The day began as usual, I went down to find the coffee either made or not, depending on fate. Surely that must be the
pivotal factor.
After consuming a lethal dose, I was ready to face the day. No, I wasn't. The day would have to wait. It had been raining forever and a ride was in order now that the forgotten rays of the sun were peaking through the frayed gray clouds.
I didn't want to join the throngs clogging the roads, so, I headed for the gravel and dirt roads I enjoy "when the time is right". These roads take on all different shapes and personalities. Some are definitely more twisted than others. I take the gps so I can get an aerial view of where I am. It is my security blanket. I would find out it is as frayed as those clouds.
I headed straight for the levee near my home.. It is high in the breeze and I enjoy the camaraderie of the birds soaring along as I putt, singing songs of yore. The levee can sometimes be endless or too short, depending on my mood. This morning, it would be perfect. As the first segment ended, I planned for the next and the next. Levee riding is riding the river or bayou it follows, but with a better viewpoint than on the water or the designated, sometimes as legal, road at its base. After a few more links I decided enough was enough and it was time to explore some of these intriguing dirt and gravel roads which appeared, beckoning me down. "Come, see where I go", I could hear them say. Yes, roads speak to me. Trouble with that?
I will now explain my beef with the gps. When it shows small roads, sometimes, it shows very small roads, like a cane row road or driveways. So, when I come to a sign which says "Private Property", and I can't get to where I planned and must backtrack 20 miles, I don't blow a fuse. I understand its weakness. What it does, it does well. Its little flaw is tollerable. It's all a part of adventure riding. In fact, I rely on man's intervention to control the gps's optomistic enthusiasm. In other words, if a road is getting ready to really get bad, I expect a fence to stop this blind hound.
Today I decided not to zoom out on the gps and to just look at the small square mile that I occupied. That way, when the day was about 2 thirds over, I would zoom out and see where I was. A surprise, I would hope. A new game to play.
Each picture I took was marked on the map. I would later identify each when I reviewed my "tracks". I look forward to opening the treasure chest, the record of my wanderings. |
