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SPOKEDATE 26 of January 2015

After a couple days of getting used to zero cars in our driveway, I must admit that I am beginning to appreciate the freedom of using my own power to move our little family. After many moments of full on regret, which I lend to a cultural dependency on cars that is as rooted in our makeup as DNA itself, I am warming to the challenge of a car free year and look forward to sharing the ups and down with you all.

For the sake of introduction, my name is Anna. I am a nurse by trade and a stay at home mom for now. I am thoroughly enjoying spending my days with our rambunctious 20  month old. James the before-mentioned 20 month old is as gregarious as they come and is thoroughly enjoying the social dimension of bike commuting. There is no end to interactions had upon a bike and whether he is cruising on his STRIDER bike or lounging in his badass BURLEY BEE he seems to enjoy the ride (for the most part). Paul recently began his career as a civil engineer here in Charlotte and seeing that we live only three miles from his job in uptown he chose to commute by bike from day one. His determination and unmitigated enjoyment of the daily commute began the conversation in our family about the feasibility of life without a family car and well here we are.

Future posts will explore the bikes and stuff that make our daily travels possible and enjoyable.

Till next time- stay cycling!

Anna

Spokedate: 23 January

The first day!

Greetings from Charlotte! Day number one of car-free living is complete - it happened to be a particularly wet and cold start, with near-freezing temperatures and rain lasting throughout the day. We sold our loyal 2001 Toyota 4Runner to a neighbor and began our self-imposed challenge: using bikes as our primary means of transportation in 2015.

We hope to use this blog to share our musings and experiences throughout the year to anyone who may find it of interest. Friends who have lived car-free have served as a source of information and inspiration to us, and we hope that we can similarly share the benefits and difficulties of this endeavor.