Written by: Dan SheridanWhat a wonderful day of riding!
It was a short day, but challenging because of the heat and the hills. We attended services at our host church, All Saints Lutheran Church, where guest pastor Susan Strouse inspired us with a wonderful sermon.
After gathering in the shade for a great devotion by Lauryn, Everett sang a beautiful song, and then we began riding soon afterwards. Our group was relaxed and we stayed close together, being sure to drink plenty of water in the heat.
I rode with Madalyn Davidson from Illinois and Alan Shu from San Diego. At mile 15 we entered a refreshingly cool tunnel, and we shouted with delight! At mile 27 we climbed a long, steep hill amongst gusty winds to an observation point overlooking the Golden Gate bridge. After a short break we crossed the (red) bridge and climbed some of San Francisco’s legendary hills. There may have been some walking involved, but I’ll never tell.
One of our riders, Mike, was pleasantly surprised when his son Jack appeared at the entrance to the Golden Gate Bridge, having flown out from Chicago for a few days.
We arrived at our home for the next two nights, the Delores Park Church. Our gang walked a few blocks to a fitness center for showers, and then raided nearby restaurants for dinner.
I joined the ride for the first two weeks, and this is my final day of riding with this wonderful team. I’m delighted to have met them, and the experience is made even better by the knowledge that we’ve helped families to secure simple, decent housing.
