Climate ride stories - Center for Sustainable Climate Solutions

Stories from the Saddle

Follow the journey with rider reflections

October 15, Hesston College, KS

Hesston College chapel presentation

Liz Miller on “Lessons from Climate Ride Essentials”

“Why would we purposely take away the earth’s goodness- it’s beauty as well as its ability to regulate itself? Why would we purposely cause violence to other people? Because taking those resources from the earth in mass amounts and selling them brings profits in mass amounts. That’s the idea of the economic system of capitalism: it’s focused on growth– to make the most amount of money, no matter the cost to the earth or other people.”

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July 28, 3737 miles, Washington DC

Speed and slowness

Miriam Huebner on “The Act of Slowing Down”

“It is strange that at the speed of a bicycle I still often long to go slower. Before this ride started, I imagined that I would be able to really pay attention to the country that I am biking through. However, I still feel like I am going too fast to truly notice my surroundings. I can see the blur of flowers but I miss the pollinators that land on them. Even though we are not going as fast as a car the desire for speed and efficiency is still built into our bodies and minds and intentionally slowing down still feels strange and uncomfortable..”

July 23, 3358 miles, Fernwood State Forest, Ohio

Choosing Joy

Isaac Alderfer on “A World of Wounds, Beauty and Hope”

“Each person has the ability to love the land and possesses a unique gift for a way to give back what we receive from the world around us. Though it is certainly not always the easiest option, like Kimmerer, I also try my best to choose joy over despair because joy is what the Earth gives me daily and I must return the gift.”

July 21, 3237 miles, Berlin, Ohio

Friends and Memories

Vanessa Gardiner on “Doing the Unexpected”

“I enjoyed getting to know my teammates, meeting new people and learning about different opinions and perspectives on climate change. I also enjoyed traveling to see different parts of the country and appreciating nature’s beauty. And I learned a lot about bikes in the process.”

July 20, 3237 miles, Berlin, Ohio

Sights, Sounds, Smells

Samantha Lioi on “What you notice on a bicycle and what you miss in a car”

“This ride has deepened my awareness of the ways cars and air conditioning—even houses and beds, and the wealth we use to build and buy more and more comfortable ones—insulate us from the reality of what’s happening in the living, breathing world around us. Our homes and cars and comfort so easily insulate us from the voices of the soil and rivers, swallows, hawks, coyotes, oaks, cottonwoods.”

July 17, 2931 miles, Fort Wayne, Illinois

Information Literacy

Loren Friesen on “Reading from the Same Map”

“…I had several interesting, impromptu conversations with other people, often state locals out on summer break camping at our campgrounds. Naturally, many of these people asked why 18 people were biking across the country, at which point I would tell them about CSCS and then attempt to talk more seriously about climate change solutions. An answer I would often receive, if we got into the conversation enough, is that the climate is warming naturally and there is nothing to worry about.”

July 12, 2704 miles, Channanon, Illinois

Purpose

Sierra Ross Richer on “What is the Goal of the Climate Ride?”

“This summer isn’t the first time I’ve thought about climate change or done things to try to heal the earth in the same way that the day I was baptized into the Mennonite Church when I was a junior in high school wasn’t the first day I thought about Christianity. But I believe that symbols are powerful, and I want to make this ride a symbol of my commitment to the planet.”

July 11, Glenview, Illinois

Unassuming Places

Mary Ann Conrad on “A Home Grown National Park”

“Our future and the future of the butterfly are connected. As I watch Janelle and Omar in their habitat I think of Adam and Eve naming things, giving them labels and space to grow. I remember our parents and grandparents’ staying close to home and close to the land as they nurtured us. Somewhere along the way, we lost more than we realize in claiming wealth that is not wealth, in assuming we can go anywhere, know all, and own what was never meant to be owned, this garden our earth.”

July 7, 2568 miles, Geyer Farm, Oxford, Iowa

Climey Timey

Micah Buckwalter on “Downward Mobility as a Full Life”

“About a week ago, one rider presented ideas for reducing personal carbon footprints based on the fact that the greatest indicator of an individual’s footprint is their level of income. He asked us if we would consider choosing downward mobility rather than trying to climb the economic ladder. Would we be fine with living a harder life than our parents? These were not questions that I had thought about before, but they brought about good discussions within our group.”

July 1, 2109 miles, Lincoln, Nebraska

Reciprocity

Isaac Andreas on “A Pact with the Wind”

“Here’s what I will do. I will work to stop emitting carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses in order to reduce my impact on climate change and extreme weather conditions which cause you to react so violently. I will also work to protect forests and grasslands so that you have space to work through your own emotions without causing damage. I will listen to what you have to say. ”

July 1, 2109 miles, Lincoln, Nebraska

Encountering Kindness

Greta Lapp Klassen on “Going Through the World Together”

“…its safe to say that nobody – not even the most brave and independent ones of us – can make it on our own. We are fragile and interdependent, just like our earth and the ecosystems that support us. We are told that we should be able to make it through life alone, yet on this trip, I am learning just the opposite.”

June 27, 1744 miles, Valentine, Nebraska

Changed Perspective

Elizabeth Miller on “The Gift of a Biking Pace”

“I realized the other day while passing fields in the midst of wheat harvest that my sense of time and distance has begun to change. I have family in Lincoln, and 100 miles west in Grand Island. In a car on the highway, the trip takes about an hour and a half. I gleefully realized that I could make that trip in a day on my bike— just a day! And it doesn’t seem so long or daunting or such a waste of time anymore to spend a day cycling instead of rushing there faster. Perhaps the visit would be that much sweeter because of the effort I gave to arrive. ”

June 24, 1514 miles, Crazy Horse, South Dakota

Naming the land

Anna Paetkau on “Riding through Stolen Lands”

“Our legs were dead and our minds fried from the draining heat and the incredible challenge. Despite our sorry state, we realized we were not fully appreciating the land we were on and the history that allowed us to even complete this trip. We ride on stolen land and many of our ancestors were responsible for settling it. How could we continue this ride while acknowledging and appreciating the land and its previous inhabitants?”

June 19, 983 miles, Yellowstone, Wyoming

Wildlife

Toby Bartlett, a Yellowstone poem

We saw a yak yak yak

Oh wait a bison bison bison

It tried to attack attack attack

And we said bye son bye son bye son

In the woods woods woods

We saw a bear bear bear

And all we did did did

was stop and stare stare stare

We got away way way

Back to the site site site

We couldn’t sleep sleep sleep

From all the fright fright fright

June 14, 927 miles, Gardiner, Montana

Reconnecting

Denver Beck on “Connecting with the Land”

“As I think about the root problems of climate change, I think about the growing disconnection with the place that we inhabit. Erasure of traditional ecological knowledge, advancing technologies, capitalism, and environmental exploitation are just some of the factors that have created a deeply rooted disconnect between humans and nature.”

June 14, 927 miles, Gardiner, Montana

A Rocky Journey

Isaac Andreas on “An Ode to Gravel”

Gravel. By now, most of the riders agree that it’s difficult and sometimes scary to ride on, depending on the grade. Some have even spoken choice words against its very existence. But Jesus said to love your enemies, so, in that spirit, here is an ode to gravel.

June 5, 349 miles, Rosalia, Washington

Challenged

Dan Conrad on “Thoughts from Rosalia”

“Here is my challenge to MCC, Goshen College, Eastern Mennonite University, MEDA, and all of us. What if our next climate expedition for sustainable climate solutions were a cross-state trek of 20 people on foot, carrying tents, clothing, rice and beans in the fashion of the world’s refugees. The task of the foot refugees would be to travel less and to interact more, to invite conversation and participation in the walk along the way, and to experience more closely the foot-sore journey many in our world confront. Would there be willing participants for this journey?”

June 4, 349 miles, Rosalia, Washington

An Interconnected World

Liz Miller on “Finding Connections”

“Communal mindedness and connection with our bodies and the earth were two of the guiding principles we established on our first day together, but in this past week of riding, the connectedness I’ve experienced has extended far past my own body and this small group of ours. I’ve noticed the way cycling across the country has and will connect me with my past experiences, a global community, those who have come before, and my home spaces. ”

June 3, 284 miles, Ritzville, Washington

Supporting each other in a hot world

Mary Ann Conrad on “Thoughts from under a Shade Tree”

“And then those riders roll in sweaty and triumphant, and I am reminded of why I am here. These young people are precious and alive. I want to support this generation in coping with the world we have bequeathed them. I am inspired by their humor and enthusiasm, their undaunted spirits when heat wilts mine.“

May 25, 6 days before journey’s start

Changing Pace

Greta Lapp Klassen on “Learning to slow down”

“How can we slow down when our financial and emotional well beings depend on succeeding in a fast world? How can we learn to listen to our bodies and our earth and trust the messages that they are sending? I don’t have an answer, but I sense that somehow, by biking across this giant landmass that we call the United States of America, I might figure a few things out..”

May 25, 6 days before journey’s start

Anticipation

Joanna Friesen on “My hopes for the climate ride”

“Pairing bike touring with learning about climate change and climate justice to me is a match made in heaven. I am incredibly excited to be a part of the CSCS Climate Ride this summer.”

May 18, 13 days before journey’s start

Preparing for the Challenge

Tyler Goss on “Is it worth it?”

“This bike ride, for me, is not about reducing my carbon footprint or even really about encouraging others to be more “green.” Instead, this Climate Ride is about falling in love with the land and people that make up this “home” of ours. Because, “is it worth it?” sounds like a question focused on results, when, in reality, it is a question lacking motivation. Once love is at our core, then the question of “is it worth it?” sounds rather silly. Of course it is! These are my people, my home, we are talking about.”

May 11, 20 days before journey’s start

Preparing for the Challenge

Sierra Ross Richer on “Overcoming ‘Lost’”

“You could say I was lost. But after months of cycling in the countryside of northern Indiana, that prospect didn’t scare me as much as it used to. Riding is helping me become more comfortable on the land and helping me become less lost in another way too. The second kind of “lost” is the condition of being disconnected from the natural world, and it can block people from taking action against the climate crisis.“