You Can’t Go Home Again

This morning, I decided to ride over to the south side of Lafayette in the area of my old neighborhood.

I started out on some very familiar roads (I just rode the same two yesterday) – east on River Road and south on US231. But as I continued south on 231 past SR25, I was transported back to 1998 (or so) when I used to tool around the area on my big red Murray mountain bike.

I Wish This Tower Were Closer to my House
(Our Reception is Awful!)
Heading east on 500S. I passed two voluntary toll stops being run by the Wea Township Fire Dept to raise money for the MDA Telethon. Unfortunately, bike shorts means no pockets, which means no money. All I had on the bike was my camera, my phone, and a spare tube, and I wasn’t giving any of them to Jerry’s kids. (Besides, I contributed yesterday at a WL Fire Dept stop.) I came upon two more toll stops before the ride finished.

Wea Creek at 150E
I turned north on 150E, and passed two new schools that have popped up to serve the quickly growing number of families in the recently built subdivisions in the area. After crossing the now commercially crowded 350S, the road became 18th Street in Lafayette. I continued north to Main St, and plunged down the hill into downtown.

The old neighborhood has become much more developed than when I left six years ago, but it’s still not a bad place. The interesting thing is that, except for the shoulders on US231 and a two block stretch on State Street in WL, there were no bike lanes to be found. However, with mostly wide streets or four lanes of traffic, I never felt like I needed to be anywhere else but the right lane. I’m starting to think that it’s better that way.

After crossing the river, it was the normal trip through the village and campus areas and on home.

Miles Ridden: 20.3