YHC has really enjoyed getting to know the streets of Granite Falls while running SlingBlade there. Today we explored the suburbs of GF – Rhodhiss. Boy, do we have some war stories to tell!
At SlingBlade we start with the COT: I spoke about how Easter is behind us and that we disciples of Jesus Christ should be changed in some manner by the realization that our Savior was resurrected. I read from the very end of Matthew where the disciples gathered together and were met by the resurrected Jesus who told them to “Go and make disciples of all nations…”. So I challenged us to do just that – to be obedient to our King.
Prayer Requests:
- Banjo’s friend Blake who is having some serious family challenges
- Double Bogey’s bursitis in his knee – for healing
- Unspoken
We prayed, the shadows of our outstretched arms formed a cross right there on the square in downtown Granite Falls.
We are off – headed down Duke Street (#goBlueDevils) toward Rhodhiss. The rain at this point was a gentle, welcome mist. As we were descending the long hill Banjo felt the call of nature. I offered him my Spiderman bandana butt he couldn’t do that to Spidey so he took a tissue from Two Stroke. At SlingBlade we are prepared for everything…almost. As we came to the fork in the road at Rhodhiss, we took it and found ourselves on Church Street. I missed seeing the Post Office, therefore I missed our left turn on Walnut St, so we headed forth past the sign that gave us a clue: Dead End. We didn’t take the clue and ran to the very end of the road, then off road, down a crazy dirt hill, somebody coulda got killed, nobody did, and we eventually found ourselves back on Duke Street which had become Caldwell Street. Then we took a left and headed across the bridge over Lake Hickory with the Rhodhiss Dam on our right. As we approached the far side of the bridge we stopped for prayer – because we were entering Burke County!!
We hung a left and went way down to the very end of a long straight road. At the end of the road we saw a No Trespassing sign so we went just a few steps beyond that and called ourselves rebels. We turned back, did a small loop in Burke County, headed back across the bridge and then started our ascent up that looooooooooooooooong hill as the rain picked up just a bit. As we rounded the bend we saw flashing blue lights – no there is no Kmart there, instead there were 2 police cars who had stopped somebody. This created a bit of traffic issue right there in downtown Rhodhiss with cars stopped in line waiting to get past. There’s no sidewalk here so us runners were very close to the cars and yes – Cropduster made First Contact with the mirror of a white Toyota Tercel. I mean I can’t help it that my biceps are so big – I didn’t realize they were in the way. But we trudged forth with no apparent damage.
That hill from the lake all they way up to downtown Granite Falls is the most fun hill to run anywhere! It has some steepness at the beginning, then it becomes a long, long winding hill that is a challenge but not crazy steep. Before long we found ourselves back to our AO just as Nomad was waking from his slumber. All the PAX quickly jumped into their chariots (nice wheels Banjo!) and headed off – was it something I said or was it the constant cropdusting I was doing the whole run?
As Donkey would say…”There’s more room out than in!”
Cropduster out!
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