March 10 - Day One:  The coastlines of Florida & Alabama are spectacular and one of a kind.

The wind in the sea oats, the brilliance of the sand and the luminous blue sea, drenched by the sun -Spectacular!  The power of the sea is overwhelming. 

And the wind; on the bike, the wind is the game-changer.  I was riding and the wind was directly in my face; I couldn’t get any speed. I came to a nice downhill slope and peddled hard – “now I’ll get some time”, I thought.

Then, I checked the speedometer – only 12 mph! “What’s going on?”, I screamed!  “Oh, God, please stop this wind; I just want to get down the road.”

As this prayer left my mind, rounding the corner, half-way up the hill, I saw two white-haired men on bikes riding toward me up the hill.  I was shamed, another lesson from the Lord.  I recanted, “Oh, Lord, please give me wind at my back as I ride up the hills.  Give me the strength to ride into the wind.”

 

March 11 - Day Two:  Farmland & forests – connected with a ribbon of turning back roads – wavy hills.

Do what the road tells you.  You cannot have a preconceived idea of how far you will go, or how fast; the wind and the road dictate it all.  Seven miles per hour up a steep hill, or 30 mph on a smooth, new downhill.  You have to ride the road you’re on.  The road always wins.

Three kinds of roads:

1. The deceptive shortcut -  good on the map, but leads to impassable gravel & sand;
2. Rocks melted into the pavement – a rough road – treats you like a rub board, lugs you down, no speed;
3. Liquid crystal – smooth polished asphalt – fast – like gliding, the wheels of the bike were like ice skates, I sprinted.

You can’t choose your road; the road chooses you.  You can choose the direction, not the surface.  It’s all part of the ride.

How do you do it?  I mean, how do you ride for hours?  In a word – Responsible

I learned it as a boy hoeing weeds from half-mile rows of cotton.  I learned it while plowing for 12-hours a day.  I learned it setting fence for days without seeing anyone. Solitude demands responsibility. You just had to be responsible.

March 12 – Day Three:

Mississippi: more hills than Carter has liver pills.

Yesterday, I stopped in the middle of a long climb;

I looked at the top and it was too far, too high.

If you look at the summit you’ll never make it.

The best way to the top = never lift your eyes above the handle bar.

Look at the road you’re on – right in front of your tire.  You’ll make it every time.