...you asked.

If you ride you know those moments when you have fed yourself into the traffic, felt the hashed-up asphalt rattle in the handlebars, held a lungful of air in a cloud of exhaust. Up ahead there are two parallel buses. With cat's whiskers, you measure the clearance down a doubtful alley. You swing wide, outflank that flower truck. The cross-street yellow light is turning red. You burst off the green like a surfer on a wave of metal. You have a hundred empty yards of Broadway to yourself. ~Chip Brown, "A Bike and a Prayer"

People are always curious about my bike-life and I am constantly getting all kinds of questions ranging from: Aren't you scared of getting hit? to When are you going to buy a car, anyway?... but the question that I get most often is most definitely: So, how is biking going? The thing I love about this question is that my answer varies from day to day and definitely from person to person. I mean, that's a big reason I have a blog. So, if I am totally honest with you...I would say that the majority of the time it is going good, but there are definitely days when I get frustrated, tired, or just plain sick of biking. The good days are when the weather is nice, I have plenty of time to get where I need to be, and the traffic is cooperative. The not so good days are the ones that often end up being the most entertaining, where I actually wonder if someone, somewhere, is looking down at me and laughing. Two of my most recent "moments" are described below.

Ahhh. Winter. It is definitely not my favorite time of year. If it didn't involve good food, family, egg-nog and ugly sweater parties I probably would hate it all together. The cold makes me bitter, unmotivated, and physically sick... which is why I live in Charleston, home of the 1oo degree 100 percent humidity summer (BRING IT ON). I'd rather roof a house in the dead heat of August than walk to my bathroom in December (did I mention that we don't use central heat in my house?). So... now that I have established my dislike of cold weather... consider the fact that I am hopping on a bike and riding 5-10 miles a day, completely exposed to the elements. I have struggled with how to deal with this "situation" and the best I can come up with is wearing boatloads of layers, jeans and ear warmers. Yet somehow, this still doesn't make my bike trip home at 8pm after class anymore appealing... especially when my throat is raw from the ride in (I am still waiting for my face warmer thing to come in). Ironically, the worst part about it is the sweating. When you are wearing every shirt you own and happen to be running late, I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise that you warm up reeeaaaalllly fast. There is nothing like coming into a meeting with important people and having to distractingly peel off layers like an onion and fan yourself with the agenda while your neighbor leans away to avoid your "I just worked out" perfume. I know my face is bright red and that I have an amazingly awkward helmet dent in my forehead, thank-you-very-much. My favorite is having to make a serious argument for something while a bead of sweat drips slowly down your back and heads straight for your crack.... oh...if they only knew. And after all of that, you cool off just in time to get back on your bike, your sweat-soaked clothes clinging icily to your body while you long to be as overheated as you were twenty minutes ago.

My second most recent interesting experience involved a mistake that you just have to make for yourself to truly appreciate. I have to start off by telling you that I am partially blind. I have to wear contacts or glasses because otherwise everything is a blur (I mean this is the fuzziest way possible). Because I can't afford to break my glasses and I need to be able to wear my sweet shades, I always sport my contacts when biking. Now I have always been the girl scout type that is always prepared, but for some reason (i.e. two many jobs and not enough time) I have been flaking out lately on the details of life. One of these seemingly unimportant details was always carrying my contact case, extra fluid, and glasses with me when wearing contacts. So I was making my way over the bridge, with the ice cold wind blowing in my face when a kamikaze bug ended his life directly into my eyeball. I tried to stay cool and fish him out without stopping but it soon became apparent that he was not going down without a fight. Next thing I know, I am huddling behind the middle of the bridge trying to get this little dude from inside my eyelid. Somewhere in this process, my contact decides to go bridge jumping and flies off my face, plunging into the current below. My exact thought: "Shit. That's not good." Since I am coming straight from work and heading to class, there is no time for me to turn around and I have to keep going, contact or not. Is there anything more sad that a one eyed biker? Okay, well, clearly there is, but at that point, I was feeling pretty pathetic. For the second time in my life I desperately wanted an eye patch (remind me to tell you about the other one later). But instead I had to bike to class with one eye shut like an idiot. By the time I got there I had kind of gotten used to the nausea and just dealt with it but the bike ride home was brutal. I had no depth perception (I was curb checking like no-ones business) and I actually had to pull over to dry heave because my body could not understand what the hell was going on. I am pretty sure people thought I was biking home while ridiculously drunk. Thinking back, it probably would have make the ride home a little more enjoyable...but lets just say I have never been so happy to put on my old scratched pair of glasses.

Well, like I said, most of the time I make it there and back with no problems and really enjoy myself... but every few trips all hell breaks loose and I have to laugh at myself. So, now you know "how it is going" at this point :-)

Its all downhill from here...literally.

So when I was flying back from Boston and trying to distract myself from hurling (yes, I am the reason they still put barf bags in the seat pockets), I was halfway watching these lame US airway travel commercials when I heard the word "bike". This of course triggered by bike-dar and I instantly started paying attention. In this moment, I discovered the holy grail of bike tours. Before this, I had never really wanted to go to Hawaii, but my jaw dropped (it was literally hanging open) when I saw that they offer a bike tour that is all downhill. On a volcano. FOR 38 MILES. In my shock and denial I said "shut-up" out loud, which made my neighbor with the window seat give me the hairy eye-ball, but I could have cared less (especially since I was the meat in our little airplane sandwich). So yeah...how glorious would it be to rock out for 38 flippin miles on your bike with the warm wind in your hair and the tropical volcano scenery flying past? I am pretty sure it would be LEGEN-DARY. Say "aloha" to this short clip and brace yourself for a preview of lazy biker heaven.

Yes, it is pretty spectacular....but considering my aforementioned motion sickness problem, the idea of spending multiple hours trapped inside of a plane feeling like I just watched 10 hours of home video footage just isn't worth it, down-hill or not. So after all of that excitement, I realized that there are plenty of mountains to bike down, right here on the east coast... now I just need to find someone to drive me to the top and pick me up at the bottom- like a ski-lift for bikers (lazy, out of shape bikers like me). Any takers?

In-famous

As some of you may know... I am quite the busy little tree hugger. Right now I work two jobs, go to school full time, and participate in a few local committees and organizations... and, oh yeah, I ride my bike everywhere. For me, this is just my life and while I would like to say that its not always like this, well it kind of is. I haven't always been quite this busy and hopefully after I graduate I will have a little more time to devote to: a.) sleep b.) my dog c.) a social life.

Because I have so much going on, I will often accomplish great things, but have no time to relish in them since I have already started something else. Well... apparently good deeds really don't go unnoticed and people have begun to let me know that they appreciate my efforts. Over the past year there has been an increasing amount of attention give to the affiliate I work for, including the Green Building Project of the Year, the American Institute of Architects Sustainability Award and more recently a lot of media attention surrounding the Coastal Conservation League/Habitat Greenbuilding Blitz. See a video HERE. or HERE. Yet it wasn't until the past two months that people have started paying attention to me personally. I was contacted by a friend at the City Paper for their Giving Issue which features individuals that work for non-profits. Next thing I know there is a full page spread about me! Click the picture below (taken by http://www.kaitlyni.com/) to read the story.

Before the story ran I found out that I had been nominated and selected for the Sustainability Institute's Leadership Award which is a HUGE honor. The people that I was up against included the owner of Lulan and the creator of Charleston Greendrinks so I definitely feel lucky to have been chosen. The Award that I received was named in honor of Nathanial Jones who was there to present the award to me. He is next to me in the picture below- he rocks. The following pic is me with my awesome supportive friends! (I am still waiting to get photos back from my dad and the professional photographer... these will just have to do.)

So when I was at the Aquarium to accept this award, I was approached by the Post and Courier to be in their paper and next thing I know my 80 year old neighbor is excitedly knocking on my door because my picture is taking up half of the page in the Saturday paper (she is soooo sweet.) You can check it out HERE. At this point, I have stopped forwarding my friends and family the stories because I am just starting to get a little embarrassed by all of the attention.

In the end, I truly appreciate that the community is not only noticing all of my hard work but giving me positive feedback. The best part about it all is that people have been contacting me with their own stories, questions, and support. It is amazing how much of a grassroots green movement is out there just waiting for someone to lead the revolution. I really feel like change is coming to this southern city I call home...and I am hoping that maybe my efforts will make people realize that the power to change the world lies within each of us... it is simply waiting for us to stand up and take action.

Seriously- what are you waiting for? Every journey starts with a single step. Buy a re-usable water bottle. Bring your own shopping bags. Support local stores, buy local food. Start a "Green Team" at your office, school, or neighborhood. Next thing you know you will be selling your car and buying a bike...hahaha... okay, maybe not, but just know that your actions matter, especially to the next generation of small citizens that we influence everyday (that's right- I played the "kid" card). If you don't know where to start- email me- I am full of ideas :-)

"Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead.

Beantown

So I have been in Boston the past week for the USGBC Greenbuild Conference and Expo...Let me just say right now- if I complain later on in my blog about being cold, just remind me about the arctic weather in beantown. I am definitely a cold weather wimp, so just keep that in mind, but when I first got to Boston it was at night, temps in the 20s and windy. But even with the air numbing my face, I instantly loved the city. Getting from the Airport to my Hostel was no problem because they have a great public transportation system. For $15 I bought a 7 day pass that gave me full access to trains, subways, and buses. So in about 30 minutes I was at my stop (it took less time to get across Boston that it took for me to change terminals in Charlotte-go figure). As I walked from my T-stop to the Hostel, I passed five bikers braving the weather all geared out and with a whole bike lane to themselves. They were all wearing face masks and gloves, both of which I have now ordered as the temperature starts to drop here in Charleston. During my trip I lost count of how many people I saw on bikes and it was great. The first day of the conference, I paid a little extra to go on a biking tour of green buildings in the city (picture above and below). Now this sounded like such an awesome idea when I was sitting at my computer all warm and toasty, but when the moment arrived and it was under 30 degrees and windy I got cold feet... literally. But I was too excited not to go and braved the cold weather in the southern version of winter clothes (five layers of cotton clothing with a cutesy scarf, no hat, of course) and tried to stay warm. I have to admit it felt weird getting on a bike other than mine- I kinda felt like I was cheating on my little blue bike back home. I definitely missed having shocks- especially since the seat had NO padding...frozen bum meets cold hard seat... yeah. Anyway..our group had about 20 people in it and our guides tried to keep us from getting squished by taxis (they are totally ruthless). When we were all talking about where we were from I said "Charleston" and someone said "oh, well then you must be used to this weather". I was totally confused for the entire ride until someone mentioned that there is a Charlestowne outside of Boston...BIG difference. I chatted up the guides about biking in Boston and surviving the weather. They said that the right gear makes a huge difference but that you just have to be prepared to be cold. He has led bike tours in the snow but said it gets a little dangerous- ya think?. After talking to other people during my trip, it seems that while the city has bike lanes there are still plenty of people that have no respect for bikers- which I guess is going to happen where ever you are. When I was riding in my friends car, it did seem like some serious cutthroat driving and more than once I had to tell them to watch out for bikers. One guy I rode with said he had actually hit a biker that passed him on the right in his blind spot when in a turn lane... luckily they were both going slow and it wasn't bad. Needless to say, I'm not ready to bike commute in a city like Boston yet... and since the T-system is so great, you really wouldn't have to. Charleston is a long way from this point, that's for sure. One guy I was talking to said that he wished he didn't have his car because the only time he drives it is to move it for street cleaning and snow plowing. What ever public transport you are using there, you never wait longer that 10 minutes, unlike here where you can wait up to an hour. And they have maps, schedules, and info kiosks everywhere, so you never have to worry about getting lost. But even with all of its convenience, beauty, and people- I still rather live in Charleston :-)

Waiting

I have had a lot of exciting things happening lately and when I get my pictures back I will let you in on all of the fun. But for now I will share another day of trials and tribulations of my car-less life. The past week the skies have threatened rain at least once a day everyday- which for me is like russian roulette. Without fail, if I ride my bike on a cloudy day, I will get wet and if I ride the bus then the sun will come out. I honestly don't mind getting wet when its warm out but when the temperature drops below 65 (yes, I am southerner), then I become very cold and bitter. Needless to say, I decided to take the bus on Thursday because there was a 60% chance of thunderstorms. Since I decided this last minute, I had to run around like a banchee trying to get ready and had to forgo breakfast... but I made it to class just in time. After class I had an interview with some undergraduates doing a project on social entrepreneurs and then I was free to go.

After a short interview, I decided to catch the 3:30 bus so I could head home and eat. I hustled to my stop and got there with 15 minutes to spare. While 15 minutes may sound like a long time, the buses don't exactly run on-time, so you want to make sure that you don't miss it. There is nothing worse than sitting at the stop wondering if the bus hasn't come yet because you are too early or too late. If you are too late, then it will be a solid 45 minutes until the next shot at getting a ride. So, as you can see, it is worth it to show up a little early to dispel any doubts.

The nice thing about riding the bus on a regular basis is that you know how to judge the arrival of your bus based on other routes passing by. So as the 20 came and went, I knew that my ride was just around the corner. In the beginning I had pleasant conversation with fellow bus riders to keep me entertained, including a discussion on how silly it is for tourist to pay $5 for a 99 cent hot dog. But when the second 20 went by, I started to get worried. I check the time and realized that I had been sitting there for 45 minutes. I started getting a little suspicious and decided to call CARTA. After getting past the automated system and through to an actual human, I was put on hold for 5 minutes. When she came back on she informed me that my bus had broken down, so I asked: "Do you have any idea how long it will be... an hour? a day?" to which she replied with attitude: "No. I'm not a mechanic." I then I started to asked her: "Well could you at least tell the 20 to stop and let people know there bus isn't coming?" but she hung up before I could finish. So after waiting for an hour and desperately hungry- I realized that I had no way of getting home.

Lucky for me, I have enough friends that have flexible schedules, that one of them could come get me. But what about all of the people trying to get to work, home, and school? The clouds were threatening rain as parents struggled to keep their kids entertained and those heading to their second job were trying to flag down cabs. Why is there no system in place for situations like this? No back-up bus? Why weren't the bus drivers stopping to let people know? How is CARTA expecting people to use their bus system if it is unreliable with horrible customer service?

Needless to say, I wrote them a letter with my thoughts as well as suggestions hoping that maybe the next time this happens, they can handle it a little better.

In the end, I am glad that I got stranded because on the way home, my friend and I rescued a stray puppy that was running across a busy road that may have otherwise not have made it. But from now on I think I will bring my bike with me just in case.

getting a bike education

Okay. I know that bikes are pretty simple machines...BUT they are not something that I grew up working on. I understand how bikes work (for the most part) but there are some basic maintenance things that I definitely did not know about. This was made clear to me when I flipped my bike over and reddish orange rust water poured out of my handlebars (yeah, I felt like a horrible parent at this point). My first problem is that I expose my bike to all kinds of good stuff like sand, mud, salt water, dirty street water, and rough streets. The second problem is that after a ride I was just leaning my poor bike against the house and calling it a night. This is no way to be treating an object that I have to depend of for transportation, recreation, and exercise. So, to make it up to my faithful companion, I treated her to a shopping spree, day at the spa, apologized profusely, and begged for forgiveness.

Instead of just totally winging it, I decided to go into the Bike shop and ask for some advice. Let me just go ahead and tell you right now. If you ever want to get a bike mechanic fired up, just mention that you have used WD-40 on your chain. I mean WD-40 can do anything, right? Umm. Wrong. It is actually a degreaser which will strip the much needed lubrication off of your chain and create unwanted friction and wear to your chain. (If you are trying to clean the gunk off the chain, go for it, but then apply lube). If you don't believe me, check out this dude: http://bicycletutor.com/no-wd40-bike-chain/ Now if you are like me and want to use something that is environmentally friendly and biodegradable to clean your bike, there are products like Pedro's Bio Cleaner and Simple Green Bike Cleaner. As for lubrication... I just bought some White Lightening Clean Ride self cleaning wax lube and it is working nicely on my chain.

So what about the rest of the bike? Well... Some parts use medium-weight grease for lubrication and others use oil. I still haven't really gotten all that down yet, but I will sure to keep you informed as I figure it all out. For now: http://bicycletutor.com/lubricants/. The one part of my bike that has really needed help is my break cables, and I have had friends use both oil and grease. Sometime in the near future I need to just make the commitment and buy some of both.

So after a nice bath, a relaxing chain oiling, a deep metal cable massage, and a new indoor parking spot, my girl was feeling like a brand new mountain bike... except for the half broken hiking headlamp that was rigged to the front of the handlebars. Needless to say, I now have the new cateye headlight which makes night biking SO much safer. I also bought a "rescue tool" that looks like something McGyver would have killed for... it is basically a pocket knife on steroids. Granted I have no clue what any of the 20+ parts do, but I am sure I will find out and knowing me, it will be on the side of the road, in the middle of the night, while it pours down rain... and I will tell you all about it.

Until then I will be exploring ways to stay warm as the temperature drops.

Halloween

I can't take credit for any pictures from this month's critical mass but my friend Katie took the two above and my friend Geoff took the rest at the link below. Yes, that is me next to the twinkie (my friend Brett) looking a little too much like my character, Corey Bohan (male BMX biker).

http://thedigitel.com/entertainment/costumed-riders-had-blast-halloween-2052-1102

show and tell.

So last week I was again not riding my bike (feel free to judge me) because the Green Building Blitz.... I had to be on Wadamalaw Island at 7am everyday with a whole car full of supplies and somehow the 3 hours it would take me to get there on a bike just didn't seem rational, so a co-worker lent me her car. If you want to see pics from that, check out: http://picasaweb.google.com/SeibertN/Greenbuild08#

It was a great event and if you are going to drive a car for something, it might as well be something like this. So anyway... I spent a lot of time talking to a variety of people, many of which had seen my blog and wanted to exchange biking stories. I always love hearing about the adventures, seeing the scars, and bonding over similar experiences with a fellow biker. This week, I heard one of the best stories yet. I was talking to one of the guys from charleston green ideaz (http://greenideaz.org/) about the evil drivers that harass bikers since I was recently nailed by a half full bottle of coke... which of course I thought was a car hitting me, so I practically jumped off the bridge trying to get off my bike (don't worry, I was fine, just a little pissed off at the redneck in the ginormous truck). So anyway, the greenideaz guys said that one day while bike commuting through a less than nice part of town when he heard a loud noise and then BAM something hit the back of his head so hard it almost knocked him off his bike. When he reached back to feel his head, it was all gooey and he panicked because he was sure he had been shot and that his brains were leaking out the back of his head. Then he looked down and saw eggshell and realized that, no, he was not dying, and yes, he had been the victim of a drive-by-egging. I am pretty sure that he is the first person to be relieved that he had been egged. Awesome.


So when I told this story to a friend, he mentioned that now there is a law against harassing bikers- which is HUGE considering beforehand, you basically had no rights. Check out more info at:http://www.scbikelaw.com/news.html?id=13 If you are wondering if it actually works, have no fear. My friend said that he was sideswiped while biking recently and he memorized the license plate (I have to give him props for remembering to do this), then called it in to the police. They ran the plates, looked up the person, called them and gave them a warning about harassing bikers! Can you imagine how awful/embarrassed/stupid you would feel if a cop called you and chewed you out for clipping a biker! I am going to have to try and stay cool next time someone harasses me and get their plates- haHA, that will teach them. I am still considering keeping tennis ball in my water bottle holder to hurl at cars that get too close or almost squish me when backing out of their driveways.


Either way, I will delight in my once a month outing with Critical Mass when we get to take back the streets for an hour. Check out a pic from last month below:


Tomorrow, we will be biking in full costume- come and join!!

a day in the life

When people ask me "How is the bike riding going?" I always have this video montage flash in my head of random situations, events, and ridiculous moments and in the end, my answer is usually: "interesting". So this week, if you were to ask me that question... here are the thoughts that come to mind...

1. I am biking across the bridge when I catch a glimpse of something out of the corner of my eye... and it is a pod of dolphins. I watch them for about five minutes as cars rush by, completely unaware, as one by one, each sleek gray animal rhythmically breaks the surface for a breath of air.

2. On my way home one afternoon, with one headphone in and one out, I swear I hear someone talking to me...lo and behold there is a dude biking past me saying: "Is it just me or are there so many more bikers on the road recently?"

3. Crossing the bridge at night when I come up on a homeless man with kind eyes and a long gray beard, his bike covered with all of his possessions. We both have to stop and wait for the cars because there is not enough room for us to pass and so we chat about weather and traffic. When we part ways he tells me to be careful and protect my "young bright light."

4. I am running late to be a guest speaker for 50 college seniors and have to catch the bus because there is no time to bike- but I will be getting back to campus past 9pm, so I need my bike for the ride home. The bus is 10 minutes early, so I am literally chasing it down the highway in a dress on my bike, knocking on the side until it stops (just like in the movies). Ive never used the bike rack, so I fumble awkwardly pulling all the places labeled "pull/push here" while trying to hold my helmet, bag, make-up and wallet- in the end three men get off and we all debate how it works while a bus full of people watch. (Just so you know... you have to squeeze the handle in the middle and then set your bike in the slots. Then pull the bar next to the tires up and over the front tire. Both handles will be hard as hell to get loose- so give it hell.) Of course I forgot my bus-pass, but at that point, no one cared and the bus-driver accepted a high-five instead. I get a small round of applause from some younger guys in the back. So then I sit down, sweaty and wet-haired and have to start putting on my make-up while everyone stares at me. In the end, I arrive on time, with no speech prepared and rock it.

5. I am biking home- the same night as above- and I overhear two men, one white, one black, arguing over racial terms (really one is just yelling at the other). By the time I am close to them, they have finally agree that no one, regardless of color should use words that could be seen as derogatory, but the one man is still really mad. I pull off the road and offer the angry guy a hug. At first he gives me a look that makes me regret stopping, then his face melts into a smile, he starts laughing and accepts my offer. Both men agreed on the fact that you should always accept a hug from a young lady and then conversation quickly changes into talking about women, so I continue my ride home.

That is a week in the life of this biker.

Tires, wheels, and rims, oh my!

So a friend of mine pointed out that I have started slacking on my bloggage- which is due in part to the fact that my life is totally bananas right now. I also broke my camera- so I've kinda been waiting to write until I get a new one. All of that being said... I will try and stay on top of things so that all 4 people that read my blog will not be left wanting. :-)

My latest exciting bike news is that I finally got hybrid tires! What the hell does that mean, you say? Well, since I have a mountain bike, I've just been riding on standard trail tires. This means that they have good traction with lots of nobby things that help grip the dirt when you are off road. Tires like these are great for when I am on the greenway or biking on un-even surfaces. For me they have kinda been like training wheels because I am not used to biking on a variety of surfaces and they help keep you stable. The downside to this type of tire is that you go really SLOW on the road. Since I am commuting about 10-15 miles a day, this can get pretty annoying, so I went to the Bicycle Shoppe and asked what my options were. They suggested a hybrid tire that is designed for mixed use- which means it is smooth in the middle, but has ridges on the outer edge. Since they were $20 a piece I decided to wait on it and look around online.

So, yeah. This is when I realized that I know nothing about my bike. I like to think of myself as a do-it-yourself kinda gal, but good lord, I was lost when the websites staring asking me questions about hub and rim width, hub axle size, and wheel diameter. While this information is in no way super complicated, my brain is so jam packed with LEED rating systems, green entrepreneurial theories, and sustainable development concepts that I opted to leave these choices to the professionals.

I called up the bike shop again and they told me to head on in. So I biked on over, excited about how fast I was going to be biking home. They put my bike up on a stand and started teaching me what all the specs were that I had been asked online (everyone there is super helpful). But then we realize they didn't have my tire in stock, so we had to order it. My consolation prize: "Well at least its a good work-out with your mountain bike tires." Because thats what I really need right now. A work-out. Then one of the guys invited me to bike the Cooper River Bridge. This always makes me laugh because people really think I am an athlete, but they have NO idea how pathetic I am. (For those of you not familiar with the bridge... it is huge and in my eyes, akin to a small mountain... needless to say my CAR used to have trouble coming back over it from Mt. Pleasant). I would be the girl WALKING my bike over the bridge. Nothing but love for those of you that are able to bike over that bad boy AND enjoy it... just don't expect me up there anytime soon.

When my tires finally came in, they put them on for me, filled them up, fixed my crusty break-line (due to the fact that I am horrible bike owner), and sent me off for a test drive. Maybe I had built it up too much in my head, but I didn't immediately notice a difference....until I looked down at my speedometer and noticed that I was going 25 mph without really trying too hard. Sweet!! I wish I could tell you how fast I could go coming down the back side of the 61 bridge on my way home, but my speedometer was so overwhelmed with my speediness that it kicked the bucket. All I know is that the ride is a lot smoother and definitely much faster.

Take home lessons: hybrid tires rule and so does the Bicycle Shoppe!

bus stop blues

Hurry, Hurry up and wait
Is that my bus coming up the road
or is that just the 20 running late?

Nice! This stop has a bench AND a cover,
but wait the shade has been taken
by four screaming kids and one tired mother.

The sun is beating down hot and bright
and the fumes from the cars
are making my head feel light.

Conversations ebb and flow
breaking up the silence
as our waiting party grows.

The city's perfume is an awful mix today;
I am overwhelmed with the acrid smell
caused by cigarettes, sardines, and decay.

Jazz quietly drifts through the air,
as I fight off angry fire ants
and an old lady fixes her fake hair.

We all lean forward at the sound of the brakes,
here comes our bus
a cloud of exhaust in its wake.

Loose change jingles in peoples tired fingers
as everyone gets antsy about the
storm cloud that lingers.

I sit next to an older woman holding bright yellow flowers,
shes a prayer warrior and tells me that in the end,
God has the power.

A drunk man with dimples sits down in urine soaked pants
and tells me he'll fix his saxophone someday,
if he ever gets the chance.

We all talk about our throwaway society and how no-one cares,
and in two stops time we all agree that people rather
buy something new that pay for the repairs.

Settling into silence, I can see my stop come into view,
Pull the cord, thank the driver, and
my journey is almost through.

I step off the cool bus and into the humid air,
and look to the sky cursing
at the light rain that soaks my hair.

Its one more day on the bus, always different than the others
I am already wondering what the next ride will be like
and what new things the journey will uncover.

why bikes are safer than cabs

So, this story isn't directly related to biking- but it is just one more example of why sometimes it is safer to just bike home than rely on four-wheeled transportation. Last night I went to a wedding with a friend; it was black-tie, over 200 guests, and had the biggest bar I've ever seen at a reception. We partied until the bride and groom left and then headed to Moe's Crosstown for some much needed french fries. After walking back to my friends house I realized that I was on the totally wrong side of town and had to get home to walk my dog. So I hailed the good-ole "____" Cab for a ride home (I dont want to get anyone in any trouble) . When my ride pulled up, I actually laughed out loud. It was a complete beater 80s station wagon with one headlight and the cabbie hanging out the window rapping to me. Awesome. So I hopped in and the first thing the guy says is "Yo girl, sorry I'm late, my car keeps cutting off... damn you looking good, where you been tonite?" I replied with: "Umm. Thanks? But seriously, you are really giving me a lot of confidence in my ride home". And that was how our journey began. I started asking him questions about his alternator and battery and then programmed my awesome mechanics number into his phone. The whole time we are driving the car is revving really high RPMs, the gas gauge is doing backflips, and the radio is cutting in and out (which he had switched to a station he referred to as "white people music").

When my house came into view I felt so much relief, but it was too soon for celebration. When we pulled into the driveway he realized he had no change, so we had to go a gas station. The first two were closed and next thing I know we are on roadtrip through West Ashley. During this whole thing I realize he is from my hometown and he went to one of the my rival highschools about five years ahead of me. Ahh- small world. When we finally found a station that was open, he gets out of the car and I realize that the this whole time he has had a Miller High Life 40 oz. between his legs. haha. (nervous laugher here) I mean what are you suppose to do at this point? He had been driving really well and I felt safer in his cab that alone at the creepy gas station full of guys cat-calling me. So he put some gas in the car, gave me my change and we headed home. The car wouldn't go over 30mph at this point, so we just cruised through neighborhoods all the way back to my place. When we pulled into my driveway, he actually said: "Hey- tell all your friends to call me if they ever need a cab!" Hahahaah. Really? This was his idea of a good impression and an experience that would leave a girl raving about the service?

So next time you want to ask me: "Nikki, do you think its safe to bike in Charleston? Don't you ever get scared?" Just know that I feel much safer on my bike, than with a drunk cab driver in a POS car. The key is staying off the roads late at night when drunk cabbies are on the loose and always wearing a helmet, just in case.

Intersection of SICK and TIRED

I have to apologize for my lack of posts recently... life has been keeping me even busier than usual. Last week I went to Energy Efficiency conference at the Columbia Zoo and no, I did not ride my bike, I actually rode this turtle all the way up I-26. Okay, so I carpooled. Then when I got home, I had three friends come in town. The funny thing was, before they got here, they all asked if they should bring their bikes. I have to admit, I said no- mostly because I knew that most of the places they wanted to go are not exactly bike friendly trips. So just for the weekend, my trusty steed had two extra cars to canoodle with in the driveway. On Monday, with a friend still in town, I opted to get back on my bike for my night class instead of getting a ride :-) It was a really good weekend with great company and the weather FINALLY cooled off (my friends that came down from the mountains to go to the beach did not share my enthusiasm). Tuesday, the last guest out of the house, after a week and a half of constant activity and extreme weather change, my body finally gave out. I came home that night, took an intense nap, woke up, ate dinner, got sick and then went back to sleep. Wednesday I had to go into work on John's Island so I got up bright and early, biked the Greenway with my pup to wear her out and caught a ride with a co-worker. After draggin my tail feathers all day, I got home, let out the dog, and ran to the bus-stop. As the bus approached I realized I didn't have my pass, cussed a little too loudly (I had my i-pod in) causing everyone to stare at me...so I trudged back to my house. I threw on my biking gear and sped down Savannah Hwy. About half way there I realized that going to class was a bad idea. First of all, the tides were crazy high, so the City was flooded everywhere. I literally had to walk through 6 inches of water, going against traffic on 61, with cars honking and splashing me as they tried to squeeze past the 3 feet of non-flooded street. (Did I mention it was rush-hour?) I love moments like this where you just want to say to the person honking: "Do you think I WANT to be doing this, genius?" The most awkward part was that everyone had to drive really slow through the water and most had their windows down, so they would yell at me, but unlike a passing car, I had time to make eye contact and apologize....which kind of takes the satisfation out of road rage. Needless to say there are about a dozen commuters that feel like the biggest jackasses ever right now. So with wet tennis shoes, I continued onto to class, hitting two more flooded roads on the way. Even though it was cold and windy, I could feel my face burning with a fever, and wanted nothing more than to crawl back in bed. The ride home wasn't much better, my body aching and towards the end I was almost to the point of tears... But just when I started to feel sorry for myself, I saw this lone pedal on the bridge: I mean that is just sad. I had the urge to pick it up and take it home and find some new job for it..something that would liberate it from a life of being stepped on- like a wind chime weight perhaps? Anyway... I think the average person can grasp that the pedal is a pretty essential element to propelling the bike. Just imagine biking on a two foot wide path when you lose one half of your biking power. Heres the way I see it going down: This person was biking across the very narrow bridge side-walk when they realized another person was coming. They tried to keep biking, and get close to the concrete rail and BAM they got caught and that bad boy got ripped the hell off. Hopefully they were able to keep their bike off the road and not pull one of those panicky over-correction moves. So now they are left with one pedal and one nub. They can potentially still try and push the one pedal, however awkwardly, but they've got to figure out where to put their leg/foot so the nub doesn't rock their world. Perhaps they put one foot up on the frame or maybe they were able to use their big toe to push the nub in circles and I sure hope so... but eitherway that sucks. Despite the pity I felt for this pedal-less person...the visual made me laugh really hard. So just know, when you are literally sick and tired, it could always be worse. On a happier note...for those of you that didn't get to see the video of my that was on the Digitel.com... check it out on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq3L_MTxPpA

Weekend Warrior

So, thanks to the Charleston Bike Co-op, my weekend was full of adventures. Friday night I went on the Midnight Mystery ride downtown... what an awesome time. We all met up at Vickery's and then headed off on our two wheeled journey in the dark. There were about 20-ish people, all young and outgoing. The ride took us through historic neighborhoods, down hidden cobblestone alleys, and ended overlooking the water by the aquarium. Bloc Party, Minus the Bear, Band of Horses, Portishead, Helio Sequence and others quietly hummed on my i-pod speakers, filling the silence between conversations. We ended the evening overlooking the bridge- sharing drinks, telling stories, and watching shooting stars. And even though I thought I couldn't top that, the next day was just as rockin! For those of you that are not familiar with alleycat races, it is kind of like a scavenger hunt on a bike, and in this case, for girls only. Here is a better description: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alleycat_races

If you do read that link, just keep in mind that this race was much more laid back. Our checkpoints included: Finding two cobblestone streets, getting a sweet mustache at the battery (thank you Art for my amazing twisted stache pictured here), completing a pencil rubbing, going through a bike obstacle thingy, getting info off two signs, answering a trivia question about women's history (I sucked at this), having our picture taken (see Ryun's skills below), and doing a lap in a graveyard.

Including the ride home we definitely covered well over 10 miles and I was sweating like a bug at an exterminator convention the whole time.....part of the problem was that my dress-tights combo was like a sauna... if only biking naked wasn't so awkward/illegal. So anyway- we kept motivated by our soundtrack that included Prince, The Hush Sound, Jurassic 5, Cake, Santana, The Beatles, MGMT, and The Cure. Although we definitely did not win, we were also not DFL (Julia-nothing but love here). Afterwards we hit up Santi's for some food, the nectar of life, and some giggles. I was sooooooo tired after my bike-a-palooza weekend (and my 4:30 a.m. bedtime) that I fell asleep at 8:30 Saturday night, sitting up, on the couch, with my computer in my lap and a dog on either side of me. Goodtimes had by all.

Almost Famous

So my little blog is slowly making its way into the Charleston community...the latest was a video created by TheDigitel.com featuring yours truly. I will embed the video later, but for now, check out the site: http://thedigitel.com/outdoors/wot-no-car-1503-0908 . A special thanks to Geoff Marshall for his camera skills, great conversation, and an education on all things British (the top of a car is called the "bonnet" in the UK. hahah. i love it- American English just doesn't seem as classy.) Anyways, Geoff is a fellow blogger- to check out his site, just visit: http://www.geofftech.co.uk/iblog/index.php.

I have to say, on a non-bike related note, I am becoming aware of the this whole blog world I am a part of and its truly impressive. People from all over the world are sharing parts or all of their life with friends, family, and often complete strangers... it is amazing the amount of connection it provides and I can't tell you how incredible it is to get comments from people half way around the country. And just so ya know, there are people blogging about bikes that are really getting it right, like: http://commutebybike.com/ which is just ONE of thousands that are out there.

Well anyway... Something that I have experienced for the first time over the last two weeks has been biking long distances at night (biking to Gene's isn't really that far and the biggest challenge is not drinking too much). You can see the picture above and to the right of the sun setting on my way home from downtown... on that particular night I stopped and hiked into the marsh to score these pics. I saw a bumper sticker today that sums it up: "Pluff Mudd. You will never forget your first time." It was definitely not my first time, but you wouldn't have know it. I almost lost my shoe and camera to the bog of eternal stench (Labyrinth reference here) and I yelped so loud that an entire flock of birds took flight (I'm pretty sure I heard one say "amateur"). Aside from my stealth marsh manuveuring, the ride home was seamless, with a nice breeze carrying me home. Other nights, I have to come home a little later when the sun has long since melted into the horizon. This is when I bust out my night gear- including a head-lamp turned head-light and tail-light. I like to put my lights on the flashing setting, but I am always afraid my insane strobe like head-light is going to give someone a seizure, causing them to veer off the road into me. Obviously, the odds of this are low, but you cannot be too careful. On another note, I saw Mr. Safety himself the other night...he put me to shame with his reflective vest, helmet flashy light, tail/head-light, and reflective shoes. I tried to catch up with him, but damn he was fast...here is a picture of him below:
Haha. yeah... just kidding. This is just a pic of cars going past me on the bridge. I really did try and get a picture of reflective-man, but he flew past me. Well anyway... I am not a huge fan of biking home at night unless its really late. The later it gets, the less cars there are on the road and it is so nice. I was biking home from the Tin Roof the other night and it was totally quiet except for the crickets, with a nice breeze, and the stars keeping me company. Friends of mine go on adventures at night downtown when the city cools off and everything gets quiet. There is actually a Midnight Ride this Friday with the bike co-op. Everyone is meeting at Vickery's at 11pm with helmets, lights, and goodies! I am also looking forward to the Lady of the AlleyCat, but I will tell you more about that later this week. Until then- travel safely and always check your mirrors!!

Ode to the Greenway

Nikki's Bike Blog Presents:

Real Men of Genius...

Cue the music for the Budweiser Commercials at this point.

(If you don't know what I am talking about, or just want to laugh at a funny commercial, check out this link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBdEXeDYQ1g&feature=related )

Today I salute you, Mr. Greenway-Inventor Man

Mr. Greenway Inventor Man

Because of you, we can travel great distances without a car OR a road.

Noooo mechanized transport, yeeeah.

You saw power line clearings and abandoned train track lines and thought to yourself:

"Damn... people should be walking here. And biking... and jogging ...and running... and dog walking...and doing non-vehicle related things"

Who knew the potential?

Some said that these abandoned grassy trails were for homeless people, but no, you saw the potential to attract yuppies and excercise junkies alike.

I loooove running in $200 shorts, oooh.

So crack open a cold-one Mr. putting-the-green-in-way, thanks to you, I can bike over eight miles and never see a car.

Okay... seriously. I do love the greenway, especially because it runs through my neighborhood. I walk my dog about 2 miles on it almost everyday and if I wanted I could go for over 8 miles (tempting, but after a full day of biking, no). Things I have seen on the greenway: Woodpeckers, herons, racoons, deer, turtles, hawks, belted kingfisher (my favorite bird), wildflowers, geese, crabs, ducks, egrets, berries, robins, snakes, and the very elusive and rare, squirrel. The amazing thing to me is that I will feel totally lost in nature, but on the other side of the woods is Savannah Hwy in all of its strip-mall, traffic nightmare glory. Here is what I am talking about...

This is just a little oasis of marsh and forest in my neighborhood with some dog fennel and a morning glory in front. Not the best picture but here is what part of the path looks like- with my little doggle running ahead (don't worry, I bring doggie bags).

This marsh helps clean the water running off Savannah Hwy...I don't think people realize it is behind all of the ugly buildings and gas stations.

So on a side note- people have been making comments about me not being able to evacute for the hurricanes without a car. Don't worry- you won't see me biking down I-26 with Sadie in my front basket with a storm on my heels. I am not that stubborn... I will leave if necessary and hitch a ride with one of many of my awesome ridesharing friends. :-)

Reality Check

So I started classes this week and realized that I have been living in happy-work-from-home land far too long. Biking and busing have been relatively successful to this point with a few speed bumps (literally and figuratively) a long the way. I have been going to meetings downtown, the grocery store, running errands, and meeting up with friends all without any sort of car usage... granted sometimes I end up soaking wet or late- but overall it has been a pretty laid back experience. But now there are A LOT of places I have to be, many of which are not exactly a "stones throw" away... and they are all happening in a really short time frame. I know that once I get into the swing of things, it won't be quite so crazy, but at this point I am in the middle of the learning curve. One challenge is when I have to be on campus for something in the morning, late afternoon and then again at night, but need to walk my doggle in between. I have spent the last week running to classes, missing the bus, walking miles and miles, getting run of the road by cars, trying to fix my chain, getting sun-burned, and most of all sweating.

Yet with all of the craziness, I am getting better and better everyday. I am continuing to meet interesting people...like Charleston Moves and the Holy Bike Co-op which are making my bike life a lot easier/less lonely and inviting me to fun stuff like the Lady of the Alleycat race, the Midnight Mystery Ride etc. More info at: http://holycitybikecoop.org/ I also just found this sweet online site that has an open forum and an awesome magazine that you can download for free: http://urbanvelo.org/about/ While waiting for & riding the bus I have talked to a Russian immigrant, a History Professor, four first time freshman bus-riders, three hotel maids, and a retired school teacher. I have even read an entire chapter of a book in between conversations.

One event I am looking forward to, but missed out on is Critical Mass... here is a video of what its all about in Charleston:


Two Wheels One Love - Critical Mass in Charleston, SC from ReallyFastPictures on Vimeo.

Timing is everything.

The theme of the past week has really been timing. It is amazing how a few minutes in the car-free world can make all of the difference. This has especially been true because of the ridiculous weather that Miss Faye was kind enough to share with us. There is nothing like checking the weather and seeing those little storm clouds complete with lightening bolts with a high percentage underneath; for a whole week. Although what weather.com fails to realize is that Charleston has its own, very unique weather system. There can be tornadoes on Savannah Hwy and sunshine at the Battery... so while on one side of town you will need a rain suit- on the other you will want a swim suit. One element of the weather that I had never really considered before was the wind. Ahhh the wind. I had a meeting downtown last week, so I looked to the sky and felt confident that I would have at least an hour or two before the clouds sauntered my direction. The ride started off great, with just enough cloud cover and a nice breeze, but due to my awesome timing, it seemed the storm was actually rolling in fast. When I got to the bridge, well, wow. Holy wind gusts batman. I felt like I was biking through molasses with tires made of glue. I seriously considered getting off my bike and walking because it would have been faster. I pushed through because I figured that it couldn't be as bad downtown. Wrong.

I had forgotten that someone once told me Charleston had been designed to channel wind to keep down mosquitoes and cool down the city- or in this case, create wind tunnels. Needless to say, I hurried to get all of my paperwork done and raced home to beat the storm. I was in the final stretch when the skies literally opened up. I had a rain jacket with me, but as I was frantically pulling it out an SUV nailed the puddle I was standing next to and soaked me from head-to-toe in dirty street water. Awesome. Thanks jackass. I'm so glad you support our troops by putting a yellow ribbon on your gas guzzling two ton, high emissions vehicle. Smack yourself on the back of the head for me. (I am not bitter- just amazed at human stupidity.) What really destroyed me was that at the time, I was standing near a bus-stop where an older lady was huddled under her wind-blown umbrella trying to keep her uniform dry as cars like my SUV friend sped passed, spraying her down. It is now my mission to get every bus-stop in Charleston covered because no-one should have to go through that, much less a seventy year old woman who rides two buses so she can make beds for rich tourists that will later speed by her soaking her clothes.

Side note: My friend and I were talking about classy drivers such as this one today and he suggested that I buy some tennis balls, so I can lob them at the cars in revenge . I was thinking this would also be good for moments when cars almost back over you coming out of driveways.

So... after venting with my bus-stop friend we embraced that there was no hope for us staying dry, looked to the sky and shared a good laugh. How many times do you have a great excuse to play in the rain? I biked through the 4 inch deep high tide puddles on the sidewalk and took my time getting home, letting the rain cool me off. You can see the result of this joyride below:

By the time I got home, the rain stopped and the sun came out. I realized that you just have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. I managed to make it downtown two times after this without getting rained on and even discovered another fun sidewalk path on Lockwood. As for this week- classes start tomorrow- so let the adventures begin!

"We only understand what we are taught."

"Oh, people can come up with statistics to prove anything. 14% of people know that." Homer Simpson.
Who doesn't love a good fact of the day? I just came across some interesting statistics, facts, and random tidbits that I figured I would share with you. Don't quote me on any of this, because as Homer so eloquently points out, not everything you read is true.

1. Half an hour of bicycling daily can increase your life expectancy by up to four years.
2. Trips under 3 miles are often faster by bike and trips between 5-7 miles are take about the same amount of time as a car.
3. One-quarter of the carbon emissions produced in the US come from the tailpipes of our vehicles.
4. Two point three BILLION gallons of gas are idled away every year by Americans while stuck in traffic.
5. If one million people replaced a five-mile car trip once a week with a bike ride, CO2 emissions would drop by about 100,000 tons a year. (That is only 0.3% of the population)

So those are things that "experts" have come up with, all of which are impressive. There are hundreds more of these fun little facts and if you are lucky I will continue to sprinkle them into the mix on future posts (try to contain your excitement, please...)

Based on my own highly structured and official research, here is some data that might also be of interest.

1. When using a bike as transportation you are less likely to: take unnecessary trips, compulsively shop, and eat greasy food (ugly was the day that I horsed down fries before my ride home... needless to say, they did not make it back to the house).
2. Selling your car doesn't just give you the initial cash but also results in huge savings on gas, parking, and maintenance... based on my own finances over the last two months I have saved roughly $400 in gas alone and will save another $400 in parking this fall. (PLUS no more taxes, tags, insurance, or maintenance). Note: I am not factoring in all of the guilt meals, presents, and favors I am extending to my carpool friends.
3. Biking gives you sweet, sweet legs. (Hello, hottie biker calves...)
4. Who doesn't want to a legitimate reason to rock out in spandex?
5. Almost anything is possible with a bike... I mean, just check out this little guy below.

cheater.

I did it. I drove a car...two actually. It started with helping my friend move, which I really don't think counts, since I was only doing it to help someone else. As for the second car, well, as my friend put it, just might cause me to lose my "street cred" with my fellow bikers. I am currently house sitting and the job came complete with a car... which considering the location of the house, is pretty essential. After the last few weeks, I had thought of plenty of things that I would do if I had a car (like not get caught in the rain with a ton of shit strapped to my bike). So the minute I had the keys in my hand, I was on a mission. I managed to go to Whole Foods, Target, COSTCO, the eye doctor, the movies, to work, and to my house. My cabinets are beyond full of food, toiletries, and work supplies.

But all of my gas guzzling, CO2 producing, errand running did not go unnoticed by the bicycle gods. I managed to get locked out of my friends house at 5:30a.m. wearing skimpy PJ's with the two dogs and no spare key. While this may not seem like an obvious sign to stop driving, I think the fact that the car I am driving stalled out today is a more clear warning to get back to the two-wheeled life. I saw this cartoon by Robert Ariail today, it pretty much sums it up...


Someone asked me this weekend if it was nice having a car again and while I enjoyed the convenience, I had to admit that I am sooooo over dealing with cars and definitely addicted to my new bicycle lifestyle. To further prove this point, I actually said no when someone I work with offered to let me use her old car for awhile (yes, my co-workers rock.) It has not been a smooth transition so far, but it also has not been rocky enough to knock me off course. Like anything new, the beginning is always a little awkward but everyone is being so supportive that it has been fun so far (or at least funny). There is such a huge community surrounding biking that it impossible not to make friends and enjoy the experience. A lot of cities have bike co-ops and ours in no different... thanks to a tip from a fellow blogger I have hooked up with: http://www.holycitybikecoop.org/

A majority of the population does not realize that owning a car is a choice... so much so that people have said to me "but you HAVE to have a car". Well damn. I must have really missed something in middle school biology. Air, Water, Food, Sunlight, Shelter, AND Automobile- obviously. For some this might be true, but it is not the case for me. I am lucky enough that I do have the choice. While I do not judge my friends who choose to own cars (especially those that are rad enough to pick me up and carpool), I am sad that their transportation will never help them make new friends, get in shape, or protect the environment. I am looking forward to returning the car tomorrow and getting back on my trusty steed...which I have named "the grasshopper".

I just want to say thank you to all of the people that have been cheering me on, giving me rides, and laughing with me through all of the craziness so far. Special thanks to Ash for the bike :-) I hope you all continue on with me... I have no doubt that it will stay interesting.

throwing some pics in the mix.

This picture is my moment of glory where I reached 20 mph- not something that happens often, but hopefully will not be as much of a challenge in the coming months. Someone made a comment to me like "well biking shouldn't be too hard, you are already so fit". Haha.. umm... yeah, I am definitely not in shape, so most of my rides end with me red faced, soaked in sweat, and sprawled out on the nearest piece of furniture. I hope that eventually I will be able to show up to meetings and not look like I went swimming fully clothed.

It may be a work-out, but I'd still rather have the wind in my face and a view like these on my morning commute... you can keep your air-conditioning and bumper-to-bumper :-)

"When I go biking, I repeat a mantra of the day's sensations: bright sun, blue sky, warm breeze, blue jay's call, ice melting and so on. This helps me transcend the traffic, ignore the clamorings of work, leave all the mind theaters behind and focus on nature instead. I still must abide by the rules of the road, of biking, of gravity. But I am mentally far away from civilization. The world is breaking someone else's heart." ~Diane Ackerman

A little street graffiti to keep the ride interesting...

I am passionate about being the change I wish to see in the world.

when it rains, it pours.

Again, I am sorry to not have any pictures to illustrate the ridiculousness of this story. I will just try and paint a vivid picture for ya. Last week was the first session of a LEED class that I am hosting with the US Green Building Council- something I have been planning for weeks. Since life has kept me pretty busy, I definitely was not as prepared as I had planned on when the day of the class arrived. Needless to say I had to re-structure the schedule, create a sign-in sheet, read the first section and create sample homework exercise (all of which was suppose to be neatly organized in a binder). In addition to the paperwork, I had to buy all of the refreshments for this shin-dig. Luckily, my amazing friends Sandra and James offered to hook me up with some carpooling. After going for my morning 4 mile bike ride (something I have been doing to try and build some endurance) Sandra scooped me up and we did some grocery shopping. I spent the rest of the afternoon preparing all of the paperwork until I realized that I had forgotten about the binders. With two hours until the James picked me up, I figured I could bike the two miles down to K-mart, get what I needed and be back in time for a quick shower. Ha. Was I ever wrong.

On the trip to the store I realized that the greenway was a mud-fest and that I might have a little bit of a challenge ahead, but I did not give up hope. My plan was to buy this little rack for behind my bike, fill my whole foods bags with binders, strap it all to back and be on my way. As I filled my cart with 34, 1/2 inch binders and two reams of paper I realized that it was quite a lot of stuff. I made my purchase and headed out to my bike, still hoping that I could still make this work. I unscrewed some of my reflectors and slid on the rack, only to realized that no matter how much I tightened it, it was waaaaaaay too loose. I wedged some paper in around it but the grease was just too slippery. I had to get this stuff home, I didn't have my cell-phone to call anyone, and I didn't have time to make more than one trip.

I stopped myself and thought: "What would Mcagyver do?" So, of course, I went back into K-mart and bought a roll of duct tape, a basket/trashcan thing, hemp string, and a pair of scissors. At this point, it was about 100 degrees outside, humidity 200 percent and I am covered in sweat, realizing that my time is running out fast. As I am strapping the rack on the back and the basket on the front with every last inch of tape/string, this jack-ass walks up and starts telling me how I should be attaching this ridiculous contraption. Man, did I ever get lucky! What are the odds that a professional rack-basket-bike-duct tape-string installer had come to my aide?! I turned to him and said: "Did you hear me? .....Oh, you didn't? Thats because I didn't ask for your help." He started to say something but instead just opened and shut his mouth silently in shock before walking away. Needless to say, I got the whole thing on and slowly started my trip to the greenway, without anyones help. This is the part when you are going to start thinking: "Really Nikki, are you making this up?". My answer: Believe me I wish I was.

Right as I hit the entrance of the greenway, the dark skies that had been threatening all day, opened up and poured down rain. I mean, there might have actually been cats and dogs coming down- I just couldn't see anything because my glasses were so wet. I guess the rain loosened up the hemp, the tape, or something, because the basket sagged down and hit my front tire. Not enough to stop me, but enough to feel like I was biking up a mountain (a very slippery, muddy one, at that) . Of course, as I rode past a fellow biker, he alerted me to the fact that this wasn't safe. While this should have triggered anger or tears, I was so far beyond either that I started laughing... the desperate on-the-edge-of-crazy kind of laugh. Realizing that I was never going to make it in time, I got off my bike and just started running with my bike for the last mile. I got home in time for my ride to pull into the driveway. I jumped in the shower only to wash off the mud and pulled on the first clothes I could find. We rushed together trying to load the car and deconstruct the abominable duct-hemp monster I had created. In the end, I showed up to my own class 15 minutes late with empty binders to a class room full of people expectantly waiting. In all of my hurry, I had not realized that I had managed to put on a white t-shirt that was at this point completely soaking wet. Ah.... the icing on the cake.

The moral of this story...
Know your limits, always come prepared, wear dark clothing in the rain, and however long it takes you in a car, double that time when you have a bike.

P.S. Don't worry-I am still optimistic about all of this :-)

live and learn.

Well... my first try riding the bus was, well, interesting. Needless to say I won't be posting any pictures because I am trying to forget most of the experience. The best word to describe the whole scenario: awkward. I was really excited yesterday to give the old CARTA a shot, so I woke up early, check the schedule, and trudged the quarter mile to my stop. The day was looking up, because my stop had a bench AND was in the shade. I was rockin out to my i-pod, reading my latest national geographic, and relaxing in my usual earliness. Then enters.... the creepy guy. He is a wiry, middle aged, three toothed Indian man with breath I won't even try to describe. Since I find it almost impossible NOT to talk to strangers I started asking him questions (clearly before I realized that his breath could incapacitate a 300 lb man) . At first I thought the conversation would be short because he kept answering "9:02" to everything I asked (that being the time when the bus was suppose to come). Then he started opening up. The conversation took a turn for the worst when he asked if I was married (note to self, always just say yes) and realized that I was single. When the bus finally came, I let him get on first so that I could put some distance between us, but low and behold, he turns his body completely around to stare at me.... It was so ridiculous that the lady next to me goes "ooooooh girl. you need to watch out for him." I ended up riding the bus all the way to the last stop just so he would have to get off first. Yes, I had to walk about 2 miles with all of my stuff, but at least I was safe from Hubert. Yes, his name was Hubert.

On a more practical note... I did get to ride the bus for free because I am a student- which is awesome. I also realized that the route maps are ridiculously out of date and there are actually twice as many stops as listed- also very cool. Just for you, and well me too, I went through all of this blindly so we could learn a few things. Make sure you are near the sign and the enter through the front door, flash your student/faculty ID, and exit through the back door when you get off. If you need to stop, you should pull the yellow cord hanging by the windows, which will light up the sign at the front which will say "Stop Requested". This does require that you know the general vicinity of the next stop- something that I learned the hard way. You don't want to have to walk a mile and a half, arms full, when it is 101 degrees out side... trust me. If it is a popular stop or you can already see people waiting, this is not necessary. Know which side of the street you need to be on depending on which direction the bus is going and PAY ATTENTION to what the sign says on the front of the bus. A general rule- whatever direction the bus is facing when it stops is the direction that it is headed, which sounds obvious but whatever. There are also express buses that pick up at one central location and drop off at a central location, ie, Citadel Mall to Downtown; if you get on one of these they will not make any stops in between. If you are a bike/bus rider combo, there are two racks at the front of the bus for bikes, but if they are both full, be prepared for the bus to fly past you (unless its at night and they will sometimes let you walk it on). My friend told me that sometimes they will stop and you can find out when one of the other bikers will get off, so you can try and haul ass to their stop and take their place. Since I am a sissy and totally out of shape, I'd sooner ride at my own pace all the way downtown and skip the bus all together. Also, make sure you dress for the weather; be prepared to be rained on, sun-burned, and frozen. At the end of the day, its really nice not having to park, get gas, or in my case, worry about the car breaking down.

All and all, it was a good "learning experience" and I am hoping that my next try will be a little less creepy/awkward/sweaty/frustrating. I am definitely saving tons of money and I am going to have some sweet calves after all the biking/walking. Problems I still haven't worked out: Do I have to buy one of those old lady carts for my groceries? Should I switch vets since I can't take Sadie on the bus? If I am going to a business meeting, should I bring a change of clothes? How much does a taser gun really cost?

Wish me luck.

Maiden Voyage

(if you are just joining me, scroll down to the first post and catch up!)

Up until now, I have been biking on the happy safe place known as the greenway. While I am forever grateful for its existence, it does have one major flaw; it is only in West Ashley (W.A.). Since I have embraced the fact that the college is not in fact located in W.A. (hence the name College of CHARLESTON), I will have to leave the greenway and venture onto the roads if I ever want to attend classes. Luckily, I have a friend that has plenty of experience biking from W.A. to downtown and he was willing to show me the ropes today. So here is Ryan with his sweet road bike-I am definitely jealous. We took off this morning around 10a.m. to avoid commuter traffic and headed down Savannah Hwy. I immediately regretted not wearing a shirt because every third car honked at us and if we were lucky, someone would hang out of passenger seat yelling. What a turn-on! I mean, it is all I can do not to throw myself in front of their car in hopes they will sweep me off my feet. Umm. NO. I was glad, however, that I was sporting my helmet. With cars whipping by at 60mph, it is the least I can be wearing to protect myself. Anyways...It is important to understand that while you were raised with the idea that it is illegal to ride your bike on the sidewalk- it is just not always practical. In many parts of Charleston, the sidewalk=bike lane. This is especially true for out of shape people like me that can barely get up to 10 miles per hour. It is my goal to eventually do all of my riding on the road, the way it should be done, but until then I am only riding in the road downtown. For those of you that also live in West Ashley and are wondering how the hell I am crossing either one of the bridges, here is a play by play. Just get on HWY 61, get on the left side of the sidewalk, and pray to god you don't hit any rocks when you are crossing over the bridge (you will be riding against traffic!). Since the city was generous enough to make the path all of 2 feet wide, you will have to dismount if someone is coming the other direction. If you are feeling saucey and choose to ride over either of the bridges on the road, then be careful crossing the grates- it could be one of the creepiest feelings possible. Mom, if you are reading this, please don't get all freaked out. I am adding a clip of us riding over the bridge, to give you all a feel for it, and yes I was biking while doing it. After you cross over, it's up to you which way you go into downtown.

It's funny, because you would never know unless you are on a bike, but there is an unspoken kinship among bikers. We passed people of all ages and races on a variety of bikes and everyone of them nodded, said hello, or started a conversation. When is the last time you were in your car at a stop light and the person next to you asked you how your day was going? I'm thinking never. Not to mention the fact that you never hear about biker road rage... if anything you are making friends. Plus, you also end up really seeing the city you live in. Not just letting the streets fly by through your window, but being able to hear, see, and smell every block (which can be a good or bad thing depending on the part of town). As for the ride back, well I did that all by myself, just like a big kid (just look at that happy face below)! I road over 7 miles, it really didn't take long at all, and the only fuel I burned was my breakfast. I checked out some of the bus stops on my line when I was biking-so tomorrow I will be tackling that adventure!