To the editor:

Fall is here, and mornings already have been crisp and cool and afternoons not particularly oppressive. This is a time of year when I can unreservedly recommend walking and cycling as delightful means of transportation. Arriving at work with blood circulating briskly and senses sharpened is a great way to start the day. Anywhere in Lawrence is reasonably accessible by bicycle, but I have to admit that cycling is inefficient.

Just the other day I was riding to work and had to stop to speak to a particularly friendly cat. Then I had to stop to look at some exquisite grasses that seemed to glow in the early sunlight. The smell of bread baking was quite seductive and nearly cost me the time for a snack and coffee. On the way home, I lost 10 minutes listening to a carillon concert from the hill west of Potter Lake.

And so it goes. I also feel good knowing that I have saved some gasoline and, in that tiny way, have made our desperate and expensive search for oil less urgent. Try it; you’ll like it!

Joe Douglas,

Lawrence