I slept in a little bit today. It wasn’t hard to do because I was in a BED. Terri got home from work about 9am and we talked it up for a couple hours. Mostly theology and solving the world’s problems. She loves Jesus with all her heart and brings viewpoints from the Christian Left, so our conversations are often iron sharpening iron, but we also find a lot in common. I come away challenged and eager to pursue God’s Word all the more after our talk. I hope she is just as encouraged and challenged. Here she is with her son, Malachi:

  
I guess I got on the road around 11:30am and followed the Columbia for a while, passing floating house communities and the Portland Airport. It was pretty cool having jets taking off right over my shoulder!

I then crossed southwest past a beautiful rose garden park 

 and the university of Portland to the St. John’s Bridge. It was an exciting crossing, as you have to get aggressive and take the right lane over, because there is no shoulder. Thankfully the drivers are conscious of bikes and there are “sharerows” painted in the lane.

  
My touring appetite must be kicking in. After breakfast at Terri’s, I ate a banana, then some jerkey, then my usual salami, cheese and crackers, and by early afternoon, I was hungry again. So I stopped at a sandwich shop and they asked me about my ride and gave me a lunch for the price of my panini sandwich- chips, cookie, and a drink! 

As I approached the town of Scappoose, the headwind started up again, and my thermometer was registering triple digits again with the sun’s reflection off the pavement. I pedaled on and found a great little camp spot at the city park in St Helens.

I was able to connect with a former student, Sara, and she came out to visit me at camp with her son, Cameron. As best we could figure, she was in 8th grade when I was the principal at Winham St Christian Academy, going back 16+ years ago. I also taught her three older siblings.

  
She brought me a home cooked pork roast over rice with a delicious homemade mango salsa, which I wolfed down. We caught up on our respective families and Cameron had a blast on the playground at the park.

One of the rewards of being in education is the relationships you build with students and their families. Today was a neat day. I am sharing this blog and this Foundation For The Future Tour with my new school family at Liberty Christian School (2014-?); I started my day off with a student and former teacher from Yucaipa Christian School (2000-2014); and I finished my day with a student from Winham Street Christian Academy (1986-2000). I am so thankful for God’s call on my life so many years ago to teach in Christian schools. It’s been a long and evolving journey, but I am so thankful for the relationships made along the way!

For you history buffs, I promise to catch up on my Lewis and Clark journey updates!