However, a few weeks back Alexander and I were discussing the cost of gas and ways that we could reduce our driving. He asked, "What places do we drive to regularly?" We agreed that the library (6.5 miles round trip) and Trader Joe's (8.5 miles round trip) were two places we drive to every week that are within the mileage we felt we could ride our bikes to without any problem.
Once we made the decision to use our bikes on a weekly basis, we needed something to carry our groceries in. Steve found what looked to be a great bike trailer for us and yesterday afternoon Alexander and I set out for our first shopping trip via bicycles.
While we were shopping, I kept saying, "I am nervous this isn't all going to fit in the trailer." Due to some impressive problem solving by Alexander, it did all fit. As we were jumping on our bikes to head home, we ran into a neighbor and talked with her a minute. Then we were ready to take off. But yikes, there was a problem. The trailer, which only has one wheel, was too heavy and kept trying to pull Alexander's bike down. He tried a few things, but the trailer was just too heavy. So, we thought fast and found our neighbor who was still in the parking lot. Thanks to her our groceries made it home via mini van while we rode our bikes home.
We returned the trailer last night and will look for something that fits our needs better. As Alexander and I talked about our trip, we decided it wasn't a failure. Getting on our bikes and riding to the grocery store made an everyday event more like an adventure. We had fun working on the problem at hand together and felt good getting outside on a cool day. And, we were so thankful that our neighbor was out shopping at the same time we were yesterday!
ha, that's so lucky your neighbour was about. maybe worth getting the whole family out and dividing up the load between four?? I have this fantasy where I live in a small village in the south of france, in a lovely villa situated in a vineyard and i ride my bicycle with a wicker basket on the front to the village market and pick out bread and cheeses and fruit and veg to take back to my lovely house. i'm not sure what exactly my job is in this fantasy but it must be something lucrative anyway!!! hope you find a solution to your shopping problem :)
ReplyDelete