Week in Review

I've been watching the snow melt and switching up bikes accordingly, from my studded tired, 26", singlespeed,  fendered Bianchi, to my fenderless, moustache bar, comfy, cruisy, lugged steel Trek touring bike, to the trusty tried and true Vaya with full fenders and rack. 

Some days I've pulled Copper to work with me; some days have been to slick for her little Tail Wagon to seem like a safe enough option for my four legged pal.  This time of year in Omaha you really don't know what the week will bring and it's been a lot of fun for me to switch between these 3 different rides.

This week was full of riding all over town, giving out of towners a fun little tour of our fair city via bicycle (which is my favorite way to go), running errands, and of course commuting to work.  I think all of this time on the bike is probably why I have so many gemmy bike related comments and/or incidents to relate to you this week.

#1) Two of us riding west-bound on Leavenworth at almost 42nd St.  Stopped at light. Positioned in the far right lane.  Driver of boring gray Plymouth sedan turning east-bound onto Leavenworth from 42nd St. in camouflage (I think it was an army uniform quite frankly) started honking while turning.  We turned to look at who was honking and saw this middle-aged gentleman, looking at us, with arm extended, flying the bird.  Yup.  We were 4 lanes apart and he still felt the need to honk and flip us off.  Thanks for perpetuating the stereotype guy.  You did it.  Way to go.

#2) Riding the Benson route about to turn west-bound on Hamilton off of about 36th St. with a group of about 5 of us.  We felt bad ass.  Kinda like kids.  Kinda like a bike gang of awesomeness.  Anyway, we were turning onto Hamilton and a lady driving east-bound on Hamilton stopped to let us turn (unnecessarily) and rolled down her window as we passed her.  Bracing ourselves for something like, "get on the sidewalk!", we were happily surprised when she shouted enthusiastically, "you guys make me want to get out on my bike!"  Man what a nice thing to hear!!  Particularly when you are expecting something less cordial.

#3) 3 new Bicycle Friendly Destinations were confirmed!  Scout in Dundee, Curbside Clothing in the Old Market, and Aroma's/Bliss Bakery also in the Market.  Thanks all!!!!

#4) Ladies Ride!  Proud of my girls for getting out there with me this mornin.  Purdy nice day for the middle of December! 

#5) Christmas tree hauling!  Big Dummy Style.  Not much that we've found that that bike (coupled with Vince's crazy pedaling power) can't carry! We had several different cars slow waaaay down and check out what the heck we were doing.  One set of ladies in their front yard hollered incredulously, "Is that your Christmas tree?!?!"  "Yeah, it sure is," we replied in unison.  They started clapping and cheering.  What fun. 

#6) Beautiful views.  I love sunset on our City's skyline.

That was my fun week.  One last thing: I have had quite a few nice comments about my little blog lately.  It's the random folks that I don't know that follow "Girl Commute" who make me really want to keep it better updated.  So, this post's for you.  Keep riding!  Let me know if you have a fun story that I can share here.

That's all...

Created by: Healthcare Management Degree

It's Finally Winter!

And that's a good thing. Not that I ever get sick of the Vaya, but it is always fun to switch to a new daily 'driver'.  You may or may not remember my snow commuter, Bobby Bianchi, but he's back and better than ever!  I seriously love that bike. I've hijacked someone else's computer to create this post so I don't have a picture handy.  But trust me, there will be some coming soon.

I know a few posts ago I talked about the crunch and crispness of the autumn.  Now, with everything blanketed by an insulating layer of snowflakes, my commute (at night particularly) has significantly quieted down.  The snow started falling last Saturday, the 3rd of December, midday.  I know because we had Greensprints that night and everyone was freaking out about how sketchy the roads were.  Now, it's late Thursday night and the snow has returned.  I love snow!!  And, the gear that allows me to get out into the elements and safely enjoy them really makes it all doable.  Honestly, without studded tires and fenders and layers and gloves and goggles and a balaclava and and and...  The list could continue ad infinitum but I've built my collection over many years of bit by bit justification.  Do I truly need a winter helmet when my perfectly capable normal helmet + hat combo has done me well for so many prior seasons of winter riding? No. But does it make it that much more fun? Yes!

I think that's the key with riding in the winter and snow and ice: keep it fun!  Otherwise, it's hard to talk yourself into doing it.  You will, however, realize that it's all worth while when you glide steathily by a neighbor who's either scraping his car off or having trouble getting it to start.   Oh, the simple joys of life on a bicycle. 

Anyway, too many words; too few pictures!  Over and out!! 

The annual winter Bikes De'Lights Ride is almost upon us!  Friday, December 9th, meet and roll out from Blanc by 7pm.  Grab your bike, some lights, and a buddy and come join us out there for some holiday cheer.

SJ

Fun Fall Riding!

colorful corner

purdy

my favorite graffiti to date

Fall, particularly this fall, is fantastic for riding.  The colors are amazing and the cooler temps allow you to arrive at your destination without working up a sweat.  Here are just a few quick shots of some of those fun colors.

Then, not exactly commuting specifically, but bike fun nonetheless: Arkansas singletrack!!!  We also stopped at Landahl  outside of K.C. Missouri and hit up some sweet rocky trails there too.  What fun!

Well That was a First

Today on the ride into work, Vince, Copper and I encountered an interesting situation.  This sweet lil old lady pulled up (sort of hesitantly) next to us in her nondescript, beige sedan and rolled down her window.  We started to cringe, anticipating a weird quasi-bitch out from grandma, but instead we were pleasantly surprised with the exchange which ensued.  She was wondering what she was supposed to do when she encountered cyclists on the road.  I was barely able to respond, I was so blown away by her kind gesture. 

Beginning with a sincere, "First of all, thank you SO much for even caring!" I continued to explain, "The best thing you can do when you see a cyclist on the road is to treat them like any other vehicle.  Stop behind us; give us space when passing; just act normally!" 

She was kind of stuttering something about how she never knew what to do when she saw bikes in the road and was glad to find out.  Then she explained that she was in her daughter's car (as if that somehow made a difference).  Clearly stressed/thankful she lingered a bit too long and when the light turned green she was still stuttering/thanking us. The Creighton van behind her honked and we started to roll off.  We thanked her once again for caring and she hollered, "I'm going to go real fast around you guys now! Thanks!"

Oh boy.

Kind of a funny commute-warming experience that I wanted to
share.



  Here's a photo I couldn't help but snap the other night.  Holy hell, how did this seem like a good idea?

At least they're sweet paint job won't get scratched up with that handy towel.  Eegad.

Audible Autumn

 

hey look, a leaf!

I love riding this time of year!  The lack of humidity in the cooler air is definitely one of my favorite aspects of the changing season (although it was about 70 degrees on the ride in this morning), but what I've really been aware of recently is the new sounds of my daily commute.  It's the rustling of leaves that I've just now started noticing on each ride around town.  Particularly today and yesterday with the crazy gusting winds, I've been amazed at how much louder the streets are.  In a good way.  Mini whirlwinds of yellow leaves blowing through the gutters, the crunching of them underneath my tires.  I have always loved this time of year because of the temps and colors but this is the first time that I've appreciated the aural side of the season.

Once I began thinking about sounds of the seasons, the transition to the snowy wintry conditions came to mind and take the opposite turn from crispy crunch and create a soft blanket of silence over the roads.  This may be part of why I find riding in the season so peaceful. Snow will be here before we know it!

the cruise down Burt just east of 33rd

I was trying to take a pic of Copper but somehow failed...

colors of the season!

and more random branches

 

Ok, this picture deserves more than just a small caption.  We were riding down Burt on the way to work today and all I caught was this, but these two fine folks were maybe locked out of their vehicle or something. I wiiiiish I'd have gotten the gal on the right in the picture better.  She had a priceless back tattoo hanging out openly from her tiny t-shirt that said, "candy shop".  Holy shit. 

new paint on 16th st.

our destination!

It's Nice Out!!!

That's all.  Ride yer bike. 

Annnnd, some random photos...

Commuted in on the sweet new (to us) tandem

Hey Natalie!

Back on the Bob Bridge

Vince's and his dash board hula girl

Transportation Meeting Recap

 First of all, in case you missed it, check out the video:

Transportation Master Plan Public Meeting Video

It felt like the most important group ride I had ever led.  No offense to my weekly Saturday Ladies Riders, but on Thursday night the group of several concerned citizens that rode from Downtown Omaha to this big public meeting really made me feel proud to be an Omahan.  Now this may sound like a bit more emotion than I usually put into my posts, but for some reason I really was moved by the turnout (for both the ride and then later the meeting itself) and then sense of purpose that was felt throughout the group.  We even closed the shop early to give all of us the opportunity to attend; I'm glad we did.

As we pedaled by Greenstreet and then past the parking lot just to the west, we even turned down a FREE BEER offered to us by some Nighthawk tailgaters.  "Free beer for any cyclists!" was happily screamed at our group as we pedaled by. That should give you a pretty good idea of the severity of our mission.  We continued up the Benson route to connect with another group that we'd arranged to meet at Metcalfe Park.  There were about 6 more cyclists there that we tacked on to the back of our citizen train and we continued south-bound along Happy Hollow across Dodge, and through Elmwood to UNO's Scott Conference Center.

We rolled up with our group of about 20 cyclists and wheeled our bikes right inside, where indoor parking was available for us.  As we all signed in and found tables to sit at, it started to set in: this is an important night.  Many different groups worked pretty hard to get attendance up for this night and I'm happy to report, the turnout definitely exceeded expectations.  Mode Shift Omaha, Omaha Bikes, Omaha's Planning Department, and many others were an integral part of making the night what it was.  So a big thanks is in order to all of you. 

I could go on and on about all of the comments and conversations that were had that night, but two things in particular made me smile: 1) "I'm here because of you, Sarah" and 2) "I didn't know Omaha had this many cyclists!"    Good stuff.

One more link to KETV's coverage of the event:  here!

Over and out for now...time to close down the shop and enjoy an IPA.

Cheers,

SJ