For the last few years, I've been a semi-regular bike commuter, opting to drive whenever it was too wet, too cold or I was just too tired. One year ago this week, I decided to commute to work exclusively by bicycle. I haven't driven to work since.
I've ridden when it was 5 degrees and when it was 100 degrees. I've ridden when it snowed and when it rained and I've ridden on days when I felt too tired. In the past year, I've ridden 3500 miles and spent 250 hours outdoors that I wouldn't have otherwise. It's been great.
Bike commuting puts me in a better frame of mind. It gives me plenty of time to think and enjoy my surroundings. I see the same people walking everyday - alone or, more often, with dogs. I see fathers fishing with their young children.
I've had turkeys, and a cow, cross the road in front of me. I ride past a pond where I see many turtles, who've dragged themselves onto the rocks to warm up after a cool night.
The seasons change with a subtlety that I didn't used to notice. One season lingers on just long enough to make it seem like the new season suddenly arrived.
The winter brings an earlier sunset and with it comes a different experience. I see deer staring at me as I ride by in the dark. There's a heron standing in the same spot almost every night. The Christmas decorations don't fly by as quickly - my favorite is the Abominable Snowman putting the star on a tree.
I'm looking forward to what the next year of bike commuting brings. I'll finish by relating a couple of stories from the last year.
A Successful Campaign
Last spring, I would see a guy every day who was running for a local elective office. Each day, rain or shine, he would stand with his campaign sign, waving and smiling at everyone who passed. This proved to be a successful strategy. After he won, he stood there one last day holding a sign that said "Thank You".
Faster Than a 4Runner
One day as I was riding home from work, I noticed a guy in a white Toyota 4Runner pass me. Normally, I wouldn't take note of this, but he took a long time to pass me. The road surface was very rough and the driver was proceeding cautiously, something I certainly appreciated. As I was nearing home, 30 minutes later, the driver of the same 4Runner pulled alongside me, rolled down his window and asked, "Didn't I pass you a long time ago?" I guess he wasn't taking the fast route home.
