Meditations of a Bike Commuter

It started as a way to NOT SUPPORT our oil and war based economy. I committed to ride my bike or take the bus one-two times a week and leave the car in the garage collecting dust. In the doing of the thing the twelve mile commute has evolved into much more. It reminds me of taking a wilderness river trip or mountain biking trip in that pedaling the bike forces a change of environment and pace. Yea, I could drive it three times faster but I’d lose the mind time. A mind free to meditate and work out the day’s challenges, free of the frenetic pace our culture keeps, free to ponder the human cost of war, or how warm it is outside away from conditioned air, and then damn that little Jack Russell Terrier is about to BITE my sandal-clad foot,,, flash-back to reality. by FastWoody

Waste Reduction by Kashmir the Pig

One of the most difficult jobs of any trip leader is determining how much food to pack and cook on our expeditions. Too little and riots will likely ensue. Too much and food is wasted. The idea came to us on an early season rafting trip in the depths of Cataract Canyon. Searching for ways to recycle or reuse the food scraps, we settled on the idea of Kashmir the Pig. Within hours of the plan’s approval, all available guides were helping to construct a small slice of pig heaven. Several shade trees, a watering hole, mud, shelter, and a hand-cut trough full of more leftover pancakes, pasta salad and lasagna than a toddler pig could dream of. As well as we fed her, and despite a few moments of tender hesitation among the crew, she returned the favor at our Late Summer Luau. For a week in August the staff filled its collective stomach with ribs, tenderloin and a healthy helping of contentment at the thought of keeping possibly a ton of food waste out of our already bloated landfills. by Brin Finnigan