We give thanks to God for His wisdom and His Blessings….

Russ “Rusty Bucket” Bugge and Ana Maria Velazquez bring this month’s ride report to you. Big thanks go out to the entire CSBA Team for keeping His message pure and the path lit…

The September CSBA ride was again, like nearly every ride this year, subject to threats of weather. Although weather predictions tormented our plans of a scenic ride through both Bucks and Montgomery Counties, we were very fortunate that Hurricane Hermine did not make his way into the Philadelphia area, giving us an opportunity to ride for the full day. Some of us did have to pass through a rain cloud moving through northern Bucks County on our way to the Starlite Diner, but by the time we started our ride, there was no more of that to be seen and the day turned out full of nothing but sunshine.

Perhaps because of the weather forecasts, the gathering for breakfast developed a little late and we may have been a little late to start the ride. Pitching in relief, Rusty Bucket stepped up in the absence of senior leadership, to host and lead the day’s ride/event. The morning route-prep meeting is a chance to discuss the CSBA riding rules, take and share suggestions, and provide details specific to the planned route for the day. Matko took charge of the Fast (F1) Paced Group and Rusty led our Chase (S1) Group with a mix of Spirited and Cruisers filling the ranks. Both groups added to a total of 26+ riders.

This route is particularly prone to interruption by local vehicular traffic, due to its more technical back roads, stop signs, and many turns at intersections. Fortunately, it travels through some beautiful scenery of northern Bucks, Montgomery, and Chester counties in Pennsylvania, providing the riders the opportunity to really soak in the backdrop of the roads.

All things considered and accounted for, the teams did very well with traffic; especially with the larger size of the groups. While making good progress, both groups had their share of challenges. The Chase (S1) Group had an unexpected visit of the mechanical gremlins to a few of the riders, which caused four of the riders to split off from the back. Our lead group didn’t get away without incident - there were reports of one downed rider (no injury thank goodness) and also issues with the GPS tracks on the morning route. It was said gremlins also got to the GPS tracks, causing them to malfunction since they worked just fine during the recon exercises. Note: We have to watch those gremlins! As a result, the F1 Group took a shortcut and went directly to the lunch stop at Moccia’s Train stop, arriving about one (1) hour before the following group did.

The weather offered a perfect opportunity to dine outdoors on the restaurant’s patio and enjoy the view of the creek after the breezy conditions of the morning had mostly passed. During the lunch break, some riders needed to leave for home. Rusty then shared John’s message from Numbers 23:19, asking us if “He Can Be Trusted”. After listening to the message and determining that “Yes, He Can Be Trusted”, we reconvened into two much smaller groups and headed toward Chester County and a pass through the Valley Forge National Park. Both groups arrived safely at the final rallying point of Zwahlen’s Ice Cream Shop to satisfy our inner child sweet cravings. Some proceeded home from there, and others stayed to fellowship before splitting up into groups to head home.

- Our selfie Queen – Ana, with Larry Photo Bombing her –


- Nick and Matko at the Morning Meeting –

What a day! Our CSBA rides are never ever boring… Kudos again to everyone that came out and gave your participation, involvement, and support. These rides are designed for you, our riders, to enjoy the roads with us. We’re promoting a fellowship and an environment in which we want you to come and enjoy your love with others that share your passion of riding. You see and experience first hand the work involved to keep it organized and fun – and I’m so very proud of our team for casting that light brightly. Well done!

We look forward to enjoying your company at our next track day event, tentatively scheduled for the end of this month. Visit our CSBA Day @ the Races Event page (www.facebook.com/CSBA.Day.at.the.Races) for additional information or our next street event, the “Dauphin County” Ride/Run. [www.facebook.com/events/1569317673386089/]. This one heads out to the west and really taps into some great roads. For more great pictures of this event, visit the Facebook event page for our “Bucks/Montgomery Rattlesnake Run” here: [www.facebook.com/events/315981821929080/] or visit us on our website at www.pacsba.org.

Thanks again for coming out – and for those that missed this one, we look forward to seeing you in the ranks in October. Get ready, it’s going to be a great one... Blessings to you all!

HE CAN BE TRUSTED

“God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind…”
NUMBERS 23:19 NIV

Can God’s promises be trusted you may have wondered? Take for example, His promise to be with us in every situation: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5 NIV). Is it really true? When life turns against us and we can’t see any way out of our problems, is He still with us – even if it looks as if He has abandoned us? Can His promises really be trusted?

We’ve all been at this stage at one time or another in our lives. Life can be very challenging at times… the death of a loved one; financially woes, repeated negative events, etc. The good news is yes, Yes, YES! We can trust His promises – because God does not lie, nor does He change His mind. What if He did? Then we wouldn’t have any reason to depend on Him; His word could not be trusted if it was constantly changing. But He doesn’t lie, and He doesn’t change His mind – because He is perfect and holy, doesn’t make mistakes and most of all, He loves us.

Perhaps this is a discouraging time for you. Know this - God knows your problems. He can be trusted to be with you through all things. God hasn’t promised that our way will always be smooth and free of problems, but He has promised to be with us always – and that should give us great comfort. If you are facing difficult or discouraging times, ask God to guide you as you make decisions about your future. He may not show you everything at once, but with Christ in your heart, you can face the future with confidence, knowing He will lead you in His perfect way.

If you don’t know the Lord and want to learn more about him, please don’t hesitate to talk with me, or your CSBA Brother & Sisters here – as we are here to be that light on the hill for you. Don’t be on an island and/or afraid to ask. Blessings!