By VERNON ROBISON
The Progress
The path of an epic journey wound its way through the Moapa Valley and Virgin Valley last week. It was the path of cyclist Charles “Chuck” Monts, of Brodsheadsville, Pennsylvania who is peddling across the country to raise money for the needy.
On his seventh day of a planned 57-day bicycle journey, the 61-year-old pastor left Grace Presbyterian Church in Las Vegas where he had spent the night. He rode out of the city and along Northshore Road to reach downtown Overton; a day’s ride of more than 70 miles. At about 5:30 pm he arrived at the Lake Mead Baptist Church in Overton where he had arranged to sleep.
Riding with him were two of Mont’s old college buddies: Jerry Spatara of Chicago, IL and Gregg Rabenold of Erie, PA. The three had lived in the same residence hall years ago while attending Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA.
The riders hit their first snag of the journey that afternoon while still about 40 miles out from Overton on Northshore Road. Spatara’s bike developed a flat tire and there was no replacement tube. This took place right in the heat of the afternoon.
“It was a little dicey because we were in the middle of nowhere and we were running short on water,” Monts said. “But there was an older couple that were stopped at a lookout point there. I said, ‘Hey! I’ll pay you for some water.’ And they said, ‘We will give you the water!’ So we were lucky because that could have been a big problem.”
Eventually, Monts’ wife Deb, who is driving a support vehicle throughout the entire journey, came to the rescue. She had been doing a little sightseeing up ahead through the Valley of Fire State Park. But she finally found them and got the journey going again.
Monts is doing most of this cross country trek on his own. Spatara and Rabenold are only accompanying him for part of the journey. They started with him in Las Vegas and will ride along as far as Green River, Utah; a distance of nearly 500 miles.
The trio left Overton on Saturday morning to travel through Mesquite and on to St. George. By next weekend, they plan to be in Green River.
But that will only be the warm-up for the greater journey that Monts has planned.
Monts, who serves as the pastor of Pleasant Valley Presbyterian Church in Brodheadsville, began his ride on June 5 at the Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles. If all goes as planned, he will be pedaling into his final destination in New York City on July 31.
That destination, The Bowery Mission in Manhattan, is more than just the journey’s endpoint. It is also the greater purpose of the whole trek. Monts is using his two month long journey to raise money for this charity which has helped nearly 80,000 homeless people in New York city.
Last year, the Bowery Mission provided 429,500 hot meals and 104,000 nights of shelter to the homeless in the city, Monts said.
“I was fortunate to work there for the last couple of years and I saw firsthand the significant services they provide the hungry and homeless and troubled,” Monts said.
Monts has already raised more than $20,000 for the cause and he is just getting started. He spreads the word about his journey and its cause in every town and village that he visits.
“I don’t believe in doing something this grueling and momentous without a purpose,” Monts said. “I mean the purpose can’t just be onesself. That’s a little shallow. So this cause really made it worth doing for my wife and I.”
Monts expressed appreciation for many people who were giving generously and helping along the way. Monts started about two months ago calling churches all across the country to ask if they would provide he and Deb a place to set up an air mattress for the night. The response was overwhelming. Most nights he is staying in a church somewhere. Some nights the churches along the way have even offered to put him up in a hotel.
“We are asking to stay in churches, of course, because of money,” Monts said. “We just can’t afford hotels. And we want as much money raised as possible to go to our purpose.”
Monts specifically appreciated the people of the Lake Mead Baptist Church congregation in Overton and their pastor, Mitchell Tobler.
“This is a wonderful church and they have been very kind allowing us to stay the night here,” Monts said. “Pastor Tobler and his wife came down and made sure we were comfortable and they even opened their home to us to be able to shower after a long day.”
This is not the first trans-continental bike ride/fundraiser that Monts has ever taken. In 1978, he and a friend rode from Philadelphia to San Francisco to raise money for a hunger charity. He was 18 years old at the time.
“I learned a thing or two that time,” Monts said. “As young guys from the east, we wanted to end in a romantic West Coast finish. The problem is that the prevailing westerlies go from west to east. So it was a headwind almost every day. So I’m older, obviously, and wiser this time. We are going west to east with a tailwind to hopefully help us along.”
Monts considers himself fortunate to be able to take his ministry on the road again for another good cause.
“This is considered by most people as a once in a lifetime experience and I am able to do it twice,” Monts said. “We are lucky and I am blessed to be healthy and still able to do this.”
For more information on Monts’ journey, The Bowery, or to donate to the cause, go to my.bowery.org/fundraiser/3166566. Monts can also be contacted by email at chuckdelos@gmail.com.
