I decided to walk the eco-chic walk..um, I mean eco-chic ride? this morning and ride my bike to run a few errands around Kent. I needed to work out, the weather was gorgeous, and the stops weren't fair away.
So off I went...and I realized that I am terrified of biking on the roads. I like to pretend that I am still in 3rd grade and it's ok for me to be on the sidewalk. It's not. I'm going to run down small children who really should be on the side walk, students on their way to class, and possibly a black squirrel or two. But I really hate being on an even remotely busy road.
So I took some neighborhood streets to my first stop and was doing great! Drivers were incredibly considerate and I kept promising myself that I would get a bike helmet soon. And then I fell. Well, more like tumbled on to the concrete after I tried to get back on the sidewalk while on a busier road and my tire hit the curb the wrong way...I was super embarrassed but a sweet person stopped to make sure I was ok (moments like these renew my faith in the world). After re-adjusting my basket and things, I was on my way again.
And then I wandered around a local neibhorhood for 45 minutes or so. I found a tiny secret park, gorgeous gardens, and evidence of people growing food all over. But this was my favorite...
An entire house was surrounded by beautiful gardens with flowering bushes and trees. My mind immediately thought of the book, The Secret Garden. The hand-carved "Keep Out" sign with the barb wire only increased my desire to sneak inside...But there was a person in the driveway so I quickly snapped a picture, waved, and said good-bye to my plan of trespassing (just to be clear, I would not trespass!). The juxtaposition of lovely and harsh took my breath away...just like ugly/beautiful does.
I'm still committed to riding my bike as much as possible but I am looking for low-traffic paths to some of my frequent stops. I cannot deal with the panic I feel or another fall. But I am planning on buying my helmet asap so at least my brain will be protected!
Do you bike ride with a purpose or just for fun? What has your experience been like?
3 comments:
I should ride my bike more, I need the exercise! Actually, I don't have one any more, so I would have to hijack my husband's. :-) I live about 15 minutes from stores in my car, so I don't see myself biking to do errands, but it would be fun to explore.
And, I totally forgot to say...I love the new look of your blog, it looks fabulous! :-) I'm glad you switched to blogger, it makes it so much easier for me to follow it. (whoa, that sounded selfish, didn't it, lol?!)
@Kim My move to Kent made biking for errands way easier! (as long as I stay on the bike!) but I love just exploring the neighborhood on it...perfect for someone who just bought a house!!
And I adore my new look and being on blogger! SO much easier! And it's not selfish at all...I love that I can follow you too!
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