biking adventures...

woo hoo! i'm so in love with biking. on friday, i biked to the west side, and i went all the way down the hudson river bikeway. ;) this first picture is where i joined the trail - on the other side of the river there is new jersey. at this entryway there was a little pier, and i biked over onto it - where i enjoyed a beautiful view of the river and of one of the most amazing cities in the world. i
couldn't believe that i call this place home, and i was just in awe of the "grandness" of the buildings behind me. i prayed for the city - once i prayed with my friend and spiritual partner that God would make New York City a place known to the world as a "city of God." we had a lot of trouble having faith that this could actually happen at the time - and i still do, but i think God wants me to persist in asking, so i do. Lord, bring Revival!
as I walked away from the pier, i saw a rotting... something. at once point, perhaps that, too, had been a grand masterpiece. we are created in God's image, and we - that is, man - has the ability to create really magnificent things. however, it struck me as i stared at that thing that
when things with life - which God has created - die and rot, they have a power that a man-made object will never have - the power of life. a seed falls to the ground and dies - but from it a plant or even a tree can grow! a building falls and is destroyed, and then what? nothing. it's just a pile of rubble. o God, forgive my arrogance - for all the times i think i am so able, so skilled, so great. God, You give, and You take away. You, alone, are the giver of life. You, Lord, alone, are worthy of praise!
i biked and biked and biked and i ended up at the World Financial Center, where my friend works. we got to spend a very brief 10 minutes together, but i was so happy to see her - and to be able to see her in her work setting. thank You, Lord, for all the grace we share. :) God, we submit our dream to You - Lord, may it please You! :) then i went further down and went to the southern-most tip of manhattan. i took a picture there of the view (see the bottom-most picture below) - and headed straight for c-town, where i bought way too many groceries and biked back up to good old ues. :)

i love these bicycle stoplights. of course, i totally ignored them and just crossed the streets at my own will, but it's such a cute concept. :) i smiled everytime i passed by one!

i love manhattan. i never thought i'd say that, but i do. i'm really going to miss it next year...

i made it to the Southern-most tip of Manhattan! :)

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then this morning - well, it was supposed to have occasional thunderstorms throughout the day, but i looked outside and i wasn't convinced. plus, i just wanted to ride. so i got on my bike and went for a 3.5+ hour ride. i again went to the west side, but this time i headed north. i was determined to make it across the GW bridge - which, with some excess detours ;) i was able to find my way and complete my dream. i really also wanted to bike in the palisades national park, but i got to the other side of the bridge, and i biked up the road for a short distance - but then i thought, "this is crazy! i have no idea where i'm going, how long it's going to take to get there, etc. etc. i have no food, no lock for my bike, and only like 12 oz of water!" sooo, i turned back around. the view from the bridge was AMAZING, though. of course, i got off, and crazy me, i was determined to make it to the northernmost tip of the island. of course, as fate would have it, maybe about half-a-mile shy of the tip the bike path ends. i was intended to try and make it there anyway (there's a park which you have to do a little searching for), but i just followed all these arrow and signs and bike paths, and before i knew it, i was back on a different pathway - hooray! i biked and biked, and i thought, "what!? how could i only be at 145th? the GW bridge is in the high 170s!) yes, yes, somehow i followed the signs right onto the HARLEM river bikeway and was already heading home. thank God - He knew that i wasn't able to set limits for myself, so He did it for me. so i biked south, down into the park, and the along 5th ave all the way home. :) i got home around 11:45am. very hungry. and very tired. i'm beginning to believe that if i want to keep taking these long long trips i need to invest in some gloves and some biking clothes... ;)

i loved the bike path - it reminded me so much of the Charles River-walk back home in Boston.

the GW bridge - woo hoo! i took the North walkway because the South one was closed. yay - more reasons to go back again! :)

View of Manhattan from the GW bridge

View of the Palasaides National Park (NJ) from the GW bridge

YAY! :)

it's 1:32pm - i just finished this blog, and guess what? it's raining!!! ;) hee hee - Lord, You are TOO good to me... ;)

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last night, i fell asleep to this song - i am covered by the Holy Spirit! ;)

Great Light of the World (Bebo Norman)

Sometimes at night, I am afraid
I cover my eyes,cover my shame
So here in the dark, broken apart
Come with your light and fill up my heart

Oh great light of the world, fill up my soul
I'm half a man here
So come make me whole
Oh great light of the world, come to impart
The light of your grace
To fill up my heart

The wind of this world can push us around
Folding us up, backing us down
But here in the dark I'm not alone
So come with your strength and carry me home