Ciclovía!

ciclovía: "a Spanish term, meaning "cycling street," used in Latin America to mean either a permanent designated bicycle route or a temporary event closing of the street to automobiles to allow dominance by other users. Permanent designated bicycle lanes are also known as ciclo-rutas, while streets temporarily closed for that purpose are always called ciclovías." Source: Answers.com

(Dada NOTE: You may enlarge any picture by clicking on it.)


Sunday, May 6th, was El Paso's first ciclovía! Seven miles of roadways forming a continuous route were closed down to all motor vehicles from 7-11:00 a.m., leaving them the exclusive domain of walkers, joggers, bikers, strollers and dogs. Editor Sam and I decided we'd check it out and go for a little walk.

Sam wasn't sure what was up at first. But when he puts on his halter, he knows to be prepared for anything. He loves to ride in the car unless it ends up in the parking lot of some veterinary clinic. It didn't and Sam was very pleased.

It was a beautiful morning with the temperature in the 60's.As Sammy and I headed out for the carless road, you could see
Sam's excitement. Here, it manifests in the tautness of his leash!

We decided to park and walk up Scenic Drive and back. (Last Sunday
on Mother's Day, Mrs. Dada dropped Sam and I off at one end of Scenic
Drive and we walked its entire length around the base of the mountain.)

This is the top of Scenic Drive where bikers and walkers mingled
while quenching their thirsts. Free water was also available for the
animals. Sam had brought his own.

While at the top of Scenic Drive, Sam and I called Mrs. Dada down
below. Using our new Panasonic camera with a 10X zoom lens, she
took our picture. Surprisingly I showed up in it. (I drew an arrow to
show where I am. If you click on the photo, it should enlarge.)

As Sam and I sipped some water, we took a few minutes to enjoy
the view of downtown El Paso with Juarez in the background. The
mountains on the horizon are in Mexico.

Having done the hardest part first (the climb), the second half of
our Scenic Drive walk was all down hill. Towards the bottom, a
couple of 9-11 year old girls had been selling lemonade, but by the
time we passed them, they were giving it away. Everyone we encountered
was very friendly, leaving Sam and I to ponder the isolation a vehicle
places each of us inside of.

It was an exhilarating experience. The weather was perfect and the people all very pleasant. That was the reason Sam and I decided to repeat the experience last Sunday on Mother's Day.

In fact, as we were straining to reach the summit this past Sunday, a biker on his way down stopped and asked if he could pet Sam. "Sure," I said. While petting him, the man drew out his water bottle and offered Sam a drink. Sam indulged in the man's generosity.


Using the streets solely for pedestrian traffic gave us a glimpse of the future without oil. Certainly the isolation imposed by vehicles will be replaced by a greater sense of community with one's neighbors. Of course, we may have to move closer to a grocery store if we're to expend less energy than the groceries procured will provide.

When we got home, a tired but very pleased Sam could not keep his eyes open. He took a well deserved nap!