Balance is a key ingredient to life. And such is also the case with bicycle touring. Debbie and I are resting after an aggressive start to our bicycle tour of the Atlantic Coast. Somehow, the 54-year-old bodies do not adapt as well to diving back into an intense regimen of cycling. So, rest and recovery are needed. When touring by bicycle, one is limited to services within his or her immediate surroundings. So, an overnight venue with plenty of services within walking distance will maximize any break in the tour.
We, then, were blessed to find our current spot, north of Daytona Beach. After a long day of cycling, our fifth in a row, we were anticipating some recuperation and a day of rest, including Sunday church worship. Our route took us through thirty miles of very limited services. So when we arrived at the end of this desolate stretch and landed onto US Route One, we expected plenty of motels on this historic highway. What we found were more of the scant services we had grown to expect from the prior thirty miles.
A discussion with some convenience store employees and a few phone calls later, we booked a room eight more miles down the road, and somewhat off course. Those eight miles were not burdensome. We were blown away to discover, within walking distance from the motel, a church with a 10:00 Sunday service, a Dairy Queen next door, and several stores and restaurants across the street. We knew we had arrived at a good rest stop. We are determined to return to the road soon with a rejuvenated vigor. The cycling has been great thus far.
Coincidental with our break was some required work on our upcoming book, Two Are Better: Mid-Life Newlyweds Bicycle Coast to Coast. Our rest has allowed us to process more changes and forward a draft back to the editor. We find God’s provision and timing miraculous, comforting, and trustworthy, all at the same time.
I wanted to share another reflections on top of Debbie’s thoughts from yesterday. We saw two tropical birds–I’ll assume them to be herons–on Saturday. They were walking step-by-step together, in tandem, and at their own comfortable pace. It reminded us of togetherness, and the marriage relationship, where two individuals choose to walk through life together. It reflects some themes in our upcoming book.
We watched these herons walk together across two lawns, and then venture ever so slowly into the roadway. They went at their own pace, to the detriment of an oncoming motorist, who was forced to slow down and risk being rearended by a less attentive motorist behind him. Yet, the carefree, or perhaps careless, birds continued their calculated walk across the road undeterred, until they stepped into the obscurity of some brush. They weren’t about to allow the world around them to dictate their pace.
Are you harried by the pace of life around you? We can relate. It is a challenge to slow the pace, but often it is necessary in order to walk with purpose.
Tim, I cannot tell with certainty but I think the birds you saw are Sandhill Cranes, very common in central Florida. Further, I believe they mate for life, which may be an interesting fact in relation to your story. They usually have one or two chicks each spring. I am very fond of them. My Florida home backs onto a pond and I see them frequently. They are very beautiful (although they don’t seem very smart — haha). I am careful not to feed them because they can get overly friendly and unintentionally destructive. Anyway, I am thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to follow your and Debbie’s journey (especially since I’m moving very slowly following hernia surgery a couple weeks ago and can’t even consider biking to the end of my street! Hahaha). Take good care and travel safe!
Tim, thanks for your info on the cranes. I hope you’re feeling better soon.
I was wondering how you would be feeling after such an aggressive start to this adventure. I’m so glad that God provided the right place for you to take rest. It’s still extremely hot and humid up here. It’s supposed to break tonight.
God Bless you(s). Love,Chris
Hi Debbie and Tim,
It was great meeting you today. I hope you made it to St Augustines without further rain showers. Eddie and I made it back to our place in Ormand By the Sea. I enjoyed chatting with you Debbie. I have no doubt that you will make friends easily wherever you go. You are a very easy person to chat with. Thank you for sharing your trip with us. I look forward to reading your blogs. God Bless!
Deanna
Hi Deanna,
It was great talking to you today too! You made my day. It is always good to meet and connect with like minded folks- and you really encouraged me talking about enjoying life outside of Massachusetts! Keep in touch!
Debbie
Hi Tim & Debbie,
I finally got the chance to sit down and begin to read about the beginning of your next excellent adventure. I really like the Mom to Mom theme of this year’s ride. Moms certainly are very special people. It looks like you are off to a great start. I love hearing the stories about the people you meet along the road like the guy that gave you some cold water and tips about reading Florida’s weather, or the guy who recommended a local eatery. It’s wonderful to hear that there are still so many friendly people out there.
I, too, will be starting my annual summer trek to Maine in a couple days to see my mom. Although you and I have a similar destinations, my journey will be on four wheels and will include my two little buddies- Taylor (10) and Avery (8). We leave Friday night for Cross Lake, Maine, just 10 minutes south of Madawaska; it don’t get much more north than that. The 11 hour trip will bring us to my mom’s cabin on the bank of a river in the middle of no where. I’ll spend a week there, come home for a week, and then Gabrielle and I will go back up for a week. The boys will stay there and spend three whole weeks hiking, boating, kayaking, fishing, swimming, and enjoying so many other great things about northern Maine’s woods. (Thankfully the cabin only gets 2 TV channels and one of them is a French speaking channel from Canada.) The best part of all is my boys will be able to spend 3 full weeks with my mom. As I stated earlier, moms are very special people, and it makes me so happy that my boys are able to have the opportunity to attend “Camp Grammy.”
I look forward to hearing more about your adventures on the Mom to Mom trip. Be safe and enjoy it all.
Jay
Awesome, Jay! Moms are special. Say hi to Mom for me. And stay away from her chocolate chip cookies!