A different spin on car-free

Continuing in Monday's vein about car-light living, I bring you this:

That is a pedal-powered roller coaster from Japan, the Skycycle at the Washuzan Highland Park in Okayama to be precise. I first saw it written about on the Everyman Triathlon blog, as a way to actually combine the very disparate concepts of "endurance training" and "fun". The post there has more information and pictures, as does this one from Geekologie, from March of 2007. Finally, there is this page, linked to in the Geekoligie article, which has a lot of details on the Skycycle.

I don't know about you, but I would love something like that to play on. I mean, I live in the SF Bay Area, one of the most dedicated liberal/green enclaves going, and we don't have a human powered roller coaster? What are you greenies thinking?

The self-perpetuating nature of car-light

One thing I have noticed since moving into my new house is that living car-light is a self-perpetuating thing. I chose a house that was close enough to transit (BART) that I would be able to take it without biking or driving to the station. When I was staying with my dad I was far enough away that I had to bike/drive, and various things meant I was driving most of the time. Now, I'm a short walk away, and the truck sits in the driveway five of seven days by default. What I've been noticing more though is that I avoid driving on the weekends. 

When I was in Baltimore I would avoid driving because of parking issues - I lived in neighborhoods with street-parking only and it was often a fight to get a place. Now, I have a driveway that could hold two or three cars without issue and I still avoid driving. As I was thinking about the around-the-house chores I need to take care of this past weekend I realized that I was avoiding some (yard work) because I need to go pick up a few things from the hardware store, and the distance/roads means that I have to drive there. I am actually excited about some of the work, but the idea of driving to get the implements (and it's not expensive stuff, brooms, dustpans, and a new ribbon for an edger) has me turned off.

Funny how something that most people think is the easiest way to get around, driving, is actually preventing me from going out.