A Better View of Mother Nature | Go By Bike

A couple of weeks ago, me and the boys started riding our bikes all around town. We started while on vacation at Oak Island, where the landscape was blessedly flat and friendly on the lungs. We kept it up when we got home, and now we're cycling fools.

My husband has always been a cyclist, so the sensation isn't new to him ... well, beyond the fact that now he's got the company of our son and I along for the ride. On Saturdays and Sundays for the last year, we've tried to drive as little as possible, or not at all when possible. Gas prices are ridiculous; the highways are overpopulated; and Mother Nature's choking out on the fumes.

So we've found a better view of ol' Gaia ... going by bike. We play follow the leader, and ride all around town—and we log an average of 18 to 22 miles a weekend. The ride is great exercise, and you'd be amazed how many wacky things you can talk about with a 10 year old when the wind's whipping through your hair. Our trek includes a mid-trip stop for lunch. As a general rule, Saturdays are for Bruegger's and Sundays (lately) have been Firehouse Subs. We're excited about riding to the library, and are trying to figure out if we can do a little grocery shopping without the produce spoiling. We always follow a different path on the way home.

The boys rode in the Race at the Reactor ride a couple weeks ago. In the gift bags for kids was a booklet from Trek, for a commitment they call 1 World 2 Wheels. Of course I checked it out when we got home, and even took the Go By Bike Challenge. Check out these facts from Trek:

• Just 3 hours of bicycling per week can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke by 50%.
• The U.S. could save 462 million gallons of gasoline a year by increasing cycling from 1% to 1.5% of all trips.
• Each U.S. rush-hour auto commuter spends an average of 50 hours a year stuck in traffic.
• 24% of all trips are made within a mile of the home, 40% of all trips are made within two miles of the home, and 50% of the working population commutes five miles or less to work.

The world certainly looks different from a bike. The smell of fresh cut grass and flowering perennials fill our senses. The cicadas and tree frogs serenade us. As we near intersections, burning gas is a heady reminder of why we're travelling on two wheels. And on quieter sections of trails and in neighborhoods, we can get off our bikes and identify plants. My son's turning out to be quite the little naturalist. He can name many of the trees and plants we pass, and know which of them are in our garden. We couldn't be prouder.

So break out your bike. Strap on your helmet. And go by bike.

And, oh yeah, remember to share the road.

• Are you a cyclist?
• Do you ride on the road or on the trail?
• Do you commute to and from work by bike?
• Do you ride with your children, families and friends?
• Got any suggestions for safe rides around the Triangle and beyond ... other than the American Tobacco Trail and the greenways?