May 29, 2025
Day 8 - Be Still and Know
“‘Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!’ The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” Psalm 46:10
Another long day. 21 hours. 6 am - 3:15 am. Longest day I’ve ever done. So glad I did it. So glad it’s over. I did it because I didn’t want to fight a nasty wind for 90 miles today. So I combined two days. This is gonna be a long one so buckle up. I’ll start with calls as that was by far the biggest part of the day. Called mom as I changed a flat tire about 30 miles in. I wasn’t too angry as they’re bound to happen. I got to a gas station and called dad because my brake was rubbing. It always does after I put the wheel back on but it’s so frustrating. After about an hour of figuring it out and getting snacks I had it at a decent place. Not great. Only got the tire pumped up to 55 psi as I am so tired. It should be at 105. About 5 miles later I was so frustrated that I had to stop for that long. I was spiraling pretty quickly but then Mr. Humphrey called. That had to have been God and his perfect timing. It was such a joy to talk to him (and complain) and to move on from there. Also I got to talk to Luke for just a bit. Then called Mom again and Caleb too. I was just amazed at this place. I was 50 miles in between gas stations and trying to conserve water so was a bit dehydrated and it was about 80°. I got to talk to Dad and Mr. Jeannette. As well as the corn hole champ, Thomas. Funny call but so good to talk to them at work. Elise called, then Dad again as he was riding home from work. And got to talk to Eli. Got to talk to Paul as well and then Ben for a long time. Then called Elise again as I was about 10 miles out from my original thought at camping. This was at 165 but because of the wind I decided I would keep going. I was feeling pretty good. As I got to the gas station, I was a bit tired but asked the guy if they toss any food at the end of the day and he let me take 5 corn dogs! Saved 2 for later and had 3 then as well as honey stinger waffles and a 5 hour energy. I was bouncing off the walls at that point. My thought was I get to a gas station 65 miles away and reassess there. Got to talk to David and then I told my parents about the plan. In the back of my mind I just wanted to go all the way to Havre but knew I need to take it one at a time. Got to talk to Luke again, Ian, and then JT and Lucy. Such a gift. Then I called SJ for awhile. For probably 25 miles until the gas station. I could see lots of lightning in the distance and prayed it would stay away. Highway 2 turned into a gravel road(????) for about 6-7 miles that was brutal navigating in the dark but I got to see the northern lights for the first time and more stars than I have seen before. Unreal. SJ cheered me on all the way to the gas station and I got rained on. I was worried it was going to be worse but it seemed like it had just poured where I was going as everything was very wet. Another gift from God. I finally got to the gas station and was cooked. I was tired. I got Kit Kats, donuts, and fruit snacks from a very impatient worker who was not happy to help me. That was about 1 am. I decided that I was going to keep going 23 miles to Havre as I did not want to find a place to sleep. I took my other 5 hour energy and was ready to go. It was chill until the last 9 where I hit the wind I was trying to avoid today. It slowed me down drastically and took awhile to get the last miles done. Eventually I did. I pulled into a park where I slept for about an hour before sprinklers popped up right where I was sleeping on the ground and got me soaked. That was about 4:30 so I called the hotel to see if I could get a very early check in. She let me! I went there and finally the day ended. I put in all of these phone calls because of how much they mean to me. I was probably on the phone with people for 5-6 hours yesterday. What?????!!!!!!! That’s insane. You guys are incredible. You are such a blessing to me and showing me how I can love other people. I have learned so much from you all so thank you. I could not do this trip without people texting, calling, or even simply caring. You all keep me motivated. I’m being serious. If you don’t believe come out here and you’ll learn real quick how much it affects me. I love you all.
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Today's ride: 264 miles (425 km)
Total: 1,397 miles (2,248 km)
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