Until Warmer Days

Our van has been voluntarily parked for over 3 days. We've had 3-7" of snow and daytime temps between 25°F and 34°F.  To my surprise, we've managed to do ~25mi of errands and commuting by foot or bike during that time.  We haven't avoided any trips; getting to school and work on time and even picking up a 40# bag of dogfood when we ran out.  While this isn't a big deal for many local-living families, even I am impressed to keep this streak alive in the coldest, nastiest part of winter.

Perhaps the best part about this little bout of undriving is that the kids see it as completely normal.  Tula's been riding in the Madsen since she was one, and the rain cover is now on it's second winter.  Gwen has adapted to riding the Xtracycle deck in it's many configurations and she expects to see a bike parked outside of the school everyday when I pick her up.

That bucket cover has been key to winter riding with the kids, because of windchills.  Once the temp falls below freezing, one can subtract another degree for each mph of wind.  I stay warm trying to keep a cargobike at 10mph, but the kids just turn into popsicles without the windbreak. This was the result of a fast descent in an uncovered bucket:

Keep everyone safe and warm until spring, but remember, that doesn't always mean you have to take the car!

Snow Ride

We walked to school this morning in a light flurry, after playing in the snow for a while before the late start. By afternoon the roads were bare, but a heavy snow shower that rolled in just as we were heading out made the ride back to the school a memorable one. According to Gwen, as she checked out our fat-tire tracks from the snapdeck: "This is the best day ever."

MOB RIDE! TONIGHT! TACOMA!

C'mon CyclePunx!

Resolved

It's time to get it together. Let's start today.

My 2011 Goals:

#1. Ride 2,011 miles on the bikes. Fewer long charity rides and a new part-time job will likely keep me from riding as much as I did in 2010, so this goal seems reasonable. My mileage spreadsheet is locked and loaded!

#2. Raise $3,000 for Courage Classic. The event organizers want to raise $1,000,000 this year, a lofty goal, so I need to step up my fundraising efforts.  This will be my fourth year riding with the Harmon Bike Club for this worthy cause and I will need your help to come up with the funds!  I'll update TBR with a donation link as soon as available, but you can give me a jumpstart by mailing a check to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital, PO Box 5296, Tacoma, WA 98415-0296 (Memo: Courage Classic - Matt Newport).  Thanks in advance!

#3. Finish remodeling the guest room by the end of February. This may seem like an odd goal to post on TBR, but I'll have more time to ride in the warmer months if I knock it out during the winter. This goal comes with a strong endorsement from Mrs. TBR.

#4. Spend less time on the internet.  This will equate to more time to working on the goals above.  We probably all need to work on this one.  I haven't decided yet how to quantify this one, but I think FB is pretty much out and Twitter will be very limited.  Future posts will be sparse.  Call or email (or post a comment) if you need to get my attention.

Besides the day-to-day stuff, I think these goals will keep me plenty busy. Are you setting big goals for 2011? Where will you be focusing your time and energy?

Troll Crank II

via Lordrocktober

Nothing says the holidays like staying out late riding bikes with friends. Who's with me?