Bike Commute Anyone?

Receiving our boxes was of particular joy because Mark could now commute to work on bike instead of bumming rides from our neighbor. Our car was delivered around the same time, but we still needed to get it registered and locally insured before we could drive. Mark set up his version of a bike shop in the garage and happily went about getting every piece of clothing he owned covered in grease. He even set up his bike trainer in the garage for the upcoming winter. 

Our housing compound backed up to the largest forested area in Bucharest called Tunari Forest (Padurea Tunari.) It contained hidden trails used by horse drawn wagons, runners and the occasional mountain biker, though this significantly changed during our stay. Many locals would cruise through the beautifully thick foliage, chopping down trees, hunting wild pigs, and dumping trash. Seeing a natural toilet in the wild became a common experience. Only a few months later would and the mountain bike racing scene explode, with well attended semi-professional and amateur races (and trail running races) take place throughout the forest. I tried one time to ride my cyclocross bike along the rutted trails and found my body felt better suited to hiking or snowshoeing with Deets.

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