Where were you the first time your brain exploded? I was a college freshman during the winter of 1969-70. In one of those huge psychology lectures the professor showed a slide, a photo of a Marine ROTC student in full dress uniform. The reactions were immediate and visceral. Babykiller! Murderer! Hero! More guts than any […]
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When You’re Too Slow
My first handcycle rides were slow. We’re talking an embarrassing kind of slow, the kind of slow where the neighbor ladies pushing kid-carriers sometimes passed me. And that’s when I was moving at all and not stopped to rest my weak, skinny arms. I was really, really slow. My fastest ride during the summer of […]
Continue readingMore TagWhy We Need Bridges (And Why They Scare Us)
I’m fascinated by rivers, paths, and bridges. Aside from the people I encounter, rivers, paths, and bridges are consistently the most interesting and inspiring features of nearly any bike ride. In nearly every setting there seems to be some sort of unique charm. This captivation sort of evolved within my parallel interests of cycling and writing. […]
Continue readingMore TagHow To Design A Self-Driving Car
I think a self-driving car would be cool. In college I commuted with an electrical engineering student. Jack was convinced that we’d see self-driving cars within a few years, and he spent countless hours telling me how they would work. I don’t recall details, but I remember there were two notions about guidance. I’m over-simplifying, […]
Continue readingMore TagFake Dream Or Real Community?
Doing a big, crazy, impossible bike ride taught me something about following dreams. For perhaps three years I cranked around the same familiar streets and trails near my house, imagining what it would be like to do a cross-country ride. I planned and schemed and visualized. Eventually I even started talking about it. I loved it, […]
Continue readingMore TagMonte Puts Things In Perspective
Monte doesn’t get concerned about elections. He also doesn’t fuss about age, beauty, money, or most of the other stuff his human friends get twisted up about. So I thought, on this day when there’s so much angst, we could all use his wisdom from three years ago. # # # On this trip people […]
Continue readingMore TagCubs Win! The Power Of A Story
You probably heard–the Chicago Cubs won the World Series. After 108 years of futility, of being the Lovable Losers, of Wait Til Next Year, they finally won. I’m sure you heard about it, even if you don’t follow baseball, even if you don’t like sports, because the Cubs’ victory was about something much bigger than […]
Continue readingMore TagHow To Avoid The Chaos
Election season likely has us all a bit flustered. How do we keep our eye on the dream when there’s so much noise and sheer craziness oozing from every corner of the culture? After a coffee conversation with a wise friend (and a nice, peaceful bike ride), I listed a few ideas. Perhaps they’ll help. […]
Continue readingMore TagA Dog’s Thoughts About Love
In his last post of our 1500-mile ride along the Mississippi River, Monte shared his observations about love. # # # Becky and Rich talk a lot about love. It confuses me. They tell each other, “I love you,” and they both tell me they love me. Rich says he loves riding his bike. […]
Continue readingMore TagWhat If There’s Not A Reason?
Do you believe everything happens for a reason? I don’t–at least not in the way a lot of folks make that sort of claim. It’s a question that comes up often when I tell my story. I wrote these thoughts three years ago during our TAOS TO TUCSON Ride. Perhaps they’re appropriate in today’s somewhat chaotic, unpredictable […]
Continue readingMore TagMonte Learned About Fear
Five years ago, Monte encountered his first taste of fear. As you’ll see, he was confused. We could all learn something from Monte’s response to fear. # # # We’re in another new place called the South. I don’t know what that means—it’s just another place with unique smells to check out. But I have […]
Continue readingMore TagInspired By Hope
Five years ago I was riding my bike 1500 miles. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the ride was long hours to think, ponder, and just be alone with God. You know you’re lost in your thoughts when you lose track of which state you’re riding in. # # # I wonder if I’m motivated or […]
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