Chase Jernigan

I never knew Chase Jernigan, but for three years he's been on my mind briefly on almost all my 2 hour rides. The reason for this is that on the two hour ride I always pass a cross erected in his memory, against a tree, about halfway into my ride. It went up about three years ago, with fresh flowers and notes left around it. Based on the dates he was in high school, and probably hit the tree with his car and died. What the cause was on a straight road, I don't know. Was he wearing a seat belt? Probably not, but I don't know that either. Maybe a drunk driver hit his car. The facts I do not know. I only see the roadside memorial, A simple cross, painted white that someone made.

They say you never recover from the death of a child. That is probably true. I don't know if Chase's parents lived nearby, and I imagine it would be unsettling to drive by that cross every week.

It wasn't there yesterday. Taken down by either the family or the city, who is complying with some recent state and federal guidelines that are removing these memorials which have sprung up along side our highways in the last few decades.

I won't miss seeing the cross, although I doubt I will forget it.

Gray day continues. 2 hours. 66 degrees.

Weekend of 6 hours exercise was all I needed.