Day 8: First Segment Completed!

By Esteban Carillo

Today we arrived to Montgomery, Alabama; one segment down and only eight more to go! Everyone seemed eager to get to our destination, and if you couldn’t tell by the look on their faces then the speed at which we departed was a sure sign that it was going to be an exciting 83 miles. Maybe it was because it was the last ride for a few or maybe because for the first time we had a nice tail wind helping us ride or maybe because for the first time we had a net loss in elevation or maybe it was the fact that we had to ride 83 miles instead of a 100 or maybe it was Ryan’s inspiring story during our morning devotion, but whatever the reason was it worked! Sometimes it is difficult to admire the scenery while one is so focus on the road but as we passed through some historic towns such as Tuskegee I found enough strength to look around where I was riding, meditate, and appreciate where I was and my purpose for doing this ride.

We had to say goodbye to all of the first segment riders: Scott, Caleb, Kristina, Lori, Jim, Sherry, and, Ryan. It’s pretty amazing how close you can get and how sad it is to say goodbye to someone who was a complete stranger a week ago. But that is part of what makes this ride so special. From Scott’s acuity to Sherry’s liveliness to Jim’s hard work to Caleb’s passion to Kristina’s friendliness to Lori’s strength and to Ryan’s leadership, I am honored to have spent a week with them and each individual has taught me something very special that I’m sure I will cherish forever. I want to give a special thanks to Vaughn Park Church of Christ of Montgomery for kindly hosting us for the next two days and for opening their hearts to us.