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.