BIKE: If biking is so fun, why am I so grouchy?

[dana_price]

Folks,

I love riding my bike. But reading about and experiencing so many negative
encounters has left me really irritable. How do you keep a positive
attitude when you're always treated like a second class citizen?

This past weekend I biked to Parks & Wildlife Expo with my son (I hate
crowds, but I had to work). Biking there at least gets me a little
exercise on an otherwise sedentary day and allows me to get there more
efficiently from our home near Woodward and Congress. Because of the rain,
the usual Expo parking lot in a field off of Burleson was closed and
drivers had to travel way up north to catch a shuttle. So biking saved me
a lot of time too. Only a few vehicles were being allowed onto the grounds
and by switching between vehicular and pedestrian modes we were able to
bypass the backed-up traffic and get to work easily.

On the return trip yesterday, once we left the Expo grounds we were able
to ride on Smith School Rd. to the intersection at Burleson with no
problem. As I stopped at the intersection with my left-turn signal arm
extended, one of the traffic-control people asked "where are you going?" I
stuck my arm out more firmly, thinking "What part of a left hand turn
signal do you not understand?" She said "we aren't allowing left turns,
where do you want to go?" I immediately got upset. "HOME! and this is the
only way I can get there! Now let me make my turn!" Finally someone came
over and advised me to cross with the pedestrians (who were on the
opposite shouder). So I did and we were soon underway. But Liam who
witnessed this all from the trailer was disturbed by the whole thing.

It's killing me. I have become so touchy always on the alert for my rights
to be trampled on and easily taking offense. Now it's affecting my son.
How can I make the experience more positive? I wish I had a few hundred
cyclists coming to Expo. Here is a great outdoor event and they discourage
people from biking to it. They'd rather have 35,000 polluting vehicles
drive there (or drive to a parking lot 4 miles away to catch a shuttle)
rather than having to accomodate another mode of transportation.

Do I need to get another job, move, or can someone help me with my
attitude? HELP!
Dana