By definition it’s the time from Friday evening through Sunday evening; especially regarded for leisure. I can remember many years of my adult life where I honestly dreaded the weekends for the most part. I won’t get into that here, but suffice it to say I am extremely thankful that is not the case now!
Weekends are a time to stop the craziness and stress of the work week and relax, regroup, rejuvenate, and reconnect. It’s time to take care of yourself; body and soul. I know for many who ride, it’s a time to get together with other couples or a group and go. For me it’s more solo time, but for longer rides than I get to take during the week. Having a job that now requires being inside looking at the computer for most of the day, it makes being outside even more important than before when I was working both outside and inside. Having been raised to be outdoors the majority of the time, I definitely prefer those types of activities.
This weekend’s rides were just what the Dr. ordered. They were long, relaxing, and peaceful even in the heat. My hubby probably enjoyed the peaceful time too without me rambling to him while he watched TV. 🤣
Some of the riding was on very familiar routes, but some was on roads I’ve never been on before. One such road is one I will most definitely be taking again soon. It was a smooth ride through farm country and the road had no tar snakes like so many other roads do. There is one favorite route I like to take that I absolutely will not ride until cooler weather gets here, simply because of it being covered with tar snakes, which are just like black ice to a bike, and that particular area has more of those than it does actual pavement it seems.
Back to the country road and weekend travels though. The scenery has been awesome. I was privileged to see a baby deer as it ran across the road a ways in front of me. I didn’t see it’s mom at all but assume she probably had gone across before my arrival and maybe the baby all of a sudden realized she was gone. It was running as fast as it’s little legs would go by the looks. In contrast I saw a very slow box turtle crossing the road. I was not in a spot where I could pull over to help it cross safely, but am hoping it made it as there was very little traffic on this particular road. I saw a cute fuzzy little bunny just sitting along the side of the road munching away on clover. We have a whole lot of those at our house this year, they scatter across our driveway just about every time we go in and out.
As I rode along through the farm country with its rolling green hills and valleys I felt like I was in New England again. The smells and the views; the pretty little streams, the corn fields, the hay fields, and the simple older homes. The road didn’t go on as long as I would have liked, but it was wonderful while it lasted. There was a road that turned off this one just before it ended that I will check out next time I’m there as I’m sure it too will meander through the country rather than back onto the state road.
Once on the highway again, it was back to higher speeds and most definitely watching out for other drivers. Everyone seemed to be in a hurry and the fact I was doing the speed limit or slightly over didn’t matter, it still wasn’t fast enough for many of them. I noticed the smells were different too. No longer did I smell the country smells of farm life, but instead the smell of death. I assume it was animals that had probably been hit then walked off into the nearby woods and died. That made me think about life, about the choices we make, the places we live, and how that all affects our lives day to day. Having grown up in the country, that’s where life makes the most sense to me. It’s not so fast paced and crazy. City life would drive me absolutely insane. To me it’s not relaxing in any way, yet to so many who were raised in that setting, the country life is boring and stressful. It’s all what we’re accustomed to I guess.
After a while on the state road, the speed dropped down to 35mph and just as it did I noticed the beautiful crepe myrtles lining the street. There were stunning reds, pinks, lavendar and white beauties. There were also some gorgeous orange day lilies, many different colored impatiens and a variety of other flowers blooming all along the way in people’s yards.
As I passed by the lake both days there was the smell of sunscreen, charcoal grills, and I thought I even smelled fish. There were pontoon boats, fishing boats, and jetskis. Families were swimming, fishing and cooking out and all seemed to be enjoying that leisure time that is defined by the weekend.
The more I rode, the more I reflected on the mountains and that simpler life I experienced growing up now gone by. If I ever move again, I believe it will be to the mountains. I love the ocean as you know if you’ve been following my ramblings for long and it holds a very special place in my heart for so many reasons, but the mountains are home and I know hubby would definitely prefer mountain life to beach life. A little cabin nestled in the woods with clear mountain streams and places to hike and ride would be awesome. Views of deer and other wildlife along with the changing of the seasons and all that goes along with it are special as well. The air is typically cooler and refreshing and the overall “speed” of life is slower. My son and his wife recently took my granddaughters on their first little family vacation, just the 4 of them, and when I saw pictures of my son playing in a clear mountain stream with the girls my heart melted. To me that’s what life is all about. Taking time to enjoy the simple things in life in nature, not with technology and worldly things. There are many things I wish I’d done differently, but teaching my boys to enjoy the simple beautiful things in life, like playing in a stream, is a memory I’m grateful for. We used to hike down behind the house we lived in while they were growing up and play in the creek often.
As I passed over rivers and streams riding this weekend I was reminded just how special they are, and how I sometimes take those things for granted. I wonder how many people may have never experienced playing in a stream, swimming in a lake, or hiking up a mountain. Maybe it’s not appealing to everyone, but taking in all of the beautiful sights, sounds, and smells of country life are good for this country girl’s soul. Being able to take time out to do that makes me so thankful for God’s amazing creation. We are truly blessed!
Ramblings of a Christian Grandma Biker 