Texarkana and the Return of the “Deathmobile”

Not long ago I had the pleasure of going on a road trip to visit the in-laws. They live in Texarkana, both Texas and Arkansas, which is a leisurely 14 hour drive from our house. This is not a trip we make often, it is not a destination on a par with Disney, more like Bubba Gump.

I did not take a bike on this trip, I took my kayak instead. There was a bike carrier in the back of the truck just in case I found that “must have” treasure at a garage sale, but the kayak was more appropriate this trip. Cycling in northeast Texas is, well, different would be polite if maybe charitable. There is however an abundance of murky lakes that are perfect for slow boats like mine.

We visited the in-laws in California one year. They lived in the foothills of the coast range in northern California. One morning I had planned a nice long ride up into the mountains. I had a decent enough bike and a nice route planned out. Unfortunately my shoe delaminated and I was left without a way to actually ride the bike.

My father in law had a bike he salvaged from the junk yard. It was a black spray painted cruiser, KHS brand. It had wobbly white wall tires, longhorn handlebars and a coaster brake. Did I mention they lived in the foothills? This bike was aptly christened the “Deathmobile” due to it’s reluctance to either go in a straight line or stop. What with being up at dawn on a beautiful morning and having all set for a ride, I took my life in my hands and rode the Deathmobile into town. (Corning, CA pop 5000) I got myself a large coffee and rode around town at a very relaxing pace. I must admit I had a blast.

Fast forward back to Texarkana. My father in law passed away a couple of years ago and there are no more junkyard treasures to play with. Sitting around my mother in law’s house was starting to get to me. I had already fixed everything on the “honey-do” list and done way too many crossword puzzles. I looked through the window of her shed and saw...handlebars. Lo and behold, the Deathmobile was there. I trued the wheels to an acceptable degree of wobble and filled the tires with two cans of fix a flat. I straightened the handlebars and used a very liberal amount of WD-40.

The Deathmobile was back on the road. It doesn’t wobble quite like it used to and it steers pretty good now. I am a much better mechanic than I was at the first encounter. It still has braking issues. One must plan to stop, not slam on the coaster brake. It was still a most enjoyable ride. Up the road to the local park, a couple of laps of chasing ducks and scaring pedestrians, it was all fun. Usually I get up in the dark on Saturday mornings, ply myself with espresso, slather on sunscreen and drag my lycra covered butt out to do battle.

Change is good. The Deathmobile generates more pure joy to be riding than I have felt in a long time. Cruising along at coffee sipping speed instead of hanging on at warp speed is a nice change. It is nice enough I may start a new Sunday ride. One without lycra and gears. A Coffee Ride where you have to ride slow enough to drink coffee and carry on a conversation at the same time. Indeed, I am heading to the Pawnshop to price a cruiser in basic black, with a cup holder and a coaster brake.