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.

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.