Category Archives: Car-Free

Big Dummy

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Hauling Pet Supplies

Hauling Pet Supplies

Since I will be living car-free very soon, I’ve been wanting a cargo bike, a Big Dummy in particular.  I have other bikes I want first, but the opportunity to try and possibly buy a used Big Dummy for a good price came up.

Ian contacted me about his BD.  I went to his house on Friday and picked up the bike.  The idea is a week-long test-ride while he’s on vacation.

After getting the bike back home, I adjusted the saddle and went for a ride.  I went out to Za’s for pizza and parked the bike “motorcycle-style” in the road.

Today, I went out to Feeder’s Supply for dog food and cat litter.  I put 55lbs of pet supplies in the rear bags of the BD and stopped at three different bars on the way home for food and beer.

There is a tiny bit of flex in the frame with that amount of weight.  I’ve already decided I want the bike.  I now just need to come up with the money.

Parked outside of Za's

Parked outside of Za's

Almost home - Zeppelin Cafe

Almost home - Zeppelin Cafe

Medical Miles

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Monday was a bad day.  I had to be to work early, and I knew I’d work late.  I woke up late and drove to work… for the first time in months.  I’m glad I did, as I was at work until 8:30pm.  It did feel strange to not ride a bike on a workday.

I had an appointment with my family doctor on Tuesday morning.  It was a follow-up due to my hospital stay recently.  My family doctor is in New Albany.  Yes, I rode the bike.  There was really nothing to find as far as my intestinal problems that sent me to the hospital.  Things happen.  On the other hand, the CT scan I was given in the ER showed “something” on my liver.  The CT scan didn’t get a good enough picture of it to make a determination what “it” is.  My doctor ordered an MRI for a better image.

Anyway, I rode to work from the doctor’s office, then home later.  I had 29 miles on Tuesday, more than making up for my Monday driving.

Today, Wednesday, was my MRI appointment at Floyd Memorial, again in New Albany.  I rode my bike again.  I discovered that Floyd Memorial has a good-sized bike rack at the front entrance.  It’s your typical “wheel bender” type, but I just locked up next to it.  My bike was the only one there.

I wasn’t allowed anything to eat or drink today before the MRI.  Riding there with no food or coffee was not my idea of a good time.  Luckily the MRI was over quickly, and I grabbed a coffee and a snack from the hospital coffee shop before heading out.  The dreaded caffeine headache hadn’t had a chance to take hold yet.

After riding to work and home, I had 26.2 miles for the day.  The hospital is a bit closer than my doctor’s office.

I’m slightly worried about “it” on/in my liver.  It could be nothing.  It probably is nothing, but my liver is necessary for processing copious quantities of beer.  Please let my liver be okay.

Car-Free and Planning

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Living without a car requires extra planning.  I know I still have my truck, but I haven’t driven it in quite a while.

I needed to get pet supplies today.  That means towing the trailer to work and stopping by Feeder’s Supply on the way home.  I don’t generally tow the trailer with the single-speed, but the LHT was partially disassembled last night.  I hadn’t planned.

I put the LHT back together last night, and did a rush job of getting the trailer ready this morning.  The morning commute was uneventful.  Parking the bike & trailer at work is a little troublesome.  It still goes in my office, but I have to step over the trailer when getting up or down.  I may disconnect it and put it somewhere else next time.

After work I bought a 38.5lb back of dog food, two 20lb bags of cat litter, and a 10lb bag of cat food.  That totals 88.5lbs of stuff.  With the weight of the trailer, I was towing over 100lbs.  That doesn’t count the commuting load in the pannier and trunk bag.

The ride home was slow and easy on side roads.  Even the slightest hill meant using a low gear and going slow.

Buying this cheap, used trailer has greatly increased my carrying capacity.  I don’t think it’s ideal, as I’d rather use a Big Dummy, but this was much cheaper.

Back to Work

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You remember that depression I was having?  It’s gone.  Depression?  What depression?

I think getting out of the hospital just made me so happy that I’m still overflowing with happiness… even though my vacation is over and I went back to work today.

I was beginning to get a bit worried about my digestive system again today.  There was pressure building up.  However, I’m happy to report that “everything has come out okay” this evening.  I do have a doctor appointment in a week to hopefully figure out what happened and how to avoid it.

I was sore today.  My legs hurt from the riding I did this weekend.  I didn’t do a lot of riding (80 or 90 miles over two days), but much of it was at a faster tempo than I’m used to and I was riding the single speed.

I had a massage after work, but I still have one muscle in particular that is bugging me.  Oh well.  It’ll loosen up.

I’m riding the LHT tomorrow.  I need to haul the trailer to pick up dog food.  I’ve done that with the single-speed, but it’s generally not a good idea.  There is no totally flat way to get home from Feeder’s Supply.

Living without a car takes more planning.  I’m prone to laziness and procrastination.  I’ll adjust.

Under 230 Again – Two Days in a Row

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Yesterday and today my weight was 229.2.  I last went out to eat (or drink beer) on Monday.  It’s nice to see almost immediate results.

I almost drove to work yesterday, but I am short on money and didn’t want to pay for parking.  If I’m going to sell my truck, driving to work can’t be an option.

I feel better today and I’m looking forward to riding into work.  Given the choice, I think I’d rather crawl back into bed.  :)

Danger!

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Problems

I’ve been at risk of undoing much of the health improvements I’ve done over the last four years.  My eating habits are not only directly unhealthy, but not great for my mental health with the self-loathing I feel after a whole week of eating bad… week after week.

I’ve let myself get lazy and distracted.  I haven’t been keeping up on household chores.  I’ve basically been a mess.

I’m going to refocus.  I’m weighing myself again.  I haven’t started posting it again because the page is crazy with too much data.  I’ll find a better way to present it soon.  My weight this morning was 236.4lbs.  That’s higher than it’s been since October of 2008.

I need to stop going out to eat so much.  Going out for pizza or a burger and a beer three or four times a week is not only working against my goals, but is costing too much money.

Today, I cooked a pork chop on the grill and had celery sticks.   I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.  It was a sensible size portion and I drank water with it.

More Goals

In December 2008 I listed a few secondary goals.  I just revisited that.

  • Learn to ride a unicycle (next year)
    I wisely gave up on this.
  • Be car-free (three years away)
    Strangely enough, I’m on track for this.
  • Either fix-up my house, or move (three years away)
    I moved more than a year ahead of the goal.
  • Meet a woman crazy enough to like my lifestyle (never?)
    I got married – we’re split up now – don’t want to say much more than that.
  • Ride a several hundred mile multi-day tour (next year?)
    Although late, I did this in March of this year.

Message From The Past

In January of 2009, I wrote something that I needed to read now.  Luckily, I do re-read my older blog entries occasionally.

I mention effort to save a life.  I was trying at the time to convince my audience that this is possible and necessary.  It turns out the audience is me in 2011.

Alright Then

If I fix my eating habits and focus more on productive activities, not only will I lose weight, but I should feel better about myself.  It’s not a cure for depression, but it means fewer bad days.

It’s strange that the things I crave when depressed (food & beer) are things that will eventually make me more depressed.  This is common.  What is it with the human psyche?

How Did I Manage a Record Month?

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August 2011 was  a record bike-mile month for me.  How did I do that?

  • I did a 130-mile camping trip on the last weekend of the month
  • I spent a lot of time running errands out to the east end
  • I rode my recumbent for 70 miles by riding to the Crestwood ride 25-miler, then back home
  • I rode a 70-mile RCCS ride
  • I rode my bike to work every day
  • I had several 20-40 mile rides
  • I rode a few extra miles on the last day of the month – just to push myself to a new record

On 8/31, I rode to work the normal way, a whole 3.6 miles or so.  I left work early for a doctor’s appointment (which got me okay’d for a third epidural).

I rode the following route from work to the doctor and then home:

Instead of taking the normal way, I took River Rd all the way to Lime Kiln.  This was flat as a pancake and I managed a 15mph average on this stretch… on the single speed.

After turning unto Lime Kiln there’s a small climb, but it’s mostly flat after that.  I stayed on that same road, although it changes names to Herr Ln then to Lyndon Ln, all the way past Shelbyville Rd and nearly to my doctor’s office.

On the way back, I took the more normal New Lagrange, Washburn, Westport route.  After meandering through the parks, I wen’t to Za’s for pizza then headed home.

After getting home, I realized I was still short of a new monthly record, so I headed back out.

I basically just wandered around.  I didn’t have a destination in mind.  I had mentioned to Tim that I might go through Indian Hills, but I never made it out quite that far.  I was still on the single-speed (actually haven’t ridden the LHT since the camping trip).  Here’s my route:

Once I got back home, I had 671 miles, a new personal best month.  I’m going to shoot for 700 in September.

3000 Miles

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According to MyCyclingLog, I hit 3001 miles for the year on my ride today with Tim.  My spreadsheet actually shows 3031.7, but I still crossed the 3000 mark today.

I’m a bit behind schedule compared to last year.  At the end of July lat year, I was at 3202 miles and ended up with 5087 miles for the year.

Now that my neck isn’t preventing me from riding and I’m living the car-free lifestyle (even though I haven’t yet sold the truck) I expect to surpass 5000 miles for the year again.

So what should my goal for 2012 be? 6000?  7500?

30 Miles of Utility Riding

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I rode 30 miles on the single-speed today.  I bought a new smaller set of panniers that are just big enough to put the laptop in one, and clothing in the other.  This makes the single-speed a less awkward rig.  It was silly with the huge touring panniers on it.

I rode to work in the rain.  It actually felt nice.  I had an appointment to ride to and had to leave work early.  It was out by Shelbyville & Hurstbourne, not exactly a bike-friendly area.

I managed to stay off of Shelbyville Rd by traveling out Brownsboro, Westport, Lyndon, and an exploratory jaunt on Whipps Mill because I had time to spare.

I rode a similar route back into St Matthews, through the parks, then Eastern Parkway to get home.

Riding a bike around Louisville has taught me much about getting around this city.  I still have more to learn.

I still have neck pain.  Riding a bike doesn’t seem to be an issue at all anymore.  Sitting in a chair sometimes is though.  Sitting in a reclining chair helps, but then I get to look lazy at work.

I did go out for pizza with Kristy after I got home (she made me shower first).  We drove, as that’s the only way for us to travel together.  She is moving out soon, but we still enjoy spending some time together.

I don’t have any pictures from today’s ride.  I’m not posting the GPS track.  I’m mostly just rambling and enjoying riding my bike.

Over the Hump?

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I just had a spam comment for electric toothbrushes.  Do I have bad breath?  Probably, I just came home from a few beers.

Although I can’t complain about the weather compared to what Pondero has gotten in Texas recently, we’ve still had a heatwave.  It seems to have ended this week.  We won’t be seeing 90 again for a while.  It’s been in the high 70s on the ride into work.  I love it!

Kristy signed a lease, and will be moving out soon.  This is both a relief, and scary at the same time.  I thought I spent enough time living alone after my first divorce, but I guess not.  Living alone will be hard, but necessary.

I’ve been riding the recumbent a lot.  It’s my main commuting machine due to my neck issues.  I still ride my other bikes though.  I pulled the single-speed out of the basement today.  It’s got issues with the freewheel, so I flipped it over to fixed gear.  The short ride I took felt very different.  I may commute on it that way a few times.

I’m in a strange spot.  I was ready to look for a new job a few months ago.  Now, I tolerate the job, and need to cope with everything else.  I’ve been more productive at work, and less productive at home.  <sigh>  I wish it were easier.

I do feel like I’m getting closer to being in control.  I also know that something else could come out of the blue….  I guess I cope my riding.  It’s my escape.

Hilly Saturday

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I took a couple of vacation days so that I could have a four-day weekend.  I need to get housework and yardwork done, yet I also want time to ride my bike.

I spent Friday running errands and doing housework.  I was determined to get a good ride in on Saturday.

I didn’t get up early on Saturday.  Once I was up, I spent a lot of time nursing a cup of coffee.  I finally decided to ride the LBC ride out of Crestwood at 3:30.  It’s a hilly 25-mile ride.  The challenge?  It’s over 20 miles away, and I didn’t want to drive.  If I’m going to live without a car, I should get used to it now.

There was a chance of rain, and the sky often looked as if it would rain.  The LBC will often cancel for rain.  I decided to ride to Crestwood, and risk having the ride cancelled, as I would still have the round-trip to Crestwood either way.  It never did rain.

I decided to take a rather direct route.  I headed out Brownsboro Rd until I was “outside” the Gene Snyder Freeway (I-265).  I then cut down Chamberlain Ln to Westport Rd.  Next time I’ll take Westport directly.  The 4.5 miles of Brownsboro between the Watterson (I-264) and the Snyder was quite unpleasant.

Closed restaurant along Brownsboro Rd

Closed restaurant along Brownsboro Rd

Westport Rd wasn’t bad.  It eventually took me to Rollington Rd, which is a peaceful low-traffic road.

A break along Rollington Rd

A break along Rollington Rd

Rollington Rd dumped me back out onto Ballardsville Rd, or Hwy 22.  This was the worst stretch of road I’ve ridden yet.  Many cars passed way too closely.

After a few miles, I came into Crestwood and to Bluegrass Bicycle where the ride starts.  I arrived early, so I spent some time looking around the shop.

Tom was there, but wasn’t riding.  That meant I would be the only recumbent rider.  I met James, who would be the ride captain.  That means James gets to stay back with the slowest rider.  I’m often the slowest rider on this ride, but sometimes a rider will show up who is even slower.  That didn’t happen this time.

The ride starts with a nice downhill, so I had a strong start.  Once I had to fight gravity, I fell toward the back of the pack.  James took my lack of climbing ability with good grace.  He’d pull ahead on the climbs, waiting for me on the long climbs.  I’d race him on the descents, sometimes winning.  Then we’d attack another hill at 30mph, but my speed would drop off much quicker than his once we really started up the hill.

When I first fell back toward the back of the pack, there was a woman keeping about the same pace.  She seemed quite fit, and was a runner.  She was struggling to keep up.  James noticed her tires were low.  We pulled over and inflated them to the proper pressure (with my pump – no need to waste co2).  She left us behind once she wasn’t held back by squishy tires.

I struggled on, and as I neared the end of the ride, I was really going slow uphill.  At the final climb, I finally had to get off and walk.  That was embarrassing.  I’ve ridden that hill before.

We arrived back at Bluegrass Bicycle and I contemplated my options.

  • Ride back to Louisville and find food
  • Get food in Crestwood
  • Call my wife for a ride home

I was quite tempted to call my wife, but I really wanted to continue riding.  I had a different route planned to get home, so at least I wouldn’t have to face the same stretch of Hwy 22 again.

I opted for the Mexican restaurant there in Crestwood.  I had one glass of beer (Dos Equis XX), four or five glasses of water, and a large burrito.  I felt much more prepared for the ride back to Louisville, if a bit sloshy from too much liquid in my stomach.

I headed north on Hwy 146, then north-east on Glenarm Rd.  Glenarm Rd was a quiet rural road.

Glenarm Rd crossing I-71

Glenarm Rd crossing I-71

Then I ran across a rather odd collection of animals.

Young goats

Young goats

They were guarded by dogs.

Dogs, goats, and a llama?

Dogs, goats, and a llama?

I took Glenarm Rd to Old Zaring Rd, then to Covered Bridge Rd, which I had ridden on during the 100k populaire.  It seemed to have more traffic this time.

Calm stretch of Covered Bridge Rd

Calm stretch of Covered Bridge Rd

By this time, it was getting to be evening.

Evening clouds

Evening clouds

This is the obligitory timed shot with the camera sitting on a fence post.

Ugh - I don't like pictures of myself

Ugh - I don't like pictures of myself

Covered Bridge Rd took me to US 42.  It’s 4-lane highway, so I took the right lane.  I didn’t have any close passes, but several drivers let me know of their displeasure that I was on their road.  Luckily, I was on US 42 for less than a mile before turning on River Rd.

Almost sunset

Almost sunset

River Rd is another somewhat-busy two-lane road.  I tried to keep to the right.  I didn’t have nearly the problem with drivers as I had earlier in the day on Hwy 22.

Almost home

Almost home

I continued downtown and had another beer (Bluegrass Brewing Company APA) and several more glasses of water.  Then it was a short ride in the dark (I have lights) home.  I slept well.

Like I’m Waiting…

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I’m waiting to get back on track.
I’m waiting to eat healthy.
I’m waiting to be in control of my life.

What am I waiting for?

I have a lot of changes coming.  My daughter is moving out of the house tomorrow.  My wife moves out in a few weeks.  There are plans in place to get ride of the house in Charlestown.  I’ll be selling my truck before the end of the year.

What’s that got to do with it?

Nothing, but mentally I seem incapable of handling too much at once.  So I’m waiting.  Not a great reason, but it’ll have to do.

What now?

My neck problem improved dramatically for a while, then started to get a little worse.  I’m going to start commuting on the recumbent again for a while, and save riding upright bikes for group rides, or gravel stuff, or whatever.

Miles!

My June mileage was horrible.  Due to my neck issues I rode only 110 miles.  July was better, but still a bit off, at 363 miles.  Back in March I rode 647 miles.

I met up with Tim this morning for a short-ish ride.  I ended up with 35 miles for the day.  I was happy with that.  I brought my camera with me, but never took a picture.

Where am I heading?

I’ll be car-free by the end of the year.  I will hopefully be back on track for weight loss.  I should be weighing myself again soon.

I will hopefully pull myself together enough mentally to be happy with what I have, rather than obsess with what I want.  I’ll still want things, I just don’t want to obsess over them.

Busy Day – Over 30 Miles of Transportation Riding

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I had a lot to do today.  I rode to work and arrived at about 8:30.  It was work.  Most of the day was meetings.

I left early.  I had an appointment for my second cervical epidural.  The first one really scared me, but things improved after the first one, so I decided to stick with a second one.

Side note:  I’ve been back on my Surly LHT since last Friday.  That means I can ride any of my bikes again.  This is a huge improvement.  I was riding with Tim on Sunday and broke the chain on the LHT.  I have a chain tool and was able to fix it, but I’ve been running a chain that is quite worn and a few links short since then.

I could have driven, but I’m stubborn.  I don’t like to drive.  I planned a route to get out to the doctors office (out past Oxmoor Mall, near Hurstbourne).  We’re in the middle of a heat wave.  I left myself 90 minutes to get there.  It took only 70.  Traffic was heavy but everyone was polite.

I locked up out front and cleaned up in the bathroom before my appointment.

The second epidural went much smoother than the first.  It still wasn’t comfortable but it was less frightening.  I didn’t hear the needle sliding into place.  The doctor said it went easier because I had less inflammation in my spine.  That’s a good sign.

The doctor did seem concerned about me riding a bike home after the procedure.  I knew from the first one that it wouldn’t be a problem.

When I left, the previously hot, humid, sunny weather had become cloudy, humid, not-quite-as-hot weather with distant thunder.  Shortly into the ride a light rain started.  By the time I made to the St Matthews area the rain had become a downpour.

I needed to go to On Your Left Cycles for a new chain.  The route I had programmed into my GPS wasn’t taking me there, but I took Bardstown Rd north to Baxter Ave.  I was turning left at high speed on wet roads right in front of the shop.  I hit a pothole and went down.  It wasn’t the slow motion thing that my other wrecks were.  It was very quick and quite painful.

I laid at the edge of the road for a few minutes before attempting to sit up.  My hands, knee, elbow, and big toe hurt.  I didn’t hit my head (or helmet).  I eventually stood up and picked up the bike.  There was no visible damage.  I walked into the bike shop.  They allowed me to clean up and borrow a first-aid kit.

After a while, I bought my chain, and headed out.  I rode down to Cumberland Brews and met my daughter there.  We had dinner, and I rode home.  She decided to take the bus.

I had a total of 31.8 miles.  Not bad for such a busy day.  I could have done without falling, but that was my fault.

My route is below.  I didn’t have my GPS on for the ride to work, but it was for the rest of the day.

Once I was back home I had to pick gravel out of my skin.  I’m glad I used the peroxide.  I know Baxter Ave is not sterile.  :)

Tomorrow is car-free happy hour.  See you there!

Bike to Work Day

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Okay, everyday is bike to work day for me, but today was the city-sponsored event.  I managed to get my daughter out of bed early so we could get to Seneca park by 7:00.  There were two TV stations there and several dozen people, including Mayor Greg Fischer.

I didn’t bring a camera and I avoided the media crews.  I introduced my daughter to many of the people I know.  It made me realize just how many people I have gotten to know over the last few years because of bicycling.

The group eventually headed toward downtown with the mayor near the front of the pack.  I hung back with my daughter.  We went to Fourth Street Live and regrouped there.  There were quite a few people there, as there were several other meeting spots that all rode to the same downtown location.

I went to work while my daughter ran errands downtown.

We met back up for lunch, and were joined by David Morse.  After lunch there were some give-aways.  My daughter won a Donkey Boxx from On Your Left Cycles.  I installed the Donkey Boxx on her bike before she left.

I’m preparing to ride to Danville Kentucky in the morning.  I’ll be meeting my wife there.  She’s driving there for a family get-together.  I’m keeping this post short.  I need to get the bike ready and get bed.

Beautiful Monday

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I did head out last night for a wander after dark.  I explored a few streets that I hadn’t been on before.  I cruised through a couple of alleys.  I eventually found my way to Cumberland Brews for some Red Ale.  If I had known about the Red Hot Mocha Porter, I might have tried that.  That’s alright, I’ll save it for next time.

I sent a text to Tim, and he rode his Ute up to join me.

We talked bikes.  We watched the people walking up and down Bardstown Rd.  We couldn’t stay long, we both had to work in the morning.  I had a few more beers than he did.

Waking today was rough.  The fact that I showered, rode to work, and made it on time despite the hangover is a testament to it being a great day.

The beautiful Spring weather is here, possibly temporarily.  It was sunny and in the mid-60s when I left this morning.  I was wearing my work clothes and didn’t immediately notice that I forgot my helmet.  I didn’t bother turning around for it when I did realize it.

Human power?

Human power?

I went for a walk at lunchtime.  The 21C Hotel always has some interesting art out front.  Now, it appears to be some bizarre human-powered transportation with Cuban license plates.

The commute home was pleasant.  It was clear and warm.  People were friendly.  When I was nearly home I saw my daughter riding her bike the other way.  We stopped and talked.  She was riding to the library to check out some books.  She invited me to come along, but I had things to do at home.

There is rain in the forecast, so I wanted to get the lawn mowed.  I needed more gasoline for the lawnmower.  I grabbed the gas can and walked a couple of blocks to the gas station.  At $3.89 per gallon it cost me about $10.50 to fill up the can.

There was a rumor at the gas station that the price would be $4.01 by tomorrow morning.

$10.50?

$10.50?

I’m glad I rarely buy gas.

My daughter called me from the library.  She was approached by David Morse, from CART (and he helps Bicycling For Louisville).  He’s photographing bicyclists in town.  He grabbed a couple of photos for his project.  He did share them with me later.

Dawn - still new at this cycling thing

Dawn - still new at this cycling thing

Later when Dawn got back from the library, the two of us took the dogs for a walk down to Sunergos.  It was really too late (and a bit warm) for me to want coffee, but I did have an iced drink.

My dogs are overweight and out of shape.  The last stretch on the way home really did them in.  They’ll sleep well tonight.

Overall it was a good day.  It was better than many and great for a Monday.

Tomorrow will be a different adventure.  There is a 50% chance of thunderstorms.  I actually enjoy riding in a storm as long there’s no hail and the temperature is warm enough.

Busy Day and New Bike Swag

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I had a number of errands to run today, but since moving into town in September, I’ve been able to re-arrange my life to make using a car optional.

Before work this morning I went to the post office to pick up a package that they would not leave at my door.  Then I stopped by the bank before continuing on to work.

After work, I had a massage appointment, then picked up dinner before heading home.  Those new panniers came in quite handy for hauling things today.

Salsa Vaya

Salsa Vaya

While running afternoon errands on Bardstown Road, I saw this Salsa Vaya parked.  Time and I have discussed using a bike like this for a gravel bike.  I don’t need a specific bike for gravel, but it is a nice bike.

What was the package I picked up this morning?  It was an Acorn Handlebar Bag.

With this, I’ll have easy access to a few things while riding the bike.  I’ve been envious of others pulling out their cameras on rides.  I had to stop and fumble around in my trunk bag.  That shouldn’t be an issue now.

Acorn Handlebar Bag

Acorn Handlebar Bag

I have another bike project in the works for the LHT.  Stay tuned, I’ll be posting about it next week.

π Day

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Bicycling for Louisville celebrated π (pi/pie) day today.  They put on a fun little fundraiser.  I brought in a peach pie that my wife baked last night.

I’d never heard of cabbage pie until tonight, but it was good.

There was a pretty good turnout considering the cold drizzle  that came to area today.  Bicycling for Louisville managed to pry a little money out of my wallet, and fill my stomach with pie.  What’s not to love?

Yes, I ate too much, but I’m skipping dinner.

Sharing The Road

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Grainy picture of the rear of my truck

Grainy picture of the rear of my truck

I’ll never get to be car-free.  My wife requires a car.  I still owe on my truck.  I’m okay with the situation, although getting down to one vehicle would be nice.

I rarely drive, but I’ve been driving with Indiana plates on my truck for months after moving to Kentucky.  Part of it was laziness.  Part of it was waiting to get the lienholder to send the title.

Today, I drove to work so I could take my truck in for the inspection, then to get a Kentucky license plate.  I spent the extra money to get a Share the Road Plate.

The extra money for the plate goes to the Paula Nye Memorial Education Grant program, which provides money for a number of bicycle education and safety causes.

The biggest benefit to me is that when I’m driving, most cyclists will I’m keeping an eye out for them.

2011 Goals

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It’s almost a new year.  Here are my goals for the next year.  This is not a “resolution”.  These are goals I can re-visit, track progress, and modify if I need to.  :)

  • Train for and complete an Olympic Triathlon on 7/31/2011
  • Weight lifting for upper-body strength (I’m pretty pathetic above the waist now)
  • Get to my goal weight of 175lbs by 7/1/2011, and never go above 180 again (at about 216 today)
  • Ride at least 5000 miles for the year
  • Drive fewer miles than I ride (this could be hard due to most driving being longer trips)
  • Do at least three overnight bike camping trips
  • Start riding with the local club – on my single-speed (I’ve done that once this year)

Old Goals

Let’s look at some goals I posted on 2/28/2009

  • Goal weight will remain at 175 lbs (for now).  I hope to reach that goal by the end of August.
    Didn’t happen.
  • Ride a century this year (100 miles in one day).
    Didn’t happen until 2010.
  • Raise $3200 for The Ride to Conquer Cancer, and complete the entire ride under my own power.
    I raised over $2500 and completed the ride.  I’ll call that success.  I did not participate in 2010.  The fundraising part really is the hardest.
  • Learn to ride my new unicycle, and complete a ten-mile ride on it by June 2010.
    I gave up the unicycle.
  • Juggling?
    Didn’t bother.  Without the unicycle it wouldn’t be as cool.  :)
  • Ride to work more often.  I had hoped to average 3 days per week, but I’m not even managing that right now.
    This was up and down for a while, but I moved to Louisville, and I ride (almost) every day.
  • Ride to work five days a week at least 3 weeks per year.
    See above.
  • Increase my average speed on the bicycle a little bit.
    Hasn’t really happened, although the triathlon training should help that.
  • Learn to kayak this year.
    I still haven’t touched a kayak, but I did take a canoe trip.
  • Get a rod, reel, and fishing license, and spend some time relaxing and fishing.
    I didn’t do this either.  Most of my free time is gone.  I have been reading a lot though.
  • Find new fitness activities.
    I guess training for a triathlon counts.  I’m also starting weight lifting.
  • I had made a goal to live-car free.  I think I’m giving that up.  I do want to drive less, but realities of the modern world make this a very unpopular choice.
    I wrote this when I had an old car that was paid for.  Then it died.  Then I bought a truck.  I seldom drive now, but I’m now married, and have a car payment.  It’ll be a while before I can become car-free.
  • Ride 5000 miles this year.  I’m way behind on this so far.  I’m two months into the year, and I’ve only ridden 541 miles.
    I did not make 5000 miles in 2009.  I did in 2010, and hope to in 2011.
  • Get better about riding in cold rain.  I often use this as an excuse not to ride to work, but I have the gear to do so.
    I ride in cold rain.  I still don’t care for it, other than the “crazy factor”.
  • I had planned to try to drive less than 3500 miles per year.  I’m giving up on this also.
    I’ve modified this to simply ride more than I drive.
  • Ride in a roller coaster this year.  I’ll actually fit now.
    I didn’t get a chance for a real roller coaster, but I did ride in a number of other amusement park rides.  Yes, I fit.
  • Go skydiving in the summer of 2010.
    Didn’t happen.  I still want to do it someday, but I’ve got too much else going on financially and time-wise.
  • I want to be a better cook.
    I may be slightly better, but only slightly.  I still don’t cook often enough.
  • I want to find a wonderful woman to enjoy these activities with.
    I did.  I met her shortly after writing that blog post.

    Change of Focus?

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    This blog started as a way to document my weight loss and keep me accountable for my eating habits.  Once I started bicycling that was simply added into the mix.  More recently, the weight loss aspects have been ignored.  I’ve gained some weight.  I don’t weigh myself regularly anymore.

    Vehicles

    Which vehicle to take to the coffee shop?

    This is, in part, due to my focus on bicycling for transportation.  Bicycling for transportation has become such I big part of my life that moved into Louisville (while continuing to pay the mortgage on my old house) so that I could bicycle everywhere.  It’s been wonderful.  I have not driven to work since moving.  When my wife and I go out to eat, I’ll even meet her there rather than drive (if she’ll let me).

    I rode my bike to the coffee shop the other day, when the white truck in the picture on the right pulled up.  One individual drove that huge diesel-powered truck, just to grab some coffee.  I have nothing against trucks.  I own one.  I just believe in using the right tool for the job.

    I’ve been very busy for the last week.  Some of it has been the have-to-do stuff.  Some of it is want-to-do.  In either case it has left me sleep-deprived.  I was up late last night driving to Danville and back.  I had intended to ride the Harvest Homecoming ride today.  I changed my mind at the last minute and went back to bed.  I don’t regret the decision.  I needed the sleep.

    So, this blog… where does it go?  What should I focus on?  I would love to show some positive results in my weight loss and/or fitness.  The truth is, I haven’t really improved either of those since February of 2009.  I’m in much better shape than when I started in 2007, but I don’t think I’ll ever get to my goal weight of 175.  Maybe this is where I need to focus on waist size and strength.  I should add some weight training to the mix.

    So, I haven’t been writing about every bike ride recently.  It’s safe to assume I ride every day now.  I will continue to do so, except maybe today, where I probably won’t be leaving the house.  I will write about exceptional rides.  I will write about what I decide to use as a metric to measure my progress, but I need to figure that out still.

    I love bicycles and bicycle advocacy.  I don’t think I’m a great bicycle advocate, other than just being out there on the road.  I’m not eloquent or persuasive.  I’ll leave the “advocacy with words” to those smarter than I.  I’ll just ride my bike.  :)

    Walking

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    My LHT has been in the shop for some maintenance.  It was ready to pick up after work today.  How do I do that without driving?  I walked to the bike shop from work.  That means I left a bike at work for now.

    The difference in what you see in cycling versus driving is huge.  There is a similar change when slowing down even more and being a pedestrian.

    Walking means that one-way streets can be ignored.  Traffic is only an issue at intersections.  Stopping to take pictures won’t get you hit.  The graffiti on the right was interesting.  The “artist” must be a fan of this.

    I’m not ready to start walking to work.  It would take an hour each way.  Part of the reason for the move into town was to make bicycling everywhere feasible.  I’d have to move to a smaller town, or have a lot more free time to walk everywhere.

    Ben Sollee will be performing at the Kentucky Center tomorrow night.  He’s a cyclist and transportation advocate in addition to a musician.  There will be a ride right after the show (8:45?, 9:00?) around downtown.  I’ll be there.

    City Commuting

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    My short commute

    Life has changed quite a bit since moving into town earlier this month.  I do ride to work and back every day.  I don’t ever see myself paying to park at work again.

    I miss having a rural ride just minutes from my house.  A rural ride will require more planning.

    Riding in town (at least inside the 264 loop) is much more bike-friendly than in the ‘burbs.  There is the occasional nitwit, but they are rare.

    Today was my longest commute day.  I had to go to the drugstore after work, which added about nine miles to my normal commute.  I intentionally chose a drug store a distance away, but still inside the 264 loop.  I was dismayed to discover that there was nowhere to lock a bike at the drugstore, nor did it have a drive-through.  So, I walked my bike right inside.  I had no issues.  I rode to the local Kroger the other day.  They had a bike rack.  I did see another cyclist take his bike inside.  He wasn’t asked to leave.

    One of my co-workers who sometimes bike-commutes, will meet me at my house in the morning.  We’ll take a different route than she is used to.  Her commute is only about 5-miles one-way, but that’s longer than mine.  :)  I’m hoping to show that riding everyday is very possible at that distance.

    I now have an old British police whistle dangling around my neck when riding.  That thing is loud.  I haven’t used it in anger yet, but it’s nice to have handy.

    Overall I’m pretty pleased with where I live.  It’s nice to be part of a community where I actually know people.  It’s weird that I was so isolated from everyone in the smaller town I used to live in.  Maybe it’s just me.

    World Car-Free Day

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    Okay, today is world car-free day.  The funny thing is, I almost drove to work.  I actually considered driving the 3.5 miles and paying $8.75 to park because I wasn’t feeling well.

    I rode my bike because I can ride 3.5 miles even when half-dead.  If I still lived 16.5 miles from work, I would have driven, or stayed home.

    Quandaries

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    Settling In
    Kristy and I are settled into our new home.  I’m enjoying the “almost car-free” lifestyle, except when I have to drive back to Charlestown to get things from the old house, or go somewhere with Kristy, or drive to another city for work (Saint Louis next week).

    Bike Mileage
    My bike mileage has taken a nosedive.  I’ve been busy enough on the weekends that I haven’t had any long rides.  My new commute can be less than seven miles round-trip.  I can go a longer route, but I seldom do.

    Simple Living
    I’ve wanted a simpler life for a while.  What does that mean?  For me, I want to eliminate clutter.  Get rid of items I don’t use.  That’s easier said than done.  I have a truck and a house that I owe money on, and really don’t need either, although Kristy would hurt me if I got rid of the truck.  :)

    I have eliminated a lot of old bike parts.  I sold two wheelsets and my unicycle on craigslist.  Other stuff went into the trash.

    I’ve eliminated unused computer equipment.  There are still five laptops for two individuals (although one is work-owned).  Each of them has a purpose.

    Both Kristy and I own things that are either sentimental, valuable, or were valuable, but are no longer used.  These are the hardest to get rid of.  I have old but expensive software packages.  I haven’t been able to let go of them yet.  Kristy has a lot of clothing that she paid good money for, and rarely (if ever) wore.  Most of it fits, she just didn’t like it as much as she thought she would.

    Going Backward?
    I still have things that I want to buy.  I’m in the process of having bike #4 built.  Although each bike is completely different and serves a different purpose, it does seem a bit much.  If I insist on having a bike for each type of riding, I can easily see myself with 6+ bikes.  I still like gadgets.  I want an MP3 player.  I want an ebook reader.  I really don’t need these things though.

    Bikes
    These are the bikes I have, or could have:

    • Commuting/Touring/Hauling: My Surly LHT
    • Comfort/”be different”: My Bacchetta Agio recumbent
    • Folding/Travel: my Dahon Speed D7
    • Single Speed/Lugged Steel: My project bike at Vic’s Classic Bikes (unfinished)
    • Off-Road: Don’t have one, no plans to buy right now
    • Fast Road Bike: Don’t have one, had intended to buy a fast recumbent, those plans are on hold
    • Cargo: Don’t have one, have considered a long-tail cargo bike, or a trailer

    That’s too many bikes.  I need to stop at four, and reconsider what I need.

    Now What?
    It’s hard to convince my wife to live simpler when I have my bike and gadget lust.  I need to quit visiting bike websites and ogling things to buy.  I need to think over all purchases for a few days before buying.  Don’t get me wrong, this is not really about money, it’s about the mental and time cost of each item owned.