Miracle On Guadalupe
After a few months in Tempe I can say without question this neighborhood is better suited to us than Gilbert. There's been a lifestyle change. My daily commute went from 35 to 10 miles round trip. I work in Tempe. Many of my favorite places are in Tempe. We're finding new places we like, many within modest bike riding distance.
Tempe makes a big deal about being a 'bike friendly city'. Bike routes, paths, canal routes, and marked bike lanes are everywhere. The grid is well decorated with signage. I suspected the city would have a map. I found this.
http://www.tempe.gov/tim/Bike/pdfs/BikeMap.pdf
This pdf file is exactly what I needed. I know my way around town but the map gives me the safest routes to plan day adventures. The city has done a fine job. With the largest university in the nation it was an important public service.
If you live in a grid city you know what a half miler is. The middle size roads through neighborhoods are wider with bike lanes. The city directs bikes away from the huge 12 lane intersections. Every mile in the grid and most half-milers are metered. Curbs are up to the latest standards for bikes, pedestrians (peds), and handicappers. It's easy to get safely around town if you're alert and know you're surroundings.
It's nice to speak of something good government does for me.
I really do need the exercise. After work I took a 50 minute cruise. The wind in my face is the first reward. The neighborhood is more vivid when you walk or bike. The places we whiz by at 40 mph every day come into focus. You notice the gardens in yards. The nicely kept homes are pleasant to admire. My senses are very keen on my bike. Unlike the rest of my day, there is never music, hearing being vital.
I have a bell on my retro bike. It has a monkey skeleton on the shell. I ring peds when I come up on them to give them warning. While crossing Guadalupe Rd I heard a pink, ping, ping, and saw my bell bouncing in the road. I was moving too fast to stop. There was a lot of traffic in the intersection. It would not survive long. I just kept going.
James has been using his bike regularly since we moved. He takes a bike & bus to his bi-weekly checkups and doctor's advice. He rides up to the ASU area, climbs Haden's Butte and rides home. Today he spent the day at the university law library. He rides his bike to Chipotle or Sushi Time.
I have no gears on my retro cruiser. My legs are gear 1. To brake I have to peddle backwards. My chain popped off on a recent ride to the pub. I managed to repair it without tools but it sucked. My hands were blackened and oily. I'm now computer designing and cutting an all purpose tool for my bike. Sometimes working in machine shop can be useful.
Along the canal route I pulled the trigger on my bell to caution peds. I forgot. Without the shell there is no bell. I used a loop route and came back to Guadalupe on my return home. I rolled slowly to the intersection waiting for a signal change. There it was, the monkey shell was sitting in the crosswalk. It appeared to be unscratched. I was shocked. It was at least 25 minutes after the fall. That metal cup should have been flattened by a dozen cars and trucks. It was rush hour.
Cars zipped past. Peds walked on by. I anxiously waited for the light to change. One car after another rode over the monkey. It teetered in their wake. My eyes darted between the bell in the left lane and the crosswalk signal. A school bus almost flattened in. How bad would it suck to see it crushed before my eyes?
When I got the crossing signal I swiftly made my move. I snatched the monkey from danger. Without looking my hands could feel it was perfectly intact. The bell is rescued. Safely on the sidewalk I screwed it back on .... ring, ring, ring .... and peddled home with a huge smile on my face.
It was a miracle.
Tempe makes a big deal about being a 'bike friendly city'. Bike routes, paths, canal routes, and marked bike lanes are everywhere. The grid is well decorated with signage. I suspected the city would have a map. I found this.
http://www.tempe.gov/tim/Bike/pdfs/BikeMap.pdf
This pdf file is exactly what I needed. I know my way around town but the map gives me the safest routes to plan day adventures. The city has done a fine job. With the largest university in the nation it was an important public service.
If you live in a grid city you know what a half miler is. The middle size roads through neighborhoods are wider with bike lanes. The city directs bikes away from the huge 12 lane intersections. Every mile in the grid and most half-milers are metered. Curbs are up to the latest standards for bikes, pedestrians (peds), and handicappers. It's easy to get safely around town if you're alert and know you're surroundings.
It's nice to speak of something good government does for me.
I really do need the exercise. After work I took a 50 minute cruise. The wind in my face is the first reward. The neighborhood is more vivid when you walk or bike. The places we whiz by at 40 mph every day come into focus. You notice the gardens in yards. The nicely kept homes are pleasant to admire. My senses are very keen on my bike. Unlike the rest of my day, there is never music, hearing being vital.
I have a bell on my retro bike. It has a monkey skeleton on the shell. I ring peds when I come up on them to give them warning. While crossing Guadalupe Rd I heard a pink, ping, ping, and saw my bell bouncing in the road. I was moving too fast to stop. There was a lot of traffic in the intersection. It would not survive long. I just kept going.
James has been using his bike regularly since we moved. He takes a bike & bus to his bi-weekly checkups and doctor's advice. He rides up to the ASU area, climbs Haden's Butte and rides home. Today he spent the day at the university law library. He rides his bike to Chipotle or Sushi Time.
I have no gears on my retro cruiser. My legs are gear 1. To brake I have to peddle backwards. My chain popped off on a recent ride to the pub. I managed to repair it without tools but it sucked. My hands were blackened and oily. I'm now computer designing and cutting an all purpose tool for my bike. Sometimes working in machine shop can be useful.
Along the canal route I pulled the trigger on my bell to caution peds. I forgot. Without the shell there is no bell. I used a loop route and came back to Guadalupe on my return home. I rolled slowly to the intersection waiting for a signal change. There it was, the monkey shell was sitting in the crosswalk. It appeared to be unscratched. I was shocked. It was at least 25 minutes after the fall. That metal cup should have been flattened by a dozen cars and trucks. It was rush hour.
Cars zipped past. Peds walked on by. I anxiously waited for the light to change. One car after another rode over the monkey. It teetered in their wake. My eyes darted between the bell in the left lane and the crosswalk signal. A school bus almost flattened in. How bad would it suck to see it crushed before my eyes?
When I got the crossing signal I swiftly made my move. I snatched the monkey from danger. Without looking my hands could feel it was perfectly intact. The bell is rescued. Safely on the sidewalk I screwed it back on .... ring, ring, ring .... and peddled home with a huge smile on my face.
It was a miracle.