Our church website was just given a face lift a couple of days ago. I wish I could take credit for the design, as it turned out quite nicely in my opinion. The only part I was responsible for was the sermons portion of the site.

Colleen has been working very hard on creating a new website for the library, and it also is turning out very nicely.

I recently updated our school district website. Our former one, was getting a little long in the tooth, having been designed about 6 years ago. The new design is cleaner and less cluttered.

So far, our district website has 5.4 million hits since its inception in 2002.

I am at the Hilly Hundred ride again, traditionally the last ride of the season. This is the 5th time for me, but the first with a camper. With nights dipping down into the 30's, being off the ground and having a furnace to use if necessary sure is nice. Alright, I'll just say it -- I'm getting old, but creaturely comforts sure are nice.

I drove down to Ellettsville early enough today to stop at a state forest for a bike ride on the way. Morgan Monroe State Forest has beautiful one and a half lane roads that meander up, down, and around through heavily forested areas of the park. With the trees turning colors, it was beautiful. An added bonus: I was able to climb one of my favorite hills that we will do on the Hilly route on Sunday: Bean Blossom. This one is 2 miles and has a 17% grade at it's steepest point. Fun.

On my ride, I came across another bicyclist who was riding with full paniers, headed to the Hilly Hundred. I gave him some directions and then went continued my ride. About an hour later, while driving to Edgewood Schools (our home base for the Hilly), I ran into the same cyclist. It was nice to know that my directions didn't get him lost!

Tomorrow's ride will include 48 miles, 5000 cyclists, Krispy Kreme donuts, apple cider, and did I mention hills? Saturday's ride has 3321 feet of vertical gain. Most of the major hills have names; ones on signs, and ones that cyclists use when climbing up them. The 3 Sisters along with Niece #1 and Niece #2 -- tomorrow you're mine.

Sunday's ride is similar, with about 50 miles of hilly southern Indiana beauty.

We inherit many things from our parents, most of which we receive long before the deathbed. I have been blessed by receiving an inheritance of many crucial principles from my own parents, such as the priority of family and the importance of helping others.

Recently another legacy came to mind as I was bicycling at 7 mph behind my step-dad, who just turned 71. I have inherited a legacy of activity and energy by all three sides of my family. My father consistently works out at a fitness center; Colleen's folks regularly hike.

My mom and step-dad recently spent two weeks in Door County, WI. I visited them over 2 different weekends during their stay and bicycled all over the county, including Washington Island. My total mileage for the two weekends was 166 miles. As for my 71 year old step-dad? He biked 186 miles during that 2 week period. I have now been out-biked by a 71-year-old.

I recently realized that I still had several Colorado pictures, mostly of the Maroon Bells and Maroon Lake, which I had not downloaded from my camera. You can see all (of the few) photos I have uploaded on my Flickr photostream.

My step-dad's brother, known to me as "Uncle Kenny", passed away a few days ago. I just returned from the funeral. He was 89 years old, having been married for 66+ years. He is a gentle, kind person who hardly complained. However, when told that he wouldn't live to see July 4th (2007), he did take issue by living to see two July 4ths. Uncle Kenny was a light for Christ, whether it was showing me by his life what a godly marriage is like, or being a witness at the nursing home where he spent the last 16 or so months of his life. I will look forward to laughing with him again in the not so distant future.

If you desire to listen to his funeral service, go to http://pullens.us/.

After complaining about a previous organized bike ride, I though I ought to highlight a good one. I celebrated the 4th of July by enjoying some of America's back roads. The Joliet Bicycle Club had an organized ride on July 4th, which I partook of. It was an excellent bike ride in many ways, some of which the organized planned and some of which they had no control over. The below are some ingredients that go into making a perfect bike ride...

• There were rest stops every 15 miles or so. The lack of this was my big complaint about a previous organized ride I did.
• The food was good. Sweet, juicy cantaloupe, seedless watermelon, bananas, and mediocre hot dogs (which taste really good after a long ride) made up the fare.
• The routes were well planned with little traffic. They were well marked. (On the aforementioned previous ride, I missed route markings twice.)
• Many miles of the roads we traveled had been re-paved within the last year.
• The ride was well attended by about 600 cyclists. This is helpful when you go to a ride solo like I do, as you have a better chance to hook up with and draft a group going about your speed. I did this extensively, and it made the ride more enjoyable and less painful -- especially when doing a long stretch into a 10-15 mph headwind.
• The weather was perfect. It was about 60 when I started and around 80 when I finished with clear blue skies.