Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#215 & 216)…and a few comments regarding the seemingly never-ending adventure of carrying stuff on a bike.

#215 (pictured above)…

A wooden box containing, among other things, a few spare tools, an inner-tube, a small hand pump, and a spare jacket. Also, a case of Ellicottville Pale Ale.

The comment about this post is not mine but from someone else, and those are always a little better anyhow. On my way to my sister and brother-in-law’s house I stopped for a quick lunch at a taco place; I sat in the window and had the Mundo locked up outside (I wanted to be able to keep my eye on the beer). Anyhow, a young family sits at the counter next to me (mom, dad; two kids) and the man says, “Look at that bike…pretty cool.” To which the woman replied, “Honey, if we had a couple of those we could carry the entire family.” Barely hearing her (my assumption) he says in an almost low whisper, “…and it carries a full case of beer.”

#216 (picture below)…

A wooden box containing the same said ingredients above, but now also includes a pint of creosote remover, a tube of chimney putty, 4 paint brushes, and a stir stick. Also, a gallon of porch paint (on lower sidebar), a DVD (front rack), and a cardboard box containing 1/2 gallon of milk, a 1/2 gallon of juice, a dozen eggs, a quart of tomato puree, 3 bananas, and 8 ounces of shredded Parmesan cheese.

What was interesting about this load is not so much what I carried but how I ended up packing some of it. I was on my way home from my sisters (and no, I did not consume a case of beer…just one) and did some errands, which included purchasing a few food items. I didn’t have one of my plastic crates with me that I usually use to carry loose items and the wooden box was already full. As I stood at the register I could see there were a few boxes behind the counter, so I asked if I could have one. “Um, no, you don’t want one of those…they’re dirty.” I told him I was carrying the food on my bike and it would make it easier…he in turn proceeded to triple bag the food items. Now I am not totally against plastic bags (OK, I am a little against them) but I try not to use them when possible…they just accumulate under my kitchen cupboard. At any rate, after convincing him that I didn’t want bags, and accepting the fact that he wouldn’t give me one of the “dirty boxes,” a carried the items in my arms out to the bike. On the way I came upon a couple cardboard boxes next to the building. They looked as if they were just emptied and did not appear to be dirty. It worked just fine.