The Perfect Meld of Human and Machine

My wife deserves all the credit for the contents of the post, since she has been the inspiration for everything it contains. As some of you MAY have noticed, Amber is a little green-conscious. I have said before and say it again: I greatly admire her for this, and for the changes she has brought about in our family to make us more earth-friendly. To name a few: we have a garden and have begun to eat food we have grown; we recycle more and throw away less, including re-using containers and making our own cleaning solutions; we use reusable grocery bags; we use cloth diapers (except at night and as occasion warrants); we (ok...my wife) buy local when we have a choice; we (ok...my wife) dry the clothes on a clothes line as often as possible; and, the one which is the subject of this post, we both have bikes and a trailer for the kids, and use use them for transportation instead of the car whenever possible.

The best pic we have of Jason's bike

I must admit that when my wife first suggested that we buy bicycles and use them instead of the car, my gut reaction was something like: "What a hassle. Who do I have to blame for putting this garbage in my wife's head?" Masking my inward doubts, as the ever supportive husband, I agreed without giving any hint of my reservations (at least I think that is the way it came off - don't tell my wife I fooled her). Little did I know how much I would love riding. And mind you, I don't use the word "love" lightly here. I ride to and from school and work everyday (between 10 and 28 miles a day depending on where I am working that day); I take it to run errands (if what I am getting will fit on my bike); and have ridden to and from church for the last month or so. I actually feel a twinge of disappointment when we/I go someplace and have to take the car; on Friday I drove in the car for the first time in three weeks-ish, and literally felt disoriented and car sick the whole time. The same thing happened on Saturday and Tuesday when I also had to get in the blasted thing.

This is how Jason feels about his bike!

If you are like I was, and are hesitant to give the car keys a break, let me list a few of the major benefits. 1) We are a one car family so now Amber can have the car when she needs it (which indeed she often does because we cannot take the kids everywhere in tow....sometimes its just not safe). 2) Riding a bicycle doesn't pollute. 3) Gas is over $4 a gallon; riding is free. 4) Its great exercise; I have lost 15-20 pounds in the last couple of months (that's sort-of a guess because I was getting so heavy before that our scale broke; what I do know is that clothes which didn't used to require a belt now won't stay up - not even close - without one) and have some definition to my legs for the first time in...a while. 5) I feel happier. 6) I feel like a part of my community in a way which I wouldn't have predicted and cannot really describe...perhaps because I am connecting with others who bike-it.

I could go on, but you might consider my other reasons trite. I will say however, that even though their are cons to riding everywhere...none of them seem to matter: I don't mind being hot and sweaty when I get places because I will cool off in 15 minutes (and sometimes have on a clean pair of clothes) and because I got there on my own steam. I don't mind it taking a little longer to get places because it doesn't really take that much longer (you would be surprised how fast you can get around). I don't even really mind the occasional flat tire (I had my first today...thanks for stopping to help Dave) because...well...I didn't' really feel like a biker until I had one (consider it an initiation into the club); it also felt nice to be able to stop on the side of the road, fix my bike, and be on my way again. I am not even bothered by the occasional mindless ignoramuses who yell out "get a car" (or other things which I won't repeat) as they speed past me, exhaust billowing out their tail pipe; they are the ones who don't get it. Buy a bike I say! Stop putting the pedal to the metal and just start pedaling!

To track our success in using our bicycles whenever possible (and maybe to indulge just a little in my excitement for my newfound mode of transportation). I am going to start tracking on the side bar how many miles we put on our bicycles and how many we put on the car. My plan is to do a day by day for each week for Myself alone, Amber alone, and for when we go someplace as a family. Mind you this is NOT a competition between myself and Amber; our situations are very different. It's just a way for each of us to see how we are doing individually and as a family. We also thought others might find it interesting.

Jason was very excited - at least it seemed to me, to start biking it. He went through many hours of looking for a bike. The first one was fine but I can see such a difference in how he feels about biking with his second one. The first one he would grip about, the second one he raves about (all the time!!! it's a little over the top but don't tell him that :)

So a few "keys" to biking-it 1) find a bike you LOVE 2) figure out the best times of day to run errands 3) map out the best biking roads - some just are not safe! 4) live as close to the center of town as you can - the closer you are to your everyday stops the more you will be motivated to bike it instead 5) lastly, make sure your bike is adjusted correctly and has the proper air pressure, brakes that catch can really influence your love/hate relationship with your bike - we can both attest to that.

(comments in red are Amber's)