This past few days we were blessed by a visit from two amazing young men, boys really since they are 40+ years younger than us. They were with us from Wednesday evening, February 1st to the morning Sunday, February 5th.
We had been anticipating this visit since January 1st when these two intrepid guys started off on what is planned to be a journey across the U.S. (the long way) on bicycles… yes, bicycles… no motor, just pedal power. This journey is to take them somewhere between 6 and 7 thousand miles. And if that isn’t enough along the way they will be competing in an Iron Man Triathlon… if you don’t know what that is it is as follows. A two and a half mile swim, then a 100 mile bike ride and that is followed by the running of a full Marathon, 26 miles plus.
Their visit started on a bit of a down note. I came home from my Volunteer job, more on that in another post, and their was a message on the machine from Taylor, my Grandson and his pedaling partner Steve that they were near Orlando, FL and would give us a call when they were about an hour out from our place. Minutes later the call came and all was great… minutes later another call came and it turned out Steve couldn’t keep a tube inflated and they needed a bit of help.
I rode to their rescue, no, not on a bike, but, rather on my trusty Chrysler Town and Country. I knew only generally where they were on Route 27, it was dark and the oncoming traffic made it impossible to see who was on the side of the road… the other side. But, then a miracle happened. The traffic opened up and I saw two shadows on the other side of the road with lights on their heads. I flipped the mini-guzzler around and sure enough it was the boys.
We loaded the bikes and more gear than Susan and I took when we went to Europe in the car and came home. A very short time later we discovered that not only were these two guys my Grandson and his friend, but the Boys Who Ate Lake Wales.
Now please don’t think eating was the only impression these two boys made, far from it. I found two guys who were riding their dream, uninhibited by the grueling demands it would make on them… Unafraid of sleeping on the side of the road in a patch of woods… ready to face the trials of riding 7000 miles and the toll it would take on their equipment… and in the face of everything maintaining a friendship. Their strength was in the two of them, together, facing what might come, their individual strengths making up something stronger than the sum of those attributes.
It was a pleasure and joy for Susan and I to have Steve and Taylor with us for a short time. Knowing that they were going to have to leave to continue their adventure, I was frightened by the prospect, I didn’t want to see them go, not because we would miss them so much, but for what they were going to have to face in the next few months. When they arrived at our place they had covered 1700 miles and they had so far to go. In that 1700 miles they had but a taste of what was to come. But, that taste might be just what prepares them for and takes them through the rest of the journey.
I ask that God bless these two and watch over them every mile. Like Mackenzie, Taylor’s little sister said, “Remember, God has his hands on your handle bars far tighter than you do.”
For some photos of their visit, click on the Photo Gallery link in the right hand column. For more words and photos, check out their blog at Trailingthesun.com.
Cheers,
Dave
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