Becky and I have a tough assignment this weekend.
We “have to” scout the route and visit host churches for COLORADO MOUNTAIN FREEDOM TOUR 2017. The kind folks in Buena Vista invited us to share the story of the FREEDOM TOUR at two different churches on Sunday. So we’re forced to spend three summer days driving and biking in Crested Butte, Gunnison, Salida, Buena Vista, Leadville, and Avon.
I know…somebody’s gotta do it.
After five years of doing roughly similar routes along the Front Range, the MOUNTAIN TOUR is brand new for us. Our team will crank 290 miles in 4 days. They’ll climb more than 14,700 feet in some of Colorado’s most scenic high country. Hopefully the beauty will make up for the shortness of breath, especially at the top of Monarch Pass (elevation 11,312 ft), Fremont Pass (elevation 11,318 ft), and Vail Pass (elevation 10,662 ft) where the O2 molecules are a bit scarce.
A new tour means new routes, new logistics, and a whole new set of church partners. That means lots of new friends and new opportunities to tell our story and increase awareness about the horrors of human trafficking.
Perhaps one of our most amazing connections has happened in Buena Vista. We’re not even stopping overnight, but some folks there heard we were coming through and jumped on board in a big way. They’re providing mid-morning brunch for our team on the continuous climb from Salida to Leadville (elevation 10,151 ft). We also get to do pre-ride presentations at Buena Vista Congregational Church on Sunday morning and Clearview Community Church that evening.
We’ll spend the rest of the weekend meeting folks from our new host churches and confirming and riding routes. Actually, Becky will ride–mountain roads are out of my league. Monte and I will do the hard work of scoping out potential rest stops.
This new tour provides a fresh reminder of the overwhelming generosity that greets us on our journey. The open arms provide resources of course, but more importantly they’re a source of much-appreciated encouragement.
We’re excited to make new friends and tell our story this weekend. We’ll just have to deal with being forced to spend time in the mountains.