When the Mission Interrupts the Schedule

It was all going perfectly.

We woke up around 6:30 after a nice, long, comfortable night of sleep. We gathered all of our belongings and carried everything out to the bikes. Before we started packing, we sat down with our friends Andrew and his wife, Oz, and enjoyed coffee and conversation.

We had such a wonderful time talking with them. Andrew had worked with our son-in-law in the past, so naturally, we talked about family, our Alaska journey, and all the adventures God has allowed us to experience along the way. Andrew loves adventure bikes too, so we also had plenty to talk about when it came to motorcycles and different places to ride in his area.

Eventually, though, it was time to get moving.

I started loading the bikes. First, I put all the camera equipment on. Then I loaded my top bag. Next, I started working on one of the side panniers.

And that’s when the worst thing that could have happened happened.

The bear spray accidentally deployed!

I immediately slammed the cover shut and took off running as fast as I could, holding my breath so I wouldn’t inhale it. I ran into the house yelling for Melvin and Andrew and told them what happened.

Oz immediately got me a glass of water and helped me wash my hands. Melvin and Andrew headed outside, but not before grabbing the face respirator Andrew had in his garage.

Apparently, the clip that was supposed to be securing the trigger had come out. When I went to move the canister, the trigger was accidentally activated.

And let me tell you—bear spray is not something you want accidentally spraying all over your motorcycle!

Melvin and Andrew grabbed Dawn soap and the hose and went to work washing everything down. After the whole ordeal was finally over, we continued packing the bikes.

Of course, now we were about an hour behind schedule.

We had nearly 400 miles ahead of us to reach Red Lodge, Montana.

But one thing this journey has taught us over and over again is that God is not nearly as concerned with our schedule as He is with our obedience.

Proverbs 16:9 says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

We had planned to leave earlier.

God apparently had a different plan.

And we’ve learned that sometimes what feels like an interruption is actually an opportunity for God to remind us that He is still in control.

By around 10:00, we were finally ready to leave. Before we pulled away, we snapped a few pictures, and Andrew prayed over us—asking God for continued safety, protection, and guidance as we traveled.

What a blessing it is to have friends who don’t just wish you well, but who stop and pray with you before you ride.

Then we hit the road.

Most of today’s ride would be on the interstate. With the mountains surrounding us, there really wasn’t another practical option. Interstate 90 wasn’t too heavy with traffic since it was Sunday, but it was still a long, hot ride.

The highway twisted and turned around the mountains while traffic flowed along at nearly 80 mph. We chose to take things a little slower and let the traffic pass us.

There were several areas with strong crosswinds, and I felt much more comfortable slowing down a bit to navigate them. When you’re sitting on a motorcycle and a powerful gust of wind starts pushing you sideways, you learn very quickly that sometimes slowing down is the wisest thing you can do.

Isn’t that true in life too?

Sometimes we think we need to hurry.

Sometimes we think we’re falling behind.

Sometimes everyone around us seems to be moving faster.

But God doesn’t call us to keep up with everyone else.

He calls us to follow Him.

“Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10

There is wisdom in slowing down enough to hear His voice.

The temperature climbed all the way to 97 degrees, making the ride even more exhausting. We made our first fuel stop and lunch break around noon in Butte, Montana.

And, as God has done so many times throughout this journey, He had another divine appointment waiting for us.

We parked next to another biker named Greg.

He was wearing a Bandidos MC vest, and his patch identified him as the chaplain. As we started talking, he told us he was a CMA member.

We were a little confused at first, so we asked him if he wanted to join us for lunch.

As we talked, we discovered that Greg really is a CMA member—and he serves as the chaplain for the motorcycle club. He isn’t a member of the club itself, but he has an opportunity to minister through his position as chaplain.

And just like that, another conversation about motorcycles became a conversation about Jesus and the mission.

Melvin and Greg encouraged one another as they shared stories about our journey to Alaska, the divine appointments God had placed along our path, and the opportunities we’ve had to share our faith.

They talked about evangelism and how God can use us wherever He places us—including in the motorcycle community.

The conversation was so good that all three of us completely lost track of time.

I finally looked at my phone.

An hour and a half had passed!

I looked at Melvin and said, “I think it’s time we get going!”

We were now even further behind schedule, with almost 300 miles still ahead of us.

But honestly?

I don’t think we were behind schedule at all.

I think we were exactly where God wanted us to be.

Because sometimes the destination isn’t the most important part of the journey.

Sometimes the person God puts beside you along the way is the reason for the journey.

“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” — Galatians 6:9

We took a picture with Greg, said our goodbyes, and climbed back on the bikes.

Our next fuel stop was in Big Timber, Montana. This time, instead of a long conversation, we each grabbed a small ice cream cone, enjoyed a few minutes of coolness, and hit the road again.

We eventually pulled into the Red Lodge KOA around 6:30 that evening.

Later than I had hoped.

And because of our unexpected bear-spray adventure and our divine appointment with Greg, we hadn’t stopped for groceries for dinner either.

But once again, God had already provided.

We checked in and met the campground managers, Jim and Danna. When they heard we had traveled all the way from New York to Alaska, they immediately got excited and told us they had lived in Kenai, Alaska.

We told them we had camped at K-Beach Campground on Kalifornsky Beach Road.

Their faces lit up.

They lived just miles from that campground!

We started talking about the locals dip-netting for salmon at the beach, and they were excited to tell us about their own years of dip-netting there.

Another conversation.

Another connection.

Another reminder that God has been weaving people and places together throughout this entire journey.

We finished registering for our tent site, and Jim jumped into the golf cart and led us to our campsite.

We set up the tent, and our neighbor across from us was fascinated by our Lone Rider tent. Of course, we invited him over to take a look.

His name was Noel.

He was planning to ride his Gold Wing up to the summit of Beartooth Pass the next day. We shared where we were from and told him about our journey from New York to Alaska and now back across the country.

He was amazed.

He told us that we had already traveled farther on our bikes during this one trip than he had traveled on all of his motorcycle trips combined.

And yet, as impressive as the miles may sound, the miles aren’t really what this journey has been about.

The miles have simply been the road God used to get us to the people.

The KOA sits right at the beginning of the Beartooth Pass, so there were plenty of bikers camping there who planned to ride the pass the next morning.

So tonight, it wasn’t dogs howling in the distance like some of our previous camping nights.

It was motorcycles coming and going!

For dinner, we pulled out the only food we had with us—blue corn chips and salsa.

Not exactly a gourmet meal after riding nearly 400 miles in 97-degree heat!

But somehow, sitting there together eating chips and salsa at our campsite felt just right.

Then we walked back up to the camp store for ice cream.

There we met Jason and Rebecca, who also work at the KOA. Once again, Alaska became the topic of conversation, and we found ourselves talking with them, Jim, and Danna about our journey.

It seems everywhere we go, Alaska keeps opening doors for conversations.

And everywhere we go, God keeps reminding us that the mission isn’t tied to a particular location.

It’s wherever we are.

It’s whoever God puts in front of us.

It’s the conversation we didn’t plan.

The person we didn’t expect to meet.

The divine appointment that interrupts the schedule.

Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” — Matthew 28:19

He didn’t say, “Go only when it is convenient.”

He didn’t say, “Go only when you have plenty of time.”

He simply said, Go.

So we go.

We headed back to camp, where I finished setting everything up, charged the camera equipment, and uploaded footage from the day.

Then it was time for a shower and some laundry.

While we waited for the laundry, we had another opportunity to meet Noel’s fiancée as they walked their dog.

More conversation.

More connections.

More stories.

Noel even mentioned that he has friends in CMA back in Texas.

Of course he does.

By 10:00 pm, I had finally finished today’s blog and the laundry.

We were exhausted.

The heat, the nearly 400 miles, the wind, the unexpected bear-spray incident, and all the conversations had taken everything out of us.

We crawled into our sleeping bags and settled in for the night.

As I lay there thinking about the day, I couldn’t help but smile.

The day didn’t go according to plan.

We left an hour later than expected.

We lost even more time because of a conversation over lunch.

We arrived at the campground later than planned.

We didn’t have groceries.

Dinner was chips and salsa.

And yet, somehow, the day was exactly what it needed to be.

Because God’s plans are always bigger than ours.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.” — Isaiah 55:8

Tomorrow, we will ride Beartooth Pass and continue making our way east toward home.

The bikes may be pointed toward New York now.

But our hearts are still pointed toward the mission.

And if you want to continue riding along with us as we make our way back across the country, we’d love to have you join us on YouTube and Facebook at Wrights On A Mission.

Because the bikes may be pointed toward home now…

But the mission continues.

Until tomorrow…

Keep your eyes on the road, your heart fixed on Christ, and never stop following wherever He leads.