Car Habit (or Driver's License Part 5)

I really enjoy my bike, riding my bike to work, and leaving my car in the driveway. I get a big kick when I'm locking up my bike and a stranger walks up, asks if I ride everywhere I go and offers encouraging words. I feel like I'm part of something bigger when I stop at an intersection to talk with a fellow cyclist. I want to spread the good news, to tell it from the mountain and to proclaim the simple beauty of the bicycle.

At the same time, my daughter is doing some pretty cool stuff with cars, and the more I look into this, the more I like cars. I had forgotten about paint markers and how much fun they are. I've written in previous posts (click on the Driver's License tag below) about what I'm learning about how we as a society develop our car habit. My daughter is making the transition to motorist, and I'm trying to take an honest look at the reasons we love our cars.

I have to admit, I enjoyed the attention I got when I drove the car with this message on the driver's side window:


This fun occurred when Grady High School advanced to the quarter-finals of the Girl's State Soccer Championship last Tuesday. On Friday night, they advanced to the semi's and play Tuesday night May 8. The community is loving it and my daughter (who scored the game winner Friday) is eating it up.

So, the question becomes, is it OK if the bike guy enjoys driving around in the car? Can the car really be so evil, if some fun can be had? Is there a place in the world (besides the driveway) for an energy-hungry, inefficient, transportable set of chairs with windows? I'll have to consider this further.

In the meanwhile, I'm glad to have an excuse not to wash it.

Commute Summary

Round Trip Distance: 13.4
Number of Cyclists seen: 17
In-bound Route: Lullwater/PATH
Out-bound Route: Errands
Weather: Completely blue skies, Low 50's in AM; mid-70's by afternoon; low humidity.