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Leah Walker makes one-woman stand against high gas prices

Lynn Taylor Rick, Journal staff | Posted: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 11:00 pm | (0) Comments

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buy this photo Leah Walker is saving gas, splitting most of her driving chores between her Schwinn and her Harley-Davidson. (Photo by Steve McEnroe, Journal staff)

RAPID CITY - Expect to see Leah Walker's car sitting in her driveway a lot this summer.
It's her own private protest over the rising price of gas.
Walker's "experiment" began May 30, when she stopped at a local gas station to fill up her Dodge Magnum. The prices were already at $3 plus a gallon.
"It just made me mad," Walker said. "I said, 'I'm done.'"
Instead of filling up, Walker put $20 worth of gas in her car, $5 worth in her Harley-Davidson motorcycle and proclaimed that "it" for the month of June. "I just said, 'This is how I'm going to get around.'"
So far, she's meeting her own challenge.
An emergency room nurse at Rapid City Regional Hospital, Walker has ridden her motorcycle to work every day since May 30, rain or shine. She rides her bicycle for everything else. She has used her car only once: to go to church and then get groceries.
Walker doesn't cheat by having her husband do her errands. She said she's committed to proving it can be done.
By noon on Tuesday, Walker had ridden her bicycle from her West Rapid City home to Spa 80 downtown for a workout. From there, she rode to the courthouse and then K-Mart for new bike tires. She also stopped at Roosevelt Swim Center to get her swimming pass.
She rode home to clean house, and by 2 p.m., she was preparing to bicycle back to the swim center for her afternoon lap swim.
"I take my bike everywhere," she said. "I'm just really going to try to not get in that car."
An avid exerciser all of her life, Walker admits that the additional bike riding around town is helping her train for an August triathlon, but the race isn't what spurred her to downsize her gas consumption.
Walker is just angry at being asked to spend $60 to fill up her vehicle. "There are just so many other things to spend my money on than gas," she said.
She plans to continue with her minimalist gas-using existence until the weather turns foul. Her only temptation this summer will be rummage sales.
Last weekend, Walker went "rummaging" with a friend, who did the driving. This weekend, it's her turn to drive. "This will be the only thing to deter me," Walker said with a laugh. "I love rummage sales."
Walker's children have grown and left home, which makes her experiment possible. Someone with children and all the activities that come with children probably couldn't make it on $20 for gas a month, Walker said.
Still, she would love to see Americans embrace a more active lifestyle that includes swapping a car for a bicycle more often.
"I kind of hope it catches on," she said. "I would like to see people move more."
And in the end, it would also make their pocketbook a little healthier, too.
"When you get into it, it's not that hard," Walker said. "It's really been kind of fun."
Lynn Taylor Rick can be reached at 394-8414 or lynn.taylorrick@rapidcityjournal.com

Posted in Top-stories on Wednesday, June 13, 2007 11:00 pm

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