Episode 20 - ​(Don't) honk if you love bicycling! 

Our guest today is the Rev. Adam Yates, rector at St. Stephen’s, East Haddam and the Secretary of Convention for the Episcopal Church in Connecticut. This past summer Adam took a sabbatical and biked the East Coast Greenway beginning in Greenwich, Conn., traveling along the coast, ending in Calais, Maine. (More bio below)

The Greenway actually starts in Florida but Adam focused on the New England section. The East Coast Greenway connects urban areas; it's multi-use, a network of existing trails, some paved, some "improved dirt."These trails become a center of activity across generations and across socioeconomic groups, he said.

Adam biked 800-900 miles in 20 days, averaging 50 miles a day. He kept a journal and talked about how the bike trip wasn't just a "vacation" but an intentional journey. He threaded it with prayer, psalms, overnights at churches, and Sunday worship.

He talks about his planning, hills, bridges, and people and places along the trail. Alli (who has hiked most of the Appalachian Trail and continues hiking it) and Adam talk about some common experiences, and Adam talks about some unique ones - like going across Cape Cod and biking through blueberry country in northern Maine.

He ends with some reflections about the trip, including appreciations, and of several memorable experiences of God along the way. 

About our guest: 

The Rev. Adam Yates is the rector at St. Stephen’s, East Haddam and the Secretary of Convention for The Episcopal Church in Connecticut. This past summer he took a sabbatical that included a bike trip north along the New England portion of the East Coast Greenway. Adam has been ordained as a priest for 8 years and is originally from Virginia. He came to Connecticut via Wisconsin and Chicago. He lives with his partner Matt and their beagle Daniel in Andover.

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In Christ and Coffee,
Karin & Alli