It was Sunday afternoon and my sister and her husband and kids had left to go to the pool and I was alone.  After having taken a nap, I decided it was time to actually get out and do something….and bike riding was on the agenda. After all, I had lugged by bike all the way to Fall Creek Falls on the back of my Beetle.  Now it was the time to actually use it.

I set off to view the main water fall in the park – Fall Creek Falls – the park’s namesake.  Normally I would go with a group, but I have since found the scheduling with people can be difficult, as most of these rides are done on the fly.  Plus the folks I want to ride with were in a completely different camping area.

Riding went surprisingly easy.  Just a couple of weeks before I had spent 10 days in Europe and had walked alot.  I guess I was in good shape, albeit the muscles used in walking vs. bike riding are likely slightly different.

After cycling down the hill toward the lake and then up the bike trail to the overlook, I got to the viewing area of the falls.  I took a few photos with my camera phone.  I had decided to forego taking my large Nikon as I thought it would weigh me down. I really only took my phone in case I got stranded.

After viewing the Fall Creek Falls, I figured it would be good to ride up to Buzzard’s Roost, a picturesque area just up the hill in a one way scenic drive.  I had been introduced to Buzzard’s Roost about 25 years ago when I volunteered at my church’s summer camp which happened to take place at Fall Creek Falls.  Our youth minister at the time took a small group of kids up there.  And after that I could understand why he seemed to be very wary about having kids out on the ledge.  Past the viewing area there was no guardrail.  No chain link fence.  Just a ledge much like a Wile-E-Coyote vs. Road Runner cartoon.  “Kids, stay away from the ledge,” he would say.  We didn’t stay long.  Certainly not long enough for a devotional where kids could get restless and wander off.

Since then I had visited the site quite a few times.  Sometimes with friends from Lipscomb right before we were required to leave the dorms for the summer break.  Much of the time it was during this time with our annual Memorial Day church camping trip.

As I stood on the ledge I saw a buzzard gliding above, barely flapping it’s wings.  It must have been looking for food.  It was incredibly peaceful there.  I was away from the viewing platform and hidden from view due to brush.  I was the only one out on the ledge.  No one had bothered walking down the steps to the ledge to get a closer look.  I was content and at peace.

After several minutes at the Buzzard’s Roost I figured it was time to get back in time for supper.  I figured the one lane scenic drive curved around and eventually made it back to the main entrance.  I consulted Google Maps just in case.  Thankfully as of about 2 years ago they had built a cell phone tower at Fall Creek Falls which helps in situations like these.  It was inevitable anyways, no matter how much people like to disconnect on their camping vacation.  Data availability is always appreciated, and eventually you tend to forget that it was unavailable just a few years ago.

After several minutes of riding I eventually made it back to the campsite and had plenty of time before dinner was served.

It was a pleasant weekend with great weather and loads of memories.  I hope I’ll continue to be in shape for next years’ bike ride.  Maybe I’ll even find some friends to go with.