Pony Challenge 2008

One thing I was really looking forward to when we moved to Oregon was purchasing bikes. There wasn’t really any obstacles to getting bikes in Fullerton, California, but it just didn’t feel right. We could have road them to the park, around the downtown neighborhoods and, with a little courage, the grocer, pharmacist and movie theater were even realistic.

The only hang-up was work. That is what we used the car for the most. I didn’t feel safe riding it to work at the university and no one would argue that riding down Harbor, over the 91, past Disneyland to the hotel was a safe commuting option for Emily. And as often as I fantasized about a light-rail/street car line — making a circuit from CSUF down Chapman, turning South on Harbor traveling past Disneyland to the Block@Orange, the Orange circle then North along the 55 corridor back to CSUF — it wasn’t going to happen this decade.

The spring after the car accident, we did look into bikes. We had already decided that we were not buying a car to replace the Civic. Who needs more loans when you already have university debt to carry around. We read a lot online, gleaned advice from CleverChimp (now CleverCycles) and got suggestions from The Bicycle Lane. We were so close to buying but we opted to save our money and finally move North like we had been talking about for years.

Finally last summer, after moving to Beaverton, we bought ponies. We managed several weekend fun rides, and I got in the habit of riding to the pharmacist and library. And light-rail was covering Emily’s commute into downtown Portland. Still, most errands and trips were in the Volvo which was quickly showing its age.

Our recent move into central Beaverton has made a huge difference however. We are now in a much better location for relying on our ponies for errands. The new apartment is a very brief walk form the MAX for Emily. Our ride to the grocer, bank, bookstore, gym, dry cleaner and movie theater is five to ten minutes. Pleasant, level rides with bike lanes and traffic signal sensors just for bikes too. I am officially addicted to errands by bike, even the last minute, “Wouldn’t wine with dinner be great.” or “We’re out of garlic!”.

Along with this we have been enjoying the car-lite results. We are averaging 25-miles a week on the Volvo, or about 100-miles a month. It makes gas prices way less bothersome. My new challenge for the year is to put less than 2,000-miles on the car between April 1st and December 31st. The average American will drive about 9,375-miles in the same stretch of time. It will be fun to see how we do. Wish us luck and safe riding.