AdventuresNW
I ride bikes year-round in all weather for both commuting and exercise, but please don’t call me a bicyclist. I’m just a human being who uses bicycles as tools for a healthier, happier, and more affordable lifestyle.
Why the semantics? Because the term ‘bicyclist’ is a term that dehumanizes people who ride bikes in the eyes of some people.
“Get off the road, bicyclist!” some impatient people will shout from behind the wheel of their cars when encountering people riding bikes on the street.
Would they shout the same thing if that person on a bike was their son or daughter or spouse or friend? Unlikely. Humans feel empathy for people they know.
Everyone needs to get from A to B. How we do so differs (whether by bike, on foot, or by motor vehicle), but we are all just humans moving through the built environment.
We are fellow travelers.
Summer Travelers
Exploring the Northwest by bicycle with fellow travelers is an enriching and humanizing way to experience the landscapes and cultures of our beautiful region.
One of my favorite destinations is Washington’s San Juan Islands, where fellow travelers can join me Aug. 4-6 for Cascade Bicycle Club’s three-day San Juan Islands Tour. Each day will begin and end at Lopez Farm Cottages and will feature a loop (utilizing ferries) around Lopez and the San Juan Islands.
Cross-Border Travelers
One of the many sad consequences of this incompetent and bullying presidency is the loss of travelers from Canada and the economic and cultural losses this administration has caused by diminishing cross-border travel.
Like many businesses grappling with the loss of revenue from Canadian travelers, bike nonprofits have also taken an economic hit. Multiple Canadians have told me they are unwilling to visit the U.S. to participate in the nation’s biggest and longest continuous cross-border bike ride, the Ride from Seattle to Vancouver and Party (RSVP) on Aug. 22-23.
Let’s vote with our bike wheels and show our Canadian friends that we’re sorry for our president’s actions. Join me in pedaling from Seattle to Vancouver, one of North America’s loveliest and friendliest cities, and celebrating on their turf.
Bicycles are bridges that connect communities and cultures. Bicycling exposes us to the beauty of the natural world and allows us to experience vulnerability. In this way, it opens our hearts to empathy for our fellow travelers.
Paul Tolme, the Journalist on the Loose, is an outdoors writer, award-winning environmental journalist, and blogger for Cascade Bicycle Club. He lives with his wife in a Seattle houseboat crammed with bikes, skis, snowboards, kayaks, and paddleboards, but no regrets. His work can be seen at paultolme.com and cascade.org/news.
