Day 37 – Chivington Friends Church

By Mark Heggestad
Dark, thunder, lightening, wind, and rain.  We saw it coming.  Nothing we could do about it but pedal.  As we pedaled we searched for places to hide should the storm hit us but an overpass about every five to ten miles was the only option.  Eventually the wind brought us almost to a standstill.  A car slowly pulls up beside me, the passenger rolls down her window and says, “This storm has the potential to be bad.  There is a church just up the road.  The doors should be open.  You can take shelter there.”  That is where we are, waiting out the storm.  So peaceful inside, so furious outside.  After a couple hours inside the church, it is getting late and the skies do not lighten so we call it a day.

We had hoped to bike 85 miles today, but due to a few interruptions we completed only 69.8.  Given the forecast for today and the ever-present rain clouds we saw in front of us all day, we are happy with what we got.  Our final stop for the day is at Chivington Friends Church in Chivington, CO.  There is a guest book in the church.  A quick perusal suggests that we are not the first bikers to seek shelter in this church.  I cannot thank the congregation enough for offering us shelter from the storm.

Our view all day.
Flat terrain, storm clouds, and rain falling in front of us.

Chivington Friends Church
offered shelter from the storm.

Cross outside Chivington Friends Church


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