Not In The Cards

Last weekend, I rented a Zipcar to drive with a friend to see the pretty azaelas at Brighton Dam. Afterwards we headed to Westminster for some ice cream and enjoy the drive in the countryside. When we were about to head back, the fuel gauge was low, so I stopped to get gas. I flipped the visor down to get the gas card...and was a bit surprised to see that it WASN'T there! I checked in various sections of the car to see if it had been placed elsewhere, but didn't find it. Perhaps someone who previously re-fueled the Zipcar, absent-mindedly pocketed the gas card, I don't know. So I called Zipcar to check with them on the process to pay for the gas and reimbursement...this is the first time in 4 years that the gas card wasn't there (not that I've had to fill the car many times). They said after I got gas, to get a receipt, and then I could either fax or email it to the local Zipcar office, and my credit card would be reimbursed. So that was good news. :)

A couple of other notes about the Zipcar I got, was that it smelled slightly of smoke. Zipcar has a rule that no smoking is allowed in the car (there's a $50 fine). Also, when I picked up my friend, she was going to plug in her iPod so that we could have some good music for the drive. But turns out the Zipcar's auxiliary cord didn't work due to a cut in the cord...so she got her cord from her car and we used that. I made a call to Zipcar to report the smokey smell of the car, and the defective cord. They credited me a half-hour driving time for these items, which was nice of them.

It's good that Zipcar makes these compensations. As the saying goes, "It's the little things that matter." :)

Where's the Key??

The other weekend, I decided to get a Mini Cooper Zipcar to go for a drive in the countryside with a friend. The model was a Clubman, which is their version of a station wagon. Since the Mini Cooper is a small car, I rode my Brompton to get to the car, so that it could fold up nice and small inside the car. I drove a Mini Cooper Zipcar years ago for my sister's birthday, so I remember the car's racecar interior (large displays on the dash). On the Clubman model, instead of a hatchback, there are cute small doors that open outward. It's kind of like opening a small cabinet. :) Each rear window has a little wiper blade. My folded Brompton fit in the back area along with the front bike bag.

I got into the driver's seat, and reached for the key which is on a zipline cord. But when I got to the end of the cord, where there normally is a key, there was just a circle key fob! No key! I was in a time crunch to pick up my friend, as we were making an additional stop on the way. How would I get there if I don't have the key to the car? I looked at the instructions for my car reservation, and I see in the Notes section that in order to start the car, you insert the key fob into a slot on the dash.

(You can see this slot in the above picture - just to the right of the steering wheel). You push the Start button and step on the brake, and the car will start. I thought that was an odd way to have a car start - why not just use a key? But I guess the Mini Cooper wants to be different. :) It took me a couple of times, but I managed to get it started. I think a Prius has a similar push-button start.

We had a nice drive out to Shepherdstown, West Virginia - I hadn't been there before. It's a nice quiet small town in the countryside. It wouldn't be a bad place to live and/or retire...it has its positive aspects. But then I think about the things that are helpful in order to live car-free. I think living in the city or nearby suburbs makes it A LOT easier. I have buses and the subway available. Stores are within a short walking or biking distance. There are bike trails and paths to safely get around. So, living in the city/local suburb has its positive aspects too.

My friend asked if I enjoyed the speediness of the car, as I drove along. I hadn't thought about it, nor had I really missed zipping along in a car. Zipping along on your bike is a lot of fun - - you can feel like you're in a bike race. :) You get an adrenaline rush when you're flying along (especially down a hill). :)

True, you can't bike as far in a day as you could drive a car in a day. But, you don't get any exercise when driving a car either. :)

There are pros and cons for everything! :)

Next month, I will be on a bike tour from DC to Pittsburgh. When I get to Pittsburgh, I'll fold my Brompton and put it on a Megabus. I've already gotten my bus ticket - - for $1.50. :) Try doing that with a car!! :)

Happy Trails to Me :)

The other weekend, I thought about getting a Zipcar to visit my sister and see her new puppy, and to run some errands - specifically to pick up pet supplies at Petsmart. I went online to see if there was a closer Petsmart to my home than the previous store I used to shop at in Arlington. I saw there was one in Greenbelt, and I looked closely at the map to check the way that I could bike there (or take Metro and bike). I saw that there were a couple of bike trails that I could take that would get me within a couple of miles of the store. :) I've just recently been checking out my new neighborhood and its streets. The Northwest Branch Trail is a couple blocks from my house, and that links up with the Indian Creek Trail, which comes out on the busy Greenbelt Road. However, there is a sidewalk and also "Share the Road" bike signage on Greenbelt Road. One-way mileage is only 8 miles, most of which is on the two bike trails.
So, instead of getting a Zipcar, I made the jaunt on the trails to the store and it was a nice ride. The trails run alongside creeks and through woods - so it's nice, quiet and peaceful. I took a couple pictures along the way, and biking on the trails certainly is better than biking with cars. :) Having the trails is nice also, in that the trails are flat (for the most part), which helps since I had about 60 lbs. of pet supplies in my panniers! :)


Speaking of cars, I was reading in the news recently that there are two new competitors for Zipcar. One is Car2go, which rents out these cute SmartCars. The other is Hertz On Demand. Both of these have their advantages and disadvantages, compared to Zipcar. But one thing about Car2go is that you don't have to return them to the same parking spot where you picked them up. And with Hertz On Demand, you can get a car for just one-way. So, it'll be interesting to see how these new services do in D.C. My mom used to say that a little competition never hurt. :)

Springtime

Spring is one of my favorite times of the year - - I ALWAYS enjoy the colorful trees and flowers! I wish Spring would last longer... To enjoy the nice weather at my house, I got a porch swing (from a Craigslist ad). I used a Zipcar pick-up truck to go get it. It's nice to have the ability to get the KIND of car that I need, depending on what I need it for. :)

Speaking of cars, I came across this neat picture taken by a biking guy visiting in Brussels, of an electric car recharging on the street.
I was thinking it would be neat if we had these in the U.S. - and then I was reading in the news today that they just added 8 of these charging stations last night at Reagan National Airport! :) (See second picture below) I also read they have charging stations at Dulles Airport and BWI, which I didn't know. :) Very cool and it's good to see. :) Hopefully electric cars will be more common in the future. At least they don't pollute the air.

I have a new housemate moving into my house soon, and he's talking about selling his car to save money, and be car-free. :) I told him I have lots of tips to give him on how to be car-free and that it's completely do-able. :) He's happy that there's a bus stop right at the corner of my house, that goes to Metro, so that helps a lot. :) That's one of the criteria for when I was looking for a house to buy...that it be located within a mile or so of a Metro station. Having a bus stop at my corner is an added plus, to make it a little more easier/enjoyable in case of bad weather. :)

My New Abode :)

Well, my new residence doesn't QUITE look like this, but it's a castle in my eyes. :) I had my house closing last week and partially moved in that evening. :) It's really hard to believe that I'm a HOMEOWNER now! I've been a renter all my life, so this is different!

It's nice to have lots of space for a change. Having lived in apartments and/or sharing houses, it has been space-limiting. I always had to be concerned with whether I would have enough space for all my bikes, for one thing. Now I have a huge basement to store them. :)

Having a house though, presents some new challenges to being car-free. There are things you need to purchase when you own a house, that you don't need when you live in an apartment... One good thing is that there is a Zipcar location only a mile away (there's a pick-up truck there). So that'll come in handy for when I need to haul something that won't fit on my bike trailer. :)

So, stay tuned for new adventures as I continue to attempt to live car-free. :)

Inexpensive Travel

I recently saw an article on our local news that buses like Megabus and Bolt bus, had a 32% increase in passengers last year. The poor economy and high gas prices have inspired people to look for less expensive ways to travel. I enjoy taking the Megabus because the buses are comfortable, the drivers (for the most part) are good and cautious. Once in a while, we will have a speedy driver who takes the curves a little fast, or hit the brakes suddenly, and that can be a little scary...but that is a rarity. There is Wi-Fi on the bus, and though I don't bring a laptop, I do use my cell phone to surf the net, do emails, etc. The people on the bus are all ages, and range from college kids to well-dressed middle-class. I've had interesting and enjoyable conversations with many passengers in my bus travels. The buses almost ALWAYS leave on time - - they remind me of the trains. :) It's nice when things run on time. :) Plus, there are MANY departure times to choose from, which helps in scheduling your day. For instance, if I wanted to go to NYC this weekend, there are 22 scheduled departures from D.C.! That's probably more than a plane!

Hopefully the prices will continue to stay inexpensive, and the buses will have good drivers and on-time performance. :)

Easy Christmas Shopping

This past weekend, a friend wanted me to meet her at a mall so that she could check on a Christmas item to buy. The mall is not a Megamall, but it does have good anchor stores to pull in the business, and it's connected to a subway stop, which is helpful. Since it's not a Megamall, car parking isn't real bad...but then, this was the weekend before Christmas.

The mall is a little less than 2 miles from where I live, the bike ride over there is easy, though there's a good-size hill involved. The last time I rode over to the mall, I locked my bike in front of the Target store, where there was a bike rack provided. The store my friend wanted to meet me was at the other end of the mall, where I didn't see a bike rack. So I double-locked my bike to a tree across from the mall entrance. I later saw another mall entrance around the corner, and it DID have a bike rack there, so I made a note of it for bike parking in the future. :)

Going to a mall the weekend before Christmas can be a bit stressful, especially if you're trying to park a car. I have experienced "parking lot road rage" years ago (when I did have a car), and it wasn't pleasant. The guy who "stole" my parking spot did it with such gusto and nerve, I couldn't believe it. As he got out of his car, he let me have it verbally. And this was FIRST thing in the morning! How can someone be SO ANGRY first thing in the morning??! There were plenty of other parking spots right nearby, so I parked elsewhere.

You NEVER have such angry outbursts from other bicyclists when you are parking your bike. You never have to "fight" for a parking spot. It is a stress-free experience. One less stress in life is good. :)