Florida Ride - Day One

Florida Ride - Day One

We drove to Bon Wier, Texas, my official point of departure early in the morning of November 4, 2019.  It was a clear day, but a bit cool at about 41 degrees that morning.  I was glad to have had cool weather gear to wear for my ride.







By crossing the Sabine River I left Texas behind and started my long ride across Louisiana.  US 190 at the point was lightly traveled and had a good shoulder for me to ride on.  I felt safe; and full of anticipation.











The first place that I met up with Diane was in Merryville, LA.  Only about 7 miles into my ride, I was still full of anticipation and was enjoying an early morning ride in the Louisiana countryside.  Although there was no shoulder on LA 110, there was very little traffic on the road leaving Merryville.

We met up again at the crossroads of Singer, La, where LA 110 makes a little jog across the railroad tracks.  This section of the road was even less traveled.  It was somewhat like riding through a tunnel, as it was pretty much impossible to see beyond the trees and brush that lined the road.













However, we would occasionally come across a clearing of pasture land.  I was impressed with them, as they were generally well kept and clean, unlike the much of the properties we saw in the small towns.  While much of the terrain was flat, this part of my ride encountered a lot of rolling hills.













This is a picture of a small farm with a long gravel drive leading to the small frame house.  The drive was lined on both sides with mature Live Oak trees.  The large yard between the house and the road was freshly mowed, showing the quality of care the owners gave to their property.

Ahhh, finally lunch time.  We met up at the Purple Heart Memorial Park in Ragley, La.  There wasn't much else to draw our attention in Ragley, but the park was nice and well kept.  It had a small stocked fishing lake and a playground for children, but no tables where I could stretch out, as I am want to do.  This picture shows Diane is using a park bench to make some sandwiches for lunch.

We met up again at Reeves, La where we found a small park where I could stretch out for a few minutes.  By this time, the afternoon temperatures had reached about 75 degrees.  I was glad that I had warm weather gear to wear.  I didn't stretch out long, just enough to give my body a short break (and eat some trail mix - that Diane had prepared).











Route from Bon Wier, Texas to Kinder, Louisiana (Day One)

We took US 190 East from Bon Wier, Texas to Merryville, Louisiana; then followed LA 110 East to the intersection with US 171.  LA 110 was a two-lane country road with no shoulder, but it had almost no traffic.  We then followed US 171 to Ragley, Louisiana where we had lunch at the Purple Heart Memorial Park.  We then picked up US 190 East, again, through the small town of Reeves, where we met up for a few minutes; then on to Kinder, La where we stopped for the night.

Takeaways: 

Although the bike I was riding isn't ergonomically suited to hills, the rolling hills that I encountered during this phase of my ride didn't present any real physical challenge.  However, they occurred often enough to make it difficult for me to establish or maintain a good riding "rhythm."  Small interruptions in our lives, while not in and of themselves a serious challenge, can derail us from other productive patterns in our daily routines such as daily prayer or scripture study.  As soon as the interruption (or hill) is gone, we need to reestablish, as quickly as possible, the productive patterns that bring an atmosphere of peace and joy to our lives.

The long stretches of riding in a tunnel (not being able to see the horizon) made the time seem much longer than it really was.  Even though I kept my focus on the far distant objective (Florida), I found myself trying to find purpose and meaning in the present.  Knowing that each rotation of the peddle brought me closure to my ultimate objective by itself wasn't enough to carry me through, I needed to be sustained along the way.  To some extent this was achieved by meeting up with Diane more often than we had originally planned.  Life, too, is like that, we need to find joy in the journey.  Knowing that we are progressing step by step toward our ultimate goal of Eternal Life, in and of itself isn't enough.  We can find immediate joy, joy in the present, as we acknowledge the strengths and contributions of others and by acknowledging the blessings we receive from a loving Father in Heaven.  All around us are evidences of His love for us, if we will but look and accept.

The well-kept pastures and farm lands were a welcome sight.  They seemed to be an oasis in the midst of a tangle of brush, and trees, and undergrowth.  I not only enjoyed the view, but paid mental tribute to both the caretakers and the Creator of All Things.  Our own lives, ladened with hard work and achievement rightly bring personal credit, but should also serve to bring glory to God on High.  Self-reliance or personal achievement must not be limited to the things we or others see, but must also include our own spiritual and emotional well being.  The environment that we have stewardship for says a lot about how well we are doing in those other aspects of our personal development.

Like my ride, the life each of us is given is not a single push to the finish line, but a long ordeal that requires and/or allows for adjustments, rededication, and even short rests along the way.  We must not become so intent on the finish line that we find ourselves running faster than we are able.  The journey is as much the objective as the finish line.  Enjoy it!.