Bikegating

On Saturday afternoons when there's a Spartan home game, there's a pretty good chance either my husband or both of us are out tailgating, even if we're not going to the game. It's a fun social event and a chance to run into a lot of people. The proximity of our house to Spartan Stadium makes it feasible to get back home in time so we don't miss much of the beginning of the game.
Normally, we park at a free parking lot that's just a few blocks from our house and walk the rest of the way. It's not a short walk—it usually takes us about 20-25 minutes. However, by the time we get to our normal tailgating spot and walk back, we usually don't feel like doing too much extraneous walking to visit other tailgates, particularly since we're usually carrying a lot of glass bottles full of liquid. Yesterday, I was interested in meeting a couple of my former interns (Kari and Kelly) who were in from out of town, and I knew it would be a long walk to the place they were tailgating. (I should explain that I'm not opposed to walking, but it cuts into valuable tailgating time, especially on days that the game is at noon.)
Chris came up with the perfect solution. It's a longish walk, but it's a really short bike ride. Problem solved. We busted our cruisers out of the garage and rode them to campus. Our beverages were carried in a backpack. Not only did we get a lot of compliments on my Nerve Lahaina and Chris' Dyno Von Franco, we didn't have to worry about parking.

This may seem like a fairly obvious solution, but the truth is, we just don't use our bikes for transportation. I know it's silly and ridiculous, so please don't lecture me. It's just that every time I think of riding my bike to go anywhere, it seems either too far or too close. Most things are too close, actually. And, especially for a short ride, I hate the thought of having to get all my bike clothes and my bike shoes on and then be wearing them when I get to my destination.

The cruiser is clearly the answer to these short jaunts, since no bike-specific clothing or shoes are required. I'll have to make sure I remember that and make a commitment to using bikes as transportation more frequently.