My favorite bike ride

From my favorite bike ride

Let me take you on my favorite bike ride today.  It's a beautiful ride that takes me about an hour and leaves from my house, goes along the lake, through a golf course and through nice neighborhoods.  It's 51 degrees this morning, dew on the grass, not even the slightest breeze, but the sun is coming up and making the trees glow.  So, I suit up in my knickers, a long-sleeve teal jersey, my yellow-greenish neon vest, arm warmers, and a hat.  I'm ready to go except - oops! -- I forgot to change my shoes in to my clip shoes.  I'm on my way now, and I head north out of my driveway around the block and right onto West Lake Road and then quickly turn onto a road where all of the houses are right on the lake.  Landscapers are out in full force since it's been rainy for several days.  I navigate around them, enjoying looking at the lake, which is the backyard for these houses.  And I begin my usual thinking and wondering.  And I think about a statistic that I read in The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Sterns, former CEO of Lenox china: $65 billion could eliminate poverty for more than a billion people -- or the amount that we spend on jewelry each year in America (interesting: we spend over $705 billion on entertainment).  And I think about what I can do about it, not getting overwhelmed with the problems, but taking my part in making a difference. 

As I head up my first hill, it's already warming up, so I slide down my arm-warmers.  I ride through some beautiful houses around Wolf Road, and then turn into Lake Shore and ride through the golf course.  I stop at my favorite spot overlooking the lake (above) and notice that they have a new bench.  I stop, admire the view, and pray for whomever comes to mind.  It's very peaceful.  I get back on my bike and ride more along the lake and then down Manchester, where I head downhill and crest 30mph as I hit the bottom of the hill.  I head up the next hill around the bend and pass some friendly walkers on the uphill -- as I 'wheee-hooo-whee-hooo' with my breathing up the hill I get in a 'hello' and at the top are more walkers and my hello is something like 'wheeee-hoooo-good-huh-morning-wheee-hooo.'  But I smile and am glad to see people out. 

I head to the intersection and turn left by Pepino's and head down and up Walnut Creek Hill.  Unfortuneately, there's always a need to navigate dead animals here, but a big hawk flies overhead distracting me as I navigate around one.  I get to the top of the hill puffing, and head right, the sun is really shining now and the dew fading from the grass.  I like this section becauase it's relatively flat and wanders along the golf course; good thinking time.  I think about how grateful that I am that God has given me courage and strength to really follow him.  I think about how neat it is that we can ride on a bike and not fall off (well, most of the time).  I think about the woman who just stopped running, with her hands on her hips, and wonder if she's training for something.  I head back and go through the neighborhood by the lake hitting my last hill before I turn onto West Lake Road and head back to my house.  I arrive and look down, 52:36 minutes later and I am appreciative of such a beautiful ride to think, pray, and get some exercise.

As for the rest of the day, I'm headed to lunch with my neighbor.  : )