I'm at the Arizona Border

Man, am I out of shape. The dessert between La and Blythe proved very challenging. Last time I crossed the Mohave I was in much better shape. I ran out of water once, and ran in to three sand storms.
God is good, he touched a couple from Florida's hearts to stop and give me water North of Meca. Yes I made it to Meca, California, that is, below sea level and very few places to get water. The first sand storm happened last night, a wind storm came through and took out my tent. With me in it, not much sleep last night. The last two were on I-10 East of Desert Center. Not real bad, but tough on the eyes.

I had to go 60 miles today before I could get food and water. I was so happy to finally make it to Blythe. Unlike I-8 going across California, I-10 proved difficult to navigate. Several times I had to turn around because a sign said no bicycles. From here to Cottonwood, I know the route so it should be less stressful.

I may sty a few days here in Blythe, I'll have to check out the tenting situation, bye dan

On the Road Again

Its been quite some time since my last post.
My mother ended up passing away on May 27, 2011. She died peacefully in her home in Wyoming MI.
A month after her passing I traveled back to Washington State to again look for work. Like most of the country its very difficult to find work.
While riding one day I was hit by an automobile. A passanger in the car, and myself became friends and he offered to let me stay in his home in the Silicon Valley area of California while I looked for work. Again after 5 weeks of no luck I've decided to continue down the Pacific coast towards SanDiego, then points East. Today I'm blogging from the beautiful Cal Poly campus of San Luis Obispo. I plan on departing South towards SanDiego tommorrow.
Thank you for checking out the site, God bless you all, bye dan

Spring is on its way

HI, thanks for stopping by the site. I've been struggling with a little depression and some old bad habits that have resurfaced. It seems like when I stick around Grand Rapids I have a tendency to engage in behaviors that are self defeating. My mom continues to struggle with her cancer and I cook and clean for her and my dad. My bicycle is still working fine. I'm looking forward to warmer weather and more bicycle trips, have a good day, bye dan

Working as a Cook

I'm now working as a part time cook at a local sports arena. So far its going good. MY mom and dad are still hanging in there. My dad is getting back to normal, but my mom continues to experience fatigue and some pain. Please pray that the stress that has built up in the house will be softened as all 3 of us struggle through our stages of life. Thank you for stopping by the site, and God bless, bye dan

New Bike/ New City

I'm back in my home city of Wyoming again. I was able to purchase a used bike. It seems to be a good bicycle. I had a good reunion with my parents and I look forward to helping them with their daily needs while I look for work. Dad is recovering from a severe infection which they thought he might die from, and mom has cancer that has spread to her bones and is currently on chemo. Both have lost a lot of weight. Pray that the right employment opportunity comes my way so that I can pay my child support and help my parents. Please let me know if I can pray for you, my email is still daniel.gibbs@yahoo.com, have a wonderful day, bye dan

Done Fishing

The city of Bellingham WA and Watcom county proved that a homeless man can work himself off the street and get a room for himself. During the last 4 months I've been working at a frozen storage company, where we processed, stored, and shipped mostly fish. They paid me a wage high enough to sustain a place to stay and pay my child support. I truly am grateful for the opportunity to do this type of work again. Ninety-nine percent of the time I am no longer considered for such a position. Employers back in my home state of Michigan have so many job candidates to chose from that I would not be considered for such a position. Getting back into some of my old bad habits and a failing right knee has made it necessary for me to move on. I plan on moving back to my home state. In the past 18 months or so, both my parents have developed serious medical conditions. I plan on going back and trying to help them with their daily needs and also once again try to find gainful employment. The poor economy and my often less than perfect work history will present very difficult challenges. If I don't pay my child support in Michigan I will more than likely end up in jail, so I go back with apprehension. A very good young social worker I met through the Hopehouse in Bellingham has worked on my behalf to provide transportation back to Michigan. I will have to leave a real nice bicycle behind. During the past few years I've been able to travel in all the lower 48 states, and bicycle in 44 of them. I've witnessed how my needs have been met by God through very compassionate people all over the country. I have so many wonderful experiences embedded in my memory and in my heart. I leave Bellingham looking at a beautiful city, not perfect, but not lacking opportunity and many people filled with compassionate hearts. I witnessed a lot of Christ here. When I ride my bike I am forced to rely on God in ways that when I am working I can not muster. For this reason and some poor choices on my part I am not where I would like to be spiritually, but God is faithful, He promises to be with us in our weakness, and I feel His peace and it gets stronger everyday. I will need his strength in the coming weeks, thank you so much for reading the blog, and may God have mercy on us all.

Back in the Mountains

The spring semester is over. I did pretty good considering I haven't been to school in 25 years. I'll get an A in one class, I passed the other one, I'm not sure if it will be an A or not. I've packed everything up and moved 50 miles south to a mountain outside Prescott. In Cottonwood I lived next to the shooting range, it was very loud at times, here it is so quiet and peaceful. The town of Prescott its self is going through some struggles. We can use your prayers. This new immigration law seems to have increased the negative energy directed at less fortune people. The police are cracking down on homeless people. Prescott has a VA hospital, so people from all over the country end up here. It puts a strain on social services. The other day a conservative church outreach that has helped me in the past pretty much said "go some where else." In another case, The police barged into a homeless advocate shelter and man handled my friend Chris,( She runs the day center), she is quite shaken up. Now more than ever we have a chance to show the love of Christ. The lady at that church said you ( homeless people) don't have any thing coming. That is so true, God might say the same thing to us all some day. So many homeless people know the Lord. When I needed a sleeping bag, you gave me one, God when did I give you a sleeping bag? "When you gave it to my homeless friend, you gave it to me." Now more than ever our less fortunate brothers need our encouragement. We have a chance like no other time to help people that don't have it coming, and thus demonstrate the love of Christ on earth. I can't thank the precious people who have demonstrated this love to me enough, it has allowed me to share with others of your kindness and generosity. I love all of you very much. I start school again in three weeks here in Prescott, thank you for visiting the site, Love in Christ, Daniel

1st Semester of School is Ending

Hi All,

Welcome from beautiful Arizona. The people here in Cottonwood, especially the Cottonwood Mission have been very helpful. Yavapai College and my instructors have also went out of their ways to help me get back into the educational system. I plan on taking summer courses 40 miles South of here in Prescott. It is the same college but a different campus. The Prescott Campus has more options and cooler summer weather. It is at about 5400 feet of elevation, compared to 3300 or so here.
I've been camping in the same spot for almost 4 months. Three days ago however, a large rattle snake showed up, he rattled and let me know that he was upset. He just sat and didn't move, so I decided to move the tent a little closer to the river. Now I can wash my pots and pans and do laundry a little easier. I really didn't like the rattle snake so close to my neck. He was hanging over me about 12 feet away. God was good and the snake let me go with a warning.
The temperatures are starting to go up. Last week we were in the low 80's during the day time. It felt hot to me. It gets in the 100's regularly around here, it usually only gets in the 90's in Prescott. I found a cool spot in the shade near the river yesterday, many families were enjoying the river and were fishing and swimming. I'll probably do my remaining reading and homework in this spot. Three weeks left in school. Thank you for visiting, and God bless you all, daniel

Spring Post

I'm still attending school. God continues to meet my needs. I'm having some health issues, I was unable to complete a 50 mile ride last week. I had to be taken to a med center because of dizziness. They took my blood pressure, and it was extremely low. I think it was a bad reaction toward my high blood pressure medicine. Next time I take a long ride I'm not going to take the medicine. I hope all is well with everyone, God bless, Dan

Still in School

I'm adapting fine to college life. Its been colder and damper than I've expected, but God continues to meet my needs through kind hearted people. The Cottonwood mission prepares a daily lunch which has proven very useful and much appreciated. Despite rid s a day I continue to get out of shape. Therese not a lot of work around here, I hope that with the increased tourism in the summer, some thing will open up. Thanks for stopping by, and God bless, Daniel

Back From Prescott

Hi All,
I had to take an emergency trip to Prescott to retrieve my mail. There seemed to be some miscommunication between myself and a friend. I'm happy I was able to secure my mail and make it back to Cottonwood. I took a dirt road 20 miles up 3500 foot in elevation. I really had a hard time on the journey. I did make it the 50 or so miles, and the shelter had a bed for me. On the return trip I went over the scenic 89a Mingus mountain road. Again very challenging. There was a lot of snow up at 7000 foot. My friend Kris that offered to help me with books, wow, what an encouragement. I've been having troubles getting my text books, but I think I have it worked out. By the way, I'm attending Yavapai College, whose main campus is in Prescott. May God bless all of you, yours in Christ, Daniel

School after 27 years?

Hi everybody. Its amazing how the same scenery looks different every day. As I take the daily 5 mile bicycle ride to the library the sun light hits things different, or a little more snow melts, God is quite an artist. Some times I get into a habit of just blogging good things, or just negative things, I felt I needed to share the experience of my daily ride. School has brought new challenges that I haven't had to face in some time. I'm out of practice in some aspects of basic life skills. Not having a car, credit cards, or even a local mailing address has caused minor stresses. God is good, all things are working out. My knee has been acting up a little. I may have to take a 55 mile bicycle ride to receive my mail soon. I'm grateful to have an address to have my mail sent, but I need to retrieve it monthly. Its a long hard ride going up a lot of elevation. Then I may not have a place to spend the night. The temperatures in Prescott often get in the low 20's, which posses problems. It will all work out. School's going good, the community has been great, and I look foreword to waking up every morning, life is good. Have a wonderful day, yours in Christ, Dan

Plans change, mother nature has say

Things didn't go as planned in Prescott. I am attending Yavapai College. I'm anxiously enjoying this huge change in my life Memorizing is proving to be harder than I remember it.
While camping along the Verde river I was told I had to get out or learn to swim inside my tent. The recent snow and rain lead to my decision to go in to a motel for a few nights. This was a lot more expensive than I had hoped. I'm back in the tent. Every thing got soaked. The cooler than normal temps are causing a lot of Ice inside and outside the tent every night. In the morning it melts and soaks every thing again. I'm trying to get a tarp to help with this problem. The lower than normal snow leavels have painted such a beautiful picture, thanks for checking the site, and God bless, Daniel

Waiting for school

My friends, Rick and Diane have been nice enough to let me stay with them the last 10 days or so. When I got to Prescott I had some type of flu and I needed a place to get strong again. Me being at their house has caused some stress in the past so I so appreciate all they are doing. It looks like I may be sharing an apartment with a friend of Rick. This is if things go as planned. I will have enough money for one month, then If I don't find work, I'll have to camp in the woods again. The woods around here is beautiful, so we'll see what happens. School starts Jan 20, please pray that I can find work to help with my bills, and that my return to school after 25 years will go smoothly. Have a great day, Daniel

One last ride/ A word of thanks

Under the weather and over matched by temperature and fatigue I accepted another ride. I had to go from Camp Verde to Prescott yesterday and decided to take the more scenic route. I had 3 flats and my pump didn't work on the valves of my replacement tubes. I was 5 miles shy of the 7,000 foot summit. My tube pressure on my rear tire was about half strength. I prayed for help. A man named Billy came along and asked me if I needed help. I felt so exhausted that I took the kind man's offer. He gave me a ride right to where I needed to go. I'm not as in good of shape as I thought I was, I'll have to ride more.

I wanted to take a moment to thank all the kind people who have given me rides, bicycles, gifts, stays at their homes. Last night while meditating, I talked to God about things, I was just chased out of a town, by a fine officer doing his duty, into the frigid wilderness. I look at our laws and the way we do things and I ask God "where is the love?" The answer, all the people who gave from their hearts and loved you with their kind words, open doors, and wonderful gifts. I know any one can make up a real bad case against me, with out much effort, but I also know about a wonderful God who provides the price for my faults. More and more this type of conversation causes negative reactions from the less fortunate people I met on the road. I told a group around the camp fire a few nights ago, I can only witness to what I've seen God do through wonderful people like yourselves. The days are getting short, we, with the love of Christ can shine like never before. I'm learning not to expect thanks, and to be ready for new trials any time I can act like my savior would, but my wonderful savior is with me, I see it every day. May God bless all of you this new year, and may He help us all through His matchless grace, bye Daniel

Merry Christmas

Hi everybody,

Thank you God for all you do. Winter has set in. Most mornings around 2 or 3 a layer of ice forms on the tent. Afternoon highs have been in the 50's and low 60's. A cold spell is coming in with rain today, snow in the higher elevations. I might get invited to Christmas eve dinner at Rick and Diane's, but it still up in the air. I've taken to trips to Cottonwood, its about a 35 mile round trip, it's good exercise and has a nice library. It looks like I'll be attending Yavapai College next month. Please pray that a place to stay will open up. Prescott is a lot cooler than the Verde Valley. Highs only around 40, and lows often in the teens. It would be difficult to stay out doors, but many people do it. I worked helping a lady clean out her garage, this provided some much needed cash. You can also pray that more of these encounters come my way. I helped her put up her Christmas display, and in return she gave me a tour of the near by city of Sedona, and took me to lunch. What a beautiful view of the world famous, spiritually renowned mecca. Thanks for stopping by, and please email me at daniel.gibbs@yahoo.com if I can pray for you, God bless and have a wonderful Christmas, Daniel

Happy Thanks Giving

I've moved down out of Prescott to lower elevation. Prescott is such a beautiful city with many kind people. I especially want to thank Rick, Diane and Jackie for there kind hospitality. So many kind organizations like Quixote's garage in Prescott. Opportunities for employment seem to be more and more difficult to find. The last week I've been camped along a beautiful stream, and have enjoyed a new neighbors company, his name is Norm. Norm is working on his GED and wants to go to truck driving school. I'm currently praying to see if I should go back to school for social work. The work is getting more and more difficult, and I'm not getting any younger. I've taken three 45 mile rides the last week or so, I feel good after a ride. Thank you for checking out the site, and may God bless you during this time of Thanks Giving, bye Daniel

NOV 2009

Hi All,

I'm still looking for work in Prescott. Like most of the country, unskilled work is hard to come by. I was sitting in a fast food establishment the other day and the police arrested the cook. Thinking this might be one of those doors God opens, I quickly asked for an application. The manager did say he would check my references.
Its been beautiful around here. Highs in the low 80's and lows around 40. I continue to get to know Rick and Diane( the nice couple letting me stay with them) They've shared their food and resources and have been so kind. I'm currently still putting out applications and working at trying to become eligible for subsidized employment opportunities.
Please continue to pray that God will lead me to the place He would have me be. Thank you for checking the site, and feel free to email me at daniel.gibbs@yahoo.con, Yours in Christ, Daniel

Cold and Snowy

The first cold air of the season has hit Prescott National Forest. Snow levels hit 4800 feet. My tent has been set up at about 5800 feet. Water has been freezing at the camp site the last few days. I had a dusting of snow which did melt at the camp site. A couple I've met has kindly offered to let me use their spare room/den to sleep in, they've been concerned about me being out in the cold. They want me to look for work, and the husband has been escorting me around town trying to guide me in the process. It gets frustrating at times. I thought I had found a part time construction job, but it didn't work out.
It's difficult for me to make the decision to try to settle down, but I've been praying for the opportunity to get back into society, so this might be it. Prescott is a pretty community, and I've met many nice people, like most places work is hard to come by, I do pray God will open the door He wants opened, and close any that are not in His will. If you read this, please pray that God will work in my heart to be sensitive to His leading, and that He will open a clear door of opportunity that I would enjoy and thrive at. Like always, if you have any prayer requests, please feel free to write at daniel.gibbs@yahoo.com

Camping in the Southern Rockies

Hi All,
What a beautiful day. I was dead set on going straight down I-10 through Phoenix, and Tuscan, and skip over this part of the country. What a mistake that would have been. It is so pleasant here. I've met some real nice people, and I have learned about an Arizona that I've never experienced. My ex pastor used to rave about his hunting experiences in Arizona, I can see why he missed it down here so much.
I was preparing to have a little coffee at he camp site when this woman came down the side of the mountain with her dog Jackie. What a shock to see her come down the side of the mountain in the middle of the forest. I offered her some coffee, and we chatted about God's love. She invited me to her house where me, her, Jackie, and her husband enjoyed the afternoon talking and sharing our faith. That evening several other family members arrived for the wedding of her daughter Kelly. They let me do a little work around their home to earn a little bit of cash, and I returned to my tent. Its so neat to meet different people from different parts of the country. I just received an email from a friend Luis from New Mexico, Luis had spent a morning driving me around his city a year and half ago, I praise God for the body of believers I've met during my journeys. Some are more spiritual than others, some have great knowledge, some have great Love, it's neat to see how God is working in their hearts. Thank you for checking the site, and please pray that God will open the doors He would have open, and close the ones he would want closed, Please feel free to email me at daniel.gibbs@yahoo.com any time, yours in Christ, Daniel