Day 466, October 4, 2021

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Turning Point

On a nicer day than today, I can look out my office window, and particularly when classes let out, throngs of students are moving down North Pleasant Street, and more so than any other year, there seems to be a proliferation of electric modes of transportation. There are now ebike rental stations distributed across campus, but also a proliferation of personal electric scooters, skateboards, and various other kinds of magical locomotion. It feels like a possible turning point.

Riding an ebike through rural Western Massachusetts, there are stretches where there are no cars, or perhaps only the occasional Prius or Volt, and then an older pickup grunts by, or an older Toyota (a surprising number of old Toyotas are on the road in need of a tuneup) that sounds off and smells terrible, drives by. One can begin to imagine that in our lifetimes we will see the demise of the internal combustion engine on our roads. Like the end of leaded gas or the advent of cell phones, this will become a natural thing, to glide down the road with no engine noise, no exhaust, the air will be fresher, and it will be hard to imagine there was a time when you had to wait behind an idling vehicle and inhale exhaust fumes.

I looked out my office window the other day and, in a moment of low traffic, a student glided down the lane of North Pleasant on a scooter moving surprisingly fast and looking wonderfully free. Traveling in Paris, Washington D.C., and in San Diego, I’ve ridden on electric scooters, and aside from the tangled mess of abandoned rides, it was a marvelous way to travel through cities. Particularly, late in the evening after a long day of touring the city and a heavy dinner, finding a scooter was a breathtaking respite for weary feet. 

The days are getting colder. I didn’t ride today because of the rain, and walking back to my car, I was reminded what winter can feel like, and it is not even really cold yet. But it is getting colder. I wonder how much longer I will be able to ride. I’ve invested in layers, and the other day ordered a balaclava. I wonder if I have become a fanatic, someone who might dare to ride year round. Probably not, but I am a fan. I look forward to the world to come when we will look back nostalgically at our fossil fuel dependent days. The future is coming.

Take care and be well,

Leo

A field of woven flowers at Park Hill Orchard in Easthampton.


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