(Yes…Day 1)
The voluptuous Chain of Mitumba mountain range allowed
intrusive driving paths to wind around its hills and valleys. The sometimes
rocky roads would make for an easy propellant…over cliff edges. The 10 hour
trip was broken by our first stop under that mango
tree next to the lonely church. Encouraged by the roads thus far, though
rough and dusty – the dust piles up in inches like snow and children kick
through that fine powder as if it were snow – the remainder of our journey can
only be described in pictures.
A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME
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| Someone else's stuck truck. |
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| Don't slide off the edge. |
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| This guy came around the corner and had the choice of either hitting us head on or over correcting for the curve. He over corrected and wiped out on the gravel...into the water. |
THE FIRST STUCK
Thursday, July 18 at 12:38 pm
Not-so-affectionately referred to as “The Pit,” several
trucks lined up behind us waiting to get their turn. Bottomed out and hung up,
the driver immediately behind us refused to help. The next driver lent his cable,
which snapped twice. People gathered and instructed and finally a shovel
replaced our machete as the digging tool. After some talk about the competency
of the driver – who could do little other than play bumper cars in this pit –
the giant Mercedes truck also got stuck. This “stuck” lasted for about an hour
and a half.
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| Look carefully at the ridge to the left...below that lies The Pit! |
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| After about 1.5 hours we were unstuck and it was the next truck's turn to get stuck. |
NYAMIBUNGU HOSPITAL
Thursday, July 18 at 6:19 pm
Delayed starts and The First Stuck resulted in the decision
to put up at Nyamibungu Hospital for the night. The hospital looked deserted,
but Kizombo Jr. was familiar with its grounds and its caretakers. Apparently
this isn’t the first time the 10 hour trip turned into a two day trip. The
caretakers graciously put us up for the night as the rain and the darkness set
in (oh…the roads). The journey thus far was described as…the easy part.
Here, however, is where we were scheduled to take
motorcycles to the end destination, an estimated six hours. Though, having
heard that a truck made the entire journey in 10 hours just the week before, we’d
already decided to complete the entire journey with the truck.
Now...go back to the top and look at the pictures again. Though we spent lots of time stuck, I also stood in awe of the majesty that surrounded us. Lush green hillsides filled the landscape at our various stucks. The scenery was breathtaking! I thank God for the reminder of his ever presence amidst every circumstance!