The loop...sixty miles...

A humbling day.

Not in a negative way.

But in a very positive and productive way.

God is so gracious!

I love His sense of grandeur and adventure.

Campground to...

Palmer Lake...

Nighthawk...

Oroville...

Tonasket...

Back to the campground.

Sixty miles!

Talking with the lady about the bike ride and ministry.

The beauty of going from one valley to the next.

Cold. Windy. And beautiful!

A break. The other end of Palmer Lake

The bike that draws so much attention on the road

Coming up the hill out of Nighthawk

Mileage markers

My view as I keep on pedaling!

Riding over the pass.

Headwinds.

Finding new places to camp along the river.

Coasting into Oroville knowing I had made it that far.

Coming through Tonasket.

Talking with a Vietnam War veteran while having a veggie sandwich at Subway.

Knowing there are people praying for "the ride."

I may never know them.

But God has appointed them as pray-ers.

Sharing what the Lord is doing in my life through this ride.

Absolutely.

Priceless.

Continuing to joy in the journey.

D.

Wannacut Lake...

Wannacut Lake.

Broken derailleur on D's bike.

But that did not stop us from continuing on.

D stashed his bike and he walked/jogged four miles to the entrance of the resort.

He turned around at that point.

I kept going.

Not far though.

Just a mile or so more to the public boat launch.

I was amazed at how low the water level was.

The boat launch was maybe a quarter in the water.


It was a beautiful ride.

Wannacut Lake

Wannacut Lake

Wannacut Lake

 As we were talking about the day, while the food was cooking for filling in the tortillas, it was this truth that hit me.


We do not let the situation control us.
We control the situation.


So many people, and I have as well, begin something with gusto and great fervor.

Then difficulties and situations come up.

I see that as the point where the excitement comes in.

We see how the Lord interacts and intervenes in the situation.

These times are when we get inspired.

How do we observe and adapt to what has happened.

Simply by remembering...

There are no interruption in life.

Continuing to joy in the journey,

D.

 

April 24...

Cold!

Windy!

 Feel as if I got wind burn all over my body.

I know I did not.

My face sure feels it though!

Got up this morning to a cool breeze.

Had oatmeal. With blueberries. They plumped up real nice once the hot water got all over them.

Then walked over and said goodbye to Jake, Colton and Kurt.

Jake let me record him playing some guitar. He is very talented.

Reminded me of another young man his age.

Told Jake when he becomes famous playing his Spanish classical music,
will remind him I had the first recording.

Colton plays bass.

Kurt does contract out work.

So...

Talked with them for a few minutes and gave them three business cards to take with them.

Wrote down Life Garden site on the back as well.



Road to Tonasket, then Highway 7 till it met up with 20.

Then back again.

Thirty eight miles!


It would be incredible to meet those three men down the road a ways, see how the Lord worked in their lives over the years.

They passed me just at the bridge into T.


Lots of wind this afternoon while I am sitting in the tent.

The storm clouds have rolled past and the sun is shining.

A good slathering of PB between two slices of bread. Along with the rest of the OJ to help wash it all down.

Tonight is fish and chicken.

No riding today....

Went to town to get the truck.

Spent some time sorting through and organizing the panniers.

All my clothes in one pannier.

Bike gear and cook gear in the other.

The tent can be strapped to the one pannier and the sleeping bag to the other.

D. says he wants to travel with me.

He wants to get a trailer to tow behind his bike instead of panniers like I have.

Excited each day to see more coming together for the ride.


Praying we will be able to spend more time with the three guys.

Continue to speak into their lives Lord!

Let them see how much joy they can get from a relationship with you!

Continuing to joy in the journey,

D.

Palmer Lake... again...

Took D's truck to town. Needed shocks and such looked at.

Sent some emails and some pics.

Then...

We both took a ride to Palmer Lake. 

Another wonderful day of riding.

Not sure, but D may have caught the touring bug. He is praying of going on the ride with me in June.

Totally awed by all of the creation we see as pedaling along. 

The places one could rock climb, hike, kayak, camp...they are innumerable.

We talked with a older gentleman at the rest stop/boat launch.

He is a believer in Christ!

When we got back to camp, ate a couple slices of bread with peanut butter.

Then for the evening meal had tortillas with chunks of pork and salsa.


The evening was really something.

The three young men we had met, got to talking with us around their campfire.

Started sharing about our lives, where we had been....


Then the whole topic of God came up.

D had the joy of talking with them more in depth. 

Tears flowed...

emotions welled up...

tongues were loosed...

It was wonderful to know the Spirit of God was working.

Now to keep praying for these three young fellows.

camping...riding...

Took off for the campsite.

Campsite on Spectacle Lake

Met some young men from Bellingham who were on a week of
vacation before going back to work.

Went for a ride to Palmer Lake.

What a totally scenic and inspiring ride.

Palmer Lake

Palmer Lake

Right around twenty miles.

Lots of downhill there, and then, of course, uphill returning.

Had rice and leeks for the evening meal.

An idea...

Arrived back at the home in the woods today.

The ram pump had stopped so walked down the trail to the creek to check it out. No broken lines. Pushed on the outlet half dozen times and it started right up.

Went down the "rock" with just a rope. No rapelling gear. Did ok for the first time.

Started to get all the gear put away again from time at the farm and then we both had a flash of a brilliant idea.

Let us go camping!

I had remembered seeing a small area right on the edge of Spectacle Lake where you can camp for fourteen days.

Free!!!

So to the next day....

 

Wheeeeee.....Ooooooohhhhhh......

A short ride today.

 Thirty miles.

Two hours forty five minutes.

Beautiful day. Dazzling sunshine. Just the right amount of wind to keep me cool, yet not so much I would struggle pedaling.

The highlight.

Coming down the hill by Tonnemakers Fruit Stand.

Wheeeeeee.......

A great place to buy fruit and produce.

Tonnemakers 

Note to self:

Remember to put on sun screen lotion next time.

Ooooooooooohhhhhhhhhh.........

If you want a good read study 1 and 2 Timothy.

Absolutely powerful.

Continuing to joy in the journey,

D.

Broken mirror...

Yesterday, the 17th, I was able to get a good ride in.

Thirty five or thirty six miles.

It is hard to tell, cause, well...

My mirror broke.

Mirrors are handy to see what traffic is behind you!

How can having your mirror break, effect knowing how far of distance you went?

The little bike computer was attached to the mirror.

So...

Four miles into the ride, I lost track of how far and fast I was going.

I did stop at a fellowship on the edge of town. Needed to use the loo and was not super excited about stopping at a fast food place to do so.

Went in, and two ladies were setting up for a wedding.

Saw a brochure for some friends we know from PNG.

The Stefaniws.

Talked with them for a little bit then on the way again.

Looks like a great fellowship to visit.

Small but intimate place to worship the Lord.

The one lady said, " We are not like other fellowships. We are down to earth!"

I believe they are indeed!

Bread of Life Ministry

Rode past Soap Lake a couple extra miles, and on the way back pedaled around E-town a bit as well.

Still arrived back to the relatives in time for the evening meal.

Important to make sure I am back in time!

Would not want to miss out on pork chops, scalloped potatoes and broccoli salad :)

So three hours of pedaling to go the distance.

Not bad.

About twelve miles an hour average.

Better than the first time this year.

And it was a beautiful day to be out and about. 

Getting some sun on the skin after the winter felt pretty nice.

That is about it for this day.

Remember to rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulations, and most of all persevere in prayer. 

The Lord is good!

Continuing to joy in the journey,

D.

Your choice...

I just got a wonderful email from Wycliffe.

All of the finance details for giving to the Maring during this ride are worked out.

Wycliffe already has an account set up to receive funds for Martin and Anselm!

Any funds coming in will be sent to the Papua New Guinea Bible Translation Association (PNGBTA) designated for these two translators.

Should you give to this translation cause, make out checks to Wycliffe Bible Translators and indicate on a sticky note your gift goes to fund # 990957/Anselm & Martin.

Wycliffe Bible Translators

11221 John Wycliffe Blvd.

Orlando, FL. 32832

1-800-992-5433
 

Also you can go to the Wycliffe site and give online as well.

Wycliffe Bible Translators
 

They have a spot you can click on to give.

If you want to give to Maryln and Lynda's Ministry in PNG, National Community Transforamtion Network, support can be sent to:

Interlink Ministries Inc.

PO Box 460

Apple Creek, Ohio 44606

a [501 (c) (3)] Nonprofit Organization

Interlink Ministries

Whichever ministry you give to it will be blessed. 

Thanks so much for helping promote both translation and transformation.

Both are vital.

Both are worthy.

So glad I do not have to deal with any of the finances.

So thankful for people who have that gifting!

Love to all of you in Jesus!

Continuing to joy in the journey one pedal at a time!

D.

Slept in...

I did not get out of bed until seven this morning.

Usually, up here, at the home-in-the-woods, I am awake and up by six.

But I was still cold, right to the bones, from the ride yesterday.

Sorted through and burned lots of old papers.

Filtered several buckets of water.

Read some out of my relative's Jeanine Carey's book...

Experiencing God in Everyday Life.

Although they are here memories, and beautifully written, they most certainly spark and bring to mind memories of my own.

Some good.

Some bad.

Some indifferent.

But all those experiences and situations, given and directed by the Lord, have shaped me and molded me to the person I am today.

Stinky feet.

Bad breath.

And a body that seems to be changing all on its own.

And all of it in God's perfect plan.

Rejoice in everything.

Again, I say rejoice!

It is hard to keep stretching my muscles.

And I rejoice that I feel stronger each mile more I ride.

It is hard to not compromise and give in.

And I rejoice that God is my strength and my portion.

It is hard to wait.

And I rejoice the Lord says...

"In my time."

"For my purpose."

"For my glory."

And I continue to rejoice!

Here is to another day.

A day of living for Jesus.

D.

Wauconda

40 miles!

Wauconda and back.

Cold and windy.

Each corner, I thought to myself, "This must be the corner where I'll see the store."

But no.

Well, let me back up a ways first.

I always drive down to the mail boxes which is where I begin my rides.

Today I headed toward the highway.

Again.

Seems to be the common direction I head.

When I got to the intersection of the two roads, I was at a dilemna.

I could turn left towards T, which I constantly travel to for supplies, and use of the free internet...

A little break here to say a bit about Two Rebels

They are incredibly gracious as I sit here, researching, and catching up with emails, etc.

If you are in the area, it is a great little computer store.

Layton definitely knows his way around computers and has helped more than once when I had troubles.

Trina, his wife, knows a lot about page layout and editing.

And they are also helping to get the ministry website up and going.

... or I could turn right, going uphill towards Wauconda and R.

I chose to go right.

Uphill.

All the way.

Even when I thought the road was not going uphill, it still was.

It was only a deception.

What looked like nice undulating rises and falls was still...

Uphill.

Cold.

Windy.

When I got to the store cafe at Wauconda, I was hoping to get a shake or something to keep up the energy for the return leg.

They were closed for the day.

And to add to the situation, it began to snow.

What a joy!

So I pulled out my two tangerines and my peanut butter sandwich from the pannier.

Seems like I fought the wind both going and returning.

Had to pedal to make it downhill.

If not, the wind would just stop me.

Period.

Was the ride worth it.

You bet.

It was a beautiful and challenging ride.

The sights were magnificent.

Creeping along at four or five miles an hour uphill gives one plenty of time to look...

deer on the hills...

different insects and small furry creatures trying to scurry across the road without getting run over by a crazy bicyclist. Or a car.

And going slow, one also has the joy of the flies and other assorted swarming creatures to contend with.

It is amazing to live in God's creation.

It took me five hours to go those forty miles.

I would not trade one inch of it.

And, yes, I will be riding this route again :)

A spectacular time with the Lord!

And with every crank of the pedals, I got closer to where I was headed.

It also reminded me of this truth.

Life...

It is not about the destination.

It is about the journey to the destination.

My journey is with Christ.

Who is yours with?

Continuing to joy in the journey,

D.

Many Lakes... and my brakes work!

30+ miles.

Went to town today to specifically ride out along the road to Loomis.

And that I did.

It was a truly scenic ride.

Went by Many Lakes Recreation area. Lots of fishermen as it was the opening weekend.

I really need to remember to take pictures as I am on these rides.

Telling about the scenery...

the lakes...

the people...

the orchards...

the smells...

Well, it is just plain hard to do so in words.

It was a beautiful road to ride on and all of the petrol/desiel powered vehicles which passed gave me a nice wide way.

One part of the ride, where I got to make sure my brakes worked well was....

when I was coming down the long hill back towards Tonasket.

I was going along a pretty good speed, as no one was behind me, so I was taking full advantage of the lane...

When what to my wondering eyes should appear...

but a deer standing right in the middle of the road. And one in the pasture looking out over the scene without a care.

I quickly slowed down, while the deer looked with astonishment at something coming toward it, which was not a vehicle!

It ran from the middle of the road off into the pasture on the far side.

I have no idea what the other deer did!

But I do know my brakes work well :)

Continuing to joy in the journey,

D.

Frogs and praise...

30 miles today!

Went from the mail boxes to the country store and past to where the pavement ends.

And of course back again, as one cannot simply go one direction on a bike ride without heading abck in the same direction.

Though, maybe with a few side routes thrown in. :)

So that was 14 miles.

Then to the highway and back.

Another 16.

Great ride.

The best part of the whole ride was going by a large pond that had a symphony of frogs croaking, singing in their own way to the Lord.

Was actually a very beautiful sound!

Planning two more rides the next two days.

Continuing to joy in the journey,

D.

Pumping water!

April 7, 2015

Got up to the home-in-the-woods last night.

Had bought some parts for the ram pump to try and get it going while we have all this nice spring water flowing.

The pump works!

Pumping about a gallon and half a minute up 200 feet from where it is situated in the stream. Two one hundred foot sections of hose.

So yesterday morning (this is now Wednesday and updating what I wrote yesterday), came to town and got another extension of garden hose (another 100 foot length) to add to the one already on the pump. Will be able to pump the water up to some water barrels on the road and then gravity feed them to the home.

I really like this pump as it is solely powered by the water action.

No gas.

No electric.

So exciting!

Was going to try and get a ride in today. But ended up doing all kinds of other activities.

That is ok.

I will have plenty of time for more training rides.

Plus, it was not too pleasant of weather out last night and this morning.

Got a couple inches of snow last night.

I opted to wait.

And the middle of this month I will have all the rain gear I ordered.

A little bit of comfort from the cold and weather helps the ride to be much more comfortable :)

No reason to feel uncomfortable while pedaling down the road!

God is good.

Continuing to joy in the journey.

D.

A little update to add to this post.

We thought it would take twelve hours to fill the fifty five gallon drum. It only took four!

So going to need to begin digging a pond on the uphill side so we can gravity feed the water down to the house, trees, flowers, etc.

Here is to a green summer!

Always continuing to joy in the journey!

First ride

April 3, 2015

About two months before the big ride begins!

---------------------------------------

Went on a ride today.

I had forgotten just how enjoyable it is to pedal down the road on a recumbent trike.

Not worried about going fast.

This training and the ride itself this summer is not about quantity.

It is about quality.

I may not be on an upright diamond frame bicycle.

But I am still pedaling.

Still moving that crank one revolution at a time.

Enjoying.

Living.

Breathing.

Experiencing.

Living each day for Jesus!

Still smiling!

Riding a recumbent is so fascinating.

Watching people watch me as I slowly make my way up a hill.

Seeing people whiz by on the freeway, towing boats and campers behind them.

Sitting at the intersection of the frontage road and road "I".

Having a biker on an up right, or as my friend says, "an up wrong bike," come by with a huge thumbs up and a smile as I am just relaxing in the mesh seat, enjoying watching the clouds come in.

Wondering if I will get rained on.

So the ride.....

Twenty miles.

Ten miles an hour, which is what I was striving for.

And what I am hoping for this summer!

So....

I would say, in very certain terms, that today was most definitely a success.

If you are ever in Wenatchee, and you need a bike shop to go to, I would without hesitation recommend GoBent Recumbents.

Jim has a wealth of knowledge about recumbents, as he has been riding them for many years.

And you will enjoy chatting with him in person!

And here is a pic of the bike, still without a name, in the back of the Subaru, bringing it home from Wenatchee yesterday.

Got it quite a number of years ago, and it is still in good condition.

New Schwalbe Marathon tires.

Brakes and gears all adjusted.

There will be more pics soon, when it is fully outfitted.

So for now....

Continue to joy in the journey!

D.