May 22, 2011

                The Run is now officially 50% completed and it seems like just yesterday we were planning it all. Now we’re in the home stretch.

                It was heavy overcast and an extremely humid 78 degrees when we loaded the bikes this morning before 6:30 AM. There was a mild breeze blowing by the time the Church service began at 6:45 AM.  The speaker was “Ox”, a literal mountain of a man, sporting a Mohawk haircut, tattoos, and a beard.  To say Ox is a colorful character is a vast understatement.  He too has visited my office in Wytheville and so is familiar with us. Ox has a heart of gold, is a forceful speaker, and gave an inspirational message about God’s Warriors and His Coming again to call His people home. It was very moving.

                We rode 47 miles to Terrell, TX. It looked like the entire population of this small town turned out to meet us. They had sandwiches, snacks, and cold drinks for us.  Peanut butter and jelly was the favorite I think.  They also made several donations to The Run from various organizations.

                We had 2 donated gas stops today and one we paid for.   Our ranks swelled today as many people could ride only on the weekend. I expect our numbers today were well over 500 bikes. But there should be less tomorrow. I still think we’ll be 400 strong when we reach Wytheville.  The fuel crew (led by Wytheville’s own J.R. Grubb and staffed by John Dix, Tammy Grubb, and Rocky Wyrick, among others) has definitely developed the skill to fuel us in a hurry. They can fuel all 500 bikes in about 20 minutes.  They’d be even faster if pumps didn’t malfunction at times.  It’s a real art form and great to watch the process work.

                Tonight we made it to Monroe, LA.  We had police escorts in both TX and into LA. That helps tremendously.  With all the new people, the traffic, the construction, lane closures, etc., we had several bikes go down today.  Initial reports are that all riders are okay, but we’ll hear more in tomorrow’s Rider’s Meeting.

Tonight’s dinner was a Cajun dinner given by the Monroe Shriner’s in their hall. There was catfish, alligator, beans & rice, and jambalaya and more homemade desserts than I could list. It was very good!

Now it’s to the hotels and to bed as tomorrow calls. Keep us in your prayers.  We’ll be in Wytheville on Wednesday afternoon!