“It’s about the journey, not the result.” Thursday’s ride was about as routine as it gets. Pretty straight roads, wide shoulders, a fair amount of traffic, hills were long and gradual—I hardly shifted gears during much of the ride. Friday brought country roads, absolutely no shoulders or traffic, and steep hills. I either crawled up […]
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Friday
It’s Friday. The ride is going great. I’ve been trying hard to keep the blog going on schedule. Today, it ain’t happening. Sleep.
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Honestly–this post won’t amount to much. I rode 52 miles Thursday, from Carbondale to Cape Girerdeau. It was a great ride, but I’m pretty tired. So we grabbed an early dinner and I’m hitting the pillow. You know how songs get stuck in your head? It happens to me nearly every day, and four or […]
Continue readingMore TagNever Give Up? Really?
Is it ever good to quit? I spoke to kids today at Trinity Christian HS in Carbondale. When I finished I asked them what message they got from my ramblings. They had lots of great responses—I think they actually listened. But one boy said something that’s had me thinking. He said, “Never give up.” That’s […]
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Hi. It’s Monte again, giving Rich a break. You can read my other articles here. * * * * * Last week I told you we’re involved in something called a “project.” I don’t really understand; I don’t think dogs do projects. But I it sounds like something I’d like. Rich and I don’t go […]
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A few days ago I did a beautiful ride along the Illinois side of the river north of St Louis. As I traveled south, lots of cyclists traveled north as part of a one-day century ride. I caught myself wondering who had the easier ride. I rode slightly downhill with the river, but into a […]
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Becky and I have this morbid humor between us about some of the things we say related to disability. We chuckle when she asks me to “run to the store” or tells me “don’t step on Monte’s tail.” The other day I was getting on my bike, using my wheelchair for balance. Becky asked, “Are […]
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We stayed an extra day in St Louis to ride across the Old Chain Of Rocks Bridge and along the Riverfront Trail. When we originally planned this visit some local cyclists talked about ridkng with me. That didn’t work out, but we decided to do this ride anyway. So come along for the ride. I […]
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Every Monday while I’m on this crazy ride I’m sharing some reflections about the Mississippi River as a metaphor for a dream. You can see previous articles here. * * * * * I’m noticing a lot about the river as I live with it. I’ve lived in the Midwest a lot of my life. […]
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Friday was a ‘just get ‘er done” day. If you read yesterday’s post (You Gotta Refill The Bucket) you know I woke up feeling pretty empty. I’ve made a point each day of the ride to remind myself how blessed I am to have this opportunity. I did that Friday morning, but I wasn’t feeling […]
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This article originally appeared on March 25, 2011. It seems appropriate to repost during Rich’s Ride. * * * * * Do you ever experience doubt? Imagine a man trudging through the desert in search of water. He’s absolutely certain the water’s right over that next hill. Of course, he was absolutely certain the water […]
Continue readingMore TagYou Gotta Refill The Bucket
Today we re-learned a valuable life lesson. You know this lesson. One can only survive for so long on determination and adrenaline. If you want to keep going long term, you have to refill the bucket. Bucket-filling takes many forms, but generally I find that I need to recharge myself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. […]
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