Third day….woke up to find myself in Utah…when the night before I swore I was in Arizona….that same day not long after, we crossed into Colorado, where I was able to watch the rise and fall of the Rockies under the pedals of our talented cyclists. I must admit, Colorado has been the prettiest state we have passed through. From the peaks of the continental divide, to rolling hills and mountainsides, it has been one beautiful drive after another. One town in particular, Cuchara, was simply breath taking. Green hills nestled in between mountains with these amazing rock walls that jutted out like arms embracing the valley full of maple trees…I have never seen such a gorgeous picture, it was evident to me that God’s ‘invisible powers and eternal nature have been clearly seen by what has been made.’
Leaving Cuchara, I was in the position of rover, but had exchanged with the follow vehicle to allow them to get gas, when Scott Grensted and I, while following Justin Morejohn on a descent into a canyon witnessed a little dog who had decided to shoot out of nowhere and attempt to catch up with Justin….its little legs and tiny bark attempted to give Justin a run for his money, but the dog was no match for someone I have clocked going 53-57 mph down steep hills. A couple of honks to the horn and the dog decided it might be better picking on someone its own size. That night I had my sleep shift in the rover, curling up for 5 hours in the last 2 seats of the van until Andy was to wake me for my first 5 hour shift of my 10 hour day. When I woke up…we were in Kansas, no red slippers awaiting me, sadly enough. I got up…shook off my still sleepy self, and helped myself to breakfast that Mrs. Roby had prepared. Within about 20 minutes the riders had arrived and we were off and running; Andy driving, me navigating, and Scott taking my place in the back sleeping. Watching the sun rise with the riders is so nice, and it also means we are one day closer to finishing. The last few days we have not had any cell phone reception and a horrible time finding internet (in case some of you were wondering why we hadn’t called or posted) so it was incredibly surprising to me to find my cell actually working. Communications have been so difficult, these last few days, and the rover has been the sole communications shuttling from one group to another when the 10-mile walkie talkies are out of range, but it makes for interesting stories and getting to see more of the race from different perspectives than most. Today we went through Greensburg, Kansas, not just 6 weeks ago, this entire population of people had all they owned destroyed by a tornado. Driving through the remains of the town, I felt such a sense of loss for the people there. Seeing trees that had been stripped of all of their branches, metal strewn everywhere, the whole town meeting for meals under a tent; I couldn’t fathom what this could be like, let alone see the images of what true destruction actually looked like. RAAM had briefed us on what had happened in this town, and had also asked us for donations for the town, I hope all of this will be a small contribution to restore the town back to its original state. We are heading out of Kansas, after a very eventful day…our team is about to cross time station 29 in Yates Center, and the media crew is here rooting for the underdog of non-professional cyclists with a unified drive and vision unlike any other…to give glory to God, and it is such a huge testimony that we have attracted this kind of attention for His namesake. Praise the Lord…well we are now onto Missouri, and halfway through with this race. I also must add what a blessing it has been for the whole team reading and hearing from all of you on this race….the encouragement, prayers, calls, and thoughts are a wonderful testimony to the community that is watching us during this race, and wishing us all the best, thank you all for your support, prayers, and keeping us all in your hearts