I forgot to contact my host and tell them not to auto-renew my hosting plan. After they charged my account I figured, “Hey, why not keep it another year.”

So I’m keeping the blog for another year!

I may actually try to write in in this year; because, I’m still car-free and loving it.

Well, this will likely be my last post.

I was full of enthusiasm for blogging when I started this car-free project. I am still full of enthusiasm for living without a car. It’s just the blogging aspect that I can’t keep up with.

I officially sold my car on December 6, 2008. It’s been over a year now. I switched from riding a bicycle to walking to work in April. I don’t know why. I think because I was too lazy to change clothes so many times. Either way, I’ve been listening to podcasts and making the 2.5 mile walk to and from work every day. It’s been wonderful.

Today there was the leftover snow from the weekend’s pummel. It was just shy of a foot here in Harrisburg. It made for an interesting walk. Where I normally am off the road I was right on the road. I was not cold. Like I always say, “there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear.” I am quite toasty when I walk.

Several times over the last year I thought about getting a car. My fiance even tried to give me her new car (her parents gave HER their car). Still, even being given a reliable car I wasn’t ready to be a car owner. All of my original arguments came back. I would likely pay up front as much as it cost me to rent a car twice a month for a year. That includes insurance, licensing, title fees, repairs I know it needs. That’s not including gas and regular maintenance.

I’m just not ready to own a car.

I’m looking apartments for my married life. Distance to work is a huge limiting factor, but one I feel is important. I found a nice one within walking distance.

This will probably be my last post because I don’t think it’s worth the money to host something I don’t write in and is not active. Also, come April when I get married I will have a car de facto.  Though I will do my absolute best to drive it as minimally as possible I think the experiment will be over.

To anyone that reads this I encourage you to go car-free if possible. It may seem difficult, but it’s easier than you think. You will have to make hard decisions, but once you get past the original barrier it becomes like second nature. People think I’m crazy when I bundle up and walk in 20 degree weather. I can’t imagine owning a car. My life is so much richer without it. I walk an average of five miles a day. I am connected to the people around me. I’m connected to nature: plants, animals, smells. I have put my money where my mouth is when it comes to the environment and personal finance. It really is satisfying. That is why I encourage it to those on the fence.

Even if you can’t go full on and sell your car as I have try to reduce how much you use it. Car-pool, walk to the store, take public transportation once a week. Make the baby steps.

This has been a lot of fun, and I thank you all for reading. Best of luck on your journeys. You’ll likely hear from me again when I buy an RV and convert it to run off of vegetable oil for our cross country trip. The opposite of this blog? Maybe, but I’ll find a way to do it as responsibly as possible.

I found this dollar along the road on my way home today. Wish it was a Benjamin.

When I was riding every day I used to want to say to people that were walking, “get a bike.” Now I imagine people on bikes saying to me.

So i have an engagement shoot in Gettysburg at 10:00 this morning. They usually take about two hours. I rent cars for weddings pretty frequently, but usually smaller events it works out so I don’t have to. Yesterday I even called my friend’s sister to ask if I could borrow her car for a few hours. She offered months ago.

Nothing worked out. I had to get up early to walk to Enterprise. Not a big deal. I knew what I was getting into when I sold my car. The worst part is, I thought they opened at 8:00. It’s 9:00. I already let the bride know, but I’m going to be late. Yikes.

I have to admit. I love being car-free. My bike hasn’t moved once in 4 months. I’ve been walking pretty much everywhere. I really enjoy it. I throw on a podcast and kick it. I still find it strange that I haven’t needed my bike for across town trips or anything. I can only surmise that as my world shrank my needs shrank with it. I used to drive anywhere and everywhere when I wanted. When I first sold my car I still had the same habits and rode my bike all over to fulfill them. I’m talking about things like weekly grocery shopping or visits to the library. Now that my world shrunk I have learned to wait for things. I’ve found that means I don’ t need my bike as much.  I love riding too. So I don’t think it’s gone for good. I’m sure walking is just a phase.

It really is getting difficult. My photography business is taking off which is totally awesome. So far I’ve managed to get by without a car. It’s working for me. I rent cars on the weekend if a wedding is out of town. I try to book family, engagement, and senior shoots in Harrisburg so I can ride. The one thing about a photography business I didn’t count on is meeting with potential brides. I have worked it out that I meet them at the Starbucks in the Target right across the street from my job. So far that has worked well.

There was a brief moment where I thought about getting a new car. It was a 1986 AMC Eagle. It was so awesome! I even went and looked at it. After a lot of vacillating I finally convinced myself of all the original arguments.  Being car-free saves me money, saves the environment, and keeps me healthier. Really, I couldn’t imagine dropping a huge chunk of my savings on a car when life has been going fine without one. Not only that a 1986 car will likely have maintenance issues. I just am not ready for a car.

I’m hunkering down for another winter. I felt the chill the last few days. It’s the first time I work a jacket the whole way and didn’t get too warm. My girlfriend suspects that I’ll keep walking through the winter. I think she might be right.

Robert may have been right. He said a few months back that I wouldn’t last.

As it is, I’m having a blast not having a car. If my life were staying the same as it was even five or six months ago I wouldn’t even think about getting a car. Here’s the rub. My photography business is really taking off.

I’m booking all kinds of unique gigs. Pet shoots, a promotional shoot for a clown, family shoots, engagement shoots, weddings, band shoots.  the sessions are scattered all over central Pennsylvania. Here’s the problem. Every time I book something I get this sinking feeling like, “how am I going to get to this session?” Then I ignore it because I think, “I’ll just rent a car” or “I’ll borrow my girlfriend’s.” Well, I’m getting tired of borrowing Joy’s car. And if I do a $150 session it’s hardly worth renting a car for $60-$100 dollar plus gas.

My dad told me about a car he found out about. It’s the classic nice car owned by an old lady that was hardly driven. It’s a 95 Escort for $1300. If I can talk them down I might just go for it.

Lately I’ve been walking. I have walked to work 3-4 days a week for the last month. I’m not even really sure why. I have enjoyed the slow pace. I turn on a podcast and kick it.

Today it’s been raining all day. I walked here in my rain suit; however, my bike was at work all weekend. I have to ride a few miles out of my way to drop off my rent check. I was thinking of all the ways I could get a ride. Today’s one of those days where I really did not feel like riding in the rain.

Then I decided to not be a pansy and go ride. Now I’m actually excited to get out and ride in the rain.

The last three weeks or so I’ve taken to walking to work. Honestly, I’m not sure why. Riding my bike takes a quarter of the time. I just like the pace.

Today as I was walking it started to snow! This is not that ridicuous except that it was in the 60s yesterday. There was a guy mowing his lawn and the weeping willows are budding. Thankfully, it was a shortlived sqaull and amounted to nothing.

The weather’s been weird over all. It’s been very windy the last four or five days. I hate the wind (as you know). But now it’s cold.

Anyway, I’m still at it. I don’t have any plans of getting  a car.

I hate to ride in the wind. Yesterday we had gusts up to 25 mph. Riding in the wind can turn my 2.5 into an unpleasant ride. I don’t like the extra effort it takes to get where I’m going. I don’t like never knowing when a gust will come and force you to get your balance. I would rather ride in ten degrees (which I did over the winter) than ride in the wind. Now if it’s a cold wind then I’d rather stay home.

Yesterday I ended up walking to work. I heard the wind slamming my apartment and made up my mind I’d rather walk. Besides, walking is turning out to be quite pleasant. I end up walking one or two days a week.

Car-free commute has fallen into a normal part of life. This is not a bad thing. As a matter of fact it’s a very good thing. I want to make status-quo not having a car. I want to prove it can be done. Trust me. I used to drive a lot. The fact that not having a car is normal life for me proves that anyone can do it if they really want to. I suppose it’s finding the value in a smaller sustainable life.

I’m looking forward to riding around town and doing stuff after work now that it’s getting warm. Not that I couldn’t do that all winter, but when it was 20 degrees I didn’t venture out when I didn’t have to.

Sorry I haven’t been posting much. I’ve had my head in my photography business: Event Horizon Fotografie. I really should have a blog about that.