Countdown to Triathlon – 188 Days, 26.85 weeks to Race Day (See Installment 57 of "The Journey", 220 mile bike ride, below)

Happy Valentine's Day!  Here's an old fashioned card to wish you many hugs and kisses from all your loved ones today.



 The Journey - Installment Fifty-Seven

        As I neared the house of the lady who gave me directions and said she would pray for me, I was begging God to help me.  My knees hurt so much that I knew I couldn’t make it home without assistance.  I was calling to Him for help.  Then I sensed in my spirit or my heart, however one would explain it,  that God was speaking to me and the words that I understood were, “I gave you that lady.”  I said out loud, “Lord, I can’t go and ask her for plastic bags and ice so that I can ice my knees.  I don’t even know her.”  There was dead silence.  The Lord had spoken and evidently was not going to say another word.  I rode past her house about a quarter mile and realized that it was either go back and ask the lady for bags of ice or ride home in excruciating pain.  I turned around and went back to her house.  I went to the front door and knocked.  She answered the door and I told her what I needed.  I said that if she could get a couple of bags of ice, I’d sit on the lawn and ice my knees because I really wanted and needed to finish this ride by myself and didn’t want to have to call my husband to come pick me up.  I remember that she stood on the other side of the screen door, hesitated,  then said, “Oh, come on in.  You look like I can trust you.” 

            I sat in her kitchen for about thirty minutes icing my knees.  In the course of the conversation we had, she asked me where I went to church.  She told me that she went to a church in Escalon, a nearby community and I asked her if she knew a customer of mine and she did.  We couldn’t believe it.  God gave me a person to help me in both directions, going and coming back, first, for directions and a promise of prayer for me and then help in the way of bags of ice coming back when I felt I couldn’t continue because of the pain.  And He made sure we even had a mutual acquaintance. It was almost as if God was giving her peace of mind about me, a total stranger, being in her home.  She asked me how I got started on this journey and I told her the entire story.  I told her about the dead birds and that I still see them every time I start whining and complaining.

         Knee icing completed, I stood up just and we headed for the front door.  She asked me if I had seen any dead birds that day, and I told that I hadn’t. (That was a good sign because it meant I hadn’t been complaining and whining.) Just at that instant, a bird flew into her large picture window, right in front of us and smacked the glass really hard.  I don’t know if the bird died, but it sure got our attention.  We looked at each other and I shrugged my shoulders and said, “At least this time I wasn’t complaining but it was as if God were trying to show her I was telling the truth about the birds. After  leaving her house and heading home for the rest of the journey, I passed several dead snakes in the road.  I didn’t stop to see if they were Rattlesnakes or not but they scared me in case they were playing "possum" and might leap up and bite me anyway.  I guess I have seen too many scary movies.  I was able to finish the ride in  5-1/2 hours total time. The amount of time it took to finish the sixty miles was not great but at least I finished.

Countdown to Triathlon – 191 Days, 27.25 weeks to Race Day (See Installment 56 of "The Journey", 220 mile bike ride, below)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY -

For those of us who are as old as dirt or older, Valentine's Day at school was very special.  We'd get a list from school a week before our class party and we would busy ourselves writing the names from the list on the valentines that our mother's bought us.  We'd decorate a shoe box and cut a slit in the top.  I remember using white shelf paper and decorating the box with red hearts of different sizes cut from red construction paper. I'm thinking this was about second grade and how great I felt when I learned how to fold the paper in half and cut out a heart.  

 On Valentine's Day, we could hardly contain ourselves until the afternoon when we'd have the Valentine's party.  It's too long ago so I can't remember if we had cupcakes or anything to eat because I am only remembering the parties at my children's school.  Then we stand up with all our valentines in our hands and go up and down the rows putting the cards in each person's decorated box.  There was a prize for the prettiest box and of course most of the boys didn't really want to participate and their boxes were usually ugly.    I do remember that the party was the very last thing of the day and I couldn't wait to get on the school bus to go through my valentines.  What do some of you remember doing on Valentine's Day?  Please comment below.  Pea, if you're still following the blog, what did you do in Canada or did you celebrate it?

  

The Journey - Installment Fifty-Six

     After meeting the lady in front of her house and getting directions, blessed that she would be praying for me, I set off to finish the ride toward Knight’s Ferry.  After a few miles I realized that I needed to use a restroom.   There was absolutely nowhere I could go in privacy.  I had no option but to go out in the open, hoping that a car wouldn’t come by about that time.  Those tight-fitting biking pants are very difficult to pull back up when one has been perspiring from the exertion of riding.  It’s like woman having to pull on a wet bathing suit.  I can tell you, I hurried as fast as I could because I would have been mortified to have a car or truck come around the curve and see me going to the bathroom alongside the road.  I’m very private about bathroom things and so this situation was really upsetting to me. The amazing thing to me is that in all the miles I rode to this point, this was the first I every had to go to the bathroom while riding. 

    

         Back on the bike and feeling much relieved, I passed dairy’s and fenced pasture land as the terrain got more hilly.  I finally came to Highway 108 where I got off the bike and crossed the highway.  Cars were driving at 65-75 miles per hour so I had to wait for a big space between vehicles before running with my bike across the road.  Immediately I had to ride up a fairly steep hill to get to the main road, Orange Blossom Road,  that led into Knight’s Ferry, about five miles away.   When my odometer read “30 miles”, I stopped, drank water, ate an energy bar and turned around for the trip back.  I crossed Highway 108 again, this time heading home.  I rode for some distance realizing that my knees might not allow me to finish the trip that day.  I prayed so hard that God would help me bear up under the pain or better yet, take the pain away.  I needed to be able to ice my knees and there was absolutely nothing out there but barbed wire fences and cows. I was still probably fifteen or twenty miles from home at that point.

Have a great weekend everybody.  I'll post again Monday morning.

Countdown to Triathlon – 193 Days, 27.5 weeks to Race Day (See Installment 55 of "The Journey", 220 mile bike ride, below)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY -

 The best-laid plans of mice and men oft(en) go astray.  Robert Burns

 My husband drove and I carefully wrote down each and every turn for the journey to Knights Ferry.   But alas, I left the directions home on the kitchen table the next day. 

The Journey - Installment Fifty-Five

RIDING TO KNIGHT’S FERRY

(A LITTLE HISTORY LESSON)

        The Knights Ferry covered bridge that now stands across Stanislaus River was not the first bridge or crossing constructed there.  Originally, the crossing had been a ferry built from an old whaling vessel by Dr. William Knight, and his partner James Vantine in 1848.  The ferry was said to have built to increase the business at their trading post, yet toll charges could run as high as $200 for a signal crossing.  By the end of 1849, however, Dr. Knight had been shot and killed in an argument, and a new partnership between John Dent and Vantine was established.

        Dent, Valentine and Company replaced the old whaling boat ferry with a modern style ferry, and were issued a San Joaquin ferry permit for $300.  As businessmen, they reduced the toll charge to two dollars, hoping that the increased travel on the ferry would improve the patronage at newly built restaurant and boarding house at Knights Ferry. 

 

         Upon returning home from Hawaii, I realized that I needed to ride even farther than the 48 miles I had ridden with my son.  Having been told that I needed to be able to ride 70 miles in one day, because we would be doing over 200 miles in three days,  I realized that my next goal had to be 70 miles.  My husband and I went out in his pickup truck one Sunday afternoon and found that it was exactly thirty-five miles from our home to the old covered bridge town of Knight’s Ferry.  I had to ride in the country and avoid the heavily traveled roads, which were dangerous because of the traffic. On my scouting trip with Bob that Sunday, I wrote down all the twists and turns to get to Knight’s Ferry, via the dairy land countryside. We lived on flat land but by the time one gets almost to Knight’s Ferry, the terrain becomes hilly as it begins to reach the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. 

            The next morning after my scouting trip with Bob,  I was interviewed by the local newspaper about the bike ride.  When the reporter left, I left for my journey, which I had decided, would be 60 miles. I would stop  I would make another trip of the seventy miles a couple of days later. To reach 60 miles round trip meant that I would stop 5 miles from Knights Ferry.  We had picked the spot the day before using Bob's odometer.   I was riding on a country road where I saw no human being for miles.  I was nearing the end of a road and knew I’d have to turn either left or right and had discovered that I had left my directions that we had so carefully made that previous day, at home on the kitchen table.  My cell phone was not working out there so I couldn’t call anyone to ask directions.  The houses were few and far between and there was no one out there.   I kept looking for a farmer on a tractor, or some human I could ask. I remember saying out loud to the Lord, “Lord, I need someone to come out of their house right now so I can ask for directions.”  At that very moment, a woman came out of her house to move her sprinkler on her lawn.  I veered my bike over to her and stopped and told her I needed some directions.  She gave them to me and then asked me, “What are you doing, anyway?”  I asked her if she had ever heard of Focus on the Family.  She replied that she had.  I told her I was preparing for the bike ride and she asked my name and said she would pray for me.  I said I would really appreciate it because my knees were really hurting me and I wanted to finish this ride  From this point on until I had both of my knees replace in January of 2005, my knees would be an issue, especially while training and riding in the June bike ride.

Countdown to Triathlon – 195 Days, 27.85 weeks to Race Day (See Installment 53 of "The Journey", 220 mile bike ride, below)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY -  To My Dear Bob

It's not that I can't live without you...it's just that I don't even want to try.

Super Bowl Sunday - We spent the afternoon and evening with our very pregnant daughter, Laurel and her husband Danny.  Since I'm not a football fan, I spent the Super Bowl time upstairs sorting photographs and really enjoying myself not having to watch football.


The Journey - Installment Fifty-Three

This is Hollen surfing.  He could walk to the end of his yard and jumpt in the water (literally).







Barb and Grandson Kaleo in Hollen and Morena's backyard, Ewa Beach Hawaii.

Irriquois Point is just to the right of red dot at Ewa Beach. 

This is an aerial view of Irriquois Point Naval Base - a view which of course we didn't see because we were on bikes.  All we could see as we passed by was the sentry gate where MP's were stationed.  It is located near the entrance to Pearl Harbor.

       

        During  that long ride that day,  we had to pass by Iroquois Point Naval Base twice.  The first time around the base it was still slightly dark and when we passed by a Military Policeman was standing along side the road, outside his vehicle.   I wondered why he was just standing there. I wanted to shout at him for help to save me because this son of mine was torturing me and making me ride. On the second trip past him, twenty-five miles later, it was light outside and I noticed he had a radar gun pointed at the road.  By then I had greatly improved my attitude and hollered at him, “I’m not going too fast, am I?”  The ridiculousness of that statement is comical and I meant it that way since the fastest I ever rode on the flat land was 15 mph.   We completed the ride of 48 miles and I was never so happy to be free of the bike.  I enjoyed the rest of the day and began to pack for the trip home.  I wrote a thank you note on Hollen’s computer, which I sent to all the people who had contributed to this bike ride both financially and through prayers. I included some of the highlights of the training and the story about the dead birds.    Hollen had taken a digital photo of me with the bike and all my riding gear, palm trees in the background.  I inserted the photo onto the top of the letter.  I have to confess that when I saw how heavy I looked in the picture, I just couldn’t send the photo as it initially appeared. Hollen took some “artistic license” and digitally “shaved off some pounds” from my derriere. 

This picture shows that I am missing about 20 pounds from my fanny thanks to Hollen and Photoshop.

Countdown to Triathlon – 198 Days, 28.25 weeks to Race Day (See Installment 52 of "The Journey", 220 mile bike ride, below)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY -  A person can find fun and excitement even at the nail salon.  Barbie Jo

I went for a long needed pedicure today and manicure and had no idea that this was the Vietnamese New Year.  While I was there, Buddha and the dragon came in to bless the establishment and went into all the rooms.

First came Buddha, then the front and back of the dragon.

The owner of the salon had tied a Vietnamese New Year's  card containing money outside under the eaves and the dragon had to jump up high to retrieve it. 

It took longer than usual to get my nails done, but it was a treat to see something I've never witnessed before.

The Journey - Installment Fifty-Two

       
(I think I've shown this picture before, but it leads to the "Hill" and also to the intersection where the ambulance carme for me.  You can't see in the small picture, but my face is red and I have been exerting myself.)

      


        The next morning we arose once again at 3am in order to ride 45-50 miles and return in time for Morena to leave for work.  My rotten attitude crept back and riding for two hours in the dark just seemed to depress me more.  Hollen either rode behind me or somewhat ahead of me.  I hated every mile.  I just couldn’t seem to find the joy in what I was doing or to appreciate what God was trying to accomplish with me.  It was hard to ride and cry.    Hollen kept saying, “Mom, go faster,” but I couldn’t see well  because I had to wipe tears from my eyes.  Because of the dark and the tears I was having difficulty seeing. Fortunately, because it was dark, Hollen didn’t realize that I was behaving like a baby.  I cried out to the Lord, quietly, so that Hollen wouldn’t hear me, that this assignment was too hard for me and that I hated the feeling of being trapped with no way of escape from the upcoming ride.  It is truly amazing how far we can allow Satan to bring us down, especially when we are attempting to serve God.  I was having an argument inside my head about how miserable I was.  One part of me said that here I live in a free country where I can worship the Lord without persecution and how blessed I should feel that God would choose me to ride on this ride.  That part of me said Christ died a most painful and horrible death for me.  Then Satan contributed his bit by causing my mind to tell me, “ Yes, but He only was on the cross for three hours and you have to get up and ride the bicycle every day, day after day.”  I was so absolutely horrified that such a thought could creep into my mind that I cried out to the Lord and immediately asked for His forgiveness.  It caused me to cry even more at such a horrific thought that I had allowed Satan to plant in my mind.  Until this writing, I have never admitted this to anyone because I was so ashamed. 

            We continued to ride and I continued to cry.  Think of how well I might have ridden that day if I had been full of joy instead of crying and feeling sorry for myself.  When we arrived at my “dead bird place,” my bird was gone.  That really caused me to cry out loud to Hollen that “my bird is gone and I really needed him today.”  Hollen snapped back at me since he was certainly losing his patience with me by now, “Mom!  That bird has been here for 5 days.  That is a miracle in itself. Every night animals come out and clean up any dead things.   Probably a mongoose carried it off and it is amazing that it was here for so long.”  As the sun began to rise, the light began to illuminate our day and my spirits.  By the time we could see well, God’s blessing that day overflowed beyond belief.  That day and that day only, God showed us ten dead birds.  Never before had I noticed so many dead birds and I kept repeating as I passed each one, “Hi dead bird. Yes, I know God loves me and is with me.”  I finally snapped out of my crying mode and looked around at the beautiful scenery of Hawaii and began to stop looking only at my perceived misery and myself and actually appreciated what I was seeing.  

COME BACK ON MONDAY AND SEE IF I GET A SPEEDING TICKET ON MY BICYCLE.

Countdown to Triathlon – 199 Days, 28.42 weeks to Race Day (See Installment 51 of "The Journey", 220 mile bike ride, below)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY -

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
Theodore Roosevelt

DID YOU SEE UP ABOVE - 199 DAYS TO THE TRIATHLON - THAT IS REALLY SCARY!  MORE SCARY THAN THE THOUGHT OF BEING CRUSHED BY THE CAR IN YESTERDAY'S POST.  IT WILL BE HERE BEFORE I KNOW IT AND I'M CERTAINLY NOT READY! 

HOWEVER, LOOKING ON THE BRIGHT AND POSITIVE SIDE, I STILL HAVE SIX MONTHS AND THREE WEEKS.  THAT CERTAINLY OUGHT TO BE ENOUGH TIME TO TRAIN, RIGHT????

The Journey - Installment Fifty-One

        With only a few days left of my visit, I wanted to ride at least 45 miles before I went home.  The night before my long ride I was complaining to Morena about having to do all of the training necessary to complete the ride in June.  She told me that God had chosen me and that I should be thankful to have been chosen.  My reply was that I was the most unlikely person to be chosen to do this ride.  She responded by asking me if I had read the book of Nehemiah lately.  Her question really brought to mind the story about Nehemiah who was a slave in Babylon.  He was the king’s cupbearer and as the one responsible for tasting the king’s wine to prove that no one had poisoned it  he was in constant communion and attendance with the king.  The king would not allow anyone to appear upset or downcast in his presence.  God told Nehemiah to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls and I can imagine Nehemiah thinking that he was a most unlikely person to obey that command from God.  After all, Nehemiah was a slave in a far away country and not free to leave.  He had no labor force or building materials with which to rebuild the walls. He did enter the kings's presence all downcast and depressed which normally would have been a death sentence.    Read Nehemiah Chapters One and Two to see just what wondrous things God did through him.  In my Quest Study Bible by Zondervan, I read later in the introduction:

“Why read this book?  If you’ve ever faced an overwhelming task or felt

  inadequate to meet a challenge, you’ll be able to identify with Nehemiah.

  He struggled with issues still with us today: motivation, fatigue and criticism.

  But the book also offers inspiration and vision.  Without neglecting the practical,

  Nehemiah shows how to tackle God’s difficult assignments and survive both

  opposition and apathy.”

It was amazing to me to hear my young daughter-in-law instruct me in something that I should have realized myself.  It caused me to realize that once again the Lord was teaching me as I continued on this journey and that He used so many people to keep me on track and to teach me what He wanted me to learn.   The problem just seemed to be that I was such a slow learner.

 

Countdown to Triathlon – 200 Days, 28.5 weeks to Race Day (See Installment 50 of "The Journey", 220 mile bike ride, below)

           THOUGHT FOR THE DAY -

Can you really teach an old dog new tricks?

We'll see!

My sister Cindy, from Virginia, (remember, she ran the New York Marathon in Nov. 2001)  is in Sacramento visiting our Mom. Yesterday morning she came here to swim with me.  We participated in the one-hour conditioning class then swam during lap swimming time.  Kim, the pool manager, came up during the lap swimming and was so nice to give us instructions and watch us swim freestyle and breast stroke.  I really needed some help.  It seems that the way I learned to swim 60 years ago is no longer valid.  They've improved the strokes and it will be to my benefit to learn to do them properly.  It will save energy (mine) and propel me further and faster.  The only problem is that it is very hard to unlearn what you've been doing for 60 years.  I listened carefully and came home and wrote it all down.  I will now stop swimming for time and distance for a while and work entirely on my form.  I hope this old dog can learn new tricks.

The Journey - Installment Fifty

         The day after we didn’t ride because of the rain, we rode just before daylight.  We had just left Hollen and Morena’s house and were starting down the street.  A car was coming from the opposite direction with its headlights off.  Riding in the lead, I kept to the right edge of the road as far as possible but found it necessary to go around several parked cars.  The oncoming vehicle kept coming toward us and began to veer towards me.  It appeared that he was going to hit me and I didn’t have time to click out of my pedals so I grabbed the side mirror of a parked car and stopped myself.  The car came within inches of crushing me between the two vehicles. I could have easily been the proverbial pancake as in "flat as a pancake".  The good Lord was watching over me again.   The poor man driving the car must have gotten distracted with his radio, cup of coffee or something and hadn’t realized that we were also sharing the road with him since it was not very light yet.  He slammed on his brakes and kept saying over and over how sorry he was for almost hitting me.  Later in the day we drove (with the car) to Honolulu to the bike store to purchase reflectors and headlights with rechargeable batteries.