Goal: To put fewer than 2010 miles on my
car in the year 2010.
The best way to keep mileage down is to bike commute to and from work.
2009
Scouting a Route to Work
December 25
Tried a few routes on my road bike before settling on one that required riding a mountain bike.
This is a slower, but safer and more interesting ride. It's 11 miles each way and starts and finishes on regular roads,
but it also goes through the desert for 3 miles, into an area for mountain bikers called Fantasy Island.
The path I ride borders Davis-Monthan Air Force base and allows one to get from the east side to south of town, road-free.
Segment of the 3-Mile Path:
Elevation Profile
The elevation for the entire ride is gentle, and the ride home is generally downhill, as shown here:
Here we go....
January 2010
Bike Miles: 313
Car Miles: 148
Began bicycling in earnest and started seeing some great sights, such as...
These birds on telephone wires at Harrison and 29th as the sun was coming up:
A sculpture of a smoking man, made by someone out of cinder blocks and scrap metal:
A nice view of snow in the Catalina Mountains:
But the riding also got sloppy, as January was a wet month, with almost 2 inches of rainfall.
This pushed me off of the trail at times and slowed down my commute a LOT:
February 2010
Bike Miles: 453
Car Miles: 149
No pics this month.
March 2010
Bike Miles: 403
Car Miles: 370
Here's my bike at the Valencia entrance/exit on Liz's birthday.
These are constructed to keep motorized vehicles off the path:
Eerie yet beautiful mist rising on the morning of March 24:
April 2010
Bike Miles: 657
Car Miles: 78
Wonderful month, with desert plants beginning to bloom, as shown in these examples:
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Saw these gorgeous cows one morning
Also realized what all the rat-ta-tat-tat was about:
May 2010
Bike Miles: 450
Car Miles: 171
No pics this month.
June 2010
Bike Miles: 291
Car Miles: 185
I crashed this month and injured myself so did not ride too much. However, before the crash....
One day, the bullsnake shown here blocked my path.
Bullsnakes are not poisonous, but they do like to pretend they are rattlesnakes -
their markings are similar and they have rattles:
July 2010
Bike Miles: 351
Car Miles: 498
Had a close encounter with a rattlesnake on July 6.
As you can see, he blended in really well with his environment.
Can you find him???
Flooded conditions out on the Island. Common during monsoon season, and difficult to trudge through.
August 2010
Bike Miles: 335
Car Miles: 343
After having waited for the flood to dry up, I ventured back out onto the Island on August 9, and met up with the guy pictured here.
The summertime challenges of the Island kept me from riding daily, so I decided to try another route.
Now, when I get to Irvington (shown here) from Harrison, I head east to Houghton.
From there, I get into Civano, where they have miles of multi-use paths.
I have to ride on Houghton without a bike lane for about a mile, and the speed limit is 55 mph,
but I just ride on this dirt path and it's fine.
September 2010
Bike Miles: 282
Car Miles: 305
Saw this beautiful Monarch one morning before my commute.
And here are a couple of funny stop signs at the corner of Old Spanish Trail and Gollob
