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 readingWhy 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 readingHow 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 readingFake 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 readingMonte 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 readingCubs 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 readingHow 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 readingA 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 readingWhat 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 readingMonte 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 readingInspired 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 […]
Continue readingHow Will You Fill Your Tiles?
My friend Eric and I had breakfast in one of those old restaurants with the one-foot square checkered tile floors. We’re about the same age. He said, “Here’s a good way to visualize our legacy and the work we still want to do. “Count out seven of those tiles and let each one represent a […]
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