Kid’s responses when we pointed out LCDC was almost over:

"It was a piece of pie." ~Annarose Overshiner, Age 7

"What? It’s over? So? Big deal." ~Max Overshiner, Age 9

Well LCDC2 is over. We did the Business Traveler taking one weekend car trip to follow the Tour of Missouri to JC and on into St. Louis. Driving the car to see the bikes, hmmm. That was an awesome weekend! We took the bikes with us and rode around St. Louis. We rode from the Chase at the corner of Kingshigway and Lindell to Union Station to see the races. The kids got their t-shirts autographed by loads of racers, including Alberto Contador (Tour de France, 2007). The racers were really accessible and friendly. When we told them that we rode our bikes to school everyday, several of them said that was how they got started with cycling. Max returned home from the races with the need for speed and often sprints up Maupin on his way home now.

One super cool thing, as we made our way back up Lindell, which was part of the race course, we were allowed to ride on the course while the racers were in other parts of the city. The course was a 10.6 mile loop. The race officials just told us to get off the road when we saw the lead vehicle coming. So on that Sunday afternoon, we had Lindell all to ourselves. We rode serpentine down Lindell crossing back and forth across six traffic lanes, just because we could. We offered autographs to the bystanders, but they weren’t very interested. When the racers came around, we would get up on the sidewalk to cheer them on, then back in the street when they passed.

It was amazing getting to ride in St. Louis with Tim and the kids. After all, St. Louis is where I really started riding seriously for transportation, where I bought my first bike cart to haul baby Max in, where I rode my first Critical Mass, and where I became aware of and involved in cycling advocacy. It was a bit of a homecoming for me to get to ride those streets again sharing it with Tim and the kids on their own bikes made it really special. It was so cool to point out the cycling improvements that have occurred in St. Louis over the six years since we moved away. Remembering sitting around with fellow massers talking about ways to improve cycling in St. Louis and dreaming about starting the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation, then seeing what they have done…too cool. But I digress. After reading Eric’s blog about his experience going to Tour of MO in St. Louis, I kind of wish we had tried the train thing….looking back it would have been totally doable. Live and learn. There is always next year.

Our days pretty much went like this. Ride the bikes to school, drop off the kids, ride to work, pickup the kids, goof off downtown, ride on home or wherever we needed to go…piano, friend’s house, store, Klunk, whatever. On the weekends, do whatever we wanted to do on the bikes. First weekend, ride to Katfish Katy’s to go camping (No Rachel, they don’t always have parties until 3am. Also, if you camp over the levy…sites #29 and 31A are especially nice…that dampens the noise quite a lot. We bike camp there frequently.) Second weekend, downtown a lot for the Roots-n- Blues-n-BBQ-where’s-the-BBQ?-Festival. Third weekend, drive to JC and St. Louis for Tour of Missouri. Awed by racers. Ride in St. Lou. Fourth weekend, hang around the house mostly. Fifth weekend, hang around home, relax.

Yesterday, Tim, Annarose and I rode to Westlake’s with the bike cart and bought mums and pumpkins for the front yard. We fit five pots of mums in the bike cart, a pumpkin in my collapsible basket, a pumpkin in Tim’s bike trunk, two small pumpkins in his panniers, and a pot of mums in Annarose’s basket. What a lovely way to ride. In the afternoon, Tim and I went on a date. We left the bikes home and walked downtown, holding hands and chatting the whole way. The afternoon was bright, breezy and warm, a lovely day for a walk. Walking, your pace is much slower than on a bike, you really get to see and appreciate things you miss whizzing by at 10 mph. Getting there and home were all as much a part of the date, as the date itself. In the evening, the four of us walked to Gerbes for ice cream and videos.

To sum up, it was a great month. With the exception of Max not being able to go to Michael’s house, his best friend lives 16 miles south of town, and one or two work related things, the car has not been missed. In fact, we have been toying with the idea of selling it since last May, when we realized that we just don’t need it. With the exception of August, when we drove pretty much, because it was so hot and miserable, we only drive about once a week and that’s more out of a feeling of obligation than anything. We’re making car payments; we might as well use it.

I tried talking to the kids about selling the family car yesterday. I didn’t want them to feel they had no say in the matter, even though they really don’t. Annarose’s response was: "Yeah, yeah, you’ve been talking about that for months, so just go ahead and sell it alreay." Max is more sentimental: "We’ve had some good times in that car. It’s kind of like a member of the family." Of course, this is also the kid who complains of carsickness every time we take trips longer than five miles - "Can’t we go home and get the bikes? I feel like I have to throw up. I hate being cooped up in the car." We will still have the work truck. As long as none of us gains much weight, we can all fit if necessary. For long trips, we can always rent a car or take a train, plane, bus. What the hell? We can just take the bikes, or our feet, for that matter.

If you know anyone who might be interested in buying a really nice zippy little late model (2005), low mileage Subaru Impreza that’s still under warranty. Let me know.