ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF THE JOURNEY

 

Most of my Facebook friends watched our dead van dilemma this past week at the end of our Inzane Valkyrie Motor Cycle Rally in Billings, Montana. Now the rest of the story…

After 5.5 hours of sleep in two days and eight hours of roller-coaster decisions trying to decide to fix our car or buy a new one in Billings, we headed home, a day late, to Boise in a newly purchased van. Louise, Raymond’s wife rode shotgun with me driving, and her brother-in-law, Merle, minus his out-of-order Harley (left in Billings), rode in the seat behind me. On Valkyrie’s, leading our pack, were my man, Gary, and his biker buddies, Greg, Dave, and Raymond – Louise’s husband. We were still reflecting on the bright side to our challenging previous day: My car incident, we all believe, quite possibly saved Merle from having a roadside problem or worse with his Harley.

That stressful day behind, tired, yet eager to get home and see some never-seen-by-me-Idaho scenery along the way, I joyfully set off toward Boise. Our friend Greg, an ingenious mapping navigator and adventurer chose a route that was faster and more scenic than the other Eastern Idaho highway routes available. Our drive was filled with stunning beauty and fun. Getting to know my friends better with delightful chatter was uplifting and helped the time pass.

Journeying through from Bozeman and West Yellowstone, the Gallatin River Valley and the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, we then meandered and headed towards tiny Dubois, Idaho. Soon, we found ourselves staring at a dirt road. Unsure of the trail ahead, the guys asked a passing rancher how far the road went. Still uncertain from his vague answers to their questions, we pushed on through the new adventure.

There were times I would start to grumble at the rough road worried about the boys eating dust, then I would see the spectacular scenery and divert my attitude. Despite wondering when it would end, we enjoyed the amazing God painted ranch-land and more chatter. After twenty miles of beauty mixed with dust, we stopped at the end with paved road ahead, black angus milling around the ditches. Just before stopping, we noticed two young women carrying backpacks, obviously exhausted, who were also ending the twenty-mile journey on foot. Getting out of my car, I grabbed my phone to capture the scenery I had longed to photograph over the previous three hours. We all walked towards the girls, Dave getting to them first to ask about their adventure.

Kelsey and Chardonnay had started from the Mexican border in April and were traveling the Continental Divide up to the Canadian border! https://wanderingchardonnay.wordpress.com/ These young ladies touched our hearts in a special way as we heard their stories as they reflected perseverance and fun determined spirits. After listening to anecdotes from these precious girls, taking photos, and sharing snacks with them, we drove off, amazed at our crossing paths. As we contemplated our two-day journey, I realized if my car hadn’t broken down when it did and we had not been detained a full day, God not only saved Merle from an uncomfortable situation, but his perfect timing provided a moment in the middle of nowhere for us to meet some amazing young women accomplishing a daunting task.

When we are on the rough roads of our life journey, we wonder if times of struggle will ever end. This week he reminded me that the rough road is part of the journey and adventure but he is faithful to give us times of respite and treasures along the way.