Days 4 and 5: Brawley to Blythe, CA

You  didn't hear from me last night because I was out of range of any satellites. Tuesday was a tough day. Temps in the low 90s, riding in the desert most of the day. Plus I decided to add 14 miles to what was supposed to be a 68 mile day because I took a wrong turn. Even though I'm riding with 30 others, it is easy to find yourself by yourself on the road, so I missed the turn on my own. However, I was able to make up the distance and connect with the other riders by noon. I ran into several other self-contained riders (carrying their own gear up to 35 lbs) on long trips. One of them, Jenny, joined us for lunch and dinner and spent the night at the campground with us. She was on her way to St. Petersburg, FL from San Diego by herself. These riders are made of the kind of stuff that most of us aren't!

Today's ride was a nice 25 mile "breather" after yesterday. We still have not had very friendly winds. Most have been in our face. Where are the prevailing west winds we're supposed to get 75% of the time? I finally had the chance to say something to our group about Amanda Gives Back. Several responded with much interest and said they would make donations. They probably won't do anything until they get home from the ride but every little bit helps. It was also a day that we could get laundry done and enjoy a really nice all-you-can-eat salad bar at the Sizzler Steak House in Blythe. This also is the second and final night we will be in the campground tent camping. It's been surprisingly enjoyable!

Interestingly, we had a fellow join us who will ride with us for the next few days. When I saw his name it rang a bell in my mind that I should know this guy. As it turns out he was on the same coast to coast ride I was on in 1974! He only made it to Cincinnati but I remember him as quite a character. Coach also had the same assessment. We'll see if time has changed anything.

Thank you, everyone, as well for your comments on this blog and Facebook responses. I wish I could respond to all of you but time does not allow me to do so. I am looking forward to spending some time this weekend with our church's former youth pastor and his wife, Lee and Melissa S. I might even be able to free up some time to attend his church. I'll try and get more pictures on tomorrow or Friday. Thanks for staying tuned.

Devotional Thought:

While I was trying on Tuesday to get myself back on the right road after making the wrong turn, I analyzed what went wrong and how I missed the turnoff. Bottom line - I was not paying attention. Surprise! Nothing new for me. I thought about how it must look to God when He shows us the way He wants us to follow but we make a wrong turn, either because we don't want to do things His way or we're not paying close enough attention. Either way, it can yield the same results -not good if you want to be a Christ follower. God, help me pay closer attention to Your revealed will and be a more attentive follower.