Is this thing on?

Love, Matt

Grateful memories

Last night I lie awake in bed, remembering one year ago, when I slept easily (and drugged!) in Duane and Shirley Enquist's home in Fort Collins, CO, recovering from my accident.

While I recovered fully, and suffered only minor abrasions (there's that word!), the Possibility of Worse weighs anew in my mind. I thank God everyday for the location of that rock, that boulder, that kept me from sliding further down the mountain, and I try to be thankful for the guardrail. (I still experience anxiety everytime I see one while biking.) I am thankful for my friends on the trip, for Kevin, for Rich, for the construction worker who drove Matt and I to meet an ambulance.

I am grateful to be alive today, on year later, but really... I am stunned. I am grateful for the rock.

--Emily

Contact Marcus!! He wants to talk!

I have way too much free time this semester and have decided not to go crazy by keeping in touch with friends from the bike trip, making new ones, and engaging people in the kinds of conversations we had during the trip. It doesn't have to center around biking though. also, a lot of people still ask me how I am adjusting to life after the trip or want to know about my plan to visit the orphanage in Zambia. If you are interested, let me know.

also I am now a member of the Chicago Biking Federation. Check it out at http://www.biketraffic.org/

-Marcus (bored as nails!) Simmons
mailmsimmons1@gmail.com

Debriefing?

It's been a long, long while. I don't know if anyone reads this anymore, but it has finally come time for me to debrief the trip.
I've been reading a lot, since the trip ended, about living close to the land, living off of the land, living in the rhythms of our earth. As I read the stories of a couple families who lived in this way that so many of our ancestors did, the landscapes of this past summer pass through my head, clicking from one to the next like an old-time slide show. For these images, I am grateful.
Tonight I sat at supper with my father and he mentioned the word "petroglyphs." "We saw petroglyphs!" I exclaimed. "Somewhere in the desert... Nevada, I think. Yes, it was eastern Nevada." (To avoid scandal, only Eric saw the petroglyphs, the rest of us were too lazy to venture further off our route!) And suddenly, I missed the trip.
This summer, I accepted that I am a midwestern-er. And I became proud of that fact. Through the desert, I awoke in the morning and wished I were "somewhere normal, like the midwest." Through the mountains, I wished I were in the midwest. Out east I wondered how people farmed among the hills. Wouldn't it be easier to move to the midwest, where our land is gloriously flat, I wondered. But tonight, snug in my midwest home, I became homesick for the desert. Yes, the desert.
More so, I am homesick for the feeling of dirt pressed hard against the soles of my feet, for the feeling of bedding down in a tent, breathing fresh night air. For the stars in the sky and grass that tickles my tender skin. For the days when the horizon seems so far away, and the days when the sky seems to stop short. For sand and tumbleweeds blowing through eternal open-spaces, and for crops that rise miraculously from rich soil, heeding the warmth of the sun.
Yes, I miss the trip.

Peace,
Emily

back to normal life?

Hey Guys. Here is my follow up post:

It has been hard being back on the university campus, but I am adjusting, I guess. I have my days and moments where i really miss being on the bike and being outside on the road. I am currently trying to figure out how to incorporate a lot of the things I have learned on the trip into the "college routine." and it is kind of frustrating, but I'm getting there. I am so glad I did this though and I will remember this for the rest of my life! THanks for all of your prayers and support along the way. Just like we will never know how many lives we touched along the way, you guys have no idea how vital and uplifting your words, prayers and thoughts were. 

My hope now is to raise money to go to Zambia and visit the orphanage and bike factory! So pray for my fund raising efforts. Peace!

-Marcus Simmons

mailmsimmons1@gmail.com

We Made It!

We did it! 6 friends, 12 weeks, and almost 4,000 miles!

We had a great morning with the Covenant Church in Quincy, MA. They let us share in the service with them and then took us down to the beach, cheering us along all the way. We dipped our tires in the ocean and then went for a triumphant dip.

I hope you'll keep reading the blog in the coming weeks as I'm sure that members of the group (myself included) will use this space to debrief and to continue to discuss the trip and all of the lessons learned. Thanks to all of you who've kept up with the blog and with us. Thanks for all the prayers and encouragement and we hope you'll keep reading here.

with joy,

Matt

SIMMONS

BEST DOUBLE BACON CHEESEBURGERS/BURGERS IN THE USA:
1. Bones Pub and Grub - California
2. Big Tony's Pub - Minnesota
3. Major's Station in Nevada
3. Daryl and Patti Page's Ranch in Nevada
5. Uncle Paul's Moo Burgers - Chicago

WEIRDEST SPOTS I'VE SLEPT:
1. A ditch in Whirlwind Valley in Nevada
2. Behind a building on concrete
3. in a barn
4. on a table
5. in an office

MOST MUSCLE PAIN
1. Butt
2. Butt
3. Thighs
4. Neck

BEST RIDING MUSIC:
1. Eddie Floyd - "Knock on Wood"
2. Erykah Badu - "Soldier"
3. Rachelle Ferrell - "Peace on Earth"
4. Rachelle Ferrell - "Wounds in the Way"
5. Marvin Gaye - "How Sweet it is"
6. Christa Black - "California Sunshine"
7. Dorinda Clark Cole - "So Many Times"

BOOKS I"VE READ
1. Fire Next Time - Baldwin
2. Langston Hughes' Poetry
3. The Secret Life of Bees - Kidd
4. Goin to Meet the Man - Ellison
5. Confessions - Augustine
6. I am America - Colbert
7. Invisible Man- Ellison
8. Buffalo Soldier
9. Madea's Uninhibited Commentary - Perry

- I am sick of clif bars and gatorade and powerade and all "ade" drinks!!!!

THE END

I am on pins and needles and thoughts are running through my head at a dizzying speed. For twelve weeks we've been riding now and the journey has finally come to its end. I have taken in so much between San Francisco and Boston that it will probably take me quite a while to process it. On Sunday night, I fly back to Chicago to spend time with some friends there (who are like family to me) and then I go home to Texas. I am super excited, as I haven't been home since last year. Earlier in the trip, I stated that I wanted to be more excited about my relationship with Christ by the end of the trip and I am excited. I am glad that there are men and women across the country doing what God wants them to do, i am glad that people are sharing with other people. No, we do not hear much of this, or see a lot of this without looking really hard and I suppose that this is the way Christ wanted it. I believe that if the God thing was so easy and popular, people would forget about it all too quickly. This trip is definitely something that I will remember for the rest of my life. I just think that there is so much to process right now, I am a little mentally paralyzed.

And there is one person that I was hoping to have the chance to tell about it, but I won't. This past Sunday, one of my best friends in the world, LaDerrius Christian, was killed back home and it has been hard to come to terms with. We were friends since 8th grade and the one thing I will remember the most is his sense of humor and how we would walk back from football practice "freestyling" and singing rap lyrics. I will surely miss him.

-Marcus

30 miles...

30 miles from the coast...

our trip is finally coming to a close! i must admit that this last week or so my mind has been focused primarily on finishing the trip. i've thought for hours on what it will be like... sitting on the beach, or running into the ocean, or getting on a plane and saying farewell to my bike for a couple weeks. i can't wait for that moment, when i know that after 12 weeks and almost 4000 miles we have actually accomplished what we set out to do. it all seemed so insurmountable to me as we dragged our bikes up to the road from the coastline of the Pacific. and yet, here we are, only 30 miles away.

unfortunately, my recent fixation on the end of the physical journey has sometimes eclipsed what i consider to be the more important aspects of the trip - the conversations, the stories, and the people that we meet along the way; the striving toward a lifestyle of social justice and a holistic gospel. weeks ago, i spent much of the time on the bike thinking and praying about how my life can and should look different after this trip.

i think of the different lifestyle changes that i need to make; how i desire to live more simply and frugally, how i want to share what i do have with others, how i want to live a lifestyle that has a positive environmental impact, and how i want to bring Christ in an incarnational way to those in need.

but the excuses come quickly. i think that many of us - college students (and others, i suppose) - use excuses to procrastinate just actions. someday, we say, when i have a better paying job and a place of my own, then i can really dig in and make a difference. but if i'm honest with myself, i have so much that i can share and give up. for me personally, the phrase "poor college student" is not used in truth - i only hide behind it. and that's pretty easy to do.

like Marcus said, this trip is going to take a while to process. but i am so thankful for all of the people that have encouraged us along the way, both in our physical journey and our spiritual journey, and i know that i am growing through this and other experiences in my life.

We're SO CLOSE!

Rain, rain.

Matt here.

Emily made a post a few weeks ago from Lake Pymatuning at my grandparents' place. So, I figured I'd post some pictures. I've been going there all my life and it's one of my favorite places to spend my time.



Sunsets are always great here.


Bad weather over the horizon at night. Foreshadowing...


I got to catch some fish...


...and see people I love.


But now we're stuck just 10 miles east of where we were this morning. We had planned on crossing the border into Massachusetts today but got a late start waiting on bike shops to open and then got caught under a huge system of storms that never let up. So, we got a hotel and decided to just pray that tomorrow's better. It's rained so much in the past week and we're all getting really tired of it. Sometimes it's fun and provides a free shower:



But most of the time, it's a drag. Yesterday, we got stuck under an overpass changing flats and waiting for the lightning to stop.



And we've invested in top of the line water-repellent clothing:


We end on Sunday in Boston and we're all very ready for the airport. It's just a matter of getting through this rain... something that I'm a bit nervous about. In any case, we're getting on the road early tomorrow morning to try and get back on track.

People have been great to us in New York, even if the weather hasn't. We had three great church visits here (in Jamestown, Rochester, and Clay) where we met a lot of really encouraging people. We honestly enjoyed all of our conversations and had a great time. Later in the week, we rolled into Frankfort, NY not knowing where we were going to stay (the only church that picked up their phones couldn't take us in for various insurance reasons I guess). We sat down at a little Italian place and before we knew it, we'd been invited into a home for the first dry night we'd had in days. Our new friend Helen welcomed us in and made us a great breakfast in the morning. Then, yesterday when we were caught out in yet another thunderstorm, we knocked on the door of the nearest farm house and were welcomed in by Bev Brown, a wonderfully hospitable woman who warmed us up with her handmade quilts and fed us lunch.

Eric was joking around the other day that it'll be weird to be back in Chicago next week as "just another person" without some kind of adventurous tale told by our spandex and helmet lines. Will we still be treated like this? I hope so, but I'm not sure.

And I can't help but think about how much better the world would be if we treated one another like this all the time. Christ modeled hospitality and sacrifice and we've witnessed people all over America following the example. But have my homeless friends seen the same thing? I'm not sure. The exceptional thing about Christ was that he loved the outcasts and the untouchables. There are plenty of people that need a roof over their heads or a meal or a simple friendly conversation and they don't get it because they aren't college kids with a collection of good stories to tell. Christ loved the overlooked and the oppressed and it's my hope that they'll be loved like we have this summer.

Home, and New York thus far.

Hello all,

I hope that you are doing well... we're camping out right now just north of the Finger Lakes region in New York, not far from Lake Ontario. We've enjoyed the spot so far. Our temporary neighbors have been very friendly, bringing gifts of firewood and popcorn. After a bad rain storm this morning one couple brought over freshly baked muffins. Unfortunately most of our stuff is drenched, so right now we're trying to dry things out before we hit the road for Clay, NY.

This past weekend we had the privilege of speaking at my home church, Zion Covenant in Jamestown, NY. I'd been waiting for 10 weeks for this weekend - it was hard to believe that it was actually here! It was so great to spend time with family, friends, and my girlfriend... and the response and support that we received from all that we met was overwhelming. It was so good to be at home and see first hand that so many from my home church have been behind us all the way.

Last night we were in Rochester, at Artisan Church. The evening that we spent there was wonderful. One topic that is still ringing in my ears is the importance of being incarnational in the places that we seek to be involved. Too many times ministry or outreach is done at arms length. We may travel into the city or to a distant country to do the work of Christ, but at the end of the day, many of us return from places that we label as "unsafe" or "bad neighborhoods" to the safety and comfort of our homes and quiet neighborhoods.

But the incarnation models a different way. Christ did not minister to people at arms length. He was born in the stable to reach out to the shepherds. He ate in the homes of tax collectors to speak to the outcasts. The message of the incarnation is clear - God validates our worth as humans by coming and living as one of us. The church must follow this example and live in this incarnational way to validate the worth of those to whom we are reaching out. What does this look like? I think that we need to seriously evaluate where our churches are located and where we as individuals choose to live. If we really want to bring the love of Christ to the inner city, or to the so-called "bad neighborhoods," that's where we should be.

blessings,
eric

"I thought that I saw you in the oncoming cars"

I have not blogged a lot, I realize that.  When riding, my remarks and conversation are usually limited to bursts of irritation at the state which we are riding through, or the map.  I try to call on all my patience to be fair and strong.  

I think a lot about what I have learned this summer.  Sometimes I try hard to search for a life lesson.  I have learned to have faith to pray.  It is not easy for me to pray.  I want so hard for every word to be sincere.  But I'm learning to pray in faith for impossible things.  In faith I pray uncommon prayers; I am told He answers prayer.  People are always telling me that this journey will change my life, that I will look back on it as a blessed time of my life.  

But I'm just looking for God.  I'm looking for evidence of His love in the people we meet.  

Godspeed,

Andrea

from Lake Pymatuning, PA

Today we're resting at Matt's grandparents' cottage. Since we first plotted this destination on the map, Matt has described this destination to us as paradisiacal; I have yet to disagree with him.

I am tempted to suggest that we end the trip here. "Let's stop here," I would whisper to my traveling companions. "Let's spend the next two weeks here, overlooking the lake, then drive with our bikes to Quincy, MA for our finale. No one would have to know!" Perhaps we could even stay longer -- indefinitely. I would lounge on the deck daily; learn to sail, maybe, if I got the courage; and definitely learn to like fish.

But we cannot stay. I cannot stay. Eventually, the faces of those I'd forgotten would reflect off the water by the dock.

The man in Seattle stood overlooking the sea, calling:

"Hello! Hello? Are you there?
Can you hear me? Help me!
Help me! I'm drowning!
Hello? I need help! I'm drowning!"
He paused, concluding,
"I hate you!"

Peace,
emily

A brief stop at home

We're just outside of Toledo, OH tonight. We decided to get a hotel tonight to hide from the heat and humidity. We rode about 75 miles today with a strong wind at our backs most of the way. Around noon, Dylan broke a spoke on his rear wheel while we were 30 miles away from the nearest bike shop. When you break one spoke, it's only a matter of time before more of them start breaking and then you're really in trouble. Dylan decided to tough it out and try to make it to the next shop. So, we took off as much weight as possible from his rear wheel and divvied up his bags. He rode the 30 miles standing up in order to keep his weight off the wheel! So, it was a long afternoon for him, but he made it and the bike shop owner fixed everything for free (a fairly common trend in bike shops around the country).

--------

Going into the trip, I knew that I would have a hard time being away from home. I knew that I would miss my family but I also knew that I would miss my house and my hometown.

We've been on the road now for 9 weeks and there have been plenty of times when I would kill for something familiar. We sleep in a different place each night. We eat at three new tables each day and ride new roads for 60 miles. There really is nothing familiar about each day and that's been an experience unlike anything I've ever really gone through. Normally, when I'm in a new place or situation, I can almost always know that soon things will go back to being routine and comfortable. But that's not true on this trip. The only things that are routine and familiar are my bike seat and my the 5 people around me.

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to go home for 2 days. When I walked into the house I felt this intense joy at finally seeing something familiar. I guess I don't have much of a point here other than to thank my family and friends for making my time at home really enjoyable. It was great to just rest on a familiar couch near people who love me and were excited to have me around.

matt

Worthington Cov./ Wounds in the Way

Worthington Covenant was one of the best churches and offered some of the best conversation for me yet! But I owe the group there an apology - especially the two gentlemen I had such a great conversation w/. I sat down at this table and for the millionth time remembered something. I was the lone black man (I say "man" even though I felt like a kid) biking through rural America and I was getting ready to have another conversation about justice w/a room full of white people. I sat down to eat at one of the tables and three of the biggest white men i'd ever seen sat with me. I have to confess that I entered into that conversation with a loaded gun. Naturally I brought a lot of my past attempts at conversations like this to this table - which was really a bit unfair to these guys i'll admit. I don't know what I thought was going to happen, but I was prepared for tactless, bigoted subtleties and not-so subtleties.

But something else happened. These men were honest, compassionate and exemplary people. They managed to slowly disarm my tense mind and we had a great conversation. I don't have the answer for what God did there, but I was very blessed in the end to have been there with them. I kind of hated having to go after that because I felt like I had just kicked back and relaxed with a couple of Uncles or something.

I, like most everybody else, tend to bring my past experiences to the present ones - both the good ones and the bad ones. I am reminded of a song that talks about right relationships made impossible by our attempts to navigate new experiences with old mindsets and wounds.

Wounds In The Way (Rachelle Ferrell)

She gives her body freely cause she can’t give herself completely 
There are wounds in the way 
She cannot bear to be naked to the world so instead she just fakes it with a man 
There are wounds in the way 

If they would have treated a little girl and a little boy when basically still just a baby 
With some respect and human dignity 
Maybe there wouldn’t be so many failed relationships 
We might even had a ghost of a chance of just loving each other - body, mind, and soul 

He gives his money freely cause he can’t give himself completely 
There are wounds in the way. 
He cannot bear to be honest with himself; so what the hell, he’ll lie to a woman 
There are wounds in the way 

If they would have treated a little boy and a little girl when basically still just a baby 
With some respect and human dignity 
Maybe there wouldn’t be so many failed relationships 
We might even had a ghost of a chance of just loving each other - body, mind, and soul 

As time passes by they begin to multiply 
There are wounds in the way 
Adding up secretly like the rings of an old oak tree 
There are wounds in the way 

Some old and some new, all stifling, debilitating and cruel 
There are wounds in the way 
And some are passed down from elder to youth - they don’t even belong to you 
There are wounds in the way 

As time passes through, they begin to accrue a strange sort of value 
Some that you think are worth holding onto 
Cause you don’t want to change who you are – no you don’t 

He loves her strong and true, but when he get’s angry it gets misconstrued into violence There are wounds . . . 
And she loves him equally, but when she feels misunderstood instead of sharing openly and honestly she is wounded. 

There are wounds in the way

Been Such A Long Time...

I would like to thank the kind community of Aurora's covenant church, who fed us and had a wonderful discussion w/ us. I especially appreciate Laurie and Mr and Mrs Seaman who urged me share my story w/ the women at the meeting. It was very uplifting and affirming to know that people were interested not just in the fact that I was biking for a good cause, but that I was someone w/ their own story. The details of my past play a huge role in why I am doing this.

I guess you get so used to people's eyes glazing over and people giving plastic answers and reactions, that when someone comes along and extends genuine love and kindness, you want to run or you're just confused. You forget that you can matter to a perfect stranger sometimes. "Been such a long time, I forgot that I was fine..."

And Again.......

It's a little bit of  a surprise, still, to know that i'm not 100% percent sure when i'm biking to next, where the next meal will be and when, to know that in the morning i'm going to put my sore behind back on that bike seat and peddle for another 5 to 6 hours. It might rain, thunder, or shine but i've got somewhere to be and people to see. It is sometimes overwhelming to try and blog or reflect on things during this trip because after biking all day, you just want everything to stop. You want to rest. But I guess the causes we're biking for can't wait.

For those of you in the Chicagoland area, we're going to being hanging out at Libertyville Covenant Church on Monday night at 7 PM. We'd love to see some of you there! Directions

A quick update

Hey everyone -

Thanks for continuing to watch our progress this summer! We're currently in Portage, WI, two days out from Milwaukee. From there, Matt's parents will pick us up and bring us to Grayslake, IL, a northern suburb of Chicago. We're looking forward to resting there on Sunday and Monday, as well as meeting with some members of the Libertyville Covenant Church.

Then, on Tuesday morning, we'll be taking the Lake Express ferry from Milwaukee to Muskegon, MI, and resuming our church visits and voyages with the covenant church there.

Also, thanks to our friends at the North Mankato Covenant church, we recently got some press coverage. You can check out the footage here.

Blessings to all of you!

peace,
eric

ps. for those of you who are Batman fans, know that Marcus, Andrea and I will be attending the midnight showing of The Dark Knight! We are very excited. You can anticipate a movie review blog in the next couple of days...