A Rewarding Day

Today we are in Kendal England and it’s a rest day and a public service day. The ride to Kendal was a very nice mix of spacious farmland and lovely villages. It rained for part of our ride but it was very light. Entering Kendal we encounter a very high volume of traffic. We discovered that the University had just begun holiday and people we heading home or parents were arriving to take students home. Kendal is a beautiful city. We are staying in an old church that was built in the 1600s. It’s located in the heart of the pedestrian market place. The church and its flower filled courtyards are something out of a history book. After we arrived we found a laundromat and did some much needed laundry and then we went to a pub around the corner and I had a delicious salmon dish and two pints of local pale ale. It was early to bed because we had a service day on Saturday. After waking the next morning we went shopping for some items at the local Pound Stretcher (Dollar Store). After getting breakfast we loaded into the support vehicles and headed to a recreational facility outside of town to help people with MS. I’ve had a great opportunity to meet many people with MS on this ride because at most rest stops we are greeted by local MS chapters. Today’s event was awesome. During our meet and greet I met Sue and Faith, former cyclist, now suffering with MS. Neither have been able to bike for many years. We were there to help them and a dozen more people with MS ride adapted bicycles. It was incredibly rewarding and for all of the people it seemed to be a day that they will remember for a long time. I was amazed at their fearlessness and determination to use their weakened legs to propel themselves around the bicycle track. In some cases we had to peddle the wheelchairs around the track on very special bikes. Sue, however, had enough strength to ride a conventional mountain bike. She seemed very proud of herself. After the biking event we all had a light lunch together and then we headed back to Kendal. Mac and I went shopping for some warmer items to wear in Scotland. That night, Chris who is the head of the local MS chapter took all of us out to dinner. Later we had a great time sitting outside a local pub learning more about the U.K. from Chris and his wife. Today was a great and rewarding day.