• bicycles,  bicycling,  Transportation

    New Wheels

    So I purchased some new wheels, a Class 1 electric bicycle. I have been thinking about one for a while but never seriously did anything about it, allowing it to remain a fantasy. It has been a part of the idea of simplifying my life and reducing my carbon footprint. I was also highly influenced by a book titled Curbing Traffic that was recommended to me by one of the baristas at a coffee shop. Over the past few years I have driven my car less , using the city’s mass transit and walking. I primarily use my car as an escape from the city, bulky groceries, traveling longer distances or when cold, or inclimate weather convinces me to take the car.

    On the advice of a friend and since I had never ridden one, I decided I would take one out for a test ride. Fortunately or unfortunately, it was love at first ride. I handed them my credit card when I got back. I even liked the color! 😁 I made the purchase on August 9th and have already ridden over 200 miles with it. Hopefully, over the next few weeks I’ll share with you information about how it’s working out for me and what I’m learning. So far everything is positive, almost feeling like a kid again. Even though I’ve ridden bicycles throughout my life, this is turning out to be a new experience. I’m 74 years old and wondered if I was too old for this; primarily my strength, balance and reaction time. I am also discovering that an e-bike rides differently, so there are plenty of lessons to learn. Pedaling on….

  • fountain pens,  journal,  musings,  writing/reading

    A Shift in the Universe

    I finished reading this book about a week ago. It took me several weeks to read it as I needed to verify a lot of the information they presented, which really turned out to be a good exercise. The authors describe themselves as urban mobility advocates, and they live such a life. What was provided was helpful in my understanding of how our country is so automobile centered in both how we live life and how we build our cities. This couple moved from Canada to the lowlands of South Holland, a country that has been in transition from automobile dependency to mass transit, bicycle and walking infrastructure since the 1970s. What they and Holland propose would require changes many in the US would resist. I’m not sure how I discovered their book, this is their second book, nor why I bought it. Maybe a major shift in the universe. Maybe it’s because I watch 75-100 cars pass while I wait at the bus-stop, each with one person in them, and this is during a 5 minute wait. I’ll write more about this later as I have a few thoughts that need formed and writing is a way for me to work them out. Hope you had a good weekend!