Last night I dreamed that my daily commute tripled in length. I dreamed that my daughter's friend needed a lift to school, and that I would have to go to her house, pick her up and drive back past my house and to the school.
Now most people having such a dream might have woken up thanking their lucky stars that it was just a dream.
But I commute on my bike. So I woke up disappointed that it wasn't real. I wish I had a reason to ride farther.
The dream didn't explain how I could fit two kids on my daughter's Trail-a-Bike, but somehow it magically transformed into a two-seater. Again, when I went into the garage and saw the real Trail-a-Bike, I found it a bit of a disappointment.
Most commuters dream of shorter commutes or no traffic. I dream of longer commutes and two-seater Trail-a-Bikes that let me haul more kids.
Today's temperatures dropped significantly - below freezing and a strong icy wind making it even colder. My motorist friends think I'm unlucky to be commuting in the cold without any shelter from the weather. Today one of them told me I was crazy for cycling to pick up my daughter in this cold. I'm not sure what choice he thinks I have - he knows I don't drive a car. I'm sure if I did drive a car I'd use it - hey, I'm lazy and I like warmth as much as the next guy. But I'm not so sure I'd be better-off: I like getting up close and personal with the weather - it turns a run-of-the-mill commute into a bit of an adventure. Maybe I won't feel the same way after a month or two of this, but today I really enjoyed it.
Will you cycle in the snow? I cycled to elementary school but if it snowed in Houston everything closed. Lynn
ReplyDeleteI find cycling in snow really improves balance, so when it snows, yes, I do get the bike out. In England I commuted on my bike many times when the roads were covered in ice and snow. It's a challenge and there's a real feeling of accomplishment when you get to work and find that you overcame the elements while some people who commute by car allowed the elements to defeat them. :)
ReplyDeleteOnce, in Germany, I cycled in a blizzard when the wind and snow brought my speed down to 4mph and visibility down to a few feet. Of course I didn't set out in a blizzard - it developed on the ride. That was a memorable day.