Category: Notes From The Road

Now that I’m out of the hospital, I can tell you the real story behind the infection. In the Everglades there’s a strange creature known as a skunk-ape. Some say it’s mythical like Bigfoot, but that can’t be true because there’s an actual Skunk-Ape Research Headquarters. It looks a lot like a typical bar and […]

A few days ago I told you about my friend Wayne and his influence on RICH’S RIDE. One of Wayne’s distinguishing characteristics was his love of all things Jimmy Buffett. I just know he chuckled at the irreverence when we rocked the church auditorium at his memorial service with Buffet tunes. Last week I found myself […]

Somebody once asked Corrie Ten Boom  when God was good. She offered a very wise answer. “We like to say God is good when it doesn’t rain on our Sunday School picnic. But I believe God was just as good when I watched my sister die in a concentration camp.” I want that to be […]

That’s what the three women who approached us at breakfast called Monte. “We saw your trailer with hope all over it and the cool dog, and we decided his nickname should be The Great White Hope.” We chatted for a few moments. Monte, of course, rolled onto his back just in case someone wanted to […]

Note to the touring cyclist: It doesn’t always work the way you planned. How many times have I said RICH’S RIDE isn’t about Rich and it isn’t about a ride? I hate it when my own words slap me in the face. The “ride” part of this edition of RICH’S RIDE hit a major snag […]

The paparazzi greeted us Monday morning in the hotel parking lot. Actually it was two students reporters from the Florida University TV/radio operation, but it’s sorta fun saying paparazzi. One guy asked a pretty common question. “Aren’t you worried about the traffic?” Honestly, I’m not. Becky fusses about traffic. She’s smarter than I am. I […]

A reporter from the University of Florida asked me if I’m looking forward to reaching Tallahassee. “It’s been a long tour. It must feel good to know you’re almost done.” Not really. I see this tour as an incredible opportunity, a gift. I’m in no hurry to finish opening that gift. I’m not pretending to […]

I wanted to let you know I finally got a nice long run on Saturday. We haven’t been able to do that much on this tour because of the traffic, so this was really fun. Rich found this really cool bike trail outside of Gainesville, and I got to just run and run. I also […]

A reporter asked me what I expected to get out of this project. I never thought about it in those terms. It’s fun, we meet great people, I get to ride a bike and spend lots of time with Becky—those are all cool side benefits, but they’re not why I’m doing it. I can’t really […]

If things fall into place this morning I’ll be honored to talk to a special audience. Becky’s working to arrange a speaking event for the Re-Entry Center of Ocala. It’s a program designed to help men emerging from the department of corrections break the cycle of addiction, crime, and incarceration. I’ve spoken to similar groups […]

We had a great ride today, but had to stop about two miles from the hotel. The town of Spring Hill literally has NO bike lanes or sidewalks on major streets, and we (well, Becky) decided two more miles wasn’t worth the risk. So we stopped to get off the bike and a lady came […]

Note to the touring cyclist: if you’re going to use Google Maps for directions, make sure you enter the correct address for your starting point. The day’s ride doesn’t begin well when you get lost at the very first turn out of the hotel parking lot. On the other hand, Lakeland is a cool place […]