June 14.
This morning, as everyone was getting ready to hit the road, I was really taken by all the rushing and scurrying that was going on. It’s a madhouse, but everything gets done. We are organized into chore teams and each team has a task to do. Some of the tasks are mainly in the morning and others are mainly in the evening. So far I have been on the trailer team and the breakfast team. Next week I expect to be on the site cleanup team.
It’s a little hard for me to get used to this type of group ride. As one of the slower people, I feel like I have to consider how much I am slowing other people down and if I am going to make other people too late, then I need to get in the sag vehicle. I am accustomed to having a little more freedom to decide what I am going to do than what I have on this ride. We rarely pass any gas stations or anything, but even when we do, it doesn’t usually seem like we have time to stop. So today, I might have been able to go further, but we had a headwind and I was going pretty slow, so I took the sag wagon after the second rest stop. Most rides I have been on, use of the sag wagon is basically for emergencies. Here, it seems to be more acceptable to take the sag wagon than to arrive really late. That’s not entirely true, because those designated as sweeps came in quite late tonight and we held dinner for them and cheered for them when they came in. So, like I said, I don’t quite get it.
I did do something today that I was really proud of. I rode all the way up a three mile long incline. I’m not sure how steep it was, but it was long. I was even singing on my way up! And having fun! But after that came a long stretch with headwinds that really sapped my energy.
Today, we left Winnemucca United Methodist Church and ended up in Carlin United Methodist Church 102 miles away. We were expecting to stay in the school, but when our leader called to confirm, the person he talked to had forgotten we were coming. Or they didn’t realize we needed a place to stay. Or something. In any case, somewhere the wires got crossed. Ellen was the person our leader spoke with on the phone. Within about an hour she had arranged a place for us to stay, a place to take showers, and a meal for us. Carlin, a town of about 2400, turned out to be one of the most welcoming places we have been.
I got to speak with the pastor’s wife and had a good visit with her. They have been here three years, but are appointed to another place soon.
Also, for those who are wondering, my tooth feels much better and I am almost done with my antibiotic. I hope it continues to feel good.