What’s the Mission?
It’s been a week since I wrapped up the car-free challenge. Things have pretty much gone back to the way they were before, meaning that I don’t go out all that much, but I generally do use the car. That’s the status quo for summer. When I go back to work, I will be bicycle [...]
In my last post, I wrote about different kinds of cyclists I see in my neighborhood, lamenting that there’s no one quite like me. That same day, Honking in Traffic posted Who’s biking? Choice or necessity, which tells about the writer’s encounter with a Latino cyclist who is bicycle commuting out of necessity. The writer [...]
Portland may be a bicycling mecca, but out where I live? Not so much. I’m in East Portland, which used to be farmland and was later converted into suburbia. We have large residential-only districts, big-box shopping centers, and wide, busy arterial streets. There are some streets with good bike lanes, and there are quiet residential [...]
I looked out the window after school today, and saw rain pouring down on students and teachers as they loaded the buses. It didn’t look good for me, and I’d parked my bike outside and left all of my rain gear (cheap poncho and plastic bags) in the Freeloader bags, where it was already getting [...]
After the accident, I did get my bike into the shop for a tuneup. Yesterday, I got the call that it was ready. Yay! I walked down to the bike shop (bonus exercise!) to pick it up. The mechanic went through what he’d done; besides the usual adjusting and cleaning, he’d had to put the [...]
I still think about it every time I step off the curb. Is someone going to plow into me? Even if I think they’ve stopped? I haven’t ridden my bike since the accident, because I want to take it in for a tuneup first. I’ve been walking and busing instead. And I’ll definitely be biking [...]
First of all: I AM FINE. And my bike is mostly fine. It needs a few adjustments. But yes, a car did push me over. I don’t think there are going to be any legal issues from it, but just in case, I’m not going to get into the details here. I will tell you [...]
I’ve been bicycle commuting through all weathers this winter in Portland, Oregon. In December we had a week of sub-freezing temperatures, as well as the usual rain. A snowfall, fortunately, came while I was on winter break, and I didn’t have to ride in it. Last week, we had the rain that wouldn’t quit. Today [...]
