Green Paige

Entry #9

Where have I been?  I am embarassed to say, not on my bike.  As the brisk autumn breezes turned to snow, I found it more and more difficult to motivate myself to ride my bike to work.  Finally, about a month ago, I put my bike on the rack and my Burley in the garage.  I haven’t even looked at them since.

Out of sight but not out of mind.  Even if I haven’t been biking, I have been reading about biking.  It was in the latest edition of Bicycling magazine that I found this interesting piece of news: 

“The Bicycle Commuter Act has been signed into law.  The measure was recently passed as part of the 451-page Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008–known as the $700 billion bailout bill.  Businesses will receive a montly $20 tax credit for every employee who rides to work, which they can use to reimburse those workers.”

I thought to myself, “An extra $20 a month to ride to work is a little bit of motivation.  Maybe I could find more reasons to convince my cold and weary self to get on my bike and ride through the snow.”  Here is what I came up with:

1. It’s a great way to work off the weight I am gaining by indulging in all those holiday treats.
2. It’s still faster than driving and I don’t have to worry about limited parking spaces once I get to work.
3. It gives me time to de-stress from work before I get home.
4. It saves me money and is the most environmentally friendly form of transportation I know of.
5. I like it.  I really do enjoy riding my bike regardless of the weather.

For more motivation, visit Ice Bike or share your own compelling reasons for bike commuting in the winter with us by posting a comment. 

Entry #7

Ten Lame Reasons Why I am Not Riding My Bike To Work More

No excuses,  right?  Wrong! I have plenty of lame, poor and bad reasons why I have not been riding lately.  Here are my top 10:

1. The beautiful Fall weather is best viewed through dirty car windows.
2. If I ride too much, I will have incredible sexy legs that will make Lance Armstrong jealous.
3. I fear that my brightly colored safety vest is making the repairs to the Hubble space telescope more challenging for astronauts.
4. If I win a free 50lb. pumpkin at work, I would not be able to carry it home on my bicycle.
5. I enjoy wiping the dew off the car windshield each morning.
6. Car exhaust is really not that bad smelling.
7. Riding on top of dry leaves makes loud, annoying, crackling noises.
8. Driving to work allows me to view the latest political bumper stickers.
9. I might miss Dancing with the Stars.
10. The smell of crisp Fall mornings with a hint of dew can’t replace the stale, plastic smell of the inside of my car.

Needless to say, I really have no good reasons.  Tomorrow, I will put the power to the pedal (as in bicycle pedal) and commute to work.  What are your real or imagined reasons for not bicycling to work?

Thanks,  Ba Ba

Entry #6 

I had another minor accomplishment with my bicycle commute today.  I took my daughter to school in the bike trailer, then made my normal commute to work.  It doesn’t sound like much but I estimate that I accomplished four things:

1. Both my daughter and I had a relaxing ride in the fresh air which is a wonderful way to start the day. 
2. I saved fuel.
3. I saved time.
4. I saved my sanity by not having to deal with traffic or finding a parking space.

Much like my commute to work, I discovered that the route to her school via the bike and trailer involved only one traffic light when we left the bike path and crossed the street.  When we take our car it includes eight traffic lights, congestion in the parking lot since spaces are limited and far more stress.  What a difference.

The highlight of the journey came when I was escorting my daughter into class.  As I held the front door open for a mom and three preschoolers, one of the young girls stopped and looked me over head to toe.  I was dressed in my new, highly reflective  safety vest  and helmet.   Looking puzzled she asked, “Are you a fireman?”

I smiled and explained how I commute to work and school on a bicycle and that while I am riding, I want to be sure that I am highly visible to the people who are driving their cars and trucks.  I was waiting for her to ask, “Does it work?” but she never did.

Fortunately, I have not had any “close calls” as of yet.   I assume this is because:

• I use the city bike trails most of the time.  We are fortunate to have well maintained bike trails throughout our city.
• I make sure that I am wearing highly visible clothing like my safety vest.   
• I am a careful rider obeying all the traffic laws. 

If the only downside of this is that 3-year olds mistake me for a fireman or a member of a road construction crew then I am a pretty lucky man.

Happy riding.

- BaBa

Entry #5

While I was riding to work this week, I began to notice something strange.  About a third of the riders I encountered had wires protruding from their ears.  Some of these devices were tiny ear buds and at least one that I saw was a pair of full noise canceling head phones that airline passengers wear.  I imagine these wired bicyclists were plugged into iPods, MP3 players or maybe even FM radio.  I couldn’t help wondering what they were listening to - NPR? Obama’s nomination acceptance speech?  The audio recording of “Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows?”  Something must keep their attention and interest or were they simply looking for an alternative to listening to…silence? Nature? The world around them?

Not being sophisticated enough to have my music loaded into an MP3 player,  I go for the natural preference.  On one commute this week I listened, carefully, and this is what I heard:

• Wind  -  The simple, soothing whisper of wind rushing by my ears.  No beat or lyrics but it was nice none the less.  It changed in volume and tone as I moved faster, slower or turned my head.
• Wild Life  -  The stereophonic sounds of crickets singing, the occasional quack of a duck and the caw of the crow.
• People  -  Friendly greetings from an older woman with over-sized, white glasses and a large brimmed orange hat, the occasional “on your left” of other cyclists in much better shape passing me by…on my left, kids laughing as they play on the school’s playground and the musical “tings” of a neighborhood wind chime.
• The City  -  Occasional industrial sounds: a jack hammer, a car in desperate need of a new muffler and the hum of traffic as I cross a busy intersection.  The first dry leaf of Fall that somehow ended up in the street, rustles behind a car as if pulled by a invisible string.
• Dogs  -  “Conversations” of the dogs in the kennel that I pass.  I imagine what breed of dogs are barking to each other. What are they saying? I will need to watch “Lady and the Tramp” to brush up on the language of barking .

I have discovered that with a stressful job and a busy home with children, it helps to wind down with the silence that comes from my morning and afternoon commute.  Silence peppered with the sounds I have described.  Time to think and relax.  All I need is to tune my ears to the silence and the sounds and of course make sure my batteries are charged.

Do you wear headphones?  Do you feel wearing headphones while you bike commute is a safe practice or do you worry that your tunes might be blocking out the warning honk of a turning car or the siren of a speeding emergency vehicle? Let me hear from you.

Thanks,  Ba Ba

BaBa’s Bike Journal

Entry #4

My bike commute last week was disappointing.  Between work expectations that require that I drive my car and the in-laws visiting for Labor Day weekend, I only bike commuted one day.

My newest challenge seems to be finding balance.  I am not talking about literal balance but finding a good balance of time that allows me to ride everyday.  I have a job that requires me to get out to visit other locations at least once, if not twice a week.  This can be challenging, although not impossible, to do on a bike.  I am discovering that it takes planning. 

“Plan your work, work your plan.”

Oh, if our modern lifestyle were that simple.  Yet I try this practically daily.  I also find the earlier I get up, the better my day goes because I have time to plan my time.  So maybe there is some wisdom around

“Early to bed, early to rise…helps to get a bicycle commuter out the door and on his/her way,”

or something like that.

How do you balance your desire or need to ride and still get everything done?  Please comment and let me know.

-BaBa

BaBa’s Bike Journal

Entry #3 

I am finding that the one aspect of bike commuting I dislike is the wardrobe change at the beginning and end of my work day.  Either I am changing in the cold, dirty men’s bathroom or I am ducking under my desk with the lights off in my office hoping no one squints through the window.  I feel like I am committing some sort of crime or obscene act.

Then there is my biking wardrobe.  Currently, I am sporting old, paint-splotched grey sweats, a long-sleeve shirt (even in 90 degree weather, as I will sun burn,) sun glasses, a nondescript grey helmet and white shoes.  Compared to the cyclists I pass on my way to work, I am the dumpiest dressed cyclist in the city.

I have to admit that I am not spandex material.  Me wearing spandex would be the equivalent of someone like Jimmy Kimmel wearing a sling-shot thong on a Florida beach.  It just would not work for my body right now.  I need to find something in between my dumpy sweats and the Lance Armstrong look. 

Any suggestions?

BaBa

BaBa’s Bike Journal

Entry #2

I noticed something unique on my ride home from work today.  It was “rush” hour in our small city of 150K and I was amazed by the amount of traffic. I found it interesting that I had not noticed the volume of vehicles on the road during my old car commute. I had almost expected to get home and hear news of some impending disaster causing everyone to flee the city.  I love how bike commuting makes you slow down and notice the world around you.  When you are commuting in your car, it’s like being in an air-conditioned bubble. 

Something else I noticed were the BUGS.  Yes I said bugs…flying across the bike path.  Perhaps they too received word of an impending disaster and decided to flee their homes and make a run for it.  For the squeamish, don’t worry, no bugs made their way into my mouth.  However, I did find that their little bodies were continually ricocheting off my helmet and bouncing off my face.  I even found myself weaving to avoid the larger ones. Who would have figured that bugs would bug me this much?

Comment and let me know how you deal with the bug problem during your bike commute.    Thanks.  BaBa    

BaBa’s Bike Journal - August 19, 2008

Day 1

I dusted off my bike and climbed aboard.   It was a perfect commute to work and it only took me 15 minutes.  What a change from driving.  I went through two traffic lights biking but when I drive to work I go through eight lights.  Thank goodness for the great bike trails we have here.  My bike commute time is faster than driving.

I do have to say that I feel a little sore.  When I think about it, it’s been almost two months since I have ridden my bike.  I know the commute will come easier with practice.  My plan is to commute to work every day.

Even though I am physically sore, I feel great mentally.   I am not only doing something for “The” environment and “My” environment (aka, my body with it’s surplus of fat) but I am slowing down and giving myself time to think and de-stress.  I feel happy and relaxed.

My goals for this week:

1. Bike Every Day
2. Make a Rain Poncho (for wet weather)
3. Air Up My Tires (which involves finding my tire pump)
4. Make a Reflective Vest (for those overcast days)

Please comment and let me know how you are doing with your own bike commuting challenge.  Thanks.

BaBa

For tips on safe and enjoyable bicycle commuting, check out Bike Commute.

This summer, a local bike shop in our city sponsored an essay contest.  In 500 words or less, commuters were challenged to explain why they were tired of driving and would like to use a bicycle as their main form of transportation.  Rather than rewarding people who already ride their bikes, the contest was designed to help recruit new members into the bicycling lifestyle.

The prizes for the winners were Trek 7.2 FX bicycles plus a rack with panniers and front and rear lights.  Each package was worth about $700. The prizes came with a commitment, though.  Winners were asked to pledge to use their new bikes for all trips less than 2 miles and to keep a blog for one month about how the change had affected their lives.

Even though my husband didn’t take up the literary challenge, he did take up the physical challenge.  He has decided to make his own vow to commute with his old, used bike that he bought from a friend for all trips under 2 miles.  He also agreed to post a bike journal for every day he commutes via bike to see how it affects his life and our family’s.  Our daughter has dubbed this new section of our blog - BaBa’s Bike Journal.

If you would like to take up the challenge with BaBa or have comments about your own experiences with bike commuting, please feel free to comment.