Philip Gatward/Getty Images
READ MORE ABOUT:
I love riding my bike: the only problem is, I hardly ever do it. I always think I'll take it to run errands, and then can't figure out how to get the dry cleaning home without wrinkling it. I intend to take it grocery shopping, and then need more than I can carry in a backpack, or don't want the Popsicles to melt. Dragging the bike up the steps from the basement is so much more work than walking out to my car. It's hot out. I'm short on time. I am just full of excuses.
But in the interest of using less gas this week, I force myself to get out my wheels and do two simple chores: return library books and stop at the grocery store for just a few small items. Then I get Mike to go with me so I can't wimp out at the last minute. By the time he gets home from work, and we pump up the bike tires, and find our helmets, we're off to a late start, but it's perfect riding weather, with a nice breeze and minimal bugs.
I am a not-aggressive rider in a town full of extremely aggressive drivers, so we take the tree-lined back roads to the library, and then on to the grocery store. It's a beautiful ride and incredibly relaxing after a day of sitting in front of the computer. The supermarket parking lot—which is cramped and nearly impossible to navigate in my car—is almost pleasant on bikes. The only problem we run into is the fading daylight; our late start means we ride home in the pitch dark, without any bicycle lights. But once we're finished, I'm so much calmer than after the times I take my car out. And the best news of all? The popsicles survived intact.
More about buying a bike:
BuyGreen: Small Wheel Folding Bikes
Bamboo Bike by Calfee Design
More about using a bike:
Car? What Car? Hauling Furniture by Bike
Take the 2 Mile Bicycle Challenge
Finding Safe, Easy Routes to Travel by Bike
More about storing a bike:
TreeHugger Picks: Bicycle Storage Options
Buy the Book!
Ready, Set, Green: Eight Weeks to Modern Eco-Living
Blythe Copeland is a freelancer writer living on Long Island. Read more about her foray into the green life in her previous columns as she follows the plan set out in the book Ready, Set, Green: Eight Weeks to Modern Eco-Living.
-
- {}
