Bike to Work Week Days 4 and 5

Day 4:

60's and sunny morning and evening.  It seemed that bike to work week must have been gathering steam.  There were more bikes in the racks at work than any previous day.  Since my shift begins later than most, all six bike lockers in the parking garage were full; but there was still plenty of room in the racks.  It is nice to see  so many people observing the holiday(?) week.  With any luck, some of us will continue our auto-commuting boycott.  

Day 5:

Rain!!  I awoke to thunder and lightning at around 7AM...then I went back to sleep.  Groggily, I convinced myself it would rain all morning; and there was no sense in considering a bike ride to work. Later, after oatmeal eggs and a shot of coffee; the sun began to peek around the clouds and through the curtains.  Guilt began to take hold.  This was the fifth and final day of Bike to Work Week, and I was considering a scratch? The wheels hit the trail shortly thereafter.  I arrived damp but not cold, and I was glad of my decision.  After work, the weather had not changed.  The streets were wet, but the air was dry; and Ingersoll Avenue saw me safely home.  

Bike to Work Week

Review

Cycle commuting is a possibility in Des Moines, Iowa

...as long as you have access to a few advantages:

1. Your workplace provides a place to change clothes and shower.
2. There is a place near your job to store your bicycle safely.
3. While working, you have a safe place to store your cycling gear not attached to your bike.

It is even easier to cycle to work if:

1. You live near the trail system or cycle friendly streets.
2. Your workplace provides bike lockers.
3. You have the time to dedicate to cycle-commuting.  

Cycle-commuting requires a conscious effort.  Many people have obligations that remove cycling as a transportation option.  Many others work in places that do not have the amenities necessary to make it an option.  Those of us who do have the choice should seriously consider options other than driving to work every day.  Fuel will never return to 1990's prices, and some believe our government can no longer afford to sustain its subsidies.  Maybe those of us who have a choice should consider our alternatives.  I, for one, choose cycling!