I recently watched Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” and my brain flooded with everything I learned in my Global Climate Change course during undergrad. I didn’t learn anything new (and was sad that when mentioning cattle, Gore did not discuss the effects of methane from ranching, but I digress) but the film served as a catalyst to change my mode of transportation.
I won’t lie, I love my car, but with my recent move, I’m driving more than ever and have concerns about the damage I’m doing to the atmosphere. The reduction of one car on the road is small, but something none the less. So began my decision to ride my bike to work. Now this is no wimpy ride–9.5 miles, with many hills, taking about 1 hour from my front door to my office. But I’m an avid hiker/jogger/cardio gal, so I thought I’d give it a shot.
The first day I asked myself what I was doing. During the first 20 minutes I contemplated turning around. A lot. I also was a little unprepared: I was riding a 7-speed cruiser with a mans seat. Ouch. But I did it anyway. I didn’t give up. Even when the “real” bikers whisked by me, I persisted. I walked a couple of hills, but made it to work relatively unscathed-sweaty-but fine.
My success was exhilarating, so I rode my bike again the next day, and again, and again. But by the third day, I knew one thing had to change–the cruiser wasn’t cutting it. So I did a quick Craigslist search and within 24 hours I had a like-new Trek mountain bike, complete with front shock, 24 speeds, a rack on the back, and the perfect size frame for Triskel Anne.
Also, in another unplanned purchased, the REI bump-and-dent sale found me a new pair of Vasque hiking boots for only $25. I can’t think of a more satisfying weekend: saving my planet and my pocket book.
