June 16-23; Colorado Continues & Utah Arches

Thursday, June 16th-
Destination: doctor visit and more of Steamboat, CO

The guys stayed with Austin for several more nights, so they had another chance to ride bikes together after Leo's accident. They biked down a ski resort that is right down the road from Austin's that has a ski lift running and everything! Leo took it easy today and was very careful with his head. The guys still had an absolute blast today, after going to the doctor for Leo's check-up. From last week's post, Leo got a concussion on Tuesday night from face-planting at a bike park. Thankfully the doctor said that he was all clear. The doctor also told Leo to take it easy the next couple of days, and slowly work back up to his normal activity level, as long as no symptoms emerged. So that was great news! Leo's face is healing quite well, the confusion is no more, and headaches have been minimal. His symptoms have been getting lesser and lesser and he is pretty much back to normal with the exception of the scrapes on his face. Praise the Lord!

Friday, June 17th-
Destination: Dirt Bikes in Steamboat

The guys have had so much fun visiting with Austin and his friend Noah. Today they had the opportunity to dirt bike in Sandwash Basin, CO! The guys took Austin's car and trailer to get out there so they didn't have to take the whole bus. They haven't been able to do quite as much of dirt biking as mountain biking so it was a nice change. Unfortunately, Jonathan's bike has been having some trouble running, but they are looking into getting it fixed soon. Of course, the guys don't always stop the fun to take pictures, so to my knowledge, there are none from dirt biking, but enjoy this lovely photo of Austin and Jonathan! That night, all the guys hung around a while at Austin's.

Saturday, June 18th-
Destination: Mountain Bikes in Steamboat
This morning, the guy slept in some then went to ride at the bike park nearby. Later on in the day, they went on a cross-country bike ride on some new trails. When I heard this I told Leo to cross the country back over to Birmingham, but apparently that's not quite what that means. Tonight was their last night staying at Austin's place. He has been so inviting and hospitable to have Jonathan and Leo stay for a total of 5 nights! They are very thankful to him for giving them a real house to sleep in!




Sunday, June 19th-
Destination: Steamboat for the last day
As their last day spent with Austin in Steamboat, Colorado, the guys went on their last mountain bike trip at the incredible ski resort. They spent practically the entire day biking on that mountain and loved every minute of it. Late in the night, the guys prepared to move on from Austin's house in Steamboat. They thanked him for the stay and said their good-byes to Austin and Noah, and will see Austin back in Auburn! They drove for a couple hours, finally pulling over in the wee hours of the morning out of pure exhaustion. They had planned to hike another 14,000 foot mountain starting in those wee hours, but realized they honestly needed to rest their bodies after such intense activity the past week.

Monday, June 20th-
Destination: fishing and new friends in Eagle, CO

All day, Jonathan and Leo fly-fished in a fast-moving stream close to the bus's stop. Sadly, they turned up empty handed after 7 hours. This stream had recently become much higher, which hindered their fishing success. The Lord teaches patience in many ways, and I think fishing is one of them! Sometimes you can't stop reeling them in, and other times you get no more than a bite or two. They were diligent to try. Tonight they met two high school guys named Oscar and Bryce. Jonathan and Leo took them back to their parents' house where they made dinner and talked for a while.



Tuesday, June 21st-
Destination: rest up!

The guys got a good rest-day in. They enjoyed hanging around the campsite that was located at the foot of a huge and gorgeous mountain. Those pictures are fantastic! Leo and I finally got to catch up over Face-Time for a while today which was a blessing! Later tonight, they began preparing for that 14,000ft mountain. They had rested up and were ready to take it on super early tomorrow morning. Again, hikers have to hit tall mountains like this well before sunrise to avoid dangerous afternoon storms on the top of the mountain. So they took quick naps tonight and drove to the foot of Mt. Elbert in Colorado to begin the hike.


Wednesday, June 22nd-
Destination: Mt. Elbert, CO

Beginning at 2:20 a.m., Jonathan and Leo headed out to face the mountain. The two prayed at the very start that God would strengthen them by His grace and power to climb this mountain to the peak. (Just to calm any nerves here, they didn't go from 0-14,000 feet. They started at about 9,500 feet.) Overall, they gained 1 mile in altitude, over the course of a 6 mile hike. I got another Face-Time call that woke me up at 8 a.m. (7 a.m. their time). But let me tell you, it was no rude awakening! Leo showed me his 360 degree view from the top of this mountain, the 2nd highest peak in the Lower 48 following Mt. Whitney in California. It was breathtaking and quite the scene to open my eyes to! I'm sure it was hundreds of times more gorgeous in person if it was that striking through my phone screen. The Lord has created magnificent things here on Earth. The mountains, rivers, fields, flowers, animals, and trees all bring Him glory.
Their prayers were answered. God gave them the strength and power to summit the mountain. Leo even felt completely fine throughout the entire hike and had lots of energy once at the top. Though Leo is fit, there is almost no way that someone could hike like that and be feeling 100%. (or maybe that's just me). Seriously though, that strength and endurance was from our Heavenly Father; all glory to Him! The two safely made it back to the bus around 11:30 a.m. After hardly sleeping yesterday, and having just hiked for miles and miles today, they spent much of this afternoon resting and enjoying some down time.
Psalm 65:4-8 says, "Blessed is the one You choose and bring near; to dwell in Your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, the holiness of Your temple! By awesome deeds You answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; the One who by His strength established the mountains, being girded with might; who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at Your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening shout for joy."

Thursday, June 23rd
Destination: Arches National Park, Utah

The guys slept in this morning to catch up on much needed sleep. They are a bit sore from yesterday's hike! Then they began driving OUT of Colorado! The two had been in the beautiful state since June 10th, so about 2 weeks of Colorado! They must not have liked it. This afternoon they pulled over to explore the famous Arches National Park in Utah. It is so amazing there; unlike anything that they have seen so far! Grassy fields and glorious mountains have been exchanged for rocky deserts and red dirt! Check in to see what's on the agenda for the guys next week!