Category Archives: My Life

Burlington by bike

On Friday, we biked to Starr’s Cave.  The temps were blissfully chilly, so much so that I didn’t bother to remove my bike gloves for the hike.

Saturday morning, we stopped by Mosquito Park on our way downtown.  In middle school, my friends and I often biked to, and hung out in, this lovely little park.

Matthew feels that the park should change it’s name for marketing purposes.  If you’re not sure what he’s doing in the photo, he’s mimicking a biting mosquito.

Our downtown shopping included Nature’s Corner, Tom’s Market, and some antique and thrift shops.  (As usual, the majority of our purchases were food or food-related, though Matthew was also on the hunt for some old farming implements.)  Our purchases exceeded the cargo capacity of Matt’s crate, but my rack plus a bungee cord came to the rescue.

My last ride of the trip consisted of biking to church on Sunday with my dad for company.  We conquered some big hills and arrived in plenty of time.  On the ride home, my bag almost took a spill, but I caught it just in time.

I am happy to report that we rode our bikes on all four days we visited Burlington — the wonderful weather aided us in this effort.  I enjoyed rediscovering my hometown via my favorite form of transportation!

Bikes on board

Stopped for lunch at Wakonda State Park

Carrying the bikes on our trunk rack for long trips makes me very nervous, but I bit the bullet for our trip to Burlington, IA this weekend.  The bikes behaved very well on the trip, not much moving around back there at all, but they did put a dent in our MPG 😦  Not very aerodynamic.

Burlington riverfront

We started with a quick trip to Bickel’s for some rim tape and a back-up tube to (hopefully) solve my rear tire flat woes on BUB.

We arrived at my parents’, and I wasted no time reassembling my rear tire.  It seemed to be holding air, so we headed down to the Riverfront Farmers’ Market for sweet corn, eggplant, bell peppers, garlic, and farm fresh eggs.

Bluff overlooking the Mississippi in Burlington

We made it back to my parents’ just before the rain rolled in on Thursday night.

Given the gas mileage sacrifice, I was determined to ride these bikes A LOT while we were there.  Stay tuned for more of our bike Burlington adventures.

Cycle chic, kind of

So there’s this whole “cycle chic” thing, basically the idea that you should look stylish while riding a bike.  Beautiful people, riding around on bicycles, laid-back and having fun, what’s not to like?

I’ve long been a fan of Girls and Bicycles, a blog that embraces the cycle chic ethos.  I love reading about Sarah’s adventures up in Canada.

The problem?  It’s a lovely idea, in theory, but in practice, it doesn’t really work out for me.

For starters, I do not consider myself particularly stylish, nor is that necessarily an aspiration of mine.  If I don’t wear heels, or other cute, toe-smashing, unsupportive shoes to start with, why would I put them on just to ride my bike?  My footwear is certainly not chic, and the ankles on up aren’t much better.

The cycle chic movement emphasizes “style over speed,” which is another issue for me.  I see my bike as an efficient (and fun) way to get from Point A to Point B.  I like to ride fast.  My cycling shoes help me do that, as does my bicycle style.

The Cycle Chic Manifesto includes the following [ridiculous] guideline:

“I will endeavor to ensure that the total value of my clothes always exceeds that of my bicycle.”

Excuse me?  Perhaps the total value of ALL the clothes in my wardrobe exceeds the value of my bicycle, but a single outfit?  Not close, nor do I ever aspire to wear a $900 ensemble.  (And if I had such a thing, would I really wear it on my bicycle — the thing with dirt and grease on it?  Please.)

But the fact that I’m writing about this indicates that there is at least some tiny part of me that admires these chic cyclists, that wishes I could be one of them.  And so I bring you my attempt at chic cycling from the Festival of Nations this weekend.

Perhaps more Sporty Spice than cycle chic?

Message board fail

Everyday on my morning commute (gag), I pass a message board on the interstate that displays the air quality in terms of color.  Green = good.  Yellow = not so good.  Orange = bad.  The sign has yet to display a “Red” air quality day — maybe we would all be dead at that point?

Anyway, if the air quality is yellow or orange, the board displays two follow-up messages: “Please carpool,” and “Please reduce travel.”

Do these messages, delivered at this place and time, have ANY effect whatsoever?  What do they want us to do when we see the, “Please reduce travel,” message?  Pull over on the shoulder and stop right there?  Not go to work for the rest of the week?

Here’s my take: Most people drive right by without noticing (probably because they’re texting or engaging in other dangerous distracted driving behaviors).  Of the small percentage that DO notice the sign, the majority disregard the message.  And then there’s the tiny minority like me, who feel puzzled and/or guilty.  But is there anyone out there who sees the message and actually drives less or sets up a carpool?

I’m making efforts to carpool.  I really, really like my carpool set-up, except by-and-large it’s failing.  It’s been two weeks since the stars aligned our work schedules matched for a carpool day, and before that day, there was another two weeks with no carpooling.

Since I have a reverse commute (most people in the county drive into the city for work — I do the opposite), there is no public transit option.  The 16-mile one way bike ride would involve a lot of big, busy, not bike-friendly roads, not to mention the time involved.  So most days I’m that lone person in a vehicle, passing the air quality message board (which is usually yellow or orange, hardly ever green), contributing to the region’s air quality problems and feeling rather helpless 😦

Diva with a party in my pants

For 10+ years, I never really questioned the standard of disposable menstrual products, other than some vague curiosity when reading historical fiction.  My lack of questioning was due, at least in part, to the fact that for most of those years, I never bought any tampons or pads because my bargain-hunting mother stockpiled a lifetime supply (or so it seemed).  Between coupons, sales, and rebates, she never paid anything near full price for said items, and our bathroom cabinets were overflowing with feminine products.  (Hi Mom, I love you!)  I’m not complaining, because my mom’s savvy shopping and generosity no doubt saved me a lot of money, but it may have delayed my exploration of alternatives.

But four females can go through A LOT of tampons, pads, and liners, and the supplies eventually dwindled.  Plus, oh hey, I haven’t been living at home for more than 8 years now.  I’m an adult, maybe it’s time I bought my own tampons.  So I’m buying my own, halfheartedly looking for coupons and sales, experimenting with the cheaper generic options, all while trying to reduce my environmental impact, and I start to wonder, “What did women do before we had disposable menstrual products?  There have to be some alternatives out there.  What are my options now?”

Forty or so years of tampons and pads adds up to quite a bit of trash, but this, as with most “disposable” products of various types that cram store shelves today, represents a relatively new phenomenon.  Today we have non-disposable options that are just as convenient as disposables and more technologically advanced than just using a rag.Continue reading “Diva with a party in my pants”