Looking Back: One year later!

It is a year since we left Simpson Universities campus in Redding, CA to go to our starting poinnt at Florence , OR. We finished 43 days later in Nashville ,TN after the journey of a lifetime. I had the privelege of co-leading a team with Emilia Christi-Robinson  and what a trip it was! I am ready to go again, starting to get wrestless for the open road. The Bianchi looks at me everytime that I pass it on it’s perch as I go out to my car. It looks at me and says “are we going now? Can we hit the road again, soon?” I think I am ready, maybe something along the lines of a few days on the coast. Anyone up for a short trip in July? Let me know! Contact me at eklose@simpsonuniversity.edu if you would like to ride! Maybe a cross country trip next summer, ’10?

Back on the Bianchi!

Friday the 12th of September was my first day back on the saddle since returning home. It felt really good to be riding again. I rode with Adam and Nolan. We just did from school through the river trail and back (almost 20) but it was great to be riding again. We had fun talking about the trip as we rode. It was funny,  the hills that used to seem so hard to ride before we left for Nashville seemed like nothing now. It’s all a matter of perspective! We even rode the big hill up to Hilltop. Nothing like Missouri! Now I want to ride a longer distance, maybe Whitmore! Come on team, anyone up for it? I haven’t been writting here for a while, I think I will keep it up. More musings to come!

The Long and Winding Road: Or There and Back again

We loaded up the trailer in front of Bloodwater and then went in search of a quick breakfast and then on the freeway toward home, with stops in Kansas City, MO; Denver, CO; Park City, UT and finally Redding!

We had a long first day in the van and got to KC at about 10PM! We were able to stay with my friends Jim and Amy Bailey and their kids Brennan, Madison, and Hudson! Thank you so much Jim and Amy for your continued friendship and wonderful hospitality to me and my team of students! To think that you guys started this at Simpson all those years ago! Jim and Amy are the Senior Pastors at Kansas City Metro Fellowship, a wonderful church there in the Kansas City area. The following morning it was on to Denver where we were to stay with my sister and her husband, Barbara and Richard Busch who live in Parker. One blown trailer tire in Straton with some very helpful folks at the local repair shop, and we were back on the road again, finally getting to Parker at about 10PM! We had a wonderful dinner of spaghetti and meatballs (Barbara still makes the best!) and a good nights sleep and we were off again (after I got a new replacement tire for the trailer and a new tire for the van). We got all the way to Laramie, WY and then we had another flat, this time the other trailer tire! We put the new spare on (Thank you American Tire of Parker for suggesting that I buy a spare rim) and we were off to Rawlins where we bought another tire! All this tire changing slowed us down some and we made it to Park City, UT where we stayed the night at a Holiday Express and had a great nights sleep! Then it was in the van by 7AM and the ride home! We made it to Redding by 9:30 Thursday night with welcomes by our families! We unloaded the van and trailer and had a final time of prayer together and called an end to the “Fellowship of the Bikes”! It will be strangely wonderful to not be with 9 other people all the time, but I will miss them all at the same time.

To my team: I am so very proud of all of you! We accomplished more than I ever expected, almost seven thousand dollars will be given to Bloodwater because of what we did together! That is no small thing! We worked very hard as individuals and as a team to ride 2600 miles and to talk with small churches and many individuals along the way! I know that I will never be the same because of having gone across the country with you all and I am sure that is true of each of you as well. I want to say a special thank you to all of the people who helped make this trip possible, ours drivers; Jill, Linda and Frank, Emily, and Mike! We could not have done this without your help.  Thank you also to all of those who gave so generously to the team so that we could do this trip. I also want to say a special thank you to my co-leader, Emelia Christie-Robinson, without your continued determination and strength, I would not have been able to do this. It was an absolutely wonderful experience to work with you and watch you lead this group of students from start to finish. I had a great time working with you and look forward to watching God work in and through you as you move into your next phase of life! Goodbye for now, though I’m sure I will have more thoughts too express as time goes on!

Clarksville To Nashville

The last day of riding was a strange experience to say the least! To wake up and know that this day was going to be our last on a bike together was quite strange to think about. The day was hot but the ride was relatively easy, all things considered. We got into Nashville at about 3:30 and to Bloodwater at 4:30. Thank you to Jenna and Matt and all of the great people at Bloodwater who welcomed us so wonderfully! What a wonderful feeling to know that we accomplished just what we had set out to do: To raise awareness throughout the country of the need for clean water in Africa; and to have raised over $2600 just from small towns and small churches and generous individuals that we met along the way! Along with that, the costs for our trip were less than expected and we will be able to give the balance of our trip funds, about $4000 (after our trip back home and the cleanup of the van), to Bloodwater as well!

Once we got to Nashville we were able to get rooms at Belmont University for the weekend. Thank you so much for the wonderful hospitality of Belmont Universities Conference Services team! You made our stay in Nashville worry free and very comfortable! We had a great celebration dinner at a restaurant in the Hillsboro area of Nashville, with visits to great coffee shops and other eateries over the weekend. We also got to go to a great concert , Ten at Tenn, and saw some amazing up and coming artists that I am sure we will hear big things from soon!

The team was just amazing and all learned so much about themselves and the country that we live in. Their lives will be forever changed by this trip. I am sure that each of us will be much more aware of the needs of the world and our part to help, no matter how small it seems.

Monday morning came so slowly and so quickly it seems. It was soon time to say goodbye to Jenna and the team at Bloodwater and to three of our teammates who were flying out early in the morning. Then it was time to load up the bikes and all of our gear and the six of us remaining and head for home.

Home, when my heart is elsewhere.

This thing we call home is a strange and absurd place. The clothes are looser, people wear makeup instead of caking on sunscreen, and peddling is not the primary source of mobility. I’m having a hard time figuring out what to do with myself, so I’m starting with as little as possible. In a phase: I miss the team. I geared up to go on a ride this afternoon and then ditched the spandex in favor of a nap. I’m afraid of riding alone I think.

I’ve been home for 24 hours, but even this home is different because for the past four years I have called Redding home. The fact that I will not be returning in the fall is finally starting to set in, and it’s not an easy process. The quiet of the house today was much unlike the quiet I experienced on the ride; it was both relaxing and daunting, but it won’t last long. My family always has a plethora activities and events to attend and I’ll be busy starting tomorrow.

This trip has had an individual effect on all of us, and I know that this trip has helped me find the person that I always was, but couldn’t always be before this adventure. We did not raise ridiculously large sums of money, but we provided an opportunity for small, and seemingly forgotten churches to get active in a global church mission. I met the hands and feet of the body of Christ and I have never seen limbs that were more beautiful.

Before this trip I had few positive feelings about the evangelical church and the United States as a nation, but after this trip I can actually say that I’m proud to be both, with a bit fewer reservations. We are still lacking in so many ways, but now I have hope. I saw the generosity and the potential for change and a growing awareness for the Christian’s role in speaking out for and with those we have silenced in the name of convenience. Will we ever arrive at perfection? Probably not, but am I more motivated to learn and teach others about true discipleship and service? Yes indeedy.

No matter where we are on the line of orthodoxy (right teaching) and orthopraxy (right action) there will be those who approve and those who disapprove. But I have found a renewed love for scripture and a reason to wrestle with it until the Holy Spirit moves me forward (prior to this trip I got over a very tiresome battle with the book of Matthew). I am in awe of the simplicity of faith and the complexity of living righteously in a world gripped by evils I can barely imagine.

Adulthood for me is the first step into a tough world, but now I’m prepared and determined to live counter-culturally, endeavoring to bring grace to all situations and to continually humble myself. I will struggle with pride, so pray that I will be a peacemaker, poor in spirit, and utterly dependent upon the strength of the Lord.

His joy and grace compel us onward into a lifestyle of charity. This trip is a short-term experience, and meant as a catalyst to a full-time occupation of discipleship and service. May we be the change we desperately long to see in ourselves and in our world.

Peace and Bike Grease,

Emelia ,The Earth Muffin

Nashville.

In the words of Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber: “We’re there.”

the team.

oh california!

well, im home.

i flew home so i could make it to my sisters graduation ceremony.

she’s getting her masters degree from APU.

anyways, i got to drive my truck yesterday for the first time in two months.

i missed it a little.

not the gas guzzling part. but the truck part.

while driving about i noticed a lot of people riding bicycles.

something very unusual for my town.

definitly not something i am used to seeing. or, at least before i left it was unusual.

alot are on fixed gear/single speed road bikes.

even sweeter!

too bad my mountain bikes are in the shed out back, i kinda wanta ride them but im too lazy and busy playing with my dog to go get them.

sorry for the random switch of thoughts.

im multitasking…playing with dog, writing this update, working on my final trip oriented update, and managing my music folder.

gosh, aint i just a busy little bee?

not really, i should be cleaning up my room…maybe later?

just before i cut the grass, yup. thats when ill do it.

and thatll happen just after i figure out what im doing for the rest of the day.

oh, its all planned out now.

actually, i think lunch might be in order.

let me check…yup!

alright, stay tuned for my grand finale.

its gona be good.

promis.

❤

I dont want to believe it.

Its late and tomorrow the remnant of the team (minus Matt, Eddie, and Ian) will head out via van and trailer. It has been 43 days since we have been in california. A lot has happened since then. We are different people since then. We think differently about each other and we feel a lot different about the trip than we did before. But with all these changes, the one thing that still remains is our love for each other and our love for a God who provided every single mile on the way to Nashville.

I write this in the middle of the night with great respect and love for the people who did this with me. Like I said before the trip, we probably would not have changed the world by the end of it, but by God did we start something. So much has happened that I cannot even begin to describe a single day. I can only say that every day was worth it. I would not have had my summer any better way than for what happened.

to my team of fellow riders, I love you all. thank you for doing this with me.

God I cannot believe it is over.

-peace out.

Surprise!

apparently Ed wasnt on the electronics fast as we were.

his blog caught me by surprise…hence the title?

sorta.

let me explain.

starts with an N…and ends with an ASHVILLE

give up?

okay i’ll tell.

WERE IN NASHVILLE!!!

i know, i know…we beat the odds, we conquered the villians, we fought the law. and we won.

not entirely.

but we did indeed make it.

rolled into the Blood Water headquarters on friday around…i think it was  maybe 3-ish?

heavy on the ish…light on the 3

so what have we done?

well, we hung out with the Blood Water fellas and fella-ets (<–read one of my past posts to get that one) and then they showed us a great spot for dinner. PM i think was the name. just PM. but im not sure. they had this really good burger…and i got sushi!

oh yummy delight!

i dont even know what that means but that sums it up.

and then we walked down into a part of the town that has all the cute shops and coffee shops and what-not.

then walked back to Belmont University in which we are staying. and we slept.

and we not only slept, but we slept in.

glorious!

then we woke up…walked to the pancake pantry and had a wonderful brunch, and the hashbrowns there are amazing! you know, just incase your in the area and need a bite to eat.

be prepared for a wait tho, we waited about an hour.

then we started our first de-brief. we had to go out and buy one thing for $5 that sums up the trip for us.

i had a most difficult time, but in the end i found what was searching for me at A Thousand Faces.

and after i was done i took a stroll to a tattoo shop and got me some ink.

im not joking either. its a sweet tat. sorry if it offends anyone. its just kinda what i like and its the souvenier(SP?!?) that i wanted to take back with me from Nashville and the trip.

the day still isnt over…oh no. the best is yet to come

actually, it is over, but not in this story. so hold tight, for my audience, the best is yet to come…

Ten out of Tenn

its ten artists out of Tennessee

and we saw them play at a local venue

and it was absolutely delightful

what they did in the show was…instead of having their band up there, they played lead and vocals while the other people played the other instruments.

let me explain that better…*so john doe would go up and play guitar and sing while stanly white plays drums (the drummer was the same for everyone). john doe would then finish and introduce vocal vicky, and while miss vicky is playing lead guitar and singing vocals, john doe is now playing bass. misss vicky finishes and then introduces rythm randy, and missss vicky now switches to tambourine, while mr doe stays on bass and randy is taking up lead and vocals.*

trust me, it was sweet. it was like watching a play and being at a concert.

double the trouble, double the fun.

and thats the end of the day.

dont know whats up for tomorrow. but its gona be cool.

how do i know?

were in Nashville, dude.

you could trip on the sidewalk and it would be cool.

people of California, what are you waiting for.

come visit.

you owe it to yourself.

just make sure to not stop in or drive through Kansas.

alright, its like…oh, 1am or something.

so im going to sleep.

hope this sorta sums up whats going on in our lives.

oh, i totaly didnt talk about missouri at all.

i voted it most fun to cycle through.

there were lots of little hills, like maybe a couple hundred feet elevation gain at most. most were prolly more around, i dunno…40-58? i totally pulled that number out of nowhere so dont quote me at all.

anywho, they were short and steep and fun.

except for one hill.

it sucked.

but missouri was sweet overall. and we got to chill with a youth group and talk at it, and it was sweet.

okay. goodnight.

oh…

*the names used in this paragraph are not real nor associated in anyway shape or form with TOT or Simpson University or Wheels for Wells or Blood:Water Missions or Eddie Fontes*

❤ Eddie

Almost Done

Well, here we are having just ridden from Poplar Bluff to Portersville, MO.and getting ready for our last day of riding. We had to stop in Portersville because of the flooding on the Mississippi and the Tiptonville ferry being shut down. So we trailered up and drove over the Mississippi River and then on to Clarksville where we are staying at an Alliance church, Crossroads Fellowship. Last night after having ridden from Winona to Poplar Bluff we were invited to stay at Fellowship General Baptist Church By Pastor Byron Beck.We were also invited to share at their youth service and two of their Bible studies. Another wonderful group of Christ followers! We had a great time (dinner too!) and a great nights sleep! Thank you Pastor Byron and Kieth for all of your help and directions too!May the Lord bless you and your fellowship always! Tomorrow we ride our last 50 miles into Nashville! I can’t believe that it is almost over! What an amazing trip this has been, one that we will never forget! Almost 2600 miles all together! I’m not ready to write my wrap up, so that will have to wait ’til later. To my family, I’m almost on my way home, just a few more days! It will be strange to be in one place and not have to blow up my mattress every night! I Can’t wait!