oh that just made me so homesick for the Netherlands. I really miss the bike riding, commuting, did the whole thing with kids on the front and back of the bike while carrying saddlebags full of groceries etc. When the kids were older and in school, I used to just pick a direction, ride a couple of hours on paved bike paths next to roads, quiet country roads or bike paths in the roads, stop somewhere, have lunch, and then wander back home again. There is really no other way to see a country.

When we left there in 2004, gas was $5.00 a liter. It's so expensive they don't even measure in gallons. Of course the other thing to remember is that they also have incredible public transport systems with trains, trams and buses so that it is possible to be car free.

as you say, it will probably never happen in the US.