the best bus ride ever

Possibly the best bus ride ever on Friday afternoon.

It did start off badly when I arrived and all the bike slots were taken...

...so I had to wait half an hour for the next bus.

A few stops into the ride, a man, he could have been as young as me or in his 50's - hard to tell, got on. The nametag on his blue workcoat said "Dalton" in cursive script. Definitely a blue collar worker, but very tucked and pressed. Heavy khaki work shirt under the monogrammed blue jacket. The shirt was tucked neatly into black Dickie work pants, and he had black, lace-up work boots on. He sat on the same bench as me, with an empty seat between us. He had good posture and he wore black sunglasses. Had this been a movie, Denzel Washington could have played this guy. A lady got on shortly afterwards. If Dalton was Denzel, this lady was straight from "Flashdance." Feathered hair. Half-finger, knitted mittens. She was in her late fifties, maybe younger 'cause she looked like a smoker, and she sat directly across from Dalton. She was carrying a large, brown, fake leather purse with lots of buckles and what looked like a broom handle that looked like it had been broken off about 3/4 of the way down. The tip was very sharp looking. As the bus crawled up Highway 17, the setting sun illuminated the entire cab of the bus, basically blinding all of us. Dalton, without saying a word, took off his sunglasses, and handed them across the aisle to Flashdance. She took them, without saying a word, and put them on. Then they started talking. Good job, Dalton...if you're into Flashdance.

A blind lady got on with her caretaker and reminded me to appreciate what I have, and that we only go around once. Make the most of it.

Another lady, with a spendy looking handbag and black wool overcoat who wouldn't lean back into the seat, asked me "Is that your bike out there?" When I said "yes" she said "What kind of shifters does it have?" as she squinted, like she was trying to see through the glare and figure it out. I said "None. It's a single speed." I think that confused her. When I got off the bus I followed one of my rules of bus-riding: to always say goodbye to people you talk to. So I acknowledged her before I got off in Felton.

I climbed the four hilly sections to Adria's house. That's a big deal because she lives way uphill and last week when I was feeling strong, I made it up all the hills on my single-speed with two full panniers. So that set the new standard and I didn't want to blow it today. About halfway up I was doing track-stands at the top of each stroke, my throat was fully constricted, and my forearms were on fire. But I made it.

When I got to the mountain house, Greta took me for a walk to the cemetery down the road. I noticed that these two graves look very different:

Greta ran around the open space the entire time.

Ray LaHood doesn't get it

This week I've been researching trends in the transportation industry for an upcoming contract negotiation, and I ran across an interesting statistic (esp. interesting and inspiring from a bicycle commuter's perspective): the U.S. is in the middle of a trend that we have never seen: total vehicle miles driven is declining! Something like 2% since December.

Then I ran across this letter from Ray LaHood, the United States' newly appointed Transportation Secretary.

115 billion miles not driven since December! That's a lot of miles not driven. That's 4.6 million trips around the globe (in only three months). That's a lot of greenhouse gases not released into the atmosphere. That's a lot of money not given to foreign, oil-producing countries.

Then, I was talking with Adria during her morning commute and she mentioned that she has noticed less congestion on the roads lately when going through Silicon Valley, likely due to recent layoffs.

Now, I'm not a total idiot. I get it that it's the economy. And I am sympathetic to those who have lost their jobs (a few of these people are my friends). But for the U.S. Transportation Seceretary to suggest that we take our stimulus payment (part of Obama's recovery plan - is this for real, by the way?) and:

dump it into our gas tank
so we can sit in our cars
probably alone
to get across town
or to another town
to go to the mall
and ride the escalators
and walk around under fake lighting
and buy stuff we probably don't need
and sit in traffic on the way home
probably alone

just doesn't make sense to me.

So here's my suggestion for how to spend your stimulus payment: buy a bike from your local bike shop. Challenge yourself to replace a couple of car-dependent trips per week with your bike. Explore your neighborhood. Drive halfway to work and bike the rest. Be a "hunter/gatherer" on your bike - ride your bike to the grocery store (or farmer's market!) and bring your dinner home on your bike. It will satisfy the caveman in you, and it's close to the the best feeling ever.

And if you do end up going to the mall...at least carpool.

Guess who's going to New Zealand for three weeks?

Me!
Adria and I are going to play bikes on the south island.
She leaves this Saturday, I meet up with her on the 24th.


Here's the pack list she put together. (She's on her game):
*****************************************************************************************
New Zealand Cycling Trip 2009 Pack List
(If only one person is bringing a particular item for the whole group, their name is noted next to the item in parentheses.)

Gear
• Cycling helmet • Camel Back • Handlebar bag• Panniers • Dry Bag (for sleeping bag/pad)• Water Bottle(s)
On-the-bike Clothing
• Bright Orange Cycling Vests (Adria has 2)• Road ID band• Touring shoes • Cycling gloves • Cycling shorts (2 pair) • Socks — wool or synthetic (2 pair) • Short-sleeved shirts – Breathable/quick-drying (2 pair) **you could wear off bike too • Light, long-sleeved shirt for layering and sun protection (could work for off bike, too) • Rain gear, jacket and pants Long underwear, top and bottom (wool or thinsulate)
Off-the-Bike Clothing
• Comfortable shorts (1)• Swim trunks (also could be worn as pair of shorts) • Comfortable pants (1) (zip-off legs or quick-dry, non-wrinkle pants) NO jeans
• Underwear (2 pair) • T-shirt (1 or 2) • Flip-flops • Running Shoes (light weight hikers)• Wool or fleece hat • fleece or down jacket (mid-weight layer) **Windstopper Fleece is best! • Gloves — wool or fleece (lightweight) **I brought my black/yellow cotton ones• Sun Hat
Miscellaneous
• Passport (and a photocopy of passport and birth cert) • Toiletries (w/ extra contacts) • Towel (lightweight to enhance quick drying, like the PackTowl) • Leatherman (pliers and other tools are handy) (Adria) • Lightweight lock and cable (Adria) • Journal/reading book• Maps / guidebook (Adria)• Basic first-aid kit with emergency numbers (Adria) • Bandannas (2) • Sunglasses w/ case (sunglasses leash optional) • Headlamp • Sewing kit (Adria)• Laundry Detergent (Adria) • Sunblock • Bungie cords (2) • Camera and batteries / battery charger • Stuff sacks • Zip lock bags• Electricity converter (Dad) Bike Computer • GPS (Clay)• Farkle Game (Clay) Deck of Cards (Adria) •
Tools and Spare Parts
• Tire levers/patch kit (Adria) • Spare tube • Mini-pump (Dad) • Spoke wrench (optional) • Spare spokes sized for your bike’s wheels (optional) • Good Multi-tool for chain, allen wrenches, and screwdrivers (Dad) • Extra nuts, bolts, and wire (particularly for racks) optional • Bailing wire / Assorted plastic zip ties (Adria) • Small chain lube and rag (Adria) • Bicycle light, Front/Rear (Headlamp works for front) • Rearview mirror (optional) • Duct tape (invaluable – you can wrap some around a broken pencil to save weight)
Camping
Sleeping bag (Compression stuff sack helps to reduce bulk) Sleeping pad Tent (Lightweight, with rainfly and vestibules.) (Adria) Ground cloth (Adria) Swiss Army Knife (Adria) Personal eating utensils-fork, spoon, coffee mug, bowl (Adria) *I have enough for two! J Stove (A small backpacking stove with fuel) (Adria) *purchase fuel over there Cooking equipment and lighter (Adria)

I am not a nugget

Seen on a bike rack I was hitched up to today (downtown Santa Cruz):

"oh, my butt!!"

I carry a little memo pad with me all the time that I write stuff down in that I want to remember. A lot of what I write down is funny or inspiring things that people say.

After my recent trip to Texas, I was looking over the stuff I wrote down during my visit with my brother, Garrett, and his wife, Denise, in Houston. They have three kids - Mason, Madison, and Mitchell. The funniest thing I heard came from Mitchell. He's nearly five years old and really smart. At one point he was playing with Adria on the living room floor while I sat in a barstool with my back to them, visiting with Garrett and Denise. All I heard was "OH, MY BUTT!!" I turned around in time to see Mitchell running towards the stairs, in his socked feet, being careful not to slide out as he crossed from the carpet to the tile to make the turn to the stairs. Adria and I looked at each other and cracked up. My brother just shook his head. We're still not sure if he had to poop and was running for the toilet, or if he gave himself a wedgie and ran from the room to fix it. Here's a picture of his butt:

This is me pushing Mitchell to jump from the swing and trying get him to fly across the line in the sand. He didn't make it, and proceeded to re-draw a line in the sand closer to the swing. He made that one. He's a little daredevil.Me and Denise:

Mason, Mitchell's little brother, and the cutest seven-month-old on the planet:

Family portrait on the stairs:

Garrett killed it in the kitchen during our visit. For lunch one day, he made grilled cedar-plank salmon with red potatoes and asparagus. Our last evening he busted out with the following dessert: grilled bananas stuffed with fresh raspberries and a dark rum-caramel sauce, served with ice cream. Good job, G!

Me, Adria, and Mitchell at the park, just before the duck-feeding.After a few days, we left Houston and drove to San Antonio to visit Dad and JoAnn. Between Houston and San Antonio, Adria exclaimed at least four times: "We're in Texas!" We went to the Alamo on Feb. 23, which happens to be the anniversary of the first day of the attack on the Alamo by the Mexicans back in 1863. Here's a picture of me and Adria and JoAnn and Dad in front of the Alamo.

We hung out at the Rusty Bucket, a piece of land that my folks are working on. Adria was stoked because she got to drive a tractor. "Next time," she said when we were leaving, "I want to do some real work with that tractor."

That night we slept in a loft in the barn:

"No farting on the bus."

A recent and wonderful life event has allowed me to explore another means of alternative transportation - the city bus. I now commute at least a few times a week, either one way or round-trip, between Santa Cruz and the mountain-town of Felton.

The bus is its own world. There are regulars on each route - both drivers and passengers. Here's what I've noticed so far about my bus-world:

1. Bus drivers are generally happy.
2. Bus riders help each other out. One lady needed change and four riders scrambled to make change for her so she could ride.
3. People like to sit in the same seats.
4. It's not unusual to smell body odor, cough drops, and marijuana on fellow passengers.
5. I like looking at all the different shoes people wear.
6. Buses are never early. This is good for me, because I tend to always be early for everything, so I will test myself and see how late I can (comfortably) arrive and still catch it.

I dig it 'cause for a dollar fifty, someone drives me where I need to go, and during the drive I can do whatever I want - read a book, write, watch traffic, look out the window at the city or the redwood trees, talk to strangers, and watch people.

One of the regulars I enjoy watching is a teenager with Down's Sydrome. He's high-functioning, pimple-faced, and smiles all the time. I think his name is Chris. Today he and I sat next to each other on the bench before boarding. Another regular walked by and Chris jumped up and extended his closed hand for a fist bump with the guy. The guy, beaming when he saw Chris' extended hand and big smile, said, "Hey, man, what's going on?" Chris said something in reply and the guy came back with "Another day another dollar, huh?" Chris didn't really get it but kept it alive with, "Yeah, yeah, another day another daughter." The guy started to correct him by saying, "No, Chris, "dollar""....but then stopped about halfway through.

After we boarded, the bus stopped in downtown Santa Cruz, in front of Trader Joe's. An old man, about five feet tall with tan, wrinkled skin and good posture boarded and sat next to me. As he sat, he greeted me in a French accent with, "Hello, young man." He was wearing a blazer, SAS shoes, a beret, and large glasses with rose colored lenses. He told me two jokes in the block-and-a-half that we rode together. I didn't know the punchline to either of them. As he pulled the stop-cord to tell the driver he wanted the bus to stop, he looked over his shoulder at me and said, "How do you entertain your girlfriend if you don't know good riddles?" Oh, if he only knew....

He was replaced with a middle-aged ex-hippie looking man with a large, unkept white moustache who sat next to Chris. They obviously knew each other from the bus from the way they were interacting. The ex-hippie guy was joking with Chris and said, "Hey, Chris, no farting on the bus!". Chris immediately replied with, "Too late!!" We all laughed (except the young girl in the pea coat reading Marie Claire magazine).