Mar 192018
Errandonnee 2018: The Initial Plan

Challenges do motivate me, although my results in past attempts at errandonnee have been mixed. The 2018 errandonnee (errand + randonnee) dates, March 20-31, present some difficulties; among other factors I’ll be in Olympia several days for all-day workshops during this time frame. I also don’t usually try to make errands longer.

Thus I need to plan if I really intend to check off 12 errands in 12 days in seven of the 10 categories, 30 miles total. Fortunately errandonnee rules permit two uses of any category. I also have a reason to start building mileage; Hubs and I are looking at doing another multi-day bike touring vacation in late May like our awesome trip fall 2017 and I need to build up some mileage.

Initial Ideas/Plans

  • Personal Care
    • Haircut scheduled for March 21. Getting there can be all bike, or light rail + bike, and getting back to the office will be via bike. A full round trip would knock out seven miles.
    • Say, if I were to schedule a massage with Virginia, who did such a great job on my frozen shoulder…. 4.5 miles for the round trip.
  • Personal Business
  • You carried WHAT on your bike (or back)?!
    • Going to the garden store for some tomato plants and basil seems like a good one for this. Round trip would be three miles.
  • Arts and Entertainment
    • I’ll hit a museum or art gallery on a lunch hour. Maybe two miles?
    • Good excuse to visit the Bonsai Northwest Museum. Roughly 10 miles for the round trip from home. I could plan this for Saturday March 31 if I need the miles.
  • Non-Store Errand
    • Hmm, I’ve been meaning to get my King County library card at long last. This would be three miles round trip if I don’t combine it with another category (which would be legal under the rules).
  • Social Call (includes restaurants, coffee, and other social activities)
    • I’m overnighting in Olympia with friends so the ride to/from their house counts as social. Six miles right there.
    • Reasonably sure I can find someone to get coffee with for a second run to get additional mileage.
  • Work or Volunteering, School (includes dropping off kids)
    • I’ll ride to my Seattle office from home twice. Every one-way gives me 8.5 miles toward the total. (Some days I use bike/bus/bike, which gives me a total of around two miles on the bike, and I can only count this category twice although I expect to ride more days.)
  • Store (includes bike shop, running store, grocery store, etc. You know, a store.)
    • Grocery store is two miles away. A couple of runs would net me eight miles. Or maybe I need to go to the yarn store in Burien, which would be a seven-mile round trip.
  • Peaceful Everyday Actions
  • Wild Card (surprise me!)
    • I need to give this one some thought. Initial ideas include getting together with Second Daughter for the photo shoot she gave me as a Christmas gift or going to a political demonstration (which could also fit under Peaceful Everyday Actions).

All in all, looks as if I could cover the categories and the mileage. The short trips add up more quickly than I thought.

It does mean scheduling my life a bit more deliberately than I usually would, and I’m postponing getting the tomato plants by a week. But I’ve been needing that haircut. And the rules do note that if one of the errands involves pastries, before and after pictures are required. So there’s that.

 

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