I'm always looking for something new to add to the list of cycling fun. Here is this years addition:
I do almost everything imaginable by bike: commuting, errands, trips to the store with my flat bed trailer. Rarely do I do anything within city limits that involves a vehicle unless I'm transporting the family.
What about outside of town? Am I still the avid bicyclist? Well, sometimes. Going camping? Obviously you'd have to drive right? What if you had 3-4 camping opportunities within 30 miles and many other "day trip" possibilities of short distances. Enter this little beauty.
I picked this up online, thanks to a good friend who looks out for me, for $50! I'm questioning if it has EVER seen the road as it has the tag still on it.
I'm not sure that Laura sees it as clearly as I do, but this beauty hooked up behind the tandem, this is how it plays out in my mind:
* Off we go on the tandem with the Burley Nomad all packed with picnic and/or camping necessities
* Find a quiet place away from the hustle and bustle of everything
* Unfurl a blanket and food and sit back for hours enjoying each others company and nature
* Either camp or begrudgingly pack everything back up and head home to reality.
Sounds glorious, doesn't it? Warm weather will be here soon enough. Just need to get Laura on board with this incredibly outstanding plan.
Early on in my consecutive days of commuting, every little milestone seemed worth of celebrating: 100 days, 200 days, 250, etc. Then there was the BIG one: 1,000 days. Now: 1,500.
People rarely ask me why I do it anymore. They know that it's just part of who I am. Occasionally somebody new will sheepishly ask me questions like, "So, I hear you haven't driven a car to work in like five years" or "I hear you don't even own a car". But to most, it's as much a part of their routine to see me riding around town as much as it is for me to see (most) of them sadly in their cages.
I am proud of Vermillion-ites. I see a great deal of bikes in town and there are an increasing number that ride year round or nearly year round. The more that do it and tell others that it's really not that hard to do, the more I hope those numbers keep going up. That and it helps my cause that I'm really not crazy (at least not because of my biking).
How long until the streak ends? Well, barring an injury or some other fluke, I'll be eligible for early retirement in about 13 years. You do the math.
