of people that have shown care and compassion to see a small village with people they've never met, over 3,000 miles in a place they may never go to---be a different place! People who have bought shirts, made donations, asked about Food for the Hungry and their work in Uganda and the Valor Discovery program, as well as many that have donated rooms and meals, people who have put their time, energy and efforts…...the list goes on. It’s been almost a couple hundred people total who have touched this fundraiser for Tikoling in some way, shape or form. And when I think of that, I think of the body of Christ. His hands, his feet, His heart serving here on this earth….bringing restoration and redemption. That is why we are here.

Thanks to all who have followed our journey and been involved. We praise God for you.

Day 21: Gresham,OR to Forest Grove,OR

Miles on the road: 48

Video of the day (Luke and I riding at a very pedestrian pace on the Columbia River bike trail)

# of turns on the route today: a total of 11. Navigating through the Portland area to find the good bike roads is not an easy thing to do. But, we made it! Imagine riding from Stapleton,CO to Highlands Ranch,CO for those of you in Denver. How would you get there on a bike? Run DMC said it best, "It's tricky, tricky, tricky."

Weather: Mostly cloudy, mid 60's/low 70's

Wind: slight headwind from the northwest

Songs stuck in my head: "If this is it" -Huey Lewis & the News

# of days on the road: 21

# of days left: 1

# of miles we've gone so far: appr. 1,560

# of miles left on Hunger Ride 2010: 65

# of times we've eaten at Burgerville in the past 3 days: 5

My current state of mind: The month of June is pretty much all a blurr at this point.

Current state of my legs: Well, I'm not in my 20's and I just don't recover as fast as I used too. That's for sure. But, other than that, I feel like a million bucks.

Caption Contest: We're going to give it one more day before we announce a winner. So, you still have a chance. See yesterday's blog for details.

Flat tire contest: Luke has 4, Tom has 2. Therefore, it's going to take a 69' miracle Met performance for Jones to come back and win this one. It appears that I have it in the bag. But then again, that's what Al Gore thought. And look what happened to him. So, I'm not breaking out the champagne yet. However, I am sleeping with both of my tires tonight just so I know he won't sabbatoge me in my sleep. I'm pretty sure that we'll have a flat tomorrow. It always happens on the last day. Just hopefully not more than one.

PICS FROM YESTERDAY...

I put up a couple picks from yesterday. The first is a pic of the tire that Luke changed when we we're riding on I84 yesterday. As I said in yesterday's blog, it looked like somebody took a chain saw to it. The other is Luke basking in the glory of the days' ride. Ladies, you can look, but please keep your hands off of him. He's busy listening to Taylor Swift right now.

BEST PART OF THE RIDE TODAY....

We rode over a pretty sweet bridge (St. John Bridge) again today. That was cool and not quite as scary as the one from yesterday.

HARDEST PART OF THE RIDE TODAY.....

Right after we crossed the St. John bridge, we had a 2.5 mile climb that gained 964 ft in elevation with an 11% grade. Pretty narly for sure. Luke, riding without a triple, was again a gamer. I actually did not get out of my second ring just so I could "feel his pain."

WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO EARN IT TOMORROW.....

If you have nothing better to do tomorrow, go to the website http://www.mapmyride.com/ and map out a route from Forest Grove, OR to Seaside,OR. (We are taking Hwy 26) Make sure that you check the "elevation profile" on the far right. What you'll see is that in 65 miles of riding, we climb almost 4,000 feet. So, we're going to have to earn this thing on our last day. No gimmies on the Hunger Ride.

SHOUT OUTS.....

Once again, for the third Hunger Ride, we received an overwhelming response from the various towns and communitties we've ridden through in terms of accomodations. Tonight, we're staying at the Best Western of Forest Grove,OR. They graciously donated two rooms for us tonight. And, we're also thankful for PF Changs of Portland who donated two tasty entrees to the cause.

Day 20: The Dalles, OR to Gresham,OR

Miles on northwest speedway: 75

CLICK HERE to watch the Hunger Ride video of the day ...be sure to note the couple playing a major game of tonsil hockey 7 seconds in. In the video you can not hear it, but I jokingly said something to them when passing. Never mess with Oregon lovers when they are kissing. Never. It's a bad idea.

Weather: low 80's and mostly sunny. It was definitely hot, but a good day at times for riding.

And by that I mean it wasn't 39 degrees and raining.

Wind: We felt some strong headwinds throughout the course of the day. I can't lie and say it wasn't brutal at times, but that was to be expected.

Tomorrow's Ride: 45 miles to Forest Grove,OR. Yes, this is our shortest trek of the entire trip. But, after riding 5 centuries in 20 days, we are ready for a day like this! We'll go straight into downtown Portland so we're pretty stoked about that!

CAPTION THE PHOTO....

I've been looking for this man (see first pic at the top) who is a good friend of mine from the 2006 ride. Those who have been with me for all three rides may remember him well. Anywho, I'm buying a free DQ blizzard for the person who comes up with the best caption to this photo. Post your caption in the comment section of today's blog. In the words of a wise man named Chris Hill, you better come strong or don't come at all.

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT ALL OF THIS HAPPENED TODAY (Thursday)?

*At about 9:30am, we had a flat around mile 10 .... Luke completely shredded one of his tires on who knows just of off of Hwy 14 in Washington. We not only had to replace the tube but the tire itself as it was totally unridable. It was as if he ran over a chainsaw. Yeah, rough start to the day.

*At mile 27, we found out that we would have to wait for an hour as the road we were traveling on was closed from 11am-1pm due to road construction. Nice. Super. Fantastic. Just Great. So, Luke and I both ended up taking naps out on this pier off of Drone Lake.

*After riding 48 miles, we had to ride over this old, massive and creepy bridge called the Bridge of the Gods --check out the link. Just remember if you're riding it, don't look down! That pretty much scared the be-je-bees out of us. And that takes a lot, because we're rough, tough blue collar guys. Er, um, yeah we're not.

*After we crossed back into Oregon from the creepy bridge, we then had to ride 10 miles on interstate 84. That would be our 4th interstate we've ridden on this trip. Pretty sweet. One more than a hat trick. Well, all was fine and dandy until we met this gal in her mid-twenties who had just blown out her tire. I'm not sure I've ever seen a car tire so shredded in my entire life. Speaking of chainsaws, that guy did a number on Luke's tire this morning must have beat us to Oregon because her tire was done. She was stranded on I84, so Luke decided to flex his tire changing skills for all to see and he changed this gal's tire in a matter of minutes. Yes sir, Mr. Jones, I was there to witness this. And I'm not getting any coin for writing this either. While I'll admit that Luke can't change a bike tire for crap, the dude has got some serious skills with automobiles. Apparently his Daddy taught him well. I won't tell you whether or not Luke got her number....you're going to have to ask him about that.

*After climbing some monster bluffs to finish out the day before we got into Gresham, you would think that a day as eventful as this would be over, but alas, it was not. The fun was just beginning.

*After we rolled into our accomodations for the evening (Thanks Days Inn!), my lovely wife, Andrea, had some sort of allergic reaction in our motel room shortly after we were settling in. Well, long story short, Luke had to not only flex his tire changing skills but his 911 skills as well and we were off to the ER. Fortunately, by God's great grace, her Epi Pen worked to help her breathe and everything was alright with Annie. We stayed at the ER for about 4 hours for observation, but we think that everything is okay now.

So, there you have it. It was a wild and crazy day. We will certainly sleep well tonight. Let's hope.

BEAR SIGHTING....

I forgot to mention that yesterday, on the way to Mt Hood, we saw a bear as we were driving on Hwy 26. It ran across the road about 50 yards in front on us. I'm not going to lie...... At first I thought it was a gorilla. But then, after I came to my senses and realized how ridiculous that would be, I realized it was a bear. Pretty sweet. First bear action of the trip.

QUOTE OF THE DAY...

There was a man in the elevator this morning that called Luke "Slim." Now, Luke gave him the courtesy laugh and nod as this man was several generations older than him, but I really think that he was having one of those moments that Larry (Jim Carrey) had at the end of Dumb and Dumber. You remember that one? As he's shaking Mary Swanson's husband's hand and he's thanking Larry for saving Mary's life, he's (Larry) having this fantasy in his head of pulling out a revolver and shooting him due to the fact that he's got the mad hots for Mary. Hilarious. We've all been there.

SHOUT OUTS....

Thanks to the Days Inn of Gresham for donating two motel rooms for Hunger Ride 2010! Also, we gotta give a shout out to Burgerville on Gresham for the free dinner tonight. Much appreciated!

Day 19: Umatilla,OR to The Dalles,OR

Miles on the saddle: 103.5

Weather: low 60's at the start, high 80's at the end. One of our hottest days yet.

Video of the day CLICK HERE

Wind: all over the board today. Headwind at the end. But, overall it was not as much of a factor as it's been in past days.

Start Time: 7:10am (We actually woke up at 5:50am today!)

Finish Time: 2:05pm

Tomorrow's trek: 75 miles to Gresham ....We are now moving into the Portland area ....which means the HR is soon coming to an end. Tear, tear. Be strong, be strong.

Quotes of the day:

1. "Mr Rand, today is a big day. I have this pair of spandex that was too big for me at the beginning of the trip. But now, my butt is big enough to fit in them." (A conversation that Luke and I had in the elevator at about 6:05am on our way to breakfast) Btw, for those that are wondering and keeping logs back at home, Luke has gained like 4 pounds on this trip. And that is something he is very proud of and we all should celebrate with him. Next time you see him, be sure to tell him how round and hefty he looks.

2. I asked a man in our hotel this morning "How ya doing?" and his response to me was "Psychotic." Yikes! Holy cow. How exactly should I have responded to that statement?

3. "I could not be doing this if I wasn't riding for Africa." -Luke Jones, about 99 miles into our ride today when the temperature was about 87 and we were climbing up a big hill off of the Columbia River.

POST RIDE FUN IN THE SNOW AND SUN.....

After our ride today, we took a drive south to visit Mt. Hood, one of the ski resorts that Oregon is well known for. Timberline Lodge which is known by many for the scenes in the movie "The Shining" (A Jack Nicolson classic) and is a towering hotel built in 1938 and located at the base of Mt. Hood. This massive structure is certainly a legendary site to see. When I first walked in, I thought I heard some little kid shout "REDRUM" "REDRUM" but I could have been hearing things. But it really got weird when I kept seeing these two twins girls holding hands and this little squirt on a tricycle. Very strange. I can't figure out why Luke has been having a conversation with his finger either. Anyways, We took some time to visit today and had a little fun in the snow as well. Timberline Lodge is located at 6000 feet and they get over 400 inches of snow a year. The summitt is at just over 11,000 feet. Unfortunately, we did not have the time to climb (or ride)to the top. Um, we'll save that for next time we come through Oregon I supppose. We kind of figured that we've already climbed to the Continental Divide in CO (at 11,000ft) so we sorta thought it'd be a "been there, done that" kind of thing. We pretty much laughed and sang our way up and down the mountain today. Like the other sag crews, the five of us are bonding well and enjoying each others company. Sing-a-long songs included "My life would suck without you" by Kelley Clarkson and some other song by Taylor Swift. But I've gotta say that I'm disappointed in my father, just a little. We give him one line in the Kelly Clarkson song ("yeah") and he can't get it right. Come on, Pops! Step up your game.

SHOUT OUTS....

Thanks much to Victoria at The Dalles Inn in The Dalles,OR for two donated rooms to Hunger Ride 2010! We are greatly appreciative for not only The Dalles Inn, but the many hotels that have partnered with us along the way in our trip.

Day 18: REST DAY

Miles on the pavement: 0

REST DAY Activities:
As expected, we did a whole lotta nothing. And that was great. It was a real treat for sure.
I did actually go on a 35 minute run. Yeah, that was actually pretty painful. Not sure what I was thinking on that one. But, it was good to get out. The best part of the day, however, was having the opportunity to jet over the border to WA to catch a little shade next to the Columbia River at a park. Great downtime.

Here is our rest day video of the day CLICK HERE

Tomorrow's Ride: 105 (Umatilla to The Dalles)
# of days left on HR 2010: 4
# of miles: about 290 miles
# of beds that I've slept in the past 17 days: 14

Here are some thoughts about HR2010 that I've been wanting to share.

WHY ARE YOU HELPING PEOPLE IN A FAR AWAY PLACE WHEN THERE'S PEOPLE WHO NEED HELP HERE IN THE U.S.?

This is a question that I’ve heard from time to time, and I wanted to touch on it briefly. I was recently in a discussion with a family member who asked me when I was going to do something to help people out in the United States. Still, after three Hunger Rides, clarification was needed for this person as to why I would be concerned about a group of people living in another country 3000+ miles away. I remember riding my bike through Kansas on the 06’ trip and a lady in the diner we were eating at said, “we shouldn’t help people overseas until all the people in the U.S. are helped.” I remember being so awestruck at the ignorance of that statement that I sat there confused and silent. I was unable to respond in the moment. So, how should we respond to this question?
To put it another way, why would my school, Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch,CO, take 15+ students thousands of miles away for the past two summers when there are people just a few miles down the road that need help? Well, the reality is that anywhere you go, in all of our respective communities, there are people in who are poor, sick, and in great need. For the follower of Jesus Christ, I think the critical question to be answered is, “How does God want me to look at the world we live in….whether that be in Denver, Memphis, Milwaukee or Nairobi, Kampala or Addis Ababa?” I think the short answer, stemming from 1 Cor 12, Matt 28:18 and Acts 1:8 is that we are to have His (Christ) eyes, His ears and we are to be His hands and His feet. I should seek to have God’s heart and see the world that He does. Unfortunately, I myself am an idiot most of the time and I do not do this. It’s pretty hard. Lots of distractions. A good friend of mine from high school had this for a senior quote “We are never so empty when we are full of self.” Wow. It's funny how that quote has stayed in my head some 14 years later. How many times have I lived that out and felt that weight, consequences emptiness of that statement. That’s why I’m grateful for the Holy Spirit, who enlightens me to my selfishness, enables me to escape the futility of that black hole and empowers me to be the hands and feet of Christ. The truth is that Christ no longer physically lives on this earth as he did 2,000 years ago, but His presence is felt and His kingdom made known as He indwells those who are His followers as they seek to be His body and be salt and light. God is here among us. Most importantly, from those passages we learn that God’s heart is for the whole gospel to be taken to the ends of the earth. All nations. All people groups. Everywhere on this earth. Meeting all forms of poverty –physical, spiritual, relational…that’s the whole gospel. It’s amazing to me how the very first people that Christ takes the gospel to in Luke 4 is not the religious, the upper class or even the most intelligent. He first brings the gospel to the poor. We learn from the beginning of Christ's ministry how much God values, loves and cares for those who, in many cases, do not have a voice for themselves. Richard Sterns, in his book "The Hole in our Gospel" notes how times have greatly changed in the past few decades. To paraphrase his words, he makes the point that we now have greater AWARENESS of what’s really happening in developing countries like Uganda and Kenya-two places that Valor has traveled to these past couple years. And he notes how we have greater ACCESS & ABILITY (i.e. I can fly to Africa in about 28 hours…. I could not have done that several decades ago.) than we’ve ever had before. Put very simply, we have a greater responsibility more than ever before to be concerned of what’s going on in far away places. There are numerous occasions in scripture where we are commanded to love, serve, and be of help to the poor. In fact, that’s the main point on Sterns book. He says that if you were to take the couple thousand passages of scriptures that have to do with the poor out of your Bible, you would have a huge hole!
So, back to the question. What should we do?
Well, when we talk of physical poverty in the U.S. in relation to physical poverty overseas, we are talking about two very different realities. It's of some value to note that EVEN THE POOREST PEOPLE IN THE U.S. ARE IN THE TOP 20% OF THE RICHEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. That’s pretty crazy if you think about it. But what exactly does that mean?
I think that there are people who obviously do need help in the U.S., and we should seek to be aware and be committed to action to help these people. In the same token, certainly God calls people to different missions in different places.
As far as Hunger Ride 2010 goes, we were made aware last summer of a very big need in a community that Valor has more or less adopted for the time being in Uganda. The need is for people to have access to medical care in a very remote area of Uganda that most people have not heard of called Tikoling. Most people in Tikoling have to walk hours up to 6 hours to get medical treatment. Our hope is that in a few months, maybe by the end of this year, they would no longer have to walk that far. Our hope is that common colds, sicknesses and diseases could be treated in their own community. Mothers could receive pre and post natal treatments. Babies could have the opportunity to grow up healthy. Families would stay strong. We wanted to respond to this call. At the end of the day, that's what this bike trip is really about. Hopefully this ride has now made you aware. The reality is, as a good friend of mine once said, the very most that we can give, whether that be of our time or resources, in light of what Christ has done for us, is really the least that we can do. In light of what Christ has done for me, the least that I could do is spend part of my summer riding a bike to make people aware of the needs of Tikoling. Man, HE's blessed my socks off.

My hope is that you may have been encouraged or challenged to do one or more of the following.....

1. Become more AWARE about needs in developing countries around the world.
2. Become more familiar with quality organizations like Food for the Hungry (www.fh.org) and the work that they are doing around the world and take the initiative to partner with their work!
2. GIVE of your time and/or resources as God leads you.
3. GO to Africa or a developing country and give of your time and energy.
4. Be TRANSFORMED and live a life that Christ calls us to live.

Day 17: Waitsburg,WA to Umatilla,OR

Video of the day (from Sunday night 6/20) CLICK HERE

Miles on the northwest speedway: 76

Weather: mid 60's, mostly cloudy, headwind and crosswinds most of the day. But, the wind was nothing compared to yesterday. PTL for that.

Terrain: The last 25 miles we rode along the mighty Columbia River in Oregon. It actually was not as beautiful as we had imagined .... but we know there are some really pretty parts that we'll soon see. But, it was great to cross the state line into Oregon.

#of days of riding left: 4

# of miles left on HR 2010: about 290

# of flat tires today: Zero! Boo-Ya!

# of Dairy Queen blizzards I've eaten on this trip: 6 or 7

Today's Smells: For a good bit, we smelled fish. And that kind of makes sense since we were riding along the Columbia River for 20+ miles.

Scripture verses that came to our minds b4 the ride this morning:

*Isaiah 40:31 "those who wait on the Lord will not grow weary .... they will walk and not grow faint"

*James 1:3-5 "Consider it pure joy when you face trials of various kinds ...."

*1 Thess 5:17 (I think): "Be joyful, pray continually, give thanks... for this is God's will for your life"

*Phil 4:13 "Rejoice in the Lord always ... again I say Rejoice!"

Tomorrow's Ride: The only riding I'll be doing tomorrow will be in the sag vehicle to Walmart as Luke and I will enjoy our 2nd (and last) REST DAY tomorrow. Definitely well needed ... and well deserved (so we think!). Wednesday's ride is a long one though. We do our 6th (and last) century ... 105 miles total for the day. Forecast right now says high's in the low 90's. We go from temps in the 40's just a few days ago to now temps in the 90's. Gotta love that.

SUMMARY OF TODAY'S RIDE....

I'm going to keep this short and sweet and say that Luke and I are absolutely stoked to have day off tomorrow. Today started out pretty rough for both of us. Our legs felt like they were stuck in 2nd gear for the first 3 hours of the ride. And that's not good when you're driving a 5-speed automatic transmission. We just couldn't get the HR train going. I will admit that it was hard to stay positive in my thoughts for awhile, but eventually I came around. Fortunately we had my wife to harass us and keep us moving or else we may have set the Guinness book of WR for the slowest males to ever complete 76 miles on a bicycle. Incredibly, we started to feel great around mile 50 and we really got into a groove for that stretch along the Columbia River that was pancake flat. Life on a bike means that sometimes you feel better AFTER doing all 75 miles than BEFORE you start the ride. And, today was one of those days. We honestly felt better at the end than at the beginning.

Quotes of the day:

My Father (to the check out ladies at Walmart) : What's there to do for fun in this town ?

Clerk: (Pause) Nothing

My Father: Well, there has to be something to do.

Clerk: (She gives no response, just laughter.)

That doesn't bode well seeing that tomorrow is our day off. Then again, come to think of it, nothing actually sounds like something I'd be interested in doing tomorrow for our day of rest.

SHOUT OUTS....

Just wanted to give a shout out to VALOR TEAM AFRICA. They have less than a week left in Uganda/Kenya. Keep them in your prayers when the Lord brings them to mind.

Day 16: Lewiston,ID to Waitsburg,WA

Miles on the Washington hill country: 79

Weather: The rain held off for us today, but the wind did not. And that made for an absolutely brutal day on the bike. We pretty much got buried by a headwind that made it feel like we were riding in a wind tunnel the entire day. It was like someone was playing a cruel joke on us. Once again, good day to fly a kite, bad day to be riding your bike west. It was brutal.....incredibly hard (possibly one of the hardest of this trip) and both Luke and I are toast right now. Thanks, Washington. Preciate' that. Hunger Ride 2010 will never forget the 36 hours we spent in this state and how you buried us into the ground. :)

Road we were on today: Hwy 12 the whole way. A nice 55/65 mph speedway. Yikes, the cars really do fly out there.

Shoulder condition: It ranged from literally 5 inches of shoulder to 3 feet ... smooth surface to rough and full of debris

Tomorrow's Ride: Waitsburg,WA to Umatilla,OR. (originally a 57 mile day, we'll have to ride 76 to make up for the miles we missed today)

# of times I changed (Luke's) tires today: 5

# of flat tires for Luke: 3 (we found out he had two bad tires, hence the 5 times of changing)

# of flats for the trip: Tom-2 , Luke-3 ....Luke takes a commnanding 3-2 lead on me. This is one game I hope I lose.

Miles ridden today after being on the road for 3hr and 27 minutes: 8

(You gotta love flat tires .... and then running out of Co2 cartridges)

Quote of the day: "It's pretty much a sufferfest out there right now." -Me, commenting to my Dad about the conditions of the ride today during a break. Yeah, I guess I pretty much just quoted myself on that one!

Hey Big Chill, "Flair!"

SUMMARY OF THE DAY.....

We departed from room 216 in the comfy accomodations given to us by the Red Lion Hotel of Lewiston at appr. 9:00am this morning. All was going well for the first .55 miles. That's .55 miles, not 55. That is until Luke ran over who knows what and was blessed with his first flat tire of the trip. He's pretty much been blaming me for his flat since I made a pretty big deal just last night over the fact he hadn't, up until this morning, had a flat tire this entire trip. That's 1200+ miles of riding. Pretty crazy if you think about it. Well, that came to an abrupt end this morning .... and we ended up having more problems than we could handle. Long story short, there were multiple problems with tubes and tires and such, and we rode all of 8 miles (in what was suppose to be a 102 mile day) in 3 hr and 27 minutes. So, once we finally got on the road we felt like we had some catching up to do .... so we really started to hit it hard....riding like we are in the Tour de France of something. The problem for us is that the headwind we faced was absolutely ridiculous and we had 4,000+ feet of climbing ahead of us. We ended up getting blitzed pretty good today. My legs are more sore right now than they've been the whole trip. If you took a metal hammer and started banging on any part of my legs, I probably wouldn't feel anything. I do need to say that Luke was a stud today. There were a few times that I really pushed it hard ... very hard to try and make up some time. And he was right there. He stood in the ring and took the beatdown that the Washington hills and wind gave us today. And he was in pretty good spirits at the end of it all as well. Nice job, Junior.

GLASS HALF FULL ....OR GLASS HALF EMPTY?

We've all heard the expression "do you look at life like a glass half full or a glass half empty?"This old-time expression, of course, has to do with the different perspectives that people choose to have on events that take place in their lives. Well, there was certainly a battle that occurred in me today .... and it all took place between my ears ..... having to do with the various things that took place on Day 16 of HR 2010. It's not always a joy-ride out there, folks. There certainly are moments when I can lose perspective .... and times when I would rather be laying on my couch watching the Cubs. Well, here were the two sides of the coin for me today. Two perspectives. Two conversations that I had with myself ..... the different thoughts that went through me head. I tried to, as best I could, to dwell on the second list rather than the first. And I think that ultimately, in the end, I did. But, it wasn't always easy.

I thought of this day like the glass was half empty when:

1. 3 hours had gone by, we hadn't rode 10 miles and it was time for lunch

2. By 11am, I had put three different tires on one bike

3. After changing out the 4th tire, we had no Co2 cartridges .... and had to call the sag for reinforcements.

4.It was 4:00pm, we hadn't rode 50 miles and the wind was getting worse

5. Did I mention that all afternoon we were getting blasted by a hurricane-like headwind?

6. We never officially ate lunch today. I just kept eating gels packets and Cliff bars

7. By 5:00pm, my legs were absolutely throbbing and it was hard to keep pedaling

I thought of this day like a glass half full when I focused on.....

1. There's not too many people that have the opportunity to ride their bike for this long

2. I'm not the greatest athlete on the planet, but God did give me the ability to sit in the saddle for long periods of time

3. Soooo many people have given their time and resources to make this trip possible ... and we've raised over $16,000 so far!
4. There is hope in a very small town in Uganda right now because of the work that Food for the Hungry is doing .... and Luke and I have the privlege to be a part of it

5. I've got an awesome Dad (Happy Father's Day ol' man!)

6. We've had 4 amazing sag crews ... and we'd have been in a big trouble a few times (today included) without them

7. We rode for over 2400 miles combined with less than 3 flats .... so what happened today is really not that big of deal

8. We had over a dozen different motels give us free nights to stay on this trip ... hot showers are great

9. We've had more sun than rain on this trip, and today would have been absolutely miserable in the rain

10. My wife is able to be with me for the last 9 days of this trip .... and I'm thankful for the post ride massages!

11. Christ lives in me.

Point being, there's always, always, always more things to be thankful for as exemplified in this list.

SHOUT OUTS.....

We have the Marcus Whitman Hotel in Walla Walla,WA to thank for a really sweet second floor motel room. This place is pretty swank if I do say so myself.

Day 15: Kooskia,ID to Lewiston,ID

Miles sharin' the road with those crazy Idahoans: 74

Weather: Mostly sunny, headwind out of the west, temps in the low 80's

Terrain: Nice slow descent down to about 700 feet above sea level at the end. We followed some river the entire day and continued to enjoy the beauty of the great northwest. However, it was kind of difficult to enjoy at times as we had a small shoulder to ride on and traffic was very thick. We shared the road with loud trucks, big RV's, semi's .... not to mention people that were not happy we were on the road to begin with. We got the "mean" horn honk at least three times.

Road Kill: For those who venture across the country for the sole purpose of viewing road kill, today was a goldmine. An absolute jackpot. We saw all of the following on Hwy 12:

1. 3 deer

2. 2 skunks

3. 1 fox

4. 1 snake ...not sure if it was dead or alive ... but it freaked my wife out pretty good.

5. numerous birds

Tomorrow's Ride: 98 miles, appr. 4,000 ft of elevation gain .....all with a little rain in the forecast!

Songs stuck in my head: "Easy come, easy go" -George Straight "Blessed Assurance" -sung by Tom Rand

WHERE DO YOU KEEP YOUR MONEY?

I'm becoming more convinced that some of life's most interesting (and hilarious) conversations happen in gas stations in small towns across this great country. Here's a replay of the events that occured at appr. 11:45am this morning in Orofino,ID. I happened to have the privlege of chatting with a younger female attendant who took my money as I purchased a cheeseburger for lunch. Yeah, I know. Kind of a risky move purchasing a cheeseburger in a gas station. Well, I was in the middle of admiring the purple streaks in her hair when the following convo occurred:

Me: (I hand the girl $10 to pay for a $2 cheeseburger)

Attendant: This bill is all wet. (She holds and waves it up in the air) What's the deal with that?

Me: Oh, I know. I'm really sorry about that. (I didn't tell her this, but my money always gets very wet from sweat b/c I keep it in the back pockets of my bike jersey.....which I sweat through in about 4 min everyday)

Attendant: That's okay. Don't worry about it. I was at the bar the other night and I pulled a $5 dollar bill out of my bra and gave it to the bartender. He looked at me and said, "That's disgusting, this bill is all wet." I said, don't worry, it's not what you think. My girlfriend just spilled beer down my shirt. It's not a problem.

Me: Oh, I see. Hmmm. Great story. Have a nice day.

THE HUNGER RIDE SAYS GOODBYE TO ....

Former students of mine William Bateman and Stewart Gunther .... who did a fantastic job being our sag wagon crew this past week. We pretty much laughed our way across the great northwest from Bozeman all the way to Kooskia,ID this past week. It was truly an honor to have these guys fly 2,000+ miles to be a part of Hunger Ride 2010. We won't forget the 80's sing-a-longs, good conversations and, of course, the epic two-night game of Spades we played ....in which I went blind nil at the end to bring home a "W" for Luke and I. Thanks, fellas. It brings a tear to my eyes to see you guys gettin' all grown up on me now.

THE HUNGER RIDE WELCOMES ....

My parents and veteran sag wagoneers Roger & Rose Rand. There's not much these two haven't done when it comes to Hunger Rides. You want a story? Well, they'll surely be the ones to tell it. Why? Because there is a good chance that they were there. They were there in 06' when it rained cats, dogs, curling irons and bowling balls in a classic Kansas t-storm on me, then in Oregon for the monster hill climb to the top of Mt. Hood. There were on the shores of Seaside, OR of HR #1 to see me cross the tape and dip my bike in the mighty Pacific ...and they'll be there when it happens again next Saturday.

SHOUT OUTS....

*Thanks much to Casey at the Red Lion Hotel of Lewiston, ID. This place is pretty sweet fo sho! And Casey happened to hook us up with two complimentary rooms in support of Hunger Ride 2010.

Day 14: Lolo Hots Springs,MT to Kooskia,ID

GOODBYE MONTANA....HELLO IDAHO!

Miles on Hwy 12 (Montana & Idaho) : 108

CLICK HERE ..... for the video of the day!

Weather: Perfect! The best day we've had yet! low 70's, mostly sunny, winds light and variable. This was a long time coming. After many days of feeling like I was in Siberia, we finally saw some blue skies.

Terrain: This was the easiest century we've had yet. It was pretty much 108 miles of downhill. We dropped over 4,000 feet in elevation. Unbelievable. It was gorgeous too as we literally rode next to the Lochsa River for 99 of those miles. And let me tell you the views were stunning. Some of the finest riding of my life today.

BULLFROGS AND BUTTERFLIES.....

Well, we didn't see any bullfrogs today, but we did have several dozen encounters with numerous butterflies that littered the road along the river where we were riding. Andrea"fresh legs" Rand, taking the lead for the first 70 miles, took the brunt of those. However, Luke did manage take a butterfly to the mouth. We heard him spitting and moaning for about 2 min after this happened. Very funny.

TODAY'S RUNDOWN.....

7:20am: woke up

8:00am: ate breakfast in the Lolo Lodge in Lolo Hots Springs

8:59am: hit the road

1:00pm: Our awesome sag crew brought us sandwiches to eat while on the road

3:51pm: Arrived in Kooskia (107 miles in less than 7 hours!
4:33: took a dip in the Lochsa

5:37: ate dinner at the Grapevine, a local diner in town

I AM NUMBER ONE! OR AM I......
One story from yesterday (Thursday) that I forgot too mention happened when we were just south of the bumbling metropolis of Lolo,MT. We happened to be riding on a dirt road (due to some construction) and there was basically no shoulder to ride on so we were taking up the entire lane....and cars had to go all the way over in the other lane to pass us. Well, one lady in a Ford Probe must have been pretty ecstatic about Hunger Ride 2010 b/c she decided to lay on her horn and speed up as she passed us. So, naturally, I wanted to acknowledge her appreciation for our efforts, so I kindly waved back to her. Well, next thing I know, her hand is in the air, and she has one finger in the air. The bummer though is that I couldn't figure out exactly what she meant. Does she, much like my wife, think that I am #1? Is that what her finger meant? Is she a fan as well and she just wanted to let me know? Or, was there some other meaning in this gesture? Could she have been expressing her excitement that there is (was) only one game of the NBA season left? Or, was she possibly trying to let us know that there was only one carton of eggs left at the grocery store and that we should be quick to buy? I'm not sure.... but apparently this will forever be a mystery.

TOMORROW'S RIDE....

82 miles from Kooskia to Lewiston. We drop down to 700 feet above sea level. Crazy! There's just so much air to breathe down here!

SHOUT OUTS...

*Thanks much to Mike and Arlene of the Western Motor Inn of Kooskia, ID. Kooskia (pronounced Koos-kee) is a town of about 275 people. The town is right along the Locksa River (where the boys shot the rapids this afternoon) and much like some of the other towns we've been riding through and finding accomodations for the night.

*Our love, support and prayers continues to go out to VALOR TEAM AFRICA as they're well into their stay. Hoping the best for you guys as you share God's love with those in need!

Day 13: Hamilton,MT to Lolo Hot Springs,MT

Miles on freezing Montana pavement: 61
(THURSDAY'S POST)

Weather: 43 degrees, rain, 14 mph headwind at the end

# of cups of coffee I drank today: 4

Songs stuck in my head: "Hold on Loosely" -38 Special, "Come on Eileen" -Dexy and the Mignight Runners??

# of days left on our trip: 9 (8 days of riding, 1 rest day)

Our lunch stop: "Taco Time" in Lolo, MT. Amazing soft shell tacos.

# of times that I actually felt warm while riding: 0
# of lamas we saw: numerous
# of miles on dirt roads: 7
# of miles on a bike path: 10
Longestest stretch that Luke went without talking about the Lion King, Carrie Underwood or Taylor Swift today: possibly 19 minutes, but it may have only been 5. That's under dispute.

Terrain: Slight decline most of the way, then we started to climb at the end.

THE HUNGER RIDE WELCOMES......
My wife! Andrea Rand joins the fun and adventure. We picked her up in Missoula last night and immediately headed to the IronHorse sports bar to watch game 7 of the NBA Finals. She was ecstatic to arrive to town and have the opportunity to watch 3 straight hours of hoops.(not) Unfortunately, the wrong team won. We were the only few Celtics fans in a predominantly pro-Laker crowd. We did, however, have a great time hanging in downtown Missoula.

Today's (Friday) Ride: 107 miles to Kooskia,ID lot of downhill for us today-HOORAY! Let's just hope the wind cooperates with us today. We'll be staying at the Kooskia Western Motor Inn. Giddy up!

SHOUTS OUT....
*Brian Marsh and Brent Ruby of Missoula,MT. A good friend of Andrea's (Megan Myers) of Denver connected us to these guys and they were a huge help to us! Brian picked Andrea up from the airport in Missoula and Brent helped unpack and put Andrea's bike together. Thanks, fellas! We can't wait to eat the electrolyte loli-pops you gave us! If you've seen "A River Runs Through it" .... Brian is a pastor of the church from the movie. Pretty cool.
*Michael of the Lolo Lodge. We appreciate the donated room! We also were especially grateful for the natural mineral hot springs that we were able to soak in yesterday afternoon after freezing our tails off all day on the bike!

Day 12: Wisdom,MT to Hamilton,MT

Miles on the Montana speedway: 76

Weather: I feel like we were “showered” with y’alls prayers today because, miraculously, we did not encounter any t-storms and hardly any rain (just a light sprinkle the first two hours) despite riding under dark clouds the entire day. In the words of Joey Lawrence, all I have to say is “WHOA!”

Wildlife viewing of the day: We saw about 12-15 elk crossing a stream on our way out of Wisdom this morning about 10:30. I felt like I was watching the Discovery channel....just live. Then, after lunch we saw about 7-8 rams crossing Hwy 93 on our way up to Hamilton. And, as the picture shows, we saw some more deer. This guy wanted to fight Luke, but then heard about how Luke is good friends with Simba, so he held back.

News Flash of the Day: Here in blogger world, we're ecstatic to reveal to you why Luke is constantly consummed with the Lion King movie and soundtrack. The pic above says it all. Supposedly it started at a very young age and his parents have no explaination for it. Rumor has it that after his first viewing he ran away from home and they found him two days later in the Denver Zoo....in, you guessed it, the cages with the lions. Psychologists are yet to figure out a name for this but many call it, "Simbamaniasm." I guess one could say Luke is a "Simbamaniac."

SUMMARY OF THE DAY.....

We woke up at 7:30am and went and ate breakfast in the home of Brenda, the owner of the Nez Perce Motel where we stayed last night in Wisdom. She cooked us a delicious breakfast of blueberry waffles and an egg/sausage mix. Of course, there was a pot of hot coffee for us as well. BTW, sorry Jones', but apparently I've turned your son into a coffee drinker. It's been his morning drink of choice as of late. I've heard coffee can stunt a young man's growth. But I guess in the case of Luke that might not be such a bad thing. We hit the road for Hamilton a little after 9am after spending a little time reflecting on Colossians chapter 1 together as a group. GREAT chapter. Reminds me a lot of Ephesians 1 in many ways. Paul gives us a picture of WHO Christ IS and WHAT He has DONE for us. God's word is so good and these are great promises to rest upon.

Like I said earlier, the rain held back for the most part today and we were extremely grateful for that. It was a bit nippy with temps in the high 40's, but we managed to break a bit of a sweet as the first 25 miles had 1400 ft of climbling. We probably saw 10-12 cross country bikers today. This is no surprise as we are currently on a road that is highly traveled by cross country bikers. CLICK HERE to see these sweet routes that Adventure Cycling has put together. I've never met a cross country bicyclist that I didn't like. There's always something to talk about and there's the obvious natural connection that immediately bonds us together.

OUR HOMER SIMPSON "DOH!" MOMENTS OF TODAY....

1. Happened right out of the gate when I lead us .63 miles in the WRONG DIRECTION out of Wisdom. Had my former student, Stewart "saves the day" Gunther not corrected us, we may be writing you from Butte,MT tonight.

2. About 60 minutes into the trip, the top of my head was starting to hurt. I couldn't figure out why I was having so much pain. I figured out that I had put my bike helmet on over my sunglasses (which I thought I left at the motel) before I started riding. There's no person that is laughing right now more than my wife .... because I do these things all of the time and she thinks it's hilarious.

3. Luke had a serious wipeout going about 3mph as we pulled into the Super 8 this afternoon. He unclipped and put his foot down, but unfortunately for him they didn't stick....and down went the Lukester. Yes, he is okay. The play was pretty close, but I think the ump called him safe.

FUNDRAISING UPDATE.....

As of this morning, we have raised $16,137! Thanks so much for your prayers, encouragement and support in our efforts to build a health center in Tikoling, Uganda! We are only $10,007 away from meeting our primary goal!

SHOUT OUTS....

*Shelley and Rob and the Super 8 of Hamilton for the donation of a motel room. Room 116 will never be the same after the Hunger Ride rides through it!

*I gotta give it up for Eric at the Pizza Hut in Hamilton. After riding 76 miles, I walked in to see if PH would be willing to partner with Hunger Ride 2010 and donate a deep dish pizza to the cause. Eric was thrilled to be able to give. Thanks, dude! Great pizza!

Day 11: Sheridan,MT to Wisdom,MT

Miles on the great Montana asphalt: 104 .... same as yesterday. But today we climbed over 4,000 ft including two mtn passes (Badger and Carroll)

# of centuries we've ridden on this trip so far: 4 (125, 112, 104, 104)
# of centuries left: 2
# of interstates we've ridden on: 3 (I-70 in Colorado, I-80 in Wyoming, I-15 today in MT)
# of deer we've seen in the last 48 hours: 25-30 at least
# of cows we rode by today: at least 1,000 .... I thought I was in a cow heaven
Tomorrow's Ride: 74 miles to Hamilton,MT (over 4,000 ft of descent!) CLICK HERE to see the route we're taking
Tomorrow's forecast: temps in the 40's and 50's, rain and t-storms all day

Today's Weather: Let's just say that we dodged several bullets and got partially wounded by one. And by bullets I'm talking about the insane weather that we had to deal with the entire day including rain, hail, wind and thick black clouds that, while harmless in and of themselves, could make some little boys run home and cry to their mommies. Do us a favor, Go ahead and look up the word "elusive" in the dictionary. What you'll see is several pictures of Luke and I in spandex on our bikes dodging many thunderstorms across the great state of Montana. I kind of felt like we were in a game of Ms. Pacman. We were constantly being chased. I feel like it would have been appropriate for someone to have blasted "Welcome to the jungle" by GNR right as we were leaving our motel this morning because we definitely felt like we were in the jungle all day long. Except this jungle didn't have fun and games. The pinnacle moment of the afternoon came when Luke and I were literally blown over on our bikes by the wind as we caught the tail end of a quicly moving t-storm. We contemplated going into the ditch as we were in the middle of bfn and there was virtually no coverage, but we were surrounded by water so their wasn't much choice but to try and stay standing and hold onto our bikes as we got pettled by smail pieces of hail. Fortunately, the storm passed and we were able to continue our ride. Let me just say that's one situation I hope that I'm not in any time soon.

HOW DO WE FEEL AFTER 11 DAYS OF THE ROAD?

Luke says: "I feel like if someone took a metal hammer and started pounding on my quads as hard as they possibly could ... that I wouldn't feel a thing. But, you need to know that I wouldn't have made it this far if I did not have constant thoughts about the Lion King. Also, I would not have made it up Badger Pass this afternoon had it not been for lyrical geniousness of Taylor Swift. That's about it."

Tom says: "Other than my butt hurting, having a little bit of a stuffy nose and being tired of eating overpriced northwest food, I feel like a million bucks and could keep riding all summer. I feel like, in a very non-Hindu way, I'm becoming one with my bike as each day passes. We are developing a special bond that is difficult to articulate in this language."

WHAT ARE WE DOING RIGHT NOW AT 7:48PM MTN TIME?
Playing cards and watching the NBA finals (and praying for blue skies tomorrow)

SHOUT OUTS.....
Thanks much to Brenda at the Nez Perce Motel in Wisdom, MT (pop. 125) for the donation of one room in which the four of us are crammed into.

Day 10: West Yellowstone, MT to Sheridan, MT

Miles on my Specialized: 104

Temps: low 80's at the end. Felt like I was riding my bike in a sauna

Terrain: the first 70 mi were rolling hills. We did that in exactly 4 hours with one short stop. We were definitely hauling tail! Looking back, we probably went out too fast because we basically got destroyed/obliterated/crushed/blown up by this 9 mile section of climbing on this hill called Virginia Pass coming out of Ennis, MT. We climbed into a fierce headwind, with about a 15 inch road shoulder on a 65 mph highway..... and did I mention it was hot as all Hades? However, it was an important test. And let me just say that Luke officially became a man today. If we were in the scouts, I'd give him a patch or pin or something. He stayed on my back tire the whole way. He never wavered through the hills, heat and sheer number of miles that we rode. He rode hard. I was proud of that mountain goat. It was pretty much a sufferfest for both of us. But, we made it through and lived to tell (and blog) about it. Fortuntately, the last 25 miles weren't too bad. However, we are both paying a price right now as we are tapping out for the night.

# of buys I swallowed: 2

# of insects/bugs of somesort that stung me today while riding: 2

Playlist while riding: (in my head, of course...as I left my CD walkman at home)

1. "Agnes Dei" -MWS

2. "Mighty to save" -MWS

3. "Omaha" -Counting Crows

4. "The one I love" -REM

5. "Training Montage" -from the movie Rocky IV

What I saw that made me almost vomit today: I saw some kid in an Aaron Rogers (Green Bay Packers) jersey walking down mainstreet in Ennis. Not a fan of the Pack, in case you didn't know.

Here's a conversation that occured today between LUke and some trucker at this bar (the only place we could get aqua) right after we got owned by Virginia Pass. It was kind of funny and what you should know is that these convo's happen on a regular basis in the towns that we stay in. Besides the bartender, we were the only three people in this place.

Trucker: I saw you two coming up that nasty mother (expletive) Virginia Pass a few minutes ago.

Luke: Yeah, that was us.

Trucker: If I'd of thought faster, I would have thrown you guys a tow rope and pulled you right up that mountain

Luke: I wish you would have b/c I would have taken it (shortly after this remark, Luke has his face and arms completely buried on the bar itself) Maybe next time.

Me: I was pretty much staring at the wall, listening but too tired to move at this point.

Possible alternative mode of transport to Oregon: see pic above. We are currently in negotiations with a bean farmer here in Sheridan for this tractor. We are hoping that he will trade it for a half a bag of banana chips, 23 cliff bars and a couple tire levers. He's pretty stubborn, though, so I would expect to see us on our rides manana.

Tomorrow's Ride: 103 miles to Wisdom, MT (4300 ft of climbing, two mtn passes)

SHOUT OUTS.....

*We are exremely grateful for the Happy Trails Motel who graciously donated 2 rooms for us tonight!

*Annalisa Galgano for the "Lion King" link! That is sure to come in handy at some point in this trip. Nice find.

HUNGER RIDE SAYS GOODBYE TO.....

David Butler. Most of you know that Davis has been with us since the very beginning of the trip. That's 650 miles and 9 days that he has ridden with us. And he was certainly a trooper, that's for sure. We're really going to miss having Davis with us. He was a really great guy to have around.

I like Davis because he's into a couple of the more important things in life one should be into; cross country and 70's & 80's music. We definitely had a good time turning the dial up to the likes of the Doobey Bro's, Boston and others on several mixed cd's that I've had spinning in my car since this trip started. Davis, we'll miss you buddy. Hope you enjoy Florida!

THE HUNGER RIDE WELCOMES.....

William Bateman and Stewart Gunther. Probably new faces and names for most of you unless you currently reside in Memphis, TN. Back when I was teaching in Memphis, I had William and Stewart in my "Defense of the Faith" Bible class when they were seniors. It's been three years since I've seen them, but they were more than willing to travel almost 2,000 miles to be a part of HR 2010. They will be driving vehicle support, quoting random 80's movies and providing comic relief for us until this Saturday .... and we're ecstatic to have them with us!

PLEASE PRAY FOR....

The Valor Africa team that is currently in both Uganda (Tikoling!) and Kenya. Pray for the unity of teams, the work they will be involved with and changed lives when they return on the 26th of June.

Day 9: REST DAY in Big Sky, MT

Day 9: REST DAY in Big Sky, MT

Miles on the road: .08 (I walked my bike from the bike shop to my car) other than that we did a whole lot of nothing. And it felt real nice. "Real nice, Clark, real nice."

Video of the day (from Saturday)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe8Arsn0OYE

SHOUT OUTS:

I gotta give it up today to my boy, Chris Hill of Memphis, TN for the hook up of a place to stay in beautiful Big Sky, MT. This morning, we drove from West Yellowstone, MT to Big Sky, MT for the day. Tomorrow morning we will drive back to West Yellowstone and continue our journey. Chris is a good buddy of mine who I used to teach with when I lived in Memphis way back when. He also stood up in my wedding last summer. He's got quite the blog himself--check out http://www.mrchrishill.com/ I should actually be giving a shout out to his wife, Kristen. It’s her parents place that we are staying at ….and we have them to thank for graciously offering us room and board for our day of rest. It’s just what the doctor ordered after 8 days of hard riding.

Here’s a run-down of what we’ve done today:

Luke and Davis watched tv for 7-8 hours. When they got done with that, they threw gummie worms off the balcony onto the golf course of where we’re staying. In between these two strenuous activities, they managed to pound all 22 otter pops that were left in the freezer by the last guests that stayed here as well as 3 Diet Cokes. Please lift these two warriors up in prayer when the Lord brings them to mind as they are truly exhausted from this arduous day of events. After I cooked them dinner, Luke mentioned (for the 15th time) how much he wants to watch the “Lion King.” Unfortunately, we were just not able to make this happen. However, he was able to take bubble bath late this evening. Can I get PTL for bubble baths, anyone?
Fellas, nice work this past week! You deserve the rest.

For myself, it’s been a pretty good day. Definitely thankful for Big Sky. What a sweet spot on the map. I’m not sure that I ever would have ventured here on my own without the connection to the Hill family. We’ve been blessed a couple of times now on this trip by friends who knew folks along our trail and who committed to opening up their homes to us. Now, I definitely would love to come back as BS is kind of like Breckenridge, CO, but not as commercialized or “resortee.” And that I really like a lot. We met a good dude at the one bike shop in town who did some minor repairs to my ride. He said that the skiing here is off the chain. So, I guess that settles it--I am going to have to find a way to get myself back here!

In the past, rest days on the Hunger Ride are good for laundry, sleeping and organizing all of your stuff/junk in the sag vehicle (my car) and getting some down time out in nature. For me, the latter was literally just walking outside of our place and sitting on a rock ……and just looking at the spectacular panoramic views here in Montana and trying to take it all in. Once again, hard to sum this up in words. But it was indeed breath-taking. It certainly renews the meaning of Psalm 19:1 to me.

Tomrrow’s Ride: about 105 miles to Sheridan, MT

THE HUNGER RIDE WELCOMES….
You’re just going to have to wait until tomorrow to find out who the next sag wagon crew is. But suffice it to say I ‘m pretty stoked about who is on deck. In fact, I’m surprised that we were even able to get them to drive support and be a part of Hunger Ride 2010. There is no one that is traveling further to take part in this adventure than these two cats. No question that adventure, fun and many deep convo’s are ahead.

Day 8:Colter Bay Village to West Yellowstone,MT

Miles on the hardroad: 88

Songs on the road today: I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Luke's rendition of "Can you feel the love tonight" from the Lion King up the hills of Yellowstone.

Songs stuck in my head: "Buffalo Solider" -Bob Marley (kind of fitting seeing that I saw like 68 buffaloes today)



Movie we watched tonight in the motel: "Back to the Future Part I" ....classic. Absolutely brilliant.

Miles ridden since 6/5: about 650 miles

# of times we said that words "Car Back" today: at least 240

How do we feel after 8 days of riding? Legs = Good , Butt = Bad


# of flat tires: Two for the Randman, none for Davis and Luke. Interestingly, I woke up this morning and my tire was flat. Hmmm. That's really funny how that just seemed to happen overnight. Personally, I think that I was sabotaged while sleeping by two individuals who will remain nameless. I believe that this video is my proof! (This was me changing my first flat tire a few days ago....and these two jokesters seemed to think it was friggin' hilarious.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtlpM79e0s4


Forecast from weather.com last night: High's in the 30's with a 70% chance of snow


Today's weather: High's in the low 40's, mostly cloudly, but no snow or rain...whew, we dodged a bullet on that one. I think someone was looking out for us today. But man, there were a few moments that I felt like I was doing a cross country ride across Alaska. Sheesh. They call this summer up here?


Best sites of the day: Yellowstone National Park and everything in it! Fantastico!


At one point we were about 20 yards from an enraged buffalo charging an RV camper. That was pretty cool. Glad I wasn't in that camper though. Perhaps it was one of Ralphie's children upset about CU's move to the Pac-10?


Also, we saw Old Faithful. Er, kinda-sorta. We didn't actually see the water shoot out due to the fact that we would have had to wait 90 minutes and we were in a bit of time crunch trying to get into West Yellowstone. But, I think that Luke said it best when he said, "Oh, we can just find it on youtube tonight." However, we did see a ton of buffalo (none charged us, fortunately) and several elk. And then there was this other weird looking animal that we saw quite a few of .... not really sure what it was. It kind of looked like a miniture camal.


What did we eat for dinner tonight? Mcdonald's and Dairy Queen for dessert. Dinner of champions right there my friends.



HUNGER RIDE SAYS GOODBYE TO .....
At about 10am this morning, we waived goodbye to Randall and Kathy as they headed to West Yellowstone to catch their flight back to Denver. Gosh, It's been a heckuva week. So many stories. So many laughs (most provided by Randall). Words will not adequately sum up the good times. Thanks Thompson's! You guys rock.


Wind: We actually had a cross-tail wind for the 20 miles....that was sweet


Quote of the day: "I'm going to do nothing but play games on my phone the entire day tomorrow" -Luke Jones referring to what he's going to do on our first rest day. And, to be honest, if I even get around to doing that much it will be a pretty crazy day for all of us. Our legs need the rest. Cheers to mind-numbing games on our phones!


Hello Montana, Goodbye Wyoming!
We said goodbye to the Wyoming winds today and gladly welcomed a new state on our journey to the mighty Pacific. I can't really tell you why, but our hearts are already endeared to the this state despite the fact that we've only actually ridden a whoping two miles over the border.