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Wutheringbikes Home -- TransAm Bike Ride
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Saturday 3rd July 2004
A hot and humid ride of 72 miles from Rough River State Park to Sebree Baptist
Church. Well, it was just a bit hot - I don't know how humid, but I felt
I was swimming in sweat a lot of the time I'm afraid! Pretty agricultural
scenery again - maize and tobacco. Some rather friendly dogs today!! Tail
wagging and not barking! Hot, sweaty and dirt stained - it was tricky going
into shops with air conditioning alongside people who had just stepped out
of air conditioned cars! This is not a land where sweat is displayed proudly.
Sebree First Baptist is marvellous - showers, comfort, hot water, tea making
facilities (I think I drank about 8 cups of Earl Grey... - I'm carrying
a large supply of tea bags for just such eventualities...). The Pastor Bob,
and his wife Violet, invited us to dinner. Violet respected our vegetarianism
brilliantly - what wonderful sweetcorn, tomatoes, strawberries! Had a pleasant
discussion of cultural differences, politics and religion - and without
arguing! The pastor described his surprisingly demanding duties. You might
have thought that being one of several pastors in a small town in Kentucky
would not be difficult - there's money, not that many people (no parish
of 20000+ as many a vicar in the UK) and what looks like a well equipped
church. But this is only half the story - since the pastor is evidently
expected to be on hand at just about any liminal moment, life stage, etc,
he or she must keep moving pretty fast. The pastor is usually paid by the
congregation (no hiding behind a centralised funding body like the UK Church
of England), so there's clearly a very obvious link between performance
and pay. Pastor Bob looks like he's a bit of a super-pastor to me, judging
by the stuff he does. My extremely dirty Celtic Football Team shirt (bought
for its bright yellow and a liking for the word 'celtic' rather than the
football team) finally got washed. We realised that we've seen some Amish
- in horse-drawn buggies. Apparently they don't have bumper stickers supporting
the Iraq War - and won't serve in the military. I'm warming to them a great
deal - no infernal combustion engine! What a contrast with most of America
- which seems solidly Iraq War positive, flags waving.No doubt there are
complexities beneath the surface... Slept like a log because, for once,
there was a few solid walls between us and the nearby railroad! They seem
to specialise in very very late night trains. |
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Wutheringbikes Home -- TransAm Bike Ride
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