On The Road Again

On The Road Again

Montana summers are short and sweet. The snow showers end by the middle of June followed by rain. It’s not until the first of July that it’s safe to say summer is here. When the sun comes out to stay, Montanans are on the move. Camping, hiking, mountain biking, even ridge running are in full swing. By the time mid August rolls around, you can smell fall in the air. Cooler nights and shorter days send the warning that winter is heading our way.

After six months of winter and a short spring, people want to be out and about. Jeans, flannel shirts and boots make way for shorts, tank tops and flip-flops. It’s time to hit the road and take in the beautiful diversity of the Montana landscape. Some even suggest that we take a month’s Sunday church sabbatical in July so as not to disrupt the flow of easy living without guilt.

For the last eight years, during the last week of July, Judy and I pack up the fifth wheel trailer and head to Glacier National Park. Spending six days at the West Glacier KOA with friends is as near to heaven that I can get in Montana. Hiking the Avalanche Trail, floating the Flathead River, eating s’mores around a campfire, gazing at Lake McDonald and driving Going To The Sun Road make big deposits in my happy memory bank.

When winter comes again and our world turns white and cold, I recall those lazy summer days at Glacier. The friends, the fun and campfires melt the snow and warm my heart as I count the days until I can get on the road to Glacier again.

Willie Nelson says it best: “On the road again; just can’t wait to get on the road again. The life I love making music with my friends….Goin places that I’ve never been. Seen things that I may never see again. Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway. We’re the best of friends insisting that the world keep turning our way…”

Summer is nearly over and only a few more months until we get to do it again.

Courage

Courage

Now here’s a word I don’t often hear today. Rarely are people described as courageous. Maybe it’s because we live in a world of 24-7 news shouting out the misdeeds of humankind. It could be that we are living in a dumbed down world, where we are perpetually warned not to take risks but to play it safe. Where have all the courageous people gone?

I looked up the word “courage” in the Webster’s Dictionary. Courage is the ability to do something that you know is difficult and dangerous. Courage is the strength to persevere, withstand danger, fear or difficulty! These are strong words for a culture that preaches correctness as the primary virtue. Interesting enough, the opposite of courage is cowardice: the fear that makes you unable to do what is right or expected.

Where does courage come from? Courage happens when, on a daily basis, I am willing to step out of my comfort zone and experience the successes and failures of life. Playing it safe only reinforces my fears and never allows me to step up and let the adrenaline flow. Living life to the full means risk taking not knowing if I will end in success or failure.

Hanging in our guest bathroom is a plaque someone gave us years ago. It is a quote from John Wayne: “Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.” I’m not sure of the context but I like what he says. Many time when in a difficult situation, I remembered those words and climb up in the saddle anyway!

The Bible is full of risk takers. Those men and women did a lot of seeming impossible things. They did it trusting not in their own ability but in their Father’s desire to see them succeed. They were willing to step out on the water knowing full well that unless God showed up they would drown.

“Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.”

So says the Father.

King of the Cowboys

King of the Cowboys

I opened a Birthday card from a friend and there on the cover was a photo of Roy Rogers! Just like in the movies, he had on his cowboy hat, western shirt and leather riding gloves. He was smiling and wishing me “Happy Trails until we meet again.”

If you grew up in the 50’s and 60’s you remember Roy Rogers and Dale Evans in the movies, on black and white TV, and appearing in person at special events. With his horse Trigger, Roy was always the good guy and he always caught the bad guys. Back then it was easy to tell who was who because Roy wore a white cowboy hat and the bad guys wore black ones.

Even though I never did, I remember you could join the Roy Rogers Riders Club. All you had to do was send in your name to Roy and he would send you a special RoyGram confirming your membership. This entitled you to special privileges so long as you adhered to the Roy Rogers Riders Rules; a strict code of cowboy conduct:

·      Be neat and clean

·      Be courteous and polite

·      Always obey your parents

·      Protect the weak and help them

·      Be brave but never take chances

·      Study hard and learn all you can

·      Be kind to animals and take care of them

·      Eat all your food and never waste any

·      Love God and go to Sunday School regularly

·      Always respect our flag and our country

Many years have come and gone. Our culture has changed. Yet there is something foundational in what Roy taught us. The Bible says, “Point your kids in the right direction; when they’re old they won’t be lost.”

Riding My Bike

Riding My Bike

It’s been a long time since I was on a bike. In fact, the last time I rode a bike any distance was when I was in high school. Back then I had a Schwinn one speed with wide handlebars, no fenders and only a pedal brake. Compared to today’s bikes it was a poor excuse for two wheeled transportation. That bike took me everywhere I wanted to go.

Last spring I suggested to Judy that we look around for some new bikes that we could ride around the neighborhood. Thinking of spending a few hundred dollars for two old peoples’ bikes, I quickly discovered that the bike world had changed. I was told that I would be lucky to find a bike for under $500. That was real sticker shock.

After some serious searching, we found two Giant Sedona DX Hybrid bikes. They are built for casual riders who like a comfy ride with 24 speeds. Wow! These are a big upgrade from my old Schwinn. With a few add-ons like fenders, a digital speedometer, and a bell that sounds like the ice cream truck, I now pedal all over the neighborhood in style. I am getting in shape for a 13-mile ride coming up this fall.

Recently, I found a quote on Facebook. It describes how I feel on my bike: “When I ride my bike, I feel free and happy and strong; liberated from the usual nonsense of day to day life. Solid, dependable, silent my bike is my house, my fighter jet, my island, and my friend. Together we shall conquer that hill and thereafter the world.”

I just have to remember that I am 71 and not 16. I have to force myself to slow down and pay attention to what I am doing. Bikes don’t come with seat belts only helmets if you chose to wear them. Happy is the man who can return to the days of his youth and ride a bike!

A Little Town On The Prairie

A Little Town On The Prairie

I was born and raised in a large metro area. I had read about life in small towns in distant places but never had the desire to live there. The advantages of big city life blinded me to reality on a smaller scale. And so another adventure begins.

On a map, Havre, Montana is located on U.S. Highway 2 as you head west toward Glacier National Park. It is approximately 45 miles south of the Canadian border and sits almost dead center between the North Dakota and Idaho state line. You can get there by road, rail and sometimes by air. Target, Sam’s Warehouse and Costco are a good drive away. However you can shop Kmart, Wal-Mart and Cavalier’s Men and Boys right in town.

The town’s original name was Bullhook Bottoms. Later it was given a more respectable name, Havre, after the French city Le Havre, France. The town grew as the Great Northern Railroad built a service and repair shop there. It was an ideal location situated halfway between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Seattle. A statue of James J. Hill, the founder of the Great Northern, stands in front of the Amtrak station in the center of town.

I write this to give background to the town Judy and I moved to with our kids in the late ‘80’s to start a church. After living in a rental for the first year, we bought a home and settled into small town life. Havre became home and its people became our friends. Our kids grew up in a nice neighborhood and attended good schools. Looking back, we have many fond memories of this little town on the prairie.

If you ever get a chance to visit Glacier Park, make sure you stop by Havre. It is a welcome oasis on the vast expanse of northern Montana. When you do stop by, make sure you say hi to our friends and the Ark Church. Havre may not be a big city but it has a big heart. Havre has it!