Transitions are Simply a Shifting of the Gears

Mid-July has rolled in with transitions for us. Be it a birthday, a goodbye, or reunion of long-lost friendships, these changes in life have brought feelings of gratitude for all experience coming, going, or revisited.

First off, Kathryn bid us farewell and a safe journey from Vermilion as she traveled home to Asheville to start a new job. Though it was difficult to say goodbye to our dear friend and teammate who has brought us so many smiles and so much laughter, we are also so excited for her to take on this new position as summer garden manager at Warren Wilson College. Kathryn, our little ball of sunshine, will be missed, but we are so thankful for her presence, positive energy, creativity, and friendship that she shared with us at the start of this summer-long journey.

On the same day we said good-bye to Kathryn on July 8th, Carmen had yet another birthday "on trail." As a professional wilderness trip leader, Carmen has spent nearly a third of her life's birthdays on some kind of expedition working with teenagers, encouraging them to challenge themselves and grow through their experiences. This particular birthday is the exception as this expedition is, for once, her own. It has reminded her how important it is to continue to grow in life by expanding one's own horizons, reaching for new goals, and and not allowing that which is new and unfamiliar to scare oneself into never adventuring beyond the safety net of old comfort zones. She is thankful that this summer she is giving herself that same opportunity that she has so often helped others to find.

That day of transitions of goodbyes and birthdays (and nearly 97 degree heat) was topped off with a wonderful discovery by evening. As we rode into the small town of Sulphur Springs, OH, we were met by the sounds of something like a high school band playing nearby and followed it off the main rode to investigate. To our surprise we discovered we had just found the annual ice cream social put on by the local Hope Church! We were (of course, elated and) welcomed in, fed delicious pie and ice cream, and even offered a place to stay that night by a church patron. Afterward as we we biked eastward to the home where we would be staying with Dixie and Allan Long, we were simply full of good feelings for all that has found us.
A tailwind from the west pushed us along faster making our pedal strides easy as we flew over the rolling hills surrounded by lush, green fields of corn. Once safe and sound at the house, the wind picked up, the rain began to fall, and yet another transition was made from the sweltering heat of the day to something much cooler and tolerable for nightfall.

The following day, the two-woman team rode on to Troy, OH, to meet up with a friend of Carmen's from high school. Trisha (Rivett) Anderson, whom she had not seen in many years, welcomed them in to her home like family and even after all those years, the bonds of true friendship were still felt. While with the Andersons, both Narelle and Carmen received unexpected gifts of creative manicures with the most artistic flare by Trisha's 11-year-old daughter Rebecca.

Many wonderful people assisted us on our travels from Ohio to Indiana such as: Charles and Bev Crose, our local F.O.E. hosts in Bellfontaine, the town with the oldest cement street and the shortest street in the world; the crew at Val's Diner who treated us to a good home cooked meal at their establishment; the fabulous Peter and Kathy Manning who drove up from Cincinnati to visit us on route, shouting us to a wonderful lunch and providing inspiring conversation; Ron Harmon, the pastor of the Freedom Baptist Church in New Castle, who not only gave us a safe place to camp in his back yard, but also showered us with the most delicious home made food creations; and later when we arrived in Indianapolis, the fabulous group who frequents the Broad Ripple Brewpub religiously, cheered us on to kick back and stay a while (which we did). We have loved biking through Ohio and Indiana, not only for the gorgeous countryside but for all the people we have met along the way.







We will soon be leaving Indianapolis where we have enjoyed a few days off from biking in the hot and humid mid-west summer weather by spending time with our wonderful friends,Katie Hodgdon and Karen Bushouse. Our next city destination will be St. Louis, MO, but before that... is Amish Country!

If anyone would like to send us snail mail, we'd love to hear from you!

You may send mail to:
Water Cycle 2010
c/o Amy Von der Heydt
5554 Waterman Ave. 3W
St. Louis, MO 63112


Happy Trails and Happy Summer!