Oh, so jealous!

Yesterday morning at breakfast, I was walking over to the toaster in a half-awake stupor when I overheard one of the priests talking about the KATY trail, which I just traversed in May as part of my Lewis & Clark ride (travel log still forthcoming). I thought that was strange, so I looked over to see Monsignor talking to a scruffy, bearded guy wearing jeans and tennis shoes. He's got to be a visitor, I think to myself.

Soon I was introduced to him. It turns out that he and three of his buddies are biking across the country, from Virginia to California, where they are from. Using every connection they have to get free room and board, they got rooms here at Kenrick Seminary for their stay while in Saint Louis. Apparently, one of them is a relative of a priest that lives here. They took yesterday as a "rest day" and enjoyed Kenrick's hospitality as well as the sights of Saint Louis.

Visiting with these guys triggered a severe case of cabin fever. The fever peaked this afternoon as they were tinkering with their gear, getting ready to ride off toward the KATY trail and toward Kansas City. They did this at 1:00 p.m., just as I was settling into my chair for a 75-minute lecture on Saint Augustine's notion of original sin. And their "staging area" just happened to be directly outside the classroom window. I could hear the velcro of their gear, the clicking of their freewheels, and the general noise that usually accompanies pre-ride prep.

And there I was. Stuck. Under fluorescent lights, dreading the usual post-lunch crash in which I strain to maintain consciousness during the afternoon lecture.

Oh, how awesome it would be to get out there and ride. The uncertainty of lodging for the night, the challenge of finding your next meal, the difficulty of not getting lost (and of finding your way once you are lost), and a few mechanical failures all add to the "adventure factor" of a such a trip. The simplicity and immediacy of the experience of pushing yourself slowly across the vast landscape is always invigorating. Trips like this reveal that people are not all serial killers. In fact, they're generally quite nice. And trips like this make one really appreciate the essentials, like food and shelter.

Biking out there makes me feel so alive. Sitting in here makes me feel comatose.

Oh, why not ditch it all and just go ride!? Oh, right. Life needs to be lived for a purpose to be satisfying. And it seems like God has a purpose for me. So here I sit, yawning, and trying to learn as much as I can.

But I am so jealous, and anxious for December.

The picture above was "borrowed" from the web site of these four bikers, http://cycling4acause.org. They are cycling for a cause - to raise money that will help prevent drownings in Nicaragua. It's a unique cause. Read more about their trip and their cause on the web site. The blog is updated frequently.

-Jason