Hiking in the rain at Cowles

 

Not my pic.  Raining too hard to take my own camera!  This is a nice pic on a clear day.

I went for a hike today, in the rain...and it was spectacular!  The reason I thought of commenting about it here in this blog about car-free living came to me while hiking.  One of the things that I like so much about the biking, and the bus-commuting is the fact that I'm out in the world.  I'm not enclosed in a car, having the world whiz by.

I'm on the bike, feeling the air, the wind, the sun.  Seeing people, the green from all the rain we've gotten this winter, the huge racoon popping out of some brush...(a bit jarring to see, but very cool nonetheless)

Or on the bus...the chatting with a bunch of people I wouldn't normally interact with.  Or reading, devouring books actually.  Or seeing so many sights as a passenger that again, as with the bike....things I'm not whizzing by. 

 

Today at this spot there was water rushing down here!

Hiking up Cowles Mountain today, in the pouring, and I mean, pouring, rain for a big chunk of the time, made me feel like I was in it, in nature, in the whole of life.  I could have easily stayed home, or suggested to my friend that we just go out for coffee.  I am so glad he said, when he got to my place to head out for the hike, and it was raining steadily by then,  "well...this will be an adventure!"  Ha ha ha...how cool is that?

Important tip for bike commuting

GET ALL OF YOUR STUFF, CLOTHES, FOOD, ETC. READY THE NIGHT BEFORE.

That's my tip.  I had that reinforced big time this morning.  I didn't get enough sleep at all last night.  Waking up and already having my lunch made, fruit cut up, and clothes ready made all the difference, mentally, in my riding today.

And wow o wow was it a beautiful ride to work.  Leisurely, enjoying the sunrise, warmer morning. 

Two days riding this week.  My goal is three days...Friday being the third.  Feeling good.

Bus musings 2

So I had a doctor's appointment this morning, which left me not able to take the express bus to work, the one that is so easy, a straight shot, etc...

I had to take the 15, two miles out of the way, to downtown SD, to then grab the 20 express.  So, I had so many different things happen that could easily have bummed me out....but I kept laughing inside at how funny it all was. It felt like a cross section of daily life was going on around me.  An adventure instead of an inconvenience....

So the first bus either came ten minutes early, or ten minutes late...still not sure about that.
I scrambled to get together my bananas I was eating at the bus stop, along with the new bottle of water and coffee I had just bought at the 7-11 on the corner, to enjoy while waiting for the bus...hahaha....

I said to the driver..."oh, you're early..." Reply was "grunt".

Bus was packed...as I find a place to stand, after about ten seconds, I hear a thud.  My banana had fallen on the floor of the bus, and all these eyes looked at it.  This one guy glared at me like it was something illegal or illicit.  Sheeze....Then as a seat opened up I went to walk to it, and realized that the bottle of water in my backpack had broken open.  The same guy, the banana guy, said, with a total attitude, "Hey dude, you're dripping all over the place."  Sheeze again....

Then downtown, waiting for the next bus it kept getting better:

Two couples,  obvious tourists...got on a bus, from the back!  The driver kept trying to close the door on them and they fought it back....It was priceless to see.  They obviously were confused about how to board a city bus, but a crowd of like 10 or 15 people all just stood there, watching agape at what they were doing.
That they were confused wasn't what was funny.  Several people were trying to tell them to enter via the front door of the bus.  What was funny was their insistence in entering via the wrong door!

Then, that bus left....and suddenly a car from a parking lot across the street turned the wrong way down the one-way street!  A cacophony of honk from the cars coming in the other, correct, direction, didn't dissuade the driver.  He just stopped.  For a full minute at least. All of us on the corner stood there again, dismayed at what was happening.  The driver eventually turned into a side streeet.

So then the guy standing next to me starts to tell me about how he did the same thing once when he was 18, in LA, on a freeway, at 2 am, totally shitfaced (his word).

As I'm hearing that anecdote, some guy walks by on a cell, and all I hear him say is, "Well, then why the fuck did you call me if I gotta leave a message now?" 

A little after...the bus came, and I went to work.

Bus musings

Bus, el autobus, el camión, l'autobus, el guagua...no matter how you say it...it means BUS.  And it is such an easy way to get around.  

I have had so many good experiences with mass transit recently here in SD.  It makes me wish that other people weren't so afraid of learning how the bus/trolley system works. 

I had to run several errands today...and, bam!  A $5 day pass got me where I was going so easily....Rode my bike down to Velo Cult in South Park for a tune-up.  From there grabbed the bus back up closer to home.  Then over to a friend's house who is out of town...I'm checking his mail, etc.  Then home....

And in a bit, I'm heading over to Hillcrest, about two miles, to the Trader Joe's. 

All for five bucks.  How easy is that? 

I'm thinking back to when I started this car-free experience...the bus system did intimidate me to some extent.  It had been years since I needed to use it.   I remember even being a bit self-conscious about standing there waiting. 

But, with the easy of the web, sites like googlemaps to find the quickest bus route to and from where you're going, when the next one is, etc....and now, with the iPhone....oh la la....SO FRICKIN' EASY!  The gps in the phone finds where you are, and you give it where you want to go...and bang!  Directions, schedules etc...Très cool....

Ride the bus.  Get off the grid...even if it's just a bit...

First ride in a while

Beautiful sunrise on the way to work this morning....took my breath away.

Today was the first ride in two weeks to work.  What a difference it makes in my mood, and outlook, just amazing to be honest.  I got everything, clothes, food, ready last night, which is a huge help.  Even with that, this morning I almost bailed and took the bus.  I'm really glad I didn't.  I immediately felt good...barely out of my driveway and down the street.....

I'm committing to one more day this week.