Ride along with Linda on her commute
By Melinda Musser, Communications & Marketing Manager
This September, we are celebrating the BTA’s Bike Commute Challenge month by riding along with one of our favorite commuters.
Linda Dougherty lives in New Columbia and is a member of the We All Can Ride Bike Committee. I met up with Linda last Friday afternoon to join her on her commute to her job at the Seeds of Harmony Gardens, 35,000 square feet of resident-led garden space in New Columbia.
On May 7, 2011 – a date Linda recalls with ease – she earned her bike through our Create a Commuter program. Now, she rides her bike all over North Portland. In addition to the gardens, Linda uses her bicycle to ride to her volunteer position at Village Market, to go grocery shopping at Fred Meyer on Interstate, to visit her son on Marine Drive, and to explore Smith and Bybee lakes.
When asked why bicycling is important, Linda immediately explains, “It’s good for your health, it’s good for your heart, it’s good for your lungs. It helps you lose weight and it’s easier to see the scenery than inside a car. One time I was over by the golf course and I saw some red hawks fly overhead so I stopped and they flew right over me. I’ve seen beavers down there and blue heron. So, that’s why I like to ride a bicycle – because you see all sorts of things.”
Before we left on our journey to the community gardens, Linda showed me many pictures of her family, including photos from her childhood, and a nice framed photo of her with a gold medal that she earned at the Special Olympics in 2011 for bowling, a feat she hopes to repeat again this fall.
Linda begins her commute each day by putting on her helmet and attaching her bucket pannier.
Here she is getting ready to roll outside of her home:
Heading down N. Fessenden Street, we travel with relatively low traffic:
Riding down N. Woolsey Avenue, Linda notes, “I don’t get nervous about riding bikes. But if a truck passes me too closely, I panic a bit.”
At the corner of N. Woolsey and N. Trenton Street, the Bike Repair Hub and Skills Park can be seen in the distance!
And finally we’ve reached our destination.
Thank you, Linda, for sharing your commute with us and for the lovely tour of the Seeds of Harmony gardens.
