Almost Off the Wagon, Into the Car

Oh boy. This week has not been much of an alternative transportation week for me. On Monday, I felt rotten and it was my late day at work, plus I went in even later because of feeling bad. So I drove. This was the first time I had driven alone to work since I started this experiment!

Tuesday we both rode the bus. Wednesday, we did carpool in together, but I had to shop after work for my job this year at LEAF. So Ken took the bus home, while I burned gas. Thursday I was off work to spend the day with my daughter, Kimzey! That was wonderful, but we did have some places to go by car that weren't on the bus route. Animal Haven, to see the pigs, for one thing! (That's Kimzey in the picture!) Then, to burn the final few gallons of gas, I drove to Marion to pick up my son, Nathan. This morning, Ken and I drove in together, but I'll be leaving at 1:30. To use more gas.

Speaking of driving, I really hadn't been used to driving much in town for a month or so, and it seemed crazy yesterday being behind the wheel in what seemed like lots of traffic. Stopping, starting...where did all that traffic come from!?

I have high hopes that next week will be more normal and that I will be back to bus riding most of the days.

Still Striving...

Today was a carpooling day. This getting up earlier and planning has not gotten easier yet, but I am trying not to whine about it! I have to try to actually PLAN at night. Like make the lunch I'm taking to work. I should pick out and iron my clothes the night before, but I am not organized enough to think about what I'm wearing the next day. What if I pick something out at night and then am not in the mood for it the next morning?!

I didn't have time to put my contacts in this morning, so I ran out the door with the case in my hands. By the time we got to the Y, I thought I had lost them but found them in the back seat. I only had 15 minutes at the Y to actually do anything, but, hey, I got a great shower!

Our parking deck is awful right now. All the workers on it are wearing masks. I did not have a mask. Riding the bus is nice this week so we don't have to deal with the parking deck construction.

I put two new links on the blog. Strive Not to Drive NC and Blue Ridge Commuter Connections. I'm curious if carpoolers really are able to connect on the Strive Not to Drive site.

Beginning

Because of the latest gas crisis (Hurricane Ike, prices in Asheville going way over $4/gallon and many stations with no gas at all) I've decided to make a more conscious effort to conserve gas and to think about how I get from here to there. I'm starting this blog to record my efforts and thoughts.

So, yesterday, Monday, September 15, 2008 I resolved to try to avoid going to work with just one person (me) in the car. That narrowed my options to carpooling, riding the bus, walking or riding my bike. I got a jump start on my resolution on Sunday, when I worked at the West Asheville Branch library, and was able to walk there. (1 1/2 miles). Walking downtown to my normal job, however, would be a bit trickier. So Monday was my late day at work. I decided to ride the bus. I caught it at around 10:30 and got into town at 11. The bus stop is right beside a gas station; this station had no gas at all. I was the only one at the bus stop.

The bus was almost full, which made me happy! Some cute little kids on it. One older black man who had 4 bags of groceries from Ingles. Some people who obviously knew each other yelling back and forth. A basically pleasant experience.

After work, I walked to Asheville Pizza and met Ken and Walter. We ate and all rode home together. My other option, of course, was to ride the bus home. Then I would have had to walk home in the dark (approximately 10 minute walk). Not sure how I feel about this possibility.

I have to confess that this is only my third time riding the bus in Asheville and I've lived in Buncombe County a long time. I'm not proud of my lack of public transport use. One of my excuses is that for a long time I lived where there was no bus service. Another excuse is that I am a pretty typical middle class American in that I like to have the freedom to jump in my car and go wherever I want without thinking about it. So now I'm thinking about it...

Today Ken and I rode in to work together, dropping Walter off at school on the way. The only extra effort on my part was getting up a little earlier. All for a good cause! After work, we'll ride to the Y together, then I'll drop Ken at volleyball and he'll get a ride home later. Then I'll go to some grocery stores that are on the way home...

Tomorrow has the potential to be a carless day. We'll see...