Earth Day, 1972

Back in 1972, a group of us decided to ride our bikes to school for Earth Day. I was in high school, and rode the bus every day. Even if I'd had my license at that point, I still would have ridden the bus - I only got the car when I had an orthodontist appointment :-)

High school was Clear Creek High School, in League City, Texas. I lived in Clear Lake City; our new high school (only 2 miles away!) would not open until the next fall.

The terrain is really, really flat. But there is a nice headwind from the south, off Galveston Bay.

The route.

It is 8 miles, which in those days seemed like forever. If you do look at the route, please realize that many streets which would make it a shorter trip did not exist in 1972.

I did have a 10-speed bike - a C. Itoh, which my dad brought back from a business trip. Like any 10 speed/racing bicycle of that era, it was perhaps a little too big for me.

We stopped at the middle school in Webster for a brief visit, and continued on to League City. I'm not sure I even had a rack on that bike, so had to use a daypack.

The ride home was probably more fun, with the tailwind on Old Galveston Rd.

I survived, and spent the next couple of years either walking, riding my bike, or taking the bus to the new high school, went to college, and rode my bike all over Houston (no car until I was a senior).

Still riding. Rode into work today, as I do most days. I do have a better-fitting bicycle. And 8 miles isn't forever anymore.