Confidence. That is what I felt after the prayer support last night. Not foolish confidence, because I knew, or at least thought I knew, what I was facing today. But an assurance that I would be protected and strengthened through a challenging ride. 

In keeping with my diminished mental acuity, I left tpday's route instructions in Plymouth, NC. Fortunately, my brother, Jim, volunteered to assist today, and he could print out the route. We just needed to make sure that he and I were looking at the same route.

The key challenge for today would be the high temperatures, 95 degrees or so, plus high humidity. Ultimately, I would have to accept being baked for most of the day. To mitigate the heat, I left early, 6:20 AM. While the humidity was still high, at least the temperatures were lower at that time of the day. The other mitigation was my brother, Jim. He brought  up a cooler of water bottles as well as some sandwiches. 

But what about finding place to worship? I have found a church every Sunday since leaving Everett, but I did not see stopping to worship as a possibility today. So what did the Lord do? He had me stop to listen to several Christian TV programs Saturday night. I got my worship a day early.

Yet even this morning, knowing that I had a long ride ahead, I took time for prayer and scripture study. We always can make time for the Lord.

This was the earliest I had departed this year. Jim was driving up to meet me around 9:30 AM, and I wanted to see if I could get 30 miles under my belt before we met. But wait a minute, how was I going to print a copy of the route? The simple answer is that I wasn't. I hand wrote each instruction onto some notebook paper. A little low tech, but it worked fine.

Around 8:30 I started texting Jim with my wherabouts. He called around 9:30 to let me know he was lost, but would be with me soon. When we met, I immediately devoured a sandwich and drank a bottle of water.

This was the start of our routine: Jim would drive a couple of miles out, then park. As I approached, I would either stop or keep pedaling.

It was getting hotter and hotter. I do not ever remember drinking so much water as I did today. A quick lunch, then back on the road.

One thing was becoming clear: The 73 miles that Google projected was going to be low. (It ended up being 80 miles.)

During the afternoon, my speed kept diminishing. What once was 12 mph, was now closer to 8 mph. I did not care because I knew I would make the finish line.

About 4PM, I pulled in front of my brother's house. The journey was over.

On this trip, I have been reminded of our nation's beauty. Almost everywhere, people have been helpful and friendly. The weather was mostly sunny, but some of the storms were violent, including a number of tornados.

Every day in our lives, we are to be open to living the purpose that God has for us, and during this trip, the same applies. It is much easier, without the hustle and bustle, to be close to God. When you are alone, in the middle of nowhere, there is no such thing as a coincidence. God makes His presence known in many ways. I left on this trip open to whatever God has had for me, and I hope that He is pleased with the results.

Now I get to visit with family, both here in Raleigh, but also in Wilkesboro, in the western part of the state. Then, finally, I get to fly back to my Karen.

After 4,000 miles and 76 days on the road, I can't wait!