Wrights On A Mission

I think it was just too hot in the tent to fall asleep.

I tossed and turned for quite a while before finally drifting off. Then around 2:00 a.m., I woke up again. This time, it wasn’t the heat keeping me awake—it was the loud snoring coming from the tent next to us! 😂

I tried to fall back asleep, tossing and turning for another few hours before finally drifting off again.

And then… the alarm went off.

5:30 a.m.

We had decided to get an early start today, hoping to beat the heat that was expected later in the day. We packed up camp, loaded Gracie and Freedom, and headed toward breakfast.

The KOA was serving a free pancake breakfast, so obviously we couldn’t pass that up! Pancakes and, even more importantly, a cup of coffee were exactly what we needed before hitting the road.

We made our first stop in Ten Sleep, Wyoming, for gas and—yes, you guessed it—another much-needed cup of coffee.

While we were there, Melvin noticed several Harley riders trying to escape the heat beneath a shade tree. Of course, Melvin couldn’t just ride away. He stopped, talked with them, and gave each one a CMA rag track.

That’s just part of our mission.

We may be riding across the country, but wherever God puts people in our path, we want to be ready to plant a seed.

Sometimes ministry happens in a church.

Sometimes it happens at a campground.

And sometimes it happens underneath a shade tree at a gas station.

We left Ten Sleep behind and pointed Gracie and Freedom toward Buffalo on Highway 16—the Cloud Peak Skyway—and what would become another unforgettable stretch of this incredible journey.

Almost immediately, the road began climbing into the Bighorn Mountains.

And what a climb it was!

With every turn, the scenery seemed to become more beautiful. The landscape transformed from the rugged canyon country around Ten Sleep into thick pine forests, wide-open mountain meadows, towering cliffs, and distant peaks stretching as far as we could see.

Riding a motorcycle through mountains like these is something you don’t simply see.

You experience it.

You feel the cool mountain air rushing past you. You smell the pine trees. You hear the engines working their way through the curves. And every time the road opened up to another breathtaking vista, we found ourselves wanting to stop and take it all in.

Then came Powder River Pass.

At 9,666 feet above sea level, it is the highest point on U.S. Highway 16.

Standing there, surrounded by the incredible vastness of the Bighorn Mountains, I couldn’t help but think about how small we are…

…and how incredibly BIG our God is.

Psalm 121:1–2 says:

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

What a fitting Scripture for a day like this.

As we climbed higher, I looked around and thought about the One who created every mountain, every valley, every pine tree, every cloud, and every winding mile of pavement beneath our tires.

We have traveled thousands of miles on this mission.

But there are moments when the beauty surrounding us becomes more than scenery.

It becomes a reminder.

A reminder that the God who created these mountains is the same God who has carried us through every difficult road, every breakdown, every unexpected delay, every storm, and every mile of this journey.

And sometimes…

you have to climb higher to see just how far God has brought you.

From the summit, the road began its descent toward Buffalo, winding through the mountains and opening into spectacular canyon country.

Highway 16 is known for its curves, mountain vistas, alpine forests, and dramatic canyon scenery—and from the seat of a motorcycle, we experienced every bit of it.

There was even one section of about ten miles that was under construction.

A pilot car guided us through the construction zone along the loose gravel road.

And you know what?

54 days ago, I probably would have been nervous about riding gravel along a mountain road.

But this trip has taught me a thing or two about gravel!

The Yukon gave us some extremely challenging construction zones. We’ve ridden through loose gravel, mud, dust, rain, and roads that seemed to change beneath our tires.

Somehow, each time, God gave us the confidence and ability to keep moving.

And maybe that’s another lesson from this journey.

Sometimes you don’t become stronger because God makes the road easier.

Sometimes you become stronger because He teaches you how to ride the difficult road.

There was something almost spiritual about riding those curves together.

One turn led to another.

And another.

And another.

We couldn’t see what was waiting around the next bend, but we didn’t need to.

We simply trusted the road and kept moving forward.

Isn’t that a lot like our walk with Christ?

We don’t always get to see what’s around the next bend either.

We don’t know what tomorrow holds.

We don’t know what challenges are waiting.

We don’t know what opportunities God has prepared.

But God already knows.

Proverbs 3:5–6 tells us to trust in the Lord with all our heart, not lean on our own understanding, acknowledge Him in all our ways—and He will direct our paths.

That’s what we’ve been learning for 54 days.

Trust the One who can see what we cannot.

As we made our way toward Buffalo, the mountains slowly gave way to wider views and open Wyoming country.

We had crossed another mountain range.

But once again, I was reminded that the greatest part of this journey isn’t simply getting over the mountains.

It’s discovering who God is while we’re climbing them.

Then came the heat.

Once we reached Buffalo, we stopped at Albertano’s Mexican Food for lunch. It was crowded with local working folks, which is usually a pretty good sign that you’ve found a place serving some good food!

We enjoyed our Mexican lunch and then headed back out.

And that’s when the hard part of the riding day began.

The interstate.

In the heat.

Two things I dread:

Constant, fierce interstate winds… and temperatures over 99 degrees.

Today gave us both.

I was absolutely drenched in sweat, with a bright red face from the heat. I kept using my Klim CamelBak to stay hydrated, taking every opportunity I could to drink water.

The road kept going.

The heat kept coming.

And we kept riding.

Eventually, we stopped again in Gillette for gas—and, of course, an absolutely necessary ice cream break!

But honestly, the most important thing wasn’t the ice cream.

It was getting inside the Flying J and standing in the glorious air conditioning!

Sometimes you don’t realize how wonderful something is until you’ve been riding a motorcycle in 99-degree heat for hours.

That air conditioning felt like a little taste of heaven! 😂

And while we were there, God gave us another divine appointment.

Melvin met a man named Charles.

He had stopped to ask if we were headed toward Sturgis. We told him we were, and Melvin began talking with him and shared a “What Would Jesus Ride?” track.

Then Melvin asked him the most important question of all:

“Have you received Jesus as your Savior?”

Charles said he had.

He told us that his grandmother had been influential in leading him to Jesus, but she had since gone home to be with the Lord.

Now Charles was searching for a deeper relationship with God.

We don’t know what God will do with that conversation.

But we don’t have to.

We are simply called to be obedient.

To plant the seed.

To share the Gospel.

To love people.

And to leave the results in God’s hands.

1 Corinthians 3:6 reminds us that one person plants and another waters, but God gives the growth.

Maybe Melvin was simply watering a seed that Charles’ grandmother planted years ago.

Maybe God arranged that conversation before we ever left New York.

That’s the beauty of a mission guided by God.

We don’t always see the whole picture.

We just have to be willing to show up.

Devils Tower

We had another 30 miles of interstate before turning toward Devils Tower.

Then another 30 miles toward one of the most recognizable landmarks in Wyoming.

We reached the Devils Tower lookout and pulled off for that iconic photo.

It was still HOT, so we snapped our picture and continued into the park.

And then we saw it.

Devils Tower.

We reached the base and looked up.

And wow.

It was towering.

Pictures simply don’t capture the sheer size of that formation. Standing underneath it in the parking lot makes you realize just how massive it really is.

We had hoped to see some of our CMA friends who were already there, but they had just left.

So we continued on toward the campground.

And once again…

God had already gone before us.

As soon as we pulled into the campground, Fey from Wyoming greeted us as we parked the bikes.

Our friend Diago, a member of the Wyoming CMA chapter, had told them we were coming and asked them to help us out.

We started meeting everyone, and before we could even get settled, someone said:

“Dinner is ready!”

Wait…

WHAT?!

They made dinner.

And I didn’t have to cook!

Now that’s what I call a blessing! 😂

We sat down together, prayed, and enjoyed chicken and noodles.

After being on the road all day in that heat, sitting down to a hot meal someone else had prepared felt like such a gift.

The temperature had finally begun to drop into the upper 80s.

After riding in temperatures pushing 100 degrees all day, upper 80s suddenly felt downright pleasant!

We set up our tent and spent a few more hours getting to know our new CMA friends.

Then Sharon said something that might have been the best news of the entire evening:

“You can take a shower down at the maintenance building.”

Oh!

YES!

That sounded absolutely wonderful.

I could wash all that sweat off, cool down, and maybe actually sleep tonight!

Then she added that we could take her side-by-side up to the shower.

Well…

of course we did! 😂

And that shower felt AMAZING.

By the time we got back, everyone had settled into their tents and campers for the night.

And we did the same.

As I laid down, I thought about how this journey has changed us.

Fifty-four days ago, we were just beginning.

We had no idea what roads we would travel.

We didn’t know about the rain, gravel, construction, breakdowns, ferry rides, mountain passes, wildlife, heat, cold, exhaustion, or all the incredible people God would place in our path.

We certainly couldn’t see what was around the next bend.

But God could.

And He still can.

We may be getting closer to home.

The bikes may be pointed toward New York now.

But our hearts are still pointed toward the mission.

Because the destination was never the real mission.

The people along the way are.

The Harley riders under the shade tree.

Charles inside the Flying J.

The CMA family waiting for us at Devils Tower.

Every person who has heard about Jesus.

Every conversation.

Every prayer.

Every divine appointment.

Every mile.

God has been writing a story far greater than the one we could have planned ourselves.

And as we continue across the Upper 48, we know there are still people we haven’t met, conversations we haven’t had, and divine appointments we haven’t seen coming.

Our journey home may have begun…

but our mission is not over.

One little note before I close: we are now in an area with limited cell service, so this post and the next few blog posts may run a little late. I’ll get them uploaded as soon as I possibly can!

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.