\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tBicycling With Marlene\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\tBICYCLING WITH MARLENE<\/h2>\n
In 2012, when Marlene Litton Almaroad and I were young and spry she decided she wanted to go bicycle riding. So she called one day, and I was all gung-ho. Yes, let\u2019s go. The thing about doing anything with Marlene is, she always does the thinking and the planning. And it is always a good plan. She wanted to start out riding all around Johnston City, our old homes and haunts.<\/p>\n
We started our first trip in June of 2012, at Jefferson School. Then we rode further north to Davis Street past where she lived when she was young. Next we came back south and rode out on Prosperity Road. All our lives it seems we walked or rode on Prosperity Road, either visiting friends or going to 4-H at the Stritzel\u2019s. By this time we are getting hungry which meant lunch at Andresen\u2019s. Back in the saddle, we headed to Johnston City Lake before going back to town by the home where she grew up and that of her grandmother.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\nHere is Marlene in front of the house where she grew up, stopping for lunch at Andresen\u2019s, and Marlene at the lake.<\/em><\/p>\nWe rode all over town then made it by my old house. West Broadway was JCHS Road. If you started where T-Mo\u2019s is today, you would go by Connie and Johnny Murphy\u2019s, Jansco\u2019s, Rusty Wiseman\u2019s, Tommy Heiser\u2019s, Virginia Gamble\u2019s, Mike Snow\u2019s, Ronnie Shelton\u2019s, Tommy Thomas\u2019s, my house, Maxine Pyle\u2019s, then the Kuhnke\u2019s. One road to the north, I think 8th<\/sup> St., in a five block stretch, you start with John Imhoff\u2019s, then Randy Brymer, Marsha Brymer, Paula Hicks, the McDaniels, Zola Williams, to Rhonda Murman. Sometimes when I go through town I have fun telling Larry who lived in all the houses. You knew them all back then. And now we are all gone. I can\u2019t figure out why we only had less than a hundred in each class. Some of these families were big.<\/p>\nWhen we got to my house, they were totally remodeling. So Marlene said, \u201cLet\u2019s go tell them you used to live here and see if they will let us see what they are doing.\u201d I was skeptical, but they actually let us look around. Lots of changes for the better. And even now, I have noticed they are building on.<\/p>\n
Marlene had all the gadgets. Her odometer said we did twenty miles that day.<\/p>\n
Then she got courageous. I think she was researching places to ride. So she called and said, \u201cLet\u2019s do the Tunnel Hill Trail.\u201d So on July 21, we drove to Karnak and parked the car in a little park. We always took Marlene\u2019s car because she had a bike carrier on the back. Then we pedaled to Vienna to another little park right near the lights. When I was in Mr. Wales\u2019s Biology class, this is the same spot my mom and I stopped to get some insects for the class collection requirement. We rested, must have eaten and had a little to drink. That was fifteen miles. Then we started back the way we came and included the Karnak Spur on to the Cache River. That was our first thirty mile trip. You can tell by the pictures that we took a lot of breaks on lots of bridges.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\nMarlene on a drink break and me in front of the tunnel.<\/em><\/p>\nThat tunnel was not pleasant. It was so dark I lost my bearings and couldn\u2019t tell how near I was to the side until my knuckles hit the wall. I was trying to keep my eye on the end light, but it didn\u2019t help. Somebody else told me they had the same problem, maybe Roger. If it wasn\u2019t you Rog, sorry.<\/p>\n
In August, 2012, we rode the other half of the trail, from Vienna to New Burnsides and back again. Another thirty. Another trip full of beauty as you can see in the next picture. So far we were doing a trip a month. These pictures remind me that Marlene, as she would start to snap a shot, would always tell me, \u201cBig smile.\u201d Sometimes I would, sometimes I wouldn\u2019t remember. She kept telling me this all the way through Greece, too!<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
Here is Marlene in front of the house where she grew up, stopping for lunch at Andresen\u2019s, and Marlene at the lake.<\/em><\/p>\n We rode all over town then made it by my old house. West Broadway was JCHS Road. If you started where T-Mo\u2019s is today, you would go by Connie and Johnny Murphy\u2019s, Jansco\u2019s, Rusty Wiseman\u2019s, Tommy Heiser\u2019s, Virginia Gamble\u2019s, Mike Snow\u2019s, Ronnie Shelton\u2019s, Tommy Thomas\u2019s, my house, Maxine Pyle\u2019s, then the Kuhnke\u2019s. One road to the north, I think 8th<\/sup> St., in a five block stretch, you start with John Imhoff\u2019s, then Randy Brymer, Marsha Brymer, Paula Hicks, the McDaniels, Zola Williams, to Rhonda Murman. Sometimes when I go through town I have fun telling Larry who lived in all the houses. You knew them all back then. And now we are all gone. I can\u2019t figure out why we only had less than a hundred in each class. Some of these families were big.<\/p>\n When we got to my house, they were totally remodeling. So Marlene said, \u201cLet\u2019s go tell them you used to live here and see if they will let us see what they are doing.\u201d I was skeptical, but they actually let us look around. Lots of changes for the better. And even now, I have noticed they are building on.<\/p>\n Marlene had all the gadgets. Her odometer said we did twenty miles that day.<\/p>\n Then she got courageous. I think she was researching places to ride. So she called and said, \u201cLet\u2019s do the Tunnel Hill Trail.\u201d So on July 21, we drove to Karnak and parked the car in a little park. We always took Marlene\u2019s car because she had a bike carrier on the back. Then we pedaled to Vienna to another little park right near the lights. When I was in Mr. Wales\u2019s Biology class, this is the same spot my mom and I stopped to get some insects for the class collection requirement. We rested, must have eaten and had a little to drink. That was fifteen miles. Then we started back the way we came and included the Karnak Spur on to the Cache River. That was our first thirty mile trip. You can tell by the pictures that we took a lot of breaks on lots of bridges.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Marlene on a drink break and me in front of the tunnel.<\/em><\/p>\n That tunnel was not pleasant. It was so dark I lost my bearings and couldn\u2019t tell how near I was to the side until my knuckles hit the wall. I was trying to keep my eye on the end light, but it didn\u2019t help. Somebody else told me they had the same problem, maybe Roger. If it wasn\u2019t you Rog, sorry.<\/p>\n In August, 2012, we rode the other half of the trail, from Vienna to New Burnsides and back again. Another thirty. Another trip full of beauty as you can see in the next picture. So far we were doing a trip a month. These pictures remind me that Marlene, as she would start to snap a shot, would always tell me, \u201cBig smile.\u201d Sometimes I would, sometimes I wouldn\u2019t remember. She kept telling me this all the way through Greece, too!<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n