Badass

I just came from movement rock gym, where over the intercom were read the letters and numbers of a license plate that was parked illegally - in the Quizno's parking lot, rather than the gym parking lot. I didn't even listen as they were read, because I knew they weren't mine for I had biked in to the movement.

But I knew why they were parked there. They were parked there because every day at 5 pm the parking lot for movement is packed full. People fill the front lot. Then they park parallel along the side of the building. Then they fill the back lot. Then they start overflowing into adjacent, and illegal, lots. Neighboring businesses must hate the movement.

As I exited the gym on my way to my bike, to see four cars driving around in circles looking for spots in the lot. I saw two climbers with rope in hand coming from across the street, where they had parked in the Target lot.

This. Is. Completely. Insane.

Climbers are supposed to be the outdoorsiest of all outdoorsy people. We have our roots in dirtbaggery. We sleep in vans. We don't shower. Even if we had money, we wouldn't spend it on "stuff" unless that stuff got us outside more. And what the hell better way to be outside than on a bike, right?

And yet, there are approximately 6 bikes next to mine in the bike rack, next to all of the zillions of cars people drove.

You might say that I live fairly close by, and this is true. I rode 1.7 miles to get there. But I checked out Google Maps, and the farthest fathomable place from movement I can find that's still in Boulder, CO is only 6 miles away. My 1.7 mile ride took me 5 minutes, and Google tells me it should take 10. And the 6 mile ride, according to Google, should take 30. So, what, 15 or 20 minutes to get to the gym from anywhere you could possibly be in Boulder, Colorado?

You might point out that it's cold outside. This is bunk. Wear clothes. Plus, if you're going at all uphill, you'll be sweating and complaining about how hot it is in no time.

You might also point out that it's dark outside and thus dangerous. Also bunk. Buy bike lights. Plus, it's Boulder - and there's a bike path or bike lane anyplace you could possibly want to go (which, as an aside, often makes the journey faster than driving, because you duck under major roads via underpasses rather than wasting your life waiting at traffic lights.)

And just to add insult to injury, no doubt 90% people spent their days at desks at jobs they don't like so that they could pay for the car and the gas to get them to the gym.

Meanwhile, because I started biking everywhere I need to go with more fervor, and because Jenny commutes by biking to the bus, and then biking from the bus to work, (making her the most badass of all wives to ever be wived) our gas bill this month is $50. Even that could be nixed if we biked to family and friend's houses in Denver instead of splurging on comfy rides that make our muscles atrophy.

So given a complete lack of rational basis for not biking, what gives? Why is our culture so completely backwards?

(I admit, the seed of this rant was planted by another post, and as such is not at all original. But, first, what is? And second, who cares? It's all part of launching the movement.)