Ride a bicycle

Becky and I have been riding our bicycles a lot more since we moved to our small town along the coast. It only takes about 10 minutes to ride a bike into the center of town and about 15 or so to ride back with a full load of groceries. I bought myself a lightweight trailer so I could take the days on-line orders to the post office and bring back groceries without having to wear a backpack (which a lot of stores don't like to you bring inside). I notice a lot of fellow bikers wave or nod at me. I like to think it is because they know what I know - that it is yet another key to freedom to be able to loosen the noose a bit...

It's still more convenient to take the car when I have to take the girls to swimming lessons or someplace where dealing with several bicycles is kind of a pain in the butt. There are only a few bicycle friendly destinations in town and only one bike shop. I still can't just get rid of the car as it is... Hopefully that will change over time. I see a day when the bicycles outnumber the cars and we fill parking lots with bicycle racks instead of SUVs. It seems a lifetime away, but I still see hope for it in our future...

It's funny how real social change comes from the bottom up. Most of the people I meet on bicycles are doing it because they are fed up with the cost of owning a car or just can't afford it anymore. Some are riding home made electric bikes and building trailers out of scrap wood and wheels off of toy wagons. The poor folks will be the ones that do the inventing and road testing. Then we all know what happens... Money is as money does (and always will).