Wednesday, January 7, 2015

smooth roads do not make skilled riders













The day Interstate 78 opened in New Jersey the whole world changed.  At least locally for us.  Where it once was an arduous ride on US 22, the busiest road in the US of A to see my Grandparents, passing such icons as the Leaning Tower of Pizza, The Flagship, and eateries such Texas Weiner and the Steer Inn, now it was without a stoplight for over 40 miles, with only an occasional exit to remind us when to get off.  A bucolic countryside of patchwork farms, opening up a view to what many don’t believe could or does exist in Jersey.  It was smooth, fast, and at least at first a great place to drag race.  The future was upon us, and old roads like Route 22 would soon become obsolete.  Along with the many businesses that lined them.  Many family owned businesses ending after decades, all due to reduced traffic on the alternate modern route.  Where once you had to dodge 18 wheelers heading to port in New York City, families heading to eat at Howard Johnson’s and waiting for the light to turn green, now all you had to do was point and steer.  Remember what exit you had to get off at, and then make a new path to your final destination.  Limited access freeways they were called, with all the flavor of artificial vanilla, and all the color of off white.  But they were new, and at least for awhile exciting, until the boredom set in.  And suddenly the traffic on Route 22 didn’t seem all that bad, the burgers at Steer Inn not so greasy, and Two Guys not such a bad place to shop.  We were being homogenized, not necessarily a bad thing, but the process was taking away a vestige of individuality, of creativity, of the “you can make it in America” promise we learned in elementary school.  The roads were smooth, no curves, you by passed Jugtown Mountain, and now a stop at Cappy Dick’s for a soft serve required knowing what exit to get off at.  For the farm stand the same, even the old free bridge to Easton was by passed, a new toll bridge taking its place.  What was once an interesting if sometimes arduous ride was now reduced to 40 minutes of pretty countryside, with no sign of life except for dairy cows.  Who didn’t seem particularly impressed by the new road’s invasion.  The roads were better, the views prettier, no traffic lights, but also no interaction, or very little between drivers.  No more nodding at the guy next to you at a light, or asking directions when stopped.  Now you kept going, eyes ahead and focused at a scary, steady 60 mph, with only 77 WABC to keep you company, when it wasn’t blocked out from the hills.  The whole world had changed right before our very eyes, and the dream we had envisioned was now here.  But where were we headed?  And how would we know when we got there?
Over 40 years of riding and driving have given me a unique perspective of traffic, drivers, and the roads we travel.  A man on a motorcycle having his clutch cable break reminded me of how dependent we have become.  In the past we would have kept going, and made it home.  This man panicked and pulled over, until I came along and rode it home for him.  His cell phone his only tool, how did we get along without them?  I watch as with computers, you just turn the car on and drive off, remember hitting the gas twice, then turning the key?  Letting it warm up before it could be driven off?  We used to have a choice between regular and no-lead, now we get no-lead only.  Where once we downshifted in bad weather to get down Jugtown Mountain, now the freeway bypassing it allows you to maintain a steady speed.  No freeway runoffs, no truck lane only, no backup of traffic going down, or up.  With the cruise control set, your AC set to a comfortable level, and your Sirius radio playing only what you want to hear, you sit in isolation from the world.  Everything is better than it once was, but we have become casualties of progress.  Rough roads, turns, elevation changes, and other traffic made us better drivers.  We had to be just to avoid the newer ones, who never drove Route 22.  And we were faced, and still are faced today with the results that smooth roads do not make better drivers.  Or riders. 
An old driving tip of putting your right front wheel against the curb to follow the road in a snowstorm now is obsolete.  Downshifting going down hills, turning off the AC going up, actually looking at maps as opposed to mindlessly following a GPS has put us out of touch we reality.  Windows up, don’t look at other drivers, and heaven help anyone interfering with your piece of the road.  Road rage has now replaced road manners and courtesy, you don’t even have look at your fuel gauge, a voice will tell you how many miles till empty.  Taking all the interaction of driving has made us numb, and a generation of bad drivers.  I have a nephew who couldn’t roll down the windows in my truck, they aren’t power.  Christopher drove the whole time on a trip to France, he was the only one who could drive a stick.  An arrow even tells us which side the fuel filler is on, but yet too many cannot figure it out, just watch at any gas station.  Which we used to call service stations....Better cars, better roads, but not better drivers.  And next time you get cut off by an SUV with the driver under the influence of cell phone or children, don’t blame them.  Someone passed them on their driver’s test!  Hands at 2 and 10, don’t adjust the radio or the mirror.  We would have been failed for that....today point, steer to avoid, and if the road is rough, pull over and call AAA.  All the while complaining.
Roads were  meant to take us places, and in Isaiah 40:4 we find a prophetic statement in regards to interstate travel.  “Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low, the rough ground shall become level, and the rugged places a plain.”  Sounds like my kind of road for riding, until we find that describes the interstate.  And also the relationship of many with Christ.  “Come to Jesus and everything will be alright,” yet the next day we go out and find our tire flat.  Not what we signed up for, but it is exactly what we signed up for, a life where we need God.  Where we cannot go it alone, where 2 Corinthians tells us we need him.  We are “hard pressed on every side, but not crushed, perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed.”  So that Jesus may be seen in us, and how when we let him handle the rough roads, he will get us through.  It is the rough roads that make us stronger, that bring us closer to God, so if the road you are on is rough, it is probably the right one.  If your testimony is how you managed to make it over them with God’s help, you are closer to him.  But if you insist on freeways only, taking the shortest way to get there, you miss out.  You miss the valleys where the mist hangs in the mornings, the smell of the atmosphere, and interacting with others.  You miss the view when you get to the top, and the appreciation of what it took to get there, and how Jesus got you there.  You miss the interaction with people, and sitting at the counter at Jimmy’s eating a hot dog.  Drinking a buttermilk with a red hot on the way home.  You miss out on having to acquire driving skills and having to use them, or to helping out others.  And you miss a side of God you will never see if you never have trouble.  It is in the tough times, the rough roads, the buckling asphalt that we need a strong suspension, only found in Jesus. 
Consider getting out of Bible study and into ministering.  If the seat of your pants is wearing faster than the soles of your shoes, you need to get out and into Jesus.  Route 22 is calling in many ways, what will your answer be?  The highway or the easy way?  The freeway or a back road where you get to see Jesus?  Consider eating a DQ under trees instead of at a truck stop, a real hamburger instead of tasteless patty at a chain, and consider Jesus when choosing life.  Rough roads make great rides, but only for those skilled enough.  You will never know until you get out and see.  You think you have talent, God sees your potential.  Who you see will tell you where you are going and where you will end up.  And as any biker will tell you not all curves are unwelcome.  Jesus knows that too.  Now, which road will you take today, the exciting way in Jesus or the freeway?  Both come with a price....it’s not too late to change the road you’re on. 
While you stand in line and order a #2 super sized, make mine a chili dog with extra onions, where I can sit and see my bike as the traffic goes by.  Where the waitress calls you honey, the table sticky, and the soda cold.  Along with others who chose to get off the freeway and back into life.  Talking with others, a fellowship on and of the road.  Excuse me while I pass the ketchup to the guy next to me.  For his fries, not his hot dog, for there are still some things you never should do.  Jesus Christ, “hi, come here often?”  He’s regular in my ride, I hope he is in yours, too.
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com