Scary Roads and Kind Strangers

Earlier this week, I was pulling out my bike for the ride into campus as our neighbor, Avery, was getting on the school bus. Avery--who is in third grade--and I leave for school at about the same time a few days each week. I often see and wave to her school bus two or three times during the ride in--once as it picks up Avery, once as it passes me in the other direction, and once as it drops students off at the high school. This day, as Avery boarded the bus, the bus driver climbed down and introduced herself. "If you ever want a ride," she offered, "I could probably take you and your bike on the school bus."

I explained that our car was sitting in the parking lot nearby and that I was riding my bike for a school project, but I was touched by her kindness. Now as the big, yellow bus passes me there are two people on board that I wave to. And, who knows, as the weather gets colder, I might take her up on the offer. It is, after all, a form of public transportation.

Over the past month or so, people have begun to notice us riding our bikes. I often get comments from people saying, "Oh, I saw you riding your bike on Rte. 30." This usually is quickly followed by a comment about the shoulder being narrow or the road being scary. Sometimes the person will add something about how they would ride their bike, but the road is too dangerous for that.

I've thought about these comments. After all, many days of the week Tim or I are carrying our son with us while we ride. I have come to the conclusion that the road is not scary; there really is nothing about the road itself that is dangerous. It meanders up and down a few hills, goes around some bends, and skirts the edge of the lake. It is plenty wide for a posse of bicycles to ride on. The road isn't scary; cars are scary.

All joking aside, it seems to me that the more people get out and use roads for something besides driving cars, the safer it will be for everyone using non-motorized transportation. If no one ever rides a bike or walks on a particular stretch of highway, then motorists won't be on the lookout for slower, more vulnerable travelers. If motorists are accustomed to seeing others using the roadways, I like to think that they will drive more cautiously.

We are lucky here. I rarely feel endangered by cars on my commute. Most drivers are very respectful as they pass, slowing down and giving me plenty of space. I'm grateful to all those who show such courtesy. Even though the shoulder is only six inches wide in places, it's plenty of space for me to get mostly out of the travel lane. And, altogether, there really isn't that much traffic. Some mornings I only see a dozen or so vehicles on the way into town. So, the short is, the road's not scary and the cars aren't too bad either. (Snow on the roads might change my views on some of that.)

Snow Tires, Snow Suits, and a New Rear Wheel

Tim put the studded snow tires on our bikes over the weekend--I thought it was a bit early. On Monday a friend in class told me that Massachusetts had a snowstorm over the weekend, so I have to admit that I was wrong and Tim was right on time. Even though it hasn't snowed here yet, it is prudent to be prepared. There is a pleasant satisfaction in listening to the hum of the studs on the pavement as I ride into campus.

We purchased the snow tires on-line last winter as we began to experiment with occasional winter bike rides. I was amazed at what a difference they make in icy conditions. A couple times we rode out on frozen Lake St. Catherine. Even on sheer ice, the bikes felt solid. Using the studded snow tires greatly increases the safety of winter commuting. With the snow tires on, there is less concern about slipping on a patch of ice and landing in front of an oncoming vehicle. They do slow me down though: the ride each way is now about 5 minutes longer, even on bare pavement. With snow on the road, that time increases even more.

Zeb's getting ready for winter as well. While in Rutland last week, I purchased a down, one-piece snowsuit with hand and foot coverings. He's been trying it out. It's a cinch to use--we don't have to remember gloves, snow pants, jacket, etc. Just slide him in, zip him up, and we're done. We haven't gotten into really cold temperatures, but so far he stays quite warm with it on.

My rear wheel finally bit the dust. Earlier in the semester, while on a pleasure ride over a class 4 road, I had broken a spoke. I didn't notice for quite a while and continued to ride the bike. Tim eventually saw the problem, replaced the spoke, and trued the wheel, but I had already weakened the other spokes. They started popping. Each time Tim tried to true the wheel, another spoke would break a couple days after. Last Thursday, the wheel was completely out of alignment and rubbing significantly on the brakes. I decided that I was OK with spending the money on a new wheel.

On Friday, Tim started looking for a new wheel that would fit my bike. He searched the Internet and looked at a couple big bike supply chains. They didn't have what we needed. (My bike takes a 700 wheel, which seems to be going out of vogue.) He called one of the suppliers in who-knows-where. They recommended that he check for a used one at The Old Spokes Home in Burlington, of all places. Tim gave them a call and was greatly impressed by what they were doing--recycling and reselling old bikes and bike parts--and with the service. He ordered the new wheel. This is the best part: for $15 shipping, it came the next day. Fast service, good prices, used parts: What more can you ask for? We'd recommend them to anyone looking for bikes or bike parts (http://www.oldspokeshome.com/).

An Engineless Tangent

Notes from Tim:

In the last entry, Ruth mentioned our using the chain saw for getting in this year’s wood. I would like to share a bit more of our experiences in engineless firewood gathering.
Around December of last year our chain saw seized up after I didn’t mix enough oil with the gas. I had already been interested in trying to get the wood in using older style large bucksaws. Ruth’s uncle passed on to us two saws that her grandfather had bought, a 6’ two man saw and a 5’one man saw. I purchased “Keeping the Cutting Edge: Setting and Sharpening Hand and Power Saws” by Harold H. Payson, and got the one man saw into working condition. At first I borrowed a saw set and then my uncle passed one on to me that had been my grandfathers’.
So up to this point we probably had about three quarters of a cord of dry wood already cut. I started by getting up about an hour earlier than usual and going out to work on wood for two hours. With the bucksaw, splitting maul, and wedges I got in about two to three days worth of wood in that time. For many days I cut up a fallen elm, first starting with the branches and ending with 30” diameter logs as I worked towards the base of the tree.
So what is it like? Well it is definitely a workout. After two hours, I was usually ready to stop but certainly not exhausted. I could feel myself getting stronger as the days passed which felt good. Getting in the wood without the obnoxious chain saw noise was great. I felt good about not using the fuel, not spewing the ground with gallons of bar oil, and creating less pollution. I was probably getting in about five to seven times less wood than I could have with a chain saw. Also some cuts, especially overhead, were significantly harder. As a very novice saw sharpener, I suspect that the sawing will get somewhat easier as my skills improve. The saw did throw decent sized chips and didn’t bind at all.
So why are we using a chain saw again? Once again we didn’t get any wood in this summer due to a strange combination of being busy and lazy at the same time. In terms of heating, we put our efforts into better insulating the house so we wouldn’t need as much wood. As cold weather rolled in, we felt the need to get ready while having less time due to more outside commitments. A good excuse? No. I think getting the wood in by hand is the superior method for us given our small home, desire for a small ecological footprint, and desire for a simple lifestyle. This is not the first time we’ve tried something new that felt better, then gone back to our old way of doing things. Sometimes we swing back and forth a bit until we find the way we like best. Presently we wash our son’s diapers by hand but do our own laundry in the washing machine then dry them all on the line. One thing I have learned; it is 100% realistic for our small family living in Vermont to get in our winter’s wood without using a chain saw or gas log splitter.

--Tim

Cars, Buses, and Cold Toes

Temperatures are falling below the freezing point at night. Yesterday morning was in the thirties and raining. My uncle, an enthusiastic cyclist who had been visiting over the weekend, informed me that I was crazy as I saddled up on my bike in shorts and sandals for the ride into town. He was right: it took an hour or so on campus for my toes to stop aching. Today I wore socks, shoes, and long pants. Ahhh, much better.

In the afternoon yesterday I took a long-postponed trip into Rutland--our nearest town of any size, about 20 miles north and east--via bus. Last winter the Rutland bus service expanded to include Poultney. Buses make the round trip five times a day during the week. It costs $2 and takes a little less than an hour on the way there and a little more than an hour on the way back. There is even a bike rack on the front of the bus that can be used for no extra charge. Once in the city, I was able to catch local buses for $0.50 a ride to the various stores that I needed to visit. In a few hours I had everything that I had come for and was ready to catch the next bus back to Poultney. Altogether, the trip took a little more than four hours and cost $5.00. For occasional trips, it seems that the bus is a much cheaper option than owning a car, and paying for gasoline, insurance, and maintenance.

My trip to Rutland made me realize that I haven't been to a town besides Poultney in almost two months. Part of that is due to my college coursework, which keeps me perpetually busy, but another part is due to the additional time and energy required to travel anywhere if I'm not just hopping into my car and driving off. Last Saturday night some friends were having a potluck and barn dance. We were invited, but didn't go because I just couldn't muster the energy to ride six miles over the hills and then come back in the dark. With the car, I won't have taken into account the amount of energy required to travel there, even though more energy would have been needed to push my car and me up the hills to their house. A bike and rider is much lighter and, according to physics, would require less energy to move than a car and rider. However, since with the bike we use our own energy we think about it more than we do with a car where the energy being used is from fossil fuels.

Tim started thinking about the sheer amount of energy required to move a car this week as well. On Friday he used our car to make a trip to Massachusetts, four hours away. He was going to teach a class with the Children of the Earth Foundation at a high school, but unfortunately, there was a miscommunication in the dates and no one was there when he arrived. As he drove the four hours home, he thought about the 14 or 15 gallons of gasoline he had burned and the amount of energy they contained. If that much gasoline could push a ton of steel (the car) and himself about 400 miles, what else could it do? And how much more beneficial might that be than a road trip?

When he got home, Tim decided that he was OK with hanging up the two-man pull saw and pulling out the chainsaw to get in our firewood for the winter. A gallon of gas later and we have a cord and a half of wood starting to dry. So now, as temperatures continue to fall, my toes have a place to warm up at home after riding from town in sandals.

wear and tear

Notes from Tim:

Before the car free semester we were riding our bikes 40-70 miles per week. Now we probably put in 60- 90miles. We are experiencing a few mechanical issues now which were probably brought on sooner because of the extra miles. Ruth's rear wheel has broken a few spokes which I have replaced. At this point it would make sense to replace them all or buy a new rear wheel(we will replace them all). My bike's chain, front chainrings, and rear sprockets are all worn pretty good. The bottom bracket is squeaking for grease. Today the chain finally just snapped. Now this is a twelve year old bike and these things had not been replaced before. Still it feels like the extra miles coupled with the extra loads on racks and trailers takes its' toll. Even so less expensive than fuel and maintenance on the car. Tim

Rain and Night Riding

We've been getting into fall weather during the past two weeks or so. The skies are cloudy and rain is in the forecast almost everyday. The leaves on the trees change color daily. Temperatures are falling, but haven't plunged yet, still ranging from the high 30s to the low 60s. The chilly air hasn't become much of an issue yet. I still wear sandals on my commute to classes; Tim is still wearing shorts. Zeb gets bundled up more: long pants, shoes, sweaters, and sometimes a thin hat under his helmet. He gets colder sitting still riding than we do pedaling.

Even the rain hasn't been that bad. I had thought it would. The first few days, when rain was in the forecast each day of the week, I dreaded my rides into classes. But I planned ahead with a spare change of clothes in my locker at school and a plastic garbage bag lining my book bag. And you know, it hasn't been too bad. I've definitely gotten wet, but I haven't gotten drenched yet. Usually the rain is light enough, and the ride short enough, that I end up just being damp at the end. Tim's schedule is flexible enough that he is often able to wait for a "weather window" before heading out. (Yesterday we tried that: we waited til late morning and clouds breaking to blue skies to head into town. We did fine until we reached Main Street, a few blocks from the college. Then the downpour hit: we were soaked by the time we reached campus.)

Overall, I haven't really minded the weather. Last night was the exception. We stayed late on campus to see the opening of an art show put on by a friend. Zeb and I left around 7:00 PM. Zeb was tired and dozed off for the beginning of the ride. I love riding in the dark most nights. There is something about the darkness that seems almost physical, caressing my skin. The air is usually still, and the scents seem stronger. There is less traffic, and I turn off my headlight and ride by the moon light. About halfway home though, it started to rain. I was OK with that, we were heading home to bed, so the wet didn't really matter. But the rain woke Zeb and he started crying. I tried to console him with talk about home and bed, but he was tired and didn't understand why he had to sit in the rain. I felt bad that there was so little I could do for him. He had warm clothes on and he was only getting wet on his hands, face, and head, but he just didn't like it. We did get home eventually. Zeb went to sleep and was fine in the end. But it was the first time this semester that I've really been bothered by the weather as I've ridden my bike.

As we continue to move towards winter, we work to improve our bad weather systems. We're digging out or buying appropriate warm clothing for each member of the family. Tim wants to put the studded snow tires on the bikes in mid-November; I want to hold out, enjoying the speed and ease of the summer tires.

It looks like there are a few sunny days in the upcoming weather forecast. I'll put aside concerns about the upcoming winter and enjoy the current fall splendor.

The Background

My husband, Tim, our one-year old son, Zeb, and I live about five miles outside the small college town of Poultney, Vermont. We own a car, a 2000 Mazada Protege, but we don't use it, at least, not now. And we don't plan to use it for another ten weeks. As part of my project for Delicate Balance, the senior capstone course at Green Mountain College, I've decided to take my education in Ecology and Sustainability into personal practice by not driving or riding in personal vechicles. My own exceptions to this rule are medical emergencies and class field trips. Tim says that he'll only use a car for what he needs a car for. (So far, that's been once for work and once between the train station and his parents' house.) Zeb hasn't said much on the subject.

Our commute to town isn't too bad: it's one mile of dirt road and four miles along Rte. 30. The shoulder width varies and there are low to moderate amounts of car traffic. There are two up-hills on the way into town, and three on the way home. Getting into town takes about 20 minutes; coming home takes about 30 or 35. I have classes five days a week, but with weekend activities, I often find myself riding in six or seven days a week. Tim comes into town four to six days a week.

I have a babyseat for Zeb on the rear rack of my bike. Tim added a rack to the front of my bike so I can carry both bookbag and baby. Tim carries Zeb on his back in a soft babycarrier called a Patapum. That leaves his rear rack free for bags and grocieries. He says that Zeb stays warmer this way and that Z. is more likely to stay asleep upon arrival at the destination. I've tried this method, but I find it hard on my body and prefer the seat.

We have a trailer for large loads that Tim built last week. (I'll add pictures to a later post.) Tim got an old kid-seat trailer in trade for some bike repair work he did. We used that for most of September until the wheels began to fall off. We looked at buying a trailer, maybe a BOB or a Burley Nomad, but the prices (>$300) were a bit prohibitive for us. Instead, in one morning, Tim built a simple, rugged, flatbed trailer from dump parts and a piece of luan. Total cost: about $17.

That's the general background on what we're doing. As the semester progresses, I'll be adding more postings about how things are going, what it's like, and general thoughts on transportation ecology and ethics. I hope you enjoy the read!