Friday, January 31, 2020

Banner January

We had unseasonably warm weather through most of the month of January, and being an old retired fixed-income guy, I was able to take advantage by doing a lot of cycling.  (NOTE to people from elsewhere, considering moving to Boise - it's usually AWFUL in January!  Snow... cold... smog.  We just got lucky this month.  Don't move to Boise!)


And as is my custom nowadays... at least this time of year a large percentage of my cycling was on the Greenbelt.  It's not as pleasant in the dead of summer when the pavement is overrun, but in January there are not Greenbelt traffic jams.  And, let's face reality - with the meaningful influx of newbies in cars, the streets are getting less bicycle-friendly and more stressful all the time, year-round, at least on the streets without bike lanes.

I covered the area from the "Highway 21 high bridge" upstream...


... to Eagle Road downstream.


Some nice scenery between the two, as well.  Good times.  (What a blessing it is, to have a flexible schedule that enables me to hit the road at the peak time of day.)








But - the highlight of the whole month was earlier today, when I got to take my granddaughter Laurel on her first ever bicycle ride!  (It was a delight for me... serious business for her!)


Wednesday, January 1, 2020

New decade... quality saddle time!

Good fortune was mine...  took advantage of the nice weather.  You know it's going to be a good year and decade, when you squeeze in 20 miles on Day 1!

Out Orchard and Gowen, for an armament check.  (Gotta make sure we're ready for the Ayatollah and his minions!)


Did a loop around the Boise Air Traffic Control Tower.


TRIVIA: The tower is the tallest ATC tower in the northwest.  It's the second-tallest building in Idaho, behind the Zion's Bank Center downtown, which is 28 feet higher.  (But the bank building includes an unoccupied vanity tower on top, that's probably the top 40 feet.)  I was lucky to get a tour of the Air Traffic Tower with a Scout group, just before it was turned over to the FAA back in 2010.  Nice view!



From there, out Pleasant Valley Road, Hollylynn Drive, South Cole Road, Lake Hazel, and back into town on Orchard.  I also had a very pleasant stop along the way to visit with my friend Bob, who I hadn't seen in probably five years.  (Airport tower is still visible in the last photo.)  So - time well spent all around!

Cost of transportation 2020

For 2020, gas prices are projected to hold steady, at less than $3/gallon. Story HERE.

(Note: The story acknowledges that prices tend to be higher in the west. That matches my personal observations, and I'd bet that prices in SW Idaho will top $3, sometime over the summer during peak travel season.)

That's good for motorists; maybe not for alt-trans. I've stated before... I'm convinced that the price of gas incentivizes alternative transportation, likely more than anything else.

Just the same, I'll happily ride my bicycle. In the year just ended I rode 5,597 miles, almost all in Boise and Ada County. I figure I saved around $777 in gas money. (Assuming I would've driven to the same destinations*, paid $2.50/gallon for gas, and the missus' family truckster gets about 18mpg.)

That ain't chump change! 🤩

Keep the shiny side up in 2020, my friends!

* I would NOT have driven a car to all of the same destinations.  A significant component of my bicycling is for the purposes of pleasure and exercise.  I rarely drive a car locally for "pleasure," and never for exercise!