This morning the weather remained cloudy after a shower passed through last night. We got off to an early start and made good time crossing the Mason Dixon line (that’s the Maryland border to you Yankees up North) by around 10:30 a.m.

Unfortunately, the supply car was late arriving at our pre-arranged meeting point and we continued on. Then our cell phone and internet service became unreliable and we had a difficult time reconnecting. Finally, we rendezvoused at the Western Maryland Railway Station which lies on the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal route in Cumberland, Maryland.

By this time our group was a little crabby, so we found the perfect place to serve us crabcake sandwiches for lunch:

After lunch, because the canal towpath was muddy from the previous night’s rain, we decided to change our route back to the main roads. The smooth surface of the road is easier to ride on than the towpath, but there are generally steeper hills and, of course, motor vehicle traffic to deal with. During the afternoon, we began to see some rain drops. We ocassionally experienced brief periods of light rain all afternoon and into the evening. Eventually, the steepness of the hills, made us glad to return to the towpath. We met up with our supply car at the Paw Paw Tunnel, and then returned to the main roads to cross into West Virginia.

For our evening ride we were back on main roads and experiencing some of the longest and steepest hills yet. At one point just before a turn we saw a “Welcome to Virginia” sign farther down the road and took a detour to photograph it, so technically we visited four states today (Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia); however, once we made our turn, we were back in West Virginia for the remainder of the day. By 8:00 p.m. we were muddy and sore and called it quits for the day with over 100 miles logged. Only about 80 miles to go!

To conclude, here is another excerpt from Karah’s letter where she talks about how she dealt with her pain:

“Another way The Lord comforted me during my hours of intense pain was through a song I learned from Steve Green and I mentally sing it to myself during my hours of seizures or sleepless nights. Below are the lyrics to that song.”

“Whatever it takes to keep me tender toward you, whatever it takes Lord I
beg you to do. Whatever you must lead me through whatever it takes Lord do.

At times I hear your voice and try to hide; but patiently you draw me to your side. I may not always see your words are life to me. So many times I’ve missed you, help me Lord to not resist you.

Whatever it takes to keep me tender toward you, whatever it takes Lord I beg you to do. Whatever you must lead me through whatever it takes Lord do.

Sometimes my heart gets hard and I can’t see that your correction is
protecting me, But as I look with in the darkness of my sin breaks my heart and leaves me tender, gratefully I then surrender, I surrender.

Whatever it takes to keep me tender toward you, whatever it takes Lord I beg you to do. Whatever you must lead me through. Whatever it takes Lord do.

Whatever you must lead me through, whatever it takes Lord, there’s too much at stake Lord, whatever it takes Lord, do. Whatever it takes Lord.”

If you would like to partner with us in helping Karah, we ask you to make a donation per mile ridden by us on our way to church camp, or you can contribute any amount you’d like.

Miles	Donation per Mile	Donation Amount
476	.01	$4.76
476	.05	$23.80
476	.10	$47.60
476	.20	$95.20
476	.25	$119.00
476	.50	$238.00
476	.75	$357.00
476	1.00	$476.00