Tuesday, April 3, 2012

30 Days of Biking at Last!

All of our family members above the age of 3 signed up for 30 Days of Biking this year.  That is me, Theo, and Hillary who have taken the pledge along with 3000+ other folks all over the world.  The 30 Days of Biking pledge is simple: "Ride somewhere every day for 30 days, then share your adventures online". 

We are lucky enough to be spending the first week with Hil's family during spring break on Sanibel Island, Florida.  (Check out it's excellent 22 mile bicycle trail network (and incredible amount of green space/conservation areas) here.)  We were having so much fun on the beach and such that we didn't rally to line-up rental bikes for Theo until yesterday (Day 2 of 30 Days of Biking) and then managed to miss our daily ride yet again.  But finally we all made it out this evening, with the addition of T's cousins.  With all rented/borrowed bikes, it was more of a test ride to adjust everybody's bikes.  Here are some pics from our first 30 Days of Biking 2012 ride.  For us make it 28 days of biking.  Oh, well.





Finally,  a fine excerpt from the 30 Days of Biking story
"...We want you to remember how riding around your neighborhood felt when you were a kid, when a bike was your only transportation and you loved it. We want you to remember the freedom bicycling offers. The happiness, the independence. These things aren't lost to the ages or the past. They're still available, as nearby as your saddle. And, ultimately, they lead to a healthier life."

Thanks to the Readers of Riding Phrius!

I must admit that blogging can be a rather lonely endeavor.  How much are people reading my posts?  Yes, I can look at the page view statistics.  Some posts have topped one hundred views.  Woohoo. Many have less than ten.  But what value are people really getting from Riding Phrius? 


Henry and I enjoying a moment together on the bus to church. 
In early January I sent an email to friends and family with year-end highlights from Riding Phrius. Here’s a big shout out to all of you who read Riding Phrius and those who comment online or in person.  It means a tremendous amount to me and helps me keep writing about our family’s experience of “Riding Phrius.” Writing droughts there may be, but I am always thinking of new posts, a few percent of which happen. 


Here are the posts that I highlighted to my friends and family:




Theo, our eager cyclist:  Theo joins me in 30 Days of Biking

Car-free through a serious Minnesota winter: Taxi Time and the Siberian Express
    (this winter seems far away after the crazy mild winter we just finished.)

Fun video as Theo bikes 7.5 miles: Open Streets - Ciclovia Minneapolis 2011

Yes, we have our doubts: Confessions from Riding Phrius 

          What do we mean by car-free?: Car-free by the Numbers 




Here are some messages I got from readers: 


Jim G. "...As someone who still does drive a car (though sparingly when in the city — I’m a subway/streetcar/bus freak), I can tell you that my occasional and always rewarding drop-in on your blog makes me question continuing to have a car — you’re a great example of “how-to” in this crazy mechanized world."  
 Thanks Jim!


Anne-Marie: "...I was thinking about your blog - have you ever considered making it a kind of "how-to?" You and Hil must have learned so much about how to use your bikes to do almost everything. For example, how do you get groceries? What do you keep an eye on when you're commuting in traffic? How do you see when it's unexpectedly pouring rain?"  Good idea, Anne-Marie.  I will try to weave in more how-to when possible.  I have always thought that there is a lot of how-to resources out there.  But it is easy to take that for granted.  And we often lean more on what we hear from friends and contacts.  


My grad school office mate Mitch wrote: " At one point this year Valerie and I owned 5 cars, but being good Americans we reduced it to 3."  That is classic, Mitch.


My college professor (now emeritus) Doug M. wrote: "You'd be happy to know that we both continue our bike-riding ways, so that I may not use the disgusting car more often than once every several weeks, and Else sometimes may not more than one or twice a week. I plan to ride through the entire winter, only falling on average once every other year or so when there is such glare ice that one can't get traction. My (now) much younger colleagues delight in calling me a wimp if I don't ride in."  Doug, you are an inspiration!


Thanks to these folks and many more for their comments, inspiration, and ideas for Riding Phrius!
What do you like about Riding Phrius?  What types of posts do you enjoy reading the most?  What questions to you have about our car-free life? I value your comments and appreciate that you take the time to check in with Riding Phrius. Thanks!