Pedal Day 24 - MINNESOTA

        

"A person's words can be life-giving water; words of true wisdom are as refreshing as a bubbling brook."

-Proverbs 18:4

"Pedal up a tilted flat for me."

-Lesley Osborn-Scott

"I think the water's wetter this year . . . and the dirt's dirtier . . . and the snakes are closer to the ground!"

-Donnie Brown, philosopher, motivational speaker, actor, and just a well-rounded person.

We made it to Minnesota - Land of 10,000 lakes! Yipee!

Today was a good, windy day. We had wind in all directions but it does not seem to matter any more . . . we just pedal toward Maine! We still serve and love the Master of the Wind!

We have now pedaled a total of 1,562 miles and only ridden across four states. The good news is three of those four states are the longest states: Washington was 383 miles, Montana was 666 miles, and North Dakota was 421 miles. Idaho was only 92 miles with all but seven miles being uphill! Today's ride from Hope, North Dakota to Moorhead, Minnesota was only 71.4 miles.

Our ride today was headwinds and tailwinds, high traffic and no traffic, no shoulder and wide shoulder, and towns and cities (Fargo, ND and Moorhead, MN). We pulled out of Cooperstown at 6:35 A.M. Cooperstown is a "Main Street U.S.A." type of town. It's clean and the folks there are very friendly. Our visit with Richard Olson at Westside Motel was quiet and refreshing.

After we pulled out it didn't take me long to discover that I had forgotten to put my water bottles on my bike. That's not a good thing since we did ride in some warmer temperatures than before. That was no problem though, I kept thinking that I'd buy some bottled water along the way, after all, we were going through a number of small towns. In Page (pop. 265) there was one Cenex service station and it was closed, Erie (pop. 80) we were greeted by two friendly black labs but no place to get a drink, Argusville (pop. 118) only a bar that we could find and I wasn't looking for that kind of water, and finally Harwood (pop. 590). Jonathan and I went off our route and into town looking for a restaurant. We didn't find a restaurant but we did find the municipal building and met Sherry. When we asked her about places to eat she told us there was a bar that sold burgers up on the next street and there was a Cenex station that sold pan pizzas, drinks, etc. We talked with Sherry about our trip to Maine. While we were talking she asked, "Would you like a bottle of water?" It was like Christmas time for me! We sat and talked and when Jonathan and I left the municipal building all I needed was a trash can for my very empty water bottle. We did go to Cenex and we did get personal pan pizzas but the water was the best boost of my day. Thank you Sherry!

Along the way as we finished riding North Dakota I did get some photos of farms. I am impressed that the farms are so neat and clean. I also could not resist and took a few more old barn photos. Even though everything is so flat along our route the ride was very scenic with all the agricultural equipment, farms, barns, grain elevators, farm animals, and very special small communities.

I sure enjoyed my bottle of ice cold water today but when I got to the motel I was thirsty again. When Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for a drink in John 4, she was surprised because the Jews refused to have anything to do with Samaritans. She didn't know who she was talking to and Jesus said to her, "If you only knew the gift God has for you and who I am, you would ask me, and I would give you living water" (v. 10).

Later, in the course of the conversation, Jesus said, "People soon become thirsty again after drinking this water." referring to the well, "But the water I give them takes away thirst altogether. It becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them eternal life" (v. 13-14).

While Jonathan and I were riding today we spoke a little about revival. He asked me, "What do you think it would take for America to experience revival today?" 

My response was quick because we really don't have to think too long about it, "For God's people to get right with him." 2 Chronicles 7:14, God's formula for revival, begins with, "If MY PEOPLE . . ." We have stopped the flow. Instead of being perpetual springs of living water we have let ourselves become little squirts of tradition, religion, and business-as-usual. People are thirsty.

I heard about the town drunk getting saved. One of the townspeople who knew him teased him and said, "Heard you got saved last week. Do you really think you'll quit drinking?" To which the man replied, "Oh, no, I've not quit drinking, just changed fountains!"

Let's not be reservoirs.