Yesterday marked the one month anniversary of my return to bike commuting, encompassing five whole commutes (home to work) and one partial (dentist office to work). I am approximately 10 pounds lighter than when I started, and some of my pants are feeling a little looser in the waist (I think the only fat on my body is in my midsection, anyway, so there is where I’m going to lose it). I have not been hit by a vehicle, pedestrian, tree limb, or insect during any ride. Not that there haven’t been a couple of distracted drivers not quite paying attention to the guy in the bright yellow jacket and lit up like a Christmas tree, but most have given me adequate clearance.

Yesterday, Carolyn made a point to mention news of two bicyclists who were killed by hit-and-run drivers last Friday. I understand her concern for me, as I ride among the cars during morning and evening commutes, but I insist that I can take care of myself on the road, that I am acutely, painfully aware of all the cars that approach from whatever direction. The woman killed in Royal Oak and dragged 100 feet was riding down a 6-lane main thoroughfare at 1:30 AM. Was she dressed visibly? Did she have lights? What the hell was she riding on Woodward for in the first place? There are sidewalks there, and probably few pedestrians (not being the bar district). Was the other person killed riding safely? Wearing a helmet? My guess is that these people were riding without regard for cars and without regard for their own safety, like most kids I see. I have seen people riding in the wrong lane against the flow of traffic. I see many without helmets. I see some wearing headphones. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I maintain that I am perfectly safe as long as I follow the traffic laws (as I am required to as a vehicle on the road), keep visible and predictable, and be prepared for drivers to do the wrong thing.

I urge my two girls to weat their helmets (and shoes) whenever they go out riding, even around the block. I am sometimes successful. What was I expecting? I never wore a helmet when I was their age (I’m not sure they even made children’s helmets thirty years ago). I’m sure I rode barefooted, and I don’t remember getting a light until I was a teenager, although they existed (and were required by most municipalities for night riding). I’m older and certainly wiser now, and I don’t really care who thinks I’m a geek as I pedal past with an LED headlamp and a blinking red taillight mounted to my helmet. If they think I’m a geek for wearing fluorescent orange shirts and shorts with reflective trim, then they must have seen me, right? Mission accomplished.

Yep, I’m a bike geek. Just add that to my geek repertoire, alongside engineer, trombone player, photographer, graphic artist, and computer nerd. There’s more where that come from.

This has been a good weekend. Maybe not for the Gulf Coast with Hurricane Ike, but for me, things went quite well. Michigan was visited by the remnants of Tropical Storm Lowell Friday, so we were prepared for a rainy weekend. We have been quite dry for the last month or so, so the rain is welcome. Other contributing factors include: one daughter off camping with her Brownie Troop, the other daughter sleeping over at a friend’s house on Friday (and, having stayed up too late Friday, tired enough to fall asleep quickly Saturday night), finally hanging curtains in the living room (almost six years after moving in), and the purchase of a new computer and some furniture for Carolyn. I suppose the furniture is for me, too.

I gave blood Saturday morning and was able to give double reds, after failing to qualify the last two times I tried because I was one day early. With the recent glut of hurricanes and tropical storms, blood supplies are critical, and I am O-negative, which is always welcome. On the way back from the Red Cross I picked out a computer for Carolyn, whose old computer is painfully slow. For the last thirteen years I have been building computers myself and upgrading components as I could. This is the first time I have purchased a computer off the shelf, and I am actually happy to have paid the Geek Squad to set it up for me. It allowed me to get a haircut, go home for a while, and pick up a couple of end tables and a console table before retrieving the computer from the store.

Today, our Church service wasn’t too long or too terribly boring, and I was even able to eat lunch and mow the lawn before the remnants of Hurricane Ike hit us. The low spot in our yard is now under a few inches of water, unusual for late summer. It won’t last too long, but the ducks and frogs will be happy for a while. I am also making headway on cleaning my workshop in the basement, which has been a wreck for a few years. There is much I need to toss.

So, in all, a good weekend where I was able to have extended conversation with Carolyn, donate blood, buy stuff, and check some old tasks off the to-do list. Should have bought a lottery ticket.

Resting at DENSO during my trial commute from home

So I started limited bicycle commuting two weeks ago. This is nothing new to me; I commuted two or three days a week several years ago, but since having children (okay, Carolyn had the children, I was a bystander) and moving five miles farther from work (from 14 to 19), I gave up on it.

To be honest, I pretty much gave up on any physical activity beyond mowing the lawn and carrying children up the stairs. And down the stairs. And to the car. And back to their own bed at 1:00 in the morning.

Tell it to me straight, Doc

For many years I have enjoyed good health, with nothing much more serious than sinusitis, stomach flu, and astigmatism. The results of my last two physicals revealed, however, I was starting to fall off the wagon, as far as my triglycerides and cholesterol were concerned. I lay the blame squarely on poor diet and lack of regular exercise. Not to say my diet was all that great before my wife and I had children, but at least I kept up a regular workout routine of weight training and cycling to counter the effects of Oreos® and pizza. At my worst, I was almost 30 pounds heavier than I was just before I got married, when I was about ten pounds lighter than I should have been. My doctor also believes the mysterious knee pain I have experienced over the last few years is due to weakened leg muscles not supporting the joint. I had stopped exercising a few years before even that started, so no wonder.

It’s a Gas

Whatever the cause may be: market forces, speculators, or greedy oil companies, gasoline prices are going to stay high for good. This is my completely unresearched and fatalist opinion, but it ties for second as a motivating factor in my decision to bike commute. My ‘03 Odyssey doesn’t get stellar mileage, but it’s better than my wife’s ‘97 Cherokee. I can save a couple of gallons of unleaded each time I ride to work, with the added benefit of not polluting the atmosphere. For my round trip of 38 miles, using a conservative mileage estimate, I save two gallons of gas and prevent almost 42 pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. If I achieve my goal of three days per week (98 miles round trip total) that’s about 5 1/2 gallons of gas and almost 108 pounds of CO2. Save money and save the environment- such a deal!

But, saving gas has also cost me money, through the purchase of bike stuff. Amortized across eight years, the cost is reasonable (at least to me- Carolyn has a different perspective). I own two bikes, the youngest of which is about fifteen years old, and by this time the only original equipment left on either are the frames and forks. And, clothing doesn’t last forever, so I have to replace my biking wardrobe. It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make for the sake of the environment and the local economy.

The Road Less Traveled

Pedestrian path construction on Long Lake Road

I wish I could find one.  At least I don’t have to ride along Telegraph Road for very long, but I wish there were a real sidewalk. I am encouraged by the ongoing construction of sidewalks along my route through West Bloomfield. I will selectively use a “pedestrian walkway” depending upon the likelyhood of encountering a walker, runner, dog or car. Simply put, a driver pays less attention to what’s coming down the sidewalk than what’s coming down the street at an intersection or end of a driveway. A driver would never pull into an intersection without looking, but will routinely stop across a sidewalk. In some cases I am safer riding in the road where drivers are more likely to see me and, hopefully, give me ample clearance. I think most of the sidewalks in the townships I ride through are considered multi-use and open to non motorized travelers. In the actual towns with the more traditional narrow sidewalks, I stick to the street.

Where am I going with all this?

Carolyn fears for my life when I do my commute, and I fully understand, but I have much more riding experience than she, and I am comfortable alongside cars. I would prefer an open road where I did not have to hug the white stripe, but I take what I can get. My commute is long, and I don’t recommend it to just anyone. A ten mile commute would be perfect; it’s a good workout in a more reasonable amount of time. I have no intention of moving, however, at least not while I am still working for my current employer. I am using this bike commute to challenge myself back into shape with the added benefits of saving gasoline and reducing pollution. Maybe others will try commuting, if they see what I can accomplish- then maybe more atention will be paid to accommodating more cyclists and pedestrians in this region. It has to start somewhere.

Find tips, advice, and encouragement at Commute By Bike, Bike Commuters,  and 6 Myths About Commuting by Bicycle

Promotional poster for the upcoming outdoor concert by the Clarkston Community Band and Ypsilanti Community Band.

Initially, I wanted to mimic the poster for the original Broadway production of the Music Man, but decided to play on the “invitational” aspect instead. Original art was hand drawn then scanned into Photoshop, where it was cleaned up and enhanced. Final layout in Illustrator.

“Musicals” font by the Brain Eaters Font Co.

Promotional poster/program cover for Clarkston Community Band.

This concert was a fanciful recreation of a 1940’s radio broadcast. The poster depicts Jack Teagarden and a microphone from the era. Images imported and manipulated in Photoshop. Fonts used: Onyx, Snell Roundhand, Bell Gothic.