BMX

I never got to experience the coming of age of getting a car and driving away. I did have a bike. The one that I had that mattered was a Mongoose. I also had a Fuji. They both had mag wheels. I'm so glad no one uses the mag style of wheels any more. I never liked them. Spokes work better. However, The Fuji had seven spoke mags. Nobody had seven spoke mags but me.

I road my bike all over the place.I did find some freedom at least in my home area of Quail Vally. That was on the street. The real fun was off road. There are a bunch of canals running that area. Lantern Lane had a huge open area behind it. It is all a park now and surrounded by houses. It was a cool no-adult-land for years. A lot of people road motorcycles out there. Some drove 4x4 vehicles around. Wait a minute, I drove my Mom's old Jeep out there once. Before that, I road the wheels off my bike.

My neck of the woods seems so small on Google maps. This was my turf. I lived in this area. I road my bike up and down that bayou at least a million times. I shot off pellet guns. I talked a kid out of hitting a bullet with a hammer there. I crawled under the street through the storm suer. I snuck around like a ninja at night. I walked around by flashlight. I biked around that rough ground and crossed the smelly water when the level was low. I hunted turtles and fished. I sat and wondered. I took pictures. Then lost them. They are in a shoe box somewhere.

Then I grew up. I don't ride bikes much any more. I'm tempted to run around my current neighborhood. I'm not sure I ever will. The world is crewel in many ways. It is good too. I've moved on to different things. Those are good things.