Hi! It's been over two years since I posted last. I'm not sure there's much use in catching up with everything that's happened since then, the basics are still the same. We live without owning a car, although I have a motorcycle that I use when I need to go farther or faster on my own. It's a vehicle I love but isn't the most practical when it comes to transporting the family so we still go back to driving a car on an as-needed basis. By not owning a car, I try to make that our last option, if nothing else works. Sometimes the everyday routine becomes mundane and that initial excitement I had when we first jumped into our car-free journey began to wear off. Except for a six-month period where I was commuting to a desk-job internship to finish off a degree in Recreation that was all-consuming for a few years, we have gone over 8 years without owning a car. 

However, yesterday, I was re-inspired. Eight years ago, I was just starting my cargo bike story. I knew I needed a new way of life, I couldn't keep existing as I was--stressed, tired, out-of-shape, and fed-up with driving. I hate driving. I hate everything about driving. It drains your energy and eats away at your soul until you're a Road Raged shell inside a cage. That was my life before cargo bikes. I didn't want to be that person and I especially didn't want to be that mother, raising tiny children to be the same, to never know a different world. Cargo bikes gave me that alternative and it resonated with my heart in a way I can't describe. It's as if the world suddenly made sense again. We were experiencing the same existence but in a way that was such a reality shift. On a bike, the birds sing, the wind blows, sights and sounds and smells are all sharper and brighter, everything is clearer. That was the life I wanted to share with my children and once I experienced that, I knew I couldn't let it go. The idea that we could live without a car was scary at first and I sought help. Because we were still a rolling circus locally, most of that support came from online. I'd found my people, most of them through Liz Canning's (R)evolutions per Minute Facebook page (now Motherload: a movie, a meeting place, a cargo bike movement). These folks, understood my passion, my commitment, my stubborn need to pedal. They offered inspiration, tips, and hope in a world where that was often hard to find, especially when trying to shake off the ingrained car culture that infects our society, something so deeply rooted that people feel personally attacked by people who don't buy into the same views. 

Liz began creating Motherload, the movie, around the same time we started our own cargo bike revolution. She crowd-sourced material from around the world and we sent in a few of our own clips. Yesterday, I was able to experience the final product of all her hard work and dedication to the cargo bike movement. It was as if 100s of people from around the world were telling our story. Familiar faces of folks who we followed and learned from were speaking to me again. They shared our struggles and our joys, they reminded me why we began doing this in the first place. Looking around the room at the new folks, the younger children, another generation of family bikers just starting out on their own pedal-powered journeys, gives me hope and inspiration again, at a time when I've been struggling to figure out what I'm doing and where I'm going. I am so grateful to Liz, to our biking friends, to our local community and those around the world, and the next round of passionate, committed, cargo bikers who will keep the movement rolling toward the future we need--a more sustainable, human, peaceful world. ​

Hi again! School is in full swing, work has picked up, and my monsters are bigger and hungrier than ever. While life is busy, we're holding up with the help of many wonderful friends and family members. The Juiced Rider ODK is keeping me rolling, even on days that take me from one side of the region to the next. I've gone up to 65 miles in a day on a single charge. While it's not perfect and I've been having some wiring trouble lately, it's been a great help to keep avoiding car-miles. 

Last week, I had an interesting ride on my way back from my latest Project Bike Smart school. Being able to ride 13 miles each way, teach, then get home to be a functional parent takes a bit of juggling. Our electric bike has been a life- (and energy-) saver for me. The biggest downside to riding an e-bike that I've found is that it seems to attract some (in my experience) male riders who think they can catch my wheel and draft a free ride as I pass by. Now, this might not bother everyone but I think it's pretty creepy to suddenly have some stranger inches from my back wheel without asking permission. It's like someone hovering over my shoulder. Drafting takes a lot of trust and skill anyway, I don't know who these people are and I don't like them in my space. Usually, I either try to ignore them for awhile or I'll slow down carefully to get them to pass and give me some room. This time, I had just pulled onto the road and passed Mr. Tri Guy who was all decked out, huffing and puffing on his 12 lb bike. Sure enough, as soon as I pass, I hear "Don't brake!" and he was right behind me. Not in the mood, I turn around and just say "Well, don't draft." Instead of backing off, he calls me a crybaby and tells me to go F myself while he pushes past. He pedals away as fast as he can but obviously can't keep up at that pace (my bike is capped off at 20 mph). He eventually has to slow down  pretend to talk with a woman so I give a cheerful "On your left!" as I breeze by. 

Shortly after, just blocks from home, I'm taking my right of way at a four-way stop, having stopped first, when a woman pulls up in her car and rolls the stop sign, turning right at me. I scream and wave to get her attention and she stops her car a foot from my bike. I continue riding past to the next stop sign with her behind me. She suddenly starts yelling from inside her car that I had run the stop sign and she was going to do a citizen's arrest. I counter back with the fact that she didn't even see me in the first place, how could she have known I hadn't stopped. She proceeds to lean on the horn for a minute and yell that I'm in her way now. Luckily, we turned separate ways but I still left shaky and annoyed at these interactions. 

These incidences have really stuck in my mind over the past week and make me think about how we view others. There isn't much we can control in life but I'm trying to do a better job at letting these things go. I often hear how cyclists always break the law and we're all so entitled. My experience with Mr. Tri Guy could obviously set that stage but I also hate the idea that we have to all behave perfectly so we don't give cyclists a bad name. No one says that about car drivers. Every light cycle I see a number of red light runners but I never hear anyone lament how these drivers give everyone a bad reputation. In my classes, I often talk about how drivers of cars and of bicycles tend to break the law at roughly the same rate. It's not the vehicle that causes someone to make a bad decision, it's the person driving it who does. Recently, this article popped up about the Myth of the Scofflaw Cyclist. It's so easy to get wrapped up in our own confirmation biases and only see what we want but in the end, it's the individual making their own decision who should be held accountable. 

More often than not, my rides are uneventful and mundane (but still so much more fun than driving). Writing about riding after five years of doing this every day has become tricky because things aren't as new and exciting. I love riding my bike more than anything else (I said anything, not anyone, in case my kids are reading this). These days, I feel it's especially difficult to write because of all the scary things that are happening in the world on a regular basis. I usually feel like there are so many other things that need attention, how can I still be focused on riding? How does life go on as usual when nothing about these times should be considered "normal." But life keeps moving on and it's more important now than ever that we make kind, positive decisions toward one another. I don't know how those two drivers were feeling that day or what they were going through to cause their rudeness. While I'm not excusing this behavior, I'm not going to take it personally or change the way I treat others. Kindness and empathy goes a long way and we need these now more than ever. 

So, this post doesn't necessarily have any where to go, it's just what's been on my mind lately and where I've been emotionally. As Einstein once said, "life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance, you must keep moving." And with that, we just keep rolling forward, wherever life takes us. 

Happy #30DaysOfBiking! 

Almost exactly four years ago, I wrote this post about being bike friendly. It turned out to be one of the most popular posts I've written because it resonates with all the everyday bike riders just trying to get around. Yes, you have a bike rack. No, I can't use it. After the post was published, our local Trader Joes received over 70 phone calls from other customers asking for better bike parking to address the lack of safety and encourage more bike riding. This shop is in a pretty bikeable and walkable location and having a crappy, ineffective rack in a dangerous location does nothing to support their bike riding patrons. We were given the same responses: "We're working on it, there are plans for changes, the property manager doesn't support it, we hear you, etc."

A few months ago, changes were finally made. See if you can spot the difference. 

Yep, a canopy to cover their carts that somehow couldn't be designed to cover the bike racks as well. I'm sure they could have built 1000s of curb cuts for the amount of money they spent on this. Do dry carts keep their customers safe? Nope. The carts get left in the parking lot corrals in the rain anyway. That's what the paper towel dispensers are there for. It is so frustrating because it is such a simple matter that keeps getting overlooked. There is so much potential but nothing changes. I spend as much money at that store as any SUV driver and that lot is dangerous and inconvenient for everyone. I just don't get it.

I spent a couple days with friends and stopping in at my favorite hangouts (Redwood Yogurt!). On Wednesday evening, I decided to pack up and roll out to Clam Beach. It was only about a 10-mile ride but it was already dark by the time I left and the forecast was heavy rain all night and the next day. I knew that if I didn't leave then, I'd miss my opportunity for the trip. Riding around the Arcata Bottoms was just like old times. More than ten years ago, we used to ride that way to the beach, day or night, rain or shine. I rolled through, finding the turns engrained in my memory. 

I made it to camp before the rain and set up my tent, bringing all my gear inside to repack and organize. Thankfully, my friends loaned me their 0 degree sleeping bag because mine hadn't been warm enough the past couple of trips. Snuggled into my tent and listening to the rain falling was incredible. I was able to pack up and head out in the morning during a break in the storm. 

However, less than a mile down the road and the rains started up again. I realized very quickly that the jacket I had packed was useless. It wasn't even water resistent. Rain drops immediatly started running down my arms, soaking the down jacket I had underneath. My gear was all stashed nicely in dry bags and lined with garbage bags so I knew I'd have dry clothes and gear when I got to camp. My wool leggings and gloves were keeping me mostly warm but I was drenched by the time I got to my second breakfast stop in Trinidad. 

There was one more break in the storm while I ate and got a couple of photos at the lighthouse but as soon as I was riding again, it poured the rest of the 30 miles to Elk Prairie. There is a section on this route along Highway 101 from Big Lagoon to Stone Lagoon where you lose your shoulder on the road, get into blind curves and start climbing up hills. This area also happened to be flooded and during the worst weather of the day. At this point, even my boots had filled up with water. It was a stressful 15 miles but once I was passed it, I knew I was almost at camp. 

I rolled into the visitors center to use their wifi and wring out my clothes. My plan was to stay at the hike and bike spot for $5 but I had waited too long and was starting to get cold and miserable. When I paid for my site, I learned that there was one unreserved cabin (those were new since I last visited). It was $80 but included a space heater and little else. I was sold! The cabins are beautiful but very poorly designed. There were no benches to sit on, mattresses, or hooks to hang anything up. I draped all my wet gear and clothes around to room and cranked up the heater. It wasn't perfect but it was exactly what I needed after that long, wet ride. 

The next morning was gorgeous, as usual. I was reminded as to why I love this place. There was frost on everything which made me extra happy to have splurged on the cabin. 

The ride out was beautiful. Everything was bright and green. I chatted with a few Elk along the way and stopped for a big breakfast in Orick at the Palm Cafe, a tradition of mine going back more than 10 years. 

It was Christmas Eve and my stop for the night was at Patrick's Point, only 20 miles away. The tough section wasn't nearly as difficult on the way back as it's more downhill and had clear skies. I arrived at camp early enough to have plenty of time to go for a hike, set up camp, cook dinner, and watch the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen. The $5 hike and bike site helped balance out my expenses from the day before. 

Christmas morning, I woke up and made a hearty (but maybe not so healthy) bowl of oatmeal and candy. 

I was getting really good at packing up the bike quickly. I had another 20 miles to go to get back to my friend's house in Arcata. Traffic was minimal and the weather was gorgeous again but chilly. I stopped along the road to listen to sea lions on the rocks below. The scenery got more and more beautiful with every turn so I couldn't resist taking plenty of photos. 

I was pretty pleased with my packing. I had had plenty of food but not too much, enough clothes, even with the soaking rain, although I am in desperate need of new rain gear. My old tent and new, cushy sleeping pad worked well but even in the borrowed 0 degree bag, I was still a little chilly. I wished many times that I had brought an extra pair of shoes as my boots didn't dry for the rest of the trip. Thankfully, I had lots of wool socks to change out of after they'd absorb the water from my boots. I was really glad I had decided to bring my stove because the warm meals were extra delicious on these chilly days. The Troll was the perfect bike to have as I was able to ride the rougher sections of the road without worry and my Carsick Designs bikepacking bags carried most of my gear easily. On my fork, the Salsa Anything Cages held my sleeping back and tent, which was a new system for me but was really stable and easy. 

Once I got back into town, I was able to take a long, hot shower and change into clean, dry clothes. I visited a bit more with my friend before making the drive home that evening. It wasn't a very long trip but it was so rejeuvinating! My heart felt lighter and richer than it had in awhile. I need to make it a priority to visit more often. 

I was struggling with the idea of adding one more big thing to my already full plate and many of my transition times between work and classes and picking up kids were really tight. Driving isn't always the best solution, especially when it comes to the unknowns like traffic, crashes, and parking. Many of my routes have great bike paths but then I would have to deal with long rides, headwinds, and being more exhausted than I could probably manage. That brought me to the JR. It has the longest range battery available, 32aH, 48volts, a real-world range of 65+ miles (seriously, I rode that in one day and still had a bit of charge leftover). I had hesitated getting another electric bike after our experience with BionX. I liked the BionX system but it didn't have enough distance for me. This bike also doubles as a cargo bike so I could take the kids in a pinch. It's not as comfortable for them as the HaulaDay but it works well enough. I'll do a more thorough review soon but I've already put hundreds of miles on this bike and while it's not perfect, it is exactly what I needed to keep our bike-centric lifestyle and avoid using cars as much as possible. 

I've also been trying to get more into mountain biking. After more than four years of riding for transportation, everyday biking just wasn't giving me the added excitement and adventure I needed. Plus, it wasn't really feeling like exercise anymore because my body was so used to it (and it's flat around here). Thankfully, I have friends who help push me to try new things. On a recent trip up to Tahoe with Neil, we rode 24 miles with about 2000' of climbing. It kicked my butt and was incredible! I now have a goal for next year to try to race at the Downieville Classic. That means more training, climbing, practicing new skills, and finally learning how to bunny hop. This gives me something exciting to work towards with both physical and emotional accomplishments.

It was a hot day to ride. Our route was mostly along bike trails so the kids had a great time pedaling along a relatively peaceful path. We had a nice stop for lunch at a big playground where the kids somehow had energy to continue running around. 

The last section of the ride is in traffic on quiet rural roads until the last 1/4 mile where we are on a busy narrow stretch. Little Brother started to ask to go on "someone else's" bike (Neil's, in fact) but I told him if he finished riding to Gibson Ranch, we could talk about him hitching a ride back the next day. He managed to pedal the entire route without any problems, including the final part on Elverta as he proved to be a great rider and listened to all my instructions while navigating the busier section. 

We had a large grassy (and soggy) spot to ourselves to set up camp. There was a wedding party next to us and a Boy Scout group on the other side of the lake. We knew this meant it would be a noisy night, unfortunately. Next time, remind me to pack extra ear plugs. The kids loved playing with Melissa's kids' bow and arrow and the stomp rockets (as always). They ran around, checked out the playgrounds, and kept moving all afternoon. I don't know how they had the energy after all the riding! 

Sadly, nighttime was a mess (literally and figuratively). The wedding was noisy, the staff rode around on gas-powered carts throughout the night, and Big Brother ended up throwing up multiple times all over the tent. Luckily, our wonderful friends helped me clean up and gave him a blanket and towel to sleep on. I had to give up my sleeping pad and his sleeping bag was unusable. Little Brother slept peacefully through it all. In the morning, Big Brother still wasn't feeling well so I called their dad to pick them up. That left me with all the gear (minus a bag of barfy stuff Jose took home for me, thank goodness!). I packed up the rest of the camping gear, food, and both bikes, probably my biggest load on the HaulaDay, yet. 

The ride back was nice but a bit sad without the boys. The bike was really stable and easy to ride. I'm looking forward to next year, hopefully with healthy kiddos and possibly to a new wedding-free location. It was great to see Little Brother break his riding record and Big Brother loved riding a loaded up bike. We're getting closer to doing more family touring!