Walking, Biking, Busing

Like most other people, I have been worrying and worrying lately about rising fuel prices. I mentioned to my husband the other day, "are you still going to go to work if the cost of gas to get there is higher than your paycheck?" Then all the sudden it hit me, there are other ways to travel besides our monstrous Jeep Wagoneer that gets 8 miles per gallon (on a good day).

So, I started walking everywhere. I am lucky that I live across the street from our town's shopping center, and have always walked to the grocery store. But church is ten blocks away, and we are always late as it is! But I walked to the church one evening (with Lola in the wrap and Jefferson in the stroller) and it took me 17 minutes. Could I commit to leaving 20 minutes early to get to church by 10 am? Yes. (Last Sunday I walked and I was 5 minutes early, yeah!) I have been walking all over the place now. Besides saving gas money, I already feel better because I am getting more exercise.

Another form of travel is the bicycle. Now, it may seem strange to my father that this hadn't really occurred to me before! He is the shining example to me about not using gas to get to work. He starting biking to work in the 1970s when he noticed he had gained a few pounds. He kept on biking even when he had to ride 13 miles each way in the hot Arizona sun. And he kept on biking in the Minnesota winters when the temperature dropped below zero (with protective clothing and snow tires). And I complain about how to get to the post office that is only 1.5 miles away. So I pulled my bike out of the basement, dusted it off, and made some repairs. We also pulled out our bike trailer (can fit both children, groceries, etc.) and ordered the part we needed to connect the trailer to the bike. All we have to wait for now are the new wheels that my husband ordered for his bike and we will be ready to ride anywhere. Truth be told, we live on an island in Alaska with very limited roadways. We can't drive more that 15 miles in any direction from our house. We have no excuse to use our car! Well, except for the fact that this is the rainiest city in North America (15 feet of rain annually). But for the price of filling up our Jeep a couple times, we could get some really nice rain gear.

The third mode of travel that I hadn't considered was the city bus. Our town is long and skinny running along a highway that hugs the shoreline. In other words, there is nowhere that is more than five blocks from the bus line. And to top it off, there is a major bus stop less than half a block from my house. But I had never thought about riding the bus before. I always just jumped in my car whenever I had to go anywhere, thinking that the bus was for other people, not me. Well, now I've decided the bus is for me. I found out that the month of May was "ride the bus for free month." Wow, I wish I had known that earlier. But even when June starts, I will be able to ride for only one dollar (my children ride for free). Or I can even buy a monthly bus pass for $25.00 (The cost of getting 6 1/2 gallons of gasoline, wow.) We have been riding the bus and my kids love it! I must say that it is easier than taking kids in and out of the car seats. Lola stays in my wrap and Jefferson sits on the seat. The bus will be great to use when it is raining sideways (as frequently happens in the winter).

It has been about 10 days since I have used my car and I feel great about it. I am going to see how long I can go. My other job is to convince my husband to either bike or ride the bus to his work (less than 2 miles away). Don't be such a wimp, Chris!