November 22, 2011 (Updated February 20, 2023)

Going Car Free for the Day

by Anne Mauney, MPH, RD

42 comments

Matt and I took our bikes out to play on Sunday!

IMG_0468

Want to save this post?

Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, I'll send you great content every week!

Save Recipe

Being out of town a bunch on weekends lately meant that our bikes have been a little neglected, so when Matt suggested we take them out for a spin on Sunday I was more than happy to oblige!

IMG_0467

Matt planned out a big loop through some of the country roads near us. It was a GORGEOUS day — 70 and sunny in November?! Amazing.

IMG_0476

We passed a pretty lake and had to stop and take pictures, of course. 🙂

IMG_0474

IMG_0479

Don’t worry, we had helmets on — we just took them off for the photo. 🙂

See?

IMG_0470

It was such a nice ride. It felt good to get back out there — I missed biking!

IMG_0471

We covered about 16 miles total, and close to the end we made a pit stop in Carrboro for brunch! Acme is one of the few places in town I hadn’t yet tried for brunch, and I’d heard great things. Sunday was finally the day!

IMG_0481

I had the Mexican-inspired option— a squash empanada with black bean puree, topped with two over easy eggs and some pico de gallo.

IMG_0482

It was really good. Plus a huge side salad — yum!

IMG_0483

After brunch, we biked back on home. It was fun to go car-free for the day. We need to do that more often! It’s nice that with biking, unlike running, you can easily stop and eat and then keep going — without feeling sick.

IMG_0472

I love using my bike as transportation — I’ve always wanted to bike to school (or bike to work when I was at a full time job), but I’ve never really had a good, safe route option.  Especially during the week, there are lots of scary trucks around and there isn’t much of a shoulder on the route I’d need to take. Sad. I really wish America were better built for bikers and pedestrians! Do any of you guys use your bikes as your main form of transportation?

—

In other news, today is my Friday! I love short weeks. I’m flying off to Pittsburgh tomorrow afternoon to spend Thanksgiving with Matt and his family. My parents are actually coming, too, so that should be fun! My mom has met his parents a couple times but my dad never has, so it’ll be a nice chance for everyone to get to know each other better before the wedding. 🙂

I’m also seeing the Twilight movie tonight with my friend Lindsey and one of her friends, hehe. Any of you seen it yet? I know the movies have the worst acting ever, but they are still so entertaining and I love the books. Don’t judge. 😉

Breakfast + Brunch
- anne

join the list

Sign up for my e-newsletter and I'll send you a meal plan packed with a week's worth of healthy meals, snacks and a shopping list. Happy eating!

you might also like:

leave a comment

42 comments
  • Claire, RD
    I agree that riding to work would be awesome, but it's too dangerous for me too. Your brunch looks delicious - have a wonderful holiday!
    Reply
  • Lindsey
    We can't go car free right now, too cold and too much snow! Yes, I saw Twilight on Friday and loved it! I am a Twilight nerd though ;) haha I think part 2 will be way better than part 1.
    Reply
  • Katie @ Healthy Heddleston
    Have fun in Pittsburgh with all the parents!! I can't wait to see Breaking Dawn -- love the books too and the acting is at least getting a *little* better with each movie, hehe!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      Haha, true. The first one was horrendous acting! But still amazing ;)
      Reply
  • Jeanelle @ Glocal Girl
    I live in Holland (Amsterdam) at the moment where EVERYONE bikes... it's crazy! Having a car is actually a huge inconvenience, thus me not having been behind a wheel for over a year... I'm really nervous for when I go home for the holidays ;) But I love biking to work... gym.. .yoga... everything. It gets my blood flow going and is such a pick-me-up. The only hassle is when I go grocery shopping, I have to balance everything in my little front basket.
    Reply
    • Anne P
      Aww I LOVE Amsterdam! I remember thinking it was so cool how everyone bikes everywhere. I can imagine the grocery thing would be a challenge though :)
      Reply
  • Lara
    i treated myself last night to Breaking Dawn, and as you said, the acting sucks, but I was so entertained...it was amazing....Enjoy!
    Reply
  • natalie (the sweets life)
    I love going car free! My husband and I have survived 3 years of marriage with only 1 car and we intend to stay that way as long as possible (it helps that we work for the same company). We do have to make some compromises and I bike places quite a bit, but it has been so good for our checkbook and our health! :)
    Reply
    • Anne P
      That's awesome - good for you two!
      Reply
  • Renie
    Sounds like a wonderful Thanksgiving. Yes, it will be nice for Dad to meet the family. All 3 of my sons will be home for Thanksgiving and I can't wait. It will be the first time since they were deployed that all 5 of our kids and grandkids will be together. Is your brother coming home for Thanksgiving? Be careful out their on your bikes, remember the deer are in the mating season now and they are everywhere. They use our backyard to get to where they are going. Several all through the day. HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE.
    Reply
    • Anne P
      No, my brother won't be back - but he will be around for Christmas! :) Happy Thanksgiving!
      Reply
    • Anne P
      That's awesome! I LOVE beach cruisers. They just feel more fun than normal bikes. :)
      Reply
  • Angie
    I just started riding my bike or walking to work. I'm only 1.5 miles from my school and I love it. My students were surprised at first but they think it's pretty cool. It just means I have to plan well and minimize my stuff to bring home. It's so easy to fill up my backpack. Breaking Dawn was good but cheesy. I enjoyed it anyway! Have fun!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      Good for you! I'm impressed - I think that would be my other worry, about having too much stuff to carry sometimes. Also, what if it starts raining when you're at school? Do you just have to wait it out? Or be hardcore and get wet?
      Reply
      • Angie
        I live in Southern CA so I'm lucky that I don't have to deal with too much rain! Sometimes I wait or my husband drops me or picks me up.
        Reply
  • HRCK
    Eee, the joining of the families for a holiday! Exciting! Also didn't Matt's family do a particularly epic Thanksgiving last year? With fancy course after fancy course after fancy course? If so, you're in a for a treat! Enjoy!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      Yes, they did! :) (http://www.fannetasticfood.com/2010/11/26/feasting-the-day-away-and-giving-thanks/) I LOVE Thanksgiving with his family. This will be my 3rd year and the first two were both awesome!
      Reply
  • Shipsa01
    As a DC resident, and as you're probably well aware yourself, Anne, I think it's a lot easier for us to go car-free. In fact, since I've moved here in 2001, I think I can probably count the number of times I drove a car on my two hands.
    Reply
    • Anne P
      It is definitely easier in a city! And with the metro in DC, it's so easy to walk/metro a lot of places if you live close in. Good for you for going car-free :)
      Reply
  • Stephy C
    I can't believe the nice weather you had on Sunday- awesome! I wish the roads were better made for bikers/walkers too. I'm scared to bike in my area! Also, I went to the Midnight release of Breaking Dawn last week and I'm 27, so no judgement here! Team Edward! ;)
    Reply
  • Jim @ Going Fitness Blog
    I'm jealous. I think I am going to get the bike back out this weekend. Supposed to be in the 70's afterall!
    Reply
  • Jennifer L
    When I lived in LA I used to bike to school and to whatever didn't need a highway to get to. I LOVED IT. Lot's of hills, so it could be tough, but it was awesome. I really miss it a lot. Thanks for reminding me! :*( ;)
    Reply
  • nikki
    I have that same helmet!! Denver is a pretty easy place to ditch the car and opt for the bike about 9 months of the year. Unfortunately, the distances that may be sprung on me to have to get to at a moments notice are too great for me to bike to work regularly. I do, however, try to bike or run to do any errands after the work day if it's not snowy!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      I bet Denver would be good for that! Must be a ton of people biking there - such an outdoorsy city!
      Reply
  • kristen@ livinlifeinlouie
    loved the movie! and the acting was a lot better
    Reply
  • Renie
    By the way, Anne, regarding the new Twilight movie, both my daughters and the older grand daughters went to see it today and they liked it but left at what they thought was the end and it wasn't. Make sure you stay until the screen goes blank. I have never seen any of the movies because that just isn't my cup of tea but the girls in my family are gaga over them. Enjoy
    Reply
    • Anne P
      Thank you for the tip! We definitely were about to leave but I told everyone to stay since you'd commented this - and you were right! AFTER the credits, another little ending came up! Thanks for letting me know so I didn't miss it - almost everyone else had already left the theater!
      Reply
  • Kris S
    Sounds awesome! Welcome to the car-free gang, even if just for a day. Isn't it great? :)
    Reply
  • Mary R. @ The Fit Optimist
    I'm jealous of the nice weather for a bikeride. Here in Oregon it's rainy and windy. Anyway, I always say that I love my bike, and that if it was a person I'd marry it!
    Reply
  • Tiffany @ texan on the run
    this is probably crazy and almost unbelievable, but i am in texas without a car. my bike is my main mode of transportation! thankfully i have frds who can give me rides to get groceries, but other than that, i just need to go to school, maybe coffee shops to go study, so a bike is sufficient for getting by!
    Reply
    • Anne P
      That is AMAZING! I'm seriously impressed. Texas is such a driving only culture - good for you for going against the standard!
      Reply
    • Anne P
      You should read the books!! They are a billion times better than the movies. :)
      Reply
  • Megan
    I ride my bike as my main form of transportation in the summers. I have a job that requires visits to several clients in one day, so that means that some days I get in over 10 miles! It's one of my highlights of summer, minus constantly feeling sweaty. ;b
    Reply
    • Anne P
      Great idea! Built in workouts are the best. :)
      Reply