Finding Your Path™

Welcome!

My name is Mitch Raymer. I am an author, small publisher and avid bicycle enthusiast. Two of my biggest interests are:

• Helping people find work they love.

Getting healthy through bicycling.

This is what my blog is about (and a few other things along the way.) Take a look around. If you have any questions, contact me. My newest post is below.

Your Brother In The Word

Mitch

!!!NEWSFLASH!!!

My book, Your Path To A Job, has its own home on the web AND is now available as an eBook. Click here to visit my brand new site. 

Merry Christmas to YOU!

Finding Your Path: Your Path To A Job - Now an eBook

I would like to give praise to God for the overwhelming success of Finding Your Path: Your Path To A Job. But even with the book's popularity, there are still way too many good people stuck in low paying, dead-end jobs today. Those people have little hope of a better life for themselves and their families. So, to reach even more people with this life-altering little book, we are offering Your Path To A Job in a new eBook version. We've also launched a brand new website for it:

Your Path To A Job Website

You can purchase the entire book, OR you can purchase only the Steps you want. For instance, if you are only interested in the Steps covering interviews and having the right tools, you can purchase those 2 Steps and quickly brush up on the skills you need.

My Gift To You -

To help everyone out, I'm offering Step One - Following Christ's Path, absolutely FREE. Just email me, ask for Step One, and it's yours.

The other five Steps my be purchased in PDF ebook form for $2.99 each.

Better yet - if you purchase the entire ebook in ebook form, you will receive the worksheets, sample resume's and letters used in the book in a printable, copy and paste format for your personal use. You get all this for $9.99. No shipping, no handling, no hidden costs and no waiting for your book to arrive in the mail, because it will be emailed to you.

If you prefer the book in hard copy, we still have a limited number available for $9.99 plus postage per book.

Check out my new website today!

Moonlight Bike Ride

Moonlight Bike Ride

On Aug 23 I took part in this year’s “Moonlight Bike Ride to benefit the Discovery Center. discoverycenter.org

First off… The Discovery Center in Central Springfield is one amazing operation. It is an interactive, hands-on museum, committed to inspiring people of all ages with a life-long love of learning and an appreciation of the world and our place in it.

But they are also involved in all sorts of community projects both in-reach and outreach - in other words, a very worth while organization.

Now on to the ride:

The ride took place at 9:30 Saturday night, starting and ending at the Discovery Center. The ride was a short seven mile stretch through the streets of mid-town Springfield. The local police (hats off to the SPD) blocked all the major intersections and the Discovery Center had people all along the route to help us riders stay on course. They had one of the local bike shops not only giving away, but setting up bike lamps for all those without. This was no small undertaking, considering there where close to 400 riders. At the end of the ride there was a pancake breakfast for all participants. No small undertaking there, either!

Though there was no moonlight that night (very Cloudy so therefore very Dark) and it was around 85 degrees, it was still One Awesome Ride…

…it was incredible, riding at night. I was aware of where I was at, knowing the route and the area pretty well. But at the same time it was so different, almost alien, all-in-all a magnificent ride…

…I’ve only been on a couple of night rides but I still kept a pretty good pace, staying with the top ten riders the whole time.

I will definitely be keeping my eyes and ears open for other night riding opportunities.

If you every get a chance to take a safe night ride jump at it, you will love the ride. Here are a few common sense rules to help you out:

• Stay away from the high traffic areas.
• Ride a familiar route.
• Ride the route in daylight first.
• Always check your bike lights, front & rear, reflectors, blinking reflectors, strobe lamps and head/helmet lamps, before heading out.
• Carry a pair of clear lens glasses to keep stuff out of your eyes.
• Be VERY aware of your environment, obstacles, other riders (no break lights), pedestrians, animals, and motorists.
• Wear all the safety gear you would usually wear, like helmet and gloves. And any type of reflective clothing is definitely a plus!

I rode my urbanized Orbea Alma and wore my usual gear. I added a Cateye ROL light to my handle bars, a great self-contained rechargeable bike light with bright, soft, and strobe settings. I also wore a clear set of glasses.

I have an older Trek helmet that I added several strips of reflective tape to, plus a Nike blinking reflector light attached to the back. I also strapped a Burton LED head lamp onto my helmet, which is another great light. It has three light settings plus a strobe. You can get eight hours of light on four AA batteries. I topped it all off with a reflective vest. My wife said I looked like some kind of UFO going down the road. Well, you want to be seen!!!

Send me your night riding stories… I’ll post them here along with any pics you may have.
Time to Hit the Trail

Mitch

Share the Road

Share the Road

This is a subject that has been talked about, debated about, legislated about, argued about, and fought about, in every town, county, and state.

I’m a bike rider and, though I may not be on the road as much as some (and probably more then others) I think this is a subject that the public needs to be educated on constantly.

Biking is now more popular then ever. Every day more bikers are taking to the road. So the safer the road can be made the better for everyone.

Now, after saying all that, I want to take a completely different slant on the subject.

“Share the Road” is a two-way street, so to speak. As bicyclers we want motorists to be courteous, aware, and safety minded.

Why then, do some (I say some, not all) bicyclers not give motorists the same consideration? We can be just as dangerous as any motorist.

I’ve seen lately…

Bicyclers, not commuters (you don’t commute in spandex bike shorts and team shirts) riding on narrow roads with no shoulders in rush hour traffic, sometimes even in groups.

Bicyclers riding in groups three and four abreast completely blocking the road.

I’ve not witnessed at any time a bicycler stopping to let the traffic that had built up behind him pass safely.

But I have witnessed Bicyclers running stop signs, blowing through red lights, crossing lanes of traffic, making turns without the use of hand signals, (I guess they thought the motorists were psychic) and breaking other Rules of the Road - the same road that we so adamantly claim, we have a right to be on.

For the most part it’s just inconsideration.

The sad part is... it only takes a few inconsiderate bicyclers to give us all a bad reputation.

Bottom Line… I agree Share the Road!!!

That means as bicyclers, we need to share the responsibility in doing so.

Time to Hit the Road

Mitch

I Want Your Biking Pics and Stories…

Hi Gang…

I received an email (posted below) from Charles in Indiana. He found my blog after Sanchez won the Gold on an Orbea in the Olympics road race. I also ride an Orbea. I will share this…

That is where similarities between Sanchez and myself ends (our bikes were made by the same company in Spain).

Believe me when I say, I can relate a whole lot more to Charles than I can Sanchez. I also ride the “NBO” trails (a new acronym Charles taught me) “No Big Obstacles”.

I love to hear from everyone who has found joy and better health through biking.

I’ve posted his email and the pic Charles sent me of him and his bike. I’ve also posted a pic of another guy who likes our type of riding. Recognize him?

Please, if you have biking pics and/or stories you would like share, send them to me; I would love to post them.

Mitch

I found your site after checking out Orbea bikes when the
Olympic gold winner was on one. ie:google. Never heard of them until
then. Alot out of my price range. I bought this Giant about five
months ago. It's my third bike, they seem to be progressing upwards in
quality as I go. Anyway, I love biking on both street and "NBO"
trails, "no big obstacles". I'm in the process of riding the wheels
off this bike. I'll be checking out your site, been fun reading some
of the things on it so far.

Charles

What's DK Been Up To?

My wife, DK, is never happy unless she has three or four projects in the works at once. Oh wait... I'm like that, too! I guess you could say it's a family thing. Anyway, a few weeks ago she went to work on a project she's wanted to do for years. She's working with veterans in family entertainment on this one and it's pretty exciting. It's an equestrian project for kids, called iHorseClub™. There's a big colorful link in my sidebar, too. Can't miss it. Gotta tell ya, this project is pretty cool; I have a feeling it's gonna get big in a hurry.

They're running a horse video every day on the home page. I liked this one; the music is great so I thought I'd post it. Hope you like it. Check out the site!

Mitch

New Digs

Hi Gang...

Well, DK and I have been in our new house for about 9 weeks and we love it. Location is great (for us) and the house is a dream. I posted a couple pics of the outside a while back. So, I thought I would share a few pics of the inside.

This is our hearthroom - first thing you see when you come inside.

That's the ceiling. The builder, Mike Dobbs, embedded a 9 foot antique door in the masonry. Amazing.

This is our kitchen.

This is one corner of my new office.

This is part of my action figure collection.

This is our "Zeeba" bathroom - the artistic touch of a previous owner. DK hates it. LOL Me? I'm trying to embrace it!

This is my best bud, Sam, the day he realized the house was cool. Before that, he spent all his time hiding in the closet.

Thanks for all the prayer for the move itself. It went as smooth as a move will go.

Your Brother in the Word -

Mitch

The Pedal vs. The Paddle

DROP DEAD GORGEOUS DAY.

Sunday was a drop dead gorgeous day here in the Ozarks and I had a huge dilema. Well, it wasn't that huge. I guess it wasn't even big. To tell the truth, I guess it wasn't even a dilema. To pedal or paddle. That was the question. I have done both in a day, but Sunday I wanted to commit to one or the other.

Like most of the rest of you, we've been battling a torrent of HEAT & HUMIDITY this July, alternating with bucketfuls of rain (several inches an hour.) That wasn't the case Sunday; we had a high of 82 and a light south breeze kept the humidity at bay. In other words, it was a Perfect Summer Day!

After much debating (about 2 minutes) I headed to the lake. (You see, self-debating is not much fun; well, at least not for me.) This made my wife, DK, happy for she was in shutter bug mode and wanted to get away from the computer and her writing for the day.

So, between my kayaking and DK's shutter bugging, we have a few pictures to share. DK helped me launch at the Southwood Launch sight, then drove around to Springfield Dam to take a walk and then pick me up.

I went up stream on the James River for about a mile, then turned south and headed down the river to Springfield Lake. From there, I turned further south to the access point by the dam.

DK's pics start as I was heading to the access point by the dam, and follow me through loading my 13" Riot Voyager on top of the Tracker. I hope you enjoy DK's pics because I sure enjoyed the paddle.

Keep pedaling or paddling... which ever you choose.

God Bless -

Mitch

Water Water Everywhere - Not A Dry Trail To Ride

Hi Gang -

Even though I'm still riding between 30 and 60 miles a week, the rain has been a tad overwhelming this year. Like many of you, we have experienced record rainfall and flooding here in SW MO. Our new house is high and dry, thank God, but my riding trails have seen lots of damage.

So this summer, along with peddling, I've started paddling. After much research and long discussions with friends who kayak, I found a used 13 foot Riot Voyager. This is supposed to be a great beginner kayak that one can grow into. It's kind of a hybrid touring ride, as comfortable on small streams and rivers as it is on the lake.

I've been out in it a half dozen times and I find it a great workout, like biking. As you tell by the pics, it's blue and white. I'll give you all the specs in my next post and as I get more at ease in this new seat, I'll share some of my thoughts on this new (to me) water sport.

Your Brother in the Word

Mitch

Big Picture

Hi gang -

Sorry it has been a while since my last post. As many of you may know, we moved about 6 weeks ago. In this post I'm going to share the big picture; later I'll come back and fill in with more info and details.

I lost my father about a year and a half ago. Since then my sister, my wife and I have been looking after my mother. We moved her closer to us and into a very nice retirement apartment complex.

She was doing very well for over a year... then she decided she no longer required her blood pressure meds. She quit taking them. (No, she didn't tell us.) Needless to say, she had a stroke this Spring and now has dementia. That necessitated our move. I'm now 10 minutes away from her instead of an hour and 10 minutes.

We are settling into our new house and our new life in town. Our next big event is my sister's wedding July 4th. I'm doing the ceremony.

After the wedding I'll be back, sharing about my cycling, writing (I'm working on 2 new books) kayaking (I've just started) our new digs - and I promise to post tons of pics. God has been by my side through it all, and I'll share about that too.

Below is one pic of my new endeavor... my very own "Cool Change."

Your Brother in the Word

Mitch

May... It's Gonna Be Busy

Well, after almost 15 years in the same house DK and I will be moving 45 miles north to Springfield.  God has really blessed us with this awesome new home.  Not only was it built by DK's favorite builder (Michael Dobbs) but it is in the neighborhood we have been wanting to move to  (three block from the trail head that I ride every week.)

I would like to thank all of you who were praying for us as we worked to put this together... and for those of you who didn't know, we ask that you keep us in your prayers as we pack and move over the next couple of weeks. My blog will be a little quiet until we get settled in.

Your Brother in the Word

Mitch

Introducing the 3rd "Urban Prodigy"

This bike is also a Motobecane Fantom 29, the second 29er.  It’s a 19” frame for those wanting a little larger bike. Our next bike will be a 20”.

Here are the specs:

01 Frame	Motobecane 29er
02 Fork	Rock Shox Metro
03 Crankset/Bottom Bracket	Shimano De4ore FC 540
04 Cassette/Freewheel	Shimano LX CS-M580
05 Shifters	Shimano XT m750 Rapid Fire
06 Front Derailleur	Shimano XT FD-M761
07 Rear Derailleur	Shimano XT RD-M761
10 Headset	Cane Creek S-6 Black
11 Pedals	Bulletproof BMX
13 Seat Post	Bontrager Race X Carbon
14 Handlebar	Bontrager Race X Carbon
16 Stem	Bontrager Race Lite 120mm
18 Brakes	Hayes MX4 160mm Disc
19 Brake Levers	Tektro
Other Stuff	Skewer - Spacers
Tires	Schwalbe Big Apple
Wheels	Bontrager Ranger Disc

We’ve had several folks test ride the Fantom 29 and they loved it.  A few of our test riders said they would like a little cushier ride, so I went with a Metro Rock Shock fork on this one.  I’ll tell you, it sure takes away the jarring you get on rougher roads. I still feel it takes away from acceleration, but I guess it’s all a matter of choice.  I will be going with another Metro Fork on our next bike, plus a shocked seat post for those looking for a more comfort ride.  That’s the neatest thing about the “Urban Prodigy” - you can do almost whatever you want.

This bike has all the performance of the first 29er, it’s just a tad less stiff.

I did an 18 mile ride Monday with 2 pals from Springfield. The 3 of us are all in our early 50s and in pretty good shape. 

One of my buddies was on his year-old Giant hybrid comfort bike; the other was on his older Trek MT bike.  They are both great bikes, but neither could keep pace with me, so I slowed down and just enjoyed the ride.  We were going to do 20 miles but after 15 my buddy on the Trek was about all in, so we cut 2 miles off the last leg. Back at the trail head they had both ridden all they wanted that day. I was a little disappointed because I was ready to put a few more miles in. 

These guys ride just as well as me – heck, one of them is better than me.

They want to meet with me next week to talk about getting an “Urban Prodigy” for themselves.

If you’ve outgrown that hybrid or your old mountain bike is just not quite the ride you’re looking for, it’s time to get your hands on an “Urban Prodigy.”

Our price on this bike is $1399.00.  So if you’re interested LMK.

 

Fantom 29 Motobecane: The Latest "Urban Prodigy"

Late Easter night, I told everyone the first “Urban Prodigy” was ready to go. 

Now the second “Urban Prodigy” is ready to hit the road, followed closely by a third.

This second bike is also a Motobecane; it’s the Fantom 29.  Yes, that is right - a 29er just as I promised.  This is one SWEET RIDE.  It’s a 17.5” frame for those mid-sized riders. 

Here are the specs:

01 Frame	My Motobecane 29er
02 Fork	New Origin 8 29er
03 Crankset/Bottom Bracket	Bontrager Race Crank
04 Cassette/Freewheel	SRAM 950
05 Shifters	Shimano XT m750 Rapid Fire
06 Front Derailleur	Shimano XTR
07 Rear Derailleur	Shimano XT
10 Headset	Chrsi King Silver
11 Pedals	KINK TRANSITION WELLGO
12 Saddle	Bontrager Race
13 Seat Post	Bontrager Race X Carbon
14 Handlebar	Bontrager Race X Carbon
16 Stem	Bontrager Race Lite 110mm
18 Brakes	Avid BB5
19 Brake Levers	Tektro RS360A
Tires	Schwalbe Big Apple
Wheels	Bontrager Race Lite

As you can see, there’s no skimping here. Most parts are OEM. I took this bike for a test ride on the county road behind Craig’s shop and I didn’t want to come back. With the Big Apple’s you don’t miss the shocks; these tires more then make up for that, but still roll like a street ride and they corner like they were made of glue.  I also really like the New Origin 8 : 29" Black Ops Blade Chromoly Steel fork.  It sure absorbs what little the tires miss. 

As you can see from the pics (above and below) this bike is definitely a head turner. 

Our price on this one will be $1499.00.  If you’re interested LMK.

A Closer Look at the Fantom 29 Motobecane

 

Do The Test

This great little video, produced in the UK, is used to test a driver's ability to detect surprise objects - particularly bicyclists. Do The Test. It's pretty cool - and I have NOT met anyone yet who passed it the first time through. Thanks, Cathy, for the video.