Aug 5

Written by:
8/5/2012 

The first five days of our trip have been unbelievable. I want to thank all of the community, our employees, family, and friends that shared in our launch day on Tuesday, July 31. From the Blessings of the Bikes, with Nathan Rector, the Pastor of Valley Real Life Ministries, to the team of riders that rode with us to Lookout Pass and Missoula, Montana – we had a wonderful day.

Riding through Yellowstone Park started out most interesting. The park thought we were a commercial vehicle, and apparently, according to federal law, Yellowstone is the only park that does not allow commercial vehicles to travel through the park to conduct business. The park ranger went to www.ridewithtelect.com to find out that we were legit and that our event did not start until August 6. This allowed us to tour Yellowstone Park and get a chance to see some large bison in the park area. Slow traffic, and people who have never seen bison—or the animals that we in the Northwest see every day—kept us going at a snail’s pace.

The team has been wonderful to travel with. Along the way, we have stopped at all of the Harley dealerships we could, picking up pins to commemorate our Ride. One of the most interesting things on our Ride was when Randy Casto had a quail fly into his bike, only to find out later that it was still stuck there. There were several other highlights. Jon and Wanda Dahlstrom treated us to a wonderful salmon dinner at their home in Custer, South Dakota. They also allowed us to use their “Barn,” or family cabin, in Deadwood, South Dakota to stay the night and were gracious hosts. Being able to travel through Sturgis, South Dakota—a day before the start of the 2012 bike week rally—was interesting. We saw many cool bikes as well as interesting people. After Sturgis, we headed out towards Watertown, South Dakota and were caught in some of the highest winds we have been in for quite some time.

My business and faith lesson came on August 4, 2012. As we rode between Sturgis and Watertown, South Dakota, we were on some of the most straight and narrow roads of The Ride. We encountered headwinds, side winds, and trucks driving in the opposite direction that created turbulent winds. The team commented that it was one of the straightest roads we have ever taken or been on in our lives. We encountered obstacles such as dead antelope and skunks, as well as recap tires that exploded and left debris along the road.

In business, we can have a map with a straight and narrow road, but we are constantly bombarded by obstacles. With the high winds of the markets in your face and from the side, you have to lean into it and remain under control and focus on your destination.

With strong faith, you have to do the same thing. It is easy to drift off-course, even when you’re not expecting it, due to oncoming obstacles. When you are finished with your daily journey and get to look back, in many cases you will see the fear that you encountered, as well as the determination that you maintained, and the exhilaration that you feel when that journey is complete. Then you wake up the next morning, and life begins again, only to start with a new set of obstacles you must overcome.

Today the team takes off for Burnsville, Minnesota. Tomorrow, August 6, 2012, marks game day for all of us. We have close to 20 customers signed up to be at our first event. Following Burnsville, we travel to Faribault, Minnesota and meet with the KGP team for a private barbecue.

God bless you all, and thank you for following our journey at ridewithtelect.com.