mt vernon, illinois

Mt Vernon, Illinois fun sculpture

 The alarm didn’t have any problems getting me awake and out of bed this morning! This is the day! We are finally headed west. As a matter of fact, this very minute, we are somewhere in Illinois and close to home for the night! Hallelujah, I am ready to do some major laziness.

Around 07:25, Sarah’s self-timer took this photo (is that why it's fuzzy?) of our send-off crew: Barry, Garrick, Carey, the Queen, me, and Sarah. The Explorer is fully-loaded but comfortably. Along with the Mike and Ikes, Good & Plenty, Root Beer Float Mike and Ikes, Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate, Lay's Kettle Cooked Original Chips, bottled water, root beer, First Aid Kit, sunscreen, Chapstick, bikes, and a Magnolia Journal, we still have room for our not-quite-as-popular items such as clothing, shoes, books, markers and pens, toothbrushes, and soap. So we are well-supplied and in pretty good shape for this journey.

We ran into a major traffic slow-down right before I-85 in Jefferson but other than that we are doing fine. The GPS has been taunting us and trying to get us lost but we are seasoned travelers who know how to use real maps and an Atlas. We also know where the sun rises and where it sets so that helps us go in the right direction . . . most of the time. We have learned a very important lesson in our adventures: NEVER use more than one GPS in your vehicle at a time.They will play against one another and are very much like the little angel sitting on one shoulder and the little devil sitting  on the other, both whispering completely opposite directions for your  travels. Remember: A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways! That applies to GPS units as well

However . . . I personally don’t get lost, I explore. (Mom taught me how to do that.) I kinda think lostness is one of the reasons I like riding a bike so much. And, there are other reasons as well:

First of all, it’s a pretty doggone healthy thing. I’m not a runner. I beat myself to death when I run. I hurt even when I think about running. The last time I ran with any regularity was in the Air Force and, most of that, was inflicted on me by others with more rank than myself. Pedaling requires smoother movement and balance. I’m ok with the smooth and fluid movement but Margaret says I need work on the balance. I think she’s suggesting something other than cycling.

Second, when you ride, you experience the world in a totally different way: sight, smells, sounds, wildlife, wind, sunshine, rain, dogs, whatever . . . you get it all. In the car, I find myself thinking things such as, "Well, the scenery sure has been green today," and “Isn’t that the thirty-seventh Cracker Barrel we’ve passed?”

Speaking of food places, we stopped at one Chick-fil-A and one McDonald’s (first time in at least fifteen years) today. On a bike, you see mostly places like Harold’s Pig Palace, Auntie Mae’s Rhubarb Pie, Flo’s Chicken Livers, Udderly Fantastic Ice Cream Sundaes, and Cousin Vern’s Back Porch. On the road you get the places like McDonald’s. If I owned a McDonald’s, I certainly would require every employee to go to a Chick-fil-A twice a month so they could learn how to do drive-thru orders with kindness and smiles. Just a thought . . . my pleasure.

Thirdly, it takes longer to go a mile on a bike so chances of getting really lost are very slim. If you do happen to make a wrong turn, it’s just part of the day and you’re not very far from your intended route. But then again, being lost on a bike is still better than knowing where you are in a car. After all, you are exploring!

Fourth, a lot of people don’t like this but, on a bike, you get a lot of time alone. Even when you’re riding in a group, you can still be alone. I have found time on my bike to be filled with opportunities to think, dream, pray, sing, create, and whistle. Adventure Cycling, a bike advocacy group in Missoula, Montana, has a little bike sticker that simply says, “ I dream on two wheels.” For those of you who want some extra dream time, I recommend a porch swing or a bike. A porch swing, however, gives you time to dream but it doesn’t get you anywhere. 

And, finally, you meet great folks that you would never meet otherwise. Most of the folks usually ask questions like,"Where ya comin' from?" and “Where ya goin’?” When I tell them where, their next question is always, “Are you crazy?” Then they usually say things like, “Those are some skinny tires, ain’t they?” or   “How can you sit on that little seat all day? My fanny would be killin’ me.” One lady in North Dakota told me years ago, "Heck, my fanny would be hurting  sit-in' on a car seat that long!" But after only about five or ten minutes, the same folks are ready to go with you all the way to Maine . . . in a car of course.

 

There are still some very genuine folks out there, but you won’t find them on the interstates at seventy miles an hour. Nope, you just gotta find some back roads and small towns, and slow down. And . . . you’ve got to take some time to stop too. And sit. And talk. That's what I get on my bike: time. Maybe I should ride all the time. People, after all, are still God’s most valued creation.

“Love people.” -Matthew 22:39