July, 23rd, Washington, D.C.
To a man, we’d tell you this country isn’t as big as we thought. You’d think crossing it on a bike would stretch it out, but it doesn’t. America feels like one neighborhood to me now. Out west the houses are close together and the people wear sunglasses, then there is some desert, then in Texas there are some ranches and some oil fields, and down the road in Louisiana people live on the bays and the rivers. When you turn left there you come into Arkansas and the accents get thicker and the talk gets slower and then in Tennessee it speeds up again, but only slightly. You’d never know how close Tennessee is to the Virginia’s unless you biked it. And in Virginia you can still hear the old English as though the ancestors of the founding fathers kept some of the tongue that once debated slavery. When you slip down off the Blue Ridge Parkway you ride through the Civil War battle sites from which news must have come painfully slow to Lincoln’s white house. And then you arrive in D.C. and pedal around the monuments that make altars of our history. I don’t think the American people are any more special than any other group, and I suspect launching a kayak off the Atlantic and picking up our journey again in Europe would reveal to me that all the world is small, and the human story is even more remarkable than the American story. If we headed south from Europe to Africa we’d find ourselves in some of the villages for which we’ve been riding, and even though the journey would have taken years, it would seem to us we’d just left Santa Monica the previous week. At least that is how it seems to me now.
Today the team road into Washington D.C. which marked the end of one of our journey’s. From the beginning we’ve said we wanted to ride from Los Angeles to D.C. to raise awareness about the need for new water wells in sub-saharan Africa. And from church to church, gas station to gas station, bike shop to bike club and community group to grocery store we’ve done that. Not only has the team raised awareness, but we think we have already raised more than 200,000 dollars. Because of the kindness of those who have donated through our ride, more than 60 villages will receive a well, affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who, without your support, would have gone another year without access to clean water. I speak for the entire team when I say thank you. It has been a humbling experience to receive your kindness in both the meeting of our needs, those being primarily food and shelter, and for meeting the needs of those we have come to love, though we’ve not even met them. Thanks on behalf of Blood:Water Mission and thanks on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Africa.
Arriving in D.C. this afternoon was a fitting close to this journey. I didn’t set out on this ride to discover America, but I feel I know and understand the country in a way that had previously been hidden to me. The America we see on television and read about in our newspapers is not the America that we found as we pedaled across at fifteen miles-per-hour. We encountered no crime, little drama, no fear or tension. Instead, in the small towns stitched together by back roads we found a generous kindness. Nearly every member of the team has been handed a twenty-dollar bill as soon as we explained what we were doing. We’ve been given free meals, we’ve been prayed for in the isles of grocery stores, we’ve been given water, free bike maintenance and parts, and we’ve heard countless stories about others who’ve done similar trips back “in the day.”
Small churches of every denomination took remarkable care of us, even though we were often too tired to appropriately express our gratitude. Just last week a church took us to one of their members houses to swim in their pool but within ten minutes of arriving all fifteen of us were asleep on his living room floor. And on the chairs around his pool, in his den and on his trampaline. Needless to say we were terrible conversationalist.
Of the hi-lights of the people we met was a woman named Jessica who worked behind the counter at a gas station outside Anson, TX. She gave me twenty bucks out of her pocket when I told her what we were doing, and then later I overheard her tell somebody else that her car had been reposesed that day. And in Tyler, TX, a group of homeless men who lived in a shelter heard we were coming to town and together raised more than $2,000 for those they considered less fortunate. In that same town, a dozen or so churches got together to host an event that drew 3,000 people. Sara Groves came in and performed a concert that night and pulling together the city raised nearly $90,000. I’m happy to report that the heart of America is good. It’s better than you might think. In a nation that so easily considers itself divided, we really aren’t. I think some of the cynicism that existed within me has been stripped away. I’m proud of my country.
But it wasn’t only “out there” that I found kindness. This team has come together as a family and expressed what seems to be a miraculous degree of patience and grace with each other. We are not a group of people who are alike. We would not have chosen each other as friends. We are old and young, loud and quiet, fit and unfit, proud and humble, and yet we’ve carried each others burdens. I recall one day outside Memphis when, because of a very dangerous road, we had to shuttle for sixteen miles, only to find out that the Civil Rights Museum toward which we were riding was closed on Tuesdays. So we had to shuttle some more, and ended up driving twenty miles in the wrong direction, fifteen of us crowded into a twelve-passenger van, hungry and tired and hot. But nobody broke. Nobody said anything. We looked down for three hours at the carpet, out the windows, we kept our mouths shut. And the next morning we congratulated ourselves on not insulting each other when the tension was the highest. Amazingly, this group of people has ridden their bikes across the country without crisis or major conflict. Instead, we’ve come to depend on each other, to care for each other, and to encourage each other. We’ve learned to look past each others faults because living with an annoying person beats being alone. We weren’t made to be alone. Even as we’ve found goodness in the hearts of those we’ve encountered, we’ve found goodness in ourselves and in each other. In my opinion, this indicates God has been with us the entire journey. I don’t know how a community could have come together like this on its own.
The physical challenges have been demanding as well. We’ve ridden eight centuries, and several other days that were in excess of ninety-five miles. We’ve ridden in temperatures as high as 118, and as low as the mid-40’s. We’ve climbed as high as 8,000 feet, ridden on gravel roads for miles, crossed rivers over rope bridges, rode shoulders six inches wide with eighteen-wheelers buzzing by every few minutes only a few inches from our bodies. We’ve ridden into headwinds, slept on the floors of convenience stores, eaten peanut butter and jelly and turkey sandwiches nearly every day, and done more than our share of days dehydrated as we simply ran out of water. I’ve completed days that I never thought I was capable of completing, and still can’t figure out quite how I did it. I’ve ridden my bike more than 3,000 miles, when the longest ride I’d completed before this was 75 miles. To me the physical side of this journey seems like a miracle too.
Tomorrow morning we will ride from Annapolis, Maryland to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in Delaware, marking the end of another journey, the journey across a continent. And I’m not yet sure how to feel. Or what I will feel when we round the last hill and see the waves crashing on the opposite shore. I’ll post a small update to say that we’ve made it, and then reflect a bit before posting a final entry on this blog. I’ll also be sending in all the pictures worth looking at so you can get a feel for the entire story. I’ve shot enough film for a small movie, too, so that should be coming as well.
But for now, thanks. Thanks for your interest, for your comments, for showing up at our community rides, for donating through this site. And if we were blessed enough to have met you or to have had been taken care of by you at one of our stops, thanks for melting the heart of a cynic. I needed it more than you could have known.
Thank you so much.
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naomi chan said,
July 23, 2008 @ 9:47 pm
Thank YOU for sharing a story of an America that truly is united. You’ve all made the country a smaller place w/great stories, and pix. I felt I was along for the ride and meeting the same folks. I’ll be praying for your closure. Looking out for Ride Well, the Movie.
Richard Green said,
July 23, 2008 @ 9:50 pm
Thanks, Don for bringing us along with you on your journey. What a great accomplishment for you and the team. I’m feeling a little sad for you right now. Only because this one is over. There are other adventures out there that are yet to come. Let’s hope we get to participate again.
Kyle Chowning said,
July 23, 2008 @ 9:59 pm
Don…i’ve tracked your journey from the beginning. It’s amazing that you’ve gone this far in such little time. In the time it took for you to cross the US on a bike, it forces me ask myself, what have I done? While I didn’t bike, did I do something for someone somewhere.
Thanks for being so willing to write of your process and help a nation get the very thing that we take advantage of everyday; water.
Looking forward to the recaps.
amy said,
July 23, 2008 @ 10:54 pm
well done, my friend. so proud of you.
Stretch Mark Mama said,
July 23, 2008 @ 11:02 pm
That was well written, especially the first paragraph. I had to read it twice. It’s like maybe you should write a book about that, or somethin’.
lori hudson said,
July 23, 2008 @ 11:18 pm
Don and Bicycle Team,
What an amazing journey!! God is good all the time.
It made me want to go across the US in a car.
Blessings to you.
Lori
Trina said,
July 24, 2008 @ 12:39 am
Thank you for so generously sharing your experiences, giving of your time and sacrificing your body. The ripples dance far.
Melissa Szydlowski said,
July 24, 2008 @ 5:07 am
I’ve been following your trek via Twitter, and it’s been quite enjoyable, not to mention amazing! Congrats on making it all the way, and for such a great cause.
Judy N said,
July 24, 2008 @ 5:43 am
I’ve been checking in almost every day, too, and even though I barely know you, I am so proud of you and your team. Congratulations on something you will never forget! And praise God for the wonderful people along the way, the $, the presence of the Spirit. Yahoooooo for you. Jump in that Atlantic with joy!
Julie said,
July 24, 2008 @ 6:20 am
Rock on, Don and team! So excited for the experience you’ve had. Thanks for sharing with us!
Dorothy Bowen Klass said,
July 24, 2008 @ 7:11 am
I love the way you express your thoughts. As I suspected all along, our country has a great heart.
Dot
Wendy said,
July 24, 2008 @ 7:35 am
Yes, truly amazing. And an honor to be able to follow you virtually.
I liked what you wrote about the country. I have had a change of heart for America since being in DC. And I can relate to the camaraderie with others I would normally not mix with. What a priveledge, an honor, a blessing. I am just so happy for everyone, and proud. And of course very happy for Blood Water Mission. I want to see that face of the America you described more often.
I, like Kyle, have also asked myself “What have I done?” A lot of little things are going on in my life that end up connecting to where I think (and hope) God may be bringing me. Ride: Well Tour, and your books have played a small part…amazing to me how God uses it all…even my geeky, embarassed feelings that came from meeting the group yesterday is being used.
Thanks again for sharing with us.
Mike said,
July 24, 2008 @ 9:55 am
Don…Thank you for letting so many participate in this with you. It has been a fun 3 months, from watching your bike preparation, hearing about your training rides, reading all the journey posts, seeing the pictures, having the opportunity to actually interact some with the team, and now its amazing it is all about over. But thanks for sharing. I am learning to love people I have never met. Blessings to you.
Charlie Lowell said,
July 24, 2008 @ 10:14 am
What a beautiful reflection on this journey, Don!! Thanks. We truly weren’t made to be alone. I’m proud to know you all, and to have rode a mere and humble 12 miles with you (with a long break half-way). I will certainly miss these daily pictures, posts, and mostly the journey it’s been to follow along….
Erin said,
July 24, 2008 @ 11:59 am
Thank you so much for writing this and sharing your trip. Thank you for stepping out and making a difference, for trying something new and getting the word out there about blood water. Thank you for careing for people who you’ve never met. Its been a joy to check this blog daily and I’m kinda of sad its over. What a great story you’ve told
Congratulations to the whole team for making it. You guys are amazing. What fun stories and memories you’ve made.
shemaiah said,
July 24, 2008 @ 12:14 pm
When I saw the picture of you in front of the Washington Memorial I got the chills. Reading this was amazing. I m going to link to this from my blog and home to get you a few more bones for your cause. I m so proud of you!
Margie said,
July 24, 2008 @ 5:36 pm
Don,
During the past 7 weeks, our prayer community, of nearly 300 people, have been praying for you and the team. I’m fairly certain many don’t know who you are… but… they’ve been praying. And, on behalf of this team of prayer warriors, I have to say that we’re very proud of you all. I hope one day you’ll come back to Mars Hill and unpack another story or two with us about your journey. It would be an honor to sit at your feet and listen.
Grace and Peace,
Margie
Wally said,
July 25, 2008 @ 10:01 am
Thanks for taking us with you Don, it was awesome to see the generosity of our country!
Fortuitous Bouncing « man.of.depravity said,
July 26, 2008 @ 1:16 am
[…] Don Miller made it to the east coast yesterday as a part of his trip for Blood Water Mission. He and his friends raised over $200k on their trip. Such an awesome idea, I wish I could have gone. […]
shauna said,
July 26, 2008 @ 11:11 am
around 3 pm my time on Thursday I looked at my watch. I remembered having read that around 6 your time, it would be over, and I got such a sad and big feeling for all of you. This was wonderful, thanks for letting me live vicariously through you as I rode just a mile and a half to work. Thank you for reminding us what I’d always susupected- that this country is a safe and loving place, that we humans are way more love than fear.
Amen, brother. Hope to see you in Hollywood soon,
Shauna
Makeda Pennycooke said,
July 26, 2008 @ 7:08 pm
Don, thank you so much for taking us on this journey with you. It has been incredible to share it with you and extremely inspiring. I’m back on bike after 10 years not even looking at one. The first time I got back on, I thought about you and the team and was challenged to keep going despite an unfortunate run-in with a wooden pole. This ride across America has definitely created multiple stories worth telling.
Blessing on you and the entire team.
Emily said,
July 28, 2008 @ 1:00 am
A few words come to mind when I read this, but I think the one that hits me the hardest is inspiring. That’s what you and the rest of the bike team have brought to this country and beyond, as well as a lot of other things: inspiration. Hope. Love.
Ya’ll have really let God work through you, and for that, I want to say thank you.
God bless,
Emily
Marsha Pursley said,
July 30, 2008 @ 12:30 pm
What you have written brings tears to my eyes. The media paints our country with strokes of dark and gloomy colors. It is good to hear from someone who has seen the glory of color through the people who live in our country. You saw the hearts of true Americans that live out a REAL life unlike what we see on television. Thank you for sharing your journey and giving the rest of us hope. May God continue to bless your ministry.
Lenny Van Buskirk said,
August 24, 2008 @ 9:12 am
hey,
I have been wrapped up in other things you reached DC on my birthday, you guys rock! The part about the guys raising money that live in a homeless shelter, didn’t surprise me at all. I was able to work at one here in Rapid City, many times the poor aren’t the ones living there. It’s the business men on the board, poor in Spirit! For who cam be more poor then him who lacks compassion for a fellow image bearer. I brought up a need that was there and a board member’s response was,”Jesus said,’You’ll always have the poor! So why should we do more!” Kind of taken out of context, don’t you think? Anyway, congratulations you guys, way to go. Oh and I knew you would make it, there was a VanBuskirk involved! God Bless you each and everyone!