And are we ever doing that? Well, not me exactly, but I'm Laurel's sidekick, handing her what she needs, sterilizing breast pump paraphernalia, changing diapers, etc.
The Journey - Installment Eighty-Eight
When I reached the top of the hill, Bob was pulled over to the side of the road; Tom and Terri were straddling their bikes waiting for me. As we began to ride again, I asked Tom if my wheels were okay. I remember telling him that I could feel every pebble in the road. He looked down and said, “Well no it is not okay; your tire is flat!” Amazing! I had ridden up the last two hills on a flat tire. No wonder the first hill was so hard to ride. I was riding on a flat tire. The really amazing thing is that God protected me from flat tires the whole eighteen months I had trained. I had ridden out in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone reception and no human beings in sight and had never had a flat. Now, when I had a flat I had people to help me. We pulled over to the side of the road and Terri, alias “MacGyver” went to work. We called her that name throughout the ride because she was always fixing tires and bikes with only a few tools. MacGyver was a 1980’s television character who was an intelligent, optimistic, laid-back, resourceful secret agent named Angus MacGyver, played by Richard Dean Anderson. He was shown as a resourceful agent able to solve complex problems with everyday materials he found at hand, along with his ever-present duct tape and Swiss Army knife. I don’t know who dubbed Terri “MacGyver”, but it stuck. She was always being helpful, fixing flats or whatever she could do to help. Remember that it was she who pulled me over earlier that day and raised my bike seat. That small action was the one thing that allowed me to continue riding when the pain in my knees would have caused me to be unable to finish the bike ride.
With Bob and Tom standing by, Terri fixed my flat. The tube had several holes in it and she repaired them. After re-installing the tire on to the bike, we found that it still wasn’t holding air. At that point, I remember saying, “Just forget it. We’ll just ride with Bob to the hotel.” I was ready to quit but Terri was insistent. It was getting close to dark and I think that it was the final straw for me. Terri was not so easily discouraged. She took the tire apart again, and looked for more holes which she repaired. We were then off for the last two hills which we accomplished in short order. What a difference riding hills can be when your tire isn’t flat. How would I not know I was riding on a flat tire? I had never had one so I didn’t know what it felt like.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone! Come back Monday for the last installment of Day One, Focus on the Family Bike Ride. Two more days of riding to go.
The Journey - Installment Eighty-Eight
When I reached the top of the hill, Bob was pulled over to the side of the road; Tom and Terri were straddling their bikes waiting for me. As we began to ride again, I asked Tom if my wheels were okay. I remember telling him that I could feel every pebble in the road. He looked down and said, “Well no it is not okay; your tire is flat!” Amazing! I had ridden up the last two hills on a flat tire. No wonder the first hill was so hard to ride. I was riding on a flat tire. The really amazing thing is that God protected me from flat tires the whole eighteen months I had trained. I had ridden out in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone reception and no human beings in sight and had never had a flat. Now, when I had a flat I had people to help me. We pulled over to the side of the road and Terri, alias “MacGyver” went to work. We called her that name throughout the ride because she was always fixing tires and bikes with only a few tools. MacGyver was a 1980’s television character who was an intelligent, optimistic, laid-back, resourceful secret agent named Angus MacGyver, played by Richard Dean Anderson. He was shown as a resourceful agent able to solve complex problems with everyday materials he found at hand, along with his ever-present duct tape and Swiss Army knife. I don’t know who dubbed Terri “MacGyver”, but it stuck. She was always being helpful, fixing flats or whatever she could do to help. Remember that it was she who pulled me over earlier that day and raised my bike seat. That small action was the one thing that allowed me to continue riding when the pain in my knees would have caused me to be unable to finish the bike ride.
With Bob and Tom standing by, Terri fixed my flat. The tube had several holes in it and she repaired them. After re-installing the tire on to the bike, we found that it still wasn’t holding air. At that point, I remember saying, “Just forget it. We’ll just ride with Bob to the hotel.” I was ready to quit but Terri was insistent. It was getting close to dark and I think that it was the final straw for me. Terri was not so easily discouraged. She took the tire apart again, and looked for more holes which she repaired. We were then off for the last two hills which we accomplished in short order. What a difference riding hills can be when your tire isn’t flat. How would I not know I was riding on a flat tire? I had never had one so I didn’t know what it felt like.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone! Come back Monday for the last installment of Day One, Focus on the Family Bike Ride. Two more days of riding to go.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY – There is no finer investment for any community than putting milk into babies.
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
The story just gets better and better Barb...
ReplyDeleteLove your talent for putting your experience into words that touch me.
What a trip...I'm exhausted, and I haven't even got on a bike.
Love you girlfriend!