Duck in Pool

Back at the beginning of March, I noted that the ducks had come into my pool. (see post here) I figured then that it had more to do with the pool cover being on and the creatures that lived there -- food for the ducks... Well the duck still likes swimming in the pool now that the pool is opened. Might be a Tony Soprano Summer.

Sayings in Which Found Comfort #7

"Furthermore, this cause does not depend just on us, but there are many devout Christian people in other lands who make common cause with us and uphold us with heartfelt sighs and Christian prayer."

Martin Luther, AE 43, 172.

Floods in Nashville Tennessee -- Reflections Pastor Carlos Hernandez

Rev. Carlos Hernandez of LCMS World Relief and Human Care was in the Nashville, TN area this past week. He sent me some reflections on the flood.

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 Even nine days after the flood volunteers were still mucking out flooded homes of residents in the hardest hit area of Bellevue Tenn where Redeemer Luth has set up a cong. –based and run volunteer operation. Pastor Phil Young is leading the effort with Will Marshall as Redeemer member serving as volunteer coordinator

Reflections by Pastor Carlos Hernandez, Director, LCMS World Relief and Human Care

Bellevue, Tennessee, May 11, 2010 - There is little agreement in the greater Nashville area on building codes after "the flood of 2010" or how much FEMA will "pay out" or even how long it will take for the area to fully recover.

There is agreement on one thing: Suburban Bellevue, ten miles west of Nashville was the hardest hit by the floods. The major tributary of the mammoth Cumberland River, the Harpeth River that flows through Bellevue,  overflooded after the Cumberland crested to 52 ft.!

Bellevue is home to Redeemer Lutheran Church where Rev. Phil Young is pastor.  In a new development where homes were still being built when the flood arrived, 500 of the  1,000 homes in the subdivision will need to be demolished.

Redeemer and Pastor Young had no choice but to "get into high gear" as member Will Marshall puts it, and respond with help. Four of their members lost most or all of their possessions in the flood. Sixteen others nearby residents asked Redeemer for help "mucking out" their flooded homes.

Today, Will Marshll (volunteer coordinator for Redeemer's response) and I visited each member's home to conduct an assessment and share words of pastoral encouragement.

 Frank and Julia Hadrick, Retired Pastor Rev. Chris Powell,  Joe and Mary Cottrell and and Gina Fromm - all Redeemer members - were encouraged by our presence and by assurance of potential assistance from LCMS World Relief and Human Care.

They all responded with same sentiment, one we often hear accross the country,

"Every little bit helps."

 After a sack lunch provided by the Redeemer volunteers, we visited several more homes of Pastor Andrew Abraham congregation in Antioch, Tenn.

Our long day concluded with assessment and pastoral words of encouragement to residents of Country Meadows Mobile home court where a lot of Mexican immigrants live. Many of them were still living in their mold-infested homes. 

I especially enjoyed visiting with Irma Lira and her husband, Francisco and their neighbors, Lozano Morales and his wife, Ethela Mendez. The have many critical needs, but still exuded joy and hope as we prayed with them and their children.

Pastor Ken Shaw who is my gracious host and driver speaks spanish and will follow up on assessing the critical needs of folks most neglected in disaster relief efforts.     

These humble folk from Mexico are surely ones Jesus had in mind when he refered to the "least of his bretheren" in urging his followers of each epoch to demonstrate compassionate mercy in times of crisis.

Rows of debris of mucked out belongings a common scene in Nashville reminiscent of Katrina

Report of Special Committee re Art VII, 1944

Recently, I was reading the convention proceedings from 1944. Under section five Constitutional Matters is a report from the "Special Committee re Article VII" of the Synod's Constitution and an overture opposing the recommendations of the "Special Committee."


The point of contention was the interpretation of the words Synod is an "advisory body."


The "Special Committee" held that joining the Synod required every pastor and congregation within Synod to be bound to convention overtures and resolutions, etc. The opposing overture stated that "the right to properly criticize the action of Synod, of its officers and appointees, is the means whereby we preserve our purity of doctrine and correctness of practice."


Those who opposed the report of the "Special Committee" correctly stated that the Synod has no power other than that of the Word of God, which is the exact same power a pastor or congregation in the Synod has. Likewise, the President of Synod only has the power of the Word of God to persuade the Synod. Those opposed to the "Special Committee" allude to CFW Walther's "Duties of an Evangelical Synod."


Thesis II of "Duties of an Evangelical Synod" is most applicable to this discussion.

A second major duty is that it faithfully treat its congregations in an evangelical way, and therefore

a) not assume a dictatorial role over them, but only help them in an advisory way;

b) assist them in acquiring upright [rechtschaffener] pastors and teachers;

c) protect them against pastors who err in doctrine, follow an offensive lifestyle, and are domineering in their office.

Because no one in Synod has any other power than the "Word of God", Walther concludes that both large and small congregations have the exact same rights and power. In the Duties of an Evangelical Synod, Walther writes, "Yes, even a small rural congregation of seven families has as much power as all the congregations in America combined, because it also has Jesus in its midst, with all His grace and all the rights and merits He won for us on the tree of the cross... Let everyone who is in such a tiny little congregation take note and know that church matters are not like worldly matters. The smallest congregation is just as important as the largest one, and the largest is no more important than the smallest, because every congregation is great only because Christ is present in it." (At Home in the House of My Fathers, "Duties of an Evangelical Synod," 265.)


In any case, it seems that Missouri has long struggled with the role of the Synod's oversight of congregations and pastors, and whether or not large congregations should be granted more influence than that of small congregations. Both sides of the discussion have valid points to make. Indeed, it is frustrating when congregations ignore resolutions that encourage good doctrine and practice. There is a temptation to appeal to the power of the Law and used force to make a congregation or pastor conform. Church discipline has its place in the church, but we must remember that only Calvinists have held that discipline is a mark of the Church, not Lutherans. Walther's point is that only the Gospel changes lives. Only the preaching of the Gospel and the instruction of the Word of God are the only things that will convince people of a doctrinal position. The Proper Distinction of Law and Gospel applies even in Synodcal matters. The discussions from 1944 are instructive for us today as is Walther's "Duties of an Evangelical Synod." Let the way of the Gospel prevail!


Please note the text was OCR'd so there may be a few typos. Enjoy!

 V. CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS

[501]

Report of Special Committee re Article VII

In 1941 a memorial (No.503) was submitted to Synod at its session in Fort Wayne for the purpose of "establishing the true meaning of Article VII of Synod's Constitution," especially giving an interpretation of the words that Synod is "an advisory body." This matter was turned over to a committee, which herewith respectfully submits the following report:

It is self-evident that any person or group of persons who apply for, and are received into, membership of any organization thereby have declared their willingness to abide by the constitution and by-laws of that organization. That is in the very nature of the case. Otherwise an organization and affiliation therewith would serve no real purpose.

Therefore the fact that Synod states in its Constitution that it is "an advisory body" cannot be interpreted to mean that an individual or a congregation, being a member of Synod and having voluntarily subscribed to its Constitution and By-Laws, is not in duty bound to respect these or any rules and regulations or resolutions that Synod in a democratic way, through the elected representatives of the congregations, may make or pass in any of its lawful sessions or those of its District conventions. It cannot be interpreted to mean that such resolutions have no binding force; they have, unless they are not in accordance with the Word or God or are "inexpedient as far as the condition of a congregation is concerned."

Article VII of Synod’s Constitution says that Synod is "an advisory body" "with respect to the individual congregation's right of self-government" concerning its own internal affairs.

It is certainly understood that the synodical Districts, being created by Synod to carry out its work in their respective territory, are held to carry out synodical resolutions affecting them. Over against them Synod is not merely "an advisory body."

M. F. KRETZMANN . THEO. ECKHART A. W. HUGE

A. M. REHWINKEL J. H. C. FRITZ

[502]

Clarification of Constitution, Art. VII

The officers of a certain District submitted to Synod (Proceedings, 1941, p.243) a resolution affecting Art. VII of the synodical Constitution -the relationship of Synod to the congregation.

[124]

 

 CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS  [125]

This resolution was referred to a committee for further study and for further action at Synod's next meeting in 1944.

This resolution asks Synod to declare that our member congregations are not independent congregations, but are subject to the government of Synod, that the resolutions and decisions of Synod are of binding force.

This resolution asks that the usual provisions of a member church's constitution be nullified whenever a church affiliates with Synod and whenever such provisions conflict with the resolutions of Synod.

The purpose of such a declaration is that Synod may exercise and enforce disciplinary measures upon pastors and churches in the event of any controversy, that Synod may have the right to decide such controversy and to have civil courts recognize and enforce such decisions of Synod and to foreclose any inquiry· into the matter so decided by it – as matters pertaining to rights of property, the rights of a pastor to officiate, the right of a church to retain as its pastor one expelled from Synod, and that Synod shall have greater power than that of advising a congregation:

In opposition to such a resolution we submit:

That Art. VII of our Constitution is very simple and needs no further interpretation. It expressly states that Synod shall not be lilt ecclesiastical government. Synod shall not have legislative powers passing resolutions having the character of laws. Synod has .no power to coerce, to enforce the performance of its resolutions and decisions by its officers nor by recourse to the law-enforcing agencies of the State. The Constitution expressly states that each church shall remain a self-governing body and that the resolutions of Synod have no binding force if they seem inexpedient to the congregation. Synod shall advise. Synod shall have the power to exhort, admonish by the power of the Word of God.

. A high court stated relative to this Art. VII: "The defendants stress the fact that the synods are to 'advise' as distinguished from 'command.' When the spiritual nature of this organization is considered, it is clear that the use of the expression 'advise' by the framers of the organic instruments under consideration was intentional and is to be commended and enforced and not belittled. The words selected are easily to be understood and followed."

The history of this Art. VII shows that the founding fathers were clear in their minds, that they did not want a synodical government, a church government, but that they wanted to be and remain independent, self-governing bodies. Their experience with the tyranny of the church governments made them fearful of svnodical associations, and only after Art. VII was added to the

126 CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS

constitution guaranteeing them independence were they willing to affiliate with Synod.

Our synodical reports and proceedings, the essays delivered before the various bodies, .the statements of ranking synodical officials, officially state the same thing. Synodical Proceedings 1896; Nebraska District Report, 1905; South Dakota District Report, 1906; Minnesota District Report, 1933-1939.

Congregations have hesitated to join Synod on the ground that they would become subject to synodical control. Presidents, Visitors, and pastors have repeatedly assured such congregations that that was not the fact; that no congregation would give up any of its rights relative to its pastors, its property, the administration of its affairs, its money matters; Upon such assurances congregations have joined Synod. It would be dishonesty if we would now change our organizational policies and change the· Constitution. Every congregation should then be apprised of the facts and be given the opportunity to secede from Synod.

     We can also be certain, in the event of such a change, no congregation will join Synod in the future.

      Such a change in the Constitution will not avoid controversies or schisms nor eventual recourse to law to adjust difficulties.

      Also, our congregations are not ruled by resolutions and decisions, by coercion or enforcement. The congregation, the pastor has no greater power than the power of the Word of God to admonish, exhort, advise. Our Synod and its congregations have grown strong under this principle. And we do not need a change now. Why should Synod have different powers from the God-established congregation itself!

      Such supersynodical government wants to deal with force, compulsion. It becomes tyrannical ·and oppressive. The history of church governments clearly shows this. Free speech, the right to properly criticize the action of Synod, of its officers and appointees, is the means whereby we preserve our purity of doctrine and correctness of practice. This would be destroyed by church government. We have with us already the condition that persons are afraid to voice their honest opinions because of fear of official reprisals.

            On these and other grounds we ask that the resolution above referred to be rejected.

SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE OF THE MINNESOTA DISTRICT

W. P. HAAK, Secretary CARL A. BRAMSCHER

            The same overture was submitted by the FAIRMONT CONFERENCE, MINNESOTA DISTRICT, E. KOBERG, Secretary.

Banquet Address to 4th Year Class CTSFW-- Rev. Harrison

Rev. Matthew Harrison addressed the 4th year at their banquet on 30 April 2010 in Fort Wayne. 

Address to 4th Year Banquet CTSFW -- Rev. Harrison from It's Time on Vimeo.

Courage To Be Lutheran -- Christ Have Mercy

Courage To Be Lutheran -- Christ Have Mercy from It's Time on Vimeo.

Here is a great video that is about 10 minutes long, encouraging people to have courage to be Lutheran. It describes some of the challenges C.F.W. Walther and the others encountered in America. A great line from the video, "Courage is Fear Baptized!" The video is based on Rev. Matthew Harrison's Christ Have Mercy book published by Concordia Publishing House.

Katy Trail Celebrates 20 Years -- STL Post Dispatch

Heading home now from a week in Fargo, North Dakota and Traverse City, Michigan. It was a great trip, but am looking forward to returning home to seeing family and to go biking. While away, the Saint Louis Post Dispatch published an article on the 20th anniversary of the Katy Trail. What is fun about this article is that both Katie and I were interviewed for the article a little over a week ago while we were riding the Katy Trail. You can see the article below. Thanks Susan for writing the story.

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Katy Trail celebrates success after first 20 years

May 3, 2010 - Chesterfield neighbors Debra Ebel, at right, and T.R. Balasubramanian take a break at Katy Bike Rental in Defiance during their ride to Augusta. The two typically ride the Busch Greenway from the Missouri Research Park, then tie into the Katy Trail and ride roundtrip to Augusta. (Robert Cohen/P-D)

By Susan Weich

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

05/07/2010

Gary and Jan Richard of Pittsburg, Kan., had mixed emotions as they pedaled their bicycles to take a picture in front of the Lewis and Clark statue in St. Charles' Frontier Park.

They had about a mile to go before they finished the 225-mile Katy Trail, a journey they had made in three trips over the past year.

"It's a sense of accomplishment, sure, but it's also sad," Jan Richard, 57, said about completing the trail. "Where else can you park your bike on a bluff, hike 1,000 feet and have a bottle of wine with lunch?"

The Katy Trail is celebrating its 20th anniversary, having overcome a controversial beginning to now serve more than 300,000 visitors a year such as the Richards.

"I think it's one of the highlights of Missouri," said Darwin Hindman, chairman of the Katy Trail Coalition, a group that pushed for the project.

The crushed limestone recreational trail cuts through the state's rural heartland, from St. Charles to Clinton, along the route of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, which quit operating in 1986.

The first section — five miles between Rocheport and Huntsville — was dedicated on April 28, 1990. The last section — 11 miles from St. Charles to Black Walnut — will connect with the final 3.1 miles going into the Machens area at the northeastern end of the trail. That segment should be under construction this summer and completed by the end of the year.

The state will kick off an anniversary celebration at 1 p.m. Saturday in Rocheport. Special events are scheduled throughout the year, including exhibits and programs along the trail.

Touted as the longest rail-to-trail project in the nation, the Katy Trail winds through the rolling hills of Missouri's wine country, past once-upon-a-time railroad communities and alongside panoramic views of the Missouri River.

The character and scenery of the trail varies, from a shady canopy of trees to open flood plain to limestone bluffs. Wildlife is abundant. Turtles sun themselves in the middle of the path while deer cut across it, and owls, hawks and other birds soar and flit among the trees.

A ROCKY START

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources took over the abandoned MKT through a federal law that allows railroad lines to be banked for potential future use, but in the meantime, converted to recreational trails.

The deal set off a firestorm of opposition from landowners who said their contracts with the railroad specified that if the line quit running, the land reverted back to them.

One of the opponents, Jane Glosemeyer, lives on a 240-acre farm in Marthasville that's been in her family for three generations. The trail sliced her property virtually in half.

She and other property owners waged a legal battle that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and wasn't settled until 2000. Ultimately, the U.S. Court of Claims decided the landowners were entitled to compensation, but the trail would stay.

Today, some landowners, such as Glosemeyer and Gary Heldt of Rhineland, still harbor hard feelings about the easements, and they say trespassing has been a nagging concern.

"One day I caught a young man walking into my shed, and he said 'I was looking for some tools,'" Glosemeyer said. "I thought, 'My house is right here, why did you not come and ask?'"

Heldt, who was chairman of the citizens group that represented the landowners, owns 60 acres abutting the trail. He said that DNR provided signs and fencing but that park rangers usually weren't around when someone was trespassing.

"Generally speaking, we have to handle it ourselves," he said.

Glosemeyer said her privacy was a thing of the past.

"Living in the country, that was my glory," she said. "Now my dogs bark all the time, so there's no peace of mind."

COASTING TO SUCCESS

Dawn Fredrickson, Katy Trail coordinator, said that the DNR had been tracking trail use only since 2004 but that in the past five years, visits are up 12.5 percent. Last year, the most popular area was St. Charles County, with 111,000 users.

The department tallies the information using infrared counters at each of the 25 trailheads, and a formula to account for people who start the trail elsewhere.

"There are people who use the trail every day for exercise, and for others, this is their vacation," Fredrickson said.

She said the biggest reason for increased usage was the services that have built up along the trail.

"There are B&Bs, private campgrounds, little cafes and grocery stores; without them, this would just be a long-distance trail," she said. "The businesses really add to the experience and make for a fun ride."

No recent studies have assessed the trail's economic impact, but Fredrickson said community projects to connect to the trail spoke volumes about its importance.

For instance, Defiance hopes to build a quarter-mile bike loop through the center of town this summer, and spurs already exist in Columbia and Holt Summit. Other cities, such as Hermann, have improved the bridge leading into town by adding a bike lane.

Also there are plans to connect the Katy Trail's western edge into Pleasant Hill, just outside the Kansas City metro area, by using the Rock Island Railroad corridor.

Merchants in Augusta and Defiance agreed that the trail had been beneficial to their towns, and some added that they probably wouldn't be in business without it. Dale Rollings, owner of the Yellow Farmhouse Vineyard & Winery in Defiance, said he opened a wine garden and installed a bicycle rack to accommodate trail users.

"We figured out that bike riders don't have a way to carry a bottle of wine," he said. "Now people who start the trail in Defiance come back at the end of the day to get cheese, sausage, wine and listen to some music."

Corinne Post, who for a decade has run the Red Brick Inn in Augusta, said half of her business came from bikers and hikers who were making their last stop before finishing the trail in St. Charles.

Even businesses such as Augusta Wood Ltd., which sells home decor and is a few blocks off the trail, have benefited, said owner Vic Brown.

"Every week when the weather is halfway decent, I'm seeing bikers in the shop," he said. "There's the residual effect of people who now know we're here when they need something later."

AT THE ST. CHARLES DEPOT

On a recent windy but warm day along the trail in St. Charles, Al Collver, 39, of Manchester, stopped just south of historic Main Street to adjust his trailer cycle before he and his daughter Katie, 6, headed home.

Collver said that last year he rode the Katy Trail every weekend, usually beginning around Creve Coeur Lake, then taking the connector across the Page Avenue Extension onto the trail.

"This is a great place to ride and a safe place to ride; I don't have to worry about motorists getting road rage and cursing me," he said.

Traci Grisoff, 45, and Angel Milne, 38, both of St. Charles, said they were relatively new users of the trail. They regularly walk a five-mile section.

They said that they liked the trail because it was always clean, and that they felt safe because many people were around.

The growth of the popularity of the trail is satisfying to people such as Hindman, of the Katy coalition, who had predicted it would be good for Missouri.

"Sometimes the only way you'll ever know is to test it out and see exactly what happens," he said. "This time it worked."

Non-Standard Computer Upgrades and IT

I came across this Dilbert on non-standard upgrades on computers... many users have encountered this from IT departments... too funny.

Trinity Lutheran Traverse City Michigan

For the past couple of days, we have been at Trinity Lutheran Church in Traverse City, MI, founded in 1883. Pastor Robert Zagore has been an excellent host. Trinity is one of the fastest "growing" congregations in the Missouri Synod with 1600 souls. Their secret? They do well what the church is given to do. The congregation of Trinity has beautiful facilities that do not distract from worship. They conduct the liturgy and the service well (Lutheran Service Book is used every Sunday). They engage the community in works of mercy (food bank). They have a Lutheran day school. They have a good and faithful pastor. The church holds to the unaltered Augsburg Confession. Below are some photographs of the beautiful facility.

Note the Cherubim

Good Shepherd Sermon -- Pastor Harrison

Pastor Robert Beinke and the St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Norwalk, Connecticut invited Rev. Matthew Harrison to preach. Pastor Harrison preached a sermon on the Good Shepherd at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Norwalk, Connecticut, on 25 April 2010. The text was John 10:22-30. You can watch the sermon below. The original post is found here on Itistime.org

The Forgotten Holiday - The Lutheran Witness

The Forgotten Holiday - The Lutheran Witness

The Lutheran Witness has published my article on the Ascension Day. Check out the story at the link above. Also, check out the online side bar at the bottom of the article titled, "Lutheran? Reformed? A Thumbnail History."

To Shave or Not

I saw the following post in the British Paper the Telegraph, The Lycra Files: Around Britain by bike - a close shave - Telegraph. It asks whether cyclers should shave or not... I have a hard time imagining that unless the cycler grows hair like a wooly mammoth that there could be any advantage beyond a millisecond or so in regards to speed. I grant you I am not a competitive racer, but I AIN'T shaving, period.

A Katy Trail Weekend

Halfwheeler attached to Bike

I recently got a Giant Halfwheeler Trailer Cycle so I could take my kids along with me when I went bike riding. I purchased it at the Bike Center in Des Peres, MO -- things like this are not typically carried in the large retail chains like Dick Sports, etc. I purchased the more expensive alloy version which weighs 19 pounds rather than the steel version which weighs in at 26 pounds. Seven pounds may not sound like much but when you are pulling a 50 pound child, who ten miles into a 20 mile ride doesn't want to peddle any more -- it makes a difference. The Q-Link clamp makes it a snap to attach to the bike and the water bottle holder let's the kiddies have a something to drink along the way too.

Q-Link clamp

Up until this weekend, I only had opportunity to try out the Giant Halfwheeler in the neighborhood. The kids loved riding on it so much that while I was at work my daughter would phone me up asking when I could come home and take her on a bike ride. After a few weeks of heavy travel, I had a few days off, so I decided to take the kids (on two different days) to the Katy Trail.

Halfwheeler in the Neighborhood

My usual Katy Trail trips begin at Creve Couer Lake. After riding around Creve Couer Lake, we take the Katy Trail Connector across the Page Extension Bridge and then get onto the Katy Trail.

 

Which Way to Go?

Once you reach the Katy Trail at the Page Extension Bridge, you need to decide which way to go. Kaitlyn and I rode to Frontier Park in St. Charles, MO. 

Katy Trail going towards St. Charles, MO.

Katie at Lewis and Clark Memorial, St Charles, MO.

Katie at the Katy Trail State Park

From Creve Coeur Lake to Saint Charles and back is about 20 miles. Katie did great on the Katy Trail. We were even interviewed by a Saint Louis Post-Dispatch Reporter. She was working on a story for the 20th anniversary of the Katy Trail. In any case, it was a great day to ride.

SportyPal Track of Ride from Creve Coeur Lake to Saint Charles
(About 20 miles)

My son, Kit, did not want to be left out. So on Saturday, we rode the Katy Trail beginning at Creve Couer Lake and went to Defiance, MO. The total ride was about 47 miles (my cell phone died so the map stops at 40 miles). He did great; in fact, while I was tried after the ride, he was energized. We saw several interesting things along the way.

Kit and abc3+ at Weldon Spring, MO

The next time we ride the Katy Trail, Kit wants to see the Weldon Spring Nuclear Waste and Adventure Trail. I have been there once before. So it should be an interesting ride there.

Katy Trail heading towards Weldon Spring and Defiance, MO

A View along the Katy Trail

Bridge Across Femme Osage Creek on Katy Trail

Once you get to Defiance, MO, you need to stop at the Katy Trail Bike Rental for rest and refreshments. We stopped and bought several drinks and some ice cream for strength to return to Creve Coeur Lake. From the Katy Trail Bike Rental store to Creve Coeur Lake is about 23 miles. Kit also got a bell at the store.

Kit's Bike Bell

On the way back we stopped at the Bush Conservation Nature Area off of the Katy Trail. We saw insects, wildlife, and streams (as well as sewage treatment plant).

Dragon Fly

Stream in the Bush Nature Conservation Area off Katy Trail

I-64/40 Along the Katy Trail

All in all, the Giant Halfwheeler was a great investment. I think we will have many hours of use from it. The two days on the Katy Trail for a total of almost 70 miles was great. It does get tiring pulling the kids. However, my son who is 2 years older than my daughter was able to peddle much more. Our average speed was 2 mph faster than with my daughter. The kids are looking forward to the next trip. (The day after Kit and I rode to Defiance, MO, and back, Katie and I rode through Queeny Park -- a new post on that.) I heartily recommend the Giant Halfwheeler to anyone who wants to cycle further than children on their own are likely able to do.

Kit's and abc3+ SportyPal Track Lake Creve Couer to Defiance, MO
(About 47 miles)