So, I guess that I should put down what this is, and why it should be read. This blog is about a man on a journey. I recently have changed a massive amount in my life, including my income, my transportation, the way I look at things, and what I've seen and what I think. This is nothing more than a record of a man who is looking at the world with new eyes, and a new perspective.
First things first.
Commuting to work in San Anto is a combat sport. Now, as a substitute teacher, I do a LOT of commuting, from where I live to the various schools I work for. Normally, I substitute at three schools primarily, O'Connor HS, Warren HS, and Sul Ross MS. Sul Ross is my longest commute, at 10.6 miles through the heavy traffic of Bandera Road.
Riding in at six-thirty am is amazing. Who knew that traffic was that heavy so early in the morning? As I ride, I see so many people so harried, drinking coffee, talking on the phone, and generally looking like someone stuck a cattle prod on low up their butts. I've never realized how enervating it is to be in a car, driving through ugly traffic and feeling caged...
Caged. That perjorative was something that I never got, until I started riding. Now, to be honest, I'm probably not the most ideal road biker. I listen to my iPod at half-volume, so I can hear traffic and keep a steady cadence. I wear gray in the morning because I own nothing reflective besides the bike and the backpack I love. But, riding and being able to sweat and breathe air and not have my awareness taken up by more than what it takes to ride safely. I was free, for the first time since I became a wage-slave like everyone else.
Speaking of wage-slaving, hasn't anyone noted how the economy isn't what it was promised? Let me be painfully honest here. I'm not car-free because of some overriding ideal, although I am fast becoming enamored of the ideal. I became car-free originally because I am going back to school, have no immediate income once that starts, and therefore don't merit a car, or the need to maintain it or insurance or the other thousands of dollars worth of maintenance that is involved.
However, I know that gas is $3 a gallon, everything is creeping up slowly, and my paycheck doesn't get as much. I figure a few thousand invested in some good bikes is better than $12,000 on a new or used car. Even with maintenance, its still better.
So that first pic is what happens when every person in that picture drives their own car. The second shows that they all fit into one bus. The third shows how much space they all take when they ride bikes.
Go figure.
Peace, love, and good energy.
Mago
