Weather: First 20 miles was overcast with a little rain. Last 32 miles blue skies and sunshine.
Favorite part: a few wonderful long downhills
Most significant part: White hill road
Today was the sixth and final day of the bike tour. As we got our bikes ready this morning, the skies were cloudy and a light rain started misting. As we began the climb out of Skaneateles, the view of the lake was quite pretty. The skies and clouds were different shades of blue with some light pink and orange hues. The rain was very light and did not last long. The clouds made for a nice shade coverage as we came upon rolling hillside. We stopped to chat with a local neighbor about her exotic looking sheep.
We had a brief rest stop at mile 20. Someone asked me if I was having fun and as I half-heartedly responded "yes", I realized that I had not been enjoying the ride up until this point. I had been thinking and worrying about a couple of challenges that I would be facing once the bike tour was over. I felt such a spirit of discouragment and defeat surround me. The cloudy weather and being tired only fed into these feelings.
At mile 20 the routes split and there was a 40 mile option or a 52 mile option. The longer option was signficantly different in the amount of climbing and hills. I of course had chosen the longer hiller route. As soon as I made the left hand turn onto white hill road (I don't remember the exact name... but I'm almost positive it had the word hill in it), the climb started immediately. It was a long difficult climb. It did not have the very steep portion like yesterday climb but besides that it was just as difficult. The real challenge though was not in the climb itself but in my attitude and mindset. I was feeling quite discouraged and did not know if I had it in me to do the climb. As I slowly struggled to the top of the hill the words to the gospel song "awesome" came to mind. "My God is awesome, He can move mountains, keep me in the valley, hide me from the rain, My God is awesome, heals me when I'm broken, strength where I've been weaken, forever He will reign. My God is awesome. My God is awesome, Savior of the whole world, by His stripes I am healed, today I'm forgiven, His grace is why I'm living. My God is awesome, He's mighty, awesome, He's holy, awesome, He's great, awesome, Deliverer, My God is awesome, Provider, My God is awesome."
It felt like such a long, slow, difficult fight to finally pedal to that top of that steep hill. The combination of the physical struggle of the climb and the emotional/ spiritual struggle of feelings of defeat was so strong yet the truth was that my God is awesome. There was such deep significance of finally making it up that difficult hill that tears threatened to come. I held them back though as I was just trying to breathe. I did glance back to catch a great view from the top of the hill.
Both of the challenges that were before me were ones that in the past I had experienced defeat many times over. It is so hard to break out of the attitude and mindset of defeat and discouragement when that is what you have known and have experienced for years. Yet the truth is that our God is awesome. He can move mountains. He is my Deliverer. He is my Healer, He is my Provider. By His grace I am living. It does not matter how many times I struggle, HE does not change. In Him there is freedom and deliverance. Sometimes it is simply slowly pushing forward. Not allowing defeat or discouragement to hold us back.
This morning I read Psalm 40 which is one of my favorite psalms. I realize now that it was not by accident that I read this psalm.
I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.
This phrase from verse 11 really struck me... "may your love and your truth always protect me."
When discouragement or defeat threaten me, may God's love and His perfect truth always protect me. May I truly know/ experience His love and may His truth be what my mind is fixed on.
Back to my bike ride.... after that point I had a wonderful ride. What a difference. The clouds had cleared so I enjoyed blue skies and sunshine as I rode along quiet country roads. There were some more good climbs but along with it were some wonderful long downhills. I was delighted to discover a field full of sunflowers. It was just a fun happy surprise. One road was full of gravel and I got stopped half-way up a hill by the sag van. It was very difficult to start pedaling mid- climb but I finally got going and made it to the top.
The last 10 miles I met up with a few others from the group and I followed them into Ithaca. Going down into Ithaca we had some great curvy downhills. It was nice to follow them as we went through the busy streets of Ithaca. While we were waiting at a stop light, I remembered that last summer I was sitting at a cute outdoor cafe in Ithaca having lunch with my parents when some cyclists passed. There were in the middle of a bike tour of upstate NY. I remember saying how much I would love to do that some day... and a year later there I was again in Ithaca, only this time I was the cyclist. so cool.
After lunch, I drove home to my parent's house in Owego. As I drove along, I noticed that I was viewing the country roads through cyclist eyes... sizing up each hill and downhill... how difficult or challenging they would be to climb on a bike. After 6 days on a bike I should not be surprised.
My brother and I are planning to go for a easy 20 mile bike ride in the morning so I can even up my mileage to 400 miles. How often can I say I have ridden 400 miles in a week? This is the furthest I have ever ridden in a week and I am grateful for such an amazing first bike tour. Wonderful weather, amazing scenery, and some great hills to climb. I am thankful for God's protection that kept me safe and for all that He spoke to me and taught me through my rides. He is good.
It felt like such a long, slow, difficult fight to finally pedal to that top of that steep hill. The combination of the physical struggle of the climb and the emotional/ spiritual struggle of feelings of defeat was so strong yet the truth was that my God is awesome. There was such deep significance of finally making it up that difficult hill that tears threatened to come. I held them back though as I was just trying to breathe. I did glance back to catch a great view from the top of the hill.
Both of the challenges that were before me were ones that in the past I had experienced defeat many times over. It is so hard to break out of the attitude and mindset of defeat and discouragement when that is what you have known and have experienced for years. Yet the truth is that our God is awesome. He can move mountains. He is my Deliverer. He is my Healer, He is my Provider. By His grace I am living. It does not matter how many times I struggle, HE does not change. In Him there is freedom and deliverance. Sometimes it is simply slowly pushing forward. Not allowing defeat or discouragement to hold us back.
This morning I read Psalm 40 which is one of my favorite psalms. I realize now that it was not by accident that I read this psalm.
I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.
This phrase from verse 11 really struck me... "may your love and your truth always protect me."
When discouragement or defeat threaten me, may God's love and His perfect truth always protect me. May I truly know/ experience His love and may His truth be what my mind is fixed on.
Back to my bike ride.... after that point I had a wonderful ride. What a difference. The clouds had cleared so I enjoyed blue skies and sunshine as I rode along quiet country roads. There were some more good climbs but along with it were some wonderful long downhills. I was delighted to discover a field full of sunflowers. It was just a fun happy surprise. One road was full of gravel and I got stopped half-way up a hill by the sag van. It was very difficult to start pedaling mid- climb but I finally got going and made it to the top.
The last 10 miles I met up with a few others from the group and I followed them into Ithaca. Going down into Ithaca we had some great curvy downhills. It was nice to follow them as we went through the busy streets of Ithaca. While we were waiting at a stop light, I remembered that last summer I was sitting at a cute outdoor cafe in Ithaca having lunch with my parents when some cyclists passed. There were in the middle of a bike tour of upstate NY. I remember saying how much I would love to do that some day... and a year later there I was again in Ithaca, only this time I was the cyclist. so cool.
After lunch, I drove home to my parent's house in Owego. As I drove along, I noticed that I was viewing the country roads through cyclist eyes... sizing up each hill and downhill... how difficult or challenging they would be to climb on a bike. After 6 days on a bike I should not be surprised.
My brother and I are planning to go for a easy 20 mile bike ride in the morning so I can even up my mileage to 400 miles. How often can I say I have ridden 400 miles in a week? This is the furthest I have ever ridden in a week and I am grateful for such an amazing first bike tour. Wonderful weather, amazing scenery, and some great hills to climb. I am thankful for God's protection that kept me safe and for all that He spoke to me and taught me through my rides. He is good.
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