alas, eleventy-one miles is far too short a time to ride with suchexcellent and admirable tailwinds

tailwinds. yep. 

today was another unforgettable day on the road. left Up The Creek (a most incredible walk-in campground rightin downtown moab, and my favorite on the trek so far) and thinking we'd get an early start on the day, made a quick stop at McDonald's for breakfast rather than cooking at the campsite. 

who should we run into but the inimitable Sharon, our wonderful chauffeur 'round Arches the day before. Sharon offered to buy us breakfast and wouldn't take "no" for an answer. 

inside, it got even better (first time I've EVER said that about McDonald's). met the Davenports from North Carolina, fellow believers who offered a room and some food when we rolled through their town on the tail end of our trip. not only did the Davenports bless us with great conversation over our meal, but left us with money for the next time we ate out! 

a few more stops in moab (poison spider cycles, groceries, post office and Gearheads - 12 clif bars for 12 bucks! - as you can tell, we were not wanting to leave moab) and then we were on our way north to colorado. 

what a road! first half of Route 128 followed the Colorado's winding path through beautiful canyons and gorges. Interstate 70 brought us the tailwinds of a lifetime, and into colorful Colorado. 

we finally had to call it quits just past Grand Junction, and stealthed in a small state park just off the road. 

God provides, and we would never have made it so far without His blessing. thank you for your prayers, He hears and He answers. 

until next time,

may God hold you in the hollow of His hand

josh & mark

the lifecycle team

moab

blessed. 

we serve a God who is alive, awesome and active in this world today. here's just a few of the times He helped us today. 

RIDING. turning south onto 191 into Arches National Park proved an even busier and more dangerous road than the interstate we had just left. a ways down, we stopped and prayed a quick prayer for added safety over us as we biked. not more than a mile down the road, a bike lane (well-paved and well-marked) began that took us straight to arches and all the way into Moab. 

(HITCH) HIKING. didn't feel like biking 18 miles uphill to see the arches, so we locked our bikes behind the visitor center at Arches and asked around for a ride into the park. met an incredible woman named Sharon, a retired nurse who was doing some sightseeing after a wedding she'd come out to Colorado to attend and before heading back to her home in Connecticut. 

not only were we blessed by her presence on all the hikes to see the arches (and a cool car with AC in between each one!), she shared the faith we have in our Lord Jesus Christ. 

it was such a pleasure to enjoy the Creator's handiwork with a fellow believer, and to hear of Sharon's travels (to places such as Antarctica! and she loves penguins, Eliza!) in the same light. 

EATING. God bless the Haywoods from Salt Lake City. we'd found an all-you-can-eat pizza place in Moab before stopping at our campground for the night, and I had shared just briefly about our trip and our fundraising (having asked to use the plug near their table to charge my phone, which prompted the conversation) with the lovely couple before mark and I sat down to eat. a few minutes later, the waitress came over and let us know that the Haywoods would be picking up our check that night. folks, that's the stuff you can never repay someone for, and feel so overwhelmingly blessed by. thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Haywood. 

moab is incredible (our walk-in campsite: amazing) and we'll be sad to leave such a sweet city so soon). pray for us as we head northeast and then southeast into montrose, CO and close the Utah chapter of our journey, which has been - in a word - unforgettable. 

until next time,

may the rains fall softly on your fields

josh & mark

the lifecycle team