What THE TRUCK?

Brace yourselves. Things are about to change in a big way and this little blog will never be the same.

Okay.

Are you ready??

Today I bought a truck. Yes. A vehicle with four wheels that burns gas. But how could I? I am suppose to be living car-free right? (Technically its a truck, so does it really count? haha). Well my friends... after one year and eight months my journey has come to an end. I am taking a job in which I must move to Johns Island, have reliable transportation, and the ability to make deliveries. After spending the last two years biking, catching the bus and negotiating rides- I have finally reached a point where living car-free is simply not feasible anymore. And honestly, when I am riding in other people cars everyday, how will I ever truly become car-free anyway?

So what are my first thoughts? Well... when I got in the truck and drove away I was extremely anxious. My hands were shaking, my palms were sweating, and I felt as if the moment was surreal. For one, I had just taken out a loan from the Bank of My Parents and the thought of even more debt freaks me out. Second, after having such an epic failure of a car experience my last go-round, I am like a rider afraid to get back on her horse. I was convinced that at any moment, the car would break down and I would be unintentionally car-free AND broke. Welcome back to the world of the auto-slave. When I had my mechanic look at the car, he admitted in a thick southern accent that "Guuurl, I thought you was NEVER gonna buy a car again." But he gave the car a big thumbs up and admitted that if I didn't buy it, he would, so that's a good sign, right?

So my first few hours of owning the car went something like this:

After buying a new battery, then the engine NOT turning over (panic!!), then having the auto-zone hero man strip wires and attach a new contact thingy (yup, that's what its called), my questionably trusty steed revved up. THANK GOD. I then headed to the County Tax office, spent MORE money and proceeded to the DMV where I spent even MORE money. Still, I was proud that I was able to get in 7 hours at my job, buy a car, get a battery, fix the wires, get the taxes, tags, plates, and insurance all in one day.

As I sit here and reflect on the last year and a half, I know that I will always be fond of my car-free experience and I look forward to hopefully being able to do it again in the future. Yet vehicle or not, I will continue to ride my bike when possible, car-pool, and catch the bus when I can. Living car-free gave me a new found freedom to explore, more exercise than I ever wanted (seriously... not an athlete), tons of amazing friends, and even helped me to meet my dog-fox. In the end, I want to thank all of the people that supported me, followed my blog, gave me rides, lent me their cars, taught me about bikes, and will hopefully understand my decision to move on.

If you want to continue to follow my adventures in life... check out my new blog: http://wings-of-tin.blogspot.com/

Since I started my blog with a picture of my car, I will end it with the same. Here is my new truck, dubbed "The Magic Carpet".


Thank you all :-)

Nik

Event!

Come out to the Southend Brewery on February 4th to meet with Jeff Mapes, the author of Pedaling Revolution to hear about his ideas and ask him questions!! Click the picture for more information :-)

Camper Bike

Make sure and click the picture for the link and then check out all 9 pictures... they are awesome!

Charleston Biking Website!

Why are you biking?

At my current part-time job as a case worker, my co-workers are having a hard time understanding why it is that I bike to work. I am constantly entertained by the commentary... so I thought I would share some of the dialogue...quotes are from co-workers, italics are my sarcastic thoughts, and all others are my actual responses.

" Did you ride that here?? "
Haha. Nope. I carried it.

" Who's bike is this?"
Me: Mine.
" Oh, how cute. "
Yep. That's what I was going for. I want to make a statement, and I want that statement to be "Cute!"

" Do you have a ride?"
Me: Yes, I ride my bike.
" Well, do you want a REAL ride?"
Me: No, I am fine with my fake ride.
- She had to laugh at this because she realized how ridiculous it sounded.

" Its so cold, how are you biking?"
Me: With a coat, hat, and gloves
" Well, I still don't know how you do it."
First, I sit on the bike, then I use my feet to push the bike forward, and then I pedal. It gets tricky, because I also have to steer AND brake.

" Why don't you just buy a car?"
Me: Why don't you just ride a bike?
" Haha, but seriously, why don't you buy a car."

The answer to this last question is two-fold.
1. My attempt at being car-free would be pretty much over.
2. I can't afford to buy and maintain a car.

Despite the constant questioning of my bike riding, this position has made it much easier to be car-free because I only live about 1.5 miles from my office. The biggest challenges are finding clothes to wear that are work AND biking appropriate, dealing with the rain, and getting off work late at night (not the best neighborhood). I carpool when necessary, especially since I hurt my knee, but I try to bike when possible. Here's to the constant struggle to live car-free...