Early Biking-for-Grocery Memories

As we've been working on the house reno project, we've spent many (too many) hours in local home improvement stores. One day in particular, we were on a hunt for a couple of items that were alluding us and we managed to find ourselves out east of our city. We used to live out that direction and often found ourselves biking the roads in that area. We were amazed at how quickly things have changed in the last several years and how many new retail stores have popped up.

One of the things that popped into my mind though as we wandered through was the memory of my first rides to the grocery store on a bike while living in that area. I couldn't help but smile to myself as I recalled my first attempt at grocery shopping on a bicycle. I recall wandering through the market, grabbing items as if I had unlimited storage on my two wheels. When everything was bagged, I suddenly realized that I had no means of getting it all home in one trip. I recall telling the individual at the checkstand that I'd have to return for many of the items.

The look I received was one of great confusion. When I explained that I was on my bicycle, she nodded knowingly and said, "I have an uncle who can't drive right now because of too many DUIs." I didn't even bother to explain that my riding a bicycle was not due to the fact that I couldn't drive, but was rather a choice I'd made.

Regardless, I knew I couldn't carry all of the goods and had to make a return trip to pick up the rest of my items at a later time. I learned a lot in that trip though and from then on made a conscious effort to buy only what I knew I could carry, even if it meant making more trips in a week.

Several years later, I now have a trailer with which to pull many more items on the bicycle than I did with only a front basket, but I like using that memory when picking items up at the grocery store. I see nothing wrong with buying in bulk when the items can be stored or used over time, but when it comes to fresh items, I actually enjoy making a few trips a week to help ensure that we can have fresher produce. This time of year it seems a little more challenging to find the beautiful produce we see in spring and summer, but it's still a wonderful thing to not have food rotting on the counter or in the fridge.

Do you ever have moments that remind you of early bicycling moments? Is there anything you do differently now than you did when first riding a bike for transportation?

Haulin' with the Raleigh Lady Sports

This morning the 25F temperature didn't stop me from riding the new-to-me Raleigh over to the market to pick up some things for our Thanksgiving meal. Other than making pumpkin pie, we generally don't do the traditional type of dinner, but instead usually pick a theme of "easy" food to prepare. Some years it's Mexican bar, some years it's Italian, and this year, it will be "Sandwich Fixin's." I know it sounds lame to those who count on Thanksgiving as a day to indulge, but for us it seems to work. Getting to ride the Raleigh to the store was the first real ride we'd had together, and things went pretty well as a whole. The ride is smooth, and it doesn't have the weight of the Pashley, so it feels a bit livelier or sporty to pedal. This can also seem squirrelly in some sense, until I get used to the lightness of this type of bike again. The latest addition to the Raleigh Lady Sports was a large wire basket from Wald.

As you can see, the basket really is huge and carries a ton in it. I did this purposefully because I was unsure as to whether or not I'd like to add a rear rack to this bike, but wanted the bike to still fulfill its purpose as "bag hauler." After obtaining the necessary groceries, I was concerned that it might not all fit in the basket, but I managed to cram everything into two large reusable bags.

 These bags will hold up to 40 pounds a piece, but I wasn't sure that the Wald basket would be able to handle the weight of all the food, nor was I certain the the fork of the Raleigh was up to the challenge. Total weight in these two bags was likely around 20-25 pounds (bags held 2-12oz cans of evaporated milk, 3 pie tins, jar of mayo, mustard, large jar of pickles, large can of black olives, celery, cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, 1/2 gal of milk, whipped cream, lg sour cream, loaf of bread, a bag of soft rolls, bag of hoagie rolls, 4 containers of sliced meats, and 4 containers of sliced cheeses), but I didn't want to kill the bike on our first adventure out together.

I think I was more tense than necessary, but we managed to make it home just fine, with all groceries remaining in their proper place. I do think, however, that a rear rack may still be in order, simply because there will be times when more than two bags will need to be carried. For now, the Raleigh (who is yet to be named) has performed superbly and I'm happy to have her join the family.

Ratatooey

Last night, Sam and I rode over to the market to get groceries. When we arrived, I realized that I had left the bike lock at home, so Sam volunteered to wait with the bicycles while I went in to retrieve everything. While I was inside, he heard a strange, crying sound coming from the parking lot. He went to investigate and discovered a small (very small) animal, laying in a spot of car oil, with ants crawling all over it. When I came out, he showed me the little thing, and we decided to take it home to try to help him live through the night, so that today we could get some help for him.

Sam ran around after we got home trying to find some kind of small baster/syringe to feed him with and baby formula which we diluted to help him stay alive. I kept him in some paper towels and torn up receipts until I could make him an appropriate bed.

Baby animal sleeps in paper towels.

After a couple of phone calls, the humane society couldn't/wouldn't help, and neither would animal control (because we don't live within city limits), but the ladies there were so curious about this animal, they wanted to come and see him.  This is what they saw:

Baby animal still surviving in a small box. Note his tiny size next to the penny.

Now, we don't know what to do with him. Animal control says he won't make it because he's too small and his eyes aren't even open yet, but they have no solutions for a humane way to kill him. If I put him in one of the fields around here, it will be just like leaving him in the parking lot at the market, but I also can't keep a pet rat in the house, particularly with a Rat Terrier also living here, and knowing that it's a wild animal. I don't know if we should keep feeding him as we have been, or if we should "flush him" as was suggested. I feel ill about the whole thing because I don't think he should have to die a horrible death, and I don't want him to suffer.

For now, Ratatooey (as he's been named, since we don't know what he is) is sleeping peacefully while we figure out what to do with him.

A Day of Firsts

Today I decided to ride to the grocery store. It wasn't the first time (nor will it be the last) that I've done so, but normally when I go it's only to pick up one or two items that are easy to carry on a bicycle. I always figure there's no reason to drive the 2.5 miles to the store if I can ride for just a couple of items. Today was different though, because my hope was to be able to carry everything that we actually needed without the use of a car.

I got to the grocery store and intended to take a picture of my bicycle all locked up (merely because I just like taking pictures of it), but when I pulled out my point and shoot camera that I carry in my purse, I realized the battery was dead (guess that's what happens when one doesn't check these things before one leaves the house). I went through the store picking out the items we needed, and as I got toward the end of my shopping, a bit of panic swept over me. What if I couldn't actually carry all of the groceries on my bike? As the clerk was checking me out, she asked if I had another bag, or if I'd prefer that they stick everything in together. I told her it was fine to just put it together because I was on my bicycle. You would've thought I just said that I had shot my brother and my dog out in the back forty with the look she gave me, and then she said, "You're on your bicycle? ... And, you're going to be able to carry all of this?" In my head I was thinking that it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was when I'd been shopping, but I assured her it would be fine. I joked, "Hey, maybe I'll have to leave a bag and come back for it." She just kind of looked at me strangely and said, "Do you have a car?" I just smiled and said, "Yes, I have a car, but I like riding my bicycle." Things like this amuse me. It's as though some people think it's some great feat to be able to peddle a couple of miles with some bags on your bicycle.

The great thing was, this actually gave me an opportunity to test out my new Wald rear baskets, and I have to say that they did quite well. The ride home was a bit squirrelly, but it wasn't too bad at all!


As you can see, I don't think much more would've fit on the bicycle, unless I strapped it to my back, and I think I'm starting to understand why some people have cargo bicycles to haul things around, but it is absolutely doable, even with an every day bicycle.

Another cool thing was that I had the opportunity to try out my new Bern helmet. I have to admit, I am not at all a fan of bike helmets, but I think enough people have scared me into wearing one now, as I spend a lot of time riding on the busy highways. Plus, we're taking our camping/bicycling vacation in just a couple of weeks, and goodness knows what the laws are throughout the various states we'll be hitting. So, better safe than sorry, and I might as well get used to wearing it now.

I also wore a skirt for the first time riding today, and while this is a horribly unflattering picture, it's not easy to take a picture of oneself without using a tripod. Unfortunately, I got a lot of splash back on me because of all the rain over the last few days that hasn't quite dried completely. While I realize wearing a skirt is no great accomplishment, I just thought it was an interesting and different experience, though I could've done without the wind while I was riding. I felt as though I kept having to pull the skirt down. Ultimately, I just ended up letting it do what it wanted to, and finally became comfortable with the idea.

Overall, grocery shopping was a success. I think it's something I can handle on a regular basis, which definitely makes me happy. I think that I realized that if I don't build things up to be a bigger deal than they are, things will go just fine. Happy riding!