Witnesses

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and … let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

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Those words from Hebrews 12 describe my feelings as I cranked along the Mississippi River. Becky and Monte were my immediate support team, but I always felt the love, encouragement, and prayers of the huge circle of friends that surround this project.

I’ve avoided listing specific people because I knew I’d miss someone. I’m afraid of hurting someone’s feelings. And while I surely don’t want to do that, fear is a bad reason to put off acknowledging the incredible support you ALL offered that made this project work.

So I’m going to do a few posts to say thanks to some specific folks. I’ll leave someone out, because I’m human and I make mistakes. Please accept this as a representation of a few of the folks who made this ride so memorable.

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Mark and Steve dipped the bike wheels in the Mississippi’s headwaters and rode the first day with me. Mark’s my cousin, Steve’s a new friend who traveled more than 200 miles to help us begin the ride.

Lesley is a high school classmate. I haven’t seen her since graduation, but we re-connected through Facebook. It was great to spend a day riding a trail south of Savannah, Il.

Jon writes my favorite blog, www.300wordsaday.com. We’d never met face-to-face until he and Nancy tracked us down on the back roads of Iowa via GPS and shared a wonderful picnic lunch.

Merlin was my best friend through high school. He and Jan met us in Burlington, but he didn’t ride along—his type of bike has a big engine!

Glenn and Judy drove all the way from Denver so Glenn could ride with me between Burlington and Hannibal. Glenn and I solved the world’s problems during those three days.

Rachel is my cousin Mark’s daughter (I never understand how those relationships work). They welcomed us in Jackson, set up some great speaking events, and her husband Moise rode a day with me on The Natchez Trace.

Dick flew from Fort Collins to New Orleans for the end of the ride. His presence allowed Becky to ride the final day with me, which meant a great deal.

Matt and his son Eric drove from Fort Worth to New Orleans to help us celebrate. I hired Matt as a young teacher. He’s now a professor of mathematics education at Texas Christian University.