Sunday, December 7, 2008

Bike Urban, Eat Local: The Austin Urban Bike Tour


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Originally uploaded by gr8wendini

When Jodie Smith put out feelers for who wanted to join her on the Austin Urban Bike Tour “10 miles, $25, 25 kisses” how can I say no? I find that every time I say “yes” I’m blissfully rewarded. This was one of those memorable days where I felt alive-- like I had really savored the nectar of life—start to finish.

Waking to a ccccold Austin morning (yes, it’s true) wasn’t quite the incentive I was looking for—Austin’s bark is bigger than it’s bite in terms of the cold—sure it was freezing at 8 AM, still quite cold at 10 AM, then suddenly around 11 AM the layers start peeling off, and the crispy morning weather surrenders to the southern sun—with a high of 70. Yum! December in Austin feels like October in NY—and that’s winter. Temperatures don’t go much below 32—even on a cold night.

Eat Local Week is a fundraiser for Urban Roots, a youth development program that uses sustainable agriculture as a means to transform the lives of young people and to increase the access of healthy food in Austin.

Jodie has a convenient double bike rack-so, after a migas breakfast at chez moi, the bikes were on and off we went to the Farmer Market downtown. The only bike I have is my Flipside “playa” bike—which was a $30 Goodwill purchase decorated with plastic flowers. I like it always makes people smile when they see it. The bike did just fine—although my butt and thighs are achy today! The first stop was Boggy Creek Farm in East Austin, followed by a back yard Tea Party hosted by Zhi Tea and culminating for us at Rain Lily Farm.

Jodie pointed out how exciting it feels to experience a ride like we did collectively in a large group—seeing and meeting new friends along the way.

Later that night I went to a couple “Progressive Potluck” parties with Jenny, continuing the eco-conscious theme of the day.

1 comment:

Jodi said...

It was great to see you yesterday and the bike ride was truly magical and so much fun!