My History With Cycling
As a small child (about 3 years old) my parents would put me in our little rowing dinghy with my life jacket on, tie me to the boat, tie the boat to the end of our dock with a long rope, and set me adrift to row in circles while they retired to cocktail hour on the lawn. This was the start of my life long love of small boats and rowing. Living on the edge of Lake Erie in a town of islands and canals it wasn't long before I rowed many places in town, to friends homes, to the store, and through the marshes. My Father always contended "If you can't get there by boat, it's not worth going."
The down-side to this is I didn't learn to ride a bicycle till an advanced age. During the 5th or 6th grade I was rebelling in the class room and was hauled off by the teacher to the store room that was used as a detention room (i.e. torture chamber). I was in trouble and had to find a way out of it so I formulated a quick plan and started crying, and between my sobs, told the story that I was upset about not having a bicycle and what a hardship that was. Rather then being punished I was consoled and taken back to class.
Then, quite surprisingly, a few days later my Dad suggested we go and buy me a bike. I didn't really want a bike, but had to go along with it so as not to blow my cover. We arrived back home with a new, red, two speed Schwinn. No mention was ever made of the disturbance I caused in the classroom.
The dinghy and the Schwinn solved my transportation needs till I upgraded at age 14 to a speed boat (Boston Whaler) and hitchhiking. At 16 I still had the Whaler and moved from my thumb to an automobile.
The next time I was seen on a bike was in my mid 20s while living in northern Denmark aboard an old fishing boat. In the harbor town of Fredrikshavn (as everywhere in Denmark) everyone rode bicycles. All ages, all walks of life. The Police patrolled by bikes (if they patrolled at all.) Grandparents wearing clogs, kiddies, fishermen in wooden soled knee high leather sea boots, everyone. I was fascinated by the old cargo bikes which routinely carried all imaginable cargo through town, cases of beer, produce, baked goods, baskets of fresh fish, even scrap iron. I got a bike shortly after arriving. I loved riding around the harbor and town doing errands and searching the trash bins for treasures.
A few years later, having moved to Cascadia, and living on an island again I worked in a shipyard for two years. Instead of my usual car full of tools to tote around every day all I needed was my lunch as I kept my basic kit of hand tools at the yard. Freed of dependance on the car I found a new way to commute. I would bike a mile to the ferry dock, meet with a friend who kept a Norwegian style færing rowing boat beached there. We would then row the mile across the channel and dock the boat. I kept another bike there which I would ride the 2.5 miles to the shipyard. This went on for a couple of years.
In the late 80's, I — for some reason — took up cycling as recreation. I bought a nice hybrid, half way between road bike and mountain bike and avidly rode it for a number of years. Eventually the head down/ass up position started to hurt my arms shoulders too much and I drifted away from it.
Now, needing more exercise, wanting to take the ferry boat to town for errands, save on ferry fares, avoid the long auto queue, save on gas, and wear & tear on my car, I am getting back on a bike. I am selling my hybrid and getting a Dutch style city bike. See it here at: Republic Bike
I am excited and looking forward to it and that's … well … half the battle!
