Do the rising gas prices or recent nice weather have you thinking about bike commuting? Why not give it a try? Commuting by bike instantly grants you membership to the world’s least exclusive, easiest to join club. Anyone is welcome, and if you have a bike, you’re in. There are no membership fees, secret handshakes, or formal meetings. All you need to do is get on your bike and ride – before you know it you’ll be talking about bikes at the dinner table, or explaining to your coworkers why you’d rather ride to work than drive. Once you start having dreams about riding, it’s official – you’re addicted. But don’t worry – bike riding is a healthy addiction, one that we fully support/enable (of course, we’re totally addicted too…).
Even if your commute is only a couple of miles, when you start riding you’ll have a whole different sensory experience. The smell of salt water carried on the wind off of Bellingham Bay, early morning fog rolling through the Chuckanuts, the sounds of downtown – it’d be hard to notice these scenes from inside a car. On a bike you’re not cut off from the outside world – you become part of it, a participant rather than a spectator.
One of the best parts about bike commuting in Bellingham (or anywhere) is interacting with other commuters. There’s something about seeing a fellow bike rider that makes you want to wave to them, or at least give a nod to demonstrate that you recognize their efforts. This is especially true when the weather is foul – the nod to another bike rider shows them that you know what it’s like, that you too have chosen to ride instead of drive. As you ride more you’ll start to recognize the truly hardcore commuters, the ones who ride no matter the weather. Before you know it, you’ll be right there with them, pedaling through a hail storm, smiling the whole time.
So dust off that bike and join the club – there’s always room for one more. Pedal on!
Fairhaven Bike & Ski 