Day 13

by   August 24, 2023 with No Comments

By David Freeze

 Still with challenges, things are looking better!


  I couldn’t wait to get started this morning, because I had lots to think through and plenty of time on the bike to do that. My evening at the Forest Lake Motel was another good one. The motel is made up of multiple buildings and really nice people, but it reminds of the throwback motels along Route 66. Older but well kept, and usually with something extra. The extra in this case was that Forest Lake was right outside my window. I’m beginning to sleep better, especially on the nights that the details seem lined up for the next day.


   For the second straight day, I was out when the sun broke the horizon and my exit from Grand Rapids was easy. I planned to ride US 2 all the way to Duluth, and almost all the way to the motel.


    With less than two miles riding complete, I got stung by something big on my leg while riding. Can’t remember that ever happening. I rode through Blackberry and nothing was moving. I felt an ongoing gradual uphill, but the pace was just OK. Then came Warba, with not much there either. Long spells of boring sameness in the landscape made the day even longer.


   By Fleetwood, I needed a boost so I got a Diet Mountain Dew and some cookies. A serious boost would have also required Reece’s Cups, but they weren’t needed this time. Fleetwood had a couple busy convenience stores and a few other stores, plus their festival, Catfish Days, is coming up. Next came a long and hilly section through the Fond Du Lac Indian Reservation. Proctor was a little suburb of Duluth.


   During the Fond Du Lac segment, I noticed a van park the opposite way as I pedaled nearer. An arm was out the window with a canned drink and two bikes were on the back. The drink was cold, something I needed and I had a nice conversation with Anita and Mark Goellner. They offered me a place to stay, which would have been wonderful except that I already had a place and it was most likely too late to cancel.


    I’m in the Allyndale Motel in Duluth, way on the south side. Which means that I will try one of two options in the morning. Most likely, I will try to make my way out of town headed north as soon as possible to US 61 to begin riding up the Lake Superior shore. Tomorrow is predicted to be rainy and it is already chilly outside, so since I toured downtown Duluth several years ago, I will likely begin riding toward Silver Bay.


    Did you notice that I mentioned US 61? I used it early in this ride and for much of last year’s journey south on the Mississippi. Tomorrow, I will join it again. I have varying reports about what I will find about the road north and won’t know for sure till I get there.


   One of my dilemmas was how to break up the ride along the shore. It is about 147 miles to Grand Portage, the northernmost point of interest before entering Canada. I am undecided about Canada at this point. The area just north of the border has little to see. At this point, I have rooms lined up in Silver Bay and Grand Marais, where the room is a quirky private cabin. Silver Bay is 61 miles away and Grand Marais is just less than that from Silver Bay.


    So again, the uncertainty is lessening. I am hoping for a better forecast for tomorrow by morning, but I will make the best of it. I had a solid 80 miles considering the hills.


    With that, it was a good day! My shower is about to happen and an interesting day is ahead. Plus the next two day’s accommodations are reasonable and have great reviews! Join me back here to see what happens!

Jacksonville to Bolivia

by   August 24, 2023 with No Comments

By David Freeze

My first stop on July 8 was Jacksonville, home of Camp Lejeune and the New River Air Station of the U.S. Marines. Its population is listed as the youngest in the nation with an average age of 22.8 because of the large military presence.

In 1752, a devastating hurricane destroyed the county seat of Johnston, and Wantlands Ferry, located further up the New River, at the present site of Jacksonville was chosen as the site of the new county courthouse. The first court was held there in July 1757. The area, briefly known as Onslow Courthouse, was incorporated and renamed Jacksonville in honor of former U.S. President Andrew Jackson in 1842. Jacksonville was briefly captured and occupied during the Civil War in November 1862 by a Union Army raiding party.

Agricultural and naval products, (pine oil, turpentine and resin) along with lumber could be shipped along the New River and were the mainstays of the economy during this time. Jacksonville and Onslow County got a big boost in 1941 when a Marine Corps base for amphibious training was established which later became Camp Lejeune.

Established in 1709, Beaufort is located on Beaufort Inlet, a channel leading south to the Atlantic Ocean. The third oldest town in the state and seat of Carteret County, Beaufort has lots of visitor traffic during the warmer months and it was booming when I was there on a Saturday morning.

Beaufort was first known as Fishtown because the fishing industry has always been an important part of the county’s history. Beaufort was later named for Henry Somerset, British Duke of Beaufort.

Originally a fishing village and a safe harbor since the late 1600s, about 150 of the restored historic homes bear plaques showing names of the earliest known owners and dates of original construction. Some of the historic towns do none of this and it’s impossible to tell the age of the homes.

Fishing, whaling, the production of lumber and naval stores, shipbuilding, and farming were the chief economic activities. Though Beaufort had the safest and most navigable harbor of any of the ports of North Carolina, extensive commercial development hasn’t happened. Now, Beaufort’s economy depends heavily on tourism. An entire 12-block area is on the National Register of Historic Places. The waterfront is beautiful and multiple tours are available.

The Carteret County Courthouse, completed in 1907, was the centerpiece for a sprawling vendor festival where I bought a huge egg, cheese, potato and black bean burrito.

Burgaw is the county seat of Pender County and is a railroad town that came to be when the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad Company routed its tracks in 1836 across Burgaw Creek, where a small cross-roads trading post already existed. When completed in 1840, this railroad line was the longest in the world at 161½ miles.

In January 1854, the spot on the rails was called Burgaw Depot after the small trading post had been Cypress Grove. The depot is the oldest in the state circa 1850 and is part of the North Carolina Civil War Trail, one of my favorite signs.

During the Civil War, the railroad carried fresh troops to the battlefields and brought back the sick and wounded. Military supplies came from the port of Wilmington to the fighting fronts and kept the depot very busy. Confederate generals and their troops used the depot for weeks after the loss of Ft. Fisher and Wilmington. The railroad and its depots fell to the Union forces on Feb. 22, 1865. The depot warehouse still bears the charred scars of a Union cavalry attack in 1863. In 1865, it also became the holding site for at least 6,000 prisoners of war for over a week in February 1865 while a massive prisoner exchange was negotiated in Richmond and Washington, D.C. The depot was a vital communications center with so many things going on.

On Feb. 6, 1876, the railroad deeded a plot of land to Pender County for the establishment of the town and for the new courthouse. Burgaw was incorporated on Dec. 8, 1879. The current courthouse, built in 1936, is the centerpiece of the town.

Next came Wilmington, county seat of New Hanover County and one of my favorite stops. In September 1732, a community was founded on land owned by John Watson on the Cape Fear River. The settlement was called New Carthage, then New Liverpool, New Town and Newton. Governor Gabriel Johnston established his government there for the North Carolina colony. In 1739 or 1740, the town was incorporated with a new name, Wilmington, in honor of Spencer Compton, British Earl of Wilmington.

Naval stores and lumber fueled the economy, but residents began to push back against the Stamp Act, a British tax on shipping. Various riots and other trouble eventually forced the repeal of the tax, but unrest caused the state capital’s move to New Bern.

During the Civil War, Wilmington’s port was the major base for Confederate and privately owned blockade runners, which delivered badly needed supplies from England. The Union mounted a blockade to reduce the goods received by the South. The city was captured by Union forces in the Battle of Wilmington in February 1865, about one month after the fall of Fort Fisher had closed the port. As nearly all the military action took place some distance from the city, numerous antebellum houses and other buildings survived the war years.

Wilmington’s was called Hollywood East during the 1980s and 1990s because many movies and TV shows were filmed here. The Riverwalk is first class, made even better by the USS North Carolina Battleship.

Bolivia was my last stop, county seat of Brunswick. One of the smallest county seats in the state, it has a few small businesses, a school and a modern government complex. The town was incorporated in 1911 and named after Bolivia, South America.

That’s 90 county seats visited. The final 10 will come sometime this fall. I netted 7.81 miles today. See you soon with more, including Rowan. Thanks for following this series!

Pleasing Our Wonderful Lord

by   August 23, 2023 with No Comments

By Ed Traut

Ephesians 5:10 and find out what pleases the Lord.

  • There are things that the Lord finds distasteful and He separated Himself from – 
  • There are actually things that attract us to God.
  • Throughout the word there are indicators of the things that excite, please, and attract God to us – let’s explore them continually and pursue them and He will make them known to us.

Prayer:  Hallelujah!  I want to please You in every way Lord, and I am looking for those things that please You and make You happy and not just man’s ideas or religious thoughts, but what Your word says that You are pleased with.  Teach me these things and I will follow them gladly.  Amen.
 

Ed Traut
Prophetic Life

Day 12

by   August 22, 2023 with No Comments

By David Freeze

Uncertainty ahead, but today goes well!


 Bemidji was a nice place, with what seems much more than the 15,000 population it has. Another beautiful and clean Minnesota city! The choices for motels are very limited and higher priced than I expected. From the calls I just made, the Lake Superior area is going to be even worse. But I want to see these sights and I may never be here again.


   The ride today was 75 total miles from Bemidji back to Grand Rapids. I had ridden all but 20 miles of it on the day that I had to divert to Lake George. There were three convenience stores near Cass Lake and then 45 miles of trees and road, with little to see. At 11am, I had to join a zoom call and the best thing of the day happened. Having pushed for every mile I could get ahead of the meeting, just at the last minute I found the giant fish again. And from there, with the fish as the background, I gave my presentation. I talked with the fish owner ahead of doing it, and she loved the idea.


   My last two Mississippi River sightings happened this afternoon. It has been a beautiful ride over two years. There is still a matter of 30 miles to be completed near New Orleans.


    A moderate headwind was tough at times, and it is still blowing as I write this. Hopefully the wind dies down overnight as fog is predicted for tomorrow early. I am in the Forest Lake Motel in Grand Rapids with the lake right out of my window. The motel is an older one but very well done and reasonable.


   Tomorrow begins the uncertainty. I have a motel for tomorrow night in Duluth, and one for two nights later about midway up Lake Superior. I understand that this is vacation time, and therefore the prices and availability will drive the next few days. But the spectacular north shore is worth seeing.


   I did have another F’real milkshake tonight, this time the strawberry shortcake flavor. My ride tomorrow will again be mostly on US 2, same as today. Join me back here tomorrow. Thanks for following this adventure, with some spectacular scenery ahead!

Just a Thought

by   August 22, 2023 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

My mom was not the nurturing sort. She tended to be a no-nonsense kind of gal. She was so smart and capable especially about practical things. Though she had great respect for the Lord, I began to notice a warmth in her relationship with Him when I was away at college. She would write long letters about important things; like how to bake a turkey for Thanksgiving; with reminders to remove the giblet bag before baking. Huh. Who knew? One of those letters in her neat flowing script included this verse. “In the multitude of my thoughts within me, Thy comforts delight my soul.” -Psalm 94:19. It was the first time I remember her quoting Scripture. But that verse became so dear to me later in life, especially regarding my mother. You see, eventually she lost the ability to reason.


As I mentioned, she was a very smart, meticulous individual… until she wasn’t. We started noticing changes in her behavior that were so opposite of her personality. Only two months after the first episode, she lost her life to a rare brain disease. I can’t tell you what that single verse in Psalm 94 meant to me, though she had shared it thirty years earlier.


“In the multitude of my thoughts within me, Thy comforts delight my soul.”


I’m so glad God’s truth never fails. His comfort and peace ushered her into His presence, where she will never be confused or frightened again. In fact, it’s good to think on those comforts every day. “For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.” -2 Timothy 1:7


May the Lord encourage your heart as you think on Him today.


Dear Sweet Lord, sometimes it feels as if the world around me hast gone completely crazy… and therefore so have I. So many thoughts and fears pound on my heart. Only You can offer the comfort I need. Please Father, I ask that You lift my thinking even to the point of delight in You. Perhaps infuse enough joy to bring others along. Please turn the crashing waves of fear into a peaceful river flowing from Your throne. In You alone I place my trust.

Amen

Catch Me

by   August 21, 2023 with No Comments
By Ann Farabee

The disciples encountered a storm in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves and a contrary wind. As they watched, they saw Jesus walking on the water toward them.

Peter responded with faith. He asked to walk on the water – and go to Jesus.

Jesus gave no explanation of how to walk on water.

He said just one word: Come.

But… what a powerful word it was! It required one action – a step of faith.

Peter went.

Peter walked – on the water.

But, he soon saw the boisterous wind.

When he saw the boisterous wind, He became afraid.

When he became afraid, he began to sink.

When he began to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me.”

What did Jesus do?

He immediately stretched forth his hand.

He caught him.

Oh, yes, Peter had faith.

But, Jesus said this: You of little faith. Why did you doubt?

Apparently, Peter had little faith, surrounded with some doubt.

When they came back onto the ship, the wind ceased.

Those who were in the ship worshipped Jesus, saying, “Truly, You are the Son of God.”

If we let this story from Matthew 14:22-33 ‘sink’ in, I am not sure we will ever be the same.

*On the sea of life, there will be storms, but Jesus will be with us.

*When He says, “Come,” we need to go.

*If we begin to sink, we can cry out, “Lord, save me.”

*He will immediately stretch forth His hand… and catch us.

*The wind will cease. We will be drawn to worship.

So, why do we have little faith?

And … why do we doubt?

Truly… He is the Son of God.

Day 11

by   August 20, 2023 with No Comments

By David Freeze

  Into the wind, then a good ending!


After a very good evening and the best sleep yet at the Lake George Pines Motel in Lake George, I wanted to be at Lake Itasca when the park opened. I found out today that Lake George is just outside the Indian reservation and is in the Paul Bunyan National Forest.


   I had an elaborate, glossy information folder on the Lake Itasca park and it said the park opens at 8am. I was there at 8 and so were lots of others, but the park entrance was not manned, nor were the visitor center, the Mary Gibbs gift shop at the headwaters or the cafe other than through the window orders. All of these were listed as summer hours, but very odd because the crowds come to this park in the summer. 8am in the winter, but 9am when the tourists come to the park.


   Most of the outside exhibits were the same as a few years back when I was here last. The headwaters is the drawing card for the park and has a huge parking lot. It was more meaningful this time, since I have now followed the great river all of its 2,552 mile  distance. I got my photos and left the park headed to Bemidji. Last time here included massive attacks by large flies and mosquitos. This time, they mostly left me alone.


    Bemidji is the town that I missed yesterday by making the late course change. It is part of the Great River Road because the just born and very small Mississippi River empties into Lake Bemidji and out the lower end. From Lake Itasca, I had a very challenging and hilly ride toward Bemidji that totaled about 35 miles. A constant headwind from the north and hilly conditions were enough to deal with, but I got an extra challenge.


     Memories of the Yukon and especially Alaska flashed back as I had a paved road that was removed and today was gravel and dirt. In other words, the pavement was gone while being prepared to get repaved. This was often the case on that Alaska ride except that their roads were many miles long and always very dusty. People drove very fast on these roads in Alaska, but most were more moderate today.  This road was only 5.6 miles long and they had been wetting it to keep the dust down. About midway through, the bike got away from me and we crashed pretty hard. As far as I can tell, all is good.


    I have another room at the Super Eight, and hopefully it will be quieter overhead than the last time. The room is very good with a recliner, from where I enjoy writing.


   The nice ending to the day happened late this afternoon when I met Bemidji resident Michael Zachow for ice cream at the Big River Scoop. I had a strawberry milkshake, since pineapple was not an option. Michael came to North Carolina last winter to do the Krispy Kreme 5K in Raleigh and our very own Winter Flight race. The ice cream place is across the street from Lake Bemidji, where they just happened to be having practice for dragon boat races. The real races happen on Saturday.


    On that previous trip to Lake Itasca, I made a photo in Bemidji of the Blue Ox and Paul Bunyan. We made new photos this evening. It was a good day of 52 hard earned miles.


    Tomorrow, I plan to ride back to Grand Rapids and should have a room lined up there. Past Grand Rapids is Duluth and the start of riding along Lake Superior. I have done little to plan that portion of the trip yet, but did get some good information on what to expect for riding along the lake.


    Thanks to Cindy Atkins for joining as a sponsor. She’s been following from the start. Thanks to other sponsors, Father and Son Produce, Dick and Jean Richards, Gear for Races, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church men’s group and David Post.


   See you back here tomorrow. Keep sending those prayers!

Together

by   August 20, 2023 with No Comments

By Ashlie Miller

Together. It is such a lovely thought of a word. It has connotations of joyful union and shared closeness. The opposite of that – separation – conjures up thoughts of loneliness, fear, division, and sadness.

The baby of our family expressed such sadness recently. Maybe it is because he has only known “together” for all of his five years of life. There is always someone with him. Even when playing alone, Mom is just around the corner, likely making a sandwich or cooking dinner. He embodies joy, optimism, and much love he is willing to share physically with a giant, plow-into-you bear hug. He is also quite empathetic. He is a sharer of joy and sorrow when he notices others are sad.

This month, we gathered as a family to remember my mother, my children’s Nana, who passed away two years ago. We ate one of her favorite desserts – German chocolate cake – and shared stories and thoughts while looking through old family photos. The family’s youngest members mostly ran around laughing and playing, just as Nana would have wanted. I am sure they caught glimpses of her while the old VHS tapes played on the television downstairs. Still, otherwise, they were a little less connected to the reminiscing. 

A few evenings later, as I tucked our little fellow into bed, I could see a look of distress on his face as he squeezed his most cherished lovey, whom he calls Puppy Love, in his arms. I leaned over and asked what was wrong. He closed his eyes tightly and said, “I hope Puppy Love never leaves me.”

It took my breath away. We all love Puppy Love; he has been with us since the oldest brother (now 17) was a baby. I tried to rationally but empathetically identify with his fear and hurt. It was not the time to tell him that inanimate objects cannot will to leave on their own. Nor was it the time to teach responsibility of not carelessly losing beloved items. His reality was knowing that things (or people) you love dearly could disappear someday. I gave him AND Puppy Love a big hug. Then, I told him he takes such good care of his lovey that Puppy Love would never want to leave him. 

It would be sad if this lovey left us because there is no real hope of reuniting. Separation is a scary and painful thing to ponder. 

Grieving my mother, his Nana, is very different, though. While separation hurts deeply, it is temporary. We WILL be reunited. Some days, that thought is not enough to hold back the wall of tears that trickle or burst unexpectedly. Our souls long for “together” and cannot deal with separation well because we were never meant to be permanently parted: 

“And the dead in Christ will rise first.Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” 

(1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)

Our souls long for “together” because our Lord knows our future immortality. The Christian can grieve with Hope (which is a Person, Jesus Christ) because we can rest assured of our eternal togetherness if we know this Hope. Never to be left again. Never to be separated. Better yet, we will share this togetherness with the Lord. What completeness and wholeness. What true togetherness! 

Ashlie Miller grieves with Hope along with her family in Concord. You may contact her at ashliemiller.com.

Day 10

by   August 19, 2023 with No Comments

By David Freeze

Change of plans ends well!


  I had it all figured out and because I did, I didn’t rush as much this morning to get on the road. I was leaving Grand Rapids and on the way to Bemidji, where I thought I had a room all lined up for tonight. Planning to only do 70 miles, I stopped to get breakfast things a couple times. I pedaled through White Oak and Deep River, both small but very clean as most of Minnesota is. People are proud of their state and it shows.


  I have a friend here who lives in Bemidji and he sent a text saying, “You realize that motel is 25 miles south of Bemidji.” Somehow that fact escaped me. The motel I needed, Lake George Pines Motel, was close Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi. I had to make a direction change and headed south of Bemidji for 35 miles, leaving me about a dozen miles from Lake Itasca. I love the motel, which I think is still in the Leech Lake Indian Reservation. Another positive was a fairly new convenience store a block away. The clerk said, “You weren’t kidding when you said you would eat a lot!” I bought three bags of stuff and will eat nearly all of it tonight, plus I was nearly out of water at arrival.


  I saw the Mississippi River again this morning, and I suspect that I could wade across it. I know that people will be walking across it tomorrow morning when I see the source at Lake Itasca. They have a wonderful visitor center and this year I can view it after seeing the river all the way from New Orleans back up to the source.


   It was a long ride today of 85 miles with no other towns. Lake George is a town itself, and also a small lake. The town has a population of 233.


   I will go to the Visitor Center at Lake Itasca, first thing and at least at this writing, I plan to ride back to Bemidji for the evening. Plans can change for sure and these might.


  After I leave the lake source tomorrow, part two of my adventure will begin. I will be pedaling back east to Grand Rapids and then on to Duluth, Minnesota. From there, at least some version of a Lake Superior visit will happen. More on that later.


   Since this is a short report and included a lot of time riding through the endless woods, I have a little more to include tonight. I have been hearing from many of the readers and I love it. That is always positive and a boost for me when you take time to write something.


   And finally, this is a very challenging trip so far. After all is said and done, I look forward to the best thing of the day, my hot shower that signals the end of all I have to do. Even though the weather has cooled off here too, I get excited to take that shower! I am headed that way soon.

See you back here tomorrow!

Freedom Comes at a Price

by   August 19, 2023 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            My boss set up a field trip for the students to a museum that I didn’t know existed. This museum is located out in the country but it is well worth the trip. It’s called the Price of Freedom Museum. It was started by one fellow who collected military memorabilia. He started displaying the collection in his business until he ran out of space.

            I really don’t know how it went from being in his business to its current location, which is an old school. The collection now represents 20th century American military history and covers all branches of the armed services. I was especially struck by a uniform that had been worn by a soldier during World War I.

            The guys who led our tour through the museum shared so many great stories, which helped to make everything we were seeing come to life. They explained why the early gas masks were not effective. They showed us examples of field rations. They talked about how heavy the packs were that our servicemen had to carry. They also explained the roles of women in the various wars and how those roles changed over time.  

            One of the things that caught my attention is the pictures of the groups of men as they prepared to go off and fight. Some of the groups were larger than high school class pictures. There were tables covered with these pictures of so many men being sent off to war. As I looked at the pictures I wondered how many of those guys didn’t come home. I thought about the fact that these men were someone’s sons, fathers, brothers, or husbands. The more I looked at the pictures the more I wanted to thank these men and their families for such an incredible sacrifice so that I could live in freedom.

            I guess that is the point of this museum; freedom comes to us at a very high price. Freedom isn’t free at all. Unless someone is willing to stand up for it, we could lose the freedom that we enjoy every day. I grew up in Virginia Beach, where there where many servicepeople living in the area. If I see a person wearing their uniform while I am out, I try to make an effort to thank them for their service to our country.

            I realize that I have another freedom that someone paid a very high price for me. I was lost in sin, shame, doubt, and fears, and Jesus came and paid the price so I could be free. He willingly laid His life down for all of mankind so we could freely have a relationship with God our Heavenly Father. His blood washes us clean; our debt is paid in full. There is no need for us to struggle with guilt and shame, His blood paid for that, too.

            He died not only to present us clean before God but to set us free from all the things that would hold us back from the Father. We don’t have to worry about our future because God has it in His hands. There is no reason to struggle with doubt or fear because the God who made everything is watching out for you and me.  

            When I sit and think about it I realize that many men and women gave their lives so I could hear the Good News of the gospel. Most of the disciples were martyred for the faith. There have been many people down through history who were willing to give their lives to share the Good News with the lost. There are people today who are willing to give their lives to share the gospel of hope with the world. The price of sharing the Good News continues to be anything but free.

            I want to encourage you to consider the price that has been paid for you to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus paid it all for each one of us. He thought about us when He died on the cross. He knew it was the only way to purchase us and to set us free. The Son of God died so we could live in freedom. I am thankful for the high price He paid. I am also thankful for all those who also had to pay with their lives so I could hear the Good News. I also want to honor those who lived out their faith and endured to the very end. I am so thankful for my freedom and the price so many have paid for me!

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

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