Right at this moment is the perfect ending for the trip. Behind me, toward California, the sun is setting, reminding me of all the beauty and fantastic times I had this month. But my old friend is rising full in front of me, a reminder that things change and are constant, that always before me will be a reflection of the time, a memory seen in the darkness, sometimes brighter, sometimes not at all, but always there just the same. A comforting thought as I head back to the cold bleakness of Ohio, something that no on can take away from me, not friends, not time, not other experiences.
And the trip's not over, the good times will always be with me like just now when our bus passed the other bus and Keith and I mooned it. A crazy thing to do, but nothing I'm ashamed of. Life's too short to let things go by untried, to not reach out and grab for the stars. To do so is to live a life of mediocrity, never fully inhaling the life and wonder found on this earth. Lord, continue to make me a sponge, to be aware of all you have to offer me, to not discover when I come to die that I never lived (thank you H.D.T.). Farewell until I need to relive this time again, to once more grab a hold of the wonder of Highway One.
California Dreamin'...
Æ
Tunes: nine inch nails - closer
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Friday, January 27, 2006
Wandering Wheels - 27 January 1991
Actually, it is Jan. 28, but Randy collected the journals yesterday and I didn't get a chance to write what happened. And quite a bit did happen. Sleeping at the front of the Possum Seven is a wonderful experience. You get to look out the green front window at the moon. I as kind of scared to move around much 'cause Randy was next to me. Sometime in the middle of the night the drivers came to a startling realization: the alternator was broken. But we continued on anyway. On our way to breakfast we passed a Les Miz truck parked in a hotel parking lot. I wanted so much to take a picture. Unfortunately, there was no time. It must have been in Albuquerque, though I didn't see anything about it in the paper. I ate breakfast at Winchell's Donuts and slit a dozen with Chip and Jenny. Then it was back to more riding, on the bus, of course.
We were supposed to go to a church in Amarillo, but because of the problems with the bus, we didn't get there until 6:30 PM. We ate at McDonald's and sat around talking and waiting for periodical bulletins on the Super Bowl. The bus was supposed to be back at 7:30, but it didn't make it. So Keri Thorne and I ran over to the grocery store and I bought 11 doz chocolate cookies for .99. Now I'm down to exactly .75.
This next part is to be kept in complete confidence. By reading the next few lines (until I say different) I swear you to secrecy (and I mean it!). I think I may take a chance and ask Keri out when we get back. At least I'd like to. It would certainly be a first for me. I suppose that depends how I feel when I get back, but hopefully writing it down will give me incentive to keep it.
And another personal thing: I'm scared. It's hard to believe that a friendship could fall apart so fast. Mike and Laurie are still rather distant. I ought to confront them about it, see what I did wrong. But I'm scared. I just want it to all work out you know, we both realize we've been stupid and it just works out. Somehow I don't see it happening. And it bothers me. Funny when you know what you have to do but you don't. Guess it's fear. Or pride.
Well, enough talk. This ends the personal part of my diary. The rest you can read and repeat. If not, I'll tell you.
Last night I slept at the front of Possum Seven again and watched the moon and sang depressing songs to myself. I was also very hot so I stripped down to my underwear and slept that way. Of course that's not unusual, unless you consider that Marie was right next to me. I could have been in a lot of trouble if my bag had come unzipped!
We stopped quite a bit to recharge the battery (about every two hours). Then we ate breakfast at the world's largest McDonald's. I broke down and bought the world's worst vanilla shake ever. Oh well. Then we drove for a while and then stopped at a truck stop and picked up another bus. So now the group is split in two. I'm now on Possum Six, which smell a whole lot better than the other bus.
This will probably be my last entry. So much happened on this trip, so many experiences, I'm not sure how much I've changed. Randy said this is the kind of trip that you look back on in six months and realize this is where I changed. I guess that's true, that I'm a little too close to the whole experience now to really appreciate it. I do know that I've never experienced anything like this before and it is and will be one of the best times of my entire life. Maybe more later. If not, from this pint on, I'll surely be California Dreamin' for a long, long time. Æ
Tunes: dave dudley - i want a woman with a handle
We were supposed to go to a church in Amarillo, but because of the problems with the bus, we didn't get there until 6:30 PM. We ate at McDonald's and sat around talking and waiting for periodical bulletins on the Super Bowl. The bus was supposed to be back at 7:30, but it didn't make it. So Keri Thorne and I ran over to the grocery store and I bought 11 doz chocolate cookies for .99. Now I'm down to exactly .75.
This next part is to be kept in complete confidence. By reading the next few lines (until I say different) I swear you to secrecy (and I mean it!). I think I may take a chance and ask Keri out when we get back. At least I'd like to. It would certainly be a first for me. I suppose that depends how I feel when I get back, but hopefully writing it down will give me incentive to keep it.
And another personal thing: I'm scared. It's hard to believe that a friendship could fall apart so fast. Mike and Laurie are still rather distant. I ought to confront them about it, see what I did wrong. But I'm scared. I just want it to all work out you know, we both realize we've been stupid and it just works out. Somehow I don't see it happening. And it bothers me. Funny when you know what you have to do but you don't. Guess it's fear. Or pride.
Well, enough talk. This ends the personal part of my diary. The rest you can read and repeat. If not, I'll tell you.
Last night I slept at the front of Possum Seven again and watched the moon and sang depressing songs to myself. I was also very hot so I stripped down to my underwear and slept that way. Of course that's not unusual, unless you consider that Marie was right next to me. I could have been in a lot of trouble if my bag had come unzipped!
We stopped quite a bit to recharge the battery (about every two hours). Then we ate breakfast at the world's largest McDonald's. I broke down and bought the world's worst vanilla shake ever. Oh well. Then we drove for a while and then stopped at a truck stop and picked up another bus. So now the group is split in two. I'm now on Possum Six, which smell a whole lot better than the other bus.
This will probably be my last entry. So much happened on this trip, so many experiences, I'm not sure how much I've changed. Randy said this is the kind of trip that you look back on in six months and realize this is where I changed. I guess that's true, that I'm a little too close to the whole experience now to really appreciate it. I do know that I've never experienced anything like this before and it is and will be one of the best times of my entire life. Maybe more later. If not, from this pint on, I'll surely be California Dreamin' for a long, long time. Æ
Tunes: dave dudley - i want a woman with a handle
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Wandering Wheels - 26 January 1991
[a song was included here in the journal, written by some of the riders on the trip. And as you'll see, i was fairly prophetic...]
Hope you enjoyed that little musical interlude, though I'm sure in a few years I won't even remember the tune to sing it to. But I'll remember the memories.
Well, we're finally off, on our way back to Mt. Vernon, Ohio. The day started insanely early for me, as I wanted to get a long, warm shower (make that HOT) before we made the long rip home sans showers. Of course it helped me get my breakfast first, a tasty pancake/hard-boiled egg smorgasbord. Then I tried to get everything together. Somehow on this trip I misplace one Wheels shirt and (more importantly) a roll of film. And of course it was the best roll I had. Oh well. I hope it shows up in someone else's stuff.
We left Wenden Elementary and began our trek toward Tucson, but not before Shawn, Jim, Jack and the cooks left us behind. Already we were saying goodbye. Also Gary and Dale, our tandem riders, left as well. Unfortunately, most of the day was spent riding the bus. The night before we had decided that everyone (myself excluded) wanted to get home early, so now we are driving all night to Amarillo to go to church and then we're off and running to Ohio, with a short stop at Taylor.
Anyway, after dropping Rob off in Phoenix, we were on our way to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. Amusingly, Tim Pressler neglected to use the facilities before we left, so by the time we arrived, a good three hours later, his eyeballs were seriously floating and had an almost chronic case of FBS (Full Bladder Syndrome). It was when we finally reached the museum that I realized going home on $12 was an impossibility for me. The lunch prices were outrageous. I ended up eating french fries, frozen yogurt and a Snickers Bar and it cost me $2.50.
After lunch I went on a quest: a quest to find the perfect saguaro for a picture. I really wasn't looking forward to this stop but it turned out to be a wonderful time. I walked around for a while. I've now decided that aviaries are one of my favorite things. I love being able to walk though the "woods" and see birds not two feet from me. It's so calming and brings me closer to nature. It makes me realize that you can't walk through this earth without taking the time to look up and around you. If you don't, you end up missing so much. Anyway, I got to see so much of the wildlife that I was looking for in the desert but didn't get a chance to see, like hummingbirds and hawks and road runners and golden eagles and river otters and bighorn sheep. I also got to see a jaguar, which was somewhat depressing since we (as Americans) hunted them to extinction here in the US. The last part I spent with Chip and Keri (who I found looking at all the snakes).
After the museum we made our trip back toward Phoenix. However, we didn't get very far, as we ran out of gas (even the auxiliary tank). So we spent some time getting that taken care of and finally made it to Phoenix. There we picked up Rob, but had to say goodbye to Reanne, Jenny and Brian (the last two live in California. Lucky dogs) as they took off. The left us with "It's a Happy Day (Happy Happy)."
Then we went to dinner. I ate at Fuddrucker's and blew all the money I had left, no joke. I have exactly $1.00 to my name now after an incredible meal. We had a great time eating and playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. We had about 12 people gathered around with a little girl who kept trying to get in. Now we're off and running again, I'm feeling stuffed and I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow after church. And Super Bowl Sunday. Æ
Tunes: monty python - sit on my face
Hope you enjoyed that little musical interlude, though I'm sure in a few years I won't even remember the tune to sing it to. But I'll remember the memories.
Well, we're finally off, on our way back to Mt. Vernon, Ohio. The day started insanely early for me, as I wanted to get a long, warm shower (make that HOT) before we made the long rip home sans showers. Of course it helped me get my breakfast first, a tasty pancake/hard-boiled egg smorgasbord. Then I tried to get everything together. Somehow on this trip I misplace one Wheels shirt and (more importantly) a roll of film. And of course it was the best roll I had. Oh well. I hope it shows up in someone else's stuff.
We left Wenden Elementary and began our trek toward Tucson, but not before Shawn, Jim, Jack and the cooks left us behind. Already we were saying goodbye. Also Gary and Dale, our tandem riders, left as well. Unfortunately, most of the day was spent riding the bus. The night before we had decided that everyone (myself excluded) wanted to get home early, so now we are driving all night to Amarillo to go to church and then we're off and running to Ohio, with a short stop at Taylor.
Anyway, after dropping Rob off in Phoenix, we were on our way to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. Amusingly, Tim Pressler neglected to use the facilities before we left, so by the time we arrived, a good three hours later, his eyeballs were seriously floating and had an almost chronic case of FBS (Full Bladder Syndrome). It was when we finally reached the museum that I realized going home on $12 was an impossibility for me. The lunch prices were outrageous. I ended up eating french fries, frozen yogurt and a Snickers Bar and it cost me $2.50.
After lunch I went on a quest: a quest to find the perfect saguaro for a picture. I really wasn't looking forward to this stop but it turned out to be a wonderful time. I walked around for a while. I've now decided that aviaries are one of my favorite things. I love being able to walk though the "woods" and see birds not two feet from me. It's so calming and brings me closer to nature. It makes me realize that you can't walk through this earth without taking the time to look up and around you. If you don't, you end up missing so much. Anyway, I got to see so much of the wildlife that I was looking for in the desert but didn't get a chance to see, like hummingbirds and hawks and road runners and golden eagles and river otters and bighorn sheep. I also got to see a jaguar, which was somewhat depressing since we (as Americans) hunted them to extinction here in the US. The last part I spent with Chip and Keri (who I found looking at all the snakes).
After the museum we made our trip back toward Phoenix. However, we didn't get very far, as we ran out of gas (even the auxiliary tank). So we spent some time getting that taken care of and finally made it to Phoenix. There we picked up Rob, but had to say goodbye to Reanne, Jenny and Brian (the last two live in California. Lucky dogs) as they took off. The left us with "It's a Happy Day (Happy Happy)."
Then we went to dinner. I ate at Fuddrucker's and blew all the money I had left, no joke. I have exactly $1.00 to my name now after an incredible meal. We had a great time eating and playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. We had about 12 people gathered around with a little girl who kept trying to get in. Now we're off and running again, I'm feeling stuffed and I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow after church. And Super Bowl Sunday. Æ
Tunes: monty python - sit on my face
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Wandering Wheels - 25 January 1991 (the far less melancholy entry)
It's later now, same night. The melancholy still lingers a bit, but only faintly tasted. God truly has spoken softly since those first moments, but very clearly. Praise God for friends and good times to bring one out of their sadness. I'll get to the details later. Now I'll tell you about the day.
The morning was a complete disaster. First we woke up late, so I felt rushed all morning. Then the news came - Randy had badly sprained his foot. Details were a little sketchy, something about a man and a rat and a stone, but the fact remained: Team Bias would be without their leader for the remainder of the trip. Which didn't turn out to be very long. Seems that in order to get us MVNC students home in time for registration, we'd have to cut out the ride to Wickenberg, AZ. Most people were happy. I was not.
So after a short meeting, we left and began the day's journey. Just out of town Scott walked his bike over a goatshead thorn (we know this because Dr. Burkholter was our leader for the day) which set the pattern for the first half of the trip. We left California (sniff) and headed into Mexico...er...ah, I mean Arizona (don't ask. Temporary brain aneurysm). Now Arizona (bump-bump) is an interesting (bump-bump) state. It seems that it (bump-bump) wants to keep its drivers (bump-bump) awake, so it put little hiccups (bump-bump) in the shoulder. For 30 miles (bump-bump) we rode on these. I counted them. 2353. Two thousand, three hundred and fifty-three (sounds better if you say it that way). That's a lot of bumps (oh my aching butt). I wasn't in the best of moods after the bad-news morning (which, I forgot to mention, included an expensive breakfast with incredibly slow service at Mac's) and the ride didn't help. We put Chip and Scott in front to set the pace. Being the selfish, I'm-the-best-biker-around guy that I am, I wanted to go faster, but I hung back and kept my mouth shut.
We stopped in a little town called Quartzville. Not exactly a town, really, more like the world's largest flea market. There must have been two-three miles of trailers selling things, mostly gems and rocks. Not my favorite place on the trip. Then we were off again, up hill to our lunch stop. After turning off I-10 to 60, Scott and I led the group to lunch.
After a wonderful lunch of hot roast beef sandwiches, mashed potatoes, green beans and cherry cheesecake, we were off again. Since we lost an hour crossing the border, we had to fly. So Ed and I set the pace for the first 7-10 miles. My legs were seriously aching after that. We picked up Alison as we passed her group and continued our pace, slowing a bit as Scott got tired. The Arizona desert is filled with saguaro cactus (aka Road Runner cactus) and is really rather beautiful with the mountains and sky and everything. Aside: we ate lunch at a ghost town called Brenda; we also went through a small town called Hope. Today I also realized that as trucks pass you can smell what they're carrying, such as cows or pine.
Anyway, when we reached Hope we discovered that it was only ten miles to Wenden, our final destination. So we slowed up the pace a bit (except for Ed, who took off with Tour de France) and took in the gorgeous Arizona desert scenery. Along the way we were chased by a do for the first time all trip. It was very amusing.
The last five miles I left the group a little and just rode by myself for a while. It was such a great feeling. We found a dead coyote on the side of the road and stopped for a while, then resumed our riding (Dr. Burkholter wanted to pick it up and freeze it, but never did). Then we finally reached Wenden and the realization hit me: it was over. We unpacked the bikes and I became extremely depressed (see earlier entry).
We hung around until dinner time and ate (I think) our last meal, which was exactly what we had the first night: spaghetti. Then Team Bias had to do dishes. We had the best time. We had the music going and we all started to dance around the kitchen, washing and drying as we went. People were taking pictures and watching us. I really had a great time and it cheered me up immensely.
Then we had class. I realized the trip didn't have to end, that the experience would always be in my memory and that I could take what I learned and continue back home to boring Ohio. After class we saw some slides from the trip that Gail had taken and had a great time remembering everything. Then Chip, Jeff, Ed, Dennis, Theresa and I played a game of 3 on 3 soccer for a while. I won't mention who won, but their team go all the lucky breaks.
And now, while I sit here surrounded by Taylor biology students studying for their second test in 12 hours, it is time to go to bed. I leave with this thought from Dances With Wolves: "Every day ends with a miracle" (my favorite line from the movie). Æ
Tunes: luna - neon lights
The morning was a complete disaster. First we woke up late, so I felt rushed all morning. Then the news came - Randy had badly sprained his foot. Details were a little sketchy, something about a man and a rat and a stone, but the fact remained: Team Bias would be without their leader for the remainder of the trip. Which didn't turn out to be very long. Seems that in order to get us MVNC students home in time for registration, we'd have to cut out the ride to Wickenberg, AZ. Most people were happy. I was not.
So after a short meeting, we left and began the day's journey. Just out of town Scott walked his bike over a goatshead thorn (we know this because Dr. Burkholter was our leader for the day) which set the pattern for the first half of the trip. We left California (sniff) and headed into Mexico...er...ah, I mean Arizona (don't ask. Temporary brain aneurysm). Now Arizona (bump-bump) is an interesting (bump-bump) state. It seems that it (bump-bump) wants to keep its drivers (bump-bump) awake, so it put little hiccups (bump-bump) in the shoulder. For 30 miles (bump-bump) we rode on these. I counted them. 2353. Two thousand, three hundred and fifty-three (sounds better if you say it that way). That's a lot of bumps (oh my aching butt). I wasn't in the best of moods after the bad-news morning (which, I forgot to mention, included an expensive breakfast with incredibly slow service at Mac's) and the ride didn't help. We put Chip and Scott in front to set the pace. Being the selfish, I'm-the-best-biker-around guy that I am, I wanted to go faster, but I hung back and kept my mouth shut.
We stopped in a little town called Quartzville. Not exactly a town, really, more like the world's largest flea market. There must have been two-three miles of trailers selling things, mostly gems and rocks. Not my favorite place on the trip. Then we were off again, up hill to our lunch stop. After turning off I-10 to 60, Scott and I led the group to lunch.
After a wonderful lunch of hot roast beef sandwiches, mashed potatoes, green beans and cherry cheesecake, we were off again. Since we lost an hour crossing the border, we had to fly. So Ed and I set the pace for the first 7-10 miles. My legs were seriously aching after that. We picked up Alison as we passed her group and continued our pace, slowing a bit as Scott got tired. The Arizona desert is filled with saguaro cactus (aka Road Runner cactus) and is really rather beautiful with the mountains and sky and everything. Aside: we ate lunch at a ghost town called Brenda; we also went through a small town called Hope. Today I also realized that as trucks pass you can smell what they're carrying, such as cows or pine.
Anyway, when we reached Hope we discovered that it was only ten miles to Wenden, our final destination. So we slowed up the pace a bit (except for Ed, who took off with Tour de France) and took in the gorgeous Arizona desert scenery. Along the way we were chased by a do for the first time all trip. It was very amusing.
The last five miles I left the group a little and just rode by myself for a while. It was such a great feeling. We found a dead coyote on the side of the road and stopped for a while, then resumed our riding (Dr. Burkholter wanted to pick it up and freeze it, but never did). Then we finally reached Wenden and the realization hit me: it was over. We unpacked the bikes and I became extremely depressed (see earlier entry).
We hung around until dinner time and ate (I think) our last meal, which was exactly what we had the first night: spaghetti. Then Team Bias had to do dishes. We had the best time. We had the music going and we all started to dance around the kitchen, washing and drying as we went. People were taking pictures and watching us. I really had a great time and it cheered me up immensely.
Then we had class. I realized the trip didn't have to end, that the experience would always be in my memory and that I could take what I learned and continue back home to boring Ohio. After class we saw some slides from the trip that Gail had taken and had a great time remembering everything. Then Chip, Jeff, Ed, Dennis, Theresa and I played a game of 3 on 3 soccer for a while. I won't mention who won, but their team go all the lucky breaks.
And now, while I sit here surrounded by Taylor biology students studying for their second test in 12 hours, it is time to go to bed. I leave with this thought from Dances With Wolves: "Every day ends with a miracle" (my favorite line from the movie). Æ
Tunes: luna - neon lights
Wandering Wheels - 25 January 1991 (the incredibly depressing entry)
It's over, finished, kaput. There's no more. The road has ended, nothing left to do now but pick up and go home. All around me people are screaming for joy, ecstatic that it's completed. Not me. I am more melancholy now than I've been all month. It's over. Just saying that makes me want to cry. It's not supposed to be like that. I'm supposed to be thrilled to finally get off my bike, all pumped and set to go home. But I'm not. If I had my choice, I'd keep riding. And riding. And riding. There's nothing left for me.
OK, so I'm getting a little melodramatic. But that's how it feels. Nothing to look forward to, no way to go back, right now I'm stuck in a void. I'd change my attitude if I thought'd help. But hey, I'm depressed and I think that's how I should be. I mean, here I am, I've spent the last month coming to the coast, biking in beautiful weather with spectacular scenery to keep my attention and show me how wonderful this earth is and how incredible God is and now, what do I go back to? Not a whole lot.
I think most of my problem is fear. Fear that college will seem mundane now. Fear that things will have somehow changed at home. A lot has already changed on this trip. I've become completely alienated from Mike and Laurie. They don't even talk to me now. I guess I did something, though I'm totally oblivious. And I know that the friends I've made on this trip (especially Team Bias) probably won't be around much. We all have our friends back home. That's the way it goes. Sometimes I truly h ate being a pessimist. I want to be out there laughing and hugging and congratulating. But I'm not. And I won't, 'cause the best time of my life is over, finished, kaput. This is where the story ends, my friend. The book will continue and someday I may have another story like this one. But so far this has been the best one and I'm left with an aching yearning that it would go on. But it won't. Æ
Tunes: daphne loves derby - come winter
OK, so I'm getting a little melodramatic. But that's how it feels. Nothing to look forward to, no way to go back, right now I'm stuck in a void. I'd change my attitude if I thought'd help. But hey, I'm depressed and I think that's how I should be. I mean, here I am, I've spent the last month coming to the coast, biking in beautiful weather with spectacular scenery to keep my attention and show me how wonderful this earth is and how incredible God is and now, what do I go back to? Not a whole lot.
I think most of my problem is fear. Fear that college will seem mundane now. Fear that things will have somehow changed at home. A lot has already changed on this trip. I've become completely alienated from Mike and Laurie. They don't even talk to me now. I guess I did something, though I'm totally oblivious. And I know that the friends I've made on this trip (especially Team Bias) probably won't be around much. We all have our friends back home. That's the way it goes. Sometimes I truly h ate being a pessimist. I want to be out there laughing and hugging and congratulating. But I'm not. And I won't, 'cause the best time of my life is over, finished, kaput. This is where the story ends, my friend. The book will continue and someday I may have another story like this one. But so far this has been the best one and I'm left with an aching yearning that it would go on. But it won't. Æ
Tunes: daphne loves derby - come winter
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Wandering Wheels - 24 January 1991
The word for today was leisure. A nice and easy 44 mile ride, relatively flat. Of course, our day started very early, like 2:00AM early. Seems that everyone started to get a little chilly 'cause the fire was going out. So Chip, Keri and Dennis went out to get some firewood. Wouldn't have been so bad except Dennis decided he'd try to cut down a small tree (it's 2:00AM mind you). After that they woke up at two hour intervals to restock the fire. It was a great time, except for smelling like smoke and Keri and Scott waking up with burning coals on their pads.
After a tasty breakfast of Crunch Berries, we were back on the road again. The first few m iles were like a roller coaster - up and down and up and down. Other than that, it was pretty much just more and more desert. We did have a very close call with a camper (about 12-18 inches away!) right before Paolo Verde and lunch. Most of lunch was spent sunning ourselves and staying warm. Then, once again, randy decided we needed to leave just as we were drifting off to sleep. So we were off with only twenty miles left. For some strange reason (I think they spiked the bug juice) we decided to sing everything we knew, from Michael Jackson and Madonna to Cinderella and Led Zepplin. I'm sure we kept Dr. Burkholter, who had joined our group at lunch, entertained and amused. We went past Jim's group and sang, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" and seriously butchered it, but had a great time.
The day was so laid back that we arrived at the Baptist Church in Blythe, CA, four miles from the Arizona border (and a time change) at about 2:10. So we waited outside since the church wasn't open. They had a hose for showers, but the Cube got lost so all my stuff wasn't there, so I did the next best thing - soaked up some rays. That is until Theresa decided we looked hot and drenched us with water. Finally the Cube arrived and I showered and cleaned up.
Then came some great news: the theater in town was showing Dances With Wolves and we could see it for $2.50. Best money I've spent in a long time. Talk about a myriad of emotions. It's funny that on this trip I saw two films and both of them were fantastic. This film was beautifully shot and kept our interest for the full three hours (we even had an intermission). Then we went back to the church and had class for a while. By this time, we were seriously hungry, so we ordered Domino's and had it delivered to the church. Very tasty. After that it was right to bed, 'cause tomorrow is a long 65-70 mile ride. In fact, it's today, 'cause I was so tired I waited 'til today to write. And it's going to be an interesting day. Tell ya later. Bye now! Æ
Tunes: podunk - damn good day
After a tasty breakfast of Crunch Berries, we were back on the road again. The first few m iles were like a roller coaster - up and down and up and down. Other than that, it was pretty much just more and more desert. We did have a very close call with a camper (about 12-18 inches away!) right before Paolo Verde and lunch. Most of lunch was spent sunning ourselves and staying warm. Then, once again, randy decided we needed to leave just as we were drifting off to sleep. So we were off with only twenty miles left. For some strange reason (I think they spiked the bug juice) we decided to sing everything we knew, from Michael Jackson and Madonna to Cinderella and Led Zepplin. I'm sure we kept Dr. Burkholter, who had joined our group at lunch, entertained and amused. We went past Jim's group and sang, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" and seriously butchered it, but had a great time.
The day was so laid back that we arrived at the Baptist Church in Blythe, CA, four miles from the Arizona border (and a time change) at about 2:10. So we waited outside since the church wasn't open. They had a hose for showers, but the Cube got lost so all my stuff wasn't there, so I did the next best thing - soaked up some rays. That is until Theresa decided we looked hot and drenched us with water. Finally the Cube arrived and I showered and cleaned up.
Then came some great news: the theater in town was showing Dances With Wolves and we could see it for $2.50. Best money I've spent in a long time. Talk about a myriad of emotions. It's funny that on this trip I saw two films and both of them were fantastic. This film was beautifully shot and kept our interest for the full three hours (we even had an intermission). Then we went back to the church and had class for a while. By this time, we were seriously hungry, so we ordered Domino's and had it delivered to the church. Very tasty. After that it was right to bed, 'cause tomorrow is a long 65-70 mile ride. In fact, it's today, 'cause I was so tired I waited 'til today to write. And it's going to be an interesting day. Tell ya later. Bye now! Æ
Tunes: podunk - damn good day
Monday, January 23, 2006
boy howdy
confession: i actually used the title of this entry in conversation this past weekend. it may take years of therapy to get over it.
confession, part ii: i've been avoiding posting here, hiding behind my old entries. partially because i haven't found my life terribly interesting lately. but more because i'm not sure how to share some of what is going on, or even if i should. but here i am and i'll do my best to make this at the very least coherent. i hope.
let's start with the easy stuff....my steelers are headed to the super bowl. in detroit. now, i grew up watching the steelers, brainwashed by my grandma todd early on. sure, at the beginning it was great - those were the days when they were winning super bowls. but then we hit the 80s and, well, things were pretty ugly. and it's from that time period that i get my lack of confidence in my team. i always expect the other shoe is going to drop, that we're going to give up the big play, blow it in some spectacular fashion. and the past decade hasn't helped me shake that feeling, with us losing 4 of 5 afc championships. but can i get a WOW for how this season has played out? i mean i actually watched the last two games live, something i haven't done in years. and they looked great. not good - great. knocked off the 1, 2, and 3 seeds in their own backyards. and they looked good doing it. now some may claim fandom is just the cry of a shallow heart in need of affirmation. perhaps. but the community that builds up around a team is no less real than the community you find in any number of situations - civic clubs, sports teams, even churches. it's a shared experience, something we find in common with others around us. will be a long two weeks until the big show. if they play like they have the last seven games or so, we'll finally win one for the thumb. should be fun.
so....last week was a rarity in the life of thurman. i actually went on a blind date. yep. so blind in fact that i forgot to find out what she looked like, so i was standing in joseph beth looking at every girl that passed by wondering if she was my "date" for the evening. luckily, we found each other pretty readily. lovely evening. good conversation. lots in common. no nightmare stories, which is good. i've never been good at talking about this stuff, so if you're looking for details this is not the place for them.
but the madness doesn't stop there. i actually called someone else, too. must be something in the water. that or i'm realizing my feasibility window is closing swiftly (or at least it feels that way). didn't work out like i had hoped but hey, at least i'm taking steps in the right direction. tiny, infinitesimal steps, but steps.
enough of that.
finally broke down and saw brokeback mountain on saturday. had thought to avoid it basically because the story didn't interest me at all. but felt i should see it before casting aspersions. so i did. let the casting begin. i'm sorry, but i don't see what the big deal is. and while i hate the claims of agenda and all that crap, the truth is, if this wasn't about two men, it would not be nominated for so much. or be getting so much attention. first the good - it's beautifully shot and well-acted. i've always liked ang lee's work, so this was no suprise. but the story....just hard to really connect. i never really bought the passion between jack and ennis - it felt more like, "heck, we're alone on this mountain, we're bored, let's sleep together" instead of some grand passion. and i thought the story covered far too much time and they didn't spend enough time with the two main characters to make us care about them. plus, i've always had a problem when i'm supposed to be sympathetic with characters who are being unfaithful (the english patient anyone?). hold overs from my nazarene upbringing, i'm sure. but i was far more sympathetic toward the lives they destroyed than with their "inability" to be together.
and for the life of me i can' t think of a single film from this past year that i would label best picture worthy. was it really that bad or am i just forgetting?
one last thought: was reading a blog this weekend and "eavesdropped" on a conversation posted there. the claim was made that individuals are no longer comfortable with who they are, which is why so many are caught up in blogging - they do it to find approval and acceptance. as they put it, no one can just live and let live. and while there may be a hint of truth in what they said - i do think that we put our lives on our blogs out of a desire for others to read - i'm not convinced that's a bad thing. and the idea of live and let live is too easily transformed into "live and let die." we are not islands doing our best to avoid one another. as cheesy as it sounds, we do need each other - even when the other is someone we've never met.
think i'd better go to bed early - still feeling a bit under the weather. no nasty symptoms at least, but man, i can't seem to find the energy i need. only four more days of WW stuff. biggest regret: why did i focus so much on the insignificant? where are the conversations? where are the connections with others? who cares what you ate, idiot. write about the important moments.
not that i do much better now....
Æ
mark heard - victims of the age†
confession, part ii: i've been avoiding posting here, hiding behind my old entries. partially because i haven't found my life terribly interesting lately. but more because i'm not sure how to share some of what is going on, or even if i should. but here i am and i'll do my best to make this at the very least coherent. i hope.
let's start with the easy stuff....my steelers are headed to the super bowl. in detroit. now, i grew up watching the steelers, brainwashed by my grandma todd early on. sure, at the beginning it was great - those were the days when they were winning super bowls. but then we hit the 80s and, well, things were pretty ugly. and it's from that time period that i get my lack of confidence in my team. i always expect the other shoe is going to drop, that we're going to give up the big play, blow it in some spectacular fashion. and the past decade hasn't helped me shake that feeling, with us losing 4 of 5 afc championships. but can i get a WOW for how this season has played out? i mean i actually watched the last two games live, something i haven't done in years. and they looked great. not good - great. knocked off the 1, 2, and 3 seeds in their own backyards. and they looked good doing it. now some may claim fandom is just the cry of a shallow heart in need of affirmation. perhaps. but the community that builds up around a team is no less real than the community you find in any number of situations - civic clubs, sports teams, even churches. it's a shared experience, something we find in common with others around us. will be a long two weeks until the big show. if they play like they have the last seven games or so, we'll finally win one for the thumb. should be fun.
so....last week was a rarity in the life of thurman. i actually went on a blind date. yep. so blind in fact that i forgot to find out what she looked like, so i was standing in joseph beth looking at every girl that passed by wondering if she was my "date" for the evening. luckily, we found each other pretty readily. lovely evening. good conversation. lots in common. no nightmare stories, which is good. i've never been good at talking about this stuff, so if you're looking for details this is not the place for them.
but the madness doesn't stop there. i actually called someone else, too. must be something in the water. that or i'm realizing my feasibility window is closing swiftly (or at least it feels that way). didn't work out like i had hoped but hey, at least i'm taking steps in the right direction. tiny, infinitesimal steps, but steps.
enough of that.
finally broke down and saw brokeback mountain on saturday. had thought to avoid it basically because the story didn't interest me at all. but felt i should see it before casting aspersions. so i did. let the casting begin. i'm sorry, but i don't see what the big deal is. and while i hate the claims of agenda and all that crap, the truth is, if this wasn't about two men, it would not be nominated for so much. or be getting so much attention. first the good - it's beautifully shot and well-acted. i've always liked ang lee's work, so this was no suprise. but the story....just hard to really connect. i never really bought the passion between jack and ennis - it felt more like, "heck, we're alone on this mountain, we're bored, let's sleep together" instead of some grand passion. and i thought the story covered far too much time and they didn't spend enough time with the two main characters to make us care about them. plus, i've always had a problem when i'm supposed to be sympathetic with characters who are being unfaithful (the english patient anyone?). hold overs from my nazarene upbringing, i'm sure. but i was far more sympathetic toward the lives they destroyed than with their "inability" to be together.
and for the life of me i can' t think of a single film from this past year that i would label best picture worthy. was it really that bad or am i just forgetting?
one last thought: was reading a blog this weekend and "eavesdropped" on a conversation posted there. the claim was made that individuals are no longer comfortable with who they are, which is why so many are caught up in blogging - they do it to find approval and acceptance. as they put it, no one can just live and let live. and while there may be a hint of truth in what they said - i do think that we put our lives on our blogs out of a desire for others to read - i'm not convinced that's a bad thing. and the idea of live and let live is too easily transformed into "live and let die." we are not islands doing our best to avoid one another. as cheesy as it sounds, we do need each other - even when the other is someone we've never met.
think i'd better go to bed early - still feeling a bit under the weather. no nasty symptoms at least, but man, i can't seem to find the energy i need. only four more days of WW stuff. biggest regret: why did i focus so much on the insignificant? where are the conversations? where are the connections with others? who cares what you ate, idiot. write about the important moments.
not that i do much better now....
Æ
mark heard - victims of the age†
Wandering Wheels - 23 January 1991
You know, I thought today was going to be the worst one on the trip. But it turned out to be one of the best. I didn't start out bad. I mean, I woke up and everything was OK and I went to devotions and was happy. Then suddenly BOOM! I was on the verge of tears for some unknown reason. Then I got to breakfast at a little place called Ethel's and when I ordered my favorite breakfast, biscuits and gravy, they said that Dennis and Scott had ordered the last of them. So I settled for two hotcakes, which was good since the biscuits and gravy weren't that good.
Then the first part of the ride was extremely boring, nothing to look at, bumpy roads. The only excitement was when we scared a whole herd of sheep into running away. Everyone in the group was feeling kind of lethargic. Then we reached the sand dunes. We all took off our shoes and socks and had a great time sinking into the sand. I enjoyed myself by doing flips over the side. We played king of the hill for awhile and wrestled around. Randy was the winner, but only because he ran to the top while we were wrestling and then quit when we ran to tackle him.
Then it was time to move on. However, we didn't get very far. We took another dune break and Randy took off to take pictures. So we too k a few of our own and then Dennis and I went to get Randy and filled his shoes with sand. That must have fired him up 'cause he blew by us and we were off to the races. Luckily, lunch wasn't far away, in an extremely little town called Glamis, the off road rec vec capitol of the world. A bunch of the girls got rides from some of the guys around. Unfortunately, there weren't any female-type riders to give the guys a ride. We spent about two hours at lunch and the Randy got bored so we all took off. Oh yeah, we also piled fifteen guys into the van because the bus got stuck, but we didn't get a chance to push. Oh well.
Chip wasn't too happy about leaving, but we had a pretty good time, singing Christmas carols and stopping to throw rocks at bottles. After a small delay at the border patrol (for some reason they wanted to know where I was born), we reached the campsite. We are out in the middle of nowhere. We had to walk around and find our own firewood. After that I set up Lori and Nancy's tent since they had never done it and all of the Naz people had to sleep outside or else lose participation points. I then ran off to take some pictures of the best (and only) sunset I've seen in the desert.
For dinner we made hobo dinners, but mine burned 'cause I folded it wrong. Our tent was just the fly over the poles, but we made a little sidewalk leading to the cubicle and our own fireplace. In fact, that's where I am now, sleeping under the stars. I had a really good time tonight singing with Joel and Am and Ami - a bunch of songs from my youth group days. Now Chip, Dennis, Tim, Scott, Keri Thorne and I are all sleeping around the fire. A little bit ago we ditched a tent, the one I put up earlier. Right now Dennis is snoring up a storm and I'm running out of firelight so I'm going to turn in for the night under starry skies above. Æ
Tunes: mark heard - carry on
Then the first part of the ride was extremely boring, nothing to look at, bumpy roads. The only excitement was when we scared a whole herd of sheep into running away. Everyone in the group was feeling kind of lethargic. Then we reached the sand dunes. We all took off our shoes and socks and had a great time sinking into the sand. I enjoyed myself by doing flips over the side. We played king of the hill for awhile and wrestled around. Randy was the winner, but only because he ran to the top while we were wrestling and then quit when we ran to tackle him.
Then it was time to move on. However, we didn't get very far. We took another dune break and Randy took off to take pictures. So we too k a few of our own and then Dennis and I went to get Randy and filled his shoes with sand. That must have fired him up 'cause he blew by us and we were off to the races. Luckily, lunch wasn't far away, in an extremely little town called Glamis, the off road rec vec capitol of the world. A bunch of the girls got rides from some of the guys around. Unfortunately, there weren't any female-type riders to give the guys a ride. We spent about two hours at lunch and the Randy got bored so we all took off. Oh yeah, we also piled fifteen guys into the van because the bus got stuck, but we didn't get a chance to push. Oh well.
Chip wasn't too happy about leaving, but we had a pretty good time, singing Christmas carols and stopping to throw rocks at bottles. After a small delay at the border patrol (for some reason they wanted to know where I was born), we reached the campsite. We are out in the middle of nowhere. We had to walk around and find our own firewood. After that I set up Lori and Nancy's tent since they had never done it and all of the Naz people had to sleep outside or else lose participation points. I then ran off to take some pictures of the best (and only) sunset I've seen in the desert.
For dinner we made hobo dinners, but mine burned 'cause I folded it wrong. Our tent was just the fly over the poles, but we made a little sidewalk leading to the cubicle and our own fireplace. In fact, that's where I am now, sleeping under the stars. I had a really good time tonight singing with Joel and Am and Ami - a bunch of songs from my youth group days. Now Chip, Dennis, Tim, Scott, Keri Thorne and I are all sleeping around the fire. A little bit ago we ditched a tent, the one I put up earlier. Right now Dennis is snoring up a storm and I'm running out of firelight so I'm going to turn in for the night under starry skies above. Æ
Tunes: mark heard - carry on
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Wandering Wheels - 22 January 1991
From an ocean of water to an ocean of land. I've certainly become aware on this trip of the immensity of the earth. Today's ride was one of the best of the entire trip. Straight, flat roads, miles upon miles of desert scenery, a bright, beautiful sun and a somewhat cooling breeze (albeit a head wind).
The morning started early after long night's sleep, a needed one after yesterday. We got up at 6:45 AM, well before our wake up call. We had breakfast and I realized that nature was calling. Unfortunately, the toilets were backed up. So I took my first ever, all-natural restroom break out in the desert, kind of an historical event in my life.
Then Team Bias took off, after a nice little devotion by Randy about being kind. I'm so afraid that I'm going to be become insensitive to all the beauty around me. I've seen so much on this trip and sometimes it's hard to take it all in. But today's ride was something else. Mountains on the left, desert on the right, the road stretched out before us. It's almost impossible to take it all in, but I'm certainly giving it my best shot. I got to set the pace today, 'cause we rode side by side with no cars coming, at least not many. Mostly trucks, which caused wonderful tailwinds for 1 1/2 seconds. We biked a sweet pace, about 18-20 mph for about twenty miles 'til we reached a little place called Blu In. It was one of the few signs of life we saw on the first half of today's trip. Unfortunately, like many of the places in California, it was closed on Monday's and Tuesday's, so we had to settle for a short break and a quick restroom stop. Then we were on our way.
We continues our quick pace and continued to have beautiful sunshine and a cooling wind. By this time it was getting close t lunch, so we all were looking for the Cube and the bus. We'd crest hills and hope to see it, but it was always just not there. Once we saw the van on the side of the road, but it turned out to be Shawn and Tim sunbathing on the side of the road (poor Tim). Then we crested a hill and there in the distance we could see the brightly colored bus waiting for us. So we began to sprint. However, the bus was just a little farther away than it looked, so we pretty much burned ourselves out by the time we got there.
Lunch wasn't quite ready, so we pulled out some mats and did a little sunbathing. The weather was perfect and the sun felt so great. Lunch took about an hour and a half. We heard some great tunes on the radio, like "Hotel California" and "Ain't Nothin' Gonna Break My Stride." An exquisitely relaxing time.
And we were off again. The trip was pretty much uneventful. The second half we went through Imperial Valley and suddenly the dry and barren desert transformed into lush farmland. All that green right in the middle of nowhere. We stopped for a break in Westmoreland, not 'cause we were tired, but because the church wouldn't open until 3:45 and we had some time to kill.
The last seven miles were some of the worst roads we've had on the trip. Incredibly bumpy, little shoulder to ride on. Made my behind incredibly sore. But we persevered and finally reached our destination, the First Baptist Church in Brawley. Looked just like an old motel transformed into a church grounds, complete with an outdoor baptistry sporting a diving board. Randy discovered a shower out by the pool and then further surprised us by discovering it was a hot one. So everyone took their turn showering outside. Some people felt compelled to swim, though not of their own volition. By the time it was over, about 9-10 people had taken a dip in the baptistry/pool, which was approximately 30 degrees colder than the temp outside.
While others were playing, Team Bias, having got their showers first, snagged one of the best rooms in the place, complete with couch, TV, piano and electric organ. Then we were off to dinner at Pizza Hut. For some reason, the bus consistently parks as far away as possible from the place everyone wants to eat. Also, I can officially say now that I despise James Taylor, seeing as how they have played his tape for four days straight now on the bus. After two breadsticks, two large iced teas (with a salt shaker added) and four pieces of Meat Lover's Pizza, it was off to McDonald's for a hot fudge sundae.
Then we came back to the church and had yet another interesting class on power. All the biology people are seriously bummed 'cause they have two tests due I two days. Needless to say, they don't appreciate us having all this free time. I feel sorry for them, 'cause their class is ruining their trip. After our class, Randy, Dennis, Chip, Patty and I made 7-11 run for Slurpees. When we got back, we watched a little news about the Persian Gulf crisis, then eventually went to bed. But for some reason I'm not tired, so here I sit, writing my journal. I'm feeling vaguely lonely right now, but I'm not sure exactly why. I think I'm gong to go sit outside for a while and just think about things. I'll let you know how it turns out tomorrow. Farewell, 'til then. Æ
Tunes: king's x - she's gone away
The morning started early after long night's sleep, a needed one after yesterday. We got up at 6:45 AM, well before our wake up call. We had breakfast and I realized that nature was calling. Unfortunately, the toilets were backed up. So I took my first ever, all-natural restroom break out in the desert, kind of an historical event in my life.
Then Team Bias took off, after a nice little devotion by Randy about being kind. I'm so afraid that I'm going to be become insensitive to all the beauty around me. I've seen so much on this trip and sometimes it's hard to take it all in. But today's ride was something else. Mountains on the left, desert on the right, the road stretched out before us. It's almost impossible to take it all in, but I'm certainly giving it my best shot. I got to set the pace today, 'cause we rode side by side with no cars coming, at least not many. Mostly trucks, which caused wonderful tailwinds for 1 1/2 seconds. We biked a sweet pace, about 18-20 mph for about twenty miles 'til we reached a little place called Blu In. It was one of the few signs of life we saw on the first half of today's trip. Unfortunately, like many of the places in California, it was closed on Monday's and Tuesday's, so we had to settle for a short break and a quick restroom stop. Then we were on our way.
We continues our quick pace and continued to have beautiful sunshine and a cooling wind. By this time it was getting close t lunch, so we all were looking for the Cube and the bus. We'd crest hills and hope to see it, but it was always just not there. Once we saw the van on the side of the road, but it turned out to be Shawn and Tim sunbathing on the side of the road (poor Tim). Then we crested a hill and there in the distance we could see the brightly colored bus waiting for us. So we began to sprint. However, the bus was just a little farther away than it looked, so we pretty much burned ourselves out by the time we got there.
Lunch wasn't quite ready, so we pulled out some mats and did a little sunbathing. The weather was perfect and the sun felt so great. Lunch took about an hour and a half. We heard some great tunes on the radio, like "Hotel California" and "Ain't Nothin' Gonna Break My Stride." An exquisitely relaxing time.
And we were off again. The trip was pretty much uneventful. The second half we went through Imperial Valley and suddenly the dry and barren desert transformed into lush farmland. All that green right in the middle of nowhere. We stopped for a break in Westmoreland, not 'cause we were tired, but because the church wouldn't open until 3:45 and we had some time to kill.
The last seven miles were some of the worst roads we've had on the trip. Incredibly bumpy, little shoulder to ride on. Made my behind incredibly sore. But we persevered and finally reached our destination, the First Baptist Church in Brawley. Looked just like an old motel transformed into a church grounds, complete with an outdoor baptistry sporting a diving board. Randy discovered a shower out by the pool and then further surprised us by discovering it was a hot one. So everyone took their turn showering outside. Some people felt compelled to swim, though not of their own volition. By the time it was over, about 9-10 people had taken a dip in the baptistry/pool, which was approximately 30 degrees colder than the temp outside.
While others were playing, Team Bias, having got their showers first, snagged one of the best rooms in the place, complete with couch, TV, piano and electric organ. Then we were off to dinner at Pizza Hut. For some reason, the bus consistently parks as far away as possible from the place everyone wants to eat. Also, I can officially say now that I despise James Taylor, seeing as how they have played his tape for four days straight now on the bus. After two breadsticks, two large iced teas (with a salt shaker added) and four pieces of Meat Lover's Pizza, it was off to McDonald's for a hot fudge sundae.
Then we came back to the church and had yet another interesting class on power. All the biology people are seriously bummed 'cause they have two tests due I two days. Needless to say, they don't appreciate us having all this free time. I feel sorry for them, 'cause their class is ruining their trip. After our class, Randy, Dennis, Chip, Patty and I made 7-11 run for Slurpees. When we got back, we watched a little news about the Persian Gulf crisis, then eventually went to bed. But for some reason I'm not tired, so here I sit, writing my journal. I'm feeling vaguely lonely right now, but I'm not sure exactly why. I think I'm gong to go sit outside for a while and just think about things. I'll let you know how it turns out tomorrow. Farewell, 'til then. Æ
Tunes: king's x - she's gone away
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