Mileage, January-June

Keeping up with this on a month to month basis is a little silly, but on a quarterly basis, it isn't too bad. So here we are, halfway through the year of 2010 and I've done a pretty darn good job of refraining from use of my truck. There is one exception, and that is the trip to Arizona that added about 740 miles or so to the tally. Even still, the numbers are good. Drum roll, please...

• January 1: 211,401
• July 1: 212,694

That makes 1,293 miles for the first half of the year. I'm pretty sure this year isn't going to improve upon my record for last year, 1546, but even without the trip to Arizona, the average is coming in on the lean side, less than 100 miles a month. Nothing to be ashamed of. I've only been to the gas station seven times this year, and four of those trips were connected with the Arizona trip. Not bad at all.

Mileage Through November

• January 1: 209,855
• February 7: 210,000
• March 1: 210,120
• April 1: 210,203
• May 1: 210,309
• June 1: 210,367
• July 1: 210,532
• August 1: 210,675
• September 1: 210,873
• October 1: 210,919
• November 1: 211,038
• December 1: 211,246

In list form, here are the tallies I have recorded for the month starts this year. Just one more month to go, and I don't have big plans for December so this may not change much. It looks like we have 1,391 miles so far this year, with an uncharacteristic 208 miles for this month just completed. That is because Kelli and I took a joyride to Mt. Palomar a couple days ago. We didn't reach the top because it began to snow at elevation and we were there with no chains and it was dusk. So once I found the truck to be poorly footed on the pavement, I turned around. It made a nice bit of a getaway. Stopped for Dudley's bread and had a nice day away from the usual environs.

I finally passed my recommended oil change mileage interval on this trip—it took a year and a half to drive 3,000 miles! The oil looks good so I may do it sometime next summer or fall.

Mileage Through September

• January 1: 209,855
• February 7: 210,000
• March 1: 210,120
• April 1: 210,203
• May 1: 210,309
• June 1: 210,367
• July 1: 210,532
• August 1: 210,675
• September 1: 210,873
• October 1: 210,919

In list form, here are the tallies I have recorded for the month starts this year. This month has been the leanest of all at just 46 miles in my own vehicle, with a total of 1,046 miles since the start of the year. Obviously the biking is working out, but it is right to say that I catch a few rides from Kelli when needed, and occasionally I can do quick errands along my work routes.

I am still waiting for the 3,000 mile mark to roll around since last year's oil change. That will be coming up "soon" in 300 miles or so. Maybe in December I will have that to report. I've gassed up only four times so far and I predict only two more fills at this rate. I'm sure this blog is getting boring by now, eh? Paint dries faster and is more exciting to watch.

Mileage Through August

• January 1: 209,855
• February 7: 210,000
• March 1: 210,120
• April 1: 210,203
• May 1: 210,309
• June 1: 210,367
• July 1: 210,532
• August 1: 210,675
• September 1: 210,873

In list form, here are the tallies I have recorded for the month starts this year. You read right folks—that is only 1,018 private miles in my truck for the first eight months of this year. So far this month has been the "worst" of the year in terms of miles driven, but still, it was only 198 miles or so, which is still about 2/3 of one tank of gas. It's looking good. Just four more months to go this year. I will predict a total of 1,700 miles for the year.

As you can see, I broke the 1,000 mile mark this month, and it took all of eight months to do it! As I mentioned before, I withheld a bit of biking at the start of the month to not complicate my dental work. I got a bike rack for the truck and have used it a couple times to get to different neighborhoods or to include Kelli on some rides. There has been a bit more of my charitable driving, as I am ever more on the lookout for produce or dairy goods that I can get from work and pass off to Special Delivery or to meet a more immediate need if I find it. My Monday errand and volunteer days are still the most common driving days, otherwise I really am parked the better part of five or six days each week. I still haven't gotten a car wash, even after three years. Maybe next year.

Mileage Through July

• January 1: 209,855
• February 7: 210,000
• March 1: 210,120
• April 1: 210,203
• May 1: 210,309
• June 1: 210,367
• July 1: 210,532
• August 1: 210,675

In list form, here are the tallies I have recorded for the month starts this year. You read right folks—that is only 820 private miles in my truck for the first seven months of this year.

Most of the news is about the same: a few loose errands, a couple Special Delivery routes, and one or two Mondays that fill up with lots of things to knock out at once. Other than that, the Toyota stays parked most days. I finally got to the gas station last week for its fourth fillup this calendar year. Still have many miles before the oil change due at 211,215. It is quite something. I was debating on whether to take it to a car wash and then bother to clean it up with a wash and wax. I don't recall doing so since summer of 2006, and I guess a triennial car wash is no crime, is it?

Were it not for a couple days of lowered activity to help let my tooth sockets heal, I'd be kicking around on the bike more this glorious four day weekend. But I can enjoy naps just as much.

Mileage Through June: Half Year Mark

1. January 1: 209,855
2. February 7: 210,000
3. March 1: 210,120
4. April 1: 210,203
5. May 1: 210,309
6. June 1: 210,367
7. July 1: 210,532

In list form, here are the tallies I have recorded for the month starts this year. You read right folks—that is only 677 private miles in my truck for the first half of this year.

June saw me driving a tad more (but still remarkably little) because I began doing some volunteer work for Special Delivery, a charity that supplies meals to people with AIDS and other long term illnesses. My church apparently has a history of finding volunteers for SD so it was easy for me to be convinced, especially since for two and a half years I used to do home delivered meals for seniors, and my grandmother before that did some Meals On Wheels volunteer driving when I was a kid. My route is pretty small, and its a quick zip around North Park. Of course, as long as I have the truck out and about, it is easy to justify the running of errands that I let accumulate through the week. I've been entertaining the idea of getting a bike trailer and doing the route with that. It would be perfectly manageable; none of the food is very bulky and there are only about ten stops. It would be the same as toting some groceries home.

A bit of driving was also necessary since I took both my bikes in for some TLC, and used the truck to fill in the gaps. You say, why didn't I just ride the other bike? Well, each time I let the shop have the bike with an open end to the deal, so the first one it took a week and I didn't realize it would, so I trucked in each day thinking I'd scramble over after work and get it. The next bike didn't take as long but whenever I get the truck to work, I accomplish one or both of my "other" goals on the sly.

Since it is summer, I am feeding my compost heap with all sorts of goodies. I have an open mound that is just fed whatever stuff I can get from work, so having the truck to get boxes of discards is a lot easier than biking it all home :-) The heap is burning hot with all the stuff in there, and stuff is breaking down fast. My other order of unofficial business is to do some "guerilla charity" efforts. I've trained the guys in the warehouse to not automatically discard some still-useful food. A lot of dairy has been saved, and I've used whatever means to get it to Special Delivery, or to church nearby where there is a fridge, or to whatever outlet makes sense in the moment, even as I am often making clandestine runs in the work truck (shhhh...) to get some of this Lord's work done. It has been like the underground railroad in some ways. I haven't totally legitimized the effort, but since it is all discards anyway, I feel compelled to do it. You gotta realize how much waste I see in this business. Sometimes I have to use my truck to do some of this, but other times, I am pretty clever with my network of folks I call and get them involved to provide a link between the back door of the shop and the kitchen at Special Delivery. The other stuff can be composted and turned into some great soil.

As far as actual riding goes, I am still commuting by bike. I huff it up the big Presidio hill to church at least once a week. I tried a couple new things in June that I have never done. I pedaled out to La Mesa to take care of some business on a Sunday (and trolleyed back for speed and a tight schedule), and having other business on the very next day, I caught a ride out there with Kelli and pedaled back home. Each way was about 14-17 miles depending on which streets I took, and some detours to try to hook up with friends along the way. Another new experience was the group ride I did with the fellas from the bike shop that has been so excellent for me this year. I had never done a group ride before so it was all quite new. We left Balboa Park and rode out to Sunset Cliffs in OB, and returned by about the same path, with some of us peeling off along the way if we were passing our houses. That ride was about 17 miles too. All this is done on my single speed.

I spent some more money retrofitting parts on my older geared comfort bike. I got a replacement saddle given to me to replace the one that itself was a replacement. I was better informed by the far firmer saddle that has been under my ass this year with the new bike. Along with the newer saddle, I got a new stem and straight handlebars to make it a bit more compact and slightly more aggressive in its posture. Now both bikes are a bit more alike in my riding position. The older bike still is too small a frame, but it feels better to ride now. At least my ass doesn't hurt from the spongy saddle! I swear, I've bought that bike three times by now, piece by piece.

I have also got fixed gear fever. I have been prowling websites and bike shops to familiarize myself with what is out there, and to get a bit more time on that type of bike. I almost bought a used one yesterday but for the frame being the wrong size. I am also looking at how I can get Kelli on a bike that she likes. There is one brand that has a chainless design with an eight speed internal hub that might just be perfect for her. I had let her use my old bike but now that it is set up for me and my more aggressive posture, she won't go near it.

All these posts have been ostensibly about gas and vehicular mileage, but as you see, there is a lot more to it. The effort of composting is one good way to keep grounded in the purest of senses. The business of biking is grounding too (maybe a little too much—I destroyed both tires on my new bike in one shortcut across a brier-strewn traffic island. It only cost me $106 for new and improved tires and tubes which is perfectly manageable since I barely buy gas anymore). My work gives me the money to live, but also a couple chances to do some good outside. Church life ties it altogether and keeps me with open eyes for what might need attention that I can give. It is an odd but delightful synergistic relationship between these things right now. The world might be crumbling out there, but for me it is coming together. And plenty of it arises from leaving the car parked and figuring out how to live that way.

Mileage Through May

• January 1: 209,855
• February 7: 210,000
• March 1: 210,120
• April 1: 210,203
• May 1: 210,309
• June 1: 210,367

In list form, here are the tallies I have recorded for the month starts this year. You read right folks. That's only 512 private vehicle miles I've driven this year. I apparently drove only 58 miles in May.

I had to fill up my tank again. It is only the third time I have done so this year. The last was in March or so.

Mileage Through April

• January 1: 209,855
• February 7: 210,000
• March 1: 210,120
• April 1: 210,203
• May 1: 210,309

In list form, here are the tallies I have recorded for the month starts this year. You read right folks. That's only 454 private vehicle miles I've driven this year. Taking that four month tally out to 12 months, it might turn out to be 1,352 miles for the year, though that is still just mathematics. But it isn't too far from reasonable: I got an oil change at the start of June last year (still a few months before the biking blitz began in early October or so) and haven't even run out the 3,000 miles to the projected next change. I will get there in approximately 900 miles, at 211,215. Now it is odd to get into my own vehicle. It is the one I drive least. Driving manual only in my truck now makes my technique a little rusty, so I can't tell if it's me or if the clutch is a bit worse off and in need of attention. Most of my work weeks see my truck parked in the same spot for five days at a time.

Back on the bike, things have been going well. What I don't bike, I use a bus to make the very occasional leap for timing's sake, or carpool with Kelli, or even hoof it. Usually one of my weekend days will comprise of various errands, personal engagements, health appointments and the like, so biking can help if the stuff is spaced accordingly. One day I managed to score a doc visit, visit with Lee Van Ham at a coffee shop ten miles away in Kensington (hence a bus ride to speed it up since the turnaround was less than an hour), and on the ride back, we hit his office in Normal Heights, then I got my bike adjusted a bit at the bike shop, went to the bank and went in Bay Park. Later on, I reversed some of that same trip for a trip to a church related meeting in Mission Hills. It made for a good day.

Mileage Through March

It's that time of the month: the truck mileage report! And this aint no April Fool's entry either!

• January 1, 2009: 209,855
• February 7: 210,000
• March 1: 210,120
• April 1: 210,203

The end of March, the third month of 2009, has my truck odometer at 210,203. Last month's entry was 210,120 miles, so I take that to mean that the month of March saw me drive my Toyota just 83 miles! The year of 2009 so far began at 209,855 miles which brings a total of 348 miles driven so far!

Obviously, the biking is working out well, and the new development has been on a couple of instances when for no really good reason, I've taken a few rides just to get out. One was on a night when my Kelligirl was sick and went to bed early. A fine time to use up some evening that would be wasted on the computer. So I set out, not knowing where in particular I would go. I don't know why, but I have this magnetic attraction to some of the damn hard hills in the region. So, to start that evening off, I hit the hardest, most daunting one I could think of: Illion St. in Bay Park which leads to a slightly milder Milton St. Then I hit a few more for fun along the way. All in all, that ride was just shy of ten miles as I mapped it on Google. The hardest part was dealing with the fog, which made a few dark downhill stretches a bit of an adventure.

Another ride turned out to start the same, again hitting that notorious hill, and then just cruising through places I haven't ridden in years, and several I have never ridden. I got home and mapped that and found it had been just shy of 20 miles.

And of course, I am still doing my commute and trips to church on the bike. A new thing is to ride to a certain destination where Kelli and I need to shop or do other business (coming from different starting locations), do whatever business, then bike back. It sort of reduces our togetherness by a bit, but it is an excuse to say, get to Costco on a bike when everyone knows you can't get out of Costco without a truckload of stuff!

The business of getting to church involves a pretty serious hill entering Mission Hills, with a few paths to choose from. Each time since I got the new bike I had to take some breather breaks. I started with five such breaks and successively cut one out at a time until just a couple weeks ago I found I could do the entire stretch with no pauses. It was quite gratifying. That I did it two days in a row was extra special and helped prompt me to try out other hills with the same approach. The two rides mentioned above were partially exercises of that sort; but even more absurdly than the ride intending to just kill time and burn some calories is the fact that a few days ago, I decided to tackle that same nasty Illion St. hill not once but twice in its entirety solely for the purpose of getting a bit of video! I wasn't going anywhere—it was just to show off. This arose after telling my bike shop salesguys that I have this thing for hills now. Whenever someone comes into the shop and asks why anyone would want to ride a singlespeed bike, they tell the story about me and my 21 speed not being as bold as me and my singlespeed, now happy to ride hills like a pig wallows in mud!

Mileage Through February

Minus one car

• January 1, 2009: 209,855
• February 7: 210,000
• March 1: 210,120

It appears that I drove my own truck just 265 miles in the first two months of this year. Yup, ending the month of February showed only 210,120 miles. Now I get into my truck and I barely know what to do with it, but somehow muscle memory moves the controls well enough and it still does what I need it to. I haven't yet run a tank of gas through it this year. I thought it was just cute when I saw the sticker on my bike, but the bike is addictive and the sticker seems truer and truer as I go.

So far this biking thing is working out nicely. I got past some of the earlier knee pain that came in the first few weeks, so now most of the riding is quite easy. The hills of course are challenging to do in one gear, but there have been some revelations as I discover that they go faster than on the 21 speed. (After all, every rotation at this ratio is going to propel me farther than whatever a lower "granny gear" would on the same hill.) Each time I tackle one of the routine hills, I try to take one less breather break than the time before. It gets pretty exhilarating to get the heart going like it does in these situations.

I have this desire to take this single gear thing a bit further and possibly get a fixed gear bike. Right now though that is added expense that I can't justify, but the couple times I have test ridden such a bike, it has been oddly attractive. I've been reading up on whatever might be useful to know, just in case.