Day 21 - June 8 - Amarillo, TX (Rest Day)

Day 21 - June 8 - Amarillo, TX (Rest Day)

Have you ever heard of Palo Duro Canyon?  I hadn't, until we arrived in Amarillo!  Lennie McCay, the Assoc Minister at Washington Ave Christian Church has been a terrific host!  We had steak last night, B-B-Q for lunch today and visited Palo Duro Canyon this morning!

Palo Duro Canyon is like a mini Grand Canyon.  It's really a beautiful place!  Check it out in our pictures, or visit it the next time you are passing through Texas!  Really amazing!

Brenda arrived safely into Portland yesterday, and is staying with some of our friends that lived in Taiwan!  Vu and Sandy were Em & Tab's volleyball coaches!  Brenda will also be spending time with our good friends, Alex and Vanessa.  Alex and Vu both work for Nike!

Tonight we are relaxing and watching "Facing the Giants" with Chinese subtitles!

Thank you, Lord, for rest days like these!  Tomorrow we'll worship with the Washington Ave Church! Where will you worship?

Thanks for praying!
Dave, Luey & Andy

Day 20 - June 7 - Vega to Amarillo, TX

Day 20 - June 7 - Vega to Amarillo, TX (38 miles)

We've arrived in Amarillo, after a morning of riding.  Even though it was not a long day in the saddle, we still had two more flats:  Andy 10, Luey 9 and Dave 3.  Speaking of flats -- we are enjoying cycling on the plains of Texas, and not missing the mountains at all!

We are being hosted this weekend by Pastor Lennie McCay, and the Washington Ave. Christian Church.  The McCays have four daughters, three of which are at camp -- so Andy, Luey and I all have our own rooms for the weekend!  We have two whole days off -- YEAH!  On Sunday, I will be speaking to Pastor Lennie's SS class.

Brenda arrived safely in Portland.  Thank you for praying!  And, Tabitha finished her last final at U Chicago Law School -- provided she passed all her classes, she is officially a 2L!  :-)  She will intern this summer with a law firm in Houston.

We are asked often, "So, why are you doing this?"  My answer has become, "Because I believe it is something God wanted me to do.  Though I don't pretend to know God's plans for Gloritrek, I fully expect to see God do amazing things!"  We have already seen the Lord do amazing things on Gloritrek, and it is truly humbling.

We thank you for praying for us -- we could not do this without you!  The picture of the golf course sign stuck in the freeway overpass reminds us that we are entering "Tornado Alley" this next week.  Yes, prayers are appreciated!

Dave, Luey & Andy

Day 19 - June 6 - Tucumcari, NM to Vega, TX

Day 19 - June 6 - Tucumcari, NM to Vega, TX (80 miles)

The day started out as ominous as it possibly could.  We were all nervous starting out this morning in a light rain, with dark clouds ahead and a head wind coming from the Tropical Storm Andrea.  We all thought it was going to be a long day, like the previous day.  I was wearing three layers, and was still cold.

However, no sooner than we began pedaling, the wind died down, and the light rain ended.  The clouds kept the temperature down for us.  And, we all thanked God!  We averaged more than 12.5 MPH, and biked the 80 miles to Vega in 8 hours.  SOmewhere along the way we were able to get over on old Route 66!  It was so quiet and scenic -- we had the road all to ourselves -- until it turned to dirt.  We ended up hoisting our bikes over the fence, and getting back on I-40.  We stopped at Russell's Travel Center, near the NM/TX border.  What a place -- full of classic cars, and even a '75 Gold Wing (not as good as mine was)!  Luey's camera gave out, and we hope to get it fixed in Amarillo.

At about the 60 mile mark we went up a long hill, and when we topped the rise, we were on the plains of Texas -- with a slight tail breeze and an excellent emergency lane to ride in!  Way to go Texas!

Thank you for praying -- we really experienced God's blessing today!  Tomorrow is only about 40 miles to Amarillo, and the Washington Ave. Christian Church.  Lord willing, we'll actually have two days off this week!  Brenda gets on a plane in Taiwan this evening (Friday morning in Taiwan).  Please keep her in your prayers.

Thank you for praying!
Dave, Luey & Andy

Day 18 - June 5 - Santa Rosa to Tucumcari, NM

Day 18 - June 5 - Santa Rosa to Tucumcari, NM (62 miles)

Don't know that we've ever had a more difficult 100 KM ride!  The wind was against us the whole day - sometimes gusting to 20 MPH.  Our average speed was about 10 MPH.  We were all glad to ride into the La Quinta Hotel this afternoon, at about 2:00 PM.

Brenda sent me this text, which really gave me encouragement -- A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough groundshall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:3-5 NIV)

This is our hope and prayer, that God's glory will be revealed among the nations -- even if it means we ride through the desert!  BTW, we went over 1,000 miles -- nearly 1/3 of the way, in just 2 1/2 weeks.

Tomorrow the wind is suppose to be in our faces again -- and the next destination is Vega, TX, 78 miles away.  Please pray for tail breezes!  

Thank you for praying!
Dave, Luey & Andy

Day 17 - June 4 - Moriarty to Santa Rosa, NM

Day 17 - June 4 - Moriarty to Santa Rosa, NM (83 miles)

We had a nice tail breeze and averaged nearly 15 MPH, in rolling terrain.  We reached Santa Rosa by about 2:00 PM, and was sitting outside a gas station eating a snack.  A man pumping gas said, "You should go to the Blue Hole and cool off."  Sounded like a good idea, so we went.  The Blue Hole is a small pond that is more than 80 ft deep, and the temperature is 62 F.  Luey & Andy wouldn't jump in, but I did.  Wow, was it cold!  My leg muscles instantly seized up though, but it was fun!

Dean, from Moriarty, called ahead to Santa Rosa,and lined up the Fuch Ranch for us to stay at in Santa Rosa.   Diane Fuch, came and got us at the Blue Hole in one of their pickup trucks, and took us to their ranch.  The Ethan & Diane Fuch's ranch is huge, but because of the severe drought, they've had to sell most of their cattle.  They've only had 3.5 inches of rain in the last 3 years.  Diane organized a dinner gathering of about 30 people, and invited me to share with them.  It was a great evening.  Later in the evening, Ethan and their sons got home from a rodeo camp in CO.  It was great meeting these real cowboys!  And, we slept in the bunk house!  How cool is that!

Jesus is the "Water of Life," and as I reflected on the situation in NE New Mexico, I was reminded of how nothing survives without water.  7,126 UPG's living in drought conditions without Jesus -- how urgently they need to hear!

Thank you for praying!
Dave, Luey & Andy

Day 16 - June 3 - ABQ to Moriarity, NM

Day 16 - June 3 - ABQ to Moriarity, NM (40 miles)

We tackled that big mountain today, and with no saddle bags to weight us down, we were able to reach Moriarity in under 4 hours, before noon -- which is always our goal.

We are staying with the Schwebach family, who own and operate a farm, growing all kinds of vegetables.  In fact, in this area, their produce is famous!  The four children:  Nathan, Ellysia, Dominic and Adelaida are a lot of fun, and very talented!  Dean & Ive, have lead a house church for many years, so we have a lot in common with the simple church structure we use in Taiwan!

What a blessing a home filled with love is!  What a blessing Christian hospitality is?  We even had fresh milk straight from the cow with our cookies!

I'd love to write more, but it is time for dinner and it smells delicious!  I'll post some pictures with this tomorrow!  We'll be on a cattle ranch in Santa Rosa!

Thank you for praying!
Dave, Luey & Andy

Day 15 - June 2 - Albuquerque (Rest Day)

Day 15 - June 2 - Albuquerque (Rest Day)

I wrote a nice long blog update yesterday, but apparently forgot to click "Publish."  Still learning.

We had a wonderful time with Ron & Joy Hunter.  They were awesome hosts.  They even helped us set up a place to stay in Moriarty, and also volunteered to drive our bags over the mountains.  What a blessing!

On the Lord's Day, we also shared at the Hoffmantown Church, with Ron & Joy's large SS class.  Afterward, we visited a mega-church, Calvary Church of ABQ.  Luey & Andy were amazed!

Later, we joined with Ron & Joy's daughter, Jennifer, and her family.  We had strawberry shortcake!  It was a great day.

As I typed the original blog, I related what Paul said "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Phil 3:13b-14)  But, what if what is ahead is a big old mountain?  From whom will we draw our strength?  The same God who made that mountain can also provide all that we need to face the road ahead -- without FEAR!  How hard it is to not to be afraid?

Thank you for praying!
Dave, Luey & Andy