That vehicle shouldn't be built, it defies the laws of physics, the engineer said 17 months ago. Khanh Dam's Sol has..

The elderly senior engineer said it could not, should not, be built, 17 Mos ago. And maybe he was right. But my blood boils with such naysayers. And I have defied these my entire adult life. That vehicle shouldn't be built, it defies the laws of physics, the engineer said 17 months ago. Khanh Dam's  Sol has just arrived on the West Coast. Maybe I'm cheating in declaring Victory two days early but that's what I'm doing. It is too dangerous, the engineer said. Dangerous to whom? The pickup trucks or semis? I wouldn't make a dent. Too dangerous to the rider? Half a dozen times on a traditional bicycle, I would have been dead. So inconsiderate. No, I am extremely considerate, piercing lights front and back out of courtesy to drivers, carefully choosing my route and time of travel to avoid interfering with others, so that they would not be surprised. Pulling off every 0.2 mile if necessary to avoid people being behind and almost never that's the case. 10 honks of encouragement, maybe fifty, for every honk of anger. And I suppose this 70 year old stage 4 cancer survivor has defied the laws of physics as well. Is any of this important? I don't know. I just think when we're called to do something constructive we should not give up prematurely. Certainly not to be discouraged by the pitiful naysayers. And certainly not to do it to spite them, they are so pitiful, so not worth the effort. But not to be discouraged. Oh, and well over 99% of this journey was done on renewable energy, the solar array. And traveling across the country was never the mission. Attempting to stir the occasional Soul that still has any life left in it, with the example and the words of the man Jesus about how we might live as brothers and sisters to one another, that was and Remains the goal. And probably thousands of souls have been stirred by what their eyes saw and occasionally by the conversation they initiated in a parking lot or on the side of a road when they asked me to stop. Pitiful on my part, several Advanced degrees, lifelong learning and expertise. But better than anything else I can think to do. And joyful for me. Making otherwise unbearable life, bearable for me, this hell that we have created for our children and grandchildren. PS. In four years, just over 45,000 miles, today was the best day of cycling ever. Millennium Falcon, move over.

I feel a very very deep connection, identification, reverence and affection for this fellow that mauled my finger yesterday, and would....

I feel a very very deep connection, identification, reverence and affection for this fellow that mauled my finger yesterday, and would have gladly killed me along with his three companions. He looked like this. There was no malice evident on his face whatsoever. There was Devotion to duty, Devotion to what he had been taught was the right and Noble thing to do. It was clear he would joyfully pay whatever personal price was required to fulfill his mission. He was exhausted running alongside this vehicle for miles. Many times I bashed him in the face with a heavy coffee mug before it fell out of my hands. It didn't faze him in the least. He had a mission to do. Any more than his mauling my finger phased me. I have a mission to complete. From my rearview mirror I think the car that saved me, the truck, that peeled them off the side of my vehicle rather than doing a head-on with me, I heard a thud and I think one of these dogs was hit and I think I saw it lying on the side of the road and only three of them running away. I hope it was this fella. He's been so tortured, may he rest in peace. Respect, cousin.💚💚💚

Am I a Christian? What in the hell does that word even mean? Am I of....

Am I a Christian? What in the hell does that word even mean? Am I of Westboro Baptist that hates gays? Do I want to kill abortion doctors? Am I a Christian that for the first 1950 years had no thoughts about abortion, never breathed a word about abortion, as Jesus never breathed a word about abortion, or of the last 50 years where it's the only thing that matters ever since some evil folks in the Republican party and the fundamentalists realized it would be politically advantageous? Am I focused on getting a condo in the sky and avoiding burning in hell for eternity, two things about which Jesus never breathed a word and never conceived of? Am I a Christian United for Israel, a country Jesus and all the prophets he revered would have condemned, because they want to see a war between the Jews and the Muslims to bring about Armageddon so that these Christians get raptured into heaven while the rest of us are slaughtered? Am I a millionaire pastor with less chance of pleasing Jesus then a camel has of getting through the eye of a needle? Do I go into some church building, something that Jesus never spoke of, never did, never advocated? Do I profess Jesus as my Lord and Savior, something that Jesus never called for never advocated and condemned as lip service? Am I of all hundreds of denominations, or which particular one, virtually all claiming to be the only true one? I could go on. Am I of a cult that systemically abuses children women and boys sexually? My God, I'm absolutely not a Christian, nor should you be, and neither was Jesus ever or would he be today. They are the scribes and Pharisees under his brand, which he condemned then and would condemn now. James

$$$. When my starting assumption about every human action, small, large, individual, Collective... Is not selfish interest, please slap me. Please?

 

25 degrees this morning at the truck stop, here's ten dollars, thank you for what you're doing in the cold.

 A young man, certainly not of means in this West Texas desert Outpost. The prior night it was $35, a trucker, a farmer by the looks of him, or Rancher. So wistful, so deep in his prayerful wondering over what this vehicle and this Mission represent. Drawn by the iconography of Jesus, none make such contributions thinking that this is even a tiny bit dogmatic. Never, never, never, never do we ask. During any month there are probably four or five encounters like this and about $150 in funds that are desperately needed. We're just barely solvent with my paltry slightly above poverty level Social Security funding us. And the gigantic contributions of the creators of these trailers. There have been, there are, souls stirred by this mission. Each one a sacred treasure.

I view those with conventional sanity in these desperate times with a combination of rage, horror, sadness, and pity.

 

That of me that I can control, my head and flesh, is mine. My soul, I cannot, but it is the source of the Divine Vision, intuition, inspiration... if I will only listen.

 

When I can blame my infinite failings on outside forces, I may have temporary relief. But when I face the causes in myself, I have the chance, and joy, of fixing them.

 

Whoever is not gladly giving their life for a worthy cause is already dead. James

 

All waking moments I cram my mind with strategically important high quality information and sometimes it makes connections making me wiser, more able. Joy.

 Insight comma wisdom comma epiphany comma revelation period period period is the brain making connections period

Our creator, Who Art in our deepest Soul, holy is your name. Thy kingdom comes as thy Loving is done on Earth as we would do if we had no earthly fear. Give us all this day our daily bread, that is, our vision for this day of how to best serve our neediest on Earth. Lead us not into self-centeredness, but Deliver us into solidarity with the neediest. For loving is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

 

No, I am not a Christian. What I am is a follower of Jesus teachings about how to live in this world to build the kingdom. For the joy of i

 

Stranded. You won't be able to move that thing till Saturday or Sunday, the driver said....

 Turn Up the Volume when it's facing away from me, the camera.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/p3iB4AkVc2V3Ndwv6

James, why did you not get a hotel room?!?!?!

This I ask myself and these are the answers that come back:

• Eighty bucks including taxes and fees, that's a lot of money.
• And what is to be learned from getting a hotel room? Been there, done that. I find living in the elements difficult, but vastly healthy, and joyful.
• If we survive this which I'm sure we will, we're stronger and more knowledgeable the next time with greater options.

 

This is our greatest cold-weather challenge yet....

Windchill way below zero. Provided there is no ice on the roads tomorrow expect to arrive in Wichita Falls Texas with Refuge with a nice friend for several days. Then continuing to the West Coast. Unless creator has other ideas.

Mission. Cycling. We're bleeding.

 

We'll be okay, and it's not James blood. But it's our blood. Oh man, poor Sol. A Thousand Miles, 40% of the way to California, about 45 days so far, the shortest solar days of the year behind us. and he's saying, stop man. We got problems. We need repairs and it's too cold to be working Outdoors, oh well. Three flat tires yesterday. Two so far today. Right hand trailer wheel wobbling. Seat back support broken. Cycle analyst, the brain, totally Haywire. 12-volt system in the cab and the trailer both blown out. Torque sensor crazy. Brakes in bad need of replacement and or adjustment. Long pedal chain in bad need of adjustment. Trailer motor chain adjustment.... tomorrow morning I'll see if the Walmart will allow me to stay a second night presuming that there's no problem tonight. And maybe a third. We're not in any danger, were very tired. But we're okay. It won't kill us, will grow.

Update. Work in progress. Hands get numb but other than that we're okay. Walmart seems to be very accommodating for a day or two working on the vehicle here. That's a great Mercy. The wobble in the rear trailer wheel has been diagnosed and replacement parts on order and things are solidified so we can be safe until we get to the parts in a week.

I Think Jesus did not give a rat's ass whether anyone knows his name. He gave his life as do I to show people the Joyful Way of being. Anyway, that's what I think. I think neither Jonas Salk nor Louis Pasteur much cared whether anyone knew their name either. They just saw suffering and saw a way to eliminate it and replace it with joy. The Joyful Way of being.....

I Think Jesus did not give a rat's ass whether anyone knows his name. He gave his life as do I to show people the Joyful Way of being. Anyway, that's what I think. I think neither Jonas Salk nor Louis Pasteur much cared whether anyone knew their name either. They just saw suffering and saw a way to eliminate it and replace it with joy. The Joyful Way of being.

Cancer-related bowel obstruction. I hope I am a vertin a new one just now.

 

Cancer-related bowel adhesions. Blockages. I think I may have just averted one. Sitting up in the middle of the night, I hope I am averting one. Hospitalized four or five times so far for these, when an hour ago I felt a twinge instead of waiting and watching I began moving my bowel and have kept it moving since with stomach exercises and constantly moving my posture. Maybe it was not beginning to add here, or maybe my optimism is premature. Will be interesting to see. The photograph is from about 6 months ago in Marquette Michigan. My reaction to the twinge this time was, no no no no no no bowel you're not going to shut down. Let's get moving. We'll see.

My Religion? We are sacred Souls. James

 

Your being is not the major thing in influencing people. It's the only thing. James

 Hat tip to Albert Schweitzer, thanks for enabling me see just a little bit further.