Father's Day

Today’s ride was a very hard one, physically. I woke up exceptionally tired. Within a few miles of being on the road my backside was extremely sore. Diana waited for me at North Bend, about 22 miles from Reedsport, and I stopped and swapped the lightweight saddle on my Madone for the cushier saddle from my Giant. I wasn’t even sure I could go on, but Elijah lifted my spirits with a Father’s Day call, singing “Happy Father’s Day to you” over the phone. It was wonderful! He called to tell me that when I get back he is going to ride his own bike with me on the trail, “just like Papa.”

I got back on the road by reminding myself of the words on my Road ID tag, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). Then things really got tough. I followed the Oregon Coast Bicycle Route away from Highway 101, and ended up on “Seven Devils Road.” I’m convinced that a cyclist named it for seven difficult climbs, each of which had been labeled for cyclists with paint on the roadway – “Devil #1” etc. The steepest grade was 19%, but much of it was 10 to 15%. It was a long, hard grind. To keep myself going I was singing hymns and praise songs, glorifying God as I struggled to keep going. Diana waited for me again in Bandon by the Sea. As I rode into town the wind was so strong it nearly knocked me off my bike. We could hardly stand up in the full force of the wind. I ate a couple bites of food with Diana taking shelter from the wind in the car, then got back on my bike. The reward of the day was meeting Diana again at the Langlois Market, about 15 miles down the road. There she had a homemade hot dog with homemade mustard that was of this world. I had a chocolate ice cream cone, before riding the last 15 miles to Port Orford. Here’s a profile. The high section in the middle represents “Seven Devils.”


Today’s ride totaled 84 miles, eight miles farther than expected because of the change of route, with a total of 5254 feet vertical gain. Thankfully, tomorrow is a “rest” day. We will sleep in, have a nice breakfast in Port Orford, and ride just 56 miles to Brookings.

Thank you for your faithful prayers. God has protected Diana and me, although we have seen both a bicycle and a motorcycle accident. Please continue to pray. Happy Father’s Day to all of you who share that privilege. I couldn’t help but think today about the story on the Ride4US video about the young man who came into CareNet with his girlfriend. When the technician told him that the baby had hiccups, he remembered that his mother told him that he had frequently had the hiccups in her womb. That day, he decided to be a father to that baby. I’m so thankful for the father that my second grandson, Seth Alan will have. William is a wonderful husband who will be a great father. He’s truly excited about his son to be born in late October. Not all young men are so excited to become fathers. “Illuminating Hope,” is the motto of Ride4US. My prayer on this Father’s Day is that God will use ultrasounds of unborn babies to give many fathers hope. 4US.org now has my fundraising page up. I believe you can navigate to it from the “Donate” tab on their home page. Thanks to all of you who have pledged to help me raise nearly $10,000 for Ultrasound Machines for CareNet through Ride4US. All of you helped make a tough ride on Father’s Day very worthwhile! God bless you all.