Thoughts about being car-free...

Day 11:

Last week was interesting, it being Holy Week, and a lot going on at church (7 miles from my house)- but I found that the evening schedule for the bus got me to the Mall (1.5 miles from the church) in plenty of time for me to unload my bike and pedal to the church in time for a 7pm service. Trip home was a reverse, since it was late, dark and with the new construction I didn't want to find myself with no where to ride on a busy highway! Easter Sunday, Luke and I met up with Jamie at the bus stop, and we used all 3 racks for our bikes (note to self- if time is an issue, and all 3 of us need to get to the church, we should meet at the transfer center and get our bikes on the racks before the bus starts its' route).

So far, my natural laziness is working to my advantage- instead of making the rounds of shopping destinations this weekend, I stayed close to home. Worked on some projects, went on a bike ride, etc. Restful and uneventful.

I have been pondering how to park my bike at private homes- most people do not provide bike racks, and would not welcome my bike in their house. What is the ettiquette surrounding this? I probably need to get a cable lock, so that I can get creative. I am hoping with our new Administration group at work, we may actually see some indoor bike parking! That would rock!
Took my dog, Pecos, to the vet this morning. Transport via my bike panniers. Poo loves to go on a bike ride, so you just toss him in and off we go the 1 mile to the vets' office- easy-peasy!

Stopped at Safeway last night after work to pick up a few things. As I was leaving, a fellow about 55 rolled up on a fully loaded touring bike. Turns out, he was from Silver City, NM on his way to Seattle. The 400 miles he had covered so far had taken him 6 days of "easy" riding- my calc says an average of 65 miles per day! Wow! He admired my bike (Mariah) and asked if I rode her a lot? I told him that I had recently sold my car, and would be riding more than ever. He told me that he had gone car-free in 1991, and encouraged me to give it a full year to see how viable it was for me- that things that seem to be a challenge in the beginning would work themselves out over time.

That is just what I had been thinking- don't commit to "forever"- that is pretty scary! But a year is very doable, and then go from there. I know that circumstances are really very favorable for me to do this right now, and I need to make adjustments and choices about how to shop, transport, and recreate close to home.