In Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Mathew
Broderick says plenty of memorable lines. My favorite — “Life moves pretty
fast. If you don't stop and look around once and a while, you could miss it.”
Therein
lies the problem with living a 65-mph life — passing entire cities filled with
various communities and their landmarks and missing so much. That’s
why I enjoy riding a bike. There’s no better way to get somewhere and soak up
your surroundings.
I’ve been fortunate to explore several cities and towns
across the country on two wheels. I’ve had my fair share of flats while
spinning around the desert landscapes of Arizona and West Texas. I’ve shivered
while wearing extra layers on my morning commute along the Rock River in
Rockford, Ill. I’ve cruised around Crawford hoping to run into the then-POTUS
(no luck). All of these rides — the route, the sites, the smells (good and bad)
and points in between A and B — are etched in my mind
Two
weekends ago I added a new but familiar route. Inspired by Lance Armstrong’s
“Tour de Plano,” I set out on a “Tour de Garland.” Why
Garland? It’s simple — like Lance, I chose my hometown. I wanted to revisit
some places I loved growing up, see how the landscape has changed and take
advantage of scarce traffic and wide roads through central and south Garland
(though I recommend non-seasoned cyclists not attempt my path). Unlike Lance, I
didn’t tweet while cycling. But I kept mental notes, took some pictures and
wrote 140 characters (or less) for each. I hope you enjoy the Tour de Garland
and I hope you plan on going to Sept. 12’s Tour de neighborsgo!
The
route: Garland Road is a great, straight shot from White Rock. It’s rough in
spots but barren at 7 a.m. on Sundays.
Hypermart:
Opened in ’87, Wal-Mart’s 1st foray into Supercenters; it was massive (twice
the size of SCs); made me insane, not hyper.
Sign o’
the times: Such a classic sign. This ranks up there with the Sigel’s sign.
Unfortunately
the aforementioned sign’s purpose is lost. I bought a lot of funky clothes at this thrifter.
Larry
Morgan’s store was Speirs Music Co. when I first started playing 17 years ago.
I bought four basses there, and I still own three of them.
Zoo
Music: Next door to the closed Larry Morgan’s. Not as huge or chaotic as its Dallas location.
Garland
High School: I didn’t go there, but I think it’s the coolest looking high
school in GISD. I’m a sucker for Spanish tile!
Downtown:
It’s more vibrant these days. I have mixed emotions on mixed-used dvlpmnts
cropping up in G-town. I scraped much skin skating here.
The
Corner Pocket: Sammiches, baked potatoes and custard galore … and a pretty cool
mural (below).
Hubbard’s
Cupboard: A Garland original well known for its mile-high pie and wait staff.
Plaza
Theatre: Retro-futuro landmark that is getting decent use these days. I always
hoped it’d show art films.
Roach
Feed & Seed: I’ve never gone in, but I can tell you that Roach is a family
name so you’ll have to find insect food elsewhere.
Love
Blooms: Was THE place to get all those flower needs for homecoming & other
dances.
Axe
Memorial UMC: Lots of good memories of youth group, lock-ins, and playing VBS
& assorted shows with The SGA at the ol’ Sombrero.
Mystery
Machine: Scooby Doo is still my all-time fave cartoon. I would cherish owning
this van I saw parked behind a home on Colonel Drive.
South
Garland High School West Gymnasium: Tornado ripped the first west gym; I saw
some epic hoops teams play here.
The
Forest at Duck Creek Apartments: Legend has it this statue was made to honor a
young skateboarder who died in an accident.
LOOKING
FOR A GROUP
The
Dallas-Fort Worth area is loaded with cycling groups and clubs. There’s a good
chance that there’s at least one in your community. These clubs not only
introduce cyclists to each other, they are an excellent resource for learning
about local trails and roads that are most bike-friendly. Most groups
have a variety of scheduled rides with experience levels ranging from beginner
to advanced/expert. There are membership fees for each club; however, the
groups generally are open to prospective club members taking a few spins before
they shell out the dues.
Following
are a few of the several groups in the area. Take a look and see if any are up
your alley.
·
Carrollton Cycling Club: This is a fairly laid-back group of cyclists. It’s Web
site mentions that it’s not a racers group, though they’re welcome to come
along for the social rides. carrolltoncycling.com
· Farmers
Branch Cycling Club: This group is perfect for cyclists who are just getting
used to road riding. In addition to group rides, it organizes classes
specifically for newbies who need a bit of assistance in getting up to “club”
speed. farmersbranchcycling.com
· Texas
Flyers: Most of the group’s rides are in Lewisville, Flower Mound and Southern
Denton County. I highly recommend the Saturday social ride. texasflyers.org
· Greater
Dallas Bicyclists: If it’s not the largest group in the region it’s close. Tons
of rides, tons of people, tons of fun. greaterdallasbicyclists.com
· Plano
Bike Association: Another sizeable group that has an impressive number of
Saturday/Sunday ride options for weekend warriors. planobicycle.org
· Frisco
Cycling Club: This group is focused on its community and all aspects of cycling
— from track racing to commuting, road riding to mountain biking. … Sharing passion
for cycling and knowledge is what this group’s all about. friscocycling.com
(more)
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