Tour de Fat rolled through town a little less than six months ago. The ensuing party at Gas Works Park included a corral of bizarre bicycles, music and, of course, New Belgium beer. One Wallingford woman, an etiquette teacher named Mrs. DeGroot, even traded her car for a bicycle during the event. Wallyhood followed-up to see how her car-free life is going:

I am a bit of a novice to the bike world so the transition has been a challenge on many levels. But it has made me a better person. I try to ride or walk or bus everywhere or do car pool with two or more people. I have my rules and stick to them. I ride my new bike when the weather in non-threatening, and I ride my old bike in the rain. My husband and I bought a tandem in the Fall so we can ride on weekends. The tandem is great for marriage therapy.  You must trust and communicate with your partner and sometimes in a marriage that can be difficult. We are having a blast on the Burke Gilman trail.

Tandem bicycling as marriage therapy … Brilliant! Get on it, local marriage counselors.

She says her favorite neighborhood route is from her house to Fremont Brewing, giving their Abominable Winter Ale a shout out (Editor’s note: It is awesome). I think she should start a series called “DeGroot’s Routes” for Wallyhood (or here!) where each week she describes a great neighborhood biking trip.

So, what about driving? It’s for the birds!

I was so shut down to my environment when in my car that I just wasn’t paying attention or didn’t care. My music was on and I was in my own world, on the bike you are so much more aware of your surroundings and more present to the task at hand.  Biking in Seattle is getting more and more popular and it is getting easier every day. So far my riding has been positive and without drama.