Ready or not....Denver, here we come...

It's Sunday evening, it's been a full day. Attended my local church, said goodbye to friends there and to my family who came for supper and to wish me well on my adventure. The rain yesterday and today got rid of the heat and humidity in this area of Ontario but did spoil plans for outdoor activities today.

Friday afternoon Joe and I left Waterdown to travel to Dorchester to meet up with Peter and Rita Beerda who will be travelling to Denver with us. We were up bright and early on Saturday morning to do a round trip from Dorchester to Port Burwell - a 130 km ride. We were on the road just after 8:00 a.m. and it was hot already and only got hotter as the morning progessed. We were in Port Burwell just before 11:00 with 64 km on our bikes and a few short stops along the way. Lunch was on the beach and we made it quick because we could see storm clouds forming in the distance.

For a change of scenery we took a different route home - which would give us another big hill to climb in Eden - and it wasn't the Garden of Eden. This ascent was in the heat of the day and it was steep - I did have to stop once to catch my breath before making it to the top. From reading Saturday's blogs, I shouldn't complain because the bike tour's ride was a lot more difficult and it was much hotter than what we experienced. We made one more stop in Brownsville for icecream and Gatorade before the home stretch. No sooner were we back on the road and the heavens opened and we were drenched. Mind you at first it felt really good to cool off but we soon realized this was not a quick little shower. We stopped after 15 minutes of this and Joe found a machine shed where we could get in out of the rain. Half an hour later, the rain stopped, the sky still looked ominous but we decide to start out again. No sooner were we cycling again and the next shower came upon us - and once again we looked for shelter. This time an empty cow barn became our place of refuge. It still smelled like cows had been there, little kittens were making their home in it and lots of hay was stored there as well - and we were out of the rain.

Since Peter had been smart to pack a rain coat, he suggested that he ride home from there and pick up a van and come pick us up. We were still 25 km from home at this point and we urged him on. Twenty minutes after he left, the rain stopped and the sun tried to break through the clouds. The suggestion was made that maybe we should start cycling again to warm up because by this time, we were chilled right through. We figured we would get to Ingersoll and would get a ride home from there. Peter, in his wisdom, decided to hop on the 401 and come get us that way since it would be a lot quicker. But we were cycling on the country roads and didn't meet up with him at all. We made it all the way back to Dorchester by bike with 131 kilometers on our odometers just before the next downpour hits. It felt so good to have accomplished this - my longest ride to date - just a foretaste of what is to come once I start cycling next week Monday. Lesson learned - always have rain gear with you, you just never know when you may need it.

In preparing the the ride, I have been reading and journaling from Max Lucado's book, "It's Not About Me" - a book all about God's glory. To seek God's glory is to pray, "Thicken the air with your presence; make it misty with your majesty. Part Heaven's drapes, and let your nature spill forth. God, show us God." to quote from Lucado. To this end may we have no higher goal than to see someone think more highly of our Father, our King. So evident from reading the blogs.....to God be the Glory!!

Very early on Tuesday morning we plan to leave for our 30 hour drive to Denver. By this time next week we will be part of the group that will be cycling east from Denver to Jersey City. Pray for safety for all of us as we travel whether by car or by bike. We know that God will take care of all of us....go with God.