Bikes!

This last Friday, as I was about to board the bus to go home from school, I saw a HUGE pack (pack? group? gaggle? pride?) of cyclists biking their way through Vancouver streets. There were hundreds of them! I asked the other people waiting on the bus to see what was going on. One lady answered saying "Oh, they do this every year. It's not a protest, they just all get together shortly after spring starts to try and promote bike riding in the city as a form of transportation." I thought that was pretty neat, but it wasn't as fun after they passed and I got on the bus. Because that bus goes over a bridge and hundreds of cyclists take awhile to cross a steep hill bridge. Sigh...since it was going to be one of my last bus rides for a while, I guess I really got the most out of it!

You see, in the interests of saving money (and the environment), this past weekend I started biking to campus. How convenient is after such a lively promotion by the cycling Canadians! It's not really that far to get to campus (just big scary bridges over water and lots of traffic), and it'll save me quite a bit of money on transportation (i.e. bus passes). I got a bus pass the first month so I could find a bike. A classmate kindly lent me one..it's really nice!

Of course, with any good intention comes due punishment. For this, it comes with sore muscles thanks to HUGE hills in my path to work! Can't we combine the cooler temperatures of Vancouver with the lack of hills from Florida? Oh wait...then I'd be in Kansas or something. Zzzz... ;)

It actually hasn't been tooo bad, but I say that now, and not while I'm huffing and puffing up one of the mega hills (seriously, are these hills straight up???). The other downsides are getting the bike in and out of my 2nd floor apt. Yup, have to keep it inside as there's no place to store it outside and it would probably get stolen if I tried. That wouldn't be too bad (only a few stairs...though they curve around in 3 sections), but the building door and my apt. door are heavily weighted, so it's quite awkward to hold them open and get a bike through. At least at the school there is a bike lock up in the bottom of the building and those doors are automated to be handicapped accessible! (it's a parking garage too...before you ask why disabled/wheelchair people are riding bikes, though I guess that can work too) The other big challenge, and the part I might just hate the most...traffic. I've never really ridden a bike WITH traffic. I always use the sidewalk. And I've never ridden with this much traffic. I have to say, it sucks. Basically I stick to the back streets where it's too much of a pain to drive (I know; I've tried) until I have to go across the big scary bridge with the huge hill. Then I ride with traffic and say several prayers until I get to the specific bike path on the bridge. Whew! That's much better! I guess overall...it's just another challenge to get used to.

At least I got to buy this snazzy pink bike helmet. I don't like helmets, but if I have to have one, I might as well have a fun one. AND, for you Harry Potter fans, you'll find it amusing (like I did) that it says "Vela" on the back of the helmet. Don't know why, but it's fun!