Day 29 – An Amazing Combination of Feelings

By Mark Heggestad
Today we started just east of Sweetwater Station, WY and biked 91.9 miles to Rawlins, WY.  On the way we crossed the Continental Divide twice.

When we started today we didn’t intend to climb the second summit and we didn’t intend to ride 92 miles.  We told Bruce to drive toward us at 5:30 and when he found us that would be our stopping point for the day.  We thought that would be about 70 miles down the road and long before the second Continental Divide.  But we misjudged and by 3:45 we had already completed 70 miles.

So why the push?  We keep telling ourselves we have no schedule.  It is not a race.  But when we get to a situation like the one described above it can quickly become a challenge to do more.  We have time, we feel good, the conditions are good, we have fuel in the tank (or Gatorade in the belly).  And the desire to prove to ourselves we can take the final summit and get all the way to Rawlins just takes over.  It feels good to take on the challenge that lies before us and even better to achieve it.

It’s not overconfidence.  I am not beating my chest or congratulating myself.  Quite the opposite.  I find every day humbling.  When I wake up in the morning I am humbled by what I am about to take on.  When I bike I am humbled by the beauty and majesty of the landscape that surrounds me.  And when I approach a mountain, I gaze at the challenge before me and I am humbled.  And I ask for help.  “Thank you for getting me to this point Lord, and provide me the strength to get to the top of this mountain.”  And each time the Good Lord blesses me with another outcome that fills me with exuberance, fills me with a sense of accomplishment.  Yet also fills me with gratitude and humility.  It is an amazing combination of feelings.

One more note on being blessed:  The entire day was a gray day and we watched rain fall all around us: often to the west, then in front of us and then to the east.  We never felt a drop. When we got to Rawlins, Bruce came to pick us up, we loaded the bikes in the back of the pick-up, jumped into the cab, and ten seconds later a complete downpour began.

Blessed beyond measure – I can’t say it enough!

Typical terrain throughout today's ride

Crossed the Continental Divide twice today.

Comments

  1. UnknownJune 1, 2017 at 9:20 AM

    It's funny how America's beauty can be so humbling and make us so grateful! Ride on!

    ReplyDelete

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