Bicycle Rides

I've been riding my bike everywhere lately. I feel like I'm doing the opposite of what most people do regarding transportation. In Las Vegas, you really have to drive everywhere as the city is so spread out, public transportation sucks and it's just too hot to do anything else. I got a car and license at 15 years old and I've had a car ever since. I've always hated driving and dreamed of living somewhere with ace public transit or somewhere small enough for walking around.

Then I moved to Portland and the first order of business was selling my car. Not only was it awesome to cut down my debt by a significant amount, I was ecstatic to be free of car insurance, gas prices and parallel parking. I started walking or using public transportation and I finally graduated to riding a bike! I have always been pretty nervous about bike riding. As you may have guessed, I didn't spend much time riding a bike in Vegas. People driving in Vegas do not care about pedestrians or bicyclists (they barely care about other drivers!).

I try to ride my bike to work every day, which is a short 1 mile ride each way. Riding to work is the best because it is mostly downhill. I still struggle a bit with my lungs riding uphill but it's getting better each day. Nathan and I also do a funsie ride over the weekend. I don't really like riding in traffic but thankfully most drivers are pretty nice. Gotta love Portland! Especially the bicycle path by the river.

My favorite thing about riding is really just getting out of the house. I do love walking but it is so time consuming! Portland is a really small city and basically ideal for bike riding. I get to explore places that I normally wouldn't go because walking would take too long and riding the bus would be a hassle. I don't really like riding the bus if I have to take more than 2 buses! Buses require a little bit more planning so I really appreciate the spontaneity of riding a bike. Nathan & I were riding over a bridge last weekend when I looked to my right and saw a bunch of graffiti. I immediately knew we had to stop and take a look!

So, I went from driving to walking to riding a bike. I feel like most people go from walking to riding a bike to driving. What transportation path did you take? I wonder if I'll eventually get fed up and buy another car. I don't see that happening unless it is a purple, 1966 Mustang convertible (my dream car).