Focus Friday: Let's Focus on the Grand Canyon - Going Up

This week I'm concluding my series on our trip to the Grand Canyon. We hiked down the South Kaibab Trail, took a day trip to Ribbon Falls, and finally hiked out on the Bright Angel Trail.

Here's a nice little bridge we crossed as we left Phantom Ranch and the Bright Angel Campground area:

We crossed the Colorado on the Silver Bridge:

Here's a shot looking back at the Silver Bridge after we were on the trail for a little while:

Along the river, there was lots of beach sand on the trail. It seemed strange when we were so far above the river.

Another shot of the beautiful Colorado:

I accidentally photobombed Gary's shot of this scenic view:

(Here it is without me)

 We thought about riding this up to the top but decided to leave it where we found it:

Switchbacks, switchbacks, so many switchbacks!

You have to lift your feet pretty high on parts of the trail. 

Gary took most of our pictures while he waited for me to catch up. I love this one he got with the sun shining on the trail. If you click and look close you can see a mule train in the center of the photo.

A nice little waterfall we passed. There were several spots where we had to cross running water. Luckily it wasn't deep or else there were stones to walk on.

Indian Garden was a great place to rest. We caught back up with Dani and Lisa, two new friends from Phantom Ranch that had passed us earlier that morning.

I took this one. I think I was already getting pretty tired as you can see from the funky camera angle.

Looking back at more switchbacks. I think we could see our friends back there. Gary thought it would be fun to yell back "You're almost there!" when we could see them once in a while. "Promise?" Dani called back hopefully after about the fourth time. We had no idea. "We don't know, just keep going!" I yelled down with a laugh.

Closer to the top it got colder and we started seeing snow on the trail. 

 Here's a cool tunnel a little closer to the rim. (But we still weren't there)

More snow and ice, but we didn't stop to put on our crampons. Our hiking poles and boots seemed to be enough to make the climb.

We made it and we're still smiling! What a hike!

We didn't wait around for Dani and Lisa to reach the top. I was kind of afraid they might push us back over the edge after we teased them about being almost done when they really weren't.

That was one of the neat parts of the hike out of the Canyon. Toward the top we kept meeting people coming down from the rim and they gave us hope that we would make it. We asked some how far it was and they told us how long they had been hiking and we could try to figure out how much longer we had. 

One couple went by and then the guy called back up to me, "Do you know there's a lizard on your backpack?" I started laughing as he realized it was fake almost immediately. "You just made my day!" I called to him. That was fun.

The last part of the hike up was brutal. I felt like I was using my hiking poles like crutches sometimes as I hauled myself over the rocks maintaining the trail. Back and forth through the switchbacks we went, wondering if we would ever reach the top.

Isn't that how life goes sometimes? We keep plodding along, tired and not sure we can make it. 

We just have to keep going. Stop and rest when you need to, but don't give up. Get encouragement from people who have been where you are going. 

Don't forget to enjoy the view. You will make it!

"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:31 NIV)

Do you ever feel like you are never going to get where you want to go in life? How can focusing on God help you to keep going and not give up, trusting that He will get you where He wants you to go?

Focus Friday: Let's Focus on RAGBRAI

On July 24, Gary and I rode on RAGBRAI. I had heard of the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa a long time ago and always thought it would be fun to do, but never took the time to train and attempt it.

This year Gary decided to do it. Well, the first day anyway. Our daughter Erin moved to Shenandoah in June and that's where the first day's ride ended. 

Gary rode to Clarksville almost daily and went to Shell Rock a few times before the ride. I rode to Clarksville a few times, but I didn't train every day. I wasn't sure I wanted to do it. We had seen RAGBRAI riders coming into Clear Lake a few years ago, and it kind of scared me to see such big groups of bikes riding together. I wasn't sure I could handle it. I could just see me getting wobbly and causing a huge crash. 

As the day got closer, I started to think about riding, too. It was "only" going to be 50 miles, I was sure I could make it. So, that morning we drove to Glenwood and Erin dropped us off. We just pulled into the campground, unloaded our bikes, took a quick picture, and got on the road with lots of other riders at about 6 a.m. 

The very first hill was a killer and I had second thoughts as I started to huff and puff up the curvy incline. But then I got to the top and coasted down a nice long hill. I think I was hooked right there.



It was daunting to look ahead and see a hill coming up, but I kept pedaling. Gary and I didn't stay together very long. We figured out that we had different ways of riding. He liked to hit the hills hard and get up them fast. I clicked down through my gears and plugged away slowly and steadily until I got to the top. We texted and talked a few times during the ride, but we went at our own pace. 

During the first half of the ride, I got to a discouraging sign. 

 I like roller coasters, but I didn't think I wanted to pedal through one. The hills were at an 8 to 10% grade and they were tough, but I kept pedaling and made it through.







Here I am halfway through at Tabor. Erin had driven there and waited for us. Gary had passed through quite a while before this, but it was nice to have a little rest with Erin and refill my water bottle. 

All of the cool RAGBRAI riders wear their helmet slightly askew like this. :-)

I also had a photo op in the park where I documented my half-success:

I don't have any pictures of the second half of the ride. Frankly, I was just trying to survive. It got hot and every hill seemed a little bit harder. My goal was to not have to walk up any hills. I did it, but I did stop at the top of several of them and rested a while. The first time I did it in the hot sun. After that I got smart and made sure to find some shade to sit in while I drank a little water and rested. More and more people asked, "Are you okay?" while I was panting next to my bike. I was okay, it was just going to take me a while to finish.

There were some really tough hills near the end, but Gary had also texted that the last few miles were relatively flat and encouraged me that I could make it. I pressed on.

It felt so good to ride into Shenandoah and cross under the banner on Main Street. I had done it! It didn't matter that Gary had finished in four hours and I had taken six hours and fifteen minutes. The most important thing was that I had finished. It felt great!

Holding the seeds they gave us at the end.

I keep thinking about RAGBRAI in the weeks since then. It's such a good comparison to life. The hard work we have to put in to get through difficult times in our life. How important it is to keep going and eventually finish our life's race. How some people stop to help when a fellow rider is having trouble. The importance of taking care of ourselves as we ride (drinking water, resting, knowing our limits). 

One of the greatest things I took away from RAGBRAI was the importance of riding your own ride. I watched people pass me (and lots of people passed me) and they were all so different. Some were in fancy bike gear with team logos on them, some were in shirts and shorts like me, some rode with a friend and chatted as they rode, other rode alone. Some looked like they were in great shape and the ride was easy. Others were huffing and puffing (like me) and had to walk up the worst hills. It was okay. We were all on RAGBRAI. Some were registered for the whole week. Others were "outlaws" and just joined in on the first day to get a taste of what RAGBRAI was like. 

I rode in RAGBRAI, but I didn't really do RAGBRAI. That honor is reserved for those who put in seven days of pedaling their hearts out. I'm glad I rode, even if it was for just one day. It will stay with me as I keep plugging away through this life I live. Some days may be an uphill climb, but I will keep going. Other days may be a joyful coast through beautiful experiences. I will choose to enjoy them fully and rest up for the inevitable hill coming up again. No matter what, I'll rely on God for my strength and courage to keep going and complete life's ride.

"I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14 NIV)

How is your life's "ride" going? How can focusing on God help you keep going and finish your "ride" well?

 

Sorry Saturday: Doing Things For the Right Reasons

Greetings to anyone reading this today. I missed posting a Focus Friday last week. Last night I went to bed at 11 and lay in bed for a few minutes, thinking about getting back up to post something quick, but I didn't want to wake up my poor hubby.

So, I decided to post a "Sorry Saturday" instead of a Focus Friday this week. To tell you the truth, my mindset was not the best over the last couple of days as far as my blog goes. When I neglected to post last week I wondered if anyone really missed it. I didn't receive tons of messages saying "Where is Focus Friday? Please, oh please, post something right away. I can't make it through the weekend without your words of wisdom!"

Isn't that silly? And pretty sorry and sad, too. That's why I'm calling this "Sorry Saturday." I was considering abandoning my Friday blog posts just because I didn't get any feedback. Thankfully, I came to my senses and got my focus back where it belongs.

What is the purpose of my blog? I started it so that I could challenge myself to write weekly and explore the idea of Focus, especially as it applies to my faith and the various things happening in my life. If readers drop by to check out those thoughts, that's fine, but it's still worth doing even if no one ever reads it. I enjoy comments, but it's still worth doing even if no one ever says a word about it.

I've thought about several friends who have blogs over the last couple of days (and even some I follow though I don't know them personally). Ellen, Jessie, Jennifer, Susie, April, Kristen (I'm probably missing some!)...I enjoy their blog posts when I have a chance to read them, but sometimes I get busy and miss some posts. Sometimes I comment, but sometimes I read and move on. I care about those friends and appreciate their thoughts but life moves too quickly to read every single great blog post out there.

I'm going to trust that God will get the right women to my blog posts if they need to be encouraged by a certain post, and I'll keep writing, no matter what. Taking time to get my focus back where it belongs is worth my time, no matter what feedback I get (or don't get).

And so I say "Sorry" - sorry I thought about quitting. Sorry I don't have time to read and comment on every great post out there. I'm praying that all of my fellow bloggers will keep on keeping on and trust that God will use their blog posts to reach the people that need them when they need to read them.

I will be back next Friday. Have a great weekend as you remember those who served our country as we celebrate this Memorial Day weekend.

Do you ever get discouraged because you don't get the feedback or support you crave? Can you focus on doing the right thing even if no one seems to notice?