Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Bike To Life

As anyone other than those under rock dwellers that exist out there know, Thursday is "Bike To Work Day". It is a great way to acknowledge those who already do and encourage those who do not to try. Last year I volunteered at my neighborhood commuter station, but this year I have not. I feel vaguely bad about that but I find that my current volunteer efforts are enough and that anymore would burn me out. I will be out on the streets early that day, though, taking pictures and hopefully picking up some keifer grains in the East Bay.

As my profession these days is "housewife", I don't really have a commute any longer. At least not a bike one. It would look strange if I rode the Bat between the living room and the kitchen. But I do ride it for all of my errands and picking up Declan from pre-school. So I will be celebrating Thursday as "Bike To Life Day".


Eating Raisins


After picking up my new fabulous poster at the post office (I rode over the mountain to get in a little training)


Mail Delivery


I went to get Declan from school. He usually chooses which path we will take home. We have a pretty good choice of the fast way home (40 minutes) or a path around the lake or the route through Golden Gate Park... there is always something to see. Today he chose the "fast way" along Sunset Blvd. which is lined on either side with trees and grass and houses a number of birds. Today, we found a heron!


Bird Watching


When we first stopped to watch him, we thought he was just walking around. Then he plucked a mouse out of the ground and ate it! Super cool!!!!! We decided to just stay and watch for a bit. The heron decided it would stick around and watch us, too.


Big Bird


In the middle of the City, right at the beginning of rush hour, along one of the busiest, high speed transit corridors we have here, a little Wild Kingdom can be found from the saddle of a bike!

We would never have seen this any other way and I am thankful for it. Bike to Life is a pretty good way to go. We should celebrate it!

12 comments:

  1. If you were Driving a Car you probably would have given that Poor Heron a Gob full of Petrol Fumes and it would have passed out on the Grass and you would not even have known about it.

    You can enjoy the Flowers and the Smell of the Trees and the Wildlife and can stop pretty much anywhere to Admire it all when you have a Bike and you are not damaging the Environment unlike a Car.

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  2. You can commute anyway! Just go for a ride to "get" home :) Be sure to arrive at 9:00 sharp andleave at 5:00 p.m.

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  3. SG-I am commuting, to my keifer grains! : ) and then maybe Ikea for some picture frames.

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  4. Bike to life. I like that. It describes more accurately how I view my riding. IF you don't mind, I will use that phrase in the future.

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  5. Bike to Life Day, I see a movement coming. I feel disappointed when Bike to Work Day doesn't fit my schedule, but Bike to Life, that's the spirit. Now I can feel like part of something whenever I ride.

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  6. Wow, great posting! I’m stopping to watch birds, too.

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  7. Wow! What a treat!
    That's a great photo too.

    We can see so much from the saddle of a bike and thankfully there are still such things to be seen.

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  8. SF is really representing today down on the peninsula. Usually I pass only 8-10 people coming down out of the city. Today, well over 100 in several large packs.

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  9. I had an identical wild encounter 2 years ago, at Vasona Park in Los Gatos, with my son on the back of my Big Dummy.

    Happy BTWD to all!

    P.S.
    I'm still writing...

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  10. Dave- I can't wait!

    Didrik- we are everywhere, mwahahahah.

    DJ- I am always amazed at how much wild life there still is in the City- Peregrine falcons, herons, sea lions, bats, hawks, wild parrots...

    Z- keep it up! Bird watching is good for the soul!

    GR- Happy Bike To Life Day!

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  11. i think 1/2 of every pics of declan on the bat, he is always eating.
    is that your secret for 6ft+ kids?! LOL

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