Sunday, September 16, 2012

Bikepool for Saturday Soccer

This is Theo's first real year of soccer. Real in that they practice one night a week and have Saturday morning games at various parks. Last week a friend commented to Hillary that with Theo's interest in soccer, soccer mom-dom (and thus a soccer mom car) are in our near future. Yes, it is a matter of when. But so far we are managing well.

First, thanks to our friends Rolf and Renata, whose son plays on the team, and gave Theo and Hillary a ride to last week's game at a park far away from our house.  Today's game was at Minneapolis' Sibley Park which is within easy Kangaroo biking distance at just 2.3 miles away.  We even did a "bikepool", picking up another one of Theo's teammates.  This bikepool doubled as a daddy Saturday morning "spin class".  This spin class was less a cardio workout and much more a leg strength workout.  With the help of the 1st graders' budding math skills we calculated that I was pedaling about 380 pounds.  Whoa.  

Theo showing his friend the gears and the hydraulic brakes of the Winther Kangaroo before their soccer game.









The bikepool ride seeded some questions.  On the way home from soccer Theo's friend Hanif asked, "why your family hates cars".  A bit surprised by the impression that we hate cars, I responded that it's not that we hate cars, in fact we use cars often, especially when they are the better way to get around.  He had noted that his family uses cars everyday to go most everywhere.  I acknowledged that many people need to use cars because their work is far away and not conveniently reached by public transportation, for instance.  But then said that our family doesn't need a car for most of our trips.  Then Theo chimed in with the distinctive stream-of-consciousness style of a young kid, "We can take a bike, a bus, a taxi.  Cars create pollution.  Look at all these cars just parked on the street, sitting here, nobody is using them.  If we want to go camping, we can rent a car.  If we need to go farther away, we can take an airplane."  Gotta love hearing your 6-year old make such a rational argument for not owning a car.  Admittedly, this is the same kid who also occasionally asks, "Why can't we get a car?".

But the big news of the day is that the Brackett Rockets won their soccer game.  They dug out of a two point hole and won 3-2 to remain undefeated.  Go Rockets!


Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Thanks Nice Ride!

This summer Nice Ride Minnesota came to St. Paul with its unmistakeable green Nice Ride bikes. Better yet they put a station right in front of the Department of Natural Resources building where I work. After passing the station daily as I walked from the bus, I finally got to use it today.

Mission: Meet a friend/colleague in Minneapolis for Happy Hour
Trip challenge: get some work done to compensate for my early departure

Leg 1: Work to Town Hall Brewery
3:00 pm Walk from 6th floor office to Nice Ride station at Lafayette and Grove

3:04 pm Depart Nice Ride station

   --Enjoy bike ride--

3:11 pm Arrive at 10th and Robert Nice Ride station

   --walk one block (and start this blog)--

3:23 pm Catch 94B Express Bus

   --work on bus (editing report) while the bus passed much traffic--

3:53 pm  Arrive at Metrodome Mpls Nice Ride Station

   --Enjoy bike ride (Washington Ave. wasn't too bad)--

4:00 pm arrive Town Hall Brewery

Leg 1 Summary:
Total time: 1 hour
     Travel time: 50 minutes (30 mins bus, 14 mins bike, 6 mins walking)
          includes 25 minutes of productive work on the bus
     Waiting time: 10 minutes  (I started this blog!)

Leg 2: Town Hall Brewery to Home
5:33 pm Head home on Nice Ride bike

5:51 pm Arrive at neighborhood Nice Ride station (about a 2 mile ride)

5:59 pm Walk 6 blocks to home, for the first time a little sweaty. Ready to change into shorts and a t-shirt.

Before Nice Ride this journey likely would have taken me 50%+ longer due to less than ideal bus connections.  Here's to the fantastic bike-walk options that Nice Ride has brought to the Twin Cities.  Here's to Bike-Walk Twin Cities and their many partners for the great improvements they have brought to bike-walk infrastructure.  Here's to many, many more who are making the Twin Cities an even better place to get around without a car.   

Monday, September 3, 2012

Young Bikers Spreading their Wings at Chautauqua

The second week of August took us back to the long-time Holdsworth summer vacation spot, the Chautauqua Institution in western New York State.  It was my 40th year there (I missed one while doing research in the Brazilian Amazon). After many years of flying from Minnesota to Cleveland, and then driving with Hillary's family to Chautauqua, the recent jump in airfares (and the need to purchase a 4th for the first time) made us rethink our plans.  We decided to rent a car and drive the 900 miles (~16 hours) there and back.  In my humble opinion, I think the trip went well. Henry, however, exclaimed many times on the way there that "this trip is taking too long!"  The trip home was easier and we'll likely do it again.  Driving to Chautauqua again brought back vivid memories of my family packing the family station wagon (and a large trailer in some years) and driving the 8 hours from eastern Pennsylvania to Chautauqua.

Three years ago I wrote a Riding Phrius post in which I reminisced about biking as a kid at Chautauqua.  I also looked forward to the time when our kids would experience that freedom.  Well, this year's trip was the beginning of that time!  Last year Theo rented a bike and began to master using his brakes as he navigated the hills of Chautauqua. But this year I saw the beginning of Chautauqua biking freedom in him.  One of his 7 year old cousins led him and his other cousin the ~3/4 of a mile to Boys and Girls Club on their bikes. No parents involved.  He tested himself on the hills.  He comfortably biked ahead of us in the quiet streets mostly minding the rules of the road. Meanwhile, Henry finally mastered peddling a tricycle. What a great week of daily riding for the kids. Here are a few biking pics from the trip.


Henry, Theo and their cousin Louisa rev their engines in preparation for Children's School.

Theo showing off his rental bike. Louisa sporting her Papa's childhood bike. Theo wishes he had one like it.

Heading along the lake to the afternoon session at Boys and Girls Club.

Parking amongst the mob of bikes.

Theo running into the Girls Club where his Group 1 started their afternoon session.