Going green

Some friends of mine are going (back) to live in Canada and had a garage sale some weeks ago. I got this green trail bike (with strap on bag to hold water, etc.) and a large hammock big enough to hold two, maybe even three people. I haven't used either yet ...

Before using the bike I need to get around to servicing it, getting a lock and a helmet. I'm thinking (for now) I will ride it around St. Augustine, whenever I have things to do in the area and don't feel like dealing with traffic, finding a parking space, using gas to get from point A to B, emitting exhaust fumes, etc. I can ride it to French classes, to the grocery, to the bank, to the stationery shop, to Greenlight meetings, early in the morning (instead of walking) and up to the Mount for exercise, etc. I could take off the front wheel so the bike will fit in my car, then go riding on the trails in Chaguaramas (which I've done before, but with a rented bike) ... and so on.

The other day a friend and I were driving through Curepe and then onto the highway. A young woman (looking like a foreigner) on a bike zipped by my car. We passed her and stopped at a traffic light. As the lights changed, there she was again, confidently zipping onto the highway and keeping a steady pace. We were stuck in traffic and she breezed by us and sailed onto the Southern Main Road without a care in the world ...

One sure way to beat traffic.

Were it not for the heat, crazy drivers, road rage, no bike lanes and often deep drains at the sides of roads, I would be happy to ride to most places I go ... and use the car for long distances only.