Bike To Work Day

Police tape blocks off part of the parking lot. Tables are set up on the sidewalk. Mounds of muffins and bananas and great containers of juice await the participants. Soon all sorts of people will come huffing in on their hastily-refurbished bicycles. They each will get a raffle ticket and someone will win a brand new mountain bike.

It is every American’s patriotic duty to reduce his energy footprint and we do our part to encourage it. Believe that? This is California, hello? It’s an excuse for a party. Oh, and a chance to be a part of something bigger than oneself, something that is good for the planet, something that everyone else is doing, something that gives out free food and a raffle ticket.

I’m all for it. But I didn’t do it. I forgot. Also, my old bicycle is in serious need of a tune-up. A ride to work would be nice, though. It’s only about six miles, and I’ve always wanted to ride across the new bridge early one morning. Here’s the view, stolen borrowed from the owner of another local blog.


I don’t anyway because a) I drop my son off at school in the morning and he’s not yet licensed to drive on his own, b) about half the time I start my day at the gym anyway, and c) I rather like having a car for those random lunch hours when I suddenly realize I absolutely positively need to go to Wal-Mart. Yes, that happens. Horrible, isn’t it?