The Suicide Bridge Ride

On Saturday, July 26th, a handful of Bayside Believers met at the Millersville WaWa to embark on a ride out to Hurlock, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The ride destination was the Suicide Bridge Restaurant where we would hope to have a meal without seeing any activity from which the restaurant (or the bridge) was named after. Heading out on the ride lead by Jim Kemplin were Clarke & Angela Howard, Bill & Gail Cassell, Geeno and Sheryl Neighoff, Mike McClung, Don Canter, and myself.

Getting out to and across the Bay Bridge provided a glimpse of what would be ahead of us on Rt. 50. Since it was a beautiful day, many people were making their way east so traffic was heavy and slow. Working our way across the bridge, we stopped on Kent Island to call Jeff and Melissa Quinn, a couple living on the Eastern Shore who had seen our newsletter at Annapolis HD, and they had contacted Jim to ask if they could join our ride. Jim let them know we were on our way and we’d meet them out on Rt. 662 near Wye Mills.

Underway again, we made our way (slowly) toward Wye Mills. Jim decided to try a route taking us off the main highway but those plans were delayed due to an open draw bridge on Route 18 at Kent Narrows. After waiting for the sailboats to slide on through, we were on our way again. Rolling along slowly, we finally made our way out to Wye Mills where we met up with Jeff and Melissa. We took a moment to meet them, check out Melissa’s monster Boss Hoss trike, and let Angela take ANOTHER potty break.

Greetings and nature calls completed, we rolled on out toward Hurlock. Riding near the front, it took me a mile or so to realize that there wasn’t anybody coming up behind Clarke and Angela. I slowed down a little and watched, but I didn’t see anybody coming around the bends. We stopped at the intersection of 662 and 50, where Jim turned around and went back to see what had happened. He called a few minutes later to let us know that Geeno had a flat tire so we all returned to where they were working on the bike.
Thankfully, they had pulled over at a house where our new friend Jeff knew the resident and they were able to pull the bike right into their garage and get to work on the tire.

Since everyone but me was riding a Harley, we had plenty of expertise in motorcycle repair so several of us stood around discussing the events so far on the ride. What many people would chalk up to coincidence, we saw as God’s hand at work. He moved Jeff and Melissa to contact us so they could join our ride, and through them Gene was able to work on his bike off the road in a safe place. He and Sheryl decided to head back toward home after plugging the tire so Jeff and Melissa graciously follow them back to the bridge. They (Jeff and Melissa) had plans later in the afternoon and our delays had made it to where they wouldn’t be able to proceed on to Hurlock and have lunch with us. As we found out later, the plug job on the tire only lasted about five miles so Jeff and Melissa trailered Geeno’s bike to Annapolis HD for a new tire.

So while some folks may call this all a coincidence, we call it the hand of the Lord at work. What else could have moved Jeff and Melissa to pick up our newsletter and decide to join us, only to ride about two miles with us before stopping to fix a bike in front of a friend’s house and then help out with a trailer ride to the shop? The effects we saw were right in front of us – but what other seeds may have been planted today? We may never know. The Lord works out the “big picture” in His time and in His way.

The rest of the ride was uneventful and lunch was fine. I was pleasantly surprised to find the parents of an old friend of mine had driven down from their home in Delaware to see me at the restaurant. I had told my friend (who lives in Kansas) that I’d be having lunch in Hurlock which is about 60 miles from where her folks live. Unfortunately, they’d been delayed in traffic so they didn’t arrive until we were done eating. Fortunately, we too had been delayed in arriving at the restaurant so we were still there when Mr. and Mrs. Dicks showed up. Coincidence? I don’t think so. The Lord’s hand at work again? I wonder what He is up to in their lives?