Bike & Folklife!

My new job is in Bothell, which means I have a non-walking, non-tele- commute, for the first time in... almost five years? (Whoa.)

Anyway, I'm not excited about the prospect of a driving commute. Sure, I could get myself some audiobooks, or avoid rush hour by setting out at the crack of dawn, but when it comes right down to it I just don't want to be devoting over an hour to sitting in my car on a daily basis. The problem is similar with public transportation (which also takes three times as long, by Google Maps' estimate). I'll already need to be more focused about making time for daily physical therapy exercises when I'm working 9-5, so the idea of my transit time cutting further into my available time to move around was bugging me a bit.

I've been mulling this over and finally thought to check out the possibility of commuting to work by bike. A bit of backstory -- when I was in grade school, I outgrew my beloved bike Tornado (yes, I named my bike) and refused to ride a bike ever again. I haven't ridden since, though it was as much about fear of the intimidatingly-taller bike my parents tried to foist on me as a replacement as about dedication to Tornado's memory. So my bike-riding skills are a bit rusty, to say the least. The biking commute to Bothell is about a two-hour commute each way. It sounds daunting but I'm tempted to try and work up to it, especially since it's summer now and the weather tends to be nicer. My best defense against pain is to strengthen the muscles around my knee, and bike riding is great for that -- not only does it work the right muscles, but it does so in a low-impact way that's unlikely to lead to injury. Also, much of the path I'd be biking to work is along dedicated bike trails (rather than roads with car traffic) which makes me feel fairly safe -- with my exposure to cars minimized I'm unlikely to get run off the road or ambushed by someone opening a car door in my path unexpectedly. With four hours of built-in exercise a day, my knees could be so strong... I'm not sure whether it's a realistic plan, but I figure at least it won't hurt to look into it and try and work toward it.

So yesterday I took my bike (a hand-me-down from a friend) down to the bike shop for a check-up. While at the bike shop the mechanic asked whether Stephen & I had made it to the Folklife Festival, which I had completely forgotten about... it's a three-day event with tons of contra dancing. My knee has been hurting, so I was a little unsure about going, but I popped over for the last few hours of the festival, and contra danced for the first time since I'd been in the wheelchair. It was wonderful, and if anything my knee felt better afterwards -- with all the spinning involved in contra, it's probably good for working the muscles around the knee too. So maybe I'll start doing more contra as well.

Gonna pick up the bike later today and (if I can work up the courage) try to ride it. Wish me luck!