had I brought the camera today.... my shots may have looked like this


these shots are from last year...
these shots are so last year

today after school I tried to switch it up a bit on the bicycle ride home from school
I can tell that the standard routes are growing stale
yesterday we mixed up the back half of our three mile ride home
the boys seemed to enjoy the change
so today I figured we could try something completely different

well... not completely different

to make things fun we set out with the objective of going to the secret rope swing in the woods
ah... the journey is the destination

we rode across down on a mixture of sidewalks and streets
always trying to be considerate of others
always trying to put ourselves where it makes most sense
always trying to ride where we are most safe

there are some moment where I know that we will have to encounter some cars
well... we live in the city
there is lots of cross interaction with the cars
it can be anxious

we hold our ground
we do not pull over for cars to pass
we stay the course

there is no reason to be submissive

the person in the car has no greater right to the road than a pedestrian or cyclist

usually if a car gets stuck behind us it is for a city block... if it is longer... we may pull over... usually we make a turn and then we are no longer traffic slowing them down
there are other stretches of road where the car needs to accept that they need to change their pace
after all... we are traffic just like they are traffic

in reality... there is not that much time difference between them speeding like THE TRANSPORTER or moving along like they are Driving Miss Daisy
the driving styles are not very efficient
just dangerous

people in cars need to let go of some of their self entitlement
car drivers need to realize that slowing and stopping for the person in the crosswalk is not only the right thing to do... but doing the right thing will not alter their trajectory in any substantial way
the same goes for passing the cyclist

in most cases the cyclist is moving... so if the car is moving behind them
they are slowed... not stopped
usually slowed to a legal speed
when normally they would be speeding

how long does the car usually get slowed down?
20-30 seconds?
when it is not really that much... since they were still moving
just not moving as fast as they had wanted to go

here is a page that has several rants that would better explain where my thoughts are coming from

http://gwadzilla.blogspot.com/search?q=car+commuter+challenge

the rope swing was a good time
the boys enjoyed the bike ride and the rope swing

my outrage at the passing car drivers brought up questions with my children
they understand our right to safety
they do not understand what these cuss words mean

I am protective of my children
if I feel that your driving puts them at risk... I may over react
but passing me on at tight twisting road and yelling RIDE SINGLE FILE does not work for me
I am riding more to the center of the road so that when you pass...you pass my young children with enough space so that if they were to go off course... slip on the pedals... or get squirmy because of some sand or a pot hole
that you will not be so close to them that you crush them
all in your effort to get no where that important fast