Talk about irony of ironies: On the first day of the Car-Free Challenge, I found myself at the gas station buying gas.
Fortunately, it was just a gallon's worth for the lawnmower, and I rode my bike to get it. Whew.
I had to get the gas for my son, who was mowing the front yard as I returned home from my first bike ride of the challenge. "I need gas for the mower," he said. "Can you go get me some on your bike?" Sure, I replied, grabbed the gas can and pedaled off to the station and back.
My first ride earlier today was a 3.6-mile journey from my house on the hill in Rock Island to the Freight House Farmers' Market in downtown Davenport. It was a beautiful morning, and the ride was a breeze -- actually it was a stiff west-northwest-wind that I rode against all the way to the market. But the ride was enjoyable nonetheless. I saw things along the way I might not have seen had I been in a car -- or which if I had noticed from the car, would have been in the form of fleeting glances as I zoomed by. I saw pelicans taking flight from the Mississippi, whitecaps on the river and the underbelly of the Davenport Skybridge as I neared the market. I rode through neighborhoods I'd not seen in years, probably not since I was a kid getting around town on my bike because I could not yet drive.
The market itself was vibrant with people, dogs and the many vendors selling locally grown and made goods. I love this market, and being on the bike made it all the more enjoyable. I didn't have to look for a parking place. Didn't have to cross River Drive. And by the time I arrived, the exercise and scenery along the way had put me in a very relaxed state of mind.
And I noticed something universal: When you ride a bike, you notice how many other people are riding bikes. It's like owning a red car -- once you have one, you notice all the other red cars.
I made a bee-line for the Alternative Transportation Week tent, set up to educate people like me on how to get around the Quad-Cities car-free. Jeff Cornelius of QC TAG, who I have had the pleasure to know for a couple of years, showed me how to use the bike rack on the front of every mass transit bus in the Quad-Cities -- the last piece of the puzzle in my car-free travels for the week ahead. (That's me in the middle in the accompanying photo, with Jeff on the right and, to the left, Chuck Oestreich of the Quad City Bicycle Club.)
I also met Dean Mathias, another avid local bicyclist. You'll know Dean if you see him out riding. He does so without a seat.
Then there was Walt and Delores Wermuth of Moline, who ride a tandem recumbent.
After leaving my bike at the valet service offered at the ATW tent, I wandered around the market, ran into some friends and bought some jam and a Mother's Day gift for my wife.
Then it was back on the bike for the return trip home -- this time with a few more pounds in the saddlebag due to my market purchases.
On the ride home I had the wind to my back, which was great. This time, however, I had to go uphill, part of which I rode, part of which I walked.
My round-trip mileage came to 7.3 miles (according to my GPS), and it took me a half hour to ride each direction. This is a very slow rate, but I decided this is all about the journey, not the speed.
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