Special Series
The Year of Living Car-lessly Experiment
35
In a Series
Bringing it Home
Posted by
Willie Weir
07/23/2009 03:30 PM
One couple's story of car-lessness.
Editor's note: Willie Weir, a globe-traveling adventure cyclist and friend of Sightline, has recently published another book about his travels. We were particularly interested in his observations about how traveling had changed his experience of car-lite living at home in the Northwest. He prepared this post for us, drawing on a chapter in his new book.
Update 7/29: Willie has a follow up post on his own blog. Read it here.
My wife Kat and I gave up our car four years ago, thanks to the Washington State Automotive Redistribution Program (it was stolen). Whisked out of our lives one sunny afternoon in March. It was an old, red all-purpose Subaru GL Wagon with four-wheel drive and just enough room for the two of us to sleep in the back.
Update 7/29: Willie has a follow up post on his own blog. Read it here.
This loss was fortuitous for me, because I had often pondered giving up on car ownership. Now I didn’t have to get rid of our car … I just had to not replace it.
I fixed Kat a drink and made my case.
“The most amazing, enriching, enlightening times of our lives have been while bicycle touring in countries around the globe. Like many touring cyclists we relish the simplicity of the bicycle travel experience. We’re always amazed how few possessions we need to make us happy. So why not try and live without a car, just as we travel without a car? What do you say?” Kat looked up at me and said, “You arranged the theft, didn’t you?”
