Friday, August 31, 2007

Snapshot Essay: Jen's Commute 8/31/07

As soon as they hear my tires crunching on the gravel driveway, Gilligan and Oliver hop up in the window to say good bye.

I head down the alley to Summit St.

I'm enjoying the late summer flowers along Summit St. I notice that car and bike traffic has increased quite a bit since classes started again at the U.

And then I take quick a detour towards downtown...

to pick up some lunch & fill my thermos with some coffee from the New Pioneer co-op. Lots of bikes here!

It's great to see a trailer in action as a mom & daughter ride to Horace Mann elementary school.

I love passing by this zinnia patch on Dewey St.

Here at the Hilltop I get ready to turn onto a higher traffic road - the only one in my 3-mile commute. I plan my commute so that most of my ride takes place on quiet residential streets.

I usually see several other cyclists headed down this road.

I pass by this little guy on the final stretch of my commute. I'm a vegan for ethical reasons, but this morning I found myself thinking about the environmental impact of eating meat. Raising animals for livestock wastes a lot of energy and resources, and if more people adopted a vegetarian diet we could easily reduce our fuel use by a significant proportion. It would also make the cows happier.


And... here I am. Only a tiny bit sweaty, feeling energized and awake and more than a little sorry to be going indoors on such a beautiful day. But it was a real treat to spend 15 minutes of my morning riding. I feel grateful for it.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

BIKE COMMUTERS' BREAKFAST
Friday September 7th
Stop by on your way to work or school or wherever and join us for a cup of coffee and some breakfast goodies anytime between 7:30 and 9:30.
We'll be there, rain or shine!
408 E. College St.

PHOTO CREDIT: http://www.creativemetalworksllc.com/Pages/custom_all.html