Dallas Bike Commuting – Back From An Intermission

My last two posts about commuting exclusively by bike were written at certain milestones, I wrote the first one when I listed my car for sale, and the second one on the one year anniversary of selling my car. It’s now January of 2019 and I’m about a year and a half in on this adventure with 4000 miles logged. At the end of 2018 though I came dangerously close to buying a car, going as far as making an offer on one which then fell through. I figured since my last two posts on bike commuting were so rosy and optimistic, it was only fair to share the stories that nearly caused me to abandon the plan. Plus I believe you’ll find the reasons quite entertaining! If only I had a GoPro to record my commutes recently. 

In November, my wife and I accomplished something we’d been chasing since we were married, debt freedom! We still have a mortgage on our house, but aside from that all our student loans, cars, and other debt we foolishly amassed is now gone. This goal was a big driver in selling the car to begin with, and finally getting there was exhilarating. I suspected this might happen, but getting there also left a void in direction in its wake. It’s a great problem to have admittingly, but all our future financial goals are so long term that they don’t provide the same kind of motivation and instant feedback. I’m just sharing this to say that I was a little less interested in braving the 30 degree dark mornings on my bike as December came around, because of big chunk of the “why” had disapeared.

Then we had a rainy season here in Dallas. I have plenty of gear to deal with rain, but the real issue is the lack of drainage along my commute. I had to mooch a lot of rides during that time, and it seemed I was being an unnecessary burden on others. One day I decided to ride home because it hadn’t rained all afternoon so I figured it’d be fine, boy was I wrong. After making it through some sketchy puddles I finally stopped when I encountered this scene.

I called my wife to come pick me up, but then I realized looking around that the roads were actually flooded even worse and a car wouldn’t even be able to get to this area, so instead I decided to try and push it through and see if I could make it. Somehow turning back to an area that was accesible was never considered as a viable option. I also reasoned that I knew this section of the trail didn’t have a major dip, so I wasn’t at risk of drowning.

Sure enough, it got so deep that I was knocked off my bike. Keep in mind this water is almost certainly poop water, since we regularly hear of sewage leaks into White Rock Creek here in Dallas. So now I’m up to my waste in poop water with my bike over my head, questioning all my life decisions. Somehow though I made it through this section and then got home, still seeing the humor in it all. 

The following week I was on my way in on a cold 30 degree morning, and I was surprised to see a coyote laying in the grass directly next to the trail. I slowed down and considered snapping a picture as I rode up, but then decided it probably wasn’t wise and sped up. This apparently provoked the coyote, because THE THING STARTED CHASING ME!! This was in a section of my commute where there is nothing but fields and forest, there were no people or houses in sight, and here I was pedaling for my life. Of course the trail was still partially flooded, so I’m wading through the slippery mud and huffing and puffing in all my winter gear trying to keep an eye on the thing right behind me.

It ended up chasing me for about half a mile, it took me about that long to realize that I should scream at it or something. As soon as I started yelling at it, it backed off, and I was able to slow down and once again question the decisions I had made in my life that led me to pedaling away from coyotes alone in a forest in the cold.

As hilarious as this was to everyone, it really did haunt me for a bit. I know the thing couldn’t kill me, but it could surely do some damage, and the fact that it chased me had to mean this wasn’t a normal healthy coyote. After calling all the local agencies I could think of I decided I needed a break from the bike.

So with that I started car shopping. Since my son was out of school for Christmas my wife could conveniently let me take the car or at least give me a ride. It took several weeks for me to decide that this must have been a unicorn event and that I’ve had great commuting experiences consistently for a year and a half now. So for the time being, I’m back on the bike and have been for the last two weeks. So far no coyote sightings! But I did mount a foghorn to my bike should I come across another one.

I generated some funny stories and some unexpected adventures out of the last few months which I wouldn’t have gotten in a car, so, for now, I’ll chalk that up as a win. My tolerance level does seem to have gone down though compared to where it was a couple months ago. I’m trying to remind myself that seeking comfort from these sorts of things is not the mindset I’m trying to cultivate.

So now you know the flip-side of bike commuting, It’s not always green grass and cute furry animals! It’s still rewarding though, and in hindsight, sometimes hilarious.