Author Archives: David Massey

A Fantastic Exchange for Christ

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I was so blessed and excited to be able to share my faith with Johan, a gentleman that wrote in with a comment. Here’s my answer to him.

Hello, Johan!

I’m too excited to wait a few days. Here’s my reply.

Before I proceed, please know I am not trying to proselytize you or convert you to my way of thinking. It is a rare soul indeed, if there is even one, who came to Christ because someone beat them over the head with the scriptures. So know, that’s not what I am trying to do. I simply want to give a clear thoughtful answers from scripture to the questions you raised, because it’s the proper thing to do. After all Christ Himself said, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to me I will never cast out.” (John 3:37). It’s all accomplished by the preaching of the gospel.

So here goes. I’ll break your comments down into sections so I can reply to them easier.

You said: I’m sure the other living things on different planets also have their own god as well.

I say: Sorry, but there are no other living beings on other planets with their own gods. I know it’s almost impossible to believe when you consider the daily headlines, but man is the pentacle of the Father’s creative activities. We are the only thing He created in His own image (Genesis 1:27). We were designed to rule over and subdue everything that He had otherwise created. We can discuss that later if you like, but here’s my point.

There is no other earth anywhere in the universe. Saying that is the same as saying that out of the countless quadrillions of sand particles on all the worlds beaches there must be two which are exactly alike. No! Or of the countless billions of snow flakes that have fallen, there must be two the same. No dice! I don’t care how many billions of galaxies there are out there – we are it! People need to get use to the idea, but they don’t want to because if they do, they will realize how special we are and how much responsibility we have to bear for what we’ve been given.

You said: And to say people who don’t believe in god don’t want to be held accountable for their sin is ridiculous.

I say: I understand what you are trying to say and actually agree, but here’s the problem: those who truly don’t believe in God have no reason to worry about sin or being accountable for it. That’s not to say that non-believers don’t have a sense of or know right from wrong. Everyone does. If one does not believe in God, why worry about sin at all. It doesn’t make sense.

However, believe me, Johan, I know God loves me, and I try my best to love Him back by keeping His word, but I DEFINITELY DO NOT want to be held accountable for my sin. Every Christian feels the same way. That’s why we flee to the cross to be covered by the blood of Christ. If you accept God as supreme authority and ruler then you also have to accept what He says: “They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.” (Psalm 14:3 or Romans 3:23). I can’t think of any reason why God would lie about it.

You said: And I don’t see how believing in a god is any more reasonable than believing that it happened by “accident”.

I say: This I must totally agree with. I don’t think faith can be quantified as something reasonable. To call something as done, when you can’t see it – well, not exactly reasonable. However, there is power there.

On the other hand, when I consider the mathematical odds against everything that is (including us) having come together by sheer happenstance and chance, I can’t buy it. To me it takes more faith to believe that. Anyone who truly believes that should take all their wealth and go to Vegas. You would have an infinitely greater chance of winning there than the universe having come together randomly. It goes against the very laws of thermodynamics (if I indeed remember them correctly).

You said: In my opinion, the thought of god exists only because humans seek answers by nature. And when their is an unanswerable question, we allow ourselves to indulge in comforting thoughts.

I say: Here’s something to think about: it is the very job and purpose of creation to testify to the glory of God directly into the heart of men. “For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they (men) are without excuse (Romans 1:20). That’s why tribes or people who have never heard the gospel of Christ worship through nature. It’s built into us as men. However, God says we must worship him, and him alone, not the things are are made.

You said: Do I know how the universe was created? No. Do I think there is an entity that created us and loves us and personally wants us to live by his rules? Absolutely not.

I say: I know how the universe came to be – God created it. What a mathematician He is – astounding! And yes, since He’s the guy who just speaks and stuff happens, I say He gets to make the rules. As it says in scripture, we are the clay, He is the potter. The clay does not get to say what gets made. That’s the potter’s domain. I mean, who actually thinks they’re going to have a successful argument with God about anything? It would be better to say, “I don’t believe”, as many do.

You said: I support your right to believe so, but I do not encourage statements generalizing the personality of those who don’t believe in the same things as you.

I say: I agree again. It’s not my purpose or job to put anyone into some box of generalities. “There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor? (James 4:12). Rhetorical question – no one is the answer. I was once under the same condemnation every man is under before he comes to Christ. I am flawed and imperfect. Praise God I am also forgiven.

You said: And I DEFINITELY would beware when doubting other possibilities when you yourself believe in something so contradictory.

I say: There are no other possibilities. Everyman man is appointed a day to die (even as Christ was), after that comes judgement. Contradictory? You bet. The scriptures say “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (John 15:19). I’m not saying you hate me, please don’t misunderstand, but the gospel of Christ for the most part is just foolishness to most of the world. Definitely contradictory. It’s just the way that God chose to save those He has called – through the foolishness of the gospel.

Anyway, I can’t tell you how excited and honored I am to have been given the chance to share my thoughts with you. It was truly a blessing. I hope at least a bit of what I said made sense to you and finds root in your heart.

Take care, Johan. All the best to you and yours,

David

Fall Cactus Flowers

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Hello, Everyone!

It’s been a while since I posted the goings-on in the cactus garden so I thought I would share a few photographs.

Oreocereus trolii and Faucaria tigrina

Old Man of the Mountains has surrounded himself with his own personal posse. Tiger Jaws starting to show off some late season blooms.

Oreocereus trolii and Faucaria tigrina

Oreocereus trolii and Faucaria tigrina

Mammilaria hahniana

I wish she stood up a bit straighter. I’ll have to prop her up with a stone at the next transplant.

Mammilaria hahniana

Mammilaria hahniana

Echinocactus grusonii

I can always count on this Golden Barrel Cactus to put on a new hat of fresh flowers every couple of months. Not sure why the bottom of her collapsed onto itself a bit. Anyone have an idea?

Echinocactus grusonii

Echinocactus grusonii

Euphorbia Mammillaris Variegata – Corn Cob Cactus

This is is really enjoying a recent transplant. It’s grown very much in the last month. I’ll have to remove some arms for new starters.

Euphorbia Mammillaris Variegata

Euphorbia Mammillaris Variegata

We recently transplanted the Pachypodium lamerei, Madagascar Palm, to its present position in front of the garage. It evidently loves it, because the head has never been this large before. We tried to face it away from the sunlight because it is starting to grow that way, but its not having any of that. Awesome!

Pachypodium lamerei, Madagascar Palm.

Pachypodium lamerei, Madagascar Palm.

I love my cactus. They are a bit like an extended family. More to come!

First Time Ride

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Yahoo! Got to ride with my brand new trike bud, Gary Bunting this last Friday morning. Gary rode with, Steve Green on Steve’s first adventure down from Oregon. Gary had been off of his machine for a while and wanted to get back in form. He drove out from his home and we did a 23.6 mile loop to Santa Fe Dam and back.

Gary and I shortly before departure.

Gary and I shortly before departure.

For someone who is “out of shape” he sure did well. He cramped up a bit near the end of the ride, so we just slowed down, enjoyed the scenery, and made it back home in good shape.

Gary, laid back and cruising on his Cat-Trike, "Road".

Gary, laid back and cruising on his Cat-Trike, “Road”.

Me trying to achieve liftoff on the San Gabriel River bike Trail.

Me trying to achieve liftoff on the San Gabriel River bike Trail.

Gary, if you are reading this, it was great to meet and ride with you. We will definitely do it again soon.

Take care, my Friend.

David

Bless the Lord, O My Soul!

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The universe; we're in there somewhere!

The universe; we’re in there somewhere!

Last night I was happily watching one of my favorite programs, “Through The Wormhole”, with Morgan Freeman. The subject was the structure and workings of the universe. I was enthralled as the program described how there are huge “black holes” marauding through space, tearing and ripping up entire stars, some of which are 100 times larger than our own sun. The immeasurable forces of gravity are slamming galaxies together, and in the process destroying entire solar systems or giving birth to billions of new stars. Quasars and pulsars shoot out bursts of x-rays and gamma rays deep into space at the speed of light. Evidently, rouge planets have been ripped from their host stars by gravity and are now just wandering the cosmos cold and alone.

It was almost too much to comprehend on a human scale. However, somewhere in this mix is our galaxy, the Milky way, one of billions of galaxies, and near the outer edge of the Milky Way is our solar system, one of trillions of systems in the Milky Way, and on one lone planet, at a perfectly placed distance from its host star, which by pure chance happens to be just the right size, inexplicably exists conditions perfect for life as we know, which just happened to come into existence by pure random chance and luck. Really?

Near the end of the show, the narrator described the universe as a web comprised of billions of pathways or arms, crossing across and through the universe, on which travel entire galaxies, colliding at the massive intersections like cars on a freeway, all controlled by the powers of gravity. He described the scenario as, “Seemingly random, but somehow evidencing great structure and order”. I just smiled. It confirmed what I already know – the universe is way too complex for it to have occurred by random happenstance or chance. In the scriptures it says that God made all the hosts of heaven calls every star by its own name. He uses His hand the measure the breath of the universe.

In Psalm 104:1-9, God’s care and power over all of His works are described:

Bless the Lord, O my soul! O lord my God, thou art very great;
Thou art clothed with splendor and majesty,
Covering thyself with light as with a cloak, stretching out heaven like a tent curtain.
He lays the beams of His upper chamber in the water;
He makes the clouds His chariot; He walks upon the wings of the wind;
He makes the winds His messengers, flaming fire His ministers.
He established the earth upon its foundations, so that it will not totter forever and ever.
Thous didst cover it with the deep as with a garment; The waters were standing above the mountains.
At Thy rebuke they fled; at the sound of Thy thunder they hurried away.
The mountains rose; the valleys sank down to the place which Thou didst establish for them.
Thous didst set a boundary that they may not pass over; that they may not return to cover the earth.

To me there is no other explanation for the workings and existence of the universe than from the hand of God Himself, the Master Craftsman and most Awesome Mathematician. The universe too wonderful to not have been created, and speaks directly to the hearts of men of the power and being of God Himself.

We are such infinitesimal specks, but to think that He is mindful of us and loves us, blows my mind beyond measure. Indeed, praise the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.

Amen!

Handle Bar Fix

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Hi, Everyone!

Below is a picture of an expansion plug. I purchased it from the local Ace Hardware store.

Rubber expansion plug.

Rubber expansion plug.

I installed it into the opening at the bottom of the steering column on the TRIcon. The idea is that if the handle bars work their way loose again, they will at least not fall totally off of the machine as they did before. I also have used a thread locking product to hold the bolts in place. You can see a bit on the bolt of the expansion plug.

Expansion plug installed.

Expansion plug installed.

Between this and stepped up diligence and maintenance on my part I won’t experience this problem again.

Thanks to all for all of your helpful suggestions and comments – much appreciated.

David

First Over-Nighter Report

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General Impressions

It was quite an experience riding under full load. On level ground the extra weight does not reveal itself. With the correct gear selection, pedaling is easy and comfortable. However, on even a slight incline you can feel it. I am learning that it is important to not ride in too high a gear. It puts stress on the knees and uses energy at a more rapid rate than is really necessary.

Looming in the back of my mind is the challenge that will come in the form of daily rides of this nature. The only rest I will receive is the few hours at camp between rides. Recovery time will be less. I will continue to step up training in preparation. I did experience some knee pain, but it was manageable. At night while resting I could feel a few muscle cramps trying to inch their way into my hamstrings. I have been watching the Tour de France, where the riders complete 124 miles under full pressure daily for three weeks. I tell myself, “I can do that.” My wife raises a brow and questions me as to whether I really want to ride 865 miles.

“You’ll miss me.” she says. She nearly put her foot down over the incident you will read about later in this post.

Traffic was particularly gnarly on the second half of the loop. There are tons of 16-wheelers on Jurupa Street which caused me to change riding strategy quite a bit. I think this is why it took longer to ride the 52 miles than I thought it would. Also an unscheduled stop at Farmer Boys for a burger did not help either. The food I was carrying would have been sufficient. I will not make that mistake again.

As expected the last two miles into the camp site were the hardest. On the final half mile with it’s 10% to 13% grade I had to rest for 30 seconds for every 2 minutes of riding. My legs were very spent by then.

In the morning the climb out of camp was also very steep – at least 10% and probably more in some sections. Having fresh legs was a benefit and I used my lowest gear almost the entire way, as time was not a factor. I was only 8 miles from home.

All-in-all it was quite an achievement. With a bit more training I feel I will do well on the PCTA. I am definitely glad I did it, because I learned quite a bit. I have broken down the information into general categories for easier digestion.

Equipment

Panniers

The Arkel Panniers swallowed up everything with room to spare. Compartments are handy and those giant zippers are just the ticket. One note however: anything that needs to remain cool should not go into the top compartments. They get really hot in direct sunlight. Electronics, batteries, CO2 cartridges, or anything else that may be subject to heat should not be stored there.

Tent

The Quarter Dome T2 Plus by REI is very light and packable. For assembly one needs to at least the watch the video on the REI web site more than once to make sure all goes smoothly. Check me out in the video below. I had the orange poles on wrong side of the large main pole, but once I figured that out, the tent went up fairly easily. The fabric of the tent seemed a bit overly tight over the poles. I had to wrestle with the tabs a bit, but nothing ripped or tore. I would recommend getting a footprint to go under the tent.

The rain fly was easy to install, but by morning, on even a warm night, there was more than a little condensation on the underside of the it. I had to make sure this was wiped dry before folding it away. Since the fly is totally waterproof, I don’t think anything can be done about this. Humans exhale water vapor when they sleep. I did have both ventilation tabs open.

As you know, nothing ever packs back to the same small size it was when it came from the factory. For some reason the tent poles seemed too long to go back into the tent’s stuff sack. The tent body, fly, and footprint went in with room to spare. I ended up placing the poles into the tall sack on the back of the left Arkel pannier, which is designed to hold such items. Problem solved.

Camel Bak Water Bladder

This will not make the trip. It fits very nicely into the large compartment on the Arkel pannier, and the sipping tube is plenty long enough for handy use. The problem is that it is not insulated. Ice melts quickly. The water that remains in the sipping tube between drinks heats up to hot.

The bladder does not dry out quickly which could lead to mildew inside the bag. Now you have to use tablets to clean the bladder and thread a drying tool down the tube to dry it out. Too much work!

ExPed Down Mat Sleeping Pad

This was a dream piece of equipment. It almost self inflates, but some pumping is required. The pump is integrated into the design of the mat. You simply open that valve, place one hand over the opening and press down on the pump, with both hands. It inflates in about two minutes. In inches the size is 77.5 long, 26 wide, 2.8 deep. The 26-inch width was plenty for me.

It was very comfortable. During the night it never lost any air. The down inside the mat insulted from the cold ground underneath. Repacking was a bit fussy. It’s difficult but not impossible to get all of the air out of the mat. The release valve is one-way. Air gets pushed out, but cannot reenter. It took two tries to finally get it back into its stuff sack. It’s worth every expensive penny.

Insulated Hydro Flask (1.9) Liters

I wrestled with this purchase because this item was not cheap – $49 dollars at REI, but am I SO glad I bought it. I filled it with water and ice at 7:30 am. By 8:00 pm the same day the ice was melted but the water was ice-cold and stayed that way the rest of the night. My wife bought me up more ice at the camp site that evening, which I put into the flask. It is now 12:05 pm the next day and the ice still has not melted in the flask. This thing works fantastically. Best of all it fits like a glove into my Radical Banana Pannier. It’s not as handy as a Camel Bak sipping tube, but it’s reachable, and ice-cold water when you want it is a real treat. It’s one of my best purchases.

Speaking of ice, I did take a small canvas covered lunch bag which was insulted and lined with plastic. I used it as a small ice chest. I was very happy I decided to take this along. Ice was kept in a plastic bag inside the single large compartment. Cold oranges and apples are very refreshing on the road. When the ice melted inside the plastic bag I had another source was refreshing ice cold water.

Clothing

All clothing choices I have made seen to be a good ones. However, jeans are not going. They are uncomfortable for riding, and one pair weighs 2.2 lbs. all by itself dry. Also they are not water proof. Wet jeans must really be heavy. I’ll see about getting pants made of lighter fabric.

I may leave my extra riding jacket home also. It’s versatile, as the sleeves zip out, but it’s water-resistant, not water proof. I also don’t like the high collar on the back of my neck. I think my rain jacket will provide better warmth if I need it.

I need at least two long-sleeved riding shirts made of wicking material. I’ll pick those up at Walmart for $8.

Electronics

Both my GoPro Camera and my iPhone ran out of power by the end of the day. Actually that time ended up being well over 10 hours which is pretty good. I turned the camera off between every 30-second movie shots which helped preserve battery life. All movies were taken from my helmet mount, which I don’t think I will use. The resulting video is enough to make you sick with its shakiness. I will devise some sort of neck-worn strap that will allow for easy access to the camera.

The iPhone suffered a over-heat outage during the day. It was in a frame-mounted bag under a plastic cover for access. Due to the heat of the sun and the fact that it was running two applications most of the trip, it simply overheated. 10 minutes in the ice-chest solved the problem. This was another instance where I was glad I brought a small ice chest.

I plan to take a small solar panel with me on the trip. I will place it under the mesh of one of my Arkel panniers where it will charge during the day. At night it will be used to re-energize both the iPhone and the GoPro. I’ll let you know which one I decide on.

My Cateye Micro Wireless Speedometer locked up during the ride and stopped recording data. It was the second time this had happened. Research revealed that a Blue Tooth enabled iPhone speaking to a wireless heart rate monitor or other similar equipment such as a Wahoo speedometer interferes with the Cateye. On the tricycle these devices are in close proximity and there was simply too much Blue Tooth broadcasting and receiving going on between the devices.

Once the iPhone is not broadcasting the Cateye works properly. I could use the iPhone only but that would require that it run either the Strava application or the Wahoo application. Running either application would be only partially useful as there is no cadence hardware installed on the TRIcon. Plus using the iPhone would require leaving the screen on full time. That would quickly evaporate energy reserves.

Conclusion: my Wahoo heart rate monitor will be staying home. I’ll run the Strava application to document the mileage. The Cateye should work fine. Hey, a few more grams of weight will be saved.

Additional Stuff

Some things that I don’t have now, I will have to acquire are:

  • a small chamois for drying that rain fly.
  • flip-flops for the shower; I’d rather not get my Keens wet.
  • small cloth ice-chest.
  • two long-sleeved riding shirts.

Bad News

The Tricycle

Take a look at the before and after pictures of the underside of the TRIcon for a clue.

Before - unmarred, nice and new.

Before – unmarred, nice and new.

Here’s the after shot.

Note the scuff marks

Note the scuff marks

What happened? Long-story-short: the two bolts that hold the handle bars to the steering column loosened to such an extent that the entire handle bar assembly disengaged itself. I was literally holding the bars in mid-air with absolutely no ability to steer. I had to physically steer by grabbing the left front fender to a avoid the curb on my right, while breaking with the right hand with brakes that thankfully still operated. Imagine steering by turning the front left fender to the left while braking with only the right caliper which causes your rig to turn right. It was a move orchestrated in skillful panic mode.

Thank you Lord Jesus I was not on a 29 mph descent on some mountain road. I may have not have been writing this article right now. That was scary. I won’t go as far to call it a design flaw, but I will contact AZUB about the situation, which needs addressing before someone gets seriously injured or worse. Lesson learned: check all bolts frequently, especially the ones that may directly affect the operation of the bike. I have already found a loose bolt on one of the disc brake calipers and tightened it up recently. There is no front suspension on the TRIcon which means road vibrations make it through to the frame more easily than a rig with a suspended front end. Things vibrate loose. Check your nuts and bolts.

I have since removed the two offending bolts, dipped them in Loctite and reinstalled them. I have also installed a rubber plug into the open end at the bottom of the steering column. It has a large washer covering the diameter. The rubber expands into the opening by turning a bolt in the center of the plug. Even if the two screws loosen again the rubber plug will keep the handle bars in place. See photos of the fix here.

The second problem was not as catastrophic. The rack on which the Arkel panniers sit moves closer to the rear axle when the suspension is compressed, as does the rear fender. During a jolting from uneven pavement the wire support rods on the right side popped loosed from their support, which caused the rear fender to jump into misalignment, which allowed the metal clips that attach to the fender to rub hard and grindingly against the rear wheel. I noticed a nice spray or rubber shrapnel on the chain stays near the rear tire.

I think this entire situation was caused by a combination of the 35 lbs. of weight on the rear rack and having the pre-load set too low on the rear shock. I will torque up the pre-load on the shock. The entire situation did make me seriously reconsider the possibility of the trailer once again. Maybe it’s better not to have too much weight on the actual tricycle. I will invest in the purchase of the smallest torque wrench I can find to help keep those bolts tight. Ugh, that means extra weight.

Shifting at the front chain set and derailleur was a bit off due to cable stretch. I made an adjustment which helped, but it’s not 100% yet. I have to complete a nifty double, trigger/thumb move to get down smoothly to the middle chain ring. Getting to the smallest chain ring is still a problem. I’m working on that.

Conclusion

In spite of the mishaps and sore muscles I am very glad I took the ride. I now have first hand experience on what to look out for and how I may actually perform on the trip. I will take another loaded ride before arrival time of the PCTA.

Happy trails,

David