Biking the dog

So you like the exercise you get while you bike around town? Well why not spread the perks to your dog? With the stability of three wheels that come with the Winther Kangaroo, we find ourselves biking the dog more often to give her a good run, especially when time is tight. Moxie absolutely loves it and took to it last fall very quickly. Here is our bike run this morning for day 6 of #30daysofbiking.

Click "Like" to hear from Hillary, my partner in car-freedom

So maybe you've wondered, "ok, this is Andy's rosy view of a car-free family life, but what about the other members of the family?" Well, the other member of the family that is old enough to write, my wife Hillary, recently expressed some desire to write a Riding Phrius post. But she needs some extra encouragement. So for you Facebookers, click "Like" if you want to hear from Hillary. Or write a comment with a Riding Phrius question that you would like Hillary's perspective on.

Winter wash and winter fun

The radio host foresaw the weekend scene as he predicted our first thaw in over a month. Above freezing temps would send many to wash the salty winter grime off of their cars. I joined the carwash line to do the same for the Roo. Anyone who has biked through the winter in a snowy place can attest to how hard it is on your bike. Salt, sand, and road grit all conspire to gum up the chain and eat away at the metal parts. My 2-wheeled winter bike (affectionately called "INDY", short for "It's Not Dead Yet") now has its fenders permanently rusted to its frame. And that is nothing compared to the issues that have caused several bike mechanics to shed blood while removing winter-seized parts. Leery of the havoc that this winter may be wielding on the Roo, I wanted to wash and dry it and thoroughly oil the exposed bolts to prevent corrosion.

Thankfully, the Roo has fared very well this winter. There was a little rust on the edges of a few threads - hopefully we can stay ahead of this. It's a huge advantage having an enclosed hub to keep water, salt and grit off the most critical moving parts.

We made the best of the above average temps over the three day MLK weekend. Theo and Hillary took the bus 1.5 miles to sled and ski with Theo's buddy Nolan. We rode our bikes 1 mile to skate at Matthews Park with friends (that's Henry's red hat poking above my back.) Thanks for joining us Xena! Henry and I took the Roo to pick up groceries at the food co-op and to pick up storage bins and odds and ends at Target. As usual, we got the best parking spots in the lot.

"Look out for that Snowbank!"

We got our first major snowstorm this week. It being my day for daycare drop-off, I decided to try the Roo in the 6+ inches of snow. Within fifty feet of the garage I saw a clearly impassable snow drift in the alley. I decided to pedal harder and attempt to plow through..."thwump" went the Roo as it stuttered to a stop. I knew then this was going to be a hard 1 mile slog to Theo's daycare. But we turned around, passing the garage and the opportunity to let reason prevail. How could I stop this adventure with a 3 year old giggling and hooting the whole way down the alley as we bounced over small snowbanks and large bumps? We pressed on, hoping our reindeer fill-in, Moxie, would give us some extra pull. Not. Within 2 blocks of Theo's daycare, we ditched the Roo and walked the last bit.

It was a one-hour adventure for a normally 20+ minute trip. But I wouldn't trade the stories that Theo is still telling for anything. I would however get a studded tire for the rear wheel to give the Roo a little more bite through the snow.

Skeleton out of the closet

"You really don't have a car?", people often ask. "That's right...oh, except I do have an old van in the garage." Not many people in Minnesota know about my old van. It hasn't run for years. It suffered the neglect of 6 years during my PhD program. But she had many good years before then. Fourteen years ago when I was just graduating from college, I fell in love with a 1967 Ford van parked on the streets of Providence. I wasn't looking for a van, but this "mystery van" re-kindled a van-fetish I had as an early teenager. Long story short, I bought the van, friends named it Banshee, and I had many adventures driving it with Hillary across the country to move from Rhode Island to Arizona. After five years of western adventures it helped move us (along with Hil's long-gone SUV) to Minnesota. With its wheels under the front seats, primitive suspension, and table-top steering, Banshee was a very fun vehicle to drive, especially descending twisting mountain roads of the West. Check out a short video from our travels in Arizona - featuring a descent of one of the windiest roads I have experienced.

At 12 miles to the gallon or so, I was always a bit ashamed of the environmental non-performance of old Banshee. That is one reason I became an avid bike commuter as soon as I arrived in Tucson. But Hillary, many friends, and I have many fond memories of trips with Banshee - van camping in the desert, the ill-fated Arkansas airport camping-police escapade, seeking old Route 66, speedometer peeping, and many more.

Upon moving to Minnesota for graduate school, I belovedly made sure Banshee had a garage for the winter. Unfortunately, the gas and gas tank fouled the first winter rendering the fuel system virtually inoperational. Still devoted to the old gal, I made sure the house we bought had a two car garage to afford her a space. Crazy how much we will do for a car!

But for 8 years she sat, including 3 years of Theo's life, and now Henry's first 9 months. Hillary didn't go for the idea that Banshee could become Theo's 16th birthday car and wanted the space for our growing collection of bikes. My interest in sinking time into fixing a gas guzzler waned. Once the reality of a second kid sank in, I got over my 14 year attachment to this van. As a last act of devotion, I cleaned her out and photographed her to put her in the best possible light, or as best was available in the garage she was stuck in. And then I put her up for sale on eBay.

"It's like putting the old lady out on an ice floe", exclaimed one friend upon hearing the news of Banshee's sale on eBay. Well, it's not quite do dire. It turns out that these 1960s Ford Econolines are popular with some teenagers, and their fathers. Banshee attracted 11 different bidders in two different auctions (the first buyer fell through- his teenager had bid for it in his name without his knowledge!).

But Banshee has found what I wanted- an owner who would fix her up and make the best of this classic. The buyer drove all the way from Florida with his 13 and 8 year old sons to pick her up. He and his older son will spend the next two years completely restoring her and then she will become the son's first car when he turns 16. Too bad, Theo missed out. Here are some photos of the emergence of Banshee after eight years in the garage, headed back to the sunny south. She got out just in time as I write here while our first big snow of the winter arrives.

Me and the boys sitting in Banshee for one last time.


Banshee's new owner, sitting in her for the first time. Hopefully this was the last time she will have to be winched up onto a trailer!

Bidding a fond farewell to Banshee.

Front Seat Driver

"Daddy, you're going to hit that car," exclaimed Theo as we biked to school with him perched in his Bobike seat. This was a milestone statement for Theo after a year of "Bobiking". Our favorite aspect of the Bobike is the running commentary that Theo makes about the turning leaves, his day at school, or the truck that just passed. With him safely seated between you and the handlebars conversation is so easy. What other form of transportation affords such closeness? But Theo crossed a line into front seat driving today. Never before has he offered biking advice. He was right - we were set to hit a parked car. But it was 40 feet ahead and we were riding to the right side of the road to allow cars to pass.

Phrius in the Fall

With cooling temperatures and a chance of snow this weekend, I am soaking in the best of early fall commuting. Rode in today at 40 degrees F and mostly cloudy. Felt phrius and refreshed by the time I got work. The fall color is really coming along. Theo made much commentary on the leaf color as we recently bo-biked to school earlier this week.

I am disappointed that I was not able to celebrate International Bike to School day yesterday with Theo. But I am remembering the excitement we had last week when he biked the whole way to school (1 mile). I received the news via email from Hillary: "Theo rode his training wheel bike all the way to school! He was so proud (as was I). Moxie [our new pup] was too." It feels great to welcome another bike commuter to the bike lane at the ripe age of 3.