THE LOW-CAR DIET CHALLENGE JOURNALS

Dates of Event: 1st - 31st October, 2006

SIMON ROSE Sunday Oct 1st Biked to the Columbia Half Marathon Challenge to take part in the race, and biked back - slow ride for the 4 miles back home! Total LCDC miles travelled: 7 Monday Oct 2nd More sore than yesterday after 1/2 marathon! Noticed concrete now poured in underpass by MU powerstation, maybe by end of LCDC will be using new underpass...How nice would that be?! Random note...walnuts on MKT bad for bikes! Total LCDC miles travelled- 22.95 Tuesday, Oct 3 Thought would do this in cool, pleasant weather, feels like July/August these last 2 days with a record high yesterday and on course for one today. Good job there is a shower (well a hose attached to a shower head anyway!) at work or my co-workers would really hate me. Anyhow, I know there are some filthy weather days to come this month so I'll take it for the time being. Concrete being poured under Stewart Rd underpass today...excellent! Maybe the hot weather is good for that so I'm okay with it. Saw a trail rider today riding and casually conversing on a cell phone...why? It obviously was not an emergency, hang up and RIDE!! Total LCDC miles travelled- 48.75 Wednesday, Oct 4 Still pouring that concrete today....nice! Bikers not obeying the laws of the road tick me off royally. Today at the same intersection one (helmetless) cruises through a red light at Walnut and College, and 2 seconds later guy riding bike on sidewalk (helmetless with ipod blaring) runs same light! Gives all bike riders a bad name. And, come on kids, wear a HELMET! Total LCDC miles-69.5 Thursday, Oct 5 Beautiful day to ride today. Went to Gym and had to cross bridge on Forum and turn left, big change from the peace of the trail! A bridge would be nice for bikes and pedestrians at some point, drivers would be alot happier with that as well I'd have thought. Total LCDC miles-88.3 Friday, Oct 6th Lovely crisp morning, deer everywhere on trail, not missing driving one bit. Total LCDC Miles as of 12 noon 10/6/06- 93.3

GINA, MAX, AND ANNAROSE OVERSHINER Who Am I: I am a 40 year old mother of two. My husband and I own Overshiner Remodeling & Renovation, a home repair and maintenance business. I have been cycling most of my life. My dad is a cycling enthusiast and I guess it rubbed off on me. I became interested in cycling advocacy and cycling as a serious transportation option, while living in St. Louis. When we moved back to Columbia, I served on the Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission and became involved with Bike, Walk, and Wheel Week. I cycle frequently with my children and my husband. Last week of September: Max (8), Annarose (6), and I have signed up for the Low Car Diet Challenge. As October approaches we are starting to plan for the month ahead. We already ride 5 miles to and from school each day, so there isn’t a lot of preparation to do. We are physically accustomed to the regular cycling and our bikes are ready to go. Our biggest worry for October is getting Max to his baseball games on 10/04 and 10/11, we are still trying to figure this one out. We have cancelled some weekend trips. Friday, September 29: I had a rack and collapsible baskets put on my bike so I could carry more stuff when I am running errands. Usually, I take my big messenger bag, but by the end of the day it is really heavy, and awkward to carry. On Friday, I wound up with two pairs of jeans, five books, a sweater, checkbook, dayrunner, and bike lock, plus three DVDs. The bag weighed about 40 pounds and was cutting into my shoulder, so I stopped by the bike shop and had the rack and baskets installed. The baskets make a big difference! (Thanks Mike!) Saturday, September 30: Last day with the car. I drove everywhere today, because I could. For the record, I don’t hate cars. I actually really enjoy driving. I love driving really fast down empty country roads in my little Subaru. I love long road trips, listening to my favorite music, and seeing the countryside. On the other hand, I hate sitting in traffic. I think it’s absurd to drive a car on short trips. It is usually faster and easier to ride a bike or walk. You don’t have to sit in traffic. You can ride or walk right to the front door, so no driving around trying to figure out where to park your car. It’s healthy, your workout is built right into your day. It’s cheap – no gas to buy and no gym membership fees. Columbia is an especially easy town to get around in, because it is quite small and most roads are pretty bike/walk friendly. October 1: Ah Sunday. We had a lazy day. I went to the grocery store on the bike to pick up a few things. I was able to carry a gallon of milk in my new collapsible basket, very cool. October 2: Took kids to school, went to lawyer’s office, courthouse, and mall today. It was hot...isn’t this supposed to be October? Gotta love Missouri weather. Max has been asking about the Low Car Challenge. This evening we were discussing it. He said he really wants to do the challenge and not ride in a car for the whole month. I told him there was only one problem, baseball. The Daniel Boone Little League Park is just off Scott Blvd a little north of Chapel Hill. That particular section of Scott Blvd has not been improved, it is still very narrow with no shoulder. Traffic is quite fast and heavy there due to the speed on the wider (4 lane) portion of Scott to the north, and due to the development along the southern portion of Scott in areas like Chapel Hill, Cherry Hill, Gillespie Bridge Road, Grant Lane, etc. The only entrance into DBLL is from Scott Blvd. Every Wednesday Max has a double header which runs from 5:30 to 8:45. Around 5:30, traffic is at it’s peak with people coming home from work and going to the ball park; around 8:45, it is dark and everyone is leaving the ball park-in their cars. It is a difficult section of road for an experienced cyclist in light traffic conditions and full daylight. It is dangerous for an 8 year old on a bike at night with heavy traffic. I have contacted a local cycling list-serve and my cycling friends, hoping someone might know of a trail or path we could use to get to the park without riding on Scott Blvd – no luck. We are faced with a conundrum. I explained this to Max this evening. I told him that I had pretty much decided that he would have to car pool with a friend or Tim (Daddy) would have to take him in the truck. Max was really upset and said that he really wanted to do the challenge and not go in a car for the whole month. We discussed our options. 1) Go in a car with Daddy or friends. 2) Ride on the trail-a-bike with Mommy. This will still be rather dangerous, with the crummy busy traffic conditions and the darkness, but at least Max will be attached to my bike. 3) Tell the coach you are done for the season and start up again in the spring. According to Max, #1 is NOT an option. We are still debating options 2 and 3. We had pretty much resigned ourselves to Max quitting baseball early and not finishing the season, because of this unsafe road problem. Honestly, the more I thought about it the more the trail-a-bike solution stunk. That section of road is just too heavily trafficked, too fast, too narrow, and especially dangerous at those times of day. Tim (Daddy) saved the day, by coming up with an ingenius solution. He is going to follow us to DBLL in the big work truck. On that section of Scott Blvd, which is only about .2 miles long, he would follow us with his flashers on to hold back the traffic and ensure our safe passage through the dangerous little bottleneck. We will see how it goes. October 3: Took the kids to school, rode to job site out on Rock Quarry Road, downtown for lunch with the guys, home to take shower, to mall to buy kids new books, to school to pick up kids, home home again jiggity jog. Being car free is really not that difficult. With a few exceptions that require a little creative thinking, it’s a piece of cake. It is really fun, remember how fun it was riding a bike when you were a kid? You were so free and independent? I get to feel like that several times a day...cool. After dropping the kids at school yesterday, I rode down Rock Quarry Road to the job site where we are finishing replacing a roof on an amazing older home in the woods on a bluff. It was awesome riding down Rock Quarry. It was an unseasonably hot day; the sun was shining in a bright beautiful blue autumn sky; the air was hot but dry. As I was riding, I was (watching the road, of course) looking at the bright golds, reds, browns, purples, and greens of the autumn leaves. I could feel the warm wind on my skin as I flew down that first big hill on Rock Quarry. As I crossed the bridge and started up the hill, I could smell the crisp leaves on the warm autumn breeze and hear the birds singing in the woods that line each side of Rock Quarry. As I crested the hill to the driveway, my heart was pumping and I was breathing hard with the effort of the climb. I felt great and ready to go to work unloading shingles from the roof of the house. You just don’t get experiences like that in a car. With lunch came one of the few difficult moments this challenge presents. After unloading the shingles, Tim, Mike and James had to go to DJ Roofing Supply up on Paris Road (Paris and Brown Station), which is over 8 miles away. There is a new restaurant right next door to DJ that Tim and I have been wanting to try. I asked Tim if he was going to take us to lunch there when we went to return the shingles. Tim answered that he would, but I couldn’t go with them in the truck, because of the bike challenge – dang. So we decided to meet at El Rancho downtown after they ran the errand. They drove over to DJ and took care of business. I rode my bike and met them when they were done. No harm, no foul, just a little change in plans. To get home each day, we have to cross Broadway, because there is no sidewalk on the south side west of West Blvd. It is too busy a street for an 8 year old to ride on. We stand in this driveway right across Broadway from Spring Valley and wait for a break in the traffic, so that we can cross safely. Sometimes we get across quickly – we consider these lucky days and feel fortunate for our good timing. Usually, we have to wait and wait and wait. While we wait, we talk about things and watch the cars. We recently noticed that most of the cars, I would say about 8 out of every 10, have only one person in them. So we started a new game. While watching the cars and waiting our turn, we chant “One” everytime we see a car with one person in it. It sounds like this “one, one, one, one, one, one, one” – kind of like monks chanting “om” but faster. When we see a car with more than one person, we call out the number of people we see in the car. It amazes us how few times we get to call out “two” or “three”, or even more rarely “four” or “five”. We often comment on how wasteful it is for everyone to be going alone in their cars. When we see cars or trucks or vans with big loads in them; we understand that they probably needed the car or truck or van to haul the load (like work trucks with lots of tools). But we have a hard time understanding the empty cars with one person. The other day Annarose said “Mommy, when I grow up I don’t want to have a car. I want to go everywhere on my bicycle.” I had to smile. October 4: Today is International Walk to School Day. Since I am the Walking School Bus Leader for Lee Elementary I organize this event for the school. To make sure things went smoothly, I needed to go by and set things up at school before the event. I got everyone up at 6:15, by 6:45 we were out the door. The ride downtown was glorious. As we were leaving, the eastern sky was just beginning to turn gold with a few wispy streaks of pink. Riding east down Maupin the colors were intensifying and becoming more brilliant. By the time we hit Garth, the sky was ablaze with pinks and oranges. Tim commented how nice it was to be up and enjoying the sunrise on the bikes. Yeah, it is. We ate breakfast downtown. After breakfast, we went to school to set up the snack table. We walked down to Flat Branch Park to meet parents and children for the walk. We will walk the half mile from Flat Branch Park to Lee Elementary together. This gives the kids a chance to get a little exercise in before school and to have fun visiting with their friends. I was really happy to see the third grade teachers, Mrs. Hood and Mrs. Bond. We had about 23 kids and 8 parents walk with us. It was a fun and hectic morning. I am so lucky to have such a supportive family. Everyone got up early to help me with the preparations. Tim and the kids are really helpful. They make the challenge so much fun. It is especially cool to see the kids excited about the challenge and taking it so seriously. Tonight was baseball night. Max told me that he had been thinking about it and he had decided to go ahead and quit baseball early. We don’t normally let the kids quit activities without finishing them. Given the circumstances, we made an exception in this situation. So no more baseball conundrum. It would have been fun to try Tim’s solution, but I am actually glad that we didn’t have to try riding that section of Scott Blvd. October 5: Today was pretty hectic. The kids and I rode to Flat Branch Park to meet up with the walking school bus families. This is our regular school day routine. We had to push the bikes up to school, because we had to leave immediately after school to get Max to the orthodonist by 4:20. After dropping off the kids, I rode down to Capen Park. It was a perfect cool crisp fall day for a trail run. In fact, it was so nice that I did the loop twice. From there, I rode home, rode over to the Sherwin-Williams store with the bike cart to return some supplies and pick up 2 gallons of masonry sealer, rode back home to drop off the cart, rode to the library, the bank, the city building, stopped by a few stores downtown, then over to school to get the kids. We rode from Lee School to Dr. Robinson’s office at Forum and Chapel Hill in under 25 minutes. I was really proud of how well Max did...he smoked me. After the orthodontist, we rode home to pick up Tim for an evening downtown with friends. We made sure the bikes were equipped for night riding with all lights in working order and headed out. We had a great dinner at Taj Mahal, then walked to Poppy for the art reception/grand opening. We walked to Sparky’s for ice cream. It was about 9:30 as we headed home. We were a little nervous with the kids, because they are unaccustomed to riding at night and it was Pub Crawl...so there were lots of people out and about. We walked the bikes over to 8th, then worked our way out of downtown on lightly trafficked streets. We made it home safely. It was a nice night for a ride. The air was cool and crisp and the moon was full. October 6: Woke up at 5:30. Should I get out of bed? Should I stay in bed? Hmmm. Drug myself out of bed and ran downtown for Sunrise Yoga class – aaah – ran home. Good decision, now I’m ready to start the day. The kids didn’t have school today, so we took it easy this morning. By 11:00, they were chasing each other around the house yelling and screaming, fighting like...well, like brother and sister. It was time to get them out of the house. We got on the bikes and headed to Capen Park. We took the trail, it’s about a five mile ride from our house. It did wonders. After 5 minutes on the bikes, we were all in a better mood. We enjoyed the perfect fall day, the bright blue sky, the beautiful colorful leaves, and each others’ company as we rode down the trail. Going under Providence Rd at the Hinkson Creek, Annarose said “Mom, that graffitti says ‘Queen mother of all cuss words the police.’” Max asked “What did it say Annarose? Did it say ‘f-en’ the police?” Annarose replied “No, it said ‘ck’ the police.” “Oh, that’s bad.” Max replied. “Yeah, I know” said Annarose. You just don’t get those kinds of cultural experiences driving around in the car. I was really glad they didn’t understand some of the other more offensive graffittit that I saw down there, like the one that reads “c--- front” (hint: it rhymes). Gotta love unimaginative folks with spray paint cans and too much time on their hands. After a few hours of throwing rocks in the creek, playing pirates, and climbing on the bluffs, we rode downtown to meet Tim at Main Squeeze for a late lunch. We goofed off downtown for a while, picked up a movie at 9th St. Video, and rode home. The kids and I rode just under ten miles today. Everyone is in a much better mood now. October 7: The kids had some friends over, we stayed home. October 8: Max’s friend Michael spent the night. We asked his parents to bring his bicycle, so that we could go to the free movie at the Forum 8. This is part of the pre-planning that is required during a bike challenge like this. After breakfast, we (Tim, Max, Michael, Annarose, & I) all loaded up on the bikes and headed out on the 2 mile ride to the theatre. Things went pretty well until we were crossing Stadium at Forum Blvd. There is a pedestrian triggered cross walk to help cross the five traffic main lanes, you are on your own crossing the right turn lane. We made it safely across the first five lanes. As we were crossing the right turn lane, Michael fell over. His foot was caught between his pedal and his wheel. Luckily, he wasn’t hurt, but his foot was still caught. Tim was blocking the right turn lane and was able to help Michael get his foot out. I was so glad that Tim was there. It would have been really difficult to get everyone safely across the street, if I had been the only adult. We enjoyed the movie and made it home without any problems. Cycling with children adds to the challenge. Max and Annarose are accustomed to cycling as a primary means of travel. They have grown up with cycling as transportation. They are familiar with the rules of the road, reading what drivers are doing by observing warning lights on cars, and watching out for cars turning at cross streets and driveways. They are my children and I know their strengths, limitations, skills, and abilities. Since we can’t drive this month, occassionally we have to ride with one of Max’s friends if we want to go somewhere with them. Riding with other people’s children is challenging, because I don’t know how strong of riders they are, how well versed in road etiquette, or how well they will listen and respond to my warnings. When I ride with children, I pick very low traffic routes, I review basic cycling safety with them, I stress that it is important to listen to me while riding, and I ride right next to them. If we have to navigate busy streets, I stop a block ahead of the tricky area and tell them what to watch for and how to manouevre the area. And I am a nervous wreck until we get where we are going. After Michael left, I went to the grocery store and Tim stayed home with the kids. I took off Annarose’s tag-a-long and hooked up the bike cart. I headed off to Hy-Vee for the weekly grocery stock up. An hour and $220.00 later, I headed out to the bike cart with my 103 items in 16 bags of groceries plus two 12-packs of sparkling water, one 6-pack of beer, one gallon of milk, and one box of juice boxes. As I am walking back to the bike I think "Geez. I always do this when I go shopping...hmm. Will it fit in the bike cart? How much does all this weigh? Will I be able to make it up that big hill on Rollins? Should I take Ash, which is flatter, instead?" I rearranged some bags so nothing would get squashed and started loading everything in. It is a little tricky loading that much stuff into a bike cart, but I managed. After everything was loaded, I still had room for about 5 more bags. I was tempted to go buy more stuff just to see how full I could get the cart. I didn’t really need anything else, so I headed home. The cart was pretty heavy and I could really feel it pulling as I went over bumps. I decided to take Rollins. I really like a challenge and wanted to try the big hill. I flew down the first hill (the extra weight really adds speed) and made it up the second with no problem, though I did have to use my granny gears. I got home and Tim helped me unload the groceries. He thought it was funny how much I had crammed into the cart. It was such a lovely evening, we decided to ride the bikes to Capen Park for a picnic supper. I packed a picnic and we headed out for Capen. It was getting a little late so we stopped at Hinkson Creek Recreation area to make sure we would have time for our picnic, and ride home before dark. October 9: I had my first bike failure today. After taking the kids to school, I went to run errands downtown. We took the bike train (my bike + AR’s tag-a-long + bike cart), so that I could run errands. I disconnected the tag-a-long and hooked the bike cart directly to my bike. One of my errands was to pick up a window at Koonse Glass for one of our renovation jobs. I went to get the window, but it wouldn’t fit in the bike cart...dang. I had to call Tim to come pick it up in the truck. Despite that small failure, I successfully completed the rest of my errands with the bike. October 10: Took kids to school as usual. Ran errands – Protective Inspections, Walgreens, bank, library, home. I called Tim at noon, he was heading over to to do a bid on Again Street. I rode over to meet him. We decided to get lunch together at El Rancho (between 10th & Hitt on Broadway) on Broadway. He drove and stopped at the bank (8th & Broadway) on the way. As I was riding, I wondered if I could make it in the same amount of time as Tim, or if I could maybe beat him. I took Ash east, Tim Broadway. I got to El Rancho expecting him to be there waiting for me. I locked up my bike and went in, no Tim. I called him, he was in line at the bank. I walked down to the bank and waited in the lobby while he finished his transaction. So I did beat him. But in all fairness, he was stuck in a long line at the bank, so I don’t think it counts really. Though without the bank stop, I wouldn’t have been far behind. Actually, I have read and found to be true that trips between 1 & 3 miles in town are actually as fast or faster on the bike. This is because cars can’t travel all that fast in city traffic with the low speed limits, frequent stops, heavy traffic, and the search for parking spaces. Trips between 3 & 5 miles tend to take about the same amount of time and trips over 5 miles tend to be faster in the car. Just something to think about. The other day the kids and I were riding west on Stewart between 6th and Providence (near the power plant) on our way home. We always ride as far to the right as is safe per the law & common sense. A car was behind us for about ½ a block between 6th & 5th. As the car passed us on the way down the hill to Providence, the driver gunned the engine as he passed. This is a common motorist signal indicating that I/we/cyclist/pedestrian have annoyed him/her by causing them to move their foot from the gas pedal to the brake momentarily slowing the car (what an annoying & difficult effort, how dare I!). He beat me to the stop light by five seconds. When I pulled up next to him at the stop light, I turned to him, looked him directly in the eye, and smiled my big-friendly-thank-you-for-making-cycling-so-safe-and-enjoyable-smile, you are obviously a very kind person. I hope he felt like a foolish sh--(hint: it rhymes with fit - which my family and I are because we ride our bikes around town annoying people all the time;>). October 11: The forecast is calling for rain and colder temperatures. I am checking the weather carefully trying to figure out what, if any, cold weather gear I need to get ready for the kids this morning. We are pretty well prepared for the cold and wet, but I always have to think ahead to make sure the kids have what they need so they don’t freeze on the bike and at school. It really makes for a slow and unpleasant morning commute when the kids are cold and cranky. Early dismissal today. The kids and I have been planning to ride to Capen Park after school to spend the afternoon playing in the creek and hiking. Max’s friend, Michael, is coming with us. I asked his mom to bring his bike today so he can come too. I am a little nervous about getting him down Rock Quarry Hill without wrecking...we will have a thorough safety review at the top. After dropping the kids off at school, I rode to the bank, Protective Inspections to pick up a permit, Klunk to get a few bike things, and Target to get the kids snow pants for winter riding. Now, I think we are ready for riding in any weather no matter how extreme. I left to pick up the kids around 12:30, it was a beautiful, sunny, clear, cool fall day...perfect for hiking. I rounded up the kids, got them in their helmets and on their bikes, and we rode to Buck’s for ice cream. On the way to Buck’s, Max was telling Michael that we get to ride through "Pedestrian Heaven" (Ped. Campus on Hitt St) "There are no cars! You get to play ‘dodge the pedestrian’ while you ride through!" (‘dodge the pedestrian’ is a game I play while riding through campus, basically you ride as fast as you can trying not to hit – or scare – any students walking to class...it’s like virtual reality, only better, because it’s real) While at Buck’s I talked to Michael and Max about the importance of being safe as we rode along College Ave and down Rock Quarry hill. It was a bit difficult as they were 8 year old best friends on early dismissal from school, but I got the message through. We rode down the sidewalk on College. We stopped at the Stadium crossing, where we had another safety briefing to get across. After telling Max and Michael the importance of being careful, I dumped our bike(mine and Annarose’s) in the right turn lane. Annarose let out a blood curdling scream (as only six year old girls can) and we went down. I landed on my left knee and elbow...ow! sh--! I immediately jumped up to check on AR...she was fine and laughing. I was OK, just a little sore and embarassed. We made it across Stadium...good, first big hurdle passed. I had the boys stop in the parking lot of MuTrux, that gas station at the top of Rock Quarry hill. We stood there at the top and studied the hill. I had them check their brakes...good. I had them study the hill, explained exactly where we would ride – the right side of the right lane, had them watch some cars going up and down the hill observing their speed, explained where we would be turning, and told them not to start the turn until they heard me instruct them to do so. OK...I’d done all I could, it was up to them now. They did great! They kept their speed under control, they stayed to the right, and they executed the turn perfectly. They both let out whoops of victory and shot their arms up in the air after making the turn. Around 2:30, it was getting colder and we were starting to feel a few rain drops. Michael said he wanted to leave and AR was telling me how bored she was (she is so misanthropic sometimes). We still had to get back to the bikes (we were on top of the bluff on the Grindstone side) and Michael’s dad was supposed to meet us there around 3:00. Michael’s dad called, we arranged to meet in the parking lot. The wind and rain were starting to pick up a bit, it was getting pretty cold, I was regretting leaving my gloves and goggles at home. I was getting worried about getting Max and AR home on the bikes...it’s a good 40-45 minute ride (about 5 miles) from Capen to our house. I really wanted to get going, but we had to wait for Michael’s dad. He arrived and offered to give us a ride home. I was tempted, but said "No thanks! We can’t." So we headed out. It was not the worst bike ride I have ever been on with my kids, but it was in the bottom two. The wind and rain continued to worsen, and the temperature continued to drop. While I wasn’t really prepared for it, the kids had their cold weather gear, and that’s really all that matters. As we rode the trail through Hinkson Creek Recreation Area, the wind really picked up. We were riding into a very strong, very cold gusting headwind. At one point, Max suddenly dropped back about 50 feet. I looked back and told him to down shift. He did then yelled "It doesn’t make any difference!" I explained that it would make a little difference, but not much. I dropped back to his level and told him the story of a cyclist I met in Colorado between Leadville and Aspen who was riding cross country. This guy told me that the hardest part of the trip had been crossing Kansas, because the wind was so strong that you had to ride in low gear. You went very slowly and never felt like you were making any progress. When you looked back it was just flat...you couldn’t look down a big hill or mountain and feel some sense of accomplishment at seeing how much you’ve climbed. It was demoralizing. I told Max that was what were doing with this headwind. We made it through the parking lot and were traversing that little low-water crossing in the creek, when Max’s foot came flying off the pedal and he hit his ankle. He stopped right in the middle screaming and crying "I twisted my ankle! It really hurts!" Of course, there were cars coming from each direction at that moment...it never fails, does it? I yelled "There are cars coming, you have to push your bike out of here and to the side of the road, so I can take a look at it." Did I mention the howling wind? So we got him over to the side and looked at his ankle. He was fine. We got back on the bikes and started riding again. There were two huge (at least 10 foot across) mud puddles, Max rode through them and was laughing within 15 seconds of the tragedy. I commented "You know Max, mud puddles have magic healing properties." "Really?" he asked. I replied "Well obviously, you feel much better now, don’t you?" "Yes." Everything was good for the next 5 minutes. As we came out from under the Providence overpass (home of the enlightened and educated graffitti) and before we crossed Providence Access Road, Max came to sudden stop and started screaming as he toppled off his bike. He landed on his side with his bike on top of him and tied to his foot. Argh! What now? His shoe lace had come untied and gotten wrapped around his pedal. He had some good bumps on his knee and thigh. I calmed him down, kissed the sore spots, tied his shoe laces very very well, and made some jokes to get him laughing. I really expected him to just chunk it all right there and say "I quit, call Dad." But he didn’t. Did I mention AR? She said "Mommy, if you feel the bike shaking, it’s just me shivering. I’m freezing." So we made it across the access road and over to the part of the trail that goes behind the tennis courts and past the research field. I was hoping the headwind would die down as we entered the wooded area, but it didn’t. It was cold. My hands were freezing, my face was freezing, I was wondering ‘Why the hell am I putting my kids through this?’ But I was saying "When we get home, we will make hot chocolate, build a fire and have some soup. We will get so warm. I am so proud of you guys. You are doing awesome." We were still a long way from home, the wind was picking up, and the rain was getting harder. We finally made it to MKT, only about 2 miles left. Max asked how much further to our turn off, not far. We rode under Stadium and to our turn off...only about 1.25 miles to home, but we still had to make it up that nasty hill on Rollins. We talked about riding up the hill, I told Max I’d meet him at the top. It is too hard to stop in the middle to wait for him with the tag-a-long on my bike. AR and I made it to the top and waited for Max, we couldn’t even see him. I kept looking back, then I could see the top of his head pushing his bike up the hill. A few minutes later, he caught up to us. We stood by the side of the road while he caught his breath. Max was saying something about this being really hard for some reason or other. I told the kids that we could just lay down in these people’s front yard and go to sleep if they wanted, but it would probably get really cold before long, or we could suck it up and ride this last bit home. Of course, they thought I was crazy when I suggested going to sleep in someone’s front yard, so we got back on the bikes and headed home. Max and I had a contest on the way home to see who could make the best vomitting noises. Then we would say something like "This sucks! It makes me want to vomit!" followed by wretching noises and fits of laughter. We made it home. We had hot chocolate, a fire, and homemade chicken rice soup. It was a crummy ride, but the kids didn’t mutiny or throw tantrums or cry (much), and they never suggested we call Daddy to come pick us up, never suggested quitting. They just sucked it up, dealt with it, and kept going until they made it home. I guess that is ultimately the answer to the question ‘Why the hell am I putting my kids through this?’ Because doing what you set out to do, and sucking it up & dealing with it are really important qualities that will help them well beyond October. When you give people the opportunity, it is amazing what they can do. October 12: Today was the first truly cold day. It was around 32 degrees when we left home at 7:30 this morning. The kids were well prepared: snowpants, coats, gloves. AR and I wore googles and hats, Max didn’t. I brought goggles for Max in case he needed them along the way. As we were riding down Maupin, Max said "Mom, I can’t open my eyes because the saliva keeps freezing." I laughed & asked if he wanted to stop and put on his goggles...nope. So he just rode with frozen eyes. Winter riding really isn’t that big a deal. The main parts that get cold are your hands, feet, and face/head. If you protect those parts you are pretty good to go. I actually got too hot this AM, so I have ditched the coat and been wearing a sweater, gloves, goggles and headband to protect my ears. It’s been quite comfortable. I love having an excuse to wear goggles, you just don’t get that many opportunities in life to wear them and they are sooo darn cool. So if you see a woman out and about on a black bike with pink gloves, pink goggles, and an orange helmet, smile and wave,cause that’s me...I will probably be with Max and AR, who may or may not be goggled. I don’t know what is happening with us, but we have been falling over a lot in the last day or two. I think it has something to do with the weather change and getting used to riding with the extra layers of clothes. Max wiped out on the sidewalk on Broadway going home from school today. His tire rode up onto a little grassy berm and sent him over. He was really upset, but not hurt. While he was picking up his bike, I said "Max, I was talking to Mr. Kevin (of Kevin’s World) today and do you know what he told me?" "What?" he asked. "He told me he thinks you and Annarose are great kids and he really thinks it’s cool that you are doing this challenge. He also told me that the best advise he ever got in his life is that it doesn’t matter how many times you fall down, what’s important is how often and how well you get back up." Max jumped up and got going again with a big smile on his face. October 13: Woke up at 5:17. Dang! I over slept. How’d that happen? I was supposed to be at Dre’s on Hardin at 5:40 to bikepool downtown. I rush through the house getting dressed ...clothes, jacket, neck gator, headband, goggles, gloves, helmet. Done. Out the door. Speed over to her place on Hardin. Made it! We ride downtown: she headed off to Cucina Sorella for work, I headed over to Alleycat for Sunrise Yoga. Yoga was great as usual. It was 28 degrees as I headed home at 7:20 to shower, change, and get the kids to school. OK, so maybe the cold weather riding is a bit hemorrhoidal. I have all the cold weather gear in one container, so we don’t have to hunt all over the house for stuff as we are heading out the door. It still takes about 10 minutes longer to get the kids geared up and ready on the colder days. After yesterday’s frozen eyes incident, I made Max wear goggles & face protection. He was very insistent about wearing a hat and neck gator instead of his balaclava. SO, his helmet wouldn’t fit...grabbed Tim’s helmet and adjusted it to fit Max. OK, let’s go, we are running late. Two blocks from the house, Max stopped saying "I can’t breathe, Mom!" "OK Max, what’s the problem?" I asked. He wasn’t very clear, something about the face mask. We keep going. At the end of the block, he stopped again complaining about not being able to breathe. I told him to pull the gator down off his face. He pulled the gator and goggles down under his chin. We got about 6 blocks further, when Max stopped again saying that his face was cold. "OK Max," I say "Come here." I took off his helmet, adjusted the band of his goggles, put his neck gator, goggles & helmet back on. "Let’s go! We are going to be really late." As we head out, Max yelled "I can’t see!" "Why can’t you see?" I asked. "My goggles are all fogged up!" "They will probably clear out in a minute, just keep going." "Am I going to hit a pothole? I can’t see the street." Max called. "OK little bear, just pull over. If we are late, we are late, the WSB folks can deal without us." I took off his helmet & goggles again, wiped the condensation out of them and put them back on. By now, we are all giggling about how silly this ride has been. "Max, can you see?" "Yes." "Can you breathe?" "Yes." "Are you ready to get to Flat Branch." "Yes." "Then go!" We made it over to Garth by Grant School. Max’s foot went flying off his pedal on his way up the hill. He almost wiped out, but saved himself. "Good save little bear!" We make it over to Flat Branch as some of the parents are leaving the WSB meeting spot...crud, we are late. They came back. We met up with the other families and headed out for our WSB walk to school. I keep telling myself the cold weather preparations and riding will get easier as we become accustomed to the new routine and gear. I hope I’m right. Tomorrow is Lee’s Fall Carnival. I am supposed to take a cake to school for the Carnival cake walk...Hmm, how to transport a cake on the bike? Strap it to my rack with bungee cords? What if it falls off? Put it in the bike cart? Could do, but what a hassel to take the bike cart just to transport a cake. Just buy a cake at a bakery dowtown? It’d probably be pretty expensive. I’ll have to think about this one. I baked the cake...now, strap it on the bike rack and frost it at school? Or do it the easy way and have Tim drive it over tomorrow AM? We’ll see. OK, this winter gear thing is a bit of a drag sometimes. This afternoon, it was warm enough that Max just wanted to ride home in his regular clothes and AR didn’t need her gloves, balaclava, and goggles. SO, I had to get it all home on my bike, not on their bodies. Add to that the stuff I have in my messenger bag anyway, plus the stuff I picked up running errands, and it makes for a very heavy lopsided load on the way home. AR’s tag-a-long adds a lot of weight and lateral torque to the bike (any parent who has ever pulled a tag-a-long knows what I am talking about), I also have a basket on the right rear of my bike rack (I can’t put one of the left side, because then I can’t attach the Burley cart) where I carry Max’s book bag (he isn’t coordinated or strong enough to carry it himself yet), and I carry my aforementioned messenger bag full of stuff. That’s a lot of extra unevenly distributed weight to deal with, especially when added to Max’s occassional cycling crises. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE riding with my kids for more reasons than you can imagine. Just sometimes, I imagine how nice it would be to ride alone with nothing to carry but myself. Enough whining, gotta go fix dinner...roasted veggie pizza – yum. October 14: Well the cake quandry was solved last night when Max started throwing up around 10:30. The throw up fest continued every 45 minutes or so, until around 7:00 this morning when it became dry heaves. Needless to say, we were up most of the night with our sick boy, and all plans for the day have been cancelled. We are hanging around the house having a pajama day. We won’t be going to the Fall Carnival after all. Seeing as they already had loads of cakes yesterday afternoon, I think the cake walk can survive with out mine. We almost had our first Low Car Challenge drop-out this morning. Tim was going to the store to get 7-Up, saltines, and chicken broth for Max. Annarose wanted to go with him. They were about to leave, when Tim remembered "Annarose you can’t go in the car or you’ll be out of the challenge." She was really bummed and said she didn’t care, she wanted to go to the store with Daddy. We told her it was really important to stick with it, and she’d have to stay home. Tim picked up a little treat for her for being such a little champ about it. Next weekend, 10/21/06, is Missouri River Relief’s "Great Flying Carp Canoe Cleanup". We really want to do it and make a camping/cycling weekend of it. It is a long ride with the kids and camping gear. The problem is that it starts from Katfish Katy’s at 8AM on Saturday, and ends at Cooper’s Landing Saturday afternoon. We will take canoes (Acceptable means of transport? I’ll have to check) from Katfish Katy’s across the river to Lupus then downstream to Cooper’s Landing. SO, we need to get to Katfish Katy’s by 8AM. We are going to leave Friday after school to ride down and camp there Friday night. The next hurdle is getting our stuff from Katfish Katy’s to Cooper’s Landing where we will be landing in the canoes and camping on Saturday night. They have shuttles runnng Saturday AM so people can park their cars at CL and ride back to KKs. If we could go in a car, we could just camp at CL Friday night and catch a shuttle to KKs on Saturday AM... BUT, we can’t or we will be disqualified. SO, we have to find someone to haul our stuff over to CL, so it will be there when we land on Saturday PM. Also, they want you to bring your own canoe. A really difficult task on a bicycle, especially when you are already laden with two kids and camping gear. SO, I am making phone calls and sending emails, to see if someone can haul our stuff from Katfish Katy’s to Cooper’s Landing and to see if we can borrow a canoe. Really this whole challenge revolves around thinking ahead and planning. October 21: When we woke up the weather was clear and cold...good, at least it wasn’t raining. We packed up our gear and Steve Schnarre of River Relief shuttled it to Cooper’s Landing. We got in the canoes and took off around 10AM. Annarosie was really nervous about going in the canoe on the river, she really hated it. I can understand her fear, I must admit that I felt quite small and powerless on that big muddy river. While sitting in the canoe, the thought crossed my mind, ‘What if we tip over? My whole family is in this little canoe on this big, fast, strong, cold river. How could I help the kids?’ But I pushed the thought from my mind, reassuring myself that Tim knows the river very well and won’t let anything happen to us. Max thought it was great. We worked our way down the river stopping on wing-dikes and sandbars to pick up trash along the way. Annarose was scared everytime the canoe rocked a bit or when we got in or out of the canoe. When we stopped, we carefully helped Annarose out of the canoe and found a nice place for her to sit, then the three of us would run around hunting for trash. Tim and I took turns talking to Annarose and reassuring her. She calmed down a bit, but she wasn’t very happy. Around 11:30, it started to rain...dang! It wasn’t raining very hard, just a drizzle really. Despite the cold and damp, it was a gorgeous trip. The trees on the bluffs were ablaze with bright beautiful fall colors. It looked like a painting, amazing. I had never seen fall foliage from the river. Every so often, 30 –45 minutes, trains would pass on the tracks next to the river. By the time we landed in Lupus for lunch, we were all soggy and ready to get out of the cold and rain for a while. We had a nice lunch with the other cleanup folks at the Lupus city hall. I had never been to Lupus, but I will be going back soon. What a cool little town! If you haven’t been there you should check it out. After lunch, it was raining harder. There was no backing out now, we had to get to Cooper’s Landing, about three miles downstream on the opposite bank. The River Relief folks helped us get dressed in trash bags. Annarose had reservations about wearing a trashbag, but when she saw the rest of us putting them on she was OK with it. They have these huge trash bags that are great to wear as rain gear. Tim is 6’4" and his trash bag reached his ankles! We made our way downstream. It started raining harder and harder. Annarose was worried about the canoe filling with rain water and sinking, we assured her this wouldn’t happen. To pass time, we played ‘I spy’ and sang songs. When a train came by I would sing ‘Folsom Prison Blues’, the only train song I could remember. Tim suggested I try ‘Peace Train’. I couldn’t remember any of the words. So I sang the only Cat Stevens song I could remember, ‘Moon Shadow’. After losing all the body parts that Cat sings about, I started making up my own. I would sing things like "Oh if I ever lose my liver, I might go out on the river. Oh if I ever lose my liver, awaaa-aaaay, I won’t have to shake and shiver." This was good for some laughs. Since leaving Lupus, we had been watching a goose follow one of the River Relief houseboats down the river. Tim dubbed him ‘Charlie, the stupid goose’ because he had decided that the houseboat was a goose. Then Charlie spotted us. He quit following the houseboat and started following us. He swam a few feet from the canoe, sometimes behind us, sometimes along side. We threw out crumbs for him, he ate a few, but was more interested in following us. He stayed right by the canoe as we worked our way downstream. Then, finally, there it was! Cooper’s Landing, our end point, was in sight! We made it! We paddled across the river, with Charlie close behind, and landed at Cooper’s. We unloaded the canoe, we had collected about three bags of trash in the course of the day. We took the kids inside the building and gave them hot chocolate, then Tim and I went to set up the tent. Did I mention the rain? It was still raining, really raining. We tied a tarp between three trees, then set the tent up under it. It was mostly dryish, but the tarp kept draining down one side dangerously close to the edge of the tent. For some reason, despite the fact that everything had been wrapped in trashbags, a lot of our stuff was damp. We threw everything in the tent. We took the kids to the tent to change into dry clothes. When everyone was dry, we went back into Cooper’s to get dinner. We were damp again by the time we got to the building. We ate standing up at the counter with most of the other River Relief folks and a few cyclists kind of milling around in the only warm dry place available. There were supposed to be a few bands playing and a post pick-up party, but the headliners had cancelled due to the rain. A few musicians showed up and set up in the back room where they were playing. The River Relief folks offered us a ride home in the their shuttle bus. We went back to the tent to discuss it. The forecast was for the rain to continue through the night and into Sunday. It was already cold, and it was going to get a lot colder during the night. The tent sides were already wet and the sleeping bags were damp around the edges. We discussed the LCDC and what this would mean for the Challenge. I told the kids that if we took the ride, it would just be this once, and we would keep going with the bikes for the rest of the month. I let it be their decision. They have been troopers through this whole thing, but these were really exceptional circumstances. We had been wet and cold for over 5 hours. They both agreed that they wanted to take the shuttle home. We threw everything back in trash bags and took the ride. The driver told us this was the worst weather they had ever had on a clean up. She said that she was not going to camp, as she had planned, but stay at a friend’s house. We got home, put on clothes that stayed dry, and built a big fire. Tim took the truck back down to Cooper’s Landing to get our stuff. When Tim got home, he said that it was still raining hard and the wind was coming off the river soaking the tent. Good decision. Later that night, lying in a soft warm dry bed, we agreed that we had made the right decision given the circumstances. If it hadn’t rained, we would have stayed and ridden home on the bikes Sunday, despite the cold. But wet and cold just sucks. Tim put it very well when he said "If you don’t knock the bar down once in a while, you haven't set it high enough." When we heard the rainy cold forecast, we could have chosen to stay home and chunked the whole trip. But we decided to go for it and see what we could do. We did really well. Max rode his bike from Lee School to Huntsdale, about 14 miles, in an hour and fifteen minutes. We had fun camping. We canoed on the Missouri River. Most important, we helped clean up the river. We took one ride in a shuttle bus, because we were cold and wet and tired. But how many folks would have even tried it? We fell off the bike, but we got right back on it the next day. Here is the version of the camping/canoe trip that Annarose wrote on Monday. "On the weekend I went too cooper’s landing we camped out. Then we went in a misirible canooe it was raining we had too pick up trash & we all wore trash bags. Charlie the stupid goose followed us he thought we wher a goose." 10/22/06: Woke up to a beautiful clear cold fall morning. The rain must have stopped during the night...dang! maybe we should have stayed, let it go. We decided to ride downtown for brunch at Upper Crust, yum. We walked around downtown, just goofing off. As we headed home, the wind picked up and it started to drizzle, it was really cold. We stopped at Walgreen’s and bought some coloring books and crayons. We headed home and spent the evening by the fire coloring pictures together. 10/23/06: Another cold day. Took the kids to school, then over to powerwash a deck. Picked the kids up from school, went to piano lessons and home. 10/24/06: As we prepared to mount up and ride to school I noticed the bicycle seats were covered with frost. Well this is a first, I don’t recall ever scraping frost off my seat. The ride to school was uneventful. Finally getting the concept of ‘dressing for the second mile’, Max has stopped wearing his snowpants on the way to school in the mornings. This makes it easier to get ready and ride. Maybe when the temperatures get into the teens later this winter, he’ll need them. Unfortunately Annarose continues to hold to the belief that moving her body will actually make her colder, rather than warmer. She insists on really layering on the clothes and just sitting on the tag-a-long shivering. As we pass MCU, we see that it is 29 degrees. When you add our cycling-induced windchill factor, that’d be 21...not bad when you’re moving your body. After dropping the kids at school, I rode back home to get ready for work. It was supposed to get up into the fifties today, so I will be staining two decks. I had to go to the paint store to pick up three gallons of stain. As I hooked the job trailer up, Tim comments "Look at the sign! You know how much wind resistance that causes?" "But no one will know which company I work for if I don’t have my sign." I replied. He just smiled, kissed me, and shook his head with a laugh. I hook up the job trailer and head for Sherwin-Williams. While at the paint store one another painter looked at me and commented "It’s a pretty cold day to be painting outside." I could almost hear him thinking ‘You’re gonna freeze today, Little Missy.’ I just smiled and said "Yup. I have a few decks to stain...waiting for the boards to warm up a bit...gotta get the exterior work done when you can, this time of year." I was thinking ‘Are you kidding, this? Cold? I’ve been out riding bikes since 8AM this morning...with my kids, no less. This? Cold? Nah.’ I am not sure if the guy saw me head out on the bike or not. I rode from Sherwin-Williams (next to El Maguey on the Loop) to a house on Wayne (near the intersection of Prov and Stad) to finish staining a deck. Then headed over to Westridge (near Gerbes on W. Broadway) to start sealing a deck on a house we roofed last week. Pulling the job trailer isn’t hard, it’s just noisy ­ the sign rattles. A lady at the corner of Maupin and West Parkway yelled "Cool sign! What good advertising." as I rode by. "Thanks!" I called back. At three, I headed home to change clothes, then downtown to pick up the kids. I promised we could go costume and clothes shopping afterschool. I was thinking we’d head to Target. But I decided to see if we could find what we were looking for downtown. We found a werewolf mask for Max, but didn’t have much luck with kids’ clothes. We checked New Beginnings, but they didn’t have much that fit Max or Annarose. That’s the trouble with having tall skinny kids who hate to wear belts. I suggested stopping at Salvation Army, but the kids just wanted to get home. 10/25/06: Woke up around 5. I had to go to Gerbes to pick up some things for AR’s lunch. I dressed extra warm expecting it to be really cold, but it wasn’t...it was in the mid-40s. By the time I got to Gerbes, only .5 miles away, I was sweating. Got AR’s lunch supplies, rode back home to start the day. It was overcast, but warm. The ride to school was uneventful. After dropping off the kids, I rode over to Rock Creek, where we are starting another roofing job. It was a damp chilly day on the roof. I have been toying with taking the kids to Target/Old Navy this month. They really need some long pants and long-sleeved shirts ­ despite my best efforts, they just keep getting taller. I have been avoiding going afterschool, due to high traffic volume. A weekend afternoon would be better. The only real problem is crossing Stadium with kids on bikes. Stadium has high-volume-fast-moving traffic and it is five lanes wide. The intersections are not very ped/bike friendly due to the high amount of car traffic going to stores and restaurants on the west side. Ash used to be my safe crossing place. Now with the ‘Shoppes at Stadium’, Macy’s, Macaroni Grill, and the new and improved Phillips 66, the traffic at that intersection is usually quite heavy. When I come to a major road crossing like this, it makes me think of how it must have felt to live thousands of years ago on the bank of a river. You could see the people and things on the other side, but you couldn’t get there easily. You’d stand there thinking ‘Gee, everything and everyone on that other bank seem so close, but there is this big dangerous river in the middle. How do (Max, Annarose and) I get across safely?’ You could use a boat. You could try going up or downstream to a low water crossing. You could try swimming. All around us we have these big man-made rivers of traffic that we have to cross. Do we take a boat/car? Do we look for low water crossings/safe intersections? Do we swim/just run across and hope for the best? I had spent days thinking this over. I was getting tired of the daily, "Mom, I don’t have any long-sleeved shirts that fit!" "Mom, I don’t have any jeans that fit." I was hoping to put them off until we could take the boat/car in November. I realized, however, that something had to be done. We would traverse the Stadium river at the safest low water crossing I could think of on a weekday afterschool. I was thinking I should have done this last weekend - oh yeah, we were camping; or the weekend before - oh yeah, Max was sick...dang. I decided that the safest route would be to take Worley and walk the bikes across, where there is a cross-walk that goes to a sidewalk on the southwest corner. It’s odd, because there is a cross-walk at the Ash intersection, but for some reason there are not sidewalks on the westside until you cross the right turn lanes and the gas station driveways...says a lot about societal and design priorities, huh? Tim and I planned to meet at Old Navy around 4. That way we could go shopping together and Tim could take everything home in the truck. I went to pick up the kids. It was damp and chilly...this seems to be a pattern these days. I talked to LCDC-Dad-Chad while we were mounting up for our ride. He and I commisserated about the damp weather and getting tired of the challenge. I personally am getting tired of the cold weather gear and having to adjust the kids’ helmet straps twice a day (mornings to fit a hat, afternoons to fit a head). We both agreed that when the Challenge is over we will still be on the bikes everyday doing pretty much the same thing, but it will be nice to know that we could drive if we wanted to, which we probably won’t. We took 10th over to Ash and headed west. Max did great on the Ash hills. As we approached the ARC, damp and chilly, I reconsidered going over to Worley for the Stadium crossing. We could probably just walk the bikes across at Ash and get there sooner. As we approached Stadium, I gave Max the safety briefing, explaining how the cars would be moving, what to watch for, and where we would be making our turn. We came over the little hill that descends to Stadium. The traffic looked pretty good. We could do it on our bikes. We took our place in the line of trafffic behind a blue mini-van belonging to some-honor-student’s-proud-parent and got ready for our crossing. "OK Max," I coached "As soon as the left turn arrow changes, we’ll get our green light. We are going to that turn-in on the right, where the white SUV is sitting. Stay exactly next to me and pedal the whole way. Ready?" Max replied "It’s a white jeep, not an SUV." OK, no time to argue that point. "Go." We made it, no problem. We met Tim. We stocked up on clothes that fit, and had a nice dinner. It was a cold and damp evening, I really dreaded the ride home. I was thinking, Tim could just put the bikes in the back of the truck and drive us home. I kept my mouth shut, thinking if the kids complain, we’ll bail...maybe. The kids were great. They were laughing and joking as we made the long drizzly cold walk across the parking lot back to the bikes. We made it back through the intersection on our bikes with no problems. We arrived home a little damp and chilly. Tim had already started a fire for us, we made cocoa, and played a few games of Clue before bed. It was a great afternoon. I had long been dreading the prospect of getting the kids safely across Stadium, but it wasn’t that bad after all. 10/26/06: What a surprise! It is chilly and damp today. Same old morning routine, get the kids ready for school. Make sure they’ll be warm enough on the bikes, which really isn’t that hard today, because it’s not terribly cold. We stopped by Flat Branch, but no one was there, so we rode up to school on our own. Since it was raining, Tim and Mike didn’t need any extra help. I went home and hooked up the job trailer for a trip to the grocery store. When I got home with the groceries, Tim called and invited me to meet him and Mike at Great Wall for lunch. I hopped on the bike and headed over. I worked from home that afternoon. At 3:15 I headed out to get Max and AR from school. The weather wasn’t too bad, at least it was dry. 10/27/06: Rain rain rain. It was raining so hard, I decided we’d take the city bus to school. It would be a fun new adventure. We stood at the bus stop (corner of Spring Valley and Broadway) with our umbrellas in the rain. I really didn’t want to miss the bus, so we went out early. That probably wasn’t such a good idea. It was cold and wet. Annarose was shivering and complaining about how cold her legs were. Max suggested that we just go back home and get the bikes. "Nah. It’ll be fun, you’ll see." I said. They didn’t believe me, I didn’t really believe me either. So I did what I do in these situations - distraction. I started singing Moon Shadow with new and exotic body parts. "Oh, if I ever lose my brain, I might wait for a bus, out in the rain. Oh, if I ever lose my brain, awaaaaaaaaay, I don’t think I’ll feel no pain...but I’m not sure." The kids called out body parts for me to rhyme...eyes, legs, butt, etc. It took their minds off things for a few minutes, but not long enough. "Where’s that bus?" After standing in the rain for 15 minutes, the bus finally came. I wondered if we would have been drier taking the bikes...doesn’t matter now, the bus was here. Annarose was upset when she realized that we still had to walk from the bus station to school. "It’s only a few blocks. It’ll be fun." I reassured, I couldn’t really think what was going to be fun about walking three blocks in the cold and rain. But that’s my motto...’when you can’t change your circumstances, change your attitude’...and I was sticking to it. We made it to school, cold and damp. After taking the kids to school, I had time for a cup of coffee and a scone before catching the bus. Upon returning home, I rode the bike to Old Navy to exchange a shirt and Target pick up some last minute things for my Halloween costume, Tim and I had a big Halloween date on Saturday night. It wasn’t raining so hard anymore, but it was colder than I expected. I contemplated buying some gloves, but kept forgetting. On the way home, I noticed that my bike felt really soft. In front of Westlakes, I looked down to notice that my back tire was low. Dang! How did this happen? Surely, I don’t actually have a flat. Did some prankster let the air out? It was only about a mile home. The tire wasn’t completely flat, so I just rode it home trying to keep my weight over the front wheel as much as possible. When I got home I aired it back up to see if it’d hold. I ran to school to pick up the kids, we rode the bus home. The kids had a sleepover at Tate and Cora’s. They packed up their stuff, loaded it in the bike cart, and I hooked up the bike train. After dropping the kids off, I headed over to Gerbes to pick up a few things, then headed home for a quiet evening with Tim. 10/28/06: Saturday morning. I had some time before picking up the kids. I rode my bike over to Grindstone to run the trails. It was dry and cold, but not as cold as it had been. There was frost on the grass. The leaf litter on the trails was really slick with wet leaves and frost. I tried hopping over a big log blocking my path, as I put my foot down, it slipped out from under me and I landed right on my hip...ouch. As I ran I kept slipping on the wet leaves...frustrating. Further down the trail, I tripped over a stump. After four huge fall/run steps, I recovered myself without actually falling. After my somewhat shaky run in the woods, I rode home through game-day traffic...yuck! When does football season end? I rode home to clean up, then over to pick the kids up from Tate and Cora’s. We planned to go to the free movie at the Forum. We would bike over and Michelle would bring Tate and Cora to the theatre. As we headed out, I warned Max that we were going to be riding up, Highridge, probably the toughest hill in town being both long and steep. I confessed that once in a while I couldn’t make it up and had to walk my bike. I told Max how once as I huffed to the top on my bike, a man who lived in a house at the top called "You made it! We call this Heart Attack Hill, cause most folks look like they are having one when they get to the top." Max smiled a little, looking forward to the challenge. It was a sunny cool morning, but much warmer than it had been. We headed out. As we rode up hills, Max and Annarose would call "Is this one Heart Attack Hill, Mom?" I’d shake my head saying "Nope, not even close." We crossed Stadium easily at College Park, came to the T in the road, turned left, and Max got his first glimpse of Heart Attack Hill. "That doesn’t look bad" he said. "It’s worse than it looks, put your bike in your lowest gear and get ready." I warned. We started our ascent climbing more and more slowly with each pedal stroke. As we were snaking our way up the hill, a car came along, forcing us further to the right, then as often happens on a really steep hill, we found our selves too close to the curb with nowhere for the front wheel to go on the next pedal stroke, but the gutter, then the curb, then the foot goes down, and we stopped...dang! From past experience, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to get going again with AR on the back of my bike, so we got off and pushed it to the top. Max was still down the hill trying valiantly to get going again. I heard an exaperated yell "Why do I keep rolling backwards!?" I looked back to see him struggling to get going again. I set our bike on the curb and told AR to sit on the grass and wait. I went back down the hill to get Max. As I started walking toward him, Max was pushing his bike then he slipped and fell. He was having a terrible time getting back up with his bike. He was so frustrated. As I approached, I asked "What’s the problem,Little Bear?" "I keep slipping on these stupid leaves!" Max yelled/cried in exasperation. I thought back to my morning run and slipping all over the leaves at Grindstone. The leaves in the gutter, like the leaves on the trail, were very slick. As I took his bike and started walking it up the hill, I said "When it’s this slick, you should walk on the left side of your bike on the road where it’s drier." He replied "But that’s not safe, Mom. I’m supposed to stay to the right of my bike." He was telling me what I had taught him. I smiled to myself. "Yeah, I know, but when you can’t even stand up and it’s a low traffic road, it’s OK to walk on the left of your bike so you can get some traction." I replied. We made it to the top and stopped for a moment so Max could catch his breath and calm down; he was still really upset. "What’s wrong Maxibear?" I asked. "I didn’t make it up the hill on my bike" he replied with frustration. I answered "You did great. That is a really tough hill. I even have to walk that one sometimes." He said with disappointment "I know, but I wanted to be the first kid ever to make it up without pushing." "Well" I told him "It’ll take some practice, but we can try it again sometime." "Really?" he asked with excitement. "You bet, but right now we have to get to the theatre." We went to the movie. On the way home, we stopped at Dairy Queen for lunch. Later that afternoon, I rode over to Tate and Cora’s to pick up the bike trailer with all the kids’ stuff in it. It is amazing how much stuff they take for a one night sleepover. Tim and I started getting ready for our Halloween date. I was still debating about my costume. I have this fabulous pink and gold floral brocade 1950s ballgown. I just had it altered, so I could wear it to the Halloween ball. The only problem was the bike. The dress is a narrow floor length column with a big train. Not easy to walk in, definitely not bike friendly, especially not with high-heeled mules. I had been planning to wear regular clothes, pack the gown and shoes in my messenger bag, and change in a bathroom at the ball. Not too glamorous, but it’d work. As the time approached, I started thinking it was a big hassel to carry the gown, change there, have to fix my hair, find somewhere to stash my stuff, and change back for the ride home. I had a back-up costume idea, that involved a short stretchy silver sequin dress with cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. I was pretty sure could ride the bike in the dress and just carry the hat, so I went with that one. The cowboy boots worked great with my toe-clips. The pointy-toes kind of poked out through the front, like stir-ups. The dress was easy to ride in and the sequins made me extra reflective...’maybe I’ll start riding in this dress more often at night’, I thought. We rode downtown early and had supper at Main Squeeze. We walked around and looked at some stores, then headed over to the ball. It was a lot of fun. My dress was a hit. It lit up like a disco-ball when light shone on it. We left the ball early and wandered around downtown, we stopped and got coffee; then headed home. As we waited for the light to change at Cherry and Eighth, some obnoxious drunk guy who was wandering around downtown celebrating after the football game with some friends, started making rude comments to me. ‘When does football season end?’ I wondered to myself for the second time that day. I laughed it off, mentally willing the light to change quickly. Tim valiantly told the guy to shut up and leave me alone. I was really hoping this wasn’t going to end up in a big confrontation. Luckily the guys’ friends were sober and mortified by his behavior. Tim continued his interaction with the drunken idiot. ‘How long can this light be? Turn green!’ I thought. Then it happened, the light finally turned green and we rode off into the night. While it hadn’t been necessary, I found it very sweet that Tim had defended my honor against the obnoxious drunk...my knight in a shining bicycle helmet. 10/29/06: We woke up to a gorgeous sunny fall day. I couldn’t believe it. Tim and Mike had planned to work, if it was clear to make up for lost time from last week, but it was just too pretty to pass up a nice day with the family. I had plans for a big day of cycling around town doing stuff...breakfast, Target to pick up a birthday present, church, lunch, Empire Roller Rink for a birthday party, home. The four of us saddled up and set out. We crossed Broadway with no problem, it was Sunday morning after all. We made it about half block up Pershing, when I noticed my back tire was low again...dang! I asked Tim to run back to the house for the mini-pump, while the kids and I waited. During the wait, Annarose sat down and wrote in her journal. She was working on a picture that reads "I don’t give much respect too people in car’s" with a picture of a car with a line through it at the bottom and a bicycle at the top. Max was climbing on the 6 foot high rusty iron fence, while I was looking down Pershing watching for Tim. As Tim returned with the mini-pump, Max he fell off the top of the fence with a loud ripping sound. He came up quickly gasping for air, Tim ran to him and picked him thinking he had punctured a lung or broken a bone...Tim’s a bit of a ‘worry-cat’, according to the kids. This makes a good balance, because I am a ‘worryfree-cat’. A quick assessment revealed no injuries, but Max’s pants (remember the new ones from Old Navy? Yeah, those) were ripped. So, we turned around and headed home to change. Max changed his clothes. Tim changed my innnertube. While he was changing it, he noticed that my tire was fried. I really needed a new one...dang. We decided to have breakfast at home. By the time we were sufficiently calmed down and breakfasted, it was too late to get to the store before church, so we postponed it. By taking Worley over to West Blvd to Stewart, we could travel quickly and safely downtown, giving us enough time to pick up a present and make it to Empire Roller Rink in time for the party. After church, we headed downtown with an hour to spare. If we skipped lunch, we could stop at 9th St. Bookstore to pick up the birthday present and make it to the party on time. That was the new plan. Afterall who needs lunch when you get free cake, ice cream, and soda at a birthday party? Aren’t sugar and fat two of the food groups? Things were going pretty well as we headed out. By cutting through the Joe Machens lot, we were able to by pass most of the church traffic. We headed west on Worley, Max was kind of poking along and swerving around being silly. We decided to cut back over to our neighborhood and take our regular school route, it’d be a bit longer, but safer with the way Max was riding today. As we turned left onto Broadway, Tim swung out to let us get in front of him. Max tried following Tim and was getting ready to head down Spring Valley. We called to him to turn left, he was confused about where to go. We finally got him back on track and headed over to Hillside. Luckily, no cars came over the hill on Broadway, while we were getting Max going in the right direction. As we were heading down Maupin, Max was doing all kinds of 8 year old tricks, no hands, stand up in the pedals, stand up with no hande, let your feet hang, etc. Don’t worry, I don’t generally let him do these things on his bike, he knows the serious streets and the OK-to-try-your-tricks-streets. Maupin is such a low traffic street, that it is generally the later kind of street, though not at intersections. Between Edgewood and West Parkway, I glanced over to see Max’s right foot drop non-chalantly off his pedal, his toe heading down for a drag in the grass. As I prepared to say something, his foot drug, he tipped, he slowed too quickly, and went tumbling off his bike. It was spectacular, one of those end over end disasters you see on Tour de France. In seconds, Max was lying in the grass crying, we were off our bikes checking once again for major injuries. Worry-cat-Daddy frazzled by the morning’s dramas. A quick assessment revealed no major injuries and no torn clothes, just an oil stain on his second pair of new pants that day. Max was clinging desparately to the panicked sympathy produced in worried parents by perceived injuries; hoping to put off the stern lecture that results when said parents realize the injuries are essentially non-existent and were caused by his own carelessness. He didn’t put it off for long. After the stern lecture and resultant denials, frustrated Tim suggested that he just go back home and go to work, the day wasn’t going all that well, really. "No" I said "It will be fine. Stay. Let’s just keep going." We continued. As we headed out, Max tried shifting gears, his chain came off. We stopped to put it back on. We pedaled a block more, Max’s chain came off again. Stop, put it back on. Half block later, chain off, put it on. This was getting frustrating. Tim suggested walking home with Max and their bikes sending Annarose and I on to the party. This got a loud protest. Tim looked Max’s bike over and realized that the shifting lever was twisted around to the side and the deraileur was out of adjustment kicking the chain off each time Max shifted. Tim set the gear and instructed Max not to shift until we could get home to fix it. As we cut through the Office Depot parking lot, I suggested that we stop some place for lunch. We all needed something to eat and time to calm down. We’d be late for the birthday party, but that’s OK. We went to Taj Mahal for the lunch buffet...yummy. During lunch, Tim decided that he was going to go back home to get some work done, while the kids and I went to the party. After lunch, the kids and I headed down to 9th St. Bookstore to get the present. Then over to the Empire Roller Rink. We made it by 2:30, only an hour late. We didn’t miss presents, cake, or ice cream. We even had time to skate...good. After the party, we headed home. I stopped and picked up new bike tires (may as well change them both while we’re doing it...the front one is pretty messed up too), a new innertube, and some toe-clips for Max. I also went to Maude Vintage to get a jacket that Tim had been looking at for over a month. The kids and I headed home. Me, with my basket full of Max’s roller blades, my messenger bag heavily laden with stuff from the journey, and two bicycle tires hanging from my shoulder, Annarose with the goody bags, and Max with Max. It was a relatively easy ride home. I don’t know why it was such a tough day riding for Max. All I can figure is that it was just too darn pretty, too warm, too nice, too balmy. We have become accustomed to riding in crappy, cold, wet weather. Today, we got to ride with no jackets, no goggles, no gloves, no snowpants, no hats, nothing but our regular clothes. It was too easy after weeks of taking ten minutes to get dressed before heading out into a cold, grey, wet, miserable day. Without our winter gear, we were just so light and comfortable that we were heady with the joy of riding, and a bit careless because of it. It is supposed to nice again tomorrow...dang! Hopefully, we can survive it. The rest of the week is supposed to be cold...good, I can’t wait. That night, Tim changed my tires, adjusted my brakes & gears, and fixed Max’s derailleur & put his new toe clips on...ready for Monday. 10/30/06: The weather was warm and clear. Oh no! Was it possible to make it to school with no accidents if we weren’t heavily laden with winter-gear? We’ll see. I was a little nervous about Max’s first day with toe clips. He did fantastic! We had an easy uneventful ride to school. I rode over to the jobsite for a fun filled day of tearing shingles off the roof. I really like tear-off. It is fun to get paid for tearing things up; and it is a phenomenal workout...bonus! The only problem is that I am wiped out and sore by the end of the day. We decided to go to Chevy’s for lunch. Tim and Mike drove in the work truck, I rode my bike. It took me two minutes longer to get there, Tim timed me. After lunch I rode back to work, I pitched to Tim while he put the shingles on. At 3:15, I left to pick up the kids from school, then back to the jobsite with the kids. Did I mention that this roof is on Tate and Cora’s house? The kids played, while Tim, Mike and I worked until dinner. We had dinner at Tate and Cora’s...Yum! Thanks Michelle and Steve! Sitting at the table, I could feel my muscles getting tight and sore. I still had to ride the bike home with the kids...dang! Well, it’s not that far. It was dark as we headed home. We rode on the back streets through the neighborhoods. We got home, put the kids to bed, took a shower, and collapsed into bed to get rested up for tomorrow. 10/31/06: OK, so it was Halloween ­ the second biggest day in Max and Annarose’s year. We had plans to meet Tate and Cora afterschool for downtown trick-or-treating, then everyone was coming to our house for dinner and trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. The house was a mess, we had no Halloween decorations, no pumpkins, and no dinner groceries. I was too busy and too tired to do it last night, so I had planned to do it all this morning. I woke up at 4:00AM, got dressed, hooked up the bike cart, and headed over to Gerbes. It was clear and not too cold. As I headed up Spring Valley toward Broadway, the bike felt strange. I couldn’t figure out why. I stopped at Broadway and looked the bike cart over, it looked fine. Oh well, I kept going. The bike still felt wrong after another block. I stopped at the corner of Pershing and Gary to look again. Damn! My back tire was completely flat! Argh! It’s a brand new tire! Why now?! I have too much to do this morning! I don’t have time to change a flat too! I was tempted, very tempted, to walk home and get the car. BUT, I didn’t. I disconnected the bike and walked the rest of the way to Gerbes, not too far thankfully. I got all the Halloween party groceries, but pumpkins. They didn’t have pumpkins. The kids would be disappointed, but I really didn’t have time to run over to Hy-Vee, especially since I had to change a flat before school now. I walked back to where my bike was locked, reattached the bike cart, and carried/pulled the whole rig home being careful not to damage my new tire. I got home, unpacked the groceries, started the soup, straightened the house, made breakfast, packed AR’s lunch, woke the kids, packed up the Halloween costumes, changed the tire, what else? Hmmm, can’t remember. Needless to say, it was a busy morning. We rode our bikes to school with no problems. Then I rode over to the jobsite for another day of tearing off shingles. I finished tearing off the section I was working on and Tim let me off work for the day to go on a field trip with AR. What a nice boss. I ran home, ate lunch, took a shower, finished cleaning the house, and to rode Stephens-Lyons Park to meet AR late for her field trip. I walked back to school with her class pushing the bike with me. At school, we got Annarose’s stuff, picked up Max, and headed over to 9th St. Bookstore to change into costumes and drop off our book bags (I used to work there, so they are nice to me. Thanks guys!). We met Tate, Cora, and Michelle and trick-or-treated downtown. I was very aware of the time, knowing that it got dark around 5:15 now. At 5:00 we handed off our candy bags and costumes to Michelle to bring to our house and headed home on our bikes - the last official lcdc ride. The kids didn’t care that it was the last lcdc ride, they were just intent on tweaking their costumes in preparation for more trick-or-treating. We had a fun Halloween with our friends and the lcdc ended uneventfully. Tim joked that I was going to wait up until midnight and go drive to St. Louis for the fun of it, but I didn’t. I was asleep by 10. As the end of the LCDC approached, people started asking me about the end of the challenge and congratulating us for making it. I was surprised by how many people were following our progress and were surprised/impressed that we were able to do it. I didn’t really think it was that big a deal and I had no idea so many folks were interested. A few days before the end, Dean asked if I was glad it was almost over. I joked "Yes, I am buying a Hummer with a special tag so I can park right by the front door. I might get a Segway too. I am never going to ride my bike or walk again as long as I live." We both laughed. Seriously though, not much will change for us. We will still ride our bikes to and from school each day. We will still use the bikes or our feet for most of our errands in town. Of course, I will drive again. One thing we really missed this month was not being able to go to our cabin in Boonville; we are going this weekend. The kids are very excited about that. We get to feed the fish, play in the treehouse, and visit Grandonna. I realize we could have biked it with the kids, but that is a really long haul with kids on the bikes. Although, considering how well they did on the way to Huntsdale, I am sure we will attempt it before too long. We will use the car for things like that. If we want to go out of town, it will be nice to know that we can. Max will get to go to Michael’s house...finally! I will also start driving the work truck again. This will be SO helpful. This has been the biggest, most difficult, and most expensive hurdle for us this month. In our company, Tim and Mike are the fast skilled guys who can do everything on a jobsite. My main function is to do the grunt work, administrative and promtional work, stock jobs, and run errands. It makes things run so much more efficiently when I can go and pick up things we need, so that Mike and Tim can stay on site and get the work done. This month, almost everytime we needed something, Mike or Tim had to go get it. That meant stopping work, leaving the job site, going to the Westlakes, Lowes, DJs, or Home Depot, coming back, starting work again...you get the idea. I was able to do a few minor errands on the bike this month (basically trips to Sherwin-Williams), but for the most part job runs are too far (5-10 miles) and/or the supplies are too big and heavy (drip edge, ladders, vent fans, power washers) to carry efficiently on the bike. I am looking forward to being able to drive the job truck and help out more than I was able to in October. Tim and Mike really took up a lot of slack this month to make sure that I was able to do the challenge. Thanks guys! I really appreciate it. You’re the best.

STEVE AND MARLENA NOTHWEHR October 7: The first week of the low-car diet month has gone well. I live about a mile from my place of work on the MU campus and have exclusively commuted by bike for about a year and a half and off and on for several years before that. However, many of my other trips to shop and run errands are typically by car, often with my wife Ann and daughter Marlena who is 10. One day we were in a bike shop looking for a new bike for Marlena, and true to character Ann nonchalantly suggested that I sign up for the low car challenge. Being distracted and not wanting to weigh the pros and cons I just said ³ok². But getting through the entire month without using a car will be a challenge. The month began by attending the Sustainability Fair. At that event I attended a discussion class on techniques for biking in traffic. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical about the suggestion that at every intersection bikers should take the entire lane of traffic. Up to that point my approach had been to either take the lane or to move past cars on the right depending the characteristics of each intersection. But as a result of the class I have pretty much stuck to taking the entire lane and it has worked out well. I had one scary situation this past week, however. This didn¹t involve an intersection in which my lane of traffic was stopped by a stop sign or light. Rather I needed to turn from a street onto a more minor street. I was going west on Stewart Rd. on the right side of the road. I was approaching Greenwood, however, where I needed to take a left-hand turn. Normally, I move into the part of the lane that cars use shortly before the turn, signal left, and then make the turn. On this day, however, there were two or three cars also going west that blocked my access. I waited for them to pass but then they slowed almost to a stop. What I should have done was to give up and just turn right onto Greenwood, make a quick u-turn, then wait for the traffic to clear and then cross Stewart. Instead, as the street approached I decided to merge left between two cars that wasn¹t too dangerous but in doing this maneuver I wasn¹t able to pay as close attention to the eastward traffic as I should have. A vehicle that I thought was still some distance away was moving faster than I thought, certainly over the speed limit. At the last second I decided to take my left-hand turn in front of this vehicle. It wasn¹t extremely close to being a collision but it was too close for comfort. The eastward car wasn¹t shy about honking at me. Of course it was my fault and even though I have a lot of experience of biking with auto traffic I am still learning. The whole situation would have been easy had I been driving a car. Today I drove our car about 20 ft to get it out of the garage where I washed and waxed it. It was a fantastic day to be outside. I then drove back into the garage. I hope this doesn¹t disqualify me!(Judge's note: "You're OK, Steve!" A couple days ago I realized that I would need to accompany my daughter on a Girl Scout campout a few miles east of Ashland. It was just scheduled for Oct. 27-28. How will I get there? How will Marlena get there? Ann could bring our gear in the car but getting there by bike would be a big trip, especially for Marlena. I¹ll have to think about this one!

MIKE DENEHY Introduction: Upon first hearing of this low-car diet, I thought: "I would love to--sounds like a great, fun challenge, but it is impossible. The first day of October I will be driving home from a wedding in St. Louis. I am already out of the game. But, wait, doesn't the Katy trail start near St. Louis?..." Upon looking at a map I realized that the St. Charles trailhead was only 7 miles away from my hotel in St. Peters. A window of opportunity opened and I realized that it was possible to make the commute back to Columbia by bicycle. Bring it on. On October 1st my wife left the hotel in St. Peters for Columbia with the car, as I began the trek back home on the trail. My original plan was to make a point of stopping at wineries and bars along the way. After further consideration, I realized that the 150 miles of trail wouldn't leave much time for sightseeing. I would allow myself a beer break in Augusta. I would not pass that opportunity. Keeping a steady pace around 16 miles an hour, I wasn't able to converse with other patrons on the trail besides a quick "hello" and "on your left". At my tuna and cracker stop in Tebbets, I met a self contained rider from Kansas, who was on a two week solo trip into Illinois. He gladly gave me some of his extra water (as there are so very few drinking fountains on the trail between St. Charles and N. Jefferson) and we exchanged stories and were on our way. It was a beautiful warm sunny day with a challenging headwind and the start of fall colors. Riding on the Katy Trail can be like running on a treadmill, there are times you don't feel like you are going anywhere at all. 11 hours after leaving St. Charles, I met a friend of at Cooper's landing and we rode the final stretch home to Columbia. An exciting start to a full month of biking. The rest of the week involved back and forth biking into town, and occasional stops at the grocery store. I can't forget the fabulous downtown Columbia Pub crawl, the fastest I have ever visited 10 different bars in Columbia. Week 1: Friday night was the opening night of Roctoberfest, the motorcycle rally at the Midway Expo center. I had been helping with promotions for the event for months and was very excited for the weekend's festivities. My friend Alison (who is also involved in the Low Car Diet) and her husband Daniel joined me for the dusk/night ride to the Expo Center. By taking back roads we were able to avoid the interstate route that the rest of the attendees traveled. Amazing sunset, followed by a rising full moon. Incredible. After watching the opening event of cage fighting/cage dancing activities, we set up camp in the field. The sounds of passing motorcycles kept us up for hours. The next morning we left early to make it back to Columbia. Daniel was running in the Run for Life Relay, and I promised my dog Riley that I would take her on the Dog Jog 5K. Both started at 9 am. We bid each other farewell and I met my wife Katie with Riley at the race right before the start. In her first 5k, Riley kept a great pace and we finished with a time of 19:36 - 3rd place, winning a gift certificate at Walt's and Tequila. Good dog! After a little recovery time, it was back to Roctoberfest to mingle with bikers of a different breed. After a night of wild entertainment, it was back to trying to sleep in a tent circled by motorcycles. Now that I am back at home on Sunday, I am glad to be off the bike and lounging on the couch for a little while, recouping for a new week of bike commuting about to begin... Week 2: Low Car Challenge? High Bike Opportunity! I feel lucky to have a month full of excuses to get back on my bike. Everytime, I need to go anywhere its another opportunity for fresh air, exercise and a feeling of relaxation. I will take advantage of this situation any time that I can! Commuting by bicycle is a great way to get in great physical shape. Biking your daily routes and special trips can be a tremendous kick start to a new level of fitness. Simply heading downtown to drop a package off at the post office, carrying groceries and cargo up steep hills home, and racing to catch the green light before it turns to red creates a strong level of biker strength. The Bike, Walk and Wheel week in Columbia is a great example of how healthy and social people in the community can be when they take the extra time to physically transport themselves around the town. My amazing wife Katie bikes to work most days of the week, and we also often travel to events in town by bicycle. It is a great chance for us to spend time together and we love not having to worry about finding a parking space (we are always able to park the bikes directly at our final location). Riley the super dog even got into the commuting spirit this week as we did a long run to the dog park. I really believe that she had more fun on the fast run to the dog park than she did when she was actually there! This week, my friend Nate Smith and I began the process of promoting by bicycle the upcoming cross country race (XCX cross country extreme) that we are co-race directors for. It is amazing how much faster it is dropping of brochures around the city of Columbia when you are able to get around quickly by bike. 5,000 brochures distributed by the end of next week. That is our challenge! I can honestly say that I can get anywhere in town in twice the time by bike than if I was in a car (although sometimes that can be quite a challenge). I do take extreme caution when I commute throughout the city. I really focus on getting eye contact from drivers at intersections before I make the decision to cross. I was transporting some Electric 6 concert posters for Mojos early this week in a kid trailer. Riding down some busier streets I noticed that I was given much more caution by the cars around me. Cars politely passed me widely and slowly and politely waved me ahead at intersections. The interaction between car drivers and bikers varies tremendously. There are times bikers are almost (and in some occasions actually are) run off the road and other situations where a honking car sports a passenger with a thumbs up of encouragement. The rule to remember is cars do much more damage to bikes than bikes do to them. Respect the same rules of the road as they do and do take caution. No epic Katy trail rides this week. No road races and long commutes. Simply multiple commutes daily. Normal life traveling by bike. What a great work out! Three Weeks In: Three weeks into the low-car diet. The temperature has dropped and there have been many rainy days. Times I have asked myself if should I pass up the opportunity to travel somewhere due to the time and physical discomfort involved. Being a self employed stay at home kind of guy, I was able to escape from the heavy rain, cold days in the early week. Only having to sport the rain jacket a couple of times. Cold weather and rain can really change the mood of a ride. The biggest obstacle of the low-car diet actually has been organizing with the schedules and responsibilities of those who interact with me on a regular basis. From telling my wife that I will meet her at a restaurant in 20 minutes (I tell her to give me a 10 minute head start), or telling friends that I will meet them at FearFest at the Midway exit (give me a 30 minute head start please) it takes proper planning to meet on time. Last minute commuting by bike, can be a solitary endeavor. Rewarding, but not always social. The Rockbridge Revenge Trail run was this last Saturday. The event is a 10k and 20k race through the wooded, hilly, muddy and rocky park. Really, one of my favorite events all year! I bundled up early in the morning and rode to the park. After chatting with some good friends and watching the start of the 20k, I decided that I had better visit the restroom before beginning the 10k event. Apparently, I was in there to long, because when I came out the race had already started and many of the runners were already way up into the single track in the woods. Yikes! I threw all my warm weather clothes in the direction of my bike and ran towards the pack. After plowing through trees and zig zaging through the groups of runners I finally caught the front group of runners. I am going to give credit to the month of hard bike riding that my legs never gave out and my lungs didn't explode by the end of the race. I finished a strong second place (first in age group). I am really happy about that! With daylight savings time less than a week away, its time to get those bike light batteries replaced and ready. Time to bundle up the layers of clothing and prepare for the cold weather ahead. One exhilarating week to go! Final Week The month of October counts down to a end. Soon this Halloween night will break into a November dawn. The Low Car Diet Challenge will be over. I will be able to leave town for distant locations! I will be able to buy more than a saddlebag full of groceries, and take the dogs to the park without running them thru neighborhoods and forests! ... The freedom! The speed! The convenience! Honestly, things won't change much when the clock turns to midnight tonight. I have long had a fondness of self powered commuting, and it is lifestyle choice that I enjoy experiencing. Sure, there will be many occasions that I will choose to take a car for practical reasons, but given the choice and opportunity I would much rather bike or run almost anywhere. It has been a rewarding month of bicycling, a really great time. The final week Haunting Halloween Bike Commuting! Thursday night my friend Alex and I biked out to Midway (amazingly enough my fourth trip out there in October) to visit the FearFest Haunted House. I do promotions for the event, and we had set up an after-hours photo shoot of the haunted house. In true halloween style the fog was thick and it rained on us the entire way there and back. Alex even took a side slide across the road, smashing off one of his headlights (his second whipe out of the week!) It was great fun, and a little disturbing getting to photograph the haunted houses and their twisted staff of monsters and victims. I imagine that we were one of the few who had biked from Columbia to the event. Saturday night was really one of the greatest bike events ever to happen in the world! The Bike Halloween Party! Bike in Movie, Bike Costume Parade around town and other goulish mayhem! A large group of costumed friends and I cruised the loop around downtown Columbia after dark. In true halloween parade fashion we threw candy to the unexpecting public and did whatever we could to get as much attention as possible! After the home football game there were many bar patrons that seemed to really enjoy our ridiculous antics! Who wouldn't enjoy seeing a legion of costumed night riders cruising down the street in front of you! After returning to the party we gathered around the bonfire and watched classic horror films (Halloween, and Evil Dead 2) on the outdoor movie theater area. This Saturday is the MidMo Brr ride. The next big costume bike ride for many riders of the event. Based off the Iowa BRR ride (which is another long legacy in itself) this ride goes from Flatbranch Park to Rocheport. There will be a few hundred people on the ride. I encourage all of you to come and enjoy a great social bike ride down the katy trail. Hope to see you there. Thanks for following the adventures of the Low-Car Diet. I hope that I have helped encourage/inspire some of you to commute by bike when the opportunity presents itself. As we say on RAGBRAI - Bottoms up and rubbersides down! Cheers - MikeD Click here for more pictures

ALISON HODGSON Who am I? I am 27, originally from Arkansas, came to Columbia for grad school for my hubby. We have been commuting to work/school by bike since we moved to Columbia five years ago. I have worked at MU since we moved here and now reside in the Psychology department where I work with two longitudinal studies on alcoholism....but only until my husband graduates. Then it's off to save the world...one photo at a time. I am a runner, member of CTC (Columbia Track Club) and participate in many local races along with my husband, Daniel. We have two dogs that enjoy going on long walks and chasing neighborhood cats out of our yard. I am an aspiring photojournalist, but my main goal in life is to do my part in leaving the world a better place than I found it. Week 1: The Beginning One month, no car, I’m in! I already commute to work everyday by bike and I’ve also started riding other places like church and the store so why not?! But wait! October, hmmm…I’ve got some weekends where I might need to go out of town for races or photo projects (I’m a photojournalism student), plus doesn’t it get really cold by the end of October?!.... so how will this work? Well, I’m just interested enough to find out…bring it on! Sunday, the first day of the challenge, and I realize I will need a decent headlight for my bike since the days of October will continue getting shorter…so off to CycleExtreme I go accompanied by my husband (also a bike commuter). We get what we need and ride home with a short stop at the local library. Great afternoon for a ride! Monday, just the normal ride to work as usual and ride home after lab. So far, so good. Tuesday morning I decide to join the 5:30am run group that meets at the Forum entrance to the MKT. My husband and I stopped going for a while, and previously we have always driven to meet the group since it’s pitch black at that time of the morning, and well, at 5 in the morning 10 extra minutes of sleep is often hard to bargain with. Well, my husband and I looked at a map and determined it was only 3 miles or so to the trail, so that shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes even if I’m half asleep and barely pedaling along. I left shortly after 5am and made it there in almost ten minutes, only slightly longer than driving. With no traffic to deal with I made it there earlier than usual, and in much better spirits. I was awake and refreshed and actually ready to run! Glad I purchased a good headlight…it was crucial on some of the back streets to get there! Wednesday…well, here we go… the first disaster of the week. I ride to work as usual and am planning to meet a classmate of mine, who is also my subject for a photo story, so I walk downtown to meet with him at Lakota. We have coffee and juice and plan to meet a little later so I can photograph him looking at a used car he might buy. I walk back to work and wait for his call so I will know when and where to meet him. It’s a short walk downtown so I grab my camera and take off. Everything is going well until he decides he wants to ride in the car to see how it runs. At first I was going to walk back to work, and continue my day as usual, but then I thought “hey, I could get some really cool back seat shots of him so why not?” And without thinking at all, (obviously) I hopped in and starting shooting. The thought never crossed my mind that I was about to violate one of the key rules of the challenge, even after I did it. I walked back to work and didn’t think anything of it until my ride home when I was reflecting on my day. WAIT…did I REALLY get in a car today….are you kidding me…is this how it will end?!! The fourth freakin’ day of the challenge and I voluntarily get in the back of a car…and not even to be transported anywhere!!! It wasn’t raining and I wasn’t going to pick up some groceries or even hitching a ride to Kansas City…nope, it was completely needless. So why did I do it?... I can only plead ignorance. I was so caught up in photographing I temporarily lost sight of the challenge I had agreed to. And after biking to work and walking around to get to the places I needed to go, I thought it was safe to let down my guard to the temptation of using a car. Now I know better. So I’m pleading with the judges to let me continue the challenge and not disqualify me for my temporary lapse of better judgement. To justify it with my own conscious I will be extending the challenge for four days, through November 4, just in time for the BRR ride (Bike Ride to Rocheport). And in the meantime, my husband has promised to keep me away from all motorized vehicles of any kind. Thursday and I’m still bummed about yesterday, but I try not to let it get me down. I have a nice ride to work and back home as usual. No rain to deal with so far. Yeah. Friday it starts to get more interesting. After work, my husband and I ride with our friend and fellow low car dieter Mike Denehy out to Midway to catch some action at Roctoberfest. I’m attempting to photograph Mike for another photo story, and cage fighting and bikers are bound to offer a rich environment for making photos. We left just before sunset so most of our riding was done by moonlight and the light of our headlights. It was a perfect night for riding…on the cool side and not too windy. The ride is around 7 miles and it took us a little less than an hour to navigate our way there. A few scary spots to ride on (Gillespie bridge for example) but no close encounters. We arrived feeling a little like outsiders, but no one seemed to mind that we rode in on trail and cross bikes instead of Harleys. After experiencing Roctoberfest we set up camp to try to get some sleep before the ride home. I was glad when Saturday morning finally arrived. After a night of little sleep and endless hours of trying to stay warm and ignore the revving engines of the Harleys that must have been circling our tents until 4am, I was more than ready to hop on my bike and ride home where a warm shower and meal awaited. We took down camp, loaded our gear and were on the road by 7am. If my legs weren’t too stiff from sleeping on the ground, we’d be home by 8am. The ride home seemed shorter, but much colder than last night. We made it back in time for Mike to make it to the dog jog 5k where he and his companion, Riley placed third overall, and my husband Daniel made it to the Physical Therapy 5k in time to walk it with some friends. Saturday evening after a long afternoon nap, we rode our bikes to church at Woodcrest Chapel. The Katy trail is beautiful this time of year, and we really enjoy our commute out to church. It’s starting to get dark by the time we leave, but with an almost full moon and our headlights, we have no problems navigating our way home on the trail and roads. A quiet ride home under the stars…what a nice ending to the day. Sunday after my morning run, I ride to my classmate’s place to follow him around for the day and take more photos of him for my photo story. It’s not far away so no big deal. I just pack up my gear and take off. I’m getting the hang of it now, and looking forward to the challenges that next week brings! I think there’s some rain in the forecast. Week 2: Looking back on the previous week, all I can remember is the cold wind and rain. I wish I had written more down because I know I had some nice rides also, but man, it was cold. Monday and Tuesday I was busy finishing my photo story so I stayed in the lab until almost dark both days. I'm still not a fan of riding at night (at least on busy roads with cars), but I feel much safer now with a decent headlight and tail light. I'm still looking for a waterproof reflective windbreaker ... I want all the visibility I can get! Wednesday I had volunteered to help out with a youth cross country meet at Stephens Park and I was planning to go there straight from work by bike. The afternoon came and it was still raining and the temperature had been steadily dropping all day so I decided to run there instead to avoid riding on such a busy road, plus I feel much safer avoiding cars on foot than on a bike. Wow, it was cold enough to be running in what felt like freezing rain, but standing in it timing the race was even worse! Kudos to the hard core kids who ran the race and also to the brave souls who helped keep the race going! After the race I ran back to work, and rode home in the cold drizzle. Saturday morning, not quite as cold, at least with all of my layers, rode to Stankowski to help with the Homecoming 5k. I’m a little sore from 2 hard days of running previously. Beautiful morning, sun comes out and warms up the day. Saturday night ride to church mostly on MKT (~6 miles). My husband realized he was without his headlight so I had to lead on the way home. We didn't feel completely safe or very visible on the road and the trail would have been even darker so at one point we got on the sidewalk for a bit on Forum. Shortly after I noticed my tire making a hissing noise which at first I thought was a leaf caught in the spoke. No, somehow my tire got punctured so we pulled off as soon as we could to check it out. Luckily there was a light nearby so we could see what we were doing. Staples?! That's what my husband pulled out of my tire. Lucky for me he was there with a spare tube and the knowledge of how to change a flat...because I had neither. I guess I would have walked my bike home had he not been there. Thank you, sweetie!! Sunday morning I wake up tired and a bit annoyed at this silly challenge. It's raining and I have to peddle my way back to church (we are volunteers on the camera team and have to be there for all services) and did I mention I'm tired! Ok, it won't be that bad. My husband offered to bring my clean clothes in the car he drove so I wouldn't have to bother waterproofing my bags. So I ride there wearing his windbreaker, which is way too big, but it's warm and has a hood and at this point I really don't care what I look like. In fact the more unrecognizable I am, the better. I start to warm up and even break a sweat. I’ve still got to climb the giant hill up Forum Blvd. towards Nifong and I’m already hot. I’m starting to rethink my clothing selection. Halfway up, I start to feel like I have on one of those metallic sweat suits that people used to exercise in. Yes, this jacket is not breathing well… and my hood is secured under my helmet…no time to stop to shed layers. I arrive there, nice and toasty, but just in time to meet my husband with my clothes. He loads my bike into the car and I hurry off to get cleaned up in time for the run through. After church it’s still raining, but it’s never as bad to ride home in the rain as it is to go somewhere. I drop my unwanted clothing in the car and ride home on the MKT. It was a nice and peaceful on the trail and not as dusty as last week. Nice ride, but I’m glad to make it home where my husband, dogs, and a warm shower awaited me. I racked up 24 miles for both of my round-trip commutes to church. Woo-hoo. Am I slowly becoming a true biker? Mental notes from 2nd week: Waterproof gear is very important, as are windproof gloves or mittens, broken beer bottles & staples are bad, car exhaust sucks to breathe, it’s possible to get around most of Columbia via bicycle with a little extra planning!! Week 3: More rain, more cold, lots of beautiful leaves October 16: Monday I wake up to a cold and rainy morning. Crap. Perhaps it will stop before I have to leave. I check the forecast. Nope. Ok, a little extra planning and I’ll be fine. Mondays I usually take the day off from running so even after sleeping in until 6:30 I had plenty of time to get my clothes and gear packed and rain-proofed…which for me means covered with a blue recycling bag to block the rain. High-tech, I know, but it’s worked so far. At least I don’t need to lug my camera with me today. That takes up an entire grocery-bag pannier all by itself. Today I’m all about packing as lightly as possible. I bring extra dry clothes to change into and my lunch as usual. Off I go. Ok, so I made a very bad choice in clothing yet again. Only minutes after leaving I realize my pants are not repelling water at all, but are instead soaking up every drop of water that falls…and getting heavier by the minute while sticking to my legs. Not much fun at all. And I wore my glasses today as advised by my husband hoping they would keep rain from getting in my eyes. No such luck. It came from above and every other direction so my eyes were as wet as my glasses. I followed the car lights ahead of me to make my way to campus and work. At least my upper body has remained fairly warm and dry. Get to work and peel off my wet clothes. Ahhh….at last some dry clothes. Off to class. Monday afternoon, after many failed attempts, a photographer from Mizzou Weekly wants to shoot me for a story they are doing about the Low Car Diet Challenge and promoting more active travel around campus and the community. It’s still raining, and as I’m getting ready to leave realize my pants are still a bit damp and my shoes are still soaked from the morning commute. Oh, well. I’m going home so no worries. I put on my windbreaker and try to use my hood in a way that will allow me to remain anonymous for the picture. As mentioned previously, no one looks hot in a helmet and my picture will be proof of that, I’m sure. October 17: Tuesday is a new day and one with no rain in the forecast…yea! 5am I’m up and ready to bike out to Forum to join the early run group again. Great ride. Riding without cars around is so much more enjoyable! Hard tempo-paced run and met Simon (LC Dieter) after the cool-down. After sharing some stories and words of wisdom it’s time to ride home. My legs are feeling pretty trashed from the run so it’s slow going for a while…at least through the first major climb. It’s still dark, but I’m armed with a tail light, blinking headlight, and fluorescent green windbreaker. Oh, yeah. Make it home, shower, eat, pack my lunch and work clothes, and head off to work. My legs are a bit recovered now so I can keep a decent pace. October 18: Wednesday, more rain. Constant rain. All day. Unfortunately I have to make a trek across campus with my camera to make some portraits. I remember to steer clear of my fashionable pants that appear to be water-repellant and opt for some others that are by no means a fashion statement of any kind. Black, military-looking, and very baggy. Nice. I miss feeling girly and wearing cute clothes, but functionality has become of utmost importance lately and I choose comfort over fashion. Not that I’m used to riding in fashionable clothes, but options are even more limited when it’s cold and raining. Wednesday afternoon I have my first near collision of the challenge. Fortunately it was not with a vehicle, but instead with a squirrel, that obviously had a death wish. I saw the squirrel running around a yard and eyeing the street so I sped up to pass in time to avoid the squirrel and let him cross the street in peace. But as I sped up, he did the same now coming diagonally across the street directly towards my front tire. (I’m assuming he was a he as no female would likely attempt such a stunt.) I scream and wait for the inevitable as I’m afraid to either brake or speed up at this point. What is he doing? Is there a prize acorn stuck in my wheel? Is he bored with life as a squirrel and hoping to find a better place? I’m still not sure but he did escape the wrath of my bicycle wheel, but just by a hair. Crazy squirrel. What a scare. October 19: Thursday morning back to join the 5:30am running group. Workout is a fartlek run consisting of 5- half mile repeats on the trail with a warm-up and cool-down. The ride home will be slow today. It’s still early and dark when I leave and I pray that people are awake and alert enough to see me and my blinking lights. (More bike lanes would really be nice. :-) Home to get ready for work as usual, then off I go. Thursday after work I talk my husband into riding downtown to meet me at Flat Branch for dinner and a sampling of the delicious Strawberry Lager I’ve been meaning to try. And hey, we’re both on bikes so no designated driver necessary…just another example of the benefits of riding vs. driving. He meets me at my office and we walk there together. (Daniel just finished his finals last week and will be leaving for a clinical in Springfield this coming weekend so we also wanted to have a fun dinner out before he left.) Good decision. By the time we were done most of the traffic had cleared out. Wonderful ride home. It’s so much nicer to ride with someone. It forces me to slow down and take in my surroundings. I’m really enjoying my commutes with all of the beautiful fall colors. This is my favorite time of the year. October 20: Friday night I feel like some adventure so I talk my husband into riding with me to the mall. Oh my. On a Friday night this is sure to be interesting. We navigate the back roads and cross Stadium at the stoplight on Ash. (Side note: Be prepared to peddle fast at that light as it is very short. We were second or third in line and by the time we took off it was turning yellow.) We make it there and I pick up a few needed things at Target, keeping in my mind the limited size of the bag I am carrying. Ok, one box of cereal will do. (And cereal is my most cherished food so I usually stock up.) Meet up with my hubby, who has since gotten bored of my bargain shopping and made his way to Barnes & Noble. Since neither of us are big shoppers, we are tired at this point and ready to head home. We load our stuff and take off. October 21: Saturday morning I meet up with a group of runners downtown at 6am. I leave the house about 5:50, which is cutting it close, but by peddling fast I make it there as the others are arriving. I lock my bike to a parking meter (where exactly are the bike racks downtown?) and we take off. Great run. A beautiful sunrise makes getting up at 5:20 on a Saturday morning totally worth it. We see early rising tailgaters and people getting set-up for the Homecoming Parade as we finish our run. My friend buys me a bagel for the ride home (as I have no place to lock up a wallet.) Make it home and talk my husband into returning downtown with me to watch some of the parade. We’ve been in Columbia for five years and have yet to attend one, so we figured it was time. Lots of candy and adorable kids. Fun time. We rode home as the sky was starting to become cloudy and dark. The rest of the day I stayed inside to remain warm and dry as the rain came in. October 22: Sunday morning my husband and I ride to Rock Bridge State Park for the Rock Bridge Revenge 10k/20k race. I’m once again following Mike D. (LC Dieter) so I can take some photos of him for my story. He’s running the 10k. No way am I doing the race today. I’m happy I made it there without my toes or fingers falling off. Man alive, the wind was cutting right through my two layers of socks as well as my mittens/pair of socks combo. My husband has an injured toe and decides he should ride back home to ensure it actually doesn’t fall off. The sun comes out and starts to warm things up after a while. I enjoy chatting with others while Mike is out on the course running through the mud and water. After the race we socialize some more, grab some grub, and wait for Mike to receive his plaque before riding home. It’s a beautiful ride home, even though it’s still chilly. Make it home in time to enjoy a walk with my husband and dogs, and to see him off for his trip to Springfield. Bummer. I’m really going to miss him. At least he’ll be back on the weekends. (I think I’ll make him ride with me all weekend to make up for his long commute to Springfield.) After he leaves I go over the pictures I’ve taken and decide which ones will work for my assignment that is due tomorrow. I find some good ones, grab a snack and head off to the j-school photo lab to make my prints. I’ve figured out how to transport my gear now, so it doesn’t take me as long to pack. It’s sort of misty out. The lab is quieter than during the week and a printer is open so hopefully this won’t take long. I get all of my prints done, take them next door to my office at work (so I don’t have to transport them home and back again) and ride home. It’s starting to get dark, but very few cars are on the road. Lately cars have been annoying me more than usual. I’m not sure if it’s because of how many of them there are or how inconvenient they make my commutes, but imagine it’s both. I’ve always been amazed at how many enormous SUV’s you see with only one person in the car. My goodness folks, if just some of you car-pooled life would be so much better! And not that I don’t drive. I have a car and will go back to driving, though minimally, once the challenge is over. My husband and I have tried to figure out a way to go without a car, but it wouldn’t be practical since our family is in Arkansas and we have 2 dogs to transport. But as soon as we can afford to, we are investing in an eco-friendlier car. (We’re keeping our fingers crossed for some awesome and more affordable fuel cell technology!) Ready for next week. 9 days left, 13 for me. I can feel my legs getting stronger. Oh yeah. Week 4: The Home Stretch This week included a ridiculous amount of rain and many trips to the store. October 23- Monday is another typical commuting day with an additional trek to my house and back to work. I found out in class that we need our cameras for lab this afternoon so I run home early afternoon to fetch it. I postponed the trip until after lunch to avoid traffic so I made the round-trip in just under 25 minutes. I even had time to let the dogs out and grab a quick snack before heading back. Just for fun I timed the ride back, 9 minutes on the dot. That’s got to be a near record for me…(and thanks to the LCDC no doubt!) October 24- Tuesday morning 5:10am ride to the Forum trailhead to meet the morning run group. 26 degrees. Brrr. Cold and dark, yes, but also exhilarating. Nice hilly run then rode home in the quiet peacefulness of a fall morning. October 25- Wednesday short run on the MKT trail and normal bike commute as usual. (A bird actually pooped on my nose while running on the trail…I wasn’t commuting, but I thought it was funny enough to mention.) It’s raining for the ride home. October 26- Thursday another rainy morning so I sleep in instead of running. I’m not a fan of riding in the rain in the dark (which I would need to do to meet the group) or running in the dark by myself. So I opt for more sleep. And I’ve started to notice how many clothes are accumulating at my office! Sweaters, running shoes, boots, sweatshirts…all things that I’ve shed and not had room to carry back home. It’s like my second closet. October 27- Friday it’s still raining! I’m getting used to riding in the rain by this point, though. I know the routine. But today after getting all of my stuff ready and attempting to leave my garage door stops working. It gets stuck halfway down where I can’t push it either way. I call my husband who is in Springfield for advice, but no luck; he is already at work. I attempt many times to use the handle to pull it up or down manually, but every time I do it looks like it’s about to come crashing down on my car. Darn it. I contemplate calling in work and taking a personal day because I’m a bit flustered by this point…it’s raining, I’m cold and wet and running late, and I can’t leave the garage open all day…someone could easily snatch my hubbies bikes or my awesome push mower. Ahh, yes, I’ll call my dad in Arkansas. He’s retired so there’s a good chance he’s at home. Reliable as alway