Thu. Feb 28, 2013 11:45am
A couple of weeks back, I posted about the Winter Errandonee Challenge my friend Sara told me about. A few Seattle folks jumped in and took up the challenge put forth by @gypsybug at Chasing Mailboxes . My take-aways: The twitter #errandonnee community introduced me to people around the country If you're already car-free, you may be underwhelmed. But if, like me, you're aiming for car-light, this was fun! I was reminded that there are plenty of car trips that I could replace with bike trips, and that doing so isn't too hard. The Erandonnee Challenge definitely influenced my decisions and nudged me to bike more and drive less. I caught a couple of comments that bordered on snarky. While I pondered why people might dismiss something that was fun to me, MG summed it up beautifully : How does the Errandonnee differ from everyday life? Why do errands have to become a contest? The Errandonnee is not that different from everyday life. Groceries, doctor’s appointments, work. Most of us have to deal with these types of errands. Many of us may already do these things by bike. However, the Errandonnee is an opportunity to see these activities not just as stuff we have to do, but to appreciate all that we can do via bicycle. Perhaps one could consider the Errandonnee a contest. I see it more like a game as opposed to a contest. Because of this game I’ve had the great pleasure to connect with other people who move around the city or wherever they live by bike, making this frequently faceless world a slightly smaller, friendlier place. We’ve even shared some internet laughs. What she said. I have ideas for similar bike errand events to host here in Seattle... stay tuned! Meanwhile, if you're interested, below is my control card with required photos. Here are posts from Seattle tweeps @familyride and @jessekelber . Anyone else? Please let me know, and I'll update the list. Category 1: Bike Shop Trip 1 destination: Gregg's Green Lake What I observed: Women on Wheels is coming up. Miles: 1, date: 2/17 Category 2: Breakfast or Lunch Trip 1 destination: Metropolitan Market coffee bar What I observed: Flowers on sale outside make for a nice picture Miles: 3.5, date: 2/13 Category 2: Breakfast or Lunch Trip 2 destination: Mighty O Donuts What I observed: The streets are so much quieter on weekdays outside of commute times. Yes, I know this is fairly obvious, but it was a real treat to do bike errands with Sprout on his own bike and Coco riding passenger. Having Sprout on his own wheels, on the streets, is a new experience for us. He's about to turn eight, and really wants to ride more. Miles: 1, date 2/19
