I'd like to give a HUGE shout-out to my friends behind A Most Civilized Conveyance. Katie, Dave and their son Jasper are a car-free family living in Portland, OR. They recently adventured to Tacoma with their bikes via Amtrak and have an inspiring story to tell about the joys and perils of traveling.
I could say "traveling with small children" or "traveling by bicycle" or "traveling in the Pacific Northwest in March," but travel under any circumstances involves planning, flexibility, and a bit of blind faith. In then end it's not always about where you go, but how you get there, and even how you got back from where you went.
I'm certainly inspired to attempt a similar trip with my own family thanks to Katie and Dave.
Showing posts with label car-free. Show all posts
Showing posts with label car-free. Show all posts
04 April 2010
17 December 2009
Would you, could you, with a bike?
I've read stories about bike moves in Portland and Minneapolis, where armadas of cargonistas move a family of four and their worldly possessions across town in a day. And Sam in Bozeman proved that even solo bike moves were possible. So when Evan asked to borrow our Madsen and maybe a trailer so that he could move all of his stuff to a new condo, I jumped at the opportunity to help with, what I think may be, Tacoma's first bike move.
The most awkward piece was the mattress. I went along to help with loading and traffic flagging, but mostly to rubber-neck. Here we are using the recently-striped S. 12th Street bike lane.
The slow trip was just under three miles. One passing driver honked and gave us the thumbs up. A man on the sidewalk nodded approvingly and said, "Now that's how you do it." I think the entire move was done in sub-freezing temps and it was around 25°F on this particular morning. Unfortunately my mittened hands are not very adept with a camera while riding, so I only have this one photo of us en route.
When I asked Evan what he thought of the Madsen: "It's awesome."
He moved everything himself using a 2005 Burley d'Lite trailer (for smaller stuff like boxes and dresser drawers full of clothes) and a Madsen kg271 "Bucket Bike" (for the chest of drawers and a queen-size bed set.)
The most awkward piece was the mattress. I went along to help with loading and traffic flagging, but mostly to rubber-neck. Here we are using the recently-striped S. 12th Street bike lane.
The slow trip was just under three miles. One passing driver honked and gave us the thumbs up. A man on the sidewalk nodded approvingly and said, "Now that's how you do it." I think the entire move was done in sub-freezing temps and it was around 25°F on this particular morning. Unfortunately my mittened hands are not very adept with a camera while riding, so I only have this one photo of us en route.
When I asked Evan what he thought of the Madsen: "It's awesome."
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