Beans by Bike Winter Summary by the Bike Delivery Babe

Hey there all.  It's Ruth, the bike delivery girl.  I was asked to brag about my awesome job as bike delivery babe, so here it goes.  Two days a week I load up all of our downtown business orders on our hefty bike trailer and head downtown for some fresh air on the job.  This winter was interesting.  Many days the roads were impassable.  Many of us bike riders resorted to walking because of the depth of the snow and my deliveries had to be made by car.  Still I was able to do 88 miles of riding for Higher Grounds between December and now.  I pedaled a total of 3,904 pounds of coffee around town. 

Some would say we're a little crazy.  What I have to say is to bundle up and try it yourself.  It's really not that hard.  More people should be doing this.  Biking is refreshing in the cold winter air and gets you at least a half hour out of your stuffy houses, jobs and cars.  The depth of the snow is the only thing that holds me back.  When it's easier to walk, than to ride the bike or drive your car, you know the snow is DEEP. But everyone look at the savings we made just doing the 88 miles that we could!  We saved $35.26 in gas.  We didn't use 9.28 gallons of gas.  And we decreased our CO2 footprint by 185.6 pounds!  If you have 5 miles to go - bike. 

If you have 1 mile to go - walk.  If you have to go to the grocery store, put $20 into a bike rack or backpack.  I'm not saying to get rid of your car, just leave it parked more.  It takes more time to commute with your own body as transportation, but I am happy to spend a half hour of my day walking or biking - most commutes from out of town by car take that much time.  I've also found that in the summer when the traffic is heavier it's actually faster to be biking.  I started biking two or three years ago and fell over at an intersection on 14th street because I lost my balance!  Right next to a huge line of cars waiting to turn.  My backpack went flying.  I had a rusty huffy with sticky brakes...but I didn't have to drive my car.  And then I couldn't stop.  Biking makes so much sense to me and it's just great!!  Park your car if you're close!  Start now. You live in the North, don't be afraid of the cold!  Breathe in the sweet smells of coming spring and hear the birds starting to sing!

By Ruth Elliott - Bike Delivery Babe