June 7 Victorville to L.A.

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The scripture today, Mt. 2:13-18, was about Mary and Joseph's flight to Egypt with baby Jesus. Here and there scripture records journeys whose sole purpose was protection. I think of David running from Saul, Jacob "getting out" after he stole Esau's birthright, and a number of others. With a crooked smile, I think of today's journey with a little bit of the "fleeing for protection" motif.

L.A. Specifically Santa Monica Beach and the end of Rt. 66. We were eager to get there and didn't want to stay. We wanted to celebrate reaching the milestone and then get out of town. I grew up in the suburbs of Miami,Fl, but I am not especially a city girl. So the thought of LA only filled me with low-level dread: too many cars, people, crime, and long distances around the city. We started out at 7:30 this morning and raced across the San Bernardino Mts. in some significant fog (a first and not my favorite on a motorcycle), a little rain, and very cool air. We were on a descent that lasted for miles. In all of the mountainous places I have visited, I have never experienced such a long, continous descent.

This trip has been good for my prayer life: I have found myself praying as we pass semis that we will be visible to the driver, at busy intersections that no one will focus past or through us, as we drove through that thickening fog and wet pavement that we would make through to the other side upright. I sound like such a fearmonger, don't I? Though Steve and I are risktakers, I am always conscious of asking for God's help when I take a risk. This trip has been a big one and I have prayed a lot, given thanks a lot, and sensed God's protection during each moment of this fast moving but reflective journey.

We made only one misstep in getting ourselves across LA: we turned onto the wrong Mountain Ave. Apparently there are 2 in the LA area. When we knew that we had overshot our planned route, we pulled off the road to study the map again. A man came jogging by about that time and quickly explained that we were on the wrong Mountain Ave. and how to get to the one we wanted. Thank you Lord, for your providence.

After that, our track through the city and suburbs went just as Steve had planned it. We rode long stretches of Sunset and Santa Monica Blvds. and saw a colorful melange of people, flowers, and income levels. By the time we made it to the end of Rt.66 and the Santa Monica Beach, I had had enough of city driving. It took me about 30 min. on the beach before I felt internally settled again.

Steve and I had our own church service on the beach, reviewing scriptures we had appreciated on this trip, sharing a long prayer together, and singing "How Great Thou Art". We must have stayed there at least an hour longer, enjoying the ocean and each other's company. Then we went up to the pier, walked around the amusements, and took pics Steve wanted before getting back on the bike and heading north.

The challenge for us now is to move up the coast as efficiently as possible while "sucking the marrow" out of our surroundings. The Sierra Madre Mts. are incredible in height and presence. I think I spent more time looking at them than at the ocean--plenty of that in my first 18 yrs. of life. At the beach today, I told Steve that I have never taken a journey like this one--where we have moved so quickly across such a varied landscape, not to a single destination, but to savor the journey and learn from it. We started this journey for several reasons, chief among them much-needed renewal from encroaching burnout. God has spoken to us in a variety of ways, but I think we have more work to do in listening and understanding. I am still looking forward to tomorrow and tomorrow, and tomorrow... Blessings, Grace.

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