nappanee, indiana

I'm caught up on my license plates!

 Flat farmland and narrow shoulders most of the way. The road surface was good, however, and the drivers were, once again, very kind. Someone told me that riding on the roads around here is a safe thing to do, mostly because so many of the Amish travel on bikes. It is neat to see the Amish couples go by on tandem bikes. All couples ride with the lady in the back and the man up front. I'm not sure why but I have my ideas. If Margaret and I did that, she probably wouldn't pedal. Instead, she would sit back there and read a book while I did all the work. Just thinkin'.

Outside of Bremen, Indiana, I saw a road closed ahead sign. The sign also indicated the road was only useable for local traffic only. Most of the time, if not all of the time, I generally don't take detours. A detour in a car is far different than a detour on a bike, so I just pedal on. I figure if the road is impassable, at least I can carry or push my bike around the closed area. In this case, I looked ahead and saw three trucks side by side on the road. I pedal up to one truck and asked, "Is it ok for me to take my bike through?" The driver said it was ok and told me they were painting lines and had not even started yet. I had the whole road to myself. I mean the whole road, both lanes and both shoulders. So being me, I had to stop on the yellow lines and get at least one good shot of my road! No traffic . . . just me. Thank you Indiana D.O.T.

In Nappanee, we checked into our room at the CountrySide Inn and headed to lunch. We ate at an eating place in the Coppes Commons, a refurbished, remodeled, and restored factory: Coopes, Zook & Mutschler, Co. I found this tidbit of information online:

Originally, the building in which Coppes Commons resides was the Coppes Kitchen Cabinets Factory. Once treasured amongst elite clients such as Elvis and Frank Sinatra, Coppes Kitchen Cabinets were a staple in many household kitchens. This 100,000 square foot renovated factory now houses a wide selection of shops that feature handmade and locally crafted items, fresh baked food choices, antiques, craft supplies, and so much more.

Inside Coppes Commons, I found an Indiana license plate. It's not the same as finding one along the road as I ride but it was still a find for me. Inside a box of older license plates, most of which were twenty to twenty-five dollars each, I found this 1974 tag for a mere five bucks. Me, being Mr. Cheap, purchased it and got a neat story with it. When I told the gals Kelli and Malena, behind the check-out counter why I wanted it, Malena told me, "My husband would love to hear your story. He just started biking. He has lost so much weight on his bike." She also said, "He was a runner but doesn't run any more. He has a bad knee." 

I told her, "I don't run because I have a bad attitude! I don't like to run." Malena said her husband's birthday is coming up and he has the opportunity to choose a special gift for his special day. One of his choices is a new bike. Sounds good to me. Kelli and Malena, thanks for the fun and encouragement. (Malena's husband . . . go for the bike! And . . . enjoy your pedaling.)

Well, there are now 2,546.56 mile between me and the Pacific Ocean. And look at this! There are approximately 1,017 miles ahead. Tomorrow, Lord willing, the miles to go number will go below 1,000! Under 1,000! I'll probably stop wherever that happens, take a picture, and shout just a little. Maybe I'll do a happy feet thing!

I had a good time today. The Atlantic coast is forty miles closer and this makes me more determined and excited about the road ahead. The Scripture that comes to my ind at this moment is Isaiah 41:31:

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint."

For some folks, like me, patience is often talked about but not really experienced much at all. I have to work at patience but I have discovered that patience usually accomplishes more than fast and furious. I think it's kind of like one of life's contradictions: Do less and do more. Most of the time, when I'm patient and focused, I get more done. The same applies with life. We can get into the myth of multi-tasking and end up spinning our wheels and flying out of control along life's highway. After all, doing eight things at a time usually means that not one of them is getting done. Whether it's a cross-country journey, a project at your drawing board, shop, or desk, patience and focus are necessary to complete the task at hand.

Wait on the Lord.  Renew your strength, mount up with wings, run, and walk. Look to Jesus.

2,546.56/1,017.23