I have taken some glee in the rising gas prices. Of course, I bicycle everywhere and only use my car about once every three months or so. I can count the money saved every week by not buying gas.

THEN, I stopped by the convenience store to buy a bottle of water. They were asking the going rate of 89 cents per pint bottle.

As I biked away, glad to have not been buying gas, it occurred to me that the water it took me to bike cost more than the gas it would require to go the same distance.

Figure this: My car gets 32 miles per gallon. Gas is $1.79 per gallon. So, for math purposes, let's say that in my automobile, I can travel 32 miles for $1.79.

If I bike 32 miles, I will drink three pints of water (including after-ride cool down). That's three pints @ $0.89 per pint = $2.67 worth of water!

Based on the math, it will continue to be cheaper to drive than it is to bike until gas goes to $2.67 per gallon. That assumes, of course, that water prices don't increase. Sheesh, I didn't even include the cost of the cookies that I use for fuel in my bike tank.

I have to get a car with worse fuel efficiency in order to manipulate the numbers so I can justify the expensive bicycling mode of transport.