Faster than a Car

An uplifting moment on day 6 of the Pilgrimage was that I passed 12 cars! Well, they were stopped at a construction zone and idling at the time, but it was fun to smile at all the drivers who had previously passed me at their high speeds. Granted, they eventually passed me again, but my victory had been won!

The shoulders on Hwy 101 are quite spacious at times, but quite narrow and bordering on non-existent at other times. If any of our "followers" have connections with ODOT, let them know that bicyclists and walkers face a hardship occasionally when "our lane" runs out. By the way, there seems to be an interesting bond between bike riders and walkers. All of the cyclists who pass me or whom I meet as they approach me are eager to share a kind word, often something like "safe travels." There were a few times today, between Tillamook and Beaver, when there was no more shoulder ("my lane") and I had to wait for traffic to pass before venturing ahead. I'm developing a pretty good ear for the sound of cars and trucks around the bend or a curve, so I had a good idea when it was safe to cross a bridge, for example. For those worried that I am in danger, please trust that there is very little daredevil in me, my family will attest to that, and I'm being cautious at all times. If there weren't already enough reasons to want to stay alive, I've still got over 250 miles to go on this journey and that's plenty of motivation to stay safe.

In the Church's calendar today it is the feast day of St. Norbert. As I prayed morning prayer before setting out today, I asked for the good intercession of Norbert and all the Saints of God. Norbert himself went to the ancestral home of my family, Germany. I wrote down the prayer the Church offered us today and carried it with me: "Oh God, you made the bishop Norbert an outstanding minister in your Church, renowned for his preaching and pastoral zeal. Always grant to your Church faithful shepherds to lead your people to eternal salvation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen." The heart of my prayer today was that God would allow me the grace to be nothing more and nothing less than a faithful shepherd. The idea of "walking with one of the Saints" each day comes from an old friend, now deceased, Nancy Bordwine. She prepared two pilgrimages for me many years ago. They were clearly distinct from this pilgrimage (one was in Israel and the other was in Ireland). Nancy would put little booklets together in advance of the trips and have a designated Saint for the day to be with us and a prayerful reflection to guide us. The Church itself has long had such a custom, but Nancy would pick Saints either from the area we were in or Saints who had something to do with the activities of the day. St. Norbert was a welcome guest along the 16-mile sojourn today.

The valley that runs south  from Tillamook is a rather quiet and pastoral area. Sure, there are those famous cows. But sheep, chickens, horses, and even goats were visible as I passed from farm to farm. The cows and horses appeared to be especially curious about something (someone) traveling slower than 50 miles per hour on the highway. Most of them stared at me for long periods and then returned to their all-important grazing. The area reminds me of the area west of Fern Ridge, near Eugene. There were a few rolling hills, lots of evergreens, pastures, and fields that were being harvested today for hay. There was also a Red-tailed Hawk that was hovering over a newly mowed field. It didn't match the size of either the Bald Eagle (near Arch Cape), nor the Great Blue Heron (near Wheeler) . . . but it flew with equal grace and apparently enjoyed catching some gusts of wind as it circled over the field.

You may recall that the first day of this journey was 16-miles. Today we matched that distance, but I have to say that I feel a whole lot better than less than a week ago. In fact, yesterday's walk from Rockaway Beach to Tillamook was marked by a lot less tiredness and the desire to go for a walk, believe it or not, after dinner. That one was only a mile, but by contrast I recall the feeling (or lack of feeling) I had when I arrived in Seaside June 1st. A small twinge of pain set in today in my right shin, but I changed shoes after 3 miles and things didn't get any worse. If there is a patron Saint of shins, somebody put in a good word for mine!

Along with all the other prayer intentions offered today, I spent a good amount of time praying for the students at O'Hara Catholic School in Eugene and Holy Cross School in Portland. For those who don't know, they are the students from my former parish and my new parish. I was reflecting on the fact that 1st Way in Eugene does a great job of encouraging young mothers to be great mothers, too. The students at O'Hara and Holy Cross are blessed with great parents already and they would do well to thank God each and every day. It seemed fitting that, near Beaver, I spotted a boy riding his bike in his driveway. At the edge of the driveway there was a sign from his school which read "Home of a Champion Reader!" I asked him if he was the Champion Reader and he smiled broadly and said, "Yes, I am." I offered him congratulations and told him to keep up the good work . . . and to be good to his Mom and Dad. He said, "I will." Passing 12 cars wasn't the only uplifting moment of the day!