Walking in Orleans County can’t be much better than this! When the opportunity presents I walk the trails and roads near the Pope Memorial Frontier Animal Society. Now… let me explain… I have a three-year-old Pitbull-beagle mix, Tuuka – as in Tuuka Rask, best Bruins Goalie ever! – and she is spoiled rotten. I figured, I could share the love. Not to mention – I’ve spent the last decade dedicated to school and my own personal life, I figured it was time to do something for someone other than myself. I already work at the local hospital, so the animal shelter was really one of the only other local non-profits that immediately came to mind. My husband, Dan, also made the suggestion. I was a little apprehensive. All I could imagine is sweet loving old dogs locked up and unloved. I had no idea how wrong I was!

Over the past few years, Lyndon residents, business owners and local officials have been steadily working to become a more bike friendly community. Lyndon is part of Vermont's rural Northeast Kingdom, with its winding roads and village centers where people who live here and those "from away" are discovering everyday biking for transportation and for fun!

We had another successful Learn to Ride class this past Saturday!  Almost 30 kids, ranging in ages 3 - 10, converged on Leddy Park in Burlington ready to Learn to Ride.  A good number of them were successful and almost everyone improved significantly!

Our Learn to Ride classes are getting themselves a following!  We had a family come back this year, because... 

There is something about nature that draws me into the woods year-round. The tranquility and beauty steal my breath. The vast space filled with known, and unknown, life cycles humbles me. Immediately life priorities become more apparent. I know as quickly as the woods teach me, the rest of the world will try to steal that wisdom the moment I leave. Spring brings a new sense of awakening for all the species in the woods. The smell of pine is incredible. I just want to bask in it! Baby snapping turtles are hatching. Owls are scouting for prey. Moments like this, I stop and look around, no longer in a hurry to complete the trail or to move until time runs out. I’m not rushing anymore – and I’m always rushing!

I have an obsessive side, partly because if I didn't I would forget even more things than I already do. I have a long morning checklist, and also a checklist for going on a fun bike ride. Nothing ruins a ride like finding out you have forgotten something important. Read on to see what is included on my checklist...

When it is cold, wet or dark, I tend to only ride for practical transportation. I use my bike to get to work, do errands and shop and I choose the shortest route possible, to limit my time outside. Occasionally,  I will do a "fun ride"  but only if it  also includes a practical aspect as well. For example; I live in Winooski, and work in Burlington so I will make my commute my "fun ride" - taking the longer route to work by way of Mallets Bay and the Burlington Bike Path.  This past winter has thrown some challenges my way in terms of Cold, Wet and Dark but I've learned a lot along the way and while I'm not counting down the days until I get to ride again in the cold, dark and wet, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't slightly looking forward to it - I've included some of what I've learn after the flip, so hopefully I can encourage you to  ride despite the cold, dark and wet weather that will be back before we know it.

Ask any cycling enthusiast, “What is the ideal number of bikes to own?” and they will most likely respond with "n+1" - where "n" is the number of bikes currently owned and 1 is the bike you have your eye on.

Owning a bicycle is not a static experience. As my bike riding evolves, and my needs change and so does the bicycle I ride. Most daily practices change over time, sometimes slowly and sometimes quickly. 

The Vermont uniform crash report form gets tweaked just about every year in response to requests from law enforcement and others.  This year, it got a significant upgrade to bike-related fields.  This will begin to address a chronic problem with regard to data on bike crashes in Vermont:  way too many crashes where the bike-related factors are "other" or "unknown."  This is something Local Motion has been quietly but doggedly working on for the last few years.  Progress! 

Are you a transportation engineer or planner? Are you interested in a job that will make a real difference for biking in Vermont?  If you answered yes, than make sure to check out this opportunity with VTrans.  The agency is committed to investing in better biking statewide, both on state highways and on local roads and this position will play a leading role in making good on that commitment.