Some final totals from the past three
weeks and the Florida-to-Wisconsin bicycle tour.
- The most miles covered in one day was 130 mi. from Bloomington, IL to about 25 miles from the Wisconsin state line.
- Three
flat tires, four dog chases, and one overnight stay at a fire department in Marengo,
IL.
During my final day on the road in Mukwonago the
heat got to me and I laid down around 1 p.m. under an overhang outside the
entrance to the local high school. Within an hour three people checked on me
and one poked me with a stick, out of courtesy I suppose, to see if I was still
alive.
A priest helped me find a place to stay that
evening. Father Joseph Wood, dressed in full collar and black cassock, answered
the door at the rectory next to St. Pius V Chapel.
“You can come
in, out of the heat,” he said.
Fr. Joseph spoke as if he was visiting from another
country; he had a slight lilt in his voice and somewhat of a British accent.
“I’m from Colorado,” he said dryly. Fr. Joseph was
studying Latin at St. Pius; he took classes from a tutor that visited the
parish on weekends.
“Since I’m not in charge I really can’t give you
permission to stay in the church, but let me make a couple of calls,” he said.
Sitting alone in the front office was pleasantly
cool. The room was sparsely decorated with dated orange brown chairs, a plain
desk and bookshelves full of religious reading.
Fr. Joseph returned with his laptop computer and
suggested he book a room for me online.
“I’d take you to the motel myself but,” he said
dropping his head a bit and cocking it to one side, “how would that look?”
Fr. Joseph was a young 30-something with a wry sense
of humor.
I tried desperately to decline the charitable offer,
going so far as to suggest I’d even sleep on the carpeted floor of the office
where we were sitting.
“You know, we normally don’t have the air
conditioning on in here,” he said. “It’s just that the cleaning lady came and
turned it on today and we haven’t found the courage to turn it off.”
Fr. Joseph was so humble; you felt he’d never
be able to muster a harsh penance.
We chatted for about 30 minutes while he surfed the
net and tapped in details for a room for the night.
He had a friend in college who made a coast-to-coast
trip on a bike and was aware of the many challenges while on the road.
“Once my friend’s bike broke down and a man sold him
a car for $2. They made it as far as Idaho before it finally quit; I think they
got their monies worth out of that vehicle,” he said.
As Father Joseph walked me to the door he wished me
well. “I’d let you stay here at the rectory, but I assume you’re head out early
and, you know…. how would that look,” he
said again with the head nod and grin.
It felt very much like a Bing Crosby Fr.
Chuck O’Malley – Julia Roberts scenario.
