Having The Bike Of My Life...

And I've never felt this way before.

I lasted two weeks, folks. Two weeks of walking the three-quarters of a mile to work, not to mention hoofing it anywhere else I wanted to go...rain, snow, or shine.

This here is Stella Isla, Spanish for 'Island Star'. I've had her for about a week, and I love her very much. As much as a person could sanely love an inanimate object, that is. She's one year old, and she's German. She comes with a sweet detachable basket, good for holding my backpack, my uniform, my bottles of Grenache...

With Stella, anything is possible here now. Like...

These are all pictures of where I live. Mackinac Island is 3.8 square miles, and is ringed by an 8-mile highway, which is perfect for walking (uh, no) or biking (please). The only thing I lament is that Stella is classified as a "cruiser" and many of the gorgeous rugged trails here are for mountain bikes only. I suspect I may have to walk a little if I want to cover those off the beaten track paths.

I truly *like* biking everywhere I need to go. I like not having a car. I like only going into shops here and buying only what I can carry on my bike. I think it will be a big challenge coming back home to my small town, and being at the mercy of so many cars.

But I'll tell you something...

Nobody puts Stella in a corner.

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To Thine Own Self, Be Food

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