crazybikerchick

Having recently moved to a rural island I have a new challenge in car-free living, which is really how to get around by bicycle when I'm not feeling energetic. In a major urban centre, everything was so close that I always had the energy to bike it, and if for some bizarre reason not, there was always good public transit.

Anyway I am working from home now, which compounds the problem of not getting in shape with a regular bike commute. I want to go tonight to a networking event in "town" - which is a 50 km round trip. Easy if I was feeling energetic.

I posted to the group hoping to get a ride from the other side of the island so I would only have to get to/from the ferry, but there are only 2 people who pass by there, who I don't think are going out to this month's event.

Options
1. Walk or bike to the ferry, and leave the bike there, take the bus. It will get there 1/2 hour early (could do some errands/shopping), and there is only one bus back (however 2 1/4 hours seems reasonable to spend at the event). Major disadvantage is feeling tied to a schedule.
2. Suck it up and bike because I'll feel better for the exercise. However return trip will be after dark on a not-very-well lit highway. Still need to make tweaks to my lighting setup which worked great in "be seen" city to the need-to-see the road countryside. (plus there are deer to watch out for!)

There's also the ferry schedule to contend with so if I don't plan the bike home well I could be either waiting up to an hour at the ferry terminal, or stranded for the night (and apparently they lock the bathroom) Not as big of a deal if you can sleep in your car I guess So I need to leave plenty of "just in case" buffer time in there. (last ferry is 11 - so I guess I need to leave town no later than 9:30) Theoretically if I get stranded I could call my husband to paddle across in the tandem kayak solo, but doing that after dark also somewhat of a challenge.

What would you do - bike, bus, stay home, or not be car-free when distances are so great, or something else? By the way the bus does have bike racks so I could do one-way on the bus as well if there is a free spot and if my recumbent fits (have not tested this out yet) - but still main problem with the bus is the horrid schedule, it only runs 4x per day.

ilynne

I would bus it if the option existed and I was not feeling energetic.

Platy

If I simply force myself to get on the bike and start riding, I'll often be feeling better after a half mile or so. It doesn't always work. I'm willing to abort a ride early on if I don't think I'll have the energy to complete it.

1nterceptor

option 2

gerv 

I'd make those tweaks before I ever considered a night ride. We have the same problem on side streets in the city. You can't really see obstacles in the road unless you have a really good light.

You need to make an arrangement of some sort. It could be as simple as stashing a tent and sleeping bag with someone on the other side. Not nice having to stay outside all night because you missed the ferry. And probably not too wise kayaking after dark (?)

crazybikerchick

That sounds like a good plan!! Its weird living on an island though, if I want to leave the island its not so easy to abort the mission and just come back home. The weather is doing little to encourage me though, windy with warnings of winds up to 100 kph, and starting to rain. Current thinking is bike in with the tailwind, bus home with the headwind hoping to get bike on bus and if they won't let me or the schedule doesn't work suck up and ride. It also doesn't help that its somewhere I feel I *should* go but not that I am looking forward to going (not really a networking type person) With those types of optional events its too easy to decide its too much of a hassle and stay home. Commuting to work was much easier - there was no mulling it over, I always had to go to work!

chephy

I'd start out with Option 1, and it will probably turn into Option 2 as riding energizes me.

AdamDZ

On a side note, you should really find the time to ride for an hour each day. If I don't ride for a week I can tell a difference in my strength and endurance. Having read your recent posts I think it should be fun to ride where you live now, no?

Adam

Roody

My guess is that these things are difficult now because you're in a transition period, and they'll open up and become easier as you gain experience and skills. I wonder if you think back to when you first started your old commute, maybe that was difficult at first also. I remember the first few times I did a nighttime city commute it was quite challenging. Within a couple months, however, I would find myself riding all over the city, adding many miles to that dark commute, and enjoying every minute of it.

I think the key to solving challenges like the ones you face is to go into it gradually. Don't let yourself become overwhelmed by doing too much all at once; but also don't slack off too much either, or you'll never make any progress.

Seattle Forrest

I don't really know what the answer to your question is. I wouldn't stop being car free over this, though; it sounds like your trouble comes from living on an island, and not being sans auto. I've slept in my car before, and it's no fun. They cramped, uncomfortable, not well insulated, etc.

FYI, this would be a bad idea unless the distance your hubby is going to paddle is within about half a mile. Kayaking can be hard or easy, depending on a lot of things, but tandem kayaks are like bricks turned sideways. It takes a lot of work to keep one moving when there are two skilled paddlers in it. Solo in a tandem is a recipe for exhaustion ... which can lead to all sorts of problems. Rescues take longer at night than by day. Nobody online can say how much risk there is in the crossing, but using a kayak in a way it wasn't designed for is a bad idea.

Also, while I'm hoping there's a single well-lit point on the shore, both on the mainland and on the island, it can be very easy to get turned around at night when you don't have as many landmarks.

Actually, I paddle my kayak after dark all the time. Like with bikes, you need good light. Since Crazy Biker Chick is crossing some kind of channel to an island, she would be in deep enough water that she doesn't need to watch out for underwater rocks, or the shore. Reading the water doesn't get much harder; you can see your immediate surroundings, and they tell you what you need to know about the whole body (unless you're in a cove). Paddling at night can be very pleasant and enjoyable ... if it's recreational.

electrik

Possible working at home means you don't want to leave? At least in the city you were already out and about, so to speak. To get out and about from your current situation takes more effort. Just something to maybe be aware of.

Baboo

Given the conditions you describe the weather, lack of energy, the darkness I wouldn't even take my bike on the bus, but leave it and take the bus both ways. Riding on a narrow unlit road without good lighting is not a fun thing to do and quite dangerous.
Just my 2 cents worth

Allen

AdamDZ

That's what the Magishnine is for It makes riding in darkness fun!

Platy

It seems to me the OP finds all the obvious alternatives to be unappealing, so maybe the real solution is in the "something else" category. What is that networking meeting all about? If it's all people looking for jobs and nobody looking to hire it might not be worth the effort. Maybe it would be better to put the same effort into meeting more of the people who live nearby. You just never know who has the opportunity or connection you're looking for.

crazybikerchick

Yeah I think it is probably the same as with bikes, try the lights out first somewhere it is easy to turn around if it does not work. It is about 2 km (so just over a mile) across the sound. The trickiest place to watch for rocks is near our beach so in theory where we should be well familiar with where the rocks are. The ferry dock is well lit and after the ferries stop running there is little motorized boat traffic out there. Home of course not well lit but we have a somewhat nearby small lighthouse to use as a reference point. Ideally would be of course to make friends that live in both town (about 20+ km from the ferry terminal) and in the small village by the ferry terminal (harder as pop is less!) Town of course also has pay-accomodations if you know you will be there too late due to an emergency but once near the ferry terminal (maybe mechanical difficulties pushed past the expected cycle time) I'm not too sure what the options are. (well if the bike is working bike BACK into town, but not so fun..)

BTW I ended up not going, but I'd like to think that the transportation method was not a factor in the decision.

Titmawz

I know the feeling, the only thing that works for me is to get on the bike and just go. After a moment I feel really good about the decision haha

rnorris

I'm guessing the kayak pickup option involves a short crossing that doesn't present problems such as shipping traffic, tide rips, or a long enough fetch of open water to raise significant waves. If any of these are a possibility, the nighttime kayak trip could be a pretty hazardous option.

Abneycat

Electric bicycle. I have a bicycle for when I want to ride for fun, and one of these. I save it for riding to school in the morning for extra study time, sick / tired days, and rides to other parts of the city that are just errands and don't have a lot of potential for fun.

Made mine using parts from online purchases for a total of $475 in components (not counting the bicycle itself), it adds 10lbs weight to the bicycle (5lbs with battery removed), and is totally worth having one around if you're doing the fully car free thing, as it is an easy form of alternative transportation that increases range / decreases fatigue, and can be cared for largely like a regular bike.