Post archive for ‘Getting around’

Who needs an SUV when you can have a Prius?

How often have you heard someone say “Well, I need room to haul stuff…” when contemplating a new car purchase? This mythical “stuff” becomes the rationalization for buying an SUV or station wagon with enough room to haul around large objects. People poo-poo the Prius or similar sized cars as not having enough room for [...]

Re-evaluating True Cost of Ownership

Gas, as we know, is becoming ridiculously expensive. Add that to what we now know about global warming and we see many people clamoring to ditch their old cars to buy new hybids. I know I sure did it, trading my Mazda 3 hatchback in for a Prius last year when my Mazda lease ran [...]

Bike n’ Bark: dogs + bikes = awesome

I’ve been lucky over the years to work for companies and in offices that allow me to bring my dog to work. Portland is definitely a dog-oriented town and having pooches in the office seems like a right and not a perk for many people. At past jobs, I knew things were really going downhill [...]

Bike Drive Walk: Getting from there to here

In the last week I’ve driven my car 53 miles, ridden my bike 31 miles, and walked roughly 10 miles. I drove to work once, to Lake Oswego for a meeting, to Powell Butte for a hike, and to Hillsboro for softball games. That’s a lot more driving than I usually do, so I’ll have [...]

The wheels on my bike go ’round and ’round

I used to be a bus commuter. It was better than trying to drive to work in bumper-to-bumper traffic then have to pay for parking, and at least I could read while I sat (or stood) in a cramped bus. Depending on where I worked at the time, my commute took from 30 – 60 [...]

Where’s your head at?

I was just reading and article on the BTA Blog about updating your old, tired out helmet, which reminded me that I should change out my own helmet even though it’s barely more than a year old.
I bought a new helmet last winter because my previous one reached the three year mark, the age at [...]

Bike Thief

The pop/synth band Freezepop has a catchy little tune about casual bike thieving that I’ve always found entertaining. But as “they” say, it’s all fun and games until someone loses and eye, or until someone steals your bike. I’ve been the target of theft a couple of times over the years, mostly related to a [...]