After being off the bike for the last week or so, I decided to run errands on the Expedition while The Running Bob knocked out his 20 on Lake Mary Road. We both agonized over what to wear. Despite the sunny skies, the wind was still up and temperature would only reach the mid-40's. Without wind, mid-40's is just about perfect biking or running weather but with wind clothing becomes a little more complicated. It's so easy to put on just a little too much or a bit to little. In the end, we both made the right choices. My bright red, suede (yes, I do have a thing for red suede as regular reader might have already figured out) car coat (purchased for only $59 from Target, 5 years ago) provided me with visbility and just the right amount of protection against the wind.
My primary destinations were on Milton, which runs parallel to NAU campus. Aesthetically, Milton's only redeeming quality is the view of the San Francisco Peaks, this day covered with snow from the snowstorm on Friday night. Milton Avenue was designed for cars, as opposed to human beings, and resembles a giant parking lot. Lacking bike lanes and the FUTS, rarely does one see a bicyclist on the street; most preferring to use the narrow sidewalks. I am pretty sure that Milton was built, and later improvements made, prior to the time cities and towns began thinking about multi-modal transportation but it is a good example of local barriers to greater use of bike commuting by residents. Like anything, people with a serious interest in bike commuting and incorporating exercise in to their day will find a way to overcome such obstacles but most people probably just worry about safety and drop the idea of biking altogether. Anyway, short of tearing it all down (except for the Barnes and Noble location) and starting over again, I don't know what can be done about Milton; whenever we travel on it I just try and keep my eyes on the Peaks (unless I happen to be driving, of course). If ever crowned Queen of the Universe, I promise that a serious discussion about Milton will take place immediately after coronation.
After being off the bike for the last week or so, I decided to run errands on the Expedition while The Running Bob knocked out his 20 on Lake Mary Road. We both agonized over what to wear. Despite the sunny skies, the wind was still up and temperature would only reach the mid-40's. Without wind, mid-40's is just about perfect biking or running weather but with wind clothing becomes a little more complicated. It's so easy to put on just a little too much or a bit to little. In the end, we both made the right choices. My bright red, suede (yes, I do have a thing for red suede as regular reader might have already figured out) car coat (purchased for only $59 from Target, 5 years ago) provided me with visbility and just the right amount of protection against the wind.
My primary destinations were on Milton, which runs parallel to NAU campus. Aesthetically, Milton's only redeeming quality is the view of the San Francisco Peaks, this day covered with snow from the snowstorm on Friday night. Milton Avenue was designed for cars, as opposed to human beings, and resembles a giant parking lot. Lacking bike lanes and the FUTS, rarely does one see a bicyclist on the street; most preferring to use the narrow sidewalks. I am pretty sure that Milton was built, and later improvements made, prior to the time cities and towns began thinking about multi-modal transportation but it is a good example of local barriers to greater use of bike commuting by residents. Like anything, people with a serious interest in bike commuting and incorporating exercise in to their day will find a way to overcome such obstacles but most people probably just worry about safety and drop the idea of biking altogether. Anyway, short of tearing it all down (except for the Barnes and Noble location) and starting over again, I don't know what can be done about Milton; whenever we travel on it I just try and keep my eyes on the Peaks (unless I happen to be driving, of course). If ever crowned Queen of the Universe, I promise that a serious discussion about Milton will take place immediately after coronation.
1 comments:
It seems every town has a street like that.
You have my vote. :)
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