One of the most frequently-cited examples I've heard people give for needing a car is the ability to haul home groceries. I haven't starved to death just yet, so I thought I'd share my secret! As of this month, May 2014, I've been using a bicycle as my primary mode of transportation for eight years, getting by pretty well without a car. It's not for everybody, nor is it practical in all cases, but it works for me and saves me a lot of money. It also alleviates the fear of becoming sedentary, which is my natural state of being.(continued)

If you're like me, your day typically begins with an alarm going off, reluctantly climbing out of bed, and heading straight to the coffee pot. Once brewed, you pour yourself a cup and wait a bit until it's cool enough to drink. After your first few sips, you notice it's time to head out the door in a hurry -- and you have all this coffee you haven't finished yet!

Okay, maybe that's just me, but you get the idea.(continued)

My usual cycle camping buddies (Travis Poppe and Dan Lloyd) and I were eager to do an overnighter soon, and Labor Day weekend was approaching. Recently, Jeff Selfa had joined our circle of geeky beer drinking cycling folks and Travis had gotten himself a girlfriend, Justina, and they both wanted to come along as well. Jeff is a very experienced cyclist and has the ability to blow us all out of the water in terms of speed and skill as well as sheer coolness factor of the bicycles that he rides, so I thought he was going to be bored to tears for this event. Justina is pretty new to cycling so I was worried that this 60 mile round trip ride was going to make her hate cycling for the rest of her life. Ah, well, I was interested to see how things were going to turn out! And you never really know how a cycle camp is going to go anyway, to be honest. But that’s how adventures are supposed to be and I wouldn’t have it any other way!(continued)

So there I was, cycling along the mountainside against a grueling headwind, hunched down in the drop handlebars on my touring bike, when I noticed I had a riding partner. Well, perhaps more of a flying partner... or beaked stalker? I digress. Crouched down like this, I'd noticed the shadow of a bird about half the size of an adult crow just in front of my wheel. I'd see his shadow for a few moments before he'd fall back against the force of the wind. Poor fellow, I thought; and it was neat! How often do you find a bird that wants your companionship?(continued)

We enjoyed camping in Goodenough Canyon near McCammon, Idaho in the past so much that we decided to do it again this year! The distance is good (30 miles one way), there’s plenty of trees (a rarity in southern Idaho), and McCammon is only a few miles away from the campground. I was late, as usual, arriving at our meeting spot near the south end of Pocatello, so we set out at about 9:30 am. I was riding my Windsor Tourist touring bicycle and towing my Nashbar Kid Karriage trailer full of firewood, sleeping bag, etc.(continued)