Go Beyond

Mission, Texas

I confess that I have mountain biking fever. Riding my bike after work and on occasional weekends is a great stress reliever. And, riding my bike is much easier than canoeing in the sense that I can do it on the spur of the moment and be on the trails behind my home in only minutes. Since I started riding in late December, I have logged about 360+ off-road miles. As I continue to improve my riding skills I find myself enjoying the trails even more.

I took a day off this week to drive my Dad home from Katy after his dental appointment. Before leaving I researched mountain biking trails in the Rio Grande Valley. To my surprise I found that my hometown of Mission has some really great mountain biking trails not far from the home where I grew up. After watching every YouTube video I could find on the biking trails in Mission I could hardly wait to experience them for myself.

This morning I headed to Bentsen State Park, the terminus of one of the paved trails where I met several really nice folks. Some bikers that I met in the parking area told me how to access the dirt trails and off I went. After riding a few miles on the paved route I went off-road to ride the single track trails. Holy smoke! These trails are fantastic. Kudos to whoever maintains them. The narrow trails are lined with cactus and mesquite — great motivators for not losing your balance!

After riding a little more than 17 miles, I met my Dad at Whataburger where he enjoys fellowship with his retired friends. I met his new friend Rudy, a German man married to a Nicaraguan woman. Rudy and Dad enjoy conversing in English, German, and Spanish. I loved watching these new friends having so much fun. I also enjoyed spending a little time with Dad’s Whataburger friends who faithfully pray for me and our missions initiatives.

After lunch I headed back to the trails to ride a bit more. I’m glad I did. I tried out some of the more difficult trails and managed to stay on my bike — a good thing considering all of the cactus on the trail. At the end of my ride I met a guy with Trek mountain bikes who had just arrived from Michigan to do a riding clinic in Mission. I wish I had time to attend the clinic but I have to head home in the morning. But, I look forward to riding these trails again in the future and to meeting more of the nice folks in the local riding community.