30 Mile Tour - Dream Ride Lancaster

My ride is part of the 14th Annual Dream Ride Lancaster 30 Mile Tour.

So many of you can join me, I am riding the route twice for a total of 60 miles. You are welcome to start with me at the Riverview Elementary School at daybreak, approximately 6:00 AM or you may join me along the way.

For families riding with children or for those who wish to ride at an unhurried pace, the best place to join me is at 197 Airport Road, Marietta, the farm/home of Dwight and Cheryl Hess (and my childhood home). Bridge of Hope is sponsoring the water stop at the end of the farm lane. If my calculations are right, I should be there around 7:15 and 10:15 AM.

The six miles stretch between this location and the next water stop at Bossler’s Mennonite Church on Bossler Road features a few gentle hills and the country roads with minimal traffic.

To get an update of my arrival time at the farm/water stop, call Francesca Crane’s cell at 610-405-1438.

Click here for the other locations where you can join me and overall directions for this 30-mile ride.

62.5 Mile Tour -- Dream Ride Lancaster

Click here for Dream Ride’s 62.5 Mile Tour cue card.

For those of you taking this route, you can link up with me at the starting point or at the Bridge of Hope water stop at the end of the farm lane where I grew up. If you miss me at both places, I’ll surely see you at the party in the evening!

Click here for the route map and places to meet up with me.

Intrigued by History - New for Me!

Thoughts about history pulsed through my mind on my 20 mile ride today.
Living in a 1730’s house, I possess a certain intrigue for old stone houses, quaint schoolhouses, rambling walls and arched bridges dotting the landscape here on the edge of Lancaster and Chester Counties, my neighborhood. I love finding that one opening in a hedge of thriving rhododendrons and evergreens for a peek into a stately edifice. (Ever notice that most old stone homes are protected from gawkers by landscaping?) I love to imagine who built these stone structures. And I wonder what stories are forever hidden in their mortar.



Today I find pleasure in barns renovated for new uses but maintaining the building’s original charm. I find joy in tiny outbuildings converted to cozy cottages and coolness in a covered bridge.

And I decide, none of these structures were erected by happenstance; each had a planner with a vision for what could be. And each building meant change for the community. Each has its own history, some elements by plan, some by chance and some by outside forces; all forever cemented as character into its cracks and cervices.

See more about this ride in posting below:

Intrigued by History - At Mile Six

At mile six I passed a stone house with a history tied to Bridge of Hope. When John & Susanna Umble built this house in the 1970’s, the blueprints did not include instructions for reaching out to homeless women. But that is what John and Susanna did!

In the mid-80's with the encouragement of Bridge of Hope’s co-founders, Sandy Lewis and Linda Witmer, they invited a homeless mother to live in their home.This experience served as a test case for connecting homeless women with caring Christians. Susanna taught her simple life skills such as how to sew on a button. And together with John and their extended family, they surrounded this woman with unconditional love and nurtured her self-esteem. The changes in this woman’s life encouraged Linda, Sandy and others to develop their dream for ending and preventing homelessness with the help of Christian churches.

Sailing downhill into Atglen, I approach Penningtonville Presbyterian Church. This church has a recent history with Bridge of Hope, first as a mentoring church, now a committed financial partner with a strong core of volunteers. And now Bridge of Hope is part of this church’s history as well.

Along my route I pass more places with connections to Bridge of Hope: homes of faithful donors, a house where a Bridge of Hope mother and her children once lived and Maple Grove Mennonite Church, another mentoring and financial partner. I pass a cemetery where a group has gathered to bid their final farewell to a loved one. The earthly history of the deceased is now completed and I wonder, did the deceased achieve their highest dream or did situations beyond their control get in the way – an accident, illness or other life event? What contribution or characteristics of the departed will loved ones carry with them from this place?

60 for Hope is changing the landscape of my personal history. Perhaps it will become a statement of sorts of my life. It is pushing me to new physical heights. It is providing text for these Blog ramblings – a journal that will live beyond my ride. It is proclaiming my age to the world. It is highlighting where I’ve come from and the ways my Mother has inspired my work with Bridge of Hope.

A memorable part of this journey is all of the friends who are joining me to make my 60 for Hope dream come true! Indeed it will take a community of riders to reach these goals – in much the same way as it takes a community of mentors for mothers in Bridge of Hope to achieve theirs.

Read more reflections on Intrigued by History in the blog below:

Changing Histories Beyond My Own

Will 60 for Hope change personal histories beyond my own? Certainly! For starter, funds raised will provide rental assistance and other services for mothers and children we have yet to meet. And I hope that every rider will carry a fun memory from the ride and a warn sense of fulfillment from supporting this cause! I hope new donors gain a new sense of community as they learn stories of the life changes for Bridge of Hope moms and their children. Finally, I hope my own mother gains a certain peace with history as this ride acknowledges her years of labor, prayer and personal sacrifice on behalf of her children.

A part of 60 for Hope history unfolds each day as more riders join and donations come in! I love the excitement of waiting to see what will be!

No roadblocks allowed like this one on the road to my home. (Depending on the ride route I take, I must find my way around this roadblock each day.)


60 miles, 60 riders, $60,000! Whew! These goals make me puff and pedal harder up the hill towards home.

Another training ride completed along with musings to add to my 60 for Hope history.

From the Mouth of Babes!

My confidence quotient was right up near the top. Last night I rode 20 miles, stretching my endurance to new heights on some hills I had previously avoided. Monday afternoon I biked into Christiana on various errands; one to pickup books at the library.

As I came out of the library a mother with three young children were parking their bikes next to mine. One of the girls, maybe 5 years old, looked at me with incredulous disbelief and said, “You can ride a bike?”

I surprised her by telling her by saying, “yes, indeed I can ride a bike and I am going to ride 60 miles!” I invited her to ride with me. Of course she had no concept of 60 miles. So I asked her is she had ever been to Philadelphia. She had. I said that’s about how far I will ride.

I mounted my bike and contemplated the little girl’s comments for another 12 miles. Children can be pleasingly honest (ok, sometimes it’s called brutally honest!) What made her think I couldn’t ride a bike? Do I look that old? Do I walk too slowly? Is my biker’s get-up totally unflattering? Did she really intend to say what came out of her mouth?

This brief exchange on the library lawn got me thinking about the times I have said things that had different results than I anticipated. I ended my ride with new resolve to temper my words. Now I have a two confidence quotients – one for my ride and another for my words!

Time for contemplation is another one of the wonderful benefits of training for my 60mile ride.