Why Am I Doing It?

What would make a mild-mannered Baptist preacher like me embark upon such a project? Am I off my rocker OR am I really on to something?

On September 26, 2008, I began a journey at the North Carolina state line that will ultimately take me to Memphis and the Mississippi River. I am riding my hybrid Diamondback Crestview bicycle the length of Tennessee via US Hwy 70. I began in the rain and have since pedaled in the heat of the sun and even in the cold and light snow. Alas, as a working man I can ride only on my day off or vacation days. Therefore, this dream will have to be completed in stages. To date I have reached Jackson, a total of 489 miles. I hope to reach the Mississippi River when I ride in late June.

Again, why such a ride? I am not raising awareness of (or money for) some worthy cause. And I am not in a hurry. Rather, I am riding for the pure pleasure of it, enjoying what the Lord has given us richly to enjoy: the privilege of living in Tennessee. Traveling the old secondary roads, seeing the state I love up close at bicycle speed in the open air, and then writing up the adventure afterward together form an unbeatable combination of experience. This ride is a dream in the fulfilling, an opportunity for a recently-turned-senior citizen to leap over the mid-life crisis. And when I pedal the miles away and drink in the scenes around me, I feel God's pleasure!

No, I am not crazy. I am really on to something wondrous.


JUNE 30, 2009 I have finished the ride! On this date, with long-time friend Barry Chamberlain pedaling with me for moral support, I reached my goal of the Old Bridge across the Mississippi River in Memphis, 585 miles total across Tennessee. I am currently working on a book (complete with pictures) on this fantastic bike-riding adventure, even as I weigh options for my next major ride.