Fall Biking

We have been serious bikers for a number of years now, but have never been able to move beyond our immediate vicinity because we didn't have a bike rack to transport our bikes. This past week, however, we got a new rack attached to our car and took our first long-distance trail ride to Romeo. We got the bikes up on the rack (very easy!) and drove up a few miles to Rochester Hills to pick up the Paint Creek Trail. After many years of riding along the sidewalks of Troy and Rochester (and some portions of street) to get up to Rochester, this was a luxury. It also enabled us to go much farther along the trail. In fact, we left the Paint Creek trail and biked another 10 miles along the Macomb Orchard Trail until we arrived at Romeo, where we stopped at a nice Irish Pub for lunch. Then we biked back to Rochester, about 30 miles round trip. I must admit that 30 miles represents my limit right now - but it sure did feel good, and I had no soreness the next day, always a good sign.


Today we are heading up to East Lansing to have brunch with our son, and will be bringing the bikes, as we have located a Lansing River trail that winds through the beautiful river walk on campus and extends another 7 miles or so west. This ride should total 20 miles - more to my liking. Next up: Taking the Paint Creek Trail up to Lake Orion. This is a great way to see Michigan in the fall.

Biking becoming a lifestyle

I haven't made many updates to the blog this summer because we're not doing much new. But we are accelerating our adaptation to a different lifestyle in some ways, one of which is our use of bikes for transportation. Many people use bicycle riding for recreation, and there's nothing wrong with that, but we are primarily destination riders, and I think that has helped us keep bicycling as part of our daily routines.

By destination riding, I mean that we use our bikes as a substitute for a car when we have to get somewhere. Our most consistent use of destination biking has been getting to the fitness center in the morning, which is about a mile and a half away -- perfect for a short commute and perfect for a great warm-up. We usually start in April and ride until October or November, giving us about 7 or 8 months of riding. It's hard to describe why this has worked for us, but I'll try. First, it's wonderful to get out in that fresh Michigan summer early-morning air. The temps usually range between 50-60 when we're riding (around 7:30 AM - 9 AM) - great biking temperatures. Also, you get to park your bike right up next to the building instead of the parking lot and stroll right in. Nice. In addition, you pay attention to things you wouldn't normally see when driving, such as the neighbors' flowers or the interesting clouds that day. Finally, I guarantee you'll smile at someone somewhere along your ride - it's courtesy if nothing else. Watch people's faces when they're driving. I do when I'm paused at an intersection. They all look grumpy. Bike people usually smile and wave.

This summer Tom has been working at the Green Garage every weekday 9-5, so he has had to adjust his exercise schedule. His solution has been to bike about an hour down to the Pleasant Ridge area and catch the bus to Detroit (he puts his bike on the front of the bus). I'm sure it's no surprise to you that he has lost weight.

Yesterday I was thinking about our daily rides, and considered the fact that so far I haven't been rained on. So I asked Tom if he had encountered rain in all of his commutes, and he has not. Amazing. I don't know why this is, but we were thinking that perhaps it doesn't rain as much as we think it does. Even if you have a rainy day, it usually only rains for a short period before clearing up. We have learned that biking when the skies are threatening is no problem - 99% of the time nothing comes of it. But it takes a change in mind-set to head out on the bike when there is a questionable sky. I would encourage you to try it - you may find that regular biking becomes a habit that's surprisingly hard to break.

A new way to get to work

This summer Tom has been working at the Green Garage Monday through Friday, 9-5. Ah, the retirement life! Anyway, he has developed a new way to get there that doesn't require a car. He heads out shortly after 7 AM and bikes down to Royal Oak, where he catches a bus to Detroit. He puts the bike on the front of the bus, and once down there, gets back on the bike for a short ride to the Green Garage. It takes about 45 minutes to get to Royal Oak, so the commute is a little longer than it would have been in a car. Also, because he has an extended work day and has to miss his usual exercise, this provides a good substitute. Some days he repeats the process coming home, but most of the time I'm down there so I bring him and his bike home (yes, you can fit a bike in a Prius). An added benefit: some quality time outdoors. I also bike every day to exercise, and can attest to the great benefits of biking in the cool summer morning air.

Biking the Paint Creek Trail

This past Saturday you may remember as one of Michigan's finer fall days. We took advantage of the beautiful weather with a trip up the Paint Creek Trail. We left in downtown Rochester and got within a few miles of Lake Orion before turning back. If you have never taken this trail, it's worth packing up the bikes and heading over. This is a better surface than the streets - certainly better then the sidewalks - and is cooled by the surrounding greenery.

On the way back, we stopped at the Paint Creek cider mill for cider and doughnuts. The cider mill is located on the trail at Goodison, on Orion Road.

After our ride, we gathered at the park and had a picnic supper. The early evening was exquisite, and we lingered, enjoying a last moment with summer.

Bike Bags

Since I live only about a mile from my local grocery store, I was looking for some easy-to-use, practical bags for my bike that would fit the standard grocery shopping bag. I found these Biria USA bags on Bikemania.biz. I like them because they were very easy to attach to the rear bike rack, they are waterproof and close at the top to keep out rain or splashing water. Looks like I'll be using my bike even more this year! -- Martha

Benefits of Transportation Alternatives

I found this chart today on the No Impact Man blog. It shows the benefits of walking, cycling or using public transportation, as opposed to driving a car, in relation to the obesity rates of various countries. The author of the blog, Colin Beavin, is on month 10 of a year-long project to live more sustainably, and he and his family have not driven since the project began, and so have all lost weight. I can attest to the fact that during the time I lived in Japan and used public transport only (or just my feet), I never had to use a formal exercise program.

Biking at night

Many of us are trying to bike as much as possible, and one of the limitations of bike riding, especially in the fall or spring (my favorite weather!), is that the days become a little shorter, and it may be more dangerous to ride early or late. I bought a new bike light that has a strobe feature, and was anxious to try it out, so the other day Tom and I met Helen and Tom for a little CSA-vegetable exchange and stopped to partake in some ice cream. As is usual, we had such a good time talking, we discovered that we were going to have to ride home at dusk. No problem! Take a look at the video and see what I mean. Who's going to miss me when they see this light? By the way, this is a CatEye light and I bought it at REI. They have a wide selection of lights.