The car-free month is over and has been over for a few days, but we have yet to take our car out. We haven't needed it. CFD has been continuing to take the bike to go grocery shopping and we haven't needed to go anywhere else so far.
I'm sure CFD would love to be permanently car-free, but I think he's going to have to work up his leg muscles, physical endurance and find better bike routes first. Today, our first weekend off the challenge, we have some place to go and it's 20 miles away. I don't doubt that he can make it one way, but we have to come back too. Public transportation does not lend itself well to where we're going and the Dutch bike is too large to be allowed on buses or trains, so mixing the two isn't much of an option. So, for today, we're going to have to take our car. I'll make CFD take comfort in knowing that he would be transporting three adults and two children in our sedan, so we'll be making full use of our vehicle.
I do think that we will be driving less over the course of the next year. CFD likes biking. He prefers it to driving, not only for the environmental factor, but because he likes moving. I need a new bike to do any more biking. We discovered during this challenge that my bike is probably beyond repair. Perhaps in the spring, we'll get me a new bike. Until then, I'm content to use more public transportation.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
We did it!
We celebrated the completion of our car-free challenge today, by going out for drinks. Transported by our Dutch bike, of course. I hopped in the cargo bucket with the rain cover on and I felt like a little kid again, squeezing into a small space, rolled up in a ball. My husband got a good laugh out of it, as did I.
Well, I applaud my husband for his efforts with this car-free challenge. Now that we've successfully completed our month, we'll have eleven more months of stories to tell.
Well, I applaud my husband for his efforts with this car-free challenge. Now that we've successfully completed our month, we'll have eleven more months of stories to tell.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Less than a week left!
Our car-free challenge is coming to a close and we are still going strong. We've taken the kids to school, gone shopping, gone to church, gone out to dinner, gone to the doctor's office, and gone on dates, all the things we would have probably done in our car, in our Dutch bike instead. Since my husband is exhibiting signs of being a rotten blogger, I will blog on his behalf and tell you that as the primary and only operator of this Dutch bike in our family, he really loves this bike. He is thrilled that he has had this opportunity to ride around in this bike and he looks forward to eleven more months of it. If I know him as well as I think I do, he'll be trying to talk me into purchasing one of these things for our family over the course of the next year. He's hooked.
I think Christmas came early for my husband this year. I don't think there's anything I could do for him to top this -- well, except maybe allowing him to turn our entire front, side and back yard into vegetable gardens, installing rain barrels on the ends of every downspout, increasing our compost heaps and installing solar panels on our roof. I love my husband dearly, but if his steaming compost pile gets to be larger than the size of our car this winter or if rows of corn suddenly burst out of our lawn this spring, he'd better be prepared to pedal fast on whatever two wheeler he has in his possession because I'll be chasing him in my four wheeler that runs on non renewable resources!
I think Christmas came early for my husband this year. I don't think there's anything I could do for him to top this -- well, except maybe allowing him to turn our entire front, side and back yard into vegetable gardens, installing rain barrels on the ends of every downspout, increasing our compost heaps and installing solar panels on our roof. I love my husband dearly, but if his steaming compost pile gets to be larger than the size of our car this winter or if rows of corn suddenly burst out of our lawn this spring, he'd better be prepared to pedal fast on whatever two wheeler he has in his possession because I'll be chasing him in my four wheeler that runs on non renewable resources!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Fire Truck Bike
Here's the bike dressed up as a fire truck. We used red poster board, a little construction paper and put mirror images on both sides of the cargo bucket. Okay, so maybe I spent a little too much time on it and got more excited about it than the kids, but that can be our little secret.
Halloween
We dressed up the bike as a fire truck for Halloween and picked the kids up from school in a fire truck bike. The moment I saw the red on the bike, I knew that's what I wanted to do for Halloween. I even bought a little fireman's outfit for my son. Sadly, my son did not share my passion. He wanted to be a lion. So, for Halloween, we had a fire truck sporting a fairy princess and a lion.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Bike Picture
Just wanted to quickly post a picture of the bike - since it is halfway through the challenge and you might be interested in seeing what the bike looks like. So here it is. I'll post an update on what we have been doing in a day or two.
--CFD
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Half-way there
I think we're just about half-way in this car-free challenge and so far, going car-free hasn't been a problem. We're taking a little more time to plan our trips and getting more acquainted with our public transportation system, but these are not bad things.
We've taken the bike out to take the kids to buy Halloween costumes, go grocery shopping, take the kids to school, take the kids to church and take the kids to see their god parents. Although we haven't ventured more than a few miles from our house with it, we've used it to travel distances that we normally would have driven.
A photographer from the local paper stopped by this morning to take pictures of my husband carting the kids off to school. It would have been nice if it was warmer out so you could actually see the kids, but it's gotten so cold out that we've been riding around with the rain cover on. I haven't seen the photos, but I can't imagine you can see them at all in their little plastic bubble.
We've taken the bike out to take the kids to buy Halloween costumes, go grocery shopping, take the kids to school, take the kids to church and take the kids to see their god parents. Although we haven't ventured more than a few miles from our house with it, we've used it to travel distances that we normally would have driven.
A photographer from the local paper stopped by this morning to take pictures of my husband carting the kids off to school. It would have been nice if it was warmer out so you could actually see the kids, but it's gotten so cold out that we've been riding around with the rain cover on. I haven't seen the photos, but I can't imagine you can see them at all in their little plastic bubble.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Our Bike
So, my husband said something about posting pictures when he got around to taking them. That could take an eternity. It could take me even longer, so I don't promise such things. All I have to offer are my stick figures. Here's a stick figure of our Dutch bike we're riding around town in. My husband pedals in the back and our children sit up in front. I must say, I like the fact that we can keep an eye on the kids while riding. I also like it that they know they're being watched.
The Money Factor
I think we can all agree that we've seen some pretty high gas prices this year. I just did the math and between January and September this year, we averaged just under $85 a month on gas. That even includes June, where we went the whole month without filling up once. This month, we topped off our tank at $12.75 right before the challenge just about two weeks ago and that has been it. Based on our monthly average, we've saved $72.25 this month. Hey, I'll take that any month!
So far, the challenge has been going very well for us. We've been able to transport ourselves with our bike and public transportation for all destinations within a two mile radius and we've lucked out in getting rides to events that were scheduled before the car-free challenge to destinations over 5 miles away.
I don't think going a month without a car is going to be a problem for us, but I do miss the mobility that driving has to offer. Halloween is coming up and I still haven't picked up costumes for my kids. If I could drive, I'd just hop in a car and go right now. I could be back in an hour with something cute. However, it's night-time. It's dark out. It's also raining. I neither feel the inclination to ride my bike some place or look up bus schedules and figure our where I want to go and how to get there. The costumes will just have to wait.
So far, the challenge has been going very well for us. We've been able to transport ourselves with our bike and public transportation for all destinations within a two mile radius and we've lucked out in getting rides to events that were scheduled before the car-free challenge to destinations over 5 miles away.
I don't think going a month without a car is going to be a problem for us, but I do miss the mobility that driving has to offer. Halloween is coming up and I still haven't picked up costumes for my kids. If I could drive, I'd just hop in a car and go right now. I could be back in an hour with something cute. However, it's night-time. It's dark out. It's also raining. I neither feel the inclination to ride my bike some place or look up bus schedules and figure our where I want to go and how to get there. The costumes will just have to wait.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Cold Ride
It's getting harder and harder to get up in the morning thanks to the changing seasons and shorter days. Consequently, twice this week, I have left the house with one child to catch the bus on time and my husband has wheeled the other one to school. Today, I saw my husband wheeling my daughter to school, wrapped up in a blanket, but looking seriously cold. She was sporting pink cheeks and a pink nose. Cute, but very cold. We think it's time to keep the rain hood strapped on. When it's cold outside, the wind is pretty brutal, especially if you're just sitting there as a passenger.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Lunch Date
My husband took me out for another spin on the Dutch bike today. It was only a short 1 mile trip to grab a bite to eat for lunch, but it was a pretty fall day and the ride was nice. It's too bad that my two kids and I can't all fit as passengers. It would be so nice if my husband could wheel all of us together at the same time. Unfortunately, the weight restrictions are such that only two of us can get a ride at any one time. My husband keeps hoping that I'll just get used to riding my bike, but that seems rather unlikely. We'll first have to buy me a new bike because my current one is in rotten shape, but I'm reluctant to buy a bike right before winter. I"d also have to get used to riding in traffic, which is really the part that I don't like. If I was allowed to ride on sidewalks or there were convenient bike paths with no cars, I'd be game. However, our local laws do not allow adults to ride bikes on sidewalks and our bike paths share the road with cars. For now, I think the only bike riding I'll be doing is in the bucket while my husband carts me around.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Musings from a fun weekend
So you heard from CFM (Car-Free Mom) about what happened over the weekend and her feelings about the challenge, but I wanted to add just a few words too.
I thought it was sooo cool to be riding around with my wife in the front of the bike. I felt really strong. As my wife would say about me, I "felt like a manly, man of a man." :) It was a super way to go on a date. I have always been trying to get my wife to go on walks with me or walk to our date especially if it is just a mile away. These walks have been few and far between. I think that with the Dutch bike, they could become much more common. I really liked the ability to talk while we were out getting some fresh air and moving under our (my) own power. It was a real trip.
I realized one small (correctable) gripe about the bike on my first night trip. At night, even though there is a headlight and taillight, I feel like it would be easy for others to miss the bike in the dark, especially from the side. I have a brighter headlight for my normal bike which just snaps on and off of the handle bars. I am thinking about attaching it to the Dutch bike when I take it out at night to try to ensure more visibility for the bike. (Two lights are better than one, right?) If we ever purchase one of these bikes for ourselves, I think another thing that I would probably do would be to add some reflective tape to the bucket as it comprises about 1/4-1/3 of the bike's length. That is a lot of space on which it would be nice to have some sort of reflective surface.
It is nice that there is a 5-gear gear shift though. On my normal bike, I usually stay in the highest gear all the time, which makes startups a little difficult, but I manage. On the Dutch bike, I find myself switching gears all the time. I usually stay in 4th or 5th gear, but I will switch to 2nd or even 1st when I am starting up from a stop or going up a hill. I find that it makes the startup easier and less wobbly and climbing hills (not that there are big ones in Chicago) a lot easier.
Overall, after having the bike for about a week and biking around on it for the same amount of time, I would have to say that this is a really great bike and I really like using it.
--CFD
I thought it was sooo cool to be riding around with my wife in the front of the bike. I felt really strong. As my wife would say about me, I "felt like a manly, man of a man." :) It was a super way to go on a date. I have always been trying to get my wife to go on walks with me or walk to our date especially if it is just a mile away. These walks have been few and far between. I think that with the Dutch bike, they could become much more common. I really liked the ability to talk while we were out getting some fresh air and moving under our (my) own power. It was a real trip.
I realized one small (correctable) gripe about the bike on my first night trip. At night, even though there is a headlight and taillight, I feel like it would be easy for others to miss the bike in the dark, especially from the side. I have a brighter headlight for my normal bike which just snaps on and off of the handle bars. I am thinking about attaching it to the Dutch bike when I take it out at night to try to ensure more visibility for the bike. (Two lights are better than one, right?) If we ever purchase one of these bikes for ourselves, I think another thing that I would probably do would be to add some reflective tape to the bucket as it comprises about 1/4-1/3 of the bike's length. That is a lot of space on which it would be nice to have some sort of reflective surface.
It is nice that there is a 5-gear gear shift though. On my normal bike, I usually stay in the highest gear all the time, which makes startups a little difficult, but I manage. On the Dutch bike, I find myself switching gears all the time. I usually stay in 4th or 5th gear, but I will switch to 2nd or even 1st when I am starting up from a stop or going up a hill. I find that it makes the startup easier and less wobbly and climbing hills (not that there are big ones in Chicago) a lot easier.
Overall, after having the bike for about a week and biking around on it for the same amount of time, I would have to say that this is a really great bike and I really like using it.
--CFD
First Weekend
Saturday, we had a previously scheduled outing with some other families from school in another suburb about 10 miles away. We considered riding our bikes there, but we ultimately came to the conclusion that we weren't ready for a trip that length quite yet and decided to take the bus and train. As luck should have it, while we were standing on a street corner, waiting for the bus, one of the other mothers going on the same outing saw us and offered us a ride. She had an extra car seat for our daughter and was able to give us a ride there and a ride back.
Saturday night was date night and my husband and I decided to just take the Dutch bike. I sat in the front and my husband did the pedaling. It was an interesting sensation to be carted around in such a fashion. I couldn't help but feel as though I was the object of a balancing act at the mercy of someone else keeping their balance. There's just enough swaying, especially at starts and stops, to remind you that you are sitting in a bucket at the front of a bike and not in something a little more stable. The highlight of the trip, for my husband, was riding up to the drive-up window of Walgreen's to pick up a prescription. While we were there, four or five pharmacists must have stopped by the window to take a look at our bike and we had a nice chat with the gentleman helping us out with our order. Next, we stopped in for a drink at one of our favorite local hang outs. We sat in a window seat and my husband would beam every time he would see people stop to check out our bike chained to a bike rack across the street. My husband just loves the extra attention he gets from the bike and it's obvious he loves riding around in it as well.
Sunday, we had a busy day and our Dutch bike certainly came in handy. First, my husband took the bike, along with our son, on our first car-free grocery trip. Then, they took a trip to the children's school for an open house, they rode it to a restaurant for lunch and rode it to a play date a couple of miles away. Meanwhile, I had walked my daughter a mile and a half to the open house in a stroller, my daughter and I took a bus from there to the restaurant to meet up with my husband and my son, then I walked home from there to cheer on the Chicago Bears while my husband took both our kids to their play date.
I know we're only a week into this challenge, but at this point, we can't see ourselves having any problems keeping our end of the bargain. My husband loves this bike, the kids like riding it and now we know I can be carted around too.
Saturday night was date night and my husband and I decided to just take the Dutch bike. I sat in the front and my husband did the pedaling. It was an interesting sensation to be carted around in such a fashion. I couldn't help but feel as though I was the object of a balancing act at the mercy of someone else keeping their balance. There's just enough swaying, especially at starts and stops, to remind you that you are sitting in a bucket at the front of a bike and not in something a little more stable. The highlight of the trip, for my husband, was riding up to the drive-up window of Walgreen's to pick up a prescription. While we were there, four or five pharmacists must have stopped by the window to take a look at our bike and we had a nice chat with the gentleman helping us out with our order. Next, we stopped in for a drink at one of our favorite local hang outs. We sat in a window seat and my husband would beam every time he would see people stop to check out our bike chained to a bike rack across the street. My husband just loves the extra attention he gets from the bike and it's obvious he loves riding around in it as well.
Sunday, we had a busy day and our Dutch bike certainly came in handy. First, my husband took the bike, along with our son, on our first car-free grocery trip. Then, they took a trip to the children's school for an open house, they rode it to a restaurant for lunch and rode it to a play date a couple of miles away. Meanwhile, I had walked my daughter a mile and a half to the open house in a stroller, my daughter and I took a bus from there to the restaurant to meet up with my husband and my son, then I walked home from there to cheer on the Chicago Bears while my husband took both our kids to their play date.
I know we're only a week into this challenge, but at this point, we can't see ourselves having any problems keeping our end of the bargain. My husband loves this bike, the kids like riding it and now we know I can be carted around too.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Sunny but cool
It was such a beautiful day today, if chilly, (probably about 55 degrees or so) that I had to pick up the kids from school with the bike instead of taking the bus. I took off the rain cover and let the wind blow through my kids helmets. They LOVED it! They sang the theme song from the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (one of their favorite movies) as we biked home. I think that we are going to have to get out their winter gloves though and maybe put a blanket in the bike for them to put on their hands and laps so that they don't get too cold. Alternately, we could just leave on the rain cover as it is clear and acts as a green house.
Have fun in the great fall weather!
--CFD
Have fun in the great fall weather!
--CFD
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Rainy Ride (aka First Ride with the Kids)
Today I took the bike out with a load in the front to try to get used to having weight in the bucket. I had a 20 lbs bag of rice, and a heavy box of books in there to simulate the kids. I went out and rode around a local park which has windy paths and sharp turns to practice turning. I didn't crash at all and only had to put out my feet to catch myself once or twice (due to trying to test my limits and skills at turning) at the beginning of the ride. The key to turning is to take it slow and lean into it just like you would with a normal bike. Don't over steer.
In the afternoon, it started to rain and we had to go to a playgroup at the local library. So, instead of walking over there like I would normally and picking them up with a running stroller (which doesn't have a rain cover) or taking the bus to go home, I hopped onto the bike and pedaled over there in the rain. I wore my rain coat and rain pants (more like rain overalls) which I had bought from Home Depot. I got pretty hot wearing this and biking to the kids school (about 1.5 miles). They were really excited for their first ride on the bike. We put on their helmets and I picked them up and put them into the bucket. They normally would have been able to climb in themselves, but due to the rain cover, they couldn't do so. (I will post some pictures of what the bike with and without the rain cover in a future post - when I get around to taking the pictures.) It was a lot of fun biking them (for me and for them) over to the library and a really good workout too. After the playgroup, I biked us home.
I really think that being car-free for a month is going to be quite doable. Got to run. Catch you next time.
--CFD
In the afternoon, it started to rain and we had to go to a playgroup at the local library. So, instead of walking over there like I would normally and picking them up with a running stroller (which doesn't have a rain cover) or taking the bus to go home, I hopped onto the bike and pedaled over there in the rain. I wore my rain coat and rain pants (more like rain overalls) which I had bought from Home Depot. I got pretty hot wearing this and biking to the kids school (about 1.5 miles). They were really excited for their first ride on the bike. We put on their helmets and I picked them up and put them into the bucket. They normally would have been able to climb in themselves, but due to the rain cover, they couldn't do so. (I will post some pictures of what the bike with and without the rain cover in a future post - when I get around to taking the pictures.) It was a lot of fun biking them (for me and for them) over to the library and a really good workout too. After the playgroup, I biked us home.
I really think that being car-free for a month is going to be quite doable. Got to run. Catch you next time.
--CFD
Monday, October 13, 2008
Day 1
First full day with our special bike. We did not have a chance to take it out for a ride, but already, a change in our routine. We had a scheduled play date and had plans to go to the zoo. We made those plans before we knew we would be without a car. Fortunately, the other family could give our family a ride, so the first ride out in the Dutch bike was not the five miles to the zoo with two kids. Cheating already? Well, we would like to think that instead of two cars driving to the zoo, we reduced it to one and it wasn't our car.
Meet the Husband
I'm not a tree hugger. I just want to do my part to save the environment, save some money and reduce our reliance on our world's depleting natural resources. Honestly, if it weren't for my wife and my kids, (more my wife than the kids) I probably wouldn't even own a car. Now don't get me wrong. I think that cars are very useful and do serve a certain purpose. I just think that the purpose it serves would be better filled with something else. So in a different world or alternate reality, I wouldn't have a car and probably neither would about 90% of the US population. More on this in a different post.
The car-free challenge:
Well, this started with my darling wife finding an ad in the local paper and passing it on to me. I sat on it for a while since it got buried in a pile of papers that seem to grow around me (breed like bunnies?) where ever I live and go. I found it again and emailed the owner of the company and after a few back and forths, we met so that we could take a look at the bikes in action. I was pretty pleased with what I saw. These dutch bikes, which are a reincarnation of a style of bike from early (to mid?) 1900s, are well made and have some sort of a bucket in the front on most styles which allow you to carry little kids or groceries or whatever. My first impression of the bike that I tried initially was that it was a little bit wobbly. However, this was probably just due to my unfamiliarity with the bike as it is longer than a normal US bike and the steering of it is significantly more receptive to changes. I really liked the tricycle that I tried though and had no complaints about it. Well, anyway, my wife and I talked it over and we decided (more like she granted me the gift) to accept the challenge of going for 1 month without using our car with the hopes of getting one of these bikes for an entire year. Thankfully, we were picked to do this and I really look forward to going car-free for an entire month - and maybe even longer.
--CFD (car-free dad)
P.S. I should add that the purpose of this blog is to allow people who are interested in this type of thing to know that it is possible (barring us failing of course) and maybe even to inspire other people to also go car-free. So, in other words, I will not be trying to sell anybody a bike, let alone one of these bikes. Of course, if you are interested in checking out this type of bike, I will be more than glad to point you in the direction of the company that allowed this to happen.
The car-free challenge:
Well, this started with my darling wife finding an ad in the local paper and passing it on to me. I sat on it for a while since it got buried in a pile of papers that seem to grow around me (breed like bunnies?) where ever I live and go. I found it again and emailed the owner of the company and after a few back and forths, we met so that we could take a look at the bikes in action. I was pretty pleased with what I saw. These dutch bikes, which are a reincarnation of a style of bike from early (to mid?) 1900s, are well made and have some sort of a bucket in the front on most styles which allow you to carry little kids or groceries or whatever. My first impression of the bike that I tried initially was that it was a little bit wobbly. However, this was probably just due to my unfamiliarity with the bike as it is longer than a normal US bike and the steering of it is significantly more receptive to changes. I really liked the tricycle that I tried though and had no complaints about it. Well, anyway, my wife and I talked it over and we decided (more like she granted me the gift) to accept the challenge of going for 1 month without using our car with the hopes of getting one of these bikes for an entire year. Thankfully, we were picked to do this and I really look forward to going car-free for an entire month - and maybe even longer.
--CFD (car-free dad)
P.S. I should add that the purpose of this blog is to allow people who are interested in this type of thing to know that it is possible (barring us failing of course) and maybe even to inspire other people to also go car-free. So, in other words, I will not be trying to sell anybody a bike, let alone one of these bikes. Of course, if you are interested in checking out this type of bike, I will be more than glad to point you in the direction of the company that allowed this to happen.
Meet the Wife
Ever see the show "Jon and Kate Plus Eight"? Let's just say I'm more like Kate than I am like Jon. I like to make the rules, I like to run the show, I like to think I know it all, although of course, I don't. My husband is much more laid back and humors me by letting me wear the pants and not making much of a fuss. He treats me like a queen and every woman on this planet should be so lucky as to have a husband like mine.
This Car-free challenge is my way of showing my undying love for my husband. It's my way of humoring him for a change. I know, I know... I have got to be kidding, right? Maybe, but only just a little. I see my darling husband as a tree hugger and me as a tree branch shaker. I'll recycle where recycling is available and I'll sort my junk mail at home to maximize our recyling, but my husband has been known to cart recyling home from road trips, from day trips, and from places I don't even want to know about. If he wins the lottery, he wants to buy a wind farm and some land so he can grow his own food. Me? Well, that's not the first thing I thought of.
I'm not addicted to our car. I don't even like to drive. I let my husband pick out our car and I don't recall even test driving it before letting him buy it. Unfortunately, I like to bike even less. I learned to ride a bike as an adult and I'm a very nervous biker. It doesn't help that the only time I've broken a bone was while biking on a bike trail and flipping over the handle bars when one of the pedals hit the road making a turn.
The last time I rode a bike is about a year ago. Instead of driving a mile to the gym every day at 6am, my husband convinced me to ride my bike. So, for a week or two, I did just that. However, I didn't have a backpack and I had problems balancing and steering my bike while either holding my gym bag or trying to adjust it on my one shoulder. Two crashes in one day and that was enough of that.
In addition to being a pathetic and nervous biker, I'm also shorter than your average bear. I stand 5'0" and I'm lucky I can reach the pedals of my second hand bike. I can barely touch the ground with my tip toes while sitting on my less than sturdy bike seat. If you've ridden bikes all your life, you may not care that you have to tip your bike 20 degrees to touch the ground, but it's a big deal for someone like me. Once I get going, I can keep going, provided I don't have to stop, but getting the bike going is a big deal for me and so are turns. It doesn't help that I'm self-conscious about my lack of riding skills and it makes me nervous to ride within eye-shot of people. (I know it's silly, but I can't help it!)
So, this Car-free challenge is going to have a bit of an impact on me. I'm either going to have to make new friends with our public transit engineers, walk more or bike more. I'm not planning on carting my kids around on the Dutch bike. I'm going to leave that for my husband.
This Car-free challenge is my way of showing my undying love for my husband. It's my way of humoring him for a change. I know, I know... I have got to be kidding, right? Maybe, but only just a little. I see my darling husband as a tree hugger and me as a tree branch shaker. I'll recycle where recycling is available and I'll sort my junk mail at home to maximize our recyling, but my husband has been known to cart recyling home from road trips, from day trips, and from places I don't even want to know about. If he wins the lottery, he wants to buy a wind farm and some land so he can grow his own food. Me? Well, that's not the first thing I thought of.
I'm not addicted to our car. I don't even like to drive. I let my husband pick out our car and I don't recall even test driving it before letting him buy it. Unfortunately, I like to bike even less. I learned to ride a bike as an adult and I'm a very nervous biker. It doesn't help that the only time I've broken a bone was while biking on a bike trail and flipping over the handle bars when one of the pedals hit the road making a turn.
The last time I rode a bike is about a year ago. Instead of driving a mile to the gym every day at 6am, my husband convinced me to ride my bike. So, for a week or two, I did just that. However, I didn't have a backpack and I had problems balancing and steering my bike while either holding my gym bag or trying to adjust it on my one shoulder. Two crashes in one day and that was enough of that.
In addition to being a pathetic and nervous biker, I'm also shorter than your average bear. I stand 5'0" and I'm lucky I can reach the pedals of my second hand bike. I can barely touch the ground with my tip toes while sitting on my less than sturdy bike seat. If you've ridden bikes all your life, you may not care that you have to tip your bike 20 degrees to touch the ground, but it's a big deal for someone like me. Once I get going, I can keep going, provided I don't have to stop, but getting the bike going is a big deal for me and so are turns. It doesn't help that I'm self-conscious about my lack of riding skills and it makes me nervous to ride within eye-shot of people. (I know it's silly, but I can't help it!)
So, this Car-free challenge is going to have a bit of an impact on me. I'm either going to have to make new friends with our public transit engineers, walk more or bike more. I'm not planning on carting my kids around on the Dutch bike. I'm going to leave that for my husband.
The Background
It all began with an Ad in the local paper... Trade in the keys to your car for a fancy Dutch bike (De Fietsfabriek -- http://www.defietsfabriek.us/). Survive an entire month, you get to borrow the bike for the entire year. Neat! So, what's the catch?
Let's take a step back, shall we? We live in a suburb of Chicago with two kids, three and four years old, who attend pre-school 1.5 miles away. We normally take the bus, but when we get up late in the morning or the weather isn't cooperating, the car sure comes in handy. We typically drive the 2.5 miles to church on Sundays and we do 95% of our grocery shopping utilizing our car. Do we NEED the car? Maybe not, but we sure seem to find a use for it on a regular basis.
So why are we doing this? Funny you should ask... I have a feeling I'll be asking myself that very question a few times over the coming weeks. For now, my friends, let's just say it's for the love of a husband.
Let's take a step back, shall we? We live in a suburb of Chicago with two kids, three and four years old, who attend pre-school 1.5 miles away. We normally take the bus, but when we get up late in the morning or the weather isn't cooperating, the car sure comes in handy. We typically drive the 2.5 miles to church on Sundays and we do 95% of our grocery shopping utilizing our car. Do we NEED the car? Maybe not, but we sure seem to find a use for it on a regular basis.
So why are we doing this? Funny you should ask... I have a feeling I'll be asking myself that very question a few times over the coming weeks. For now, my friends, let's just say it's for the love of a husband.
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