July 2018
Sundays, according to me are the bleakest of all the seven days in a week. While I can’t seem to find the reason why I feel so, it is definitely not the fact that I need to return to work on Monday as most would expect. To battle the boredom, I decided one Sunday during early 2018 that I will take my bike and ride through Bryan-College Station, exploring a different area every time.
For my first such ride, I went all the way to Lake Bryan. I am sure that this is one of the most popular retreats for Aggies. But watching the sunrise after the satisfying bike ride seemed different from a normal evening visit and gave me more than enough strength to ride back home. Another Sunday, I went to the Briarcrest park on Villa Maria road. During my trips to Bryan, I noticed that the streets and boulevards of Bryan are filled with trees and greenery making it my choice over College Station for cycling. Part of this bias is due to the gaudy urban vibe Northgate (where I live and work) exudes. But I was wrong. I was yet to explore the bike trails in the parks of College Station.
My first ride in College Station was to the Bee Creek park. There is also another park adjacent to Bee Creek by the name of Lemontree. Both are connected along a trail. This is the place to be if one yearns for forest and woods. As you go deeper into the trail, the scene turns greener. The water stream along the trail made the ride even better. This place also had tennis courts and swimming pool. A couple of weeks ago, I went to research park situated on the west campus. It was one of the most beautiful places in College Station with several small ponds and a lot of ducks. The view near the main bridge was soothing and the sound of water streams made me oblivious to everything else. There are other places such as Wolf Pen Creek park, Lick Creek park and Pebble Creek park (the last two are a little away from the town but are great for cycling). With most of Bryan/College Station area covered, I hope to explore other parks and forests around Brazos county in the future
The resolution I made to explore the town on bike has paid off well - now I know every nook and cranny in the area but most importantly I have an interesting hobby and do not feel melancholic on Sundays anymore. Consider exploring BCS area on bike if you are a cycling enthusiast. And do it early morning as you can avoid traffic and the heat during the day.
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Varuneswara Panyam
Varuneswara is a Ph.D. student in the College of Engineering studying Mechanical Engineering
For my first such ride, I went all the way to Lake Bryan. I am sure that this is one of the most popular retreats for Aggies. But watching the sunrise after the satisfying bike ride seemed different from a normal evening visit and gave me more than enough strength to ride back home. Another Sunday, I went to the Briarcrest park on Villa Maria road. During my trips to Bryan, I noticed that the streets and boulevards of Bryan are filled with trees and greenery making it my choice over College Station for cycling. Part of this bias is due to the gaudy urban vibe Northgate (where I live and work) exudes. But I was wrong. I was yet to explore the bike trails in the parks of College Station.
My first ride in College Station was to the Bee Creek park. There is also another park adjacent to Bee Creek by the name of Lemontree. Both are connected along a trail. This is the place to be if one yearns for forest and woods. As you go deeper into the trail, the scene turns greener. The water stream along the trail made the ride even better. This place also had tennis courts and swimming pool. A couple of weeks ago, I went to research park situated on the west campus. It was one of the most beautiful places in College Station with several small ponds and a lot of ducks. The view near the main bridge was soothing and the sound of water streams made me oblivious to everything else. There are other places such as Wolf Pen Creek park, Lick Creek park and Pebble Creek park (the last two are a little away from the town but are great for cycling). With most of Bryan/College Station area covered, I hope to explore other parks and forests around Brazos county in the future
The resolution I made to explore the town on bike has paid off well - now I know every nook and cranny in the area but most importantly I have an interesting hobby and do not feel melancholic on Sundays anymore. Consider exploring BCS area on bike if you are a cycling enthusiast. And do it early morning as you can avoid traffic and the heat during the day.
---
Varuneswara Panyam
Varuneswara is a Ph.D. student in the College of Engineering studying Mechanical Engineering