Today was a blast! At least, it was after all the craziness ended. I'm glad I didn't post earlier or it might have been a very different attitude. Wednesday is my day off so I had planned on biking some errands, one of which happened to be heading over to Costco to pick up Christmas decorations for Practical Cycle. I was really excited about this adventure. 

It took me awhile to get ready to go, funnier because I don't even have the kiddos to slow me down. By the time I left the house on the Mundo, it was raining. Real rain, too, like Portland. A third of the way, it began dumping. Pouring rain doesn't happen very often in Sacramento. You can tell by the number of people wearing jeans and Uggs. We don't know what to do when it rains! I was luckily wearing a pair of leggings, nylon pants, and rain pants with a rain jacket over my fleece jacket and scarf. Unfortunately, I hadn't planned my shoes very well because I was hoping to get some rain boots as one of my errands. My right sock soaked through first, my left shortly after. My gloves were useless soon, too. I love riding in the rain because eventually, you're as wet as you can get and nothing else matters. Getting off the bike, however, I started to get cold. Thankfully, Costco was nice and warm. I wandered around eating as many samples as I could to help reenergize. 

I ended up getting lots of great Christmas decorations as well as 2 lbs of cheese for my mom and a set of base-layer pants for both Jose and myself. When I got it out to the bike, I suddenly realized I had no idea what I was going to do. 

I was slightly concerned about the rain so I had asked for a sheet of plastic, thinking they could give me some of the stuff off the giant wrapped pallets. Instead, they gave me a few feet of plastic wrap. Not very helpful but there was a little window of clear weather that I was hoping would last. 

This is when I started freaking out. The Peanut Shell was in the way, my panniers weren't big enough, I didn't have enough bungees or tie-downs. The dang wreath was not going to work. It was windy and I getting really worried. I even called Jose (who had taken his parents' car to school this morning) and told him I was giving up. I begged him to come get the wreath. I kept working at the bike and twittering my frustration. Dorie and Kath were cheering me on. So many people were walking by, shaking their heads, asking me if I really was going to do this. I told them no. I was getting picked up. I was done. Jose got out of class to save me. 

Then, I finally wrenched the wreath out of the giant box. 

Woo hooo! I called Jose, twittered my success, and off I went! The wind was gusty but the rain held off. I was navigating around fallen branches and slippery leaves. It was beautiful! 

Amazingly, the wreath made it in one piece! 

You have no idea how happy I was! Poor Jose got yelled at by his teacher for running out to get me, what a sweet guy. I keep wondering what I would have done if he hadn't happened to have been available. My parents weren't even in town for them to come save me. Tim would have ridden out to help. Dorie told me to run back into Costco and buy more bungees. She and Kath were the ones who kept encouraging me to try even though I was giving up. They were the ones sending hints and ideas and general positive thoughts. 

After getting home, changing out of my soaked clothes, and resting a bit, I hopped on the BionX and rode off to do some home visits for my exchange student program. The BionX was a great relief to have a nice, relaxing ride after today's craziness. It also has the best lights. Another crisp, dry night ride--my favorite! The fun light displays made it even better. 

Our first foggy morning! A beautiful day after a full night's sleep sans kids. Refreshing! 

Another fun day of work at Practical Cycle. 

A fun date with Jose going to Tower Cafe followed by Perks Of A Wallflower at Tower Theater. A crisp ride home with the hubby. 

Yesterday was an epic adventure involving four different kinds of transportation--walking, light rail, Amtrak, and cars. It was pretty exhausting and kind of expensive but it was very fun. I'm not sure if I would try this route again but it was certainly a fun day, especially for the boys. We had a lot of time to talk, play, and just look out the windows. Our trip brought us to the Bay Area where we dropped the boys off for the week (yep, that's right, we just dumped our kids for the WEEK!). It was a last-minute decision so we bought Amtrak tickets--$97 for the four of us (Little Brother is free, Big Brother is 50% off) to go to San Jose. At the last minute, Jose decided to check out Zip Car. Turns out, he gets a membership for just $25/year because of his job. For a day trip like this, that would have actually been a cheaper way to go. It didn't work out for us this time but it's great to know that we have another option for next time. We also now know that if we plan our Amtrak trips earlier, we can get companion fare discounts. We are going to sign up for Amtrak Rewards, too. 

The first leg of the trip involved packing up the boys' carseats and putting them in our Chariot trailer/stroller. The carseats took up all the space inside so I carried Little Brother in the Ergo and Jose carried Big Brother on his shoulders. We walked the 1.5 miles to the Light Rail station. 

Next, we got on the Light Rail. Jose gets on free because he's a student, each adult is allowed two children under the age of five, and I had to pay $2.50. The conductor wasn't pleased that we couldn't fold our "stroller" and took up too much space in the train. It's a bit ridiculous to ask parents to unload their children and cargo just to get on the train but it seems like standard practice. Jose had to sit at the front with the trailer so he could move off/on if needed. It was another three miles to the Amtrak station downtown. 

The Amtrak was perfect. We found space in the first car, parked the trailer in the empty bike hanger and sat ourselves at a downstairs table. There, we stayed happy and comfortable and busy. Big Brother got tired and took an hour-long nap. 

Finally, we got picked up by Jose's dad, installed the carseats and drove to their house 10 miles away. Easy! 

The boys were safely deposited with their Grandfolks. Jose and I rested up for a bit then took their "spare" car until Jose goes back to pick up the boys on Friday. 

This would have been a million times easier with a Zipcar or at least without the carseats. The Grandfolks needed the seats while the boys were there. If we had a second set of carseats for the family, we wouldn't to cart these giant things around. I'd love to try this Amtrak trip with the bikes instead to cut down on the Light Rail and need for getting picked up. Too bad Amtrak won't allow cargo bikes onboard, that would be the easiest and most convenient way. 

It is an empowering feeling knowing that we can go through all this as a family. I would hate to think that our lives would grind to a halt just because things got a little more difficult. It was a long day but it was a great adventure! The boys are so much happier when they are given the freedom to move and explore. Those benefits totally outweigh the effort it took to plan and execute this ordeal. I can't wait until our next trip! 

I've never been good at expressing my gratitude on Thanksgiving so it was helpful that after dinner, Big Brother and I came down with the flu. Total bummer but a great excuse to have not posted the usual fluffiness. Black Friday ended up being Sick On The Couch Friday with my sweet hubby hovering over taking care of us. We ended up missing Saturday's "unofficial" Kidical Mass fun ride and my wonderful cousin's visit but luckily bounced back quickly.

I was a bit bummed that it was another missed biking day but the lovely @kyouell reminded me that at this point we really should be focusing on the days we're not in a car, not the days we're not on a bike. That's true. Since we've gone car-free, we've used/been in a car about once a week. That's more than I would have imagined so at this point, I really want to focus on why we are driving and what we can do to minimize those trips. Biking is our constant now, that's the easy part. Whittling away these car trips is my next challenge. It doesn't help that we have access to a car simply and basically free (thanks, mom...and dad!). So now, instead of obsessively tracking our bike trips, I'm obsessively tracking our driving. Once we figure out what our driving "needs" actually are, we'll be able to focus them down to the very bare minimum. 

Now, I'm going to do a cheater post and just tell the last few days through photo--starting with the 25th annual Appetite Enhancement Ride, Thanksgiving, and our quick recovery.

Today started with a drive to the dentist. I went back and forth and back and forth and back again about biking. We had driven there once, decided it was, in fact, bikeable but today I second-guessed myself. It was raining, but about to stop. It was far, but not super far. Big Brother was getting cavities filled, I didn't know how he was going to react afterwards. I had another bike ride trip in the evening as well. I hinged. 

The boys and I rode the Mundo over to my folks, dropped Little Brother off and drove to the dentist. I watched that bike lane the whole trip and vowed never to drive there again. It's fine except for a little sidewalk (actually signed as the "bike route") riding. I don't think I'd try taking the trailer with the kids since the lane is narrow and speed limit is 50 mph. Therefore, BionX without kids, Mundo with. 

Waiting for the dentist, the receptionist casually said "I hope no one has to go on highway 80, they just shut it down on both sides. Massive accident." No. More. Driving... cars are so dangerous! 

By the way, my kid is the most awesome dental patient in the world! No wiggles, no screams, no whining, ended with a smile and a thank you. I love that boy! Three cavities, no pain killer. More brushing, I promise. 

Since I had driven this morning, I promised myself I would make my evening trip a bike ride. To be sure I didn't talk myself out of it, we rode back from my parent's house without the car. I mapped out the route, eight miles even. The BionX Breezer was fully charged, extra set of lights, warm jacket plus extra layers, neon pannier cover, and reflective vest to top it all off. 

The way there was surprisingly easy. I planned for about 45 minutes going about 15-17 mph on level three. I tend to get lost easily so that would give me extra time and not feel rushed or get too sweaty. I had scheduled the visit so that it would at least be light for the way there since I hadn't ridden there before. 

Rode to Sacramento State, onto the American River Parkway. While I was taking an awesome picture of my bike on the bridge, a roadie passed me up wearing full spandex and carrying nothing but a pump in his back jersey pocket. After I got a few photos in, I starting thinking that it would be fun to catch him. I'm competitive. Off I go! Go, go, go! Even with the BionX, it's not easy. I was working hard to keep it up at 19 mph but it was awesome! Flying down the bike path, I caught up to my roadie, drafted off him, even had to coast a bit to stay behind. Once the path was clear, I dropped him! Woot! "On your left!" never sounded so awesome. I watched him fall back through my mirror.

A short while later, I exited the trail at Watt Ave. Up Watt for a bit, the last two blocks riding on the sidewalk as instructed by my common sense and the sign that said "bikes use sidewalk." Another mile in residential neighborhoods and I was there. 

By the time I left, it was pitch black so I donned my stylish reflective vest, turned on all the lights to the obnoxious setting, cranked up my tunes, and backtracked to the trail. The ride down Watt Ave. had been my only concern but by that point, I felt comfortable enough to take it on. Being extra careful, I used the crosswalks to get across, sidewalk where the crazy merges happened, extra caution at the onramps, then it was over and I was back on the ARP. 

I love riding in the dark more than any other time. There is something so empowering about cruising along, little light shining your way, silence, peaceful, beautiful. The bike trail was amazing. There was the occasional Bike Blinder with their highbeams on and a few Bike Ninjas without any lights, wearing black. Other than them, I was perfectly alone. Of course my brain had to interrupt my calm thoughts with zombie meth-addict scenarios. Luckily, my BionX power was a nice comfort. I can outrun anyone, especially chainsaw wielding roadies! No worries for me! 

I love being able to break through my mental barriers of riding alone, in the dark, longer distances, for work... I can do it all, by bike, even! I love this feeling! Thank you BionX night-ride! 

Tomorrow is the Appetite Enhancement Ride, 25th annual! Fill up on Two River's hard cider and let the thankfulness begin! On Saturday, join us for an "unofficial" Kidical Mass ride. Meet at Old Soul on Broadway at 9:30am to ride over to Southside Park, stopping at Doughbot on the way. 

Also, although I am totally against Black Friday, you should still come down to Practical Cycle and spend your money. Support your local bike shop, rent a bike and burn off some of those gravy calories, and find a new bike that you totally love and will use. You don't even have to spend the night in front of the store or get trampled on the way in. Score! 

A bummer in the car-free attempt. Although it is convenient to have my parents' car at pretty easy access, sometimes it's still too easy to fall back into familiar patterns, especially when the going gets a bit tougher. We had a birthday party to go to across town, 10 miles or so away. Jose was going to come along and he had never ridden out that way and was understandably nervous. The weather was wet and there is a section of the route that is not fun to ride along. I had done it before and was confident that it was fine but I wanted to make him comfortable and we instead just rode the three miles to my folks' and picked up their car. 

I was immediately bummed. We ended up being late to the party because we took our time getting ready, thinking that we were driving so we'd get there quickly. We would have actually arrived earlier if we had ridden. Then, we got stuck in traffic on the freeway, crawling along as people weaved in and around at dangerous speeds for the weather conditions. I will admit that it was nice to arrive at the party dry and not sweaty but we also arrived tense from driving and not exhilarated from biking. I just kept thinking "I wish we had biked." Especially on the way home, after eating so much yummy party food and seeing the clouds open up to the most beautiful fall day. 

I guess it's a good reminder of why we decided to go car-free. 

Jose did take the car to his parents' house in the Bay Area to celebrate his mom's birthday. It would have cost us $200 to take the whole family on Amtrak and since we haven't quite bounced back from "selling" the car, that wasn't an available option. The boys and I ended up staying home to avoid the cold that was going around their home. 

This morning, we did get a great ride to church with the BionX Breezer-trailer set up. That was amazing! At level 1, the BionX power basically offsets the weight of the BionX system. At level 2, the BionX was comfortably negating the weight of the trailer. At level 3, I was zipping along at 15 mph as if I wasn't weighed down by the human cargo trailing behind. I didn't actually try out level 4 because I decided I was comfortable with 15 mph as my max with the trailer, especially on city streets. It also drained the battery fairly quickly. I'm estimating a range of about 15 miles with the BionX and trailer. I do think that if the weight was distributed better, maybe sometime like a bakfiets or Mundo, the BionX would perform better, not that I'm complaining at all! 

At church, we ran into our friends who had ridden in as well! It's so fun to see other awesome family riders out and about. We had a great ride together on our way back, getting extra time to chat instead of getting in our cars and going separate ways (even if it's in the same direction). 

I wish I had had more energy to get out one more time today, but instead I was beat. The kids slept for about a half hour in the trailer after we got home. I think we all needed a quiet day in. 

It might seem complicated, but with Jose and me taking turns dropping and picking up the kids, we've begun swapping bikes. Daily. It takes a fair bit of planning but hasn't caused any problems.

Our average day goes like this: Jose rides to work on the Mobic, I drop the munchkins off on the Mundo, ride home and zip to work on the BionX. Later, Jose comes home and grabs the Mundo to get the boys. In the evening, I fly home with BionX power.

It's really not that crazy. I've been getting home earlier with more energy, even being able to eat dinner with the family since it takes me 20 minutes instead of the usual 40. The kids are always happy to ride on the Mundo. Everyone is happy and getting lots of fresh air.

We did it! We settled on the BionX Breezer with step-through frame and long-range 36v battery--the perfect addition to our fleet.

When we went car-free, we had thought that either borrowing our parent's Prius or a car-sharing program would be the way to go. There are always those trips that are just a little farther than you want to pedal, days that you're not up to riding, or appointments that you have to get to quickly/not sweaty. Those trips are the reason people get in their cars. Choosing to bike is difficult, even under the best situations. Throw a few more challenges on top--widely spaced destinations, headwinds, lack of energy--these will make biking seem downright impossible.

We're not perfect, either. There are going to be days that we are sick and tired of biking. Those are our BionX days. Jose has to get to work at 4am twice a week and we still can't sleep through the night without a little one climbing into our bed. Our dentist is in Natomas, 10 miles away, and we have to get there after work sometimes. I go to home visits to meet with potential host families all over Sacramento. Even the most dedicated bike-commuter has to work at making situations like these work. The BionX doesn't only make these trips work, it makes them fun! Also, I don't feel like I am compromising my morals or wimping out.

"Isn't that cheating?" Almost everyone who walks into Practical Cycle says that same thing. "I'd rather pedal!" Or so they say. Are they even riding their bikes? What/who are we competing against, anyway? There is a large bicycling population who believe bikes are to be used only for sport and entertainment. These are the folks who deny themselves the "luxury" of a kick-stand because they think it adds "weight." This is what keeps many bikes in the garage gathering dust. This is the mindset that keeps our transportation infrastructure geared towards cars and pushes bicyclers in the gutters. These are the folks who drive their cars to the bike trail, zip around for 60 miles, then drive home feeling accomplished.

I'm not entering any races with my BionX (although that would be fun, jeans amongst the spandex), I'm just trying to get to the dentist.

The BionX (or any electric bike) is just a bridge to get you out of your car a little (or a lot) more often than you once thought was possible. It cuts down the excuses--it's too windy/hilly/far/hot/exhausting/etc. and gets you back on a bike. That's a winning possibility to me. And I can still get as much or as little exercise as I'm up for.

We haven't had to borrow the car or sign up for a car-share program, yet. The BionX has become our car.

Already back home from Costa Rica and settling back in to "normal" life. The boys and I met up with 'Nama and G'ampa for lunch. It felt great to be back on the bike after my vacation. 

It certainly took some time to get into the vacation mindset. Especially after all the work and stress of getting there. I had already resigned myself to missing a day of biking due to travel but then that one day of travel turned into two, butted up against two full days of conferencing, so my biking pledge was feeling a bit crushed at that point. Luckily, my lovely friend Bekah had reminded me that this year-long challenge isn't about just biking every day, it's about doing the best I can and turning biking into an everyday event. For the five days I was in CR, I was only on a bike once. I'm okay with that. I needed a break and this was perfect. 

There were very few bikes that I saw in Costa Rica. The ones I did see were very utilitarian, no carbon fiber at all. I don't think I even saw dropbars on anything. People rode them as needed, night and day, usually without any lights or helmets. Definitely no spandex or funny shoes. The relied on reflectors and safety vests for visibility. Combine that and the fact that there are NO shoulders on the roads in Costa Rica (that I saw), I wasn't surprised that biking wasn't a more popular form of transportation. 

The drivers seemed comfortable sharing the road with cyclists, however. Maybe because it was common practice to move over for the people walking/riding on the side of the road. There weren't even sidewalks in most places. It's always good to get a new perspective on life. We are so lucky for the infrastructure we have, even though it isn't nearly up to appropriate standards. 

One of my favorite experiences was horseback riding on the beach. I believe that horses might actually be better suited in Costa Rica than bikes, and especially more than the stinky diesel jeeps. They were able to zoom along the dusty, rutted roads without a problem. Our horses were very responsive and the laid-back nature of the "tour" was amazing! I took my horse, Makenzie, running along the beach, up the banks, galloping along the trails as much as we wished. I have never felt as in-control of my horse as I did here. After the first few minutes getting used to riding, I was as comfortable as ever--incredible since I haven't ridding a horse in 10 years and I can count the number of times I've ridden on one hand. I was almost ready to give up my biking for Makenzie. 

It was also wonderful to get off the resort and see a different side of Costa Rican life. We learned that Flamingo Beach used to be called White Sand Beach and had a huge flock of flamingos. Then, they renamed it Playa Flamingo and built the resort. Now, there are no more flamingos on the beach. 

I also finally got up the energy to go biking. The hotel rented bikes and I talked them into a 1/2 day rental for $15 since I only had a couple of hours free. They were pretty standard no-name mountain bikes with front suspension. Again, I have to say that my hatred of suspension was misguided on the roads of Guanacaste. Riding along the main roads was a bit more hair-raising than the dirt roads but less dusty. I only had one instance where I was uncomfortable--a city bus was coming up behind me and started honking. There wasn't anywhere I could go since there wasn't a shoulder so I just kept going. It was a quiet road without any traffic so I though it could get around me just fine. Instead, it buzzed right by me, closer than I would have liked but still far enough away to not be dangerous. I was shocked, especially considering the oncoming traffic lane was completely empty. Besides that, everyone was very considerate. 

Once I was off the "main" drag, it was even more beautiful. The road was dusty and the cars passing left a cloud of choking debris. Luckily, that was pretty rare. I started up into some rolling hills overlooking the beach below. The view was breathtaking! After about 6 miles or so, the road became too steep. I had one hill that was almost too much for me to go down followed by one that was too much for me to go up. That was when I decided to turn around. We had been planning on zip-lining so I thought I didn't have enough time to ride more. Zip-lining was cancelled but I was still happy to be done with the ride. I was so dirty and tired and sore from the previous day of galloping. It was just the right amount to get a taste of cycling but not so much to be exhausting. The perfect vacation ride! 

I certainly look forward to checking out Costa Rica more in depth. I wouldn't rule out biking around but I know that it wouldn't be my sole means of transportation. I loved that they were so careful about water use, providing signs telling people to use the filtered taps and not bottles. Even the resort made a point to use organic, fresh vegetables from their own garden as much as possible. It was heartbreaking to learn that the baby turtles that were hatching on the beach were being handled by the tourists at the resort without any intervention or protection from officials. I was amazed by the phosphorescent waves crashing after dark. To top it off, I was also with some of my favorite people to spend time with and visit.  

Costa Rica ended up being my third country to bike in this year, not counting the United States. I am a very lucky lady! 

The plan is to rent a bike today. $25 for 24 hours. Eventually, I'll get the motivation to get up from my shaded lounge chair.