Day 1 - Carlsbad to Escondido

29 miles today. Nice, easy day. My speedometer decided to give me some problems but other than that everything was fine. Had a bike lane for most of the way. It appears that our riders are strong. Many of these riders have ridden coast to coast 3-5 times. My only claim to fame is that no one  had more time pass between crossings (37 years) and no one (except coach) rode any earlier than the mid-eighties.The scenery is beautiful, so unlike Indiana (not that Indiana is ugly, just different). As I get to know these people, there are many interesting stories. I roomed with Bob from Goshen last night. I told him I was riding for the Amanda Gives Back Foundation. He is a four time cancer survivor; two bouts with lung cancer and two bouts with kidney cancer. He has ridden across 4 or 5 times. It makes my adventure pale in comparison, but I'm not complaining! We are staying in a nice church with plenty of room in their fellowship hall. A two inch foam pad is my mattress for most of the trip but I am sure that it will not negatively impact my sleep since I can sleep anywhere, any time (I hear a big Amen from my wife).

The Pacific Beach in Carlsbad, CA 3/26/11

I encourage you to follow the map I put together of our trip. Just click on the word  "map" to view it. I will change the push pins to a green bicycle when we make that day's destination. If you click on the push pin or bicycle, it will show you the day's distance traveled and the cumulative distance traveled.

Devotional Thought:

When in San Diego yesterday, I visited a church called The Rock. It's where my nephew is Outreach Pastor. When he showed me his church he continually shared how the way the church is built and landscaped tells the story of God's love expressed to us through His Son. Three huge palm trees overshadow the church representing Calvary's three crosses. Six palm trees in the garden stand for the six days of creation and an empty spot for God's rest on the seventh day. Inside, the auditorium doubles as a place to "prayer walk" with different "stations" representing God's work in history to bring redemption to us. The building blocks in the auditorium are covered with graffiti that, upon closer inspection, are really the prayers and praises of that particular faith community. It reminds me of Deut. 6:4-6 where we are to daily use life experiences to speak of God's faithfulness and love for us to those who come after us. What a practical way to tell the gospel story!