tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10840275582315363472024-03-05T04:47:34.077-08:00THE GREEN RIDERSCatherine and Oliver Bock set off on a journey across America on electric bicycles. Their two month adventure departed from California on April 22, 2010. The brother and sister team discovered sustainability heroes all across the country. Read the blog. Enjoy the pictures and follow new adventures with electric transportation solutions.The Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.comBlogger140125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1084027558231536347.post-4824247732820832462011-10-31T13:31:00.000-07:002011-10-31T13:31:39.535-07:00Climate Ride on an electric BikeOn October 2nd, Catherine, my brother Michael and myself headed out of Fortuna, Ca on our electric bikes for a 5 day ride to San Francisco. The ride sponsors support the ride and non-profits of our choice by getting us to raise donations from our personal networks www.climateride.org. There were about 125 riders on the adventure and the three of us were the only ones with electric power assisted bicycles. It felt great to get out on the road again even though I was worried about my aging rear tire and my weakening battery packs.<br />
The first day out was wonderful. We gently pedaled through the awesome columns of giant redwood trees on the Avenue of the Giants. The rest of the riders were curious and courteous towards us and our electric rigs. That night we settled in for our first nights rest and then the rains began. Around midnight it started to pour and it didn't stop until about 7 pm the following evening. Unable to wait out the weather, we all rode through worse weather than anything my sister and I had encountered on our 2 month cross country trip. About halfway through the day and near the bottom of a very large hill, my batteries started to fail. If I pulled too many watts out of them, they shut off and I had to restart the system. Fortunately, I could watch my real time drain on the batteries and was able to get over the hill in my lowest gear pedaling as hard as I could. After lunch, the batteries failed and I was in the rain with a 80+ pound bike and almost no muscle energy left. The support vehicle was able to pick up my batteries so I lost about 25 pounds but I was still too tired to do much climbing. About 5 miles before the end of the day, my rear tire went flat. So everything that I feared happened, and I still survived. After finally succeeding in patching my inner tube in very wet weather, I rolled into Fort Bragg on the California coast and that evening I gave a short presentation on electric bicycles and our cross country adventure. My experiences of the day dampened my enthusiasm for electric bikes but I did manage some humor and I was able to convey a few of the advantages of electric assist bicycles.<br />
The ride went on with bad weather harassing us most of the rest of the trip. I do remember the last day, the sun came out for a while as Catherine and I powered our way up and out of canyon that took us over the ridge into Sausalito from Stinson Beach. It was a short day, only 40 miles, so we used lots of battery power to pass most of the riders ahead of us. There were riders who were stronger than us even though they had no electric assist. They had very light bikes and very strong lungs and legs. I was glad to see that pure pedal power in strong hands can top an electric powered system ridden by a couple of aging siblings.<br />
The trip was a personal test of will for many of the riders and a very strong bonding experience for most of us. Someone mentioned that it was like a forced military march (I wouldn't know) but we did not have the option of bailing out.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still sunny! Brother Michael on his electrified "Big Dummy" cargo bike.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The three sibs enjoying a dry dinner.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJFJVbWBUYaXvNNjt7WFS7snE1wujcny3WSAkQHoaLXHebi7V-gcLuMUtsBOfYY2wKW2l4BsocY3vRxG751L4lWkGePh0og396ioSoQpbhmQLjTUqJe9fc9H225lvOfQ2DsyGWWlU2Gc/s1600/IMG_1185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJFJVbWBUYaXvNNjt7WFS7snE1wujcny3WSAkQHoaLXHebi7V-gcLuMUtsBOfYY2wKW2l4BsocY3vRxG751L4lWkGePh0og396ioSoQpbhmQLjTUqJe9fc9H225lvOfQ2DsyGWWlU2Gc/s400/IMG_1185.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning of the Century Ride - Fort Bragg to the Russian River</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The group is very active still and informal rides are organized almost every weekend. Last week we went to a Keystone Pipeline demonstration http://www.tarsandsaction.org/ in San Francisco and ran into 2 other climate riders. We are a big family, bonded by hardship, laughter, a love of bicycles and the planet.The Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1084027558231536347.post-55270698046799205442011-04-05T21:27:00.000-07:002011-04-05T21:27:03.872-07:003 more steps on the journey to Electric Powered Transportation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>1) It was a cold and dreary Sunday when I rode over to Erik's house on my bike that we planned to light up with LED's. Erik's father, Roger got very involved as we set up in the garage and went through the long process (six hours) of installing LED's, a rear "bumper" for attaching some of the lights, the DC to DC converter (takes the 36 volts out of the battery and turns it into 12 volts to power the lights). Erik was amazing. Not only for his stamina but for the string of ideas he had for solving the challenges that we encountered. Erik's mother and Erik's sister also joined us in the garage and contributed good cheer and a nice plastic soap dish that houses the DC to DC converter. As you can see by the photos, the results are amazing. These are really bright lights that are even visible when direct sunlight is shining on them. Not only to I feel safer riding around but I am turning heads and starting conversations about electric bicycles that are started by admiration for my lighting. Quite a successful project. By the way, with all the lights running, I am using about 11 to 12 watts of power. Considering that the average power draw of the motor is probably around 300 watts, I'd say the demand on the battery created by the lights is pretty insignificant. And I never have to worry about batteries for my lights!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYHe69SeQGWaJhXEN3DD9_-99AJ51IJUp4C4ukcxMOVlK48lpR-pPxnuWo1GbzfoyTBd0ZUD4khFSr_TdMJh8_xOtgNQY9KbIe5w2GGkUF_P6FQ95eoA3PqI7QISM1bMTokhKedN8Rfc/s1600/IMG_1698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYHe69SeQGWaJhXEN3DD9_-99AJ51IJUp4C4ukcxMOVlK48lpR-pPxnuWo1GbzfoyTBd0ZUD4khFSr_TdMJh8_xOtgNQY9KbIe5w2GGkUF_P6FQ95eoA3PqI7QISM1bMTokhKedN8Rfc/s400/IMG_1698.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Figuring things out</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6G9Myb4tE_8SjSfrD5SxMcKJVkh-A0m-jBoQChRZSkDP6IVLN04iDTjxbEnkzR8Wx2XVy0HCwctob1gJ2AOyzmcJ4-M-NdCB_VE35ReVHTE7Gw5rQjJtYFtu4ZpajXu1EJDKzBFlFpI/s1600/IMG_1704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6G9Myb4tE_8SjSfrD5SxMcKJVkh-A0m-jBoQChRZSkDP6IVLN04iDTjxbEnkzR8Wx2XVy0HCwctob1gJ2AOyzmcJ4-M-NdCB_VE35ReVHTE7Gw5rQjJtYFtu4ZpajXu1EJDKzBFlFpI/s400/IMG_1704.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The finished product</div><br />
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2) The tandem build -<br />
After finally getting all of the pieces together, I set up a time to put the tandem together. A lot of the work was purely mechanical so I was able to get some of the students to work together with me and Jonathan Ando as we build up the bike. When we got it ready to roll, it ran okay for about 10 minutes and then died. In addition, the gears weren't working well so there was a lot of skipping going on. The students were very engaged and the ten minutes of riding that we did get were lots of fun. After school was out, Jonathan and I figured out that we had another controller on the bike that we built in Boulder on our trip. We switched out the controller and the bike worked great. We had a number of theories about what was up but the bottom line is that the controller that came with the wheel didn't work. As with electronic components, if they die, they tend to die pretty much right away. Once they prove that they work, they seem to work for a long time. Golden Motors is very good about backing their products so I don't think I will have any problem replacing the bad controller.<br />
Later, I put a different deraileur on the rear wheel and it works a lot better. With a little adjustment, I think this bike will be up and running in a jiffy. Taxi anyone??<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpvs43nz-Zh4DMQ-RF7yFKQDRib0NVQOAR2jdGYX5Nka-s2TpFqZmavPvEPw5zn5gVoNlKaI6424vljvvCPL5R64Ro29gOVDjafc324vnSej10_u3enasNB4vyJP_-jLKUj-pvoyf7bs/s1600/IMG_1733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpvs43nz-Zh4DMQ-RF7yFKQDRib0NVQOAR2jdGYX5Nka-s2TpFqZmavPvEPw5zn5gVoNlKaI6424vljvvCPL5R64Ro29gOVDjafc324vnSej10_u3enasNB4vyJP_-jLKUj-pvoyf7bs/s400/IMG_1733.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Coming together - </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Notice the Green battery pack from our cross country adventure</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpvs43nz-Zh4DMQ-RF7yFKQDRib0NVQOAR2jdGYX5Nka-s2TpFqZmavPvEPw5zn5gVoNlKaI6424vljvvCPL5R64Ro29gOVDjafc324vnSej10_u3enasNB4vyJP_-jLKUj-pvoyf7bs/s1600/IMG_1733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqvoneYmJmYwVdVEYkYdvDB1hxl3AeRAXf3C37zQkgZb7C0Ax4SUVRj4tMwsP17MyDpQJB3tfmaYM68H7DZ2pX5wriNzGVOb-BgaFWx9xwcVxdur7pr8VM6ckLjaQFVWF7v87uP2biNM/s1600/IMG_1731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqvoneYmJmYwVdVEYkYdvDB1hxl3AeRAXf3C37zQkgZb7C0Ax4SUVRj4tMwsP17MyDpQJB3tfmaYM68H7DZ2pX5wriNzGVOb-BgaFWx9xwcVxdur7pr8VM6ckLjaQFVWF7v87uP2biNM/s400/IMG_1731.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Jonathan Ando and Julio</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqvoneYmJmYwVdVEYkYdvDB1hxl3AeRAXf3C37zQkgZb7C0Ax4SUVRj4tMwsP17MyDpQJB3tfmaYM68H7DZ2pX5wriNzGVOb-BgaFWx9xwcVxdur7pr8VM6ckLjaQFVWF7v87uP2biNM/s1600/IMG_1731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRc1H0sSnUQA6aOE0QYbJkrdVX4CNrdCMfs-fHPNygkAjOk3r5zY6RlOviUydxAwV05A0xBNYPcBBtlYxBnfRT2j1gcZ-r_0wVXE4W72ZYBkuUYU3dSPhcZrWXlslYaWMeCi9wtWg3P9I/s1600/IMG_1734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRc1H0sSnUQA6aOE0QYbJkrdVX4CNrdCMfs-fHPNygkAjOk3r5zY6RlOviUydxAwV05A0xBNYPcBBtlYxBnfRT2j1gcZ-r_0wVXE4W72ZYBkuUYU3dSPhcZrWXlslYaWMeCi9wtWg3P9I/s400/IMG_1734.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The maiden voyage</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1XWug0vVJfhuodIk8XxuN6SAM9P154paM26t0jKshZfy3qBjEorDYdOBbAG-HYzGl_RPUlEUTHSQmf6rv1mwR7SGAbn4GHmmvM6OlIXhe18j6vxYM3JgS61bV1o0DuxMyHlmke38wQI/s1600/IMG_1735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1XWug0vVJfhuodIk8XxuN6SAM9P154paM26t0jKshZfy3qBjEorDYdOBbAG-HYzGl_RPUlEUTHSQmf6rv1mwR7SGAbn4GHmmvM6OlIXhe18j6vxYM3JgS61bV1o0DuxMyHlmke38wQI/s400/IMG_1735.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cruisin'</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div> 3) The arrival of the electric motorcycle.<br />
Back in early December, I ordered an electric motorcycle from Zelectric Vehicles http://www.zelectricvehicle.com/. Slated to arrive at a friends house in the flats after 3, the motorcycle arrived around 8. The throttle wires had been pulled out during shipping and it was fairly dark by the time I had the bike off the truck so I had to go back the next day to try to get the bike working. After a couple of days of messing around and with the owner of the company providing limited support from China, I was able to get the bike running and oh, what a blast!!<br />
(The bike is assembled in America and the owner was visiting China on business with his component suppliers.) I am currently trying to get the DMV to understand that the motorcycle doesn't need EPA certification since it is an electric bike and has no emissions. I had a very challenging conversation with the DMV person who was not interested in "out of the box" challenges. I did manage to get a temporary permit and I have to get the motorcycle certified by the California Highway Patrol before heading back to the land of the DMV.The Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1084027558231536347.post-41852944888801888802011-03-02T11:23:00.000-08:002011-03-02T11:23:33.616-08:00Tandems, a climate change denier and LED'sAs I continue to engage the High School students with electric bikes, the idea of an electric tandem has become increasingly attractive. So I started cruising around Craigslist looking for the perfect tandem. I wrote a note to the people selling tandems and here it is:<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><br />
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Hi,<br />
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I am interested in your tandem and would like to ask you to consider possibly donating the bike after reading the following:<br />
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Last year I rode an electric bike across country with my sister to demonstrate the viability of electric bicycles and to feature "sustainable solutions". www.thegreenriders.org.<br />
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It was a complete blast!!<br />
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Now I am leveraging that experience into an effort to bring electric bicycles into the local high school. There are a number of reasons for this.<br />
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1) Getting students out of cars. The parking lot at the school is mayhem as you can probably imagine.<br />
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2) Teach "at risk" students about both bicycle mechanics and electric drive systems. (I plan to convert the bicycle to electric.)<br />
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3) A tandem offers the opportunity to create a very 'cool' vehicle. From what students keep saying, a tandem would be completely awesome since they could then give rides. After dropping their passenger off, the driver would not have a huge heavy bike to haul home since the motor would help.<br />
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I am volunteering my time at Woodside High School because I firmly believe that fossil fuel free vehicles need to play a much bigger role in meeting our transportation needs. A tandem offers passenger accommodation, which is a huge benefit.<br />
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Since Woodside High is a State institution, your donation would be tax deductible and I would be able to get you a letter for tax purposes that would let you deduct the replacement cost of your bike.<br />
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If this is interesting to you, please let me know.<br />
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Here's a link to the Green Academy at Woodside High School. I am working with the students and staff in this program. http://www.woodsidehs.org/?id=317#2428<br />
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Cheers, Oliver Bock 650 851 7883</span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><br />
</span></div><div>I thought it was a good letter. The first two people I sent it out to ignored me but the third one sent me a real winner. Here it is:</div><div><br />
</div><div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica;">This is not something I would be interested in. I think green stuff is generally a screw job. I also have no interest in helping "at risk" students. They get enough help already. If you want to really help them teach them how devastating liberalism is. I also love my fossil fuel vehicle. Good (sic) help America!!!!!!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Even though I didn't get the bike, I'm sure getting a lot of mileage out of this response. I shared it with the students and now I'm sharing it here. And this response is from someone nearby! No, California is not only populated with liberal, Volvo driving, Latte drinking environmentalists.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Needless to say, I still don't have a tandem.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJG6D28HZSJZ6g1xJ8D7tzKjD56duddb6bmy5Pk8aIlA-4WsHQM1hcgzwPA5ynt5b-uQ-coqnwr5Xi1Qfo2aexU4RYBpqSeLROJuC14wKg6NiqWLGOEwf6S5cWqC-FABP7sLRrA_vQBPw/s1600/IMG_1189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJG6D28HZSJZ6g1xJ8D7tzKjD56duddb6bmy5Pk8aIlA-4WsHQM1hcgzwPA5ynt5b-uQ-coqnwr5Xi1Qfo2aexU4RYBpqSeLROJuC14wKg6NiqWLGOEwf6S5cWqC-FABP7sLRrA_vQBPw/s400/IMG_1189.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A nice cargo bike I saw in Portland. There's a strong pedal only purist attitude that I found in Portland even though some of the most dedicated electric bike people live and work in Portland. This bike is human powered and the carrier is designed for the owner's Great Dane!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">On a more friendly note, I visited my 11 year old lighting engineer who is very excited about the lights we got and how he's going to wire them up so that they will convert the 36 volts of power from the battery to the 12 Volts that they use. Erik carefully described the electronic devices he will build to do the conversion as well as include a flashing feature. We're planning an install day once he gets the electronics built.</span></div></div>The Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1084027558231536347.post-61109334994295895192011-02-09T19:53:00.000-08:002011-02-09T19:53:00.734-08:00Storage unit finished . . . enough - Time for E-Bikes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYbRpNRfvTNjJqU-sQ3b5oijZmcTFpVbSH1mRTqpKGXkl0vGDHPhPEBFOdrdr9Lh2RxFV2oaLdH_K-r1p_pLcym7cdYvHzxJ-CqYnLHTX0kj3QpDdbWKZI2wQcrFjo9fj_VhDDILxtAA/s1600/IMG_1150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYbRpNRfvTNjJqU-sQ3b5oijZmcTFpVbSH1mRTqpKGXkl0vGDHPhPEBFOdrdr9Lh2RxFV2oaLdH_K-r1p_pLcym7cdYvHzxJ-CqYnLHTX0kj3QpDdbWKZI2wQcrFjo9fj_VhDDILxtAA/s400/IMG_1150.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">View of storage shed from the parking lot. Tin will become the 'canvas' for a mural.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtk6G82ycOgNwgwFKHBR9UgMZM4LaL4mNI_hkvXy28t1ChXXsDzhfFUSBcnoaYhW7rNn2rymphqDS92c7g4TL5uv6a8XT0M730K9sp7-HD__QVyUtw-ZiQXLFCuSjR9J4Cba4HxwzVoJI/s1600/IMG_1152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtk6G82ycOgNwgwFKHBR9UgMZM4LaL4mNI_hkvXy28t1ChXXsDzhfFUSBcnoaYhW7rNn2rymphqDS92c7g4TL5uv6a8XT0M730K9sp7-HD__QVyUtw-ZiQXLFCuSjR9J4Cba4HxwzVoJI/s400/IMG_1152.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Storage shed from the 'business' side.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBqOAJ69w3kSzfvR5AxLM95uv4J9vhHDJa5o9pqJlHEDyHkh-29XbCoS_N2p6wJKUZna2EaPl2MCl7yrdTwWPewWw0yatrbaJIiKIREJVfsSfWonezmaZ3cW0w5O5Baf2Xmnjecr8hsyg/s1600/IMG_1154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBqOAJ69w3kSzfvR5AxLM95uv4J9vhHDJa5o9pqJlHEDyHkh-29XbCoS_N2p6wJKUZna2EaPl2MCl7yrdTwWPewWw0yatrbaJIiKIREJVfsSfWonezmaZ3cW0w5O5Baf2Xmnjecr8hsyg/s400/IMG_1154.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The last view of the storage area before it gets filled up.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>On Tuesday, I spent a few hours finishing up the major building on the storage shed for donated bikes.<br />
During the process, many of the students got involved. Probably the most fun and surprising help came from a couple of the female students who took ownership of getting the corrugated tin walls wired to the cyclone fence. They insisted that it was their project so I saved the work for them when they had time to help. They did a great job and the wall looks great.<br />
We are looking at the wall as a palette for a mural. Another student is a graffiti artist and he is going to bring some design ideas for painting the tin wall. It's a 8 foot high by almost 30 foot space that will hopefully get painted in a colorful way that promotes the activities of the Green Academy. Those activities include the garden, the chickens, the bicycle restoration project and other "green" activities. It will be fun to watch the mural take shape.<br />
As I've been working at the school, I'm slowly getting to know some of the students and learning about their lives. There are a number of the students who are "high-risk". They are not very committed to academics, they have had negative encounters with authorities and I can see that if they don't find a productive outlet for some of their energy, there is a real possibility of bad outcomes. On the other hand, some of these same students are fascinated by bicycles. I see real potential for positive outcomes driven by engagement with bicycles. Hopefully, the electric bicycles will add another level of attraction for some of these students and get them involved in building better lives for themselves and bicycles that will get more people out of cars.<br />
Next week, I will start with electric bikes. I haven't quite figured out how to get the program going since there are significant financial hurdles to building e-bikes. I've been toying with a few ideas but I think I will see where the interest is first and then figure out how to fund the building of e-bikes. One model is to pre-sell electric bikes based on allowing the use of one of my existing bikes. Another model is to cover the cost of building a bike or two and loaning them out as rewards for students who are helpful. Getting students to raise enough money to buy a conversion kit for their own bike is another model. We'll see what unfolds.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL917GJiraxV4bbA0hPPo23zJjvm4jqt7qLXFjMbWcZSW87qC8fNBjGqgr38KnYM2Lzi3cWPX2i8aynbntoTsUlKJB5y1w_S0Z-isReDpQqsHoJ7KPHw3HeZuvaFh5QIUW3vpWpEtnIDA/s1600/gather+cargo+bike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL917GJiraxV4bbA0hPPo23zJjvm4jqt7qLXFjMbWcZSW87qC8fNBjGqgr38KnYM2Lzi3cWPX2i8aynbntoTsUlKJB5y1w_S0Z-isReDpQqsHoJ7KPHw3HeZuvaFh5QIUW3vpWpEtnIDA/s400/gather+cargo+bike.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>As an aside, brother Michael is committed to building electric cargo bikes for people who need to haul more than just their bodies around. His skill as a woodworker helped him build a beautiful trailer for one of his bikes that is going to a restaurant over in Oakland. Before he delivers it, he is testing the trailer by moving his entire household to a new house about 3 miles away. Lots of trips but he has been having a great time making the move.The Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1084027558231536347.post-63624119254071578912011-01-30T20:20:00.000-08:002011-01-30T20:20:21.171-08:00Back to School<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPna-Ay7Ab1bQc7txergNt1C5LpWl_Jg5r4WqOzUsLkiCeoO4xinGSX8AjKcUE3ir4cQ6KsBTlADEfS0k4yO7VNx9cSE7j8PXPP290PurHidSXTblB88HkSyAQInQ8C_ffH6pvX2BT5Os/s1600/IMG_1135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPna-Ay7Ab1bQc7txergNt1C5LpWl_Jg5r4WqOzUsLkiCeoO4xinGSX8AjKcUE3ir4cQ6KsBTlADEfS0k4yO7VNx9cSE7j8PXPP290PurHidSXTblB88HkSyAQInQ8C_ffH6pvX2BT5Os/s400/IMG_1135.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">High Tech structure. The fence supports the high side "posts" and header while repurposed cement parking lot bumpers support the lower posts and header. School parking lot is in the background.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(Notice the 18 foot header, on the ground next to the posts, fabricated out of 2 - 10' 2X6's and 2 - 8' 2X6's. I stagger the seams and use 1/2" plywood scraps in between the two 2X6's. Lots of glue and lots of nails make for a very strong, straight beam. From a sustainability point of view, using smaller lumber to build larger lumber requires the use of smaller trees and is therefore more sustainable. Manufactured beams, called 'Glulams' are stronger than the equivalent solid lumber beam.) </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ctzmDAwmHoLa0zKQSaaItY3heBKVGgl8OSNkRExb73HHQOTD5tXfePUJUFFta_BI0JsF8GHcGMFDA_viiL5kuuFNmvNjxcKr7UemiPb_b5p6-bliq4701xjI3l6sNK27igTd41Hof-M/s1600/IMG_1136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ctzmDAwmHoLa0zKQSaaItY3heBKVGgl8OSNkRExb73HHQOTD5tXfePUJUFFta_BI0JsF8GHcGMFDA_viiL5kuuFNmvNjxcKr7UemiPb_b5p6-bliq4701xjI3l6sNK27igTd41Hof-M/s400/IMG_1136.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Bicycle shed in the foreground where tools and parts are stored. There's also a workbench inside for rainy days. The corrugated tin on the fence will be painted as a mural announcing the garden and bicycle project. Behind the fence and up the hill is the garden and chickens. I would love to be a high school student here!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>I spent every afternoon last week at the High School working on the storage structure for donated bikes and parts. It has been a lot of fun getting to know the students and giving them jobs that help get the project done. We should be finished by the end of next week and then I can start focusing on building an electric bicycle or two. ( I still haven't figured out the permission needed to post photos of the students. It gets complicated when the school is involved.)The Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1084027558231536347.post-57416721040117406362011-01-25T20:39:00.000-08:002011-01-25T20:39:25.063-08:00Electric Riders Project (ERP) accelerates and detoursSuddenly, my involvement with Woodside's Green Academy and the Electric Bicycle Project is in full swing. But not as I had envisioned.<br />
Last Thursday I attended a meeting with some of the interested parties. One gentleman is excited about creating a Bike Swap once a month on campus. This would attract bikers interested in a flea market focused on bicycles. The booth fees would go to the Green Academy's bicycle club.<br />
Another gentleman is a retired teacher and loves to build very nice bikes. He wants to teach bike mechanics.<br />
A former Woodside student is helping design the bike club by working with the students until he goes back to college in Sonoma next week.<br />
A couple of students showed up because they are interested in bicycles and want to participate.<br />
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One of the shortcomings of the infrastructure is that there is no storage for donated bikes. The poor beasts have been sitting out in the nasty weather getting less and less attractive. I volunteered to build a storage unit and now I find that my interest in electric bikes has me building a shed! (It brings me back to my happy days of theater set building on my college campuses. University of Oregon, UC Santa Cruz and Dominican College in San Rafael.)<br />
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So yesterday, I rode my bike to Home Depot and loaded up the materials needed for the shed. Mac, the college student, helped me and as we finished, Josh Rubin showed up with the school van and a couple of students to drive the materials back to Woodside. He left a little bit before I did and I got to campus with about 2 minutes of his arrival time. They had only unloaded 1 board when I arrived! Point being that the electric bike, for relatively short trips in town is just as fast as driving. (But not as good at hauling a ton of building materials.) I was very happy to be able to demonstrate the speed and efficiency of electric bike travel.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiajVlZI0rolxrIFcGdGOTqmWkUJaRi0z00xDH1JMaRBc9Hv8Pczidem_pQehNGs_Z7BOSmx9wdN8YUIpIqB3_yNT30LkxFws_aX3ZVONz96Qe-M-5wFL6Jvz89KviWfaalZWc33uL0GYM/s1600/IMG_1951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiajVlZI0rolxrIFcGdGOTqmWkUJaRi0z00xDH1JMaRBc9Hv8Pczidem_pQehNGs_Z7BOSmx9wdN8YUIpIqB3_yNT30LkxFws_aX3ZVONz96Qe-M-5wFL6Jvz89KviWfaalZWc33uL0GYM/s400/IMG_1951.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">What the heck? Denver, CO - June 2010</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I apologize for not posting pictures. I am working out issues around permission for the students pictures to be posted on this blog. It shouldn't be a problem but I do need to respect their privacy.The Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1084027558231536347.post-85061965057605677272011-01-16T10:55:00.000-08:002011-01-16T10:55:39.589-08:00Woodside High School Electric Rider Project (ERP) - Day 1The cold snap ended the first day I rode down to Woodside High to start working with the students. Unfortunately, the roads were still wet and my bike got very messy. On the bright side, I was able to test the water resistance of my electrical system. I also added an inexpensive (about $30.00) gauge that tells me how much electricity I'm using real time and keeps track of the amp hours that I use over the distance of my trip. The $120 Cycle Analyst that we had on our cross country bikes gives a lot more information but it is more information than I understand and too expensive for the population that I am trying to get onto electric bikes.<br />
I arrived on campus and saw a group of students hovering around the bicycle shed. Only one female student was there and she was labeling and organizing tools. The "guys" were more random and were delighted with my offer to try out my bike. Even though they couldn't reach the pedals since my frame is so big, they got a great thrill getting pulled around by the front wheel hub motor. It's not difficult getting them to appreciate the fun factor. (The woman student didn't want to ride the bike. She doesn't like bicycles after she had an accident as a child that split her chin open. She likes to work with her hands and that's why she's involved with the bicycle club.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBxi2Su5G7AUBEr4k_eeqDfxtYoJtoXFTRr_V4Yui7PvP5AdzI_RcFAE4QUZLAemoemfqINCaL1vj0BSI3OOouQIQLNPgojDPlzOfuMwHU2bW4ncg1Cov05xNELeZ12rwI3OMIf1u_Vs/s1600/IMG_1744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBxi2Su5G7AUBEr4k_eeqDfxtYoJtoXFTRr_V4Yui7PvP5AdzI_RcFAE4QUZLAemoemfqINCaL1vj0BSI3OOouQIQLNPgojDPlzOfuMwHU2bW4ncg1Cov05xNELeZ12rwI3OMIf1u_Vs/s320/IMG_1744.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>After a while, we all headed to teacher Marin Aldrich's classroom. Different groups of students were working on different components related to making the bicycle club work. The idea is to build bikes out of old bikes and sell them. So students were talking about everything from getting old bikes donated, to soliciting bike shop support for parts, to researching Craigslist as a marketing tool, etc.<br />
I spoke for about ten minutes about my vision for adding electric bikes to the program. What I remember about my words was that I kept switching back and forth between talking about the micro details of putting together electric bicycles and the big picture of global sustainability. The point being that repurposing existing bikes with or without motors is a very good way to reduce our carbon intensive impact on the planet.<br />
Minimal new materials. (Maybe new tires, brake pads and seats.)<br />
If the bicycle replaces a car trip, the impact becomes measurable.<br />
Taking advantage of resources in the community fosters local engagement which is vital to building healthier communities.<br />
Learning to build a bike encourages self sufficiency which is an important part of growing up as well as a necessity in the carbon constrained world that awaits our children.<br />
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I finished off my visit with a conversation with one of the students about building storage for donated bikes and an outdoor work bench attached to the shed. Vital and simple projects that need to be done soon.<br />
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The following day, I met my sister Catherine at Oracle headquarters which was about a 25 mile round trip bike ride. With my new gauge, I observed that I used less than 7 amp hours to cover the distance. When I compared that to a car that gets about 25 miles per gallon, my electricity cost was under 10 cents whereas the cost of gas for the trip would have been over $3.00. Another fun feature was that I got to my destination in the same or slightly less time than it would have taken in a car. I rode during rush hours and by using back roads and riding alongside cars at intersections, I was able to keep a good average speed that got me to Oracle quite fast.<br />
The bad news was that on the way home, Catherine was cut off by a car driver who turned right in front of her. She crashed into the car, fell off her bike and the driver didn't even stop. <br />
It's dangerous out there so be careful!!!The Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1084027558231536347.post-26809432579984411842010-12-18T21:29:00.000-08:002010-12-18T21:29:50.153-08:00Electric vehicles are here and there's a lot in the pipeline.On Thursday I attended a conference at Stanford University hosted by the University, The German American Business Council and BMW.<br />
The conversation was not about when or if electric cars are coming. The conversation was about what is coming, and who the leaders will be (BMW, of course, is planning on a leadership role.)<br />
The other part of the conversation was about charging stations and how the grid will provide power.<br />
Overall, an amazing shift in the conversation from merely a year ago.<br />
Many of the challenges are technological, legislative and behavioral. All of them are able to be solved but I had to mention that there are other great electric vehicles out there (electric bicycles) that can help get people off of their addiction to fossil fuels, reduce congestion, increase health and save a lot of cash!<br />
I also met a former BMW executive who is now teaching at Stanford and expressed interest in my helping with an electric bicycle course that he will be teaching in the Spring. <br />
Could be a lot of fun!!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jbs6siQU5RXVySvUOiU-JuXcdcyDXsMgbQs6ayAm-Jo_TGsbuLgbDxRiafstg26GiRX4MMzZGduCxD6yfr5_x6d3w1QWi824DtdjvNALc78sQyNe2NbQxb9z8r3EXuuXqvk-UPkIzyU/s1600/IMG_0482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-jbs6siQU5RXVySvUOiU-JuXcdcyDXsMgbQs6ayAm-Jo_TGsbuLgbDxRiafstg26GiRX4MMzZGduCxD6yfr5_x6d3w1QWi824DtdjvNALc78sQyNe2NbQxb9z8r3EXuuXqvk-UPkIzyU/s400/IMG_0482.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>I got to drive the electric Mini Cooper. That was a lot of fun. What a rocket!!The Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1084027558231536347.post-38715253584281071312010-12-14T09:11:00.000-08:002010-12-14T09:11:30.774-08:00Woodside High School Electric Rider Project (ERP)Deciding how to best leverage the Green Riders' cross country adventure has been an exercise in patience.<br />
Planning for the trip and being on the road involved lots of quick decisions that didn't require much collaboration.<br />
Getting this new project going has been the opposite. I am working within a school system which is amazingly flexible and open but still moves at a much slower pace than I am used to.<br />
Yesterday, I met with two of the teachers who are part of the Green Academy. The Green Academy is a school within a school on the Woodside High campus and its focus is sustainability and technical skill building for students who are motivated but not inspired by the more traditional academic offerings in high school.<br />
I have been talking with Josh Rubin and Marin Aldrich since the beginning of the school year and yesterday they presented a plan that integrates some of their goals (bicycle recycling project) with my goal of introducing electric bicycles into the high school community.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_D71FUrdkMCfU4ZhQqvWsX0ro6_sa7dMPVISDQy0gqalZFrxa81GQjZSGptT08sF4_3udMLZ9f966l-63MP7ZYInQ2U_bgfgZ1s0WBUqA2C6thPiCuUH3QIHAIQrgS5-IboIyd3s9s-A/s1600/IMG_0525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_D71FUrdkMCfU4ZhQqvWsX0ro6_sa7dMPVISDQy0gqalZFrxa81GQjZSGptT08sF4_3udMLZ9f966l-63MP7ZYInQ2U_bgfgZ1s0WBUqA2C6thPiCuUH3QIHAIQrgS5-IboIyd3s9s-A/s400/IMG_0525.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunday Cruise with Liza (Note front wheel hub motor on my recumbent- Sweet and simple)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Below is an outline for moving forward that Marin Aldrich put together after yesterday's meeting. It exceeds my expectations . . . by a lot! I am completely thrilled with how much work has already been done by these two remarkable teachers and I can't wait to get going.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">ELECTRIC RIDERS PROJECT OUTLINE:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Goals: - to refurbish and resell/donate used bikes</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"> - to market, build, and sell electric bikes</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"> - to involve students at every level of this project possible</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Steps:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">1. All interested students will have their schedule moved (switch with Ann's class) so that they are in Josh's 7th period class. This will allow us to work with that team of students on A-days from 1:35-3:10. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">2. Those not directly involved in the bike component of this project will work to accomplish other support activities for the bike repair team: building a shed to protect bikes, working on marketing and sales strategies for both electric and refurbished bikes, capacity-building and networking in the community to find old bikes and sell refurbished ones. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">3. We will start in January with some of the initial work: training the students on basic bike repair (Marin and Oliver), pulling in former students as repair trainers (Mac, Ricky, Sean), building the shed (Josh and a team of students).</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">And yes, that is the same Sean who was part of our cross country team!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">So my first job is to get fingerprinted so that I can volunteer with the students.</span><br />
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</span>The Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1084027558231536347.post-62506741082699509252010-11-13T08:18:00.000-08:002010-11-13T08:18:49.358-08:00Another Presentation - Redwood City Nov. 17Just in case you may be in the area, I have another presentation set up for Wednesday the 17th in Redwood City. The focus of the talk will be half about the trip and the other half about how electric bikes can fit into the palette of choices people can look at for transportation in this area. Selling sustainability as a motivator for behavior change is not easy. Many people understand and agree that sustainable behavior is important but when it comes around to changing behavior (getting out of the car and onto an electric bike), sustainability does not have enough immediate appeal to get people to change their behavior. So my talk will emphasis the fun and convenience of electric bikes. Since being home, I am using my electric bike to run errands and to visit people within a 15 mile radius and I find that I have fun, get exercise and spend maybe an extra 10 or 15 minutes traveling on the longer trips. Not having to deal with parking, long traffic lines waiting for lights to change and 2,000 pounds of car to navigate is a delight!<br />
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<blockquote style="font-family: Helvetica;" type="cite"><div style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; word-wrap: break-word;"><div><div><blockquote type="cite"><div style="-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; word-wrap: break-word;"><div><b>Event Details</b></div><div><div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">Series<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></div></div></div><div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="apple-tab-span"> </span><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Redwood City</st1:place></st1:city> Verde Talks - A Green Education & Mixer Series<o:p></o:p></div></div></div><u1:p></u1:p><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">Date<o:p></o:p></div></div><blockquote style="margin-left: 30pt; margin-right: 0in;"><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">Wednesday, November 17, 2010<o:p></o:p></div></div></blockquote><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">Time<o:p></o:p></div></div><blockquote style="margin-left: 30pt; margin-right: 0in;"><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">6:30-8 PM<o:p></o:p></div></div></blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">Location<o:p></o:p></div></div><blockquote class="webkit-indent-blockquote" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 40px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">Redwood City City Hall, <span class="apple-style-span"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">1017 Middlefield Rd, Redwood City, CA 94063</span></span></div></div></div></blockquote><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"><div style="font-size: 16px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">Format<o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div><blockquote style="border-color: initial; border-width: initial; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 30pt; margin-right: 0in;"><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">6:30-7PM: Mixer<br />
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<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">7-8PM: Intro, Talk (30 mins), Q&A (20 mins), Close<o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div></blockquote><div style="font-size: 16px;"><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">Hope to see you there,</span></span></div></div></div></span></div></div></blockquote></div></div></div></blockquote>Oliver<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Front hub motor on sister Catherine's Cannondale Recumbent</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>The Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1084027558231536347.post-80988736732897534302010-09-06T19:14:00.000-07:002010-09-06T19:14:23.347-07:00Slide Show presentation about the Green RidersI haven't posted for a while and this is just a short note to tell those of you who live near Woodside, that I will be presenting slides and the adventures that we had crossing the country on our electric bikes. We will be gathering at the Woodside Village Church in Woodside. The evening begins at 6:30 with a half hour of looking at three different electric bicycles including the one I rode across the country. Also there will be a bike I just built up from a $10.00 find at a garage sale as well as an "off the shelf" cruiser bike model that I just got for my daughter's 16 year old birthday present. She loves it!!<br />
I hope some of you can make the event.<br />
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Woodside Village Church- Guild Hall<br />
Monday Sept. 13 6:30 - 9:00<br />
Call 650 851 7883 if you have any questions<br />
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OliverThe Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1084027558231536347.post-58023821604213773982010-06-25T18:11:00.000-07:002010-06-25T18:11:02.130-07:00Congresswoman Anna Eshoo meets with The Green Riders<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLK0gxX3kBHUqlnhdpb56K0-DbxVyprazODqhhhuIQZuWlb8Dpar0ZNmHl5vDcSeVHELiAPL2olPmw37C9Dc9tzS6aCA0aE01QZotisK2s7DrC0OAoMe4aC62uxcTXRBYYvcrSWoGwC8/s1600/IMG_1923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLK0gxX3kBHUqlnhdpb56K0-DbxVyprazODqhhhuIQZuWlb8Dpar0ZNmHl5vDcSeVHELiAPL2olPmw37C9Dc9tzS6aCA0aE01QZotisK2s7DrC0OAoMe4aC62uxcTXRBYYvcrSWoGwC8/s640/IMG_1923.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> We "lobby" Anna Eshoo for sustainable solutions</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We had planned to leave Bethesda early this morning (the 23rd) but we managed to get an appointment with our Congresswoman Anna Eshoo at 11. Catherine was tired of the heat and the ride into DC and Albin's bicycle was broken. I wasn't too excited about going into the city again but Liza insisted and so we went.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The Cannon building is next to the Capitol and it is where the members of the House of Representatives have their offices. It is one of many grand old buildings and the air conditioning works just fine. We found our way down the marble halls to Congresswoman Eshoo's office where we were greeted warmly by her staff. There was a switchboard where two or three "staffers" answered phone calls from people like me and you who call their Congress people. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Within a couple of minutes, we were ushered into Anna Eshoo's office where Anna greeted us warmly and to my surprise was aware of our journey and had looked at our blog and website. She was like a proud parent who was so thrilled with what we had accomplished. She asked interesting questions, listened to the answers, complimented us on our achievements and admired our healthy appearance. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We talked about her work and her frustration with the pace of the legislative process. She was especially frustrated with the Senate's unwillingness to pass the energy bill that the House sent to them a year ago. I complimented her on her willingness to 'fight the good fight' and she said: "Someone has to do it!"</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I'm so glad she is our representative and both Liza and I feel that we have a friend in Congress who will support us as we continue fighting for a sustainable future.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I'm grateful to Liza for pushing me into going down to DC for the 4th time and visiting with Anna Eshoo. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It was the highlight of our DC experience.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Now we are on the road heading west. As I write this, we just passed a mileage marker that announced 82 miles to Kansas City. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Westward Ho!!</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQKnA78k7C0UpUaRvqgIcwGCBld992jPVWAqBSKG6A9dfQ9A4VZo75dobw237UAYKOmxLQD_pCnOYA_dv_VbBLysOxzDKWEAtyiLWTGNwfQyNSUCschG6d38IhT8itA9pqcDTrRXVg5E/s1600/IMG_1921.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQKnA78k7C0UpUaRvqgIcwGCBld992jPVWAqBSKG6A9dfQ9A4VZo75dobw237UAYKOmxLQD_pCnOYA_dv_VbBLysOxzDKWEAtyiLWTGNwfQyNSUCschG6d38IhT8itA9pqcDTrRXVg5E/s400/IMG_1921.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Saying goodbye to Chessa before she heads off to work</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQKnA78k7C0UpUaRvqgIcwGCBld992jPVWAqBSKG6A9dfQ9A4VZo75dobw237UAYKOmxLQD_pCnOYA_dv_VbBLysOxzDKWEAtyiLWTGNwfQyNSUCschG6d38IhT8itA9pqcDTrRXVg5E/s1600/IMG_1921.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWlS1DVvpm-Col3PqYhngciMGu4YT9Qox7s6X7IEMxPvlNWK-Obus7By7UYAyIs7VkoFBg87WEBqgf_wzsjoIUaR11Tfy17Ko9eoQ6RHvNQe4rG2YgU8sD04o3MYSDrKPbmouBYPn9KAM/s1600/IMG_1925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWlS1DVvpm-Col3PqYhngciMGu4YT9Qox7s6X7IEMxPvlNWK-Obus7By7UYAyIs7VkoFBg87WEBqgf_wzsjoIUaR11Tfy17Ko9eoQ6RHvNQe4rG2YgU8sD04o3MYSDrKPbmouBYPn9KAM/s400/IMG_1925.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The thrill of the road - Part 1</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWlS1DVvpm-Col3PqYhngciMGu4YT9Qox7s6X7IEMxPvlNWK-Obus7By7UYAyIs7VkoFBg87WEBqgf_wzsjoIUaR11Tfy17Ko9eoQ6RHvNQe4rG2YgU8sD04o3MYSDrKPbmouBYPn9KAM/s1600/IMG_1925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIeYoEOQU85LCZ1I6hUg4NHF12mOYYSgwiFVAk5n0Ku4CXLTeCvoHssWfSbpSMwRlKU6LQbMobJBPIAhuxnCJBQ9fJv_C6OcUZep5PXa-EwZxVF1yu0U2Scn1yeENS5SjW1_PrG_Q0knQ/s1600/IMG_1926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIeYoEOQU85LCZ1I6hUg4NHF12mOYYSgwiFVAk5n0Ku4CXLTeCvoHssWfSbpSMwRlKU6LQbMobJBPIAhuxnCJBQ9fJv_C6OcUZep5PXa-EwZxVF1yu0U2Scn1yeENS5SjW1_PrG_Q0knQ/s400/IMG_1926.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The thrill continues unabated!</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div>The Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1084027558231536347.post-7572282794764036102010-06-23T06:24:00.000-07:002010-06-23T06:24:05.015-07:00The Green Riders officially arrive in Washington DCOn our way into DC to meet with friends and cousins, the Surley blew out another controller. <br />
A parting shot.<br />
I disconnected the plug from the motor to the controller so that there would be less resistance when pedaling and we continued on our way. Albin hung on to the back of my bike and I "towed" him when it was safe. <br />
We arrived on the Capital steps about the same time that our friend Antonia and her two friends arrived. We staged an arrival scene and Liza and Albin sang their <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0SqLJTbcQ0">song</a>.<br />
I was getting worried because my sister-in-law Stephanie and her three boys were an hour late when they finally called. Traffic and parking had slowed them down. (Cars are so great!!)<br />
We all had lunch in the Native American Museum which has a fantastic cafe with ethnic food from Indians of the Americas. Liza and I had buffalo. Catherine and Albin had rabbit and there were many other exotic choices.<br />
We split up after lunch with Liza and myself going to the Air and Space museum with Stephanie and the triplets while Catherine and Albin "hung out" with Antonia in the Native American Museum.<br />
The heat and humidity were incredible so we stayed in the museums until after 5 before riding and towing ourselves back up to Bethesda where we enjoyed our last evening with Chessa in her very comfortable home.<br />
So now the journey ends.<br />
Liza and I will go into town tomorrow for a brief meeting with our Congresswoman Anna Eshoo before hitting the long road home.<br />
I'm tired, proud of our accomplishments, concerned about what I'll do next since my identity as a Green Rider is behind me and looking forward to seeing my family, friends and dog.<br />
I just wish the next five or 6 days of driving were already behind us.<br />
We do plan to post a few more blogs and there is a chance that I will put this adventure together into some coherent format but time will tell if I can muster enough enthusiasm for reprocessing this adventure.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFxDQeXVuTqTPKxmjAvS83YNRr76PakYjQ5LYxVuEKWeJ9MHPtWFICR2A4Uk3jWmTtqeTL4EvDsJM-DQaK49-uNOOH7PPb5cEnKOsIUaVndmCUX7H-am5Wrb4qxLKeuhoZH0Hc9bNKgNI/s1600/IMG_1879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFxDQeXVuTqTPKxmjAvS83YNRr76PakYjQ5LYxVuEKWeJ9MHPtWFICR2A4Uk3jWmTtqeTL4EvDsJM-DQaK49-uNOOH7PPb5cEnKOsIUaVndmCUX7H-am5Wrb4qxLKeuhoZH0Hc9bNKgNI/s400/IMG_1879.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Greeting friends on the Capital steps</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFxDQeXVuTqTPKxmjAvS83YNRr76PakYjQ5LYxVuEKWeJ9MHPtWFICR2A4Uk3jWmTtqeTL4EvDsJM-DQaK49-uNOOH7PPb5cEnKOsIUaVndmCUX7H-am5Wrb4qxLKeuhoZH0Hc9bNKgNI/s1600/IMG_1879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xzAS2te3Z8GG6acJpNOoURidMETvg41FctiB_WE-VG-CYVlMDMbxvJla9XERE80k9DVoumaFG_gLsAHFnG1vy1sQWLq-L3HPwNfJ54l_gvsFrJ7CXx1S2BLFXuXOEo4ZB7tKQdWTIV4/s1600/IMG_1880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xzAS2te3Z8GG6acJpNOoURidMETvg41FctiB_WE-VG-CYVlMDMbxvJla9XERE80k9DVoumaFG_gLsAHFnG1vy1sQWLq-L3HPwNfJ54l_gvsFrJ7CXx1S2BLFXuXOEo4ZB7tKQdWTIV4/s400/IMG_1880.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Great to see Antonia</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xzAS2te3Z8GG6acJpNOoURidMETvg41FctiB_WE-VG-CYVlMDMbxvJla9XERE80k9DVoumaFG_gLsAHFnG1vy1sQWLq-L3HPwNfJ54l_gvsFrJ7CXx1S2BLFXuXOEo4ZB7tKQdWTIV4/s1600/IMG_1880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0CC1354ZKVsAZAFmqjrcAW7m5ZueGesf1Lkt9oKav7q8Agfx_UXyL6RN7UXG5Tm3tdqPb78zjQCniX9_5BnVrtxGr4E7HwuCu9ln0nHJ0wlrzCwqiVaEmEowe-trOdlA7e5dzzQ_vmKY/s1600/IMG_1885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0CC1354ZKVsAZAFmqjrcAW7m5ZueGesf1Lkt9oKav7q8Agfx_UXyL6RN7UXG5Tm3tdqPb78zjQCniX9_5BnVrtxGr4E7HwuCu9ln0nHJ0wlrzCwqiVaEmEowe-trOdlA7e5dzzQ_vmKY/s400/IMG_1885.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The official arrival</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0CC1354ZKVsAZAFmqjrcAW7m5ZueGesf1Lkt9oKav7q8Agfx_UXyL6RN7UXG5Tm3tdqPb78zjQCniX9_5BnVrtxGr4E7HwuCu9ln0nHJ0wlrzCwqiVaEmEowe-trOdlA7e5dzzQ_vmKY/s1600/IMG_1885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz8OGzv-9zYoTvvX9ggZXbzvycpkc2S44A13RVSbCP6RhOSZlnYVj9ztNX0JXsKcsdCykChlmWb0pEXLkbc_e633fwsHPX4DMRdC22wz-Sw9Jk7cKkz-KjEz78ZrVFopPTLF_deEZhvs4/s1600/IMG_1890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz8OGzv-9zYoTvvX9ggZXbzvycpkc2S44A13RVSbCP6RhOSZlnYVj9ztNX0JXsKcsdCykChlmWb0pEXLkbc_e633fwsHPX4DMRdC22wz-Sw9Jk7cKkz-KjEz78ZrVFopPTLF_deEZhvs4/s400/IMG_1890.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One last electric bicycle grin</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz8OGzv-9zYoTvvX9ggZXbzvycpkc2S44A13RVSbCP6RhOSZlnYVj9ztNX0JXsKcsdCykChlmWb0pEXLkbc_e633fwsHPX4DMRdC22wz-Sw9Jk7cKkz-KjEz78ZrVFopPTLF_deEZhvs4/s1600/IMG_1890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Kl3g-s9Y25_p66HKLGSEUbziTxTItHueAM2zUcNqiclvs7VjhdhIrzoxHw8qGOIOoMybR09F1H_Kz4zVPkfI_HI7KM5xbCWP87cZVsAQruEjSmgHSAyqJAJQxvlTrr0fE7eW6pSTE0Y/s1600/IMG_1916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Kl3g-s9Y25_p66HKLGSEUbziTxTItHueAM2zUcNqiclvs7VjhdhIrzoxHw8qGOIOoMybR09F1H_Kz4zVPkfI_HI7KM5xbCWP87cZVsAQruEjSmgHSAyqJAJQxvlTrr0fE7eW6pSTE0Y/s400/IMG_1916.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The triplets ready for air-conditioned IMAX fun</div>The Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1084027558231536347.post-69574739699611461892010-06-23T04:49:00.000-07:002010-06-23T04:49:49.314-07:00Touristing in DCEven though electric bikes are not allowed on the trail into town, we headed into town illegally. Being on bikes has got to be the best way to see "the mall". We were able to cruise the entire length of the mall from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capital Building. <br />
We even went to Union Station for lunch before going to the Natural History Museum where we enjoyed much needed air conditioning and an IMAX movie.<br />
I felt bad for the tourists battling the heat, dealing with long hot walks between monuments and museums and the discomfort of dealing with crowds of people. On bikes, we found a perfect space between sitting in traffic in a car and the miles of hot hiking around "the mall".<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-kXRyr05zpXVDBxB5OyBKlHkKsb9RJfEljS1LnHiCF1ES3njP-hU_CwYgAhd9RQQeweTnTlHkzJd7dWd9yfANheSw6ZHrgv5qPhC9WKYTBGP0_nYUWK_VchIjTUAO1l_odv8aIFTY7lw/s1600/IMG_1854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-kXRyr05zpXVDBxB5OyBKlHkKsb9RJfEljS1LnHiCF1ES3njP-hU_CwYgAhd9RQQeweTnTlHkzJd7dWd9yfANheSw6ZHrgv5qPhC9WKYTBGP0_nYUWK_VchIjTUAO1l_odv8aIFTY7lw/s400/IMG_1854.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We made it - Lincoln Memorial</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-kXRyr05zpXVDBxB5OyBKlHkKsb9RJfEljS1LnHiCF1ES3njP-hU_CwYgAhd9RQQeweTnTlHkzJd7dWd9yfANheSw6ZHrgv5qPhC9WKYTBGP0_nYUWK_VchIjTUAO1l_odv8aIFTY7lw/s1600/IMG_1854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFS2664OQwV7hlInptxPZr7eZ4MsM7RHewqT1t0uPCmjG2W5eFOwaLSrrAxq0-Y_A70fjbvIkaChZbKU63RX8rFDkvCBqzY2UD7RuLCb53NZ6q4pW7oQ9d1EYPn_CppEfUvUNUAl5bOs0/s1600/IMG_1856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFS2664OQwV7hlInptxPZr7eZ4MsM7RHewqT1t0uPCmjG2W5eFOwaLSrrAxq0-Y_A70fjbvIkaChZbKU63RX8rFDkvCBqzY2UD7RuLCb53NZ6q4pW7oQ9d1EYPn_CppEfUvUNUAl5bOs0/s400/IMG_1856.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Washington Monument</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFS2664OQwV7hlInptxPZr7eZ4MsM7RHewqT1t0uPCmjG2W5eFOwaLSrrAxq0-Y_A70fjbvIkaChZbKU63RX8rFDkvCBqzY2UD7RuLCb53NZ6q4pW7oQ9d1EYPn_CppEfUvUNUAl5bOs0/s1600/IMG_1856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglocpsv_-LM4ZVYWW8JJvomzTbIGSJTlpOEgUhMSJlR7oCUN0-vXkPfc58T-M82gGnf3waANC0vHRKBiPyQMpRrRhOosPRJGGLxg5N7nPxbOXngPsjYN2zS3UQctt2jo-SckHdxGBhcbs/s1600/IMG_1863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglocpsv_-LM4ZVYWW8JJvomzTbIGSJTlpOEgUhMSJlR7oCUN0-vXkPfc58T-M82gGnf3waANC0vHRKBiPyQMpRrRhOosPRJGGLxg5N7nPxbOXngPsjYN2zS3UQctt2jo-SckHdxGBhcbs/s400/IMG_1863.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Vietnam Memorial</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglocpsv_-LM4ZVYWW8JJvomzTbIGSJTlpOEgUhMSJlR7oCUN0-vXkPfc58T-M82gGnf3waANC0vHRKBiPyQMpRrRhOosPRJGGLxg5N7nPxbOXngPsjYN2zS3UQctt2jo-SckHdxGBhcbs/s1600/IMG_1863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84X8irr_MC1udlrCgFDRGCfVMq7-bjRfw31QFhvibKNIrmERIIf5_3zAMg9IXthRZbO3K6Yn6uqOrNKc_Kt12j3NvGXX1XakgWf4tdJ5dLee66DwW8FXiVX_oGm5UQ3NOeYatEmitbqc/s1600/IMG_1866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84X8irr_MC1udlrCgFDRGCfVMq7-bjRfw31QFhvibKNIrmERIIf5_3zAMg9IXthRZbO3K6Yn6uqOrNKc_Kt12j3NvGXX1XakgWf4tdJ5dLee66DwW8FXiVX_oGm5UQ3NOeYatEmitbqc/s400/IMG_1866.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The White House</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84X8irr_MC1udlrCgFDRGCfVMq7-bjRfw31QFhvibKNIrmERIIf5_3zAMg9IXthRZbO3K6Yn6uqOrNKc_Kt12j3NvGXX1XakgWf4tdJ5dLee66DwW8FXiVX_oGm5UQ3NOeYatEmitbqc/s1600/IMG_1866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgPzGW6Dioglo0Ezd03VaWreJKOvI0TAoSouwimlQ0DHlQZl5b47asuxMjnZykH-jnQIh4ymEBlLK29d2OFJWcEpdBZWGgRiOEl3HoYTUtgXLabwHf4sN7lbV6FgAPGFbpeS8XZSsrFo/s1600/IMG_1867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgPzGW6Dioglo0Ezd03VaWreJKOvI0TAoSouwimlQ0DHlQZl5b47asuxMjnZykH-jnQIh4ymEBlLK29d2OFJWcEpdBZWGgRiOEl3HoYTUtgXLabwHf4sN7lbV6FgAPGFbpeS8XZSsrFo/s400/IMG_1867.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Very sad - No Obama</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgPzGW6Dioglo0Ezd03VaWreJKOvI0TAoSouwimlQ0DHlQZl5b47asuxMjnZykH-jnQIh4ymEBlLK29d2OFJWcEpdBZWGgRiOEl3HoYTUtgXLabwHf4sN7lbV6FgAPGFbpeS8XZSsrFo/s1600/IMG_1867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq43qRA616zVwBtrLaeEfcUQyyC0LQhi4rVgKcOi3N0ZXJR8NeXBOGzHE6nYfxPaesvpts2XlanpIPX3IIy_qWDL6Oq7mSRu5l9qqVfBC8x81BrzwZ58MPxBfs57wVVcDm3_nA_2KaOuw/s1600/IMG_1874.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq43qRA616zVwBtrLaeEfcUQyyC0LQhi4rVgKcOi3N0ZXJR8NeXBOGzHE6nYfxPaesvpts2XlanpIPX3IIy_qWDL6Oq7mSRu5l9qqVfBC8x81BrzwZ58MPxBfs57wVVcDm3_nA_2KaOuw/s400/IMG_1874.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Capital</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq43qRA616zVwBtrLaeEfcUQyyC0LQhi4rVgKcOi3N0ZXJR8NeXBOGzHE6nYfxPaesvpts2XlanpIPX3IIy_qWDL6Oq7mSRu5l9qqVfBC8x81BrzwZ58MPxBfs57wVVcDm3_nA_2KaOuw/s1600/IMG_1874.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEhsQeovia6P3bWfwXkbW5aFrNWQ1i2qOrGgGO5m07IL_jbEzGIXwN5Oi0vlXcaXLjw8p6GCCl3TyvCEGyUjjArxNwBTqTvv6Qeyp5_iINCrhiKrdentm2lyoGrMX1pZ47H4yhQ_he0WY/s1600/IMG_1876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEhsQeovia6P3bWfwXkbW5aFrNWQ1i2qOrGgGO5m07IL_jbEzGIXwN5Oi0vlXcaXLjw8p6GCCl3TyvCEGyUjjArxNwBTqTvv6Qeyp5_iINCrhiKrdentm2lyoGrMX1pZ47H4yhQ_he0WY/s400/IMG_1876.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Liza being a good Green Rider</div>The Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1084027558231536347.post-27681916519625027822010-06-22T15:53:00.000-07:002010-06-22T15:53:20.300-07:00Brunswick to Washington DC!!!After a horrible night of a high pitched barking dog, hot muggy air and lots of very hungry mosquitos, Catherine, Liza and Albin headed down the last 50 miles of the C&O while I drove into Bethesda where I found Chessa and Randy Lutter's house, got Chessa to agree to ride up the trail to meet the rest of the gang and rode about 10 miles or so up the C&O trail before we all met and cruised back down to Chessa's house where we relaxed and enjoyed air conditioning and showers.<br />
After dinner, we rode 6 miles into Georgetown where we met with a reporter who had responded to an email that Liza had sent out. Janet Donovan was very sweet and seemed like the consummate DC type.<br />
(Whatever that is!) We did a short interview with her and then found a Ben and Jerry's store for our daily ice cream. We were quite the tourist attraction in town and talked to lots of folks who couldn't believe that we had done what we had done. (We can't believe it either!)<br />
We made it home just as it got dark and went to bed exhausted after our bad night and long day.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG0L1bdEH7fWL2z7amfMh95g1Wher9UDdFIoWrL5UH-x5ToWs0fqWMT9CjxkHUSLIsZoVheyMPIjTgyyaREi39aklojEg2PzekNkQ_RuiS02BMsqHdbXvm7c3Q9-GRSvAQd6TFEX3gPyo/s1600/IMG_1838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG0L1bdEH7fWL2z7amfMh95g1Wher9UDdFIoWrL5UH-x5ToWs0fqWMT9CjxkHUSLIsZoVheyMPIjTgyyaREi39aklojEg2PzekNkQ_RuiS02BMsqHdbXvm7c3Q9-GRSvAQd6TFEX3gPyo/s400/IMG_1838.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Heading out for the last days ride</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG0L1bdEH7fWL2z7amfMh95g1Wher9UDdFIoWrL5UH-x5ToWs0fqWMT9CjxkHUSLIsZoVheyMPIjTgyyaREi39aklojEg2PzekNkQ_RuiS02BMsqHdbXvm7c3Q9-GRSvAQd6TFEX3gPyo/s1600/IMG_1838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht59CaAo-n5-R_aLV6n9X0wO1CK93Gm1_8gxk_nvLsRdFZOHEw9CMtCkakOyC7VLEbcjqc3j5t-rv3DXKqu1xHAjkLa5MZ1RyYGoZcCmKbxlDn_dpDrSGGcgNbqbFTnrdhIZYo_biWfPs/s1600/IMG_1841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht59CaAo-n5-R_aLV6n9X0wO1CK93Gm1_8gxk_nvLsRdFZOHEw9CMtCkakOyC7VLEbcjqc3j5t-rv3DXKqu1xHAjkLa5MZ1RyYGoZcCmKbxlDn_dpDrSGGcgNbqbFTnrdhIZYo_biWfPs/s400/IMG_1841.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Two Green Riders fans</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht59CaAo-n5-R_aLV6n9X0wO1CK93Gm1_8gxk_nvLsRdFZOHEw9CMtCkakOyC7VLEbcjqc3j5t-rv3DXKqu1xHAjkLa5MZ1RyYGoZcCmKbxlDn_dpDrSGGcgNbqbFTnrdhIZYo_biWfPs/s1600/IMG_1841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCU-W_KVpL4qGPg8BFbIFYxyBPMSJkhzX-t01DZZ-b_2cAZIhiD6EypUcjKAlW830kA0ra0GrXh9FpMIu6p7_ERqVTZ8Lur-rVirO0CXnd6nijYrHnVW3WHwIUldAUCseSAoO2gnWvxYo/s1600/IMG_1842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCU-W_KVpL4qGPg8BFbIFYxyBPMSJkhzX-t01DZZ-b_2cAZIhiD6EypUcjKAlW830kA0ra0GrXh9FpMIu6p7_ERqVTZ8Lur-rVirO0CXnd6nijYrHnVW3WHwIUldAUCseSAoO2gnWvxYo/s400/IMG_1842.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Great Falls of the Potomac</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCU-W_KVpL4qGPg8BFbIFYxyBPMSJkhzX-t01DZZ-b_2cAZIhiD6EypUcjKAlW830kA0ra0GrXh9FpMIu6p7_ERqVTZ8Lur-rVirO0CXnd6nijYrHnVW3WHwIUldAUCseSAoO2gnWvxYo/s1600/IMG_1842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqxaVuH0eiYAGeJVYliPJsCBgFkfNGErrBPU4mMNYfQt0YUl9k01Vg38A3p_hwMMSYO0DPaVh5WNjOk505qYm2AvqFyZenFavnmpMxcsefvWeoBxxH_PMry9gWgL6FBas4alUs1y4wPU/s1600/IMG_1844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqxaVuH0eiYAGeJVYliPJsCBgFkfNGErrBPU4mMNYfQt0YUl9k01Vg38A3p_hwMMSYO0DPaVh5WNjOk505qYm2AvqFyZenFavnmpMxcsefvWeoBxxH_PMry9gWgL6FBas4alUs1y4wPU/s400/IMG_1844.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">End of the line - almost</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqxaVuH0eiYAGeJVYliPJsCBgFkfNGErrBPU4mMNYfQt0YUl9k01Vg38A3p_hwMMSYO0DPaVh5WNjOk505qYm2AvqFyZenFavnmpMxcsefvWeoBxxH_PMry9gWgL6FBas4alUs1y4wPU/s1600/IMG_1844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlpWJVAQEqqTbdArmABfPG1a0xc1kPfeXQ70dRufDRUMteg2FXKiEozFPKfbEHzz6uhVrFRn5bDf_stGcHcNCnvZ81agbx8H5nhikM_UTpoTujbrcCQ-aKoB9WD1j0ILd08h_CZRsZDE/s1600/IMG_1845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlpWJVAQEqqTbdArmABfPG1a0xc1kPfeXQ70dRufDRUMteg2FXKiEozFPKfbEHzz6uhVrFRn5bDf_stGcHcNCnvZ81agbx8H5nhikM_UTpoTujbrcCQ-aKoB9WD1j0ILd08h_CZRsZDE/s400/IMG_1845.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lock 6 - I couldn't resist</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>The Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1084027558231536347.post-6857696332605646632010-06-21T15:01:00.000-07:002010-06-22T15:21:32.688-07:00Cooper's Rock to BrunswickLast night, our campground neighbors rolled in just as we were eating. They were a couple of "working guys" who looked like they had spent the day on the job. After an awkward moment or two when they confessed their trepidation about being camped next to some "eco-groovies", we got into a very interesting conversation. They are building a coal fired power plant in the area and are very aware of the green movements dislike of the stuff. As we talked, we were able to dissolve some of our prejudices and by the end of the conversation, we were talking about large scale solar, how coal plants can't get financing, how important coal is for jobs and how the politics around energy production is shifting away from unquestioning support of dirty fossil fuels and beginning to favor renewables as the financial system loses interest in fossil fuels and is also beginning to favor renewables.<br />
<div>It was a conversation I would never have imagined had I just seen the two "working guys" on the street. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Our ride today started with a huge downhill run off of Cooper's Rock and then we got into some beautiful riding into Pennsylvania and then into Maryland. Catherine started the day and rode for a couple of hours before giving her bike to Albin. He was pretty sad to have missed some fine riding but within a half an hour he was very happy as the riding got even better. Big rollers with downhills so steep that he got to go over 50 mph!</div><div>At lunch time, we rolled into Frostburg where we jumped on the old railroad line trail that took us to Cumberland. For some reason we got lucky again and had 15 miles of downhill on a perfectly even grade with a tailwind. We basically sat on our bikes and watched the scenery go by.<br />
I got my taste of coal when I was passed by the coal powered steam engine, that runs tourists around, just before it went into a tunnel. I rode into the tunnel, thinking I could hold my breath and get through but the tunnel was plugged up with coal smoke and I couldn't see a thing. I had to move at a crawl getting through the tunnel and came out coughing and sputtering from the irritation caused by the coal smoke.<br />
Very disgusting.<br />
<br />
In Cumberland, we made the decision to portage down the C&O trail and arrive in DC a day early so that we could be tourists for a day. Finding a campsite was a huge ordeal but we finally found a pretty spot along the Potomac where we were able to swim and enjoy a great firefly show.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGaolMZIRDNbwmljTg23UWOpKtTqP9RCbhBf70GyClC98H1SaQQI0eSrvvO-7YYfr8SexrWZtrITr_hVH9gj4Ht1LCjxjyQWlLNq_WpFrsofrW07Vq9Mom1WRGjjE-baHEYA1deWHLqg/s1600/IMG_1810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGaolMZIRDNbwmljTg23UWOpKtTqP9RCbhBf70GyClC98H1SaQQI0eSrvvO-7YYfr8SexrWZtrITr_hVH9gj4Ht1LCjxjyQWlLNq_WpFrsofrW07Vq9Mom1WRGjjE-baHEYA1deWHLqg/s400/IMG_1810.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">3 states in one day!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGaolMZIRDNbwmljTg23UWOpKtTqP9RCbhBf70GyClC98H1SaQQI0eSrvvO-7YYfr8SexrWZtrITr_hVH9gj4Ht1LCjxjyQWlLNq_WpFrsofrW07Vq9Mom1WRGjjE-baHEYA1deWHLqg/s1600/IMG_1810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCTmQDe7prwxnhXjGHJmKBfTFIe_JblGgo3fq6VdvTHW8HA9Yb5KzYwSHx2dxw3AjcSG169bSmOFFYVAoZdLXEnTpJEk0RWkSzXXflUS32EoSwgrD7X07cXVhBS3lidvSkAZAQ7aQrao/s1600/IMG_1822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCTmQDe7prwxnhXjGHJmKBfTFIe_JblGgo3fq6VdvTHW8HA9Yb5KzYwSHx2dxw3AjcSG169bSmOFFYVAoZdLXEnTpJEk0RWkSzXXflUS32EoSwgrD7X07cXVhBS3lidvSkAZAQ7aQrao/s400/IMG_1822.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A big day for mileage milestones as well</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCTmQDe7prwxnhXjGHJmKBfTFIe_JblGgo3fq6VdvTHW8HA9Yb5KzYwSHx2dxw3AjcSG169bSmOFFYVAoZdLXEnTpJEk0RWkSzXXflUS32EoSwgrD7X07cXVhBS3lidvSkAZAQ7aQrao/s1600/IMG_1822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0wbE0LVOuhwLyMAUsFA9nHBpVeHSyADTNTDxO6QpOMTsU4tuknWZcKgtaY5q8sfGS3Lq9Ns2QINW-n6URmy1iM9RPhSXco7JZfZ6I5MiTrfX_0gAhCLmNjbd7HuQOtHFwA_cawKsRYwg/s1600/IMG_1823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0wbE0LVOuhwLyMAUsFA9nHBpVeHSyADTNTDxO6QpOMTsU4tuknWZcKgtaY5q8sfGS3Lq9Ns2QINW-n6URmy1iM9RPhSXco7JZfZ6I5MiTrfX_0gAhCLmNjbd7HuQOtHFwA_cawKsRYwg/s400/IMG_1823.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So happy</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0wbE0LVOuhwLyMAUsFA9nHBpVeHSyADTNTDxO6QpOMTsU4tuknWZcKgtaY5q8sfGS3Lq9Ns2QINW-n6URmy1iM9RPhSXco7JZfZ6I5MiTrfX_0gAhCLmNjbd7HuQOtHFwA_cawKsRYwg/s1600/IMG_1823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3e0xjOcZqRtt-sPHFZTgkN9dNl7Jz5RboDPgKGFbpmwviCOn-xngGDYhjR-6L_n9EEZBZLSq3Y3BXJJpEJsD5OG0K98e5-W2fRLSCgY8U_HBryKnOk3uePpCu6fd9-S2mWiX3N4cRxk/s1600/IMG_1824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3e0xjOcZqRtt-sPHFZTgkN9dNl7Jz5RboDPgKGFbpmwviCOn-xngGDYhjR-6L_n9EEZBZLSq3Y3BXJJpEJsD5OG0K98e5-W2fRLSCgY8U_HBryKnOk3uePpCu6fd9-S2mWiX3N4cRxk/s400/IMG_1824.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Liza wanted to ride 100 miles today but only got 78</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3e0xjOcZqRtt-sPHFZTgkN9dNl7Jz5RboDPgKGFbpmwviCOn-xngGDYhjR-6L_n9EEZBZLSq3Y3BXJJpEJsD5OG0K98e5-W2fRLSCgY8U_HBryKnOk3uePpCu6fd9-S2mWiX3N4cRxk/s1600/IMG_1824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip7hUQQlaNclKydATguGwf89WCD8i5S989r1FI9WK8LSQR3_xz15ZPK-5ze6szilPcdNNWjnA70vkyefYJgsboB2txXMnZ6dPZvZ67C1Y4z2s8ZE8dewhZJEFT5oW8W-tUD8Kwo_q48UI/s1600/IMG_1830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip7hUQQlaNclKydATguGwf89WCD8i5S989r1FI9WK8LSQR3_xz15ZPK-5ze6szilPcdNNWjnA70vkyefYJgsboB2txXMnZ6dPZvZ67C1Y4z2s8ZE8dewhZJEFT5oW8W-tUD8Kwo_q48UI/s400/IMG_1830.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Coal demon</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip7hUQQlaNclKydATguGwf89WCD8i5S989r1FI9WK8LSQR3_xz15ZPK-5ze6szilPcdNNWjnA70vkyefYJgsboB2txXMnZ6dPZvZ67C1Y4z2s8ZE8dewhZJEFT5oW8W-tUD8Kwo_q48UI/s1600/IMG_1830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8I57DUkKzV9oiCoKywmE9dnUwn74iFGr2shuXeDetbubQKaHAKeidh3ryG6Tcfl2ENDidUla6FbzMKRm3ICW2FHJbcd6VLABxYMKdE8tH1kAvOdkZQgRCp1YYxsnNWB8-2L5c_oY1A4/s1600/IMG_1833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8I57DUkKzV9oiCoKywmE9dnUwn74iFGr2shuXeDetbubQKaHAKeidh3ryG6Tcfl2ENDidUla6FbzMKRm3ICW2FHJbcd6VLABxYMKdE8tH1kAvOdkZQgRCp1YYxsnNWB8-2L5c_oY1A4/s400/IMG_1833.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On the Potomac</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8I57DUkKzV9oiCoKywmE9dnUwn74iFGr2shuXeDetbubQKaHAKeidh3ryG6Tcfl2ENDidUla6FbzMKRm3ICW2FHJbcd6VLABxYMKdE8tH1kAvOdkZQgRCp1YYxsnNWB8-2L5c_oY1A4/s1600/IMG_1833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwJTIZLALg-paopDpoPJ4r20MA6HT4XQRhxkK3fBr5PJba20Uzjc7uGpdeBmE3ci2SOPDRDWJ0DUexKZOxxwKoa51aC7amwXW4LfvYGMXg4BjsyjoN1_Vq4e6W4YH2d22h0ZnrJa1VeH4/s1600/IMG_1835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwJTIZLALg-paopDpoPJ4r20MA6HT4XQRhxkK3fBr5PJba20Uzjc7uGpdeBmE3ci2SOPDRDWJ0DUexKZOxxwKoa51aC7amwXW4LfvYGMXg4BjsyjoN1_Vq4e6W4YH2d22h0ZnrJa1VeH4/s400/IMG_1835.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Balancing tent poles - Zen and the art of setting up a tent</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwJTIZLALg-paopDpoPJ4r20MA6HT4XQRhxkK3fBr5PJba20Uzjc7uGpdeBmE3ci2SOPDRDWJ0DUexKZOxxwKoa51aC7amwXW4LfvYGMXg4BjsyjoN1_Vq4e6W4YH2d22h0ZnrJa1VeH4/s1600/IMG_1835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_B4acmPIDnoD9aSdtsSdLgQG399sn4Vyfob_TMpRapBY2YGTIzDOI9QtucV15k2rTwxalugNbGrc89LfrRWgs-Q7sW8EvTfStuaarn3q38hNc-43Ar7kpjbHWFjFspwGA2_vAj0cxdA/s1600/IMG_1837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_B4acmPIDnoD9aSdtsSdLgQG399sn4Vyfob_TMpRapBY2YGTIzDOI9QtucV15k2rTwxalugNbGrc89LfrRWgs-Q7sW8EvTfStuaarn3q38hNc-43Ar7kpjbHWFjFspwGA2_vAj0cxdA/s400/IMG_1837.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our last dinner before DC</div> </div>The Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1084027558231536347.post-56239664699213700932010-06-21T06:04:00.000-07:002010-06-21T06:04:11.859-07:00Morgantown to Coopers Rocks via Auto Repair<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Catherine's first blog!!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Our last visit with a “sustainability<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>hero” was really a grand finale. After our night at the ice rink in Morgantown we went to see Paul Brown, a professor from WVU who has retrofitted his house to make it almost self sufficient with water and electricity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He drives an electric car which he charges with the solar electricity from his roof. The same solar panels that cover the entire southern roof supply 95% of his electricity needs. Water catchment from the roof supply water that is treated to make it potable. It is stored in two large insulated tanks in the basement, one for cold and one for hot water. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The catchment tanks were built in the basement out of the Styrofoam blocks designed to be used for building foundations. A great solution to figuring out how to get a pre built tank into an existing basement. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hot water is heated by solar energy as well. He showed us around the house and the basement explaining simply and clearly how everything worked so even I understood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What impressed me most was that his strong commitment to saving the planet guides all his life choices. He even has the courage to be running for the state legislature to work for green legislation. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We talked about the radical changes needed if the earth is to survive and the fact that the oil that is still spewing into the Gulf may have already 'tipped’ us over the edge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not a happy thought. </div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m not under the illusion that our riding electric bikes across the country is going to help with these huge problems so I was delighted meet Paul who has the commitment to fight for meaningful changes in the government if he gets elected. </div><div class="MsoNormal">We contributed to his campaign.</div><div class="MsoNormal">The rest of the day turned into a lot of driving since the van was not running well and the only Sprinter dealer was in Clarksburg, about an hour away. It turned out to be a burst hose and the repair was free because the van is still under warrantee. </div><div class="MsoNormal">We started biking across Highway 50 heading east, but we met some people who said that it is very dangerous, and we did not want to repeat yesterday's horrible experience. So we loaded up and headed back towards Morgantown. </div><div class="MsoNormal">We also met the people that are biking across country on normal bikes in six days, and one of their support people offered us ice cream!</div><div class="MsoNormal">Finally, we made it to a campground near Coopers Rock and, after settling in, went for a bike ride down to the awesome climbing and views that they have there! It was really a fun way to end an otherwise frustrating afternoon.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRtDtIUwIdyeV76adnqFH7CBOaS1bwi20EhOtvVYFamC1Pb_0_xkk-iR5G_SokJbjjrqFS-k47tnTfsfx0N6ws8gAT7G-9ahtZfYpikd8TQxLbbjh3O7BDCAPzdtz8si0O-OXXZMBEF0A/s1600/IMG_1786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRtDtIUwIdyeV76adnqFH7CBOaS1bwi20EhOtvVYFamC1Pb_0_xkk-iR5G_SokJbjjrqFS-k47tnTfsfx0N6ws8gAT7G-9ahtZfYpikd8TQxLbbjh3O7BDCAPzdtz8si0O-OXXZMBEF0A/s400/IMG_1786.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our kind of political slogan</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7qo0pFuIGbntJtVD_FM_Jj1kOcA0k9wiGesbsBdBVg_Rr1irBj_CTKErI35eSOtukLSyqnnJX19TO6adzTM9Q3rbYmIRrUaoGgAmQAUwzWfO_p57WTsu6j5VtgmoM-TcWfaa-PpAOPA/s1600/IMG_1775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7qo0pFuIGbntJtVD_FM_Jj1kOcA0k9wiGesbsBdBVg_Rr1irBj_CTKErI35eSOtukLSyqnnJX19TO6adzTM9Q3rbYmIRrUaoGgAmQAUwzWfO_p57WTsu6j5VtgmoM-TcWfaa-PpAOPA/s400/IMG_1775.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Famous Green Riders in Morgantown</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFB7JSbGxpY0OepfkPcjITCXKQqamlk_StLDQ5Y7jbT7u_tsviBcsDvVaIUB56-s-tu6xgYyCCSeQ8it9u-HyJOrlSOOEroT6IsBn2_Nnn7OZMGAAcA41lXTo_gDTwBnOqtzsSvtOjPo/s1600/IMG_1779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFB7JSbGxpY0OepfkPcjITCXKQqamlk_StLDQ5Y7jbT7u_tsviBcsDvVaIUB56-s-tu6xgYyCCSeQ8it9u-HyJOrlSOOEroT6IsBn2_Nnn7OZMGAAcA41lXTo_gDTwBnOqtzsSvtOjPo/s400/IMG_1779.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Paul Brown's very cool house</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgspjPCnD3kaQ5elgmr8DTyN3lcX8mdDabPXXoe-_nS6aSGdsXmTOQB5wYkdBF_Y0xcHp0CRCLHRgVYmFLxsrYR7_iX6MHlDPFDZAZFVayIee4R2hk0oGJ5ZJ3SKJWO8uAndPpsIdSt6q0/s1600/IMG_1781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgspjPCnD3kaQ5elgmr8DTyN3lcX8mdDabPXXoe-_nS6aSGdsXmTOQB5wYkdBF_Y0xcHp0CRCLHRgVYmFLxsrYR7_iX6MHlDPFDZAZFVayIee4R2hk0oGJ5ZJ3SKJWO8uAndPpsIdSt6q0/s400/IMG_1781.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Checking out the Zenn electric car</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs2Lo6Xc4LrJkXQZjQLOuGRT-NwfjEt78ZdOtgz6uT2OXKkmvTVhEcHkN5zMGLt6s9FdBZEz-qSecl58qJtEJL_idTs7e98GnJAA7C4LFz0__8I3387eWuvKiSC3Zs42PtZDRY5FOQVcQ/s1600/IMG_1797.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs2Lo6Xc4LrJkXQZjQLOuGRT-NwfjEt78ZdOtgz6uT2OXKkmvTVhEcHkN5zMGLt6s9FdBZEz-qSecl58qJtEJL_idTs7e98GnJAA7C4LFz0__8I3387eWuvKiSC3Zs42PtZDRY5FOQVcQ/s400/IMG_1797.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cooper's Rocks<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpC3XYkGmAU9zIa9QIwInuGHu-t-dmdHXIZL6_fkgAtsT8ZbszLP7bZw9i3t5PrEPthUknvd8reRZhYQw1yQf8-sUwiaqMhtSc3cZ039GZEJqHf38jc9z9QQ_lvIwOoNc7q9NaMXPIwlc/s1600/IMG_1804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpC3XYkGmAU9zIa9QIwInuGHu-t-dmdHXIZL6_fkgAtsT8ZbszLP7bZw9i3t5PrEPthUknvd8reRZhYQw1yQf8-sUwiaqMhtSc3cZ039GZEJqHf38jc9z9QQ_lvIwOoNc7q9NaMXPIwlc/s400/IMG_1804.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"> Spider Man</div><!--EndFragment-->The Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1084027558231536347.post-19883143272683213242010-06-20T18:59:00.000-07:002010-06-20T19:01:36.884-07:00NEW VIDEOS!!!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;">Check out our latest videos!! There is the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H765wZD0i6I">music video teaser</a> and the video from <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWScN0ArHuo">an event in Ohio</a>. </span></span> <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE-5guFioVgZFbihpTW0ISe_FUgOUKnFqs7jBZaAB7aZ7SnhVI2585-TvFNKU-odXVP1Lp4BJcja733YmSCToyvGdL9XhR8k4NsS6IETomwGbm4pnApRiYQKEvhdxBvbLHvSM3wHLKFOs/s1600/IMG_1789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE-5guFioVgZFbihpTW0ISe_FUgOUKnFqs7jBZaAB7aZ7SnhVI2585-TvFNKU-odXVP1Lp4BJcja733YmSCToyvGdL9XhR8k4NsS6IETomwGbm4pnApRiYQKEvhdxBvbLHvSM3wHLKFOs/s320/IMG_1789.JPG" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br />
</span></span>The Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1084027558231536347.post-73589821261787331492010-06-20T13:12:00.000-07:002010-06-20T13:12:47.665-07:00Into Morgantown -<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br />
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<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">After morning farming chores, we hopped on our bikes and headed towards Morgantown. The first few miles were wonderful and then we hit Highway 7. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">What a disaster!</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Narrow, fast, windy road with lots of huge trucks going way too fast. Catherine drove while the three of us "white-knuckled" our way into Morgantown. Liza and Albin will add their comments to this blog about the harrowing ride.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We spent the afternoon with the media. Reporters from both the local paper and the local TV outlet joined us at NIck's "office" where we talked and rode around for a couple of hours. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Link to TV spot - http://wboy.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=81617</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Nick's 'office' is called "Positive Spin" and he has done an amazing job organizing bicycle parts that he gets from various sources. He builds bikes and lets people who are interested come in and work at one of the three bicycle stations that he has set up. The level of organization and the attention to detail really impressed me. For people interested in setting up a bicycle recycling program, it would be very worthwhile to check out Nick's project http://www.positivespin.org/home2/. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Afterwards, we enjoyed our almost daily ice cream before going to the library for our evening event where we presented our story to the Morgantown "green team".</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">After dinner, we headed up to the ice skating arena where the Morgantown Parks and Recreation Department allowed us to sleep in the arena. It's the biggest room I have ever slept in!!</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Liza -</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">"The stupid coal truck drivers who tried to kill me made me hate coal even more! I almost died! After riding the '7' I felt I had narrowly escaped death, because I had!"</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Albin-</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">"Other than the people driving like maniacs, the ride would have been fun. Drivers don't know how to act around bicycle riders. We should throw them on a bicycle for a day and see how they like it!"</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Catherine - </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">"I was glad I was driving but even I was scared when there were ten coal trucks stacked up behind me."</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh87OWiNlYOlQGpqev4cpnJMqjNahpN9SAMtjt42XOzyZnPnaVhbCBpqMqOqQCCI5DJh3wUf3olY8-18N9DNa5Rw2PofKtnx3XwNWqlzybtZDY9wln2ZrqSst-tOw_7Gad0ZmqKoEFvdwY/s1600/IMG_1743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh87OWiNlYOlQGpqev4cpnJMqjNahpN9SAMtjt42XOzyZnPnaVhbCBpqMqOqQCCI5DJh3wUf3olY8-18N9DNa5Rw2PofKtnx3XwNWqlzybtZDY9wln2ZrqSst-tOw_7Gad0ZmqKoEFvdwY/s400/IMG_1743.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">TV reporter taking a test spin. Check out the shoes!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh87OWiNlYOlQGpqev4cpnJMqjNahpN9SAMtjt42XOzyZnPnaVhbCBpqMqOqQCCI5DJh3wUf3olY8-18N9DNa5Rw2PofKtnx3XwNWqlzybtZDY9wln2ZrqSst-tOw_7Gad0ZmqKoEFvdwY/s1600/IMG_1743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6nVHft4dKmkEuqdLEglxfEBQDpNk_lgVjAw4I30jQu_u7RuWnSXlZTFEaD85_aBjUFqH4rCWHqcF0MYhFukiqOJ5ctz2RmxJJGRwmH8aOjCmpGMXb8bUfB8S_04V94obBf_ooMnn3Pio/s1600/IMG_1746.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6nVHft4dKmkEuqdLEglxfEBQDpNk_lgVjAw4I30jQu_u7RuWnSXlZTFEaD85_aBjUFqH4rCWHqcF0MYhFukiqOJ5ctz2RmxJJGRwmH8aOjCmpGMXb8bUfB8S_04V94obBf_ooMnn3Pio/s400/IMG_1746.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Talk about organization !!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6nVHft4dKmkEuqdLEglxfEBQDpNk_lgVjAw4I30jQu_u7RuWnSXlZTFEaD85_aBjUFqH4rCWHqcF0MYhFukiqOJ5ctz2RmxJJGRwmH8aOjCmpGMXb8bUfB8S_04V94obBf_ooMnn3Pio/s1600/IMG_1746.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrtTXqWrPHIn447EEh_2SjwnXk9s8bBCs3NA0ZBEBWc6RcayQG6DWlnQOFEgkyGHFJ4eW8R3lb5u70UGPf7AiVoYSBQD9iM3f-m7NnTLCwpuwslaJwe3Mfw4YALUORtOGfbzaIJ34hd0/s1600/IMG_1749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrtTXqWrPHIn447EEh_2SjwnXk9s8bBCs3NA0ZBEBWc6RcayQG6DWlnQOFEgkyGHFJ4eW8R3lb5u70UGPf7AiVoYSBQD9iM3f-m7NnTLCwpuwslaJwe3Mfw4YALUORtOGfbzaIJ34hd0/s400/IMG_1749.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One of three identical work stations</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrtTXqWrPHIn447EEh_2SjwnXk9s8bBCs3NA0ZBEBWc6RcayQG6DWlnQOFEgkyGHFJ4eW8R3lb5u70UGPf7AiVoYSBQD9iM3f-m7NnTLCwpuwslaJwe3Mfw4YALUORtOGfbzaIJ34hd0/s1600/IMG_1749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEito9qBWKMUzZebp9X93f0tcOnIsXID2UUT0Q23HjDtPL3P6HDIjHpyuOGRPq-s0Ep0WPHYTUyjCbiHpvLbPCec7LYRlP3voodYCXKGvVQXjofL0aucrLKIQhUhxyX754KNe43B4rZuafY/s1600/IMG_1758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEito9qBWKMUzZebp9X93f0tcOnIsXID2UUT0Q23HjDtPL3P6HDIjHpyuOGRPq-s0Ep0WPHYTUyjCbiHpvLbPCec7LYRlP3voodYCXKGvVQXjofL0aucrLKIQhUhxyX754KNe43B4rZuafY/s400/IMG_1758.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Morgantown Graffiti </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEito9qBWKMUzZebp9X93f0tcOnIsXID2UUT0Q23HjDtPL3P6HDIjHpyuOGRPq-s0Ep0WPHYTUyjCbiHpvLbPCec7LYRlP3voodYCXKGvVQXjofL0aucrLKIQhUhxyX754KNe43B4rZuafY/s1600/IMG_1758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LIoB4BhehjD_AhCzeQ1r4X1LJbfWHqxMhWlqlHRGPw0MdVLGfRCvuzk15QTXsczAsX-SArVlThqt_1du2zEiEokm2fefTh1BVhCmNhaijY8EueapHnQkW_o9-QO0bDJseXf34ZPfc_4/s1600/IMG_1767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LIoB4BhehjD_AhCzeQ1r4X1LJbfWHqxMhWlqlHRGPw0MdVLGfRCvuzk15QTXsczAsX-SArVlThqt_1du2zEiEokm2fefTh1BVhCmNhaijY8EueapHnQkW_o9-QO0bDJseXf34ZPfc_4/s400/IMG_1767.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Green Riders down by the river</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LIoB4BhehjD_AhCzeQ1r4X1LJbfWHqxMhWlqlHRGPw0MdVLGfRCvuzk15QTXsczAsX-SArVlThqt_1du2zEiEokm2fefTh1BVhCmNhaijY8EueapHnQkW_o9-QO0bDJseXf34ZPfc_4/s1600/IMG_1767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KYtfiokDF_mNjOdGVei1iO-PbcSXBgwWNoLeEKHebSTW8RMgtaHlpvgj8nla-Mc91Y7Tg5piKUZqLzDUoTGYMjteCQ5QyxvouHd_9HJ9zmeeB0ZvZtinOmr9fMFx9Px3I1Axkf3J-oI/s1600/IMG_1772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KYtfiokDF_mNjOdGVei1iO-PbcSXBgwWNoLeEKHebSTW8RMgtaHlpvgj8nla-Mc91Y7Tg5piKUZqLzDUoTGYMjteCQ5QyxvouHd_9HJ9zmeeB0ZvZtinOmr9fMFx9Px3I1Axkf3J-oI/s400/IMG_1772.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our "bedroom"</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><br />
</span></span></div>The Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1084027558231536347.post-59898973858809472642010-06-18T18:50:00.000-07:002010-06-18T18:50:33.718-07:00Wolf Run Campground, Ohio to a small farm 26 miles west of Morgantown WV-<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Albin and Liza took the first driving shift so that Catherine and I could get a chance to ride together again. We headed out after an active weather night on very fine windy county roads. Unfortunately, we took a wrong turn and added about 15 miles to our day - whoops.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">After a while, Catherine went back to her position behind the wheel and I took the two "kids" further on down the road . . . and what a road it was. Probably some of the finest road along our route. Steep, windy, great pavement, wonderful views of rolling hills and almost no traffic. The road ended at the Ohio RIver where we met Catherine who had prepared a fine lunch. We sat along the river at a locks and watched coal barges full of the nasty stuff floating down the river towards their toxic, combustive fate.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">On the technical side, it turned out that when Albin and I regreased the motors on the recumbents, we used the wrong kind of grease. (We used the grease we had which is a high pressure grease.) I talked to the folks at Eco Speed who built the drive system we are using and was informed that we need to use a non high pressure grease. So the plan for the afternoon included tearing the motors part again, cleaning and regreasing the gears and putting in the right kind of grease.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Albin wanted more riding so while Catherine, Liza and I bought grease and ate ice cream in New Martinsville, WV, Albin headed up the road towards the farm where our Morgantown host Nick Hein had invited us to the small farm that he is caretaking for some friends.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We picked up Albin and drove into the farm where we were greeted by lots of dogs, cats, ducks, chickens, goats and a sweet cow named Lucy.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We regreased the gears on both the motors and they are running very quietly now. Just as we finished, Nick arrived and we spend an very enjoyable evening milking goats and getting to know NIck and a young friend, Zack, he brought out to help with the farm chores. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Another great day on the road!</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFpaeA2lY_rYOKKike58P0CP58TqNJ9-m68pkNMT_cXzOwZNGjQmx5KVsDhy4gJj2caqaEa7hOdrYIlaKiJ7YO-tiCDWpo_Kx6spersqDo5ww13MJ8ULHZ1VilN8nGWyCJQdLnA0fohg/s1600/IMG_1678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFpaeA2lY_rYOKKike58P0CP58TqNJ9-m68pkNMT_cXzOwZNGjQmx5KVsDhy4gJj2caqaEa7hOdrYIlaKiJ7YO-tiCDWpo_Kx6spersqDo5ww13MJ8ULHZ1VilN8nGWyCJQdLnA0fohg/s400/IMG_1678.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Southeast Ohio - Very nice!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFpaeA2lY_rYOKKike58P0CP58TqNJ9-m68pkNMT_cXzOwZNGjQmx5KVsDhy4gJj2caqaEa7hOdrYIlaKiJ7YO-tiCDWpo_Kx6spersqDo5ww13MJ8ULHZ1VilN8nGWyCJQdLnA0fohg/s1600/IMG_1678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_DXM4t_WrZIaJDKpJC9uaQEy38AP_BGAtwdGdhV3fNBGv1fja6dGP6qlGi4w9ZgchIR9lk0OCgmJr3T0XXgID9H8QnUzz3WsWfMv3dVQJBS47Hy1kKBkkUdAyihLqZ6KBrGnyXDIkijk/s1600/IMG_1683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_DXM4t_WrZIaJDKpJC9uaQEy38AP_BGAtwdGdhV3fNBGv1fja6dGP6qlGi4w9ZgchIR9lk0OCgmJr3T0XXgID9H8QnUzz3WsWfMv3dVQJBS47Hy1kKBkkUdAyihLqZ6KBrGnyXDIkijk/s400/IMG_1683.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Strange signs and a leak</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_DXM4t_WrZIaJDKpJC9uaQEy38AP_BGAtwdGdhV3fNBGv1fja6dGP6qlGi4w9ZgchIR9lk0OCgmJr3T0XXgID9H8QnUzz3WsWfMv3dVQJBS47Hy1kKBkkUdAyihLqZ6KBrGnyXDIkijk/s1600/IMG_1683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84TzQc6D20cqdZ5mn_CH5Sq9yjbN4_9PabssCExwUXstbLkNxI1n4tuqa0b0BuF1EtmQzMOxnlryEhkrsLJ_FG80agyJ38ksoD6ne_Ue4BHNa1grkd9rfD6cAlK10Pbwd1WkcUR7O_9s/s1600/IMG_1684.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84TzQc6D20cqdZ5mn_CH5Sq9yjbN4_9PabssCExwUXstbLkNxI1n4tuqa0b0BuF1EtmQzMOxnlryEhkrsLJ_FG80agyJ38ksoD6ne_Ue4BHNa1grkd9rfD6cAlK10Pbwd1WkcUR7O_9s/s400/IMG_1684.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We love these signs!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84TzQc6D20cqdZ5mn_CH5Sq9yjbN4_9PabssCExwUXstbLkNxI1n4tuqa0b0BuF1EtmQzMOxnlryEhkrsLJ_FG80agyJ38ksoD6ne_Ue4BHNa1grkd9rfD6cAlK10Pbwd1WkcUR7O_9s/s1600/IMG_1684.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNpX6SUXGNmlD2nQm5NlBKpidu6njwJjEqQGeUTBC7MLgfV0IJSUhU1yDgPFBuDWKj42iMugoaQ1uGTPXTIKdVRyFvYhpqHYH_rlRlD_y_5dKGTpBQL3hPd5tNYI5o5NnzsidViYCzhzA/s1600/IMG_1685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNpX6SUXGNmlD2nQm5NlBKpidu6njwJjEqQGeUTBC7MLgfV0IJSUhU1yDgPFBuDWKj42iMugoaQ1uGTPXTIKdVRyFvYhpqHYH_rlRlD_y_5dKGTpBQL3hPd5tNYI5o5NnzsidViYCzhzA/s400/IMG_1685.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Taggin'</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNpX6SUXGNmlD2nQm5NlBKpidu6njwJjEqQGeUTBC7MLgfV0IJSUhU1yDgPFBuDWKj42iMugoaQ1uGTPXTIKdVRyFvYhpqHYH_rlRlD_y_5dKGTpBQL3hPd5tNYI5o5NnzsidViYCzhzA/s1600/IMG_1685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzoFGejr7lGlhyBu0d51Bu1nzcmQWR4XB_OrOXNdH2UnU1psDZRRmz29RJY9M2Xh3P-GOBFEoNy0mEQfaxc5l581EPQgR3YLmltSR3TMXxWJQhIfXXZGkZ9opMHpmPPWnOtKsE9bS0Mc/s1600/IMG_1695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzoFGejr7lGlhyBu0d51Bu1nzcmQWR4XB_OrOXNdH2UnU1psDZRRmz29RJY9M2Xh3P-GOBFEoNy0mEQfaxc5l581EPQgR3YLmltSR3TMXxWJQhIfXXZGkZ9opMHpmPPWnOtKsE9bS0Mc/s400/IMG_1695.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">King coal and ice cream</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzoFGejr7lGlhyBu0d51Bu1nzcmQWR4XB_OrOXNdH2UnU1psDZRRmz29RJY9M2Xh3P-GOBFEoNy0mEQfaxc5l581EPQgR3YLmltSR3TMXxWJQhIfXXZGkZ9opMHpmPPWnOtKsE9bS0Mc/s1600/IMG_1695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVy4LNHVej1dQlUWJMHsX2UAjhr2WVarYi1lBGtfrUV4SPpO2lZ1x5fbgGtKPmQ54hsQ7SpFtq97PsOrrP2ZfnfhJ27CD-Dnr-6IwKz3QMbH8sPz1bnpMbMaYZyHI43i8MqL1jt2L7iws/s1600/IMG_1700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVy4LNHVej1dQlUWJMHsX2UAjhr2WVarYi1lBGtfrUV4SPpO2lZ1x5fbgGtKPmQ54hsQ7SpFtq97PsOrrP2ZfnfhJ27CD-Dnr-6IwKz3QMbH8sPz1bnpMbMaYZyHI43i8MqL1jt2L7iws/s400/IMG_1700.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our welcoming committee at the farm</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVy4LNHVej1dQlUWJMHsX2UAjhr2WVarYi1lBGtfrUV4SPpO2lZ1x5fbgGtKPmQ54hsQ7SpFtq97PsOrrP2ZfnfhJ27CD-Dnr-6IwKz3QMbH8sPz1bnpMbMaYZyHI43i8MqL1jt2L7iws/s1600/IMG_1700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_OMzPBMDFNdEyQqf1h-qPvXuUKvrd4NaT7gFHbYYA8gyPNhizCRKCH5yPkLTKZKwkL0b-hGZQ82NR6jVHxkAq_hoGt7IhbZ26VuZl374-Nio6f5191UHTksealDzR6bBXBKqIZ58iNfo/s1600/IMG_1724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_OMzPBMDFNdEyQqf1h-qPvXuUKvrd4NaT7gFHbYYA8gyPNhizCRKCH5yPkLTKZKwkL0b-hGZQ82NR6jVHxkAq_hoGt7IhbZ26VuZl374-Nio6f5191UHTksealDzR6bBXBKqIZ58iNfo/s400/IMG_1724.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Bonding over an udder</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_OMzPBMDFNdEyQqf1h-qPvXuUKvrd4NaT7gFHbYYA8gyPNhizCRKCH5yPkLTKZKwkL0b-hGZQ82NR6jVHxkAq_hoGt7IhbZ26VuZl374-Nio6f5191UHTksealDzR6bBXBKqIZ58iNfo/s1600/IMG_1724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLBstGsrN7okg4yQWlwfcgVoZNeNx04C8VcaJpKBrgFV-OqRKp6xgMeQPIcdndxggnbejcQ1ZSj25KGuNGBj5Fo-j_9VXMyV7b6FJWwopfdM6m9CsdSgTvVunndd7JNn3yutlj8RX4iM/s1600/IMG_1735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLBstGsrN7okg4yQWlwfcgVoZNeNx04C8VcaJpKBrgFV-OqRKp6xgMeQPIcdndxggnbejcQ1ZSj25KGuNGBj5Fo-j_9VXMyV7b6FJWwopfdM6m9CsdSgTvVunndd7JNn3yutlj8RX4iM/s400/IMG_1735.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Liza milking Lucy</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div>The Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1084027558231536347.post-65478140951222964652010-06-17T04:57:00.000-07:002010-06-17T04:57:41.116-07:00Springfield Illinois - Columbus, Ohio<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Our last day with Michael on the road was as delightful as the first two. Again we had a tailwind and "knocked out" the final 38 miles in no time.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We arrived at Michael's friends house Steve and EIleen around noon, spend a relaxing afternoon together before heading off to our bike shop event at 5.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Bicycle One is a family owned shop and the owner has been in the business for over 35 years. They also carry a very extensive selection of recumbents so we tried some other molds during our visit. Steve, Eileen and Michael all joined us so we brought our own crowd. There wash's a lot of people who showed up but the bikes did get used a lot by store employees/sons and we had a good time telling stories and listening to tales of life in Columbus.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We were lucky enough to meet Denny Oswald who probably knows as much about recumbents as anybody. IT was great talking to him and he really enjoyed seeing our rigs. He thought we were trying to sell them so he was giving us ideas about how to make them more marketable. When I explained that we are doing this for our education and for the education of people we meet, Denny quickly understood and agreed that selling products is a whole different activity that isn't the only way to bring new ideas into the world. When I told him I wasn't interested in running a business, he got it immediately.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">After the event we went back to Steve and Eileen's and enjoyed the comforts of air conditioning, a real sit down meal and even some World Cup soccer! </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It is sad to be leaving Michael behind but I think he really had a lot of fun for the short time that he was able to join us for. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Steve and Eileen were wonderful hosts and we really enjoyed the comfort and hospitality that they showed us. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLAqXS3LsFFFIo5aSi70hXuBmKJJBSwHp_MgwvVkk3151r-3z9vm85B0osvZxMFZ3HJmB3f0Oq58Pmf2Vu-BwSbrqRf1jwngOSjvTOaAVodr-0rkzI2bGIxaco2VXvl250jwIykcbOaeU/s1600/IMG_1653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLAqXS3LsFFFIo5aSi70hXuBmKJJBSwHp_MgwvVkk3151r-3z9vm85B0osvZxMFZ3HJmB3f0Oq58Pmf2Vu-BwSbrqRf1jwngOSjvTOaAVodr-0rkzI2bGIxaco2VXvl250jwIykcbOaeU/s400/IMG_1653.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Steve Brock and Michael deciding where to get a beer</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLAqXS3LsFFFIo5aSi70hXuBmKJJBSwHp_MgwvVkk3151r-3z9vm85B0osvZxMFZ3HJmB3f0Oq58Pmf2Vu-BwSbrqRf1jwngOSjvTOaAVodr-0rkzI2bGIxaco2VXvl250jwIykcbOaeU/s1600/IMG_1653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie77arz_93k1q1a1K6hSsxm9h4xCrhOae_ftHHqZo5lEyjSoogzO1zbREtK8RWe301RqIRvcm9Hb-KSiy7eadMt-i6vnEgwoqDheBWl7QtBl3mA4PQu2E1jXgXXxrEki8I3up2vuWza6o/s1600/IMG_1658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie77arz_93k1q1a1K6hSsxm9h4xCrhOae_ftHHqZo5lEyjSoogzO1zbREtK8RWe301RqIRvcm9Hb-KSiy7eadMt-i6vnEgwoqDheBWl7QtBl3mA4PQu2E1jXgXXxrEki8I3up2vuWza6o/s400/IMG_1658.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Green Riders and the Bicycle One folks</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie77arz_93k1q1a1K6hSsxm9h4xCrhOae_ftHHqZo5lEyjSoogzO1zbREtK8RWe301RqIRvcm9Hb-KSiy7eadMt-i6vnEgwoqDheBWl7QtBl3mA4PQu2E1jXgXXxrEki8I3up2vuWza6o/s1600/IMG_1658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfTfWoL03U9UuiKTXpHOtrCjvbJGm-QkdlrU6xYS6cUTj5WDGY8sLTdu7UHKd4-WTUhJTPoNLEINn5mnEywIh-UvIR33HHBVFGz4MylOFKWi9jldg-P4NWdsfAZX1-1mwM-U_kgnXwm1c/s1600/IMG_1659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfTfWoL03U9UuiKTXpHOtrCjvbJGm-QkdlrU6xYS6cUTj5WDGY8sLTdu7UHKd4-WTUhJTPoNLEINn5mnEywIh-UvIR33HHBVFGz4MylOFKWi9jldg-P4NWdsfAZX1-1mwM-U_kgnXwm1c/s400/IMG_1659.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Recumbent master Denny Oswald checks it out</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfTfWoL03U9UuiKTXpHOtrCjvbJGm-QkdlrU6xYS6cUTj5WDGY8sLTdu7UHKd4-WTUhJTPoNLEINn5mnEywIh-UvIR33HHBVFGz4MylOFKWi9jldg-P4NWdsfAZX1-1mwM-U_kgnXwm1c/s1600/IMG_1659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixoxFfpfDvcTLqH6Wirtge7fACirdKKuXzdHVbaV7Zf22lr_UyNYxA9U1X-9otkOywSrfX_GDwmR6Pt__skkt_C-kZMNew8z5q-vWFGKLdp77aJIeHrM4lperEThsMXvqQpwGbeuSqe-U/s1600/IMG_1662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixoxFfpfDvcTLqH6Wirtge7fACirdKKuXzdHVbaV7Zf22lr_UyNYxA9U1X-9otkOywSrfX_GDwmR6Pt__skkt_C-kZMNew8z5q-vWFGKLdp77aJIeHrM4lperEThsMXvqQpwGbeuSqe-U/s400/IMG_1662.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And then checks it out some more</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixoxFfpfDvcTLqH6Wirtge7fACirdKKuXzdHVbaV7Zf22lr_UyNYxA9U1X-9otkOywSrfX_GDwmR6Pt__skkt_C-kZMNew8z5q-vWFGKLdp77aJIeHrM4lperEThsMXvqQpwGbeuSqe-U/s1600/IMG_1662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw5K4u067LZsxh65kJp-T4EvvOflecKfGD-aI6YbRc8mTmEhBs6gEJ70Hnup2DfAs8z2lUpDnApNL4FJU5tEDTd3Qvti41LPGHB9j1H52779W5pEnyf6_HkPbWnexKznLzvJWj4q92dyg/s1600/IMG_1663.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw5K4u067LZsxh65kJp-T4EvvOflecKfGD-aI6YbRc8mTmEhBs6gEJ70Hnup2DfAs8z2lUpDnApNL4FJU5tEDTd3Qvti41LPGHB9j1H52779W5pEnyf6_HkPbWnexKznLzvJWj4q92dyg/s400/IMG_1663.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Steve's wife Eileen with 'The Grin'</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div>The Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1084027558231536347.post-11727065754381798692010-06-14T11:22:00.000-07:002010-06-14T11:22:17.777-07:00Richmond, Indiana to Buck Creek Park, Springfield, Ohio <!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Since I got to ride today, it is worthy to note that the “kids” brought tailwinds with them from California. And oh, how I do appreciate it. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Michael Closson is a completely delightful guest rider. He’s flexible, loves engaging people who are interested and is very helpful with the activities of daily living involved with this trip. We are trying to convince him to stay along but he can’t. But we keep trying.</div><div class="MsoNormal">It is so great for Catherine and I to have our children with us. They are silly, energetic and we all get along with each other wonderfully. I’m getting sad that the trip is almost over.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A day in the drivers seat - Albin</div><div class="MsoNormal">After a long night of thunder, rain and wind it was my turn to be the driver of our support vehicle and trailer. I was accompanied by my Mom (Catherine) since her bike motor was no longer functioning. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Even if the driving is not as glamorous or fun as the biking is it still fills an important role of the trip. Along the way we stopped on several occasions to check in with the riders to see if everything was working correctly, to fill up water, make lunch, dry off all the tents and sleeping bags that got soaked from the rain, and of course to take naps. </div><div class="MsoNormal">After a 68 mile day we arrived at a campground outside of Springfield, Ohio where we had an amazing dinner including more of the vegetables that were given to us from the urban farm in Indianapolis. It was delicious and the beets were some of the best I have ever eaten. Before dinner Oliver and I picked apart the broken motor and noticed that the bearings were filled up with dirt, gravel and sand from the road. Nothing looked broken so we decided to clean everything out really well, smearing some Wise Solutions Bio Grease on it and putting it back together to see if that might fix it. Two hours later it was back in one piece and we all watched with anticipation as mom rode off on a trial run. It worked perfectly! After returning she even said that is runs better now than when she first got the bike. Yippee!!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbpUI8suXkzPFEkkj99qz5ERTmt4l4IJuEs1-39KMhW0NHViqP1MTF2Meta-PvAjuKuacxMmoNykQIYkRb8r2TU1w7kIUSIEUDKppydgapG9btnYooiSSQZjmIv41wsqBBccAhVkpXXk/s1600/IMG_1590.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbpUI8suXkzPFEkkj99qz5ERTmt4l4IJuEs1-39KMhW0NHViqP1MTF2Meta-PvAjuKuacxMmoNykQIYkRb8r2TU1w7kIUSIEUDKppydgapG9btnYooiSSQZjmIv41wsqBBccAhVkpXXk/s400/IMG_1590.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hoot protects us</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpNdcF5bQR1jDp5LFbu9bWe9FddBFlrckS9JxZNkTng6yjYZteyopiepHlb-QqgsgCtOnMBhj-C27uetbq3IAGvktZd-Tvz96M2gABUDA_xrg7Aq0m7d_l94MjtA6H17OWCVuBm_zBzos/s1600/IMG_1570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpNdcF5bQR1jDp5LFbu9bWe9FddBFlrckS9JxZNkTng6yjYZteyopiepHlb-QqgsgCtOnMBhj-C27uetbq3IAGvktZd-Tvz96M2gABUDA_xrg7Aq0m7d_l94MjtA6H17OWCVuBm_zBzos/s400/IMG_1570.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Somewhere in Indiana - wind turbines Yeahhhh!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6PAHEU09yfINeTG-F4YUNoHS6rDAucnaTtSyszOUaHN0Xf3G-n6hcjYg17JjsLg_5pY_INFCUSjOqjWr1gmNruKiOy3_a3-6r0wAClHTuunPXjwiXWQj4xBrzohC-fQi0EYXMCyls1A/s1600/IMG_1574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6PAHEU09yfINeTG-F4YUNoHS6rDAucnaTtSyszOUaHN0Xf3G-n6hcjYg17JjsLg_5pY_INFCUSjOqjWr1gmNruKiOy3_a3-6r0wAClHTuunPXjwiXWQj4xBrzohC-fQi0EYXMCyls1A/s400/IMG_1574.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"> Drying out our gear in lovely Springfield, Ohio</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqiX3kVGXUeMem5LX7upV5B1yUnv7ssxUY3K4s-ywc8s_n-l_XzB9iHjZVM7Hz5YdrBTxCz5B1CXwt3yjJoPT94i4tBDJcbom7muoHt9PLNciKF0tAJYBc454r9BBYOEXbuaZnLvf727I/s1600/IMG_1584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqiX3kVGXUeMem5LX7upV5B1yUnv7ssxUY3K4s-ywc8s_n-l_XzB9iHjZVM7Hz5YdrBTxCz5B1CXwt3yjJoPT94i4tBDJcbom7muoHt9PLNciKF0tAJYBc454r9BBYOEXbuaZnLvf727I/s400/IMG_1584.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"> Hard at work fixing beets and bicycles</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU8fzQaj4MZT_Ep1l0GwQSLmKfPf8u2t3WyZXLNGVJB7IT1J3e87G_kyZutBhO1Np4VvpFtB6pMpduAvZXwO5wQmCBwxvSdxuYngupiRd2jej41Todfr4qAvE8zdqJPWsw5ZZQE49cuVM/s1600/IMG_1585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU8fzQaj4MZT_Ep1l0GwQSLmKfPf8u2t3WyZXLNGVJB7IT1J3e87G_kyZutBhO1Np4VvpFtB6pMpduAvZXwO5wQmCBwxvSdxuYngupiRd2jej41Todfr4qAvE8zdqJPWsw5ZZQE49cuVM/s400/IMG_1585.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"> The regreased cog wheel ready to be reinstalled</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb57rUuth7Wdr8KwNbF0RHuXX9Ncgq5PbYBMoBb0EsPhxW-cgbuWNWTUcPCzouW4OHCAwxugl-Tj65ZSAt1iEZohvXvgKw4HTIBwiqLCBwZ3frruGgJTmaTzQXB0qw_lXCBcCyUfQzZM0/s1600/IMG_1595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb57rUuth7Wdr8KwNbF0RHuXX9Ncgq5PbYBMoBb0EsPhxW-cgbuWNWTUcPCzouW4OHCAwxugl-Tj65ZSAt1iEZohvXvgKw4HTIBwiqLCBwZ3frruGgJTmaTzQXB0qw_lXCBcCyUfQzZM0/s400/IMG_1595.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> Praying for success - Down on our knees</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie6EaLj5ANdOUIs2DHahIXSw20h3y0Qr5X0drNavFO-P3TuSLQERTBbllUkBY4T2dknggoJrv56DtqdX0qt0B5if1U0cjf7SnBn37SG8JTI8LUx5aQsyKiSt8qSlpkKUwJm1k0PBCL7N4/s1600/IMG_1598.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie6EaLj5ANdOUIs2DHahIXSw20h3y0Qr5X0drNavFO-P3TuSLQERTBbllUkBY4T2dknggoJrv56DtqdX0qt0B5if1U0cjf7SnBn37SG8JTI8LUx5aQsyKiSt8qSlpkKUwJm1k0PBCL7N4/s400/IMG_1598.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"> Success - A greasy handed hug</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheQ8rsbMEC_GIMeKMAZcBTh0XGmoFl8tpddkkwCpFgHnjX0bwFuFWSErZYFVdt3mr0ucFTqTXWH2wH1bjocTfxEvg2Crm15ft0tovgSX95FS48g6KYTT9rQ0cRe02dMNbLSw49GTTh8R4/s1600/IMG_1599.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheQ8rsbMEC_GIMeKMAZcBTh0XGmoFl8tpddkkwCpFgHnjX0bwFuFWSErZYFVdt3mr0ucFTqTXWH2wH1bjocTfxEvg2Crm15ft0tovgSX95FS48g6KYTT9rQ0cRe02dMNbLSw49GTTh8R4/s400/IMG_1599.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> Ahhh, happiness!!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><!--EndFragment-->The Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1084027558231536347.post-8097074481719088972010-06-13T05:29:00.000-07:002010-06-13T05:29:22.558-07:003 posts in one - including Liza's first postChampaign to Indianapolis -<br />
We left Matt and his family and headed east with a friend of Matt's named Andy (we can't remember his last name, but we have his picture). Andy led us along quiet county roads with stops at 2 parks along our route. It was wonderful riding. In Danville, we lost track of Rolf and ended up having a bit of a spat. We continued on to Crawfordsville for a big 91 miles and the loss of another hour due to a time zone change. When we found Rolf, he announced that he wanted to leave us! The last we saw of him, he was heading west in a taxi. <br />
Catherine and I drove the remaining 40 miles into Indianapolis and settled into the IndyHostel where our Indianapolis hostess, April had made arrangements for our lodging. It was quite a tumultuous day, to say the least, and the rest of our trip has changed again.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMsS3Zy8jQn3du8yYxzTVweDQikGUpcrBbf9pEef6GO-4jmQjAeMJ3N4a29knjcb8SsyLr8b2ic4-VYe5OIBlQh-PDBa3nPD1iNFVSm7ftqpXFP1naXufD5LNO2KRGF9s_rnE3AU6EzY/s1600/IMG_1514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMsS3Zy8jQn3du8yYxzTVweDQikGUpcrBbf9pEef6GO-4jmQjAeMJ3N4a29knjcb8SsyLr8b2ic4-VYe5OIBlQh-PDBa3nPD1iNFVSm7ftqpXFP1naXufD5LNO2KRGF9s_rnE3AU6EzY/s400/IMG_1514.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our escort, Andy who led us fearlessly from Champaign to Danville, Il</div><br />
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Indianapolis-<br />
We spent the morning gathering our wits and cleaning our bicycles. The IndyHostel is a warm, friendly place that we would happily return to. We were both very excited about Liza and Albin's arrival later in the evening as well as the arrival of Michael Closson from Acterra who was arriving at 4 in the afternoon.<br />
April arrived around noon on her bicycle and we rode to a small local produce restaurant with a renowned Chef known for his pulled pork sandwiches. . . ooh were they good. We found out later that the chef had worked a lot with my wife Deirdre's cousin Larry Forgione! Small world.<br />
After lunch we rode down the Monan trail, a dedicated bike trail on an old railway line that is well used by bikers, hikers, etc. Our destination was an urban farm started by an incredibly energetic and dedicated Ethiopian woman Aster Bekele. She brings second generation Ethiopian children to the farm and gets them reaquainted with their agricultural roots. We were led on a tour by a 5 year old who enjoyed all the attention.<br />
As we were leaving, a huge thunderstorm broke and we ended up getting back to the hostel completely soaked. It was really fun.<br />
Michael and his friend Steve Brock were at the hostel when we got back so we dried off and had a nice visit with Steve before he had to head back to Columbus, Ohio. (Our next destination.)<br />
The evenings plans included the arrival of Liza and Albin as well as a Pot Luck dinner at a place called Earth House. Catherine, Michael and I rode the 6 miles to Earth House in time to get a short tour and description of the place. <br />
About 2 years ago, Earth House was a church with a diminishing congregation that couldn't afford to keep the lights on. They somehow invited a community in that remodeled the building so that it now includes a coffee shop, a venue for shows (including Sunday services), a basement kitchen and dining hall and other facilities for the use of the community. Our event was in the basement and lots of people showed up with wonderful food that we gobbled down with gusto. After eating, the guests were invited to share their activities and organizations with the group before Catherine and I presented our project. There were lots of questions and comments from a very engaged crowd and when things broke up, an incredibly sweet couple (the Henderson's) offered to give us fresh produce from their urban farm. <br />
We met them on our way home in the last light of the day and they toured us around a few of their plots of land. It was a fabulous way to end a day dedicated to local sustainable agriculture in Indianapolis.<br />
Both urban agriculture and centers like Earth House are much easier to realize in areas where real estate prices are reasonable. We commented more than once on how difficult it is to create urban farms and community centers in our home towns in California because of the cost of the land we live on.<br />
April said we are good role models for becoming elderly and even though I know she was talking about my elderly sister, I was still honored. Our visit with April was a great example of how this trip is working out. As we planned our visit to Indianapolis, I asked April what she was interested in around sustainability and she shared her passion for local foods, urban farming and the communities that are built. So she created an event that featured all of those things and we were delighted to be able to share her world and see a sector of sustainable behavior alive and growing in Indianapolis.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_r_XrlFytvQbNrvUM2M3-KU_tGRQ2XYnWRhRfL2JJHLCvaYk-n2Ad1szihA7VACgbsIRMd0UVnoa4YHurufQCTxF6Os-rqjpbQNqtSWlXavLdlX5v6weCz4YA3PXI3D8FgIzmJLgqwA/s1600/IMG_1521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_r_XrlFytvQbNrvUM2M3-KU_tGRQ2XYnWRhRfL2JJHLCvaYk-n2Ad1szihA7VACgbsIRMd0UVnoa4YHurufQCTxF6Os-rqjpbQNqtSWlXavLdlX5v6weCz4YA3PXI3D8FgIzmJLgqwA/s400/IMG_1521.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our Indianapolis Hostess, April</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_r_XrlFytvQbNrvUM2M3-KU_tGRQ2XYnWRhRfL2JJHLCvaYk-n2Ad1szihA7VACgbsIRMd0UVnoa4YHurufQCTxF6Os-rqjpbQNqtSWlXavLdlX5v6weCz4YA3PXI3D8FgIzmJLgqwA/s1600/IMG_1521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6qw9IM_RwNpCIF_lcSP8Int1KlTSTE6PcyS-JSIoqZ7hr_dMWijjA0jgzXcQmzZsSR0ktw5eBHT4smE9F-ibQ6Y_e5tqvqXX3DFJjjlfPkC_OeDgES6hC17TNsQYbqdvfGTq3vLxt98/s1600/IMG_1526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6qw9IM_RwNpCIF_lcSP8Int1KlTSTE6PcyS-JSIoqZ7hr_dMWijjA0jgzXcQmzZsSR0ktw5eBHT4smE9F-ibQ6Y_e5tqvqXX3DFJjjlfPkC_OeDgES6hC17TNsQYbqdvfGTq3vLxt98/s400/IMG_1526.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Along the Monan Trail</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6qw9IM_RwNpCIF_lcSP8Int1KlTSTE6PcyS-JSIoqZ7hr_dMWijjA0jgzXcQmzZsSR0ktw5eBHT4smE9F-ibQ6Y_e5tqvqXX3DFJjjlfPkC_OeDgES6hC17TNsQYbqdvfGTq3vLxt98/s1600/IMG_1526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxct9KQD6fdWUmNhdc9u-qq4B-1zbe4xD5MAEbcpjig05noKEDjwfWKeSiJK7CzsjyCxp9RrWNmGpW8pKZm9O-diu2BXnfIXq43COzjGbpEk2ri2xHY634XK5NWAFbrI83OJx477zYMC4/s1600/IMG_1542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxct9KQD6fdWUmNhdc9u-qq4B-1zbe4xD5MAEbcpjig05noKEDjwfWKeSiJK7CzsjyCxp9RrWNmGpW8pKZm9O-diu2BXnfIXq43COzjGbpEk2ri2xHY634XK5NWAFbrI83OJx477zYMC4/s400/IMG_1542.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Aster Bekele in her urban garden</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxct9KQD6fdWUmNhdc9u-qq4B-1zbe4xD5MAEbcpjig05noKEDjwfWKeSiJK7CzsjyCxp9RrWNmGpW8pKZm9O-diu2BXnfIXq43COzjGbpEk2ri2xHY634XK5NWAFbrI83OJx477zYMC4/s1600/IMG_1542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kONkGTuWlIFxOSmrcWMDVzJ5L2L8fQ3bUJcZXW6z1GrF5jIwUKbSfMgshqvpem_lM0OPAFlvoNs9WtTwLa9JWfzoWNiMyh_ioT4QRYHmaXFEqzMCWXt8WcJTzA25bMzGWfIfXlFzp8s/s1600/IMG_1530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kONkGTuWlIFxOSmrcWMDVzJ5L2L8fQ3bUJcZXW6z1GrF5jIwUKbSfMgshqvpem_lM0OPAFlvoNs9WtTwLa9JWfzoWNiMyh_ioT4QRYHmaXFEqzMCWXt8WcJTzA25bMzGWfIfXlFzp8s/s400/IMG_1530.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our tour guide</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kONkGTuWlIFxOSmrcWMDVzJ5L2L8fQ3bUJcZXW6z1GrF5jIwUKbSfMgshqvpem_lM0OPAFlvoNs9WtTwLa9JWfzoWNiMyh_ioT4QRYHmaXFEqzMCWXt8WcJTzA25bMzGWfIfXlFzp8s/s1600/IMG_1530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGf_cyjbuwjppbIDpEYVeO5Ec3Khx9qmVRIcDpGssQrhTRDYAqq9JPL0dRai5fJ_mjEGDJRshdhH25jcsOKdf5Zr-b7pYTL2tGZF6iQUsvzcov6f8rCO0HqchytGhTbOD-TjyZUbzA5A/s1600/IMG_1544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGf_cyjbuwjppbIDpEYVeO5Ec3Khx9qmVRIcDpGssQrhTRDYAqq9JPL0dRai5fJ_mjEGDJRshdhH25jcsOKdf5Zr-b7pYTL2tGZF6iQUsvzcov6f8rCO0HqchytGhTbOD-TjyZUbzA5A/s400/IMG_1544.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It does rain in Indianapolis</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGf_cyjbuwjppbIDpEYVeO5Ec3Khx9qmVRIcDpGssQrhTRDYAqq9JPL0dRai5fJ_mjEGDJRshdhH25jcsOKdf5Zr-b7pYTL2tGZF6iQUsvzcov6f8rCO0HqchytGhTbOD-TjyZUbzA5A/s1600/IMG_1544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6bmOWExJ2oe6e7rCHqCMfWCuz60omLK1VRsGmRooTdGXH3HG4tMfDt9_SEtOxJenizaYaH4LZKZBxrQ7suUr94ZcdKfILdrNR9pP8MwWW27M6Js7xQmb1U5KV-URq4xYFG0AfmWGpxp4/s1600/IMG_1546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6bmOWExJ2oe6e7rCHqCMfWCuz60omLK1VRsGmRooTdGXH3HG4tMfDt9_SEtOxJenizaYaH4LZKZBxrQ7suUr94ZcdKfILdrNR9pP8MwWW27M6Js7xQmb1U5KV-URq4xYFG0AfmWGpxp4/s400/IMG_1546.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Talking bikes at Earth House</div><br />
Swimming through the humidity to Richmond- Liza Bock<br />
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We woke up to pouring rain today in the basement of the Indy Hostel. We got off to a late start, as it was tough getting out of Indianapolis through the Gay Pride Parade. Once we got started, though, conditions were perfect. We rode along highway 40 which was basically flat and very straight. We also had a tail wind, which is always a plus! The only issue was the humidity, which makes it nearly impossible to wear clothes, and drinking can be done by opening our mouths at high speeds. After thirty to forty miles, we stopped for lunch at a lovely park in Lewisville. It was really hot, and after we rinsed our dishes, we had to rinse each other. Then I took a nap in the van during the 25 miles to Richmond while Catherine, Oliver, and Albin biked there. There were some problems finding each other, but we managed and found a great campsite with a pool! Our perfect day was interrupted by Catherine's motor breaking and her bike, as well as her mascot Hoot, are now depressed as we wait for a new motor.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiskJEwBWpaiNUK-0gqHsFOQt1-H2twkzsFJqqRWX7Vn5B2b-1WA0wFwhqs4o2s8VRgGEALZDFBGoqSKDuY3F-bfmWPVIPla-KSl0n0t4VAY13RPJIG3mz6KzrkJ1YDOiwVXITm6-rcUqo/s1600/IMG_1553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiskJEwBWpaiNUK-0gqHsFOQt1-H2twkzsFJqqRWX7Vn5B2b-1WA0wFwhqs4o2s8VRgGEALZDFBGoqSKDuY3F-bfmWPVIPla-KSl0n0t4VAY13RPJIG3mz6KzrkJ1YDOiwVXITm6-rcUqo/s400/IMG_1553.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Albin tries out the wheels</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiskJEwBWpaiNUK-0gqHsFOQt1-H2twkzsFJqqRWX7Vn5B2b-1WA0wFwhqs4o2s8VRgGEALZDFBGoqSKDuY3F-bfmWPVIPla-KSl0n0t4VAY13RPJIG3mz6KzrkJ1YDOiwVXITm6-rcUqo/s1600/IMG_1553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRBg9uYCOdrZfjRRZOkQDPMvjkJMfhTukzC8A7Nir4K99vuruquRHm0lGPEwxjwhEXdHqfREOOtirKdPwf_zZYWzBlhzAabfpsInpz_xM-4VESJY8eceDF6uiz5xMeKvp7CW0kc1rKGAk/s1600/IMG_1550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRBg9uYCOdrZfjRRZOkQDPMvjkJMfhTukzC8A7Nir4K99vuruquRHm0lGPEwxjwhEXdHqfREOOtirKdPwf_zZYWzBlhzAabfpsInpz_xM-4VESJY8eceDF6uiz5xMeKvp7CW0kc1rKGAk/s400/IMG_1550.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Liza seems to like her ride as well</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRBg9uYCOdrZfjRRZOkQDPMvjkJMfhTukzC8A7Nir4K99vuruquRHm0lGPEwxjwhEXdHqfREOOtirKdPwf_zZYWzBlhzAabfpsInpz_xM-4VESJY8eceDF6uiz5xMeKvp7CW0kc1rKGAk/s1600/IMG_1550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpB-Suj9tbCyRVrdmGM7BEv6zEFYkii7UF0grCDK1PyI5AIf2Dl0JcbnXIfq5nX1WqTKrB-oyOoJGjFrTXJwJ-2NPGI2r2Shzd6IXhiYtmpeEot2Wv-6odc7XGgYXBDfj6y7klxKhfZhI/s1600/IMG_1559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpB-Suj9tbCyRVrdmGM7BEv6zEFYkii7UF0grCDK1PyI5AIf2Dl0JcbnXIfq5nX1WqTKrB-oyOoJGjFrTXJwJ-2NPGI2r2Shzd6IXhiYtmpeEot2Wv-6odc7XGgYXBDfj6y7klxKhfZhI/s400/IMG_1559.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Grease bite</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpB-Suj9tbCyRVrdmGM7BEv6zEFYkii7UF0grCDK1PyI5AIf2Dl0JcbnXIfq5nX1WqTKrB-oyOoJGjFrTXJwJ-2NPGI2r2Shzd6IXhiYtmpeEot2Wv-6odc7XGgYXBDfj6y7klxKhfZhI/s1600/IMG_1559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOhMRXxLIrUCWfNFhlm_Sd6jrKn8ASaNd3OuSCTDBf5oSNQq3l2iXbaQpLspzYB8BuUfO8xrnfhyXxbpnyfw9LDEM969AjMfKKXcoHJ4f5HRPUEW2OAuhg0ZeVhLpeW0e2Q4r-BkJYPQ/s1600/IMG_1558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOhMRXxLIrUCWfNFhlm_Sd6jrKn8ASaNd3OuSCTDBf5oSNQq3l2iXbaQpLspzYB8BuUfO8xrnfhyXxbpnyfw9LDEM969AjMfKKXcoHJ4f5HRPUEW2OAuhg0ZeVhLpeW0e2Q4r-BkJYPQ/s400/IMG_1558.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Feeling really buff</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOhMRXxLIrUCWfNFhlm_Sd6jrKn8ASaNd3OuSCTDBf5oSNQq3l2iXbaQpLspzYB8BuUfO8xrnfhyXxbpnyfw9LDEM969AjMfKKXcoHJ4f5HRPUEW2OAuhg0ZeVhLpeW0e2Q4r-BkJYPQ/s1600/IMG_1558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>The Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1084027558231536347.post-11047681257985266172010-06-11T06:43:00.000-07:002010-06-11T06:43:28.723-07:00Fairfield to ChampaignStuart rode with us out of town for a few miles before heading off to work. We will miss his "can do" positive energy that makes him incredibly effective at getting things done.<br />
We had a fantastic day of riding. No wind, few cars and good roads. It doesn't get much better than that!<br />
Since we squeezed our riding schedule to add a day in Champaign, we portaged to Lincoln, Illinois for the night and found a fun campsite where the campground owner's treated us to jokes and hospitality.<br />
Big rains were forecast for the night and following day so Rolf set his tent up on high ground to keep from floating away.<br />
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The forecast proved wrong, at least for where we were. It barely rained during the night and in the morning we hopped on our bikes for the ride into Champaign. We got some rain along the way and had headwinds. <br />
My birthday present from the gods.<br />
Our host in Champaign is an amazing person. Matthew Childress has a day job working at the University with computers. His true passion is sustainability and he has turned his passion into amazing actions that include inviting folks like us into his home where we displaced his two daughters out of their bedroom and into the parent's bed which then displaced Matthew onto the couch!<br />
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Matthew also reached way out of his and his wife's financial comfort zone and bought a Twike which is a side by side electric powered, all weather bicycle that he commutes to work in and attracts a lot of attention with. What is truly impressive about Matthew is his determination to keep pushing for increased sustainability practices in Champaign. He is non stop with ideas actions and he kept us going at a breathless pace throughout our visit.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>After arriving, we dried off and Catherine, Tina (Matthew's wife) and Matthew prepared a dinner and baked a carrot cake for my birthday. It was very sweet.<br />
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After a good nights rest, we hit the ground running with a morning visit to the new School of Business building that received a LEED rating of Platinum (That's the highest standard achievable for a green building.) We got a tour led by George Freeman who was one of the architects on the project and a very proud one at that. Aside from being very green, the building is gorgeous! The atrium area is enormous and at the same time very inviting. After the tour, we had a coffee and enjoyed the spacious public area before heading off to our next attraction.<br />
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The Gable house was the 2nd place winner in the 2009 Solar Competition where all the building that were selected, went to Washington DC and were set up on the mall. After the competition, the buildings went home and the Gable House is now set up <a href="http://www.solardecathlon.uiuc.edu/">on campus</a>. The press was there when we arrived as well as a whole crew of people who Matthew had arranged for us to meet. We plugged our batteries into the solar panels that cover the whole south side of the roof and took on a solar charge.<br />
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I just love doing that!!<br />
In true Matthew fashion, during our visit to the Gable house, Matthew started a conversation with Kate Brown (the woman working with the Gamble House) about getting a solar charging station set up for electric vehicle drivers. It would be the first and hopefully it will happen.<br />
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After a nice lunch, we loaded up our solar powered batteries and rode out to a test field where a grass called Miscanthus is being grown. It is a fast growing low maintenance perennial that has interesting potential as a biofuel. We spoke with <a href="http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/news/stories/news4705.html">Tim Miese</a> who is a wealth of information and enthusiasm. <br />
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In the evening, we went back to campus where Matthew had organized an event with his EV club at a venue right across the street from Lincoln Hall. The Hall is going through a major renovation and the architect <a href="http://www.dailyillini.com/features/2010/05/25/green-riders-set-to-roll-in-to-champaign-to-visit-lincoln-hall">Ron Harrison</a>, also a bicycle commuter shared stories about the renovation taking place. It was a very successful event and we went back to Matt's house tired and happy.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheIKH9mqK5KWJYWZHsJkL6CccfOUQ-tL3O4vvCxjrUp8WzBO2wKMKGZFDbDjE91u-mIaqWQl42_NChba0wdsd0n5UbHjHrO-ukcvPRbT04SeJWGh_vWlSBmmWybs0-3x-AUNFPqaxc7Xo/s1600/IMG_1903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheIKH9mqK5KWJYWZHsJkL6CccfOUQ-tL3O4vvCxjrUp8WzBO2wKMKGZFDbDjE91u-mIaqWQl42_NChba0wdsd0n5UbHjHrO-ukcvPRbT04SeJWGh_vWlSBmmWybs0-3x-AUNFPqaxc7Xo/s400/IMG_1903.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy Birthday to me</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheIKH9mqK5KWJYWZHsJkL6CccfOUQ-tL3O4vvCxjrUp8WzBO2wKMKGZFDbDjE91u-mIaqWQl42_NChba0wdsd0n5UbHjHrO-ukcvPRbT04SeJWGh_vWlSBmmWybs0-3x-AUNFPqaxc7Xo/s1600/IMG_1903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4F7E8Cu6WQTs_jjuxAWdaev32LQFU-zljQi6uZ5ypFpzAG39C7zJhJqJ5eVM3JpizdXhyphenhyphenLEJ6OG97s74DYJ7danegmgyvyhNgUd7ER2aiqrfGq-mxFpJ69VC-kdluFesOgqV5ElqOzM4/s1600/IMG_1899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4F7E8Cu6WQTs_jjuxAWdaev32LQFU-zljQi6uZ5ypFpzAG39C7zJhJqJ5eVM3JpizdXhyphenhyphenLEJ6OG97s74DYJ7danegmgyvyhNgUd7ER2aiqrfGq-mxFpJ69VC-kdluFesOgqV5ElqOzM4/s400/IMG_1899.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Solving the world's problems American style</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4F7E8Cu6WQTs_jjuxAWdaev32LQFU-zljQi6uZ5ypFpzAG39C7zJhJqJ5eVM3JpizdXhyphenhyphenLEJ6OG97s74DYJ7danegmgyvyhNgUd7ER2aiqrfGq-mxFpJ69VC-kdluFesOgqV5ElqOzM4/s1600/IMG_1899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUjuxRBmNMQoEyc3RvVhJ3xxqu_Mu54RT9LcFFP673pz3YCh8bfzMc8aCHZSZOMFQ42ZcyBziyBmppQUVF0f4uGQf_szNeOkDloqrYZgiZ4s2BtyQ3Z7rMYk5KTwSNYqTt4XKrASDXoh0/s1600/IMG_1476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUjuxRBmNMQoEyc3RvVhJ3xxqu_Mu54RT9LcFFP673pz3YCh8bfzMc8aCHZSZOMFQ42ZcyBziyBmppQUVF0f4uGQf_szNeOkDloqrYZgiZ4s2BtyQ3Z7rMYk5KTwSNYqTt4XKrASDXoh0/s400/IMG_1476.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Twike model extraordinaire </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUjuxRBmNMQoEyc3RvVhJ3xxqu_Mu54RT9LcFFP673pz3YCh8bfzMc8aCHZSZOMFQ42ZcyBziyBmppQUVF0f4uGQf_szNeOkDloqrYZgiZ4s2BtyQ3Z7rMYk5KTwSNYqTt4XKrASDXoh0/s1600/IMG_1476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQzp_Qcf0ZoyXHrFBgW81Hgo-rBwUz8SX9XCgbbCsh8o9buzbHhJtVwqfRHLsszliHiaYfNf6ySCviYkykeYOGJye7T0rREWfAYaXo-m5kcnIbfYnleRyheLRJPem2oOZPaaiY9f-JUzU/s1600/IMG_1480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQzp_Qcf0ZoyXHrFBgW81Hgo-rBwUz8SX9XCgbbCsh8o9buzbHhJtVwqfRHLsszliHiaYfNf6ySCviYkykeYOGJye7T0rREWfAYaXo-m5kcnIbfYnleRyheLRJPem2oOZPaaiY9f-JUzU/s400/IMG_1480.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Twiking down the road</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQzp_Qcf0ZoyXHrFBgW81Hgo-rBwUz8SX9XCgbbCsh8o9buzbHhJtVwqfRHLsszliHiaYfNf6ySCviYkykeYOGJye7T0rREWfAYaXo-m5kcnIbfYnleRyheLRJPem2oOZPaaiY9f-JUzU/s1600/IMG_1480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEFnfa4ga0_OIx5AMvpnse0EMOx66p4uQuxCuZ359BQOaPPMrPbZ7k17p7u7JTXa9TqBuzqVEhMwm-spP9-87ODgwKrtHakrCwtHxPiCu0B_6OJr7fgHX5cnoR4pidsrcj1ZXsrSaCtM/s1600/IMG_1914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEFnfa4ga0_OIx5AMvpnse0EMOx66p4uQuxCuZ359BQOaPPMrPbZ7k17p7u7JTXa9TqBuzqVEhMwm-spP9-87ODgwKrtHakrCwtHxPiCu0B_6OJr7fgHX5cnoR4pidsrcj1ZXsrSaCtM/s400/IMG_1914.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The atrium at the LEED Platinum business school - Matt gets down!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEFnfa4ga0_OIx5AMvpnse0EMOx66p4uQuxCuZ359BQOaPPMrPbZ7k17p7u7JTXa9TqBuzqVEhMwm-spP9-87ODgwKrtHakrCwtHxPiCu0B_6OJr7fgHX5cnoR4pidsrcj1ZXsrSaCtM/s1600/IMG_1914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbDg8YfpAeUdSTth_NerCLzAFq5THqyBpY8C6QHy8IM2zvcM2xRKcSkBKmdGTrxaO3D9FE070eSyPEYJTchx1dsR0Yt1jfW17FC6pUiS2Afawvqztq4wvp21o0vWOC_-upoFXoAvWMZs/s1600/IMG_1485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbDg8YfpAeUdSTth_NerCLzAFq5THqyBpY8C6QHy8IM2zvcM2xRKcSkBKmdGTrxaO3D9FE070eSyPEYJTchx1dsR0Yt1jfW17FC6pUiS2Afawvqztq4wvp21o0vWOC_-upoFXoAvWMZs/s400/IMG_1485.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Living roof and the top of the atrium</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWbDg8YfpAeUdSTth_NerCLzAFq5THqyBpY8C6QHy8IM2zvcM2xRKcSkBKmdGTrxaO3D9FE070eSyPEYJTchx1dsR0Yt1jfW17FC6pUiS2Afawvqztq4wvp21o0vWOC_-upoFXoAvWMZs/s1600/IMG_1485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQYkEWZMa5_FPpBBHrTXGTqO5zvj3iPbRb5eScr9uD3cNjHv4o4mP5DT5zgNWs_DV0Lss9Xwvb5EPUB2D-_uBAUS-Yv9w6DxmImgsr1XNHE_Tfl1YXAUfyUsqqPSeApQ5Kw6LAPdcPHM/s1600/IMG_1964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQYkEWZMa5_FPpBBHrTXGTqO5zvj3iPbRb5eScr9uD3cNjHv4o4mP5DT5zgNWs_DV0Lss9Xwvb5EPUB2D-_uBAUS-Yv9w6DxmImgsr1XNHE_Tfl1YXAUfyUsqqPSeApQ5Kw6LAPdcPHM/s400/IMG_1964.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Solar charge at the Gable House<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV87FRMK8G6MX9Hrr9PhpUXpzdAceESyrIsj_AOelntYQVJ9xj5JN37vnPYeNYXJTgKiAmBd13PDX5rreCtLpE7hyphenhyphen-H33Ny5fW-sF4ZKZNisnsqQmxfjPMf-B3FT0mjGAC4QCdwhqDQDA/s1600/IMG_1496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV87FRMK8G6MX9Hrr9PhpUXpzdAceESyrIsj_AOelntYQVJ9xj5JN37vnPYeNYXJTgKiAmBd13PDX5rreCtLpE7hyphenhyphen-H33Ny5fW-sF4ZKZNisnsqQmxfjPMf-B3FT0mjGAC4QCdwhqDQDA/s400/IMG_1496.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Governor deepens his understanding of Green Building and </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">wrote about it in the Gable House guest book<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC8jKJ0syMAZGWKlemwYi0E0dQlOyPK7Yo2-VtNC0H5GCtce3DP7v4_S20A6qJv20m79PhXUz1Iz7iGLfYAx7b5KhIfspmtlBgTOYIhNMudRuyT43ZunFsO20mMCKlPkq1SLC2eyp2DQg/s1600/IMG_1498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC8jKJ0syMAZGWKlemwYi0E0dQlOyPK7Yo2-VtNC0H5GCtce3DP7v4_S20A6qJv20m79PhXUz1Iz7iGLfYAx7b5KhIfspmtlBgTOYIhNMudRuyT43ZunFsO20mMCKlPkq1SLC2eyp2DQg/s400/IMG_1498.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Architect and bike enthusiast Ron Harrison - The Grin</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC8jKJ0syMAZGWKlemwYi0E0dQlOyPK7Yo2-VtNC0H5GCtce3DP7v4_S20A6qJv20m79PhXUz1Iz7iGLfYAx7b5KhIfspmtlBgTOYIhNMudRuyT43ZunFsO20mMCKlPkq1SLC2eyp2DQg/s1600/IMG_1498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTT5iVh_w3-yo2m5VzB1bshamni_HI8VXU9YdN5MXWUZDu18pF-kOF7XF7sePwGuY3TMO1wBkUqolFDwGp4tZe6XxVzA-4UDnnR5aow9-O4jR-FqbosSNCqzbWa98ZVoANiKqrgUS3_Ks/s1600/IMG_1499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTT5iVh_w3-yo2m5VzB1bshamni_HI8VXU9YdN5MXWUZDu18pF-kOF7XF7sePwGuY3TMO1wBkUqolFDwGp4tZe6XxVzA-4UDnnR5aow9-O4jR-FqbosSNCqzbWa98ZVoANiKqrgUS3_Ks/s400/IMG_1499.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Even Holly the reporter tried the bike</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTT5iVh_w3-yo2m5VzB1bshamni_HI8VXU9YdN5MXWUZDu18pF-kOF7XF7sePwGuY3TMO1wBkUqolFDwGp4tZe6XxVzA-4UDnnR5aow9-O4jR-FqbosSNCqzbWa98ZVoANiKqrgUS3_Ks/s1600/IMG_1499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW_MCI1er8G2m27BtxL7_Y1d60mzI95ivV83hyphenhyphent2oVNcJFpgDKw5WPjJo4nUSv24ueGcrYKWMe0bVyOKvCb4B7Cj5duJkXNW7fxIRDGc0w4g77diGpXp1tXdbmIZ_1E3AnNGs9gqtUG5I/s1600/IMG_1502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW_MCI1er8G2m27BtxL7_Y1d60mzI95ivV83hyphenhyphent2oVNcJFpgDKw5WPjJo4nUSv24ueGcrYKWMe0bVyOKvCb4B7Cj5duJkXNW7fxIRDGc0w4g77diGpXp1tXdbmIZ_1E3AnNGs9gqtUG5I/s400/IMG_1502.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A prototype 3 wheeled electric vehicle - The Sugar Ride</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW_MCI1er8G2m27BtxL7_Y1d60mzI95ivV83hyphenhyphent2oVNcJFpgDKw5WPjJo4nUSv24ueGcrYKWMe0bVyOKvCb4B7Cj5duJkXNW7fxIRDGc0w4g77diGpXp1tXdbmIZ_1E3AnNGs9gqtUG5I/s1600/IMG_1502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjV3wm_yQtQyVGfdpY1mjILTO_Hvqi5pksilnnFC5ZvAnFMdO8p-vSJrI9pNeejqTiqXbkEb8p1UJ0SXNGa5Ugutd9BkxspWA6aBOln4fKBwDRTR78-uJfBeWRwOem7WPg9zpEpqNmbY4/s1600/IMG_1975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjV3wm_yQtQyVGfdpY1mjILTO_Hvqi5pksilnnFC5ZvAnFMdO8p-vSJrI9pNeejqTiqXbkEb8p1UJ0SXNGa5Ugutd9BkxspWA6aBOln4fKBwDRTR78-uJfBeWRwOem7WPg9zpEpqNmbY4/s400/IMG_1975.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Tim Miese talks Miscanthus grass</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjV3wm_yQtQyVGfdpY1mjILTO_Hvqi5pksilnnFC5ZvAnFMdO8p-vSJrI9pNeejqTiqXbkEb8p1UJ0SXNGa5Ugutd9BkxspWA6aBOln4fKBwDRTR78-uJfBeWRwOem7WPg9zpEpqNmbY4/s1600/IMG_1975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9EB_f5T5r3AVcjQGf84-zIErG0ySszEmBebXxYBLbloIZoqMeRhHNe_YcLLv7e85yFL-rjm3_zKvd7Q_SRlZRXDv77YptsKrWlQMJcGCvRNBSCCsAKK4X9tijjj-ac-lsXiH8mZ2QaiM/s1600/IMG_1979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9EB_f5T5r3AVcjQGf84-zIErG0ySszEmBebXxYBLbloIZoqMeRhHNe_YcLLv7e85yFL-rjm3_zKvd7Q_SRlZRXDv77YptsKrWlQMJcGCvRNBSCCsAKK4X9tijjj-ac-lsXiH8mZ2QaiM/s400/IMG_1979.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is what Miscanthus grass looks like</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9EB_f5T5r3AVcjQGf84-zIErG0ySszEmBebXxYBLbloIZoqMeRhHNe_YcLLv7e85yFL-rjm3_zKvd7Q_SRlZRXDv77YptsKrWlQMJcGCvRNBSCCsAKK4X9tijjj-ac-lsXiH8mZ2QaiM/s1600/IMG_1979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixvIhZKux2o4CXAVxsjf4A8iI9xRkWorepnqY9BFLTmSZxlspIJip6gm-4TdPuaNsiK2VHv_n9hlsyLNxeDdlxKbnILIV5gg4J2XrpjUkM9EsbemjwKILRxphid0Lm7PXjf8MJouC5gx4/s1600/IMG_1508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixvIhZKux2o4CXAVxsjf4A8iI9xRkWorepnqY9BFLTmSZxlspIJip6gm-4TdPuaNsiK2VHv_n9hlsyLNxeDdlxKbnILIV5gg4J2XrpjUkM9EsbemjwKILRxphid0Lm7PXjf8MJouC5gx4/s400/IMG_1508.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Matt in computer heaven</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixvIhZKux2o4CXAVxsjf4A8iI9xRkWorepnqY9BFLTmSZxlspIJip6gm-4TdPuaNsiK2VHv_n9hlsyLNxeDdlxKbnILIV5gg4J2XrpjUkM9EsbemjwKILRxphid0Lm7PXjf8MJouC5gx4/s1600/IMG_1508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9yBlx1QnjVVAwFJTMcvTW2hsU8qt6aUU9tymrXrM3K3dQ60xc14DjeJSxH_fYo7ipEs6sHbCTUvoxkDXhXExoOKKgxWNebdWZTw7ux5knnvXXksyKyEyGoujeAvIHIegoQ7xASXy_uYE/s1600/IMG_1510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9yBlx1QnjVVAwFJTMcvTW2hsU8qt6aUU9tymrXrM3K3dQ60xc14DjeJSxH_fYo7ipEs6sHbCTUvoxkDXhXExoOKKgxWNebdWZTw7ux5knnvXXksyKyEyGoujeAvIHIegoQ7xASXy_uYE/s400/IMG_1510.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Matt and his family saying goodbye</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1084027558231536347.post-27738331660821889862010-06-08T13:14:00.000-07:002010-06-08T13:14:33.566-07:00Reflections on Fairfield -<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We spent an amazing weekend with Stuart and his family in the fascinating town of Fairfield. My head is still spinning with all of the conversations we had, the people we met and the places we visited. Rather than go through and sequentially describe the weekend, I will instead try to synthesize what we learned into wise and witty comments.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">First off, Stuart is an amazing communicator. He talks a lot and manages to make conversations both interesting and challenging. His explanations of everything from the community in Fairfield, to the stock market to the renewable energy technologies we discussed were factual, reasonable and intriguing. Stuart has recently started teaching at the Maharashi University and I envy his students!</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">(An interesting aside. The Maharashi University of Management is not about training managers. The management referred to is self-management. The practice of increasing self awareness and managing ones self in relation to personal/spiritual behavior and engagement in community.)</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Speaking of community, there is a huge amount of emphasis on creating both physical and emotional venues where people feel they belong. In the town of Fairfield, there are a lot of people who seem to know each other very well. There are a number of very active coffee shops and cafe's where people gather just to be out with whoever happens to show up. We went out a couple of times and it was thoroughly delightful to engage with lots of curious people and to watch people really enjoying each other in a very relaxed and open way. The social scene seems like a wonderful blend of small town relaxed charm combined with a sophisticated urban aura. Needless to say, we were all intrigued and delighted with our experiences.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">On Sunday afternoon, we went out to the Sustainable Living Coalition where a group of students were taking the Coalition's course. The students live on site, off the grid, eat local foods and learn about many of the aspects of sustainable living. We participated in a bicycle conversion project that involved putting an electric hub motor on Fairfield's Sustainability Coordinator's bicycle. Scott Timm lives on the opposite side of town from where he works and often has to go to meetings that involve short trips that can get real sweaty in this humid climate. Scott also has a knee injury that he is recovering from and doesn't want to stress his knee with too much exercise. He is the perfect candidate for an electric bicycle and he was just thrilled with the results. We used a low cost conversion kit that runs under $500.00 including the lead acid battery. Mark Stimson is one of the local experts on electrics and also a lot of fun to hang out with. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> For a small town like Fairfield the kit is perfect. Short trips and no big hills.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The students who participated in the conversion workshop also rode our bikes around and we saw lots of the 'electric bicycle grin' happening. And again, the list of uses for adding electrics to bicycle was lengthened by the ideas that the students had for how they could incorporate an electric bicycle into their lives. Since they are already focused on sustainability, it was great fun to see how quickly they understood the benefits of electric bicycles compared to cars for the short trips that so many people take every day. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">There was one woman who rides and electric bike and she described how she had become a prisoner to her life by limiting her willingness to go out on her regular bike (She has no car). Since getting her electric bike, she never hesitates to go out since she knows that getting there and back will be relatively easy. A true convert!</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I am still trying to identify and describe the Fairfield experience in a way that is easy to communicate. Part of the attraction is the sense of community that is very pervasive as well as the many intriguing people that we met. Also, the access to high quality, locally grown food and the awareness in the town about the need for increasing sustainable solutions is very attractive. Much of our experience was due to Stuart's long standing relationships in the community and his talent for attracting interesting people. He reminded both Catherine and I of some of the favorite people in our lives.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Another example of a sustainable idea, that is largely driven by Stuart, is a rather complex and elegant scheme that increases volunteerism and keeps money in the community. Stuart is working on setting up a program where volunteers will get credit applied to their credit cards from their local bank. The credits will not be cash but will be an alternative currency that will be honored by local businesses who will take the credits by offering discounts on products and services with the full retail value being paid by volunteer hour credits. So, for instance, a pizza might cost %70 of its retail price with the 30% remainder being paid by the credits the customer earned by working as a volunteer for Hospice. (Stuart explained that there is already a software program "Bling" that can handle the transaction I just described by simply having a bar code type sticker on the customer's cellphone!)</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In addition, only local banks will offer the service so eventually, the use of Visa and the like will be reduced. This will add to the creation of sustainable communities by keeping the cash in town. Very clever idea and very much the way Stuart's brain works.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">On Sunday night, when we got back from our conversion event at the Sustainable Living Coalition, here was a Welcome Party next door for new students at the Maharishi University. We went over to check it out and got to enjoy a group of young students taking turns performing music. It was great fun and reminded both Catherine and I of the type of activity common at Camp Unalayee gatherings that have enhanced the value of building community in our lives. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Very good stuff, this weekend. Rates right up there with our time on the Navajo Nation with Derrick Terry and the folks from The Grand Canyon Trust. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlVUGii3dcMkAyo-NCRWoivLZehpF8bD7bOqwT-MV8H2GWHbASd0YesuX1UX0N6IpRqXpNLE7F3ulcxYEX129Jh6NF4S5qPuuieceQoJZMxsBuwWD-1gClDGyYE0B94CtodWKTK7GCJR4/s1600/IMG_1420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlVUGii3dcMkAyo-NCRWoivLZehpF8bD7bOqwT-MV8H2GWHbASd0YesuX1UX0N6IpRqXpNLE7F3ulcxYEX129Jh6NF4S5qPuuieceQoJZMxsBuwWD-1gClDGyYE0B94CtodWKTK7GCJR4/s400/IMG_1420.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Wind powered Greenhouse blown out by a recent storm</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlVUGii3dcMkAyo-NCRWoivLZehpF8bD7bOqwT-MV8H2GWHbASd0YesuX1UX0N6IpRqXpNLE7F3ulcxYEX129Jh6NF4S5qPuuieceQoJZMxsBuwWD-1gClDGyYE0B94CtodWKTK7GCJR4/s1600/IMG_1420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvMiNNfzMwWoGPWFiOysoko-cZC0N96aTpq-gQQOrJ1MPZD-q-8EPwEiRdAFs80mSuhkiT5IWEaznVDiE4MGCZQNJDop6LgihQuTyg_y4t5qxamW04iQtkPAeiPKz3mJLqEZL3it5uZg/s1600/IMG_1423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvMiNNfzMwWoGPWFiOysoko-cZC0N96aTpq-gQQOrJ1MPZD-q-8EPwEiRdAFs80mSuhkiT5IWEaznVDiE4MGCZQNJDop6LgihQuTyg_y4t5qxamW04iQtkPAeiPKz3mJLqEZL3it5uZg/s400/IMG_1423.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Part of the greenhouse producing all organic produce</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvMiNNfzMwWoGPWFiOysoko-cZC0N96aTpq-gQQOrJ1MPZD-q-8EPwEiRdAFs80mSuhkiT5IWEaznVDiE4MGCZQNJDop6LgihQuTyg_y4t5qxamW04iQtkPAeiPKz3mJLqEZL3it5uZg/s1600/IMG_1423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiheeo7wfgAnAXoF2x5oVdaOkQhnaUuneiKEL0cCMpyJ_vNOg2-9Q6byfi2j5DTFRCdbhyyHP0WzQbd4Mh9GfOXxzMay3dkcNACSLnUeBy12cP_mxUkhRV3Zw49CM46BnwP4mCwu_s2OeU/s1600/IMG_1427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiheeo7wfgAnAXoF2x5oVdaOkQhnaUuneiKEL0cCMpyJ_vNOg2-9Q6byfi2j5DTFRCdbhyyHP0WzQbd4Mh9GfOXxzMay3dkcNACSLnUeBy12cP_mxUkhRV3Zw49CM46BnwP4mCwu_s2OeU/s400/IMG_1427.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The master organic farmer</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiheeo7wfgAnAXoF2x5oVdaOkQhnaUuneiKEL0cCMpyJ_vNOg2-9Q6byfi2j5DTFRCdbhyyHP0WzQbd4Mh9GfOXxzMay3dkcNACSLnUeBy12cP_mxUkhRV3Zw49CM46BnwP4mCwu_s2OeU/s1600/IMG_1427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjow1CZk2sS0EV7dddolDnUm2uF7kZuiGJIvOE-BpnZSqr8UAMtO2QDuL7FSHb_jVv7x4TfyQ6iE3PWTRIL9I6wfQQi_xbtufIDfrcwK6FTq8J54gkMRhylf6NskM-Tif24K1vSryhHzEg/s1600/IMG_1430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjow1CZk2sS0EV7dddolDnUm2uF7kZuiGJIvOE-BpnZSqr8UAMtO2QDuL7FSHb_jVv7x4TfyQ6iE3PWTRIL9I6wfQQi_xbtufIDfrcwK6FTq8J54gkMRhylf6NskM-Tif24K1vSryhHzEg/s400/IMG_1430.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Catherine and Stuart's wife Elin</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjow1CZk2sS0EV7dddolDnUm2uF7kZuiGJIvOE-BpnZSqr8UAMtO2QDuL7FSHb_jVv7x4TfyQ6iE3PWTRIL9I6wfQQi_xbtufIDfrcwK6FTq8J54gkMRhylf6NskM-Tif24K1vSryhHzEg/s1600/IMG_1430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xAu7crO_bgmUqrSRiYHw_I4tMsMM2O3VzzCpU1bUSLmrEv8LF3SRJU0IJDp_6j12RJM9tuJ0eLMH7JL9qzLOoqPwdk3Zn1PIrLQ9M_eyoqTtDWTU3-CESnBCCdFDl6iGdEvVYqeksRs/s1600/IMG_1434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xAu7crO_bgmUqrSRiYHw_I4tMsMM2O3VzzCpU1bUSLmrEv8LF3SRJU0IJDp_6j12RJM9tuJ0eLMH7JL9qzLOoqPwdk3Zn1PIrLQ9M_eyoqTtDWTU3-CESnBCCdFDl6iGdEvVYqeksRs/s400/IMG_1434.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Stuart and Elin's daughter Amanda with a crawdad</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xAu7crO_bgmUqrSRiYHw_I4tMsMM2O3VzzCpU1bUSLmrEv8LF3SRJU0IJDp_6j12RJM9tuJ0eLMH7JL9qzLOoqPwdk3Zn1PIrLQ9M_eyoqTtDWTU3-CESnBCCdFDl6iGdEvVYqeksRs/s1600/IMG_1434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0eRpbMTiDKV4XsBdedAl21yrI6zH1P7is3lpjQy-4x5647-diKr25jNTH9zEMyY4Qv2bFPYypCgHueqo7uj14XnlL-yrP8EOh-mBSCtHTqN1EDKHJJUNx2Tmfni-tlj14p0snT82FAIs/s1600/IMG_1448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0eRpbMTiDKV4XsBdedAl21yrI6zH1P7is3lpjQy-4x5647-diKr25jNTH9zEMyY4Qv2bFPYypCgHueqo7uj14XnlL-yrP8EOh-mBSCtHTqN1EDKHJJUNx2Tmfni-tlj14p0snT82FAIs/s400/IMG_1448.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sun setting over the Sustainable Living Coalition</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0eRpbMTiDKV4XsBdedAl21yrI6zH1P7is3lpjQy-4x5647-diKr25jNTH9zEMyY4Qv2bFPYypCgHueqo7uj14XnlL-yrP8EOh-mBSCtHTqN1EDKHJJUNx2Tmfni-tlj14p0snT82FAIs/s1600/IMG_1448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFeztIVnf5dQHA3xdLH4VasopXiGrJt12ycQqu849tRUQ4Jw59O-xinM_MWSn3HJICQKOBbEkprkpg4M4iFFoEe4vVuuwEZ4SFtREZPj71BvaXtEnd22pfjdqFw5VdRirwVrnfUE_9G8/s1600/IMG_1450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFeztIVnf5dQHA3xdLH4VasopXiGrJt12ycQqu849tRUQ4Jw59O-xinM_MWSn3HJICQKOBbEkprkpg4M4iFFoEe4vVuuwEZ4SFtREZPj71BvaXtEnd22pfjdqFw5VdRirwVrnfUE_9G8/s400/IMG_1450.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Stuart saying goodbye after escorting us out of town</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJ6q14b-N7BDIX4vJjV9GdwXRiqh2Le7YwKOPSUZzXVYFsruTuGfwuSJWD74CxsUuPo5j47JcquLGnwVR6O5VOQ2IIqL12yanB-nOk5ssLKyiVTNeDST1oS55HmL6jcF1UraOiU1B2Gs/s1600/IMG_1452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZhyG6cC3oV6tKngvp1MaxqfFW1iHl5NOYJIPevynDe9-EtvbX8xTwxzvq5_ahP3ualbdbuB2XCOo7EBQHCBHIdpcuaPW5fanphBo4ftPXVPMUcFfEkpIRlBSbeZJ1dPDrmA2v3TPIjuQ/s1600/IMG_1455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZhyG6cC3oV6tKngvp1MaxqfFW1iHl5NOYJIPevynDe9-EtvbX8xTwxzvq5_ahP3ualbdbuB2XCOo7EBQHCBHIdpcuaPW5fanphBo4ftPXVPMUcFfEkpIRlBSbeZJ1dPDrmA2v3TPIjuQ/s400/IMG_1455.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Getting ready to cross the muddy Mississippi</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZhyG6cC3oV6tKngvp1MaxqfFW1iHl5NOYJIPevynDe9-EtvbX8xTwxzvq5_ahP3ualbdbuB2XCOo7EBQHCBHIdpcuaPW5fanphBo4ftPXVPMUcFfEkpIRlBSbeZJ1dPDrmA2v3TPIjuQ/s1600/IMG_1455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdvb7fDMO8CLPSjQan2naTjPskqUDlfe_p_mVihfkdTrZ9OcvyJwiJf8TbhGc39HXGSkHYCU1cokBXyU_8iKpSqHiCAiFZOqC_EinF9m8kXeByMcO-lifBVrrbd4vCgxV_ixsmKdEzE2k/s1600/IMG_1785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdvb7fDMO8CLPSjQan2naTjPskqUDlfe_p_mVihfkdTrZ9OcvyJwiJf8TbhGc39HXGSkHYCU1cokBXyU_8iKpSqHiCAiFZOqC_EinF9m8kXeByMcO-lifBVrrbd4vCgxV_ixsmKdEzE2k/s400/IMG_1785.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Amish Farmers at the Farmer's Market</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdvb7fDMO8CLPSjQan2naTjPskqUDlfe_p_mVihfkdTrZ9OcvyJwiJf8TbhGc39HXGSkHYCU1cokBXyU_8iKpSqHiCAiFZOqC_EinF9m8kXeByMcO-lifBVrrbd4vCgxV_ixsmKdEzE2k/s1600/IMG_1785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Vs6kQ1Xw_v3uEQOmidH_IcvWyPP01-dnj4T0fAXA9ngL7DrvtrF0xrouf8N3zCLvLCLMJbWQJCj1ZjcYS4r7of3QAF0CZ1EXtUUi5MYWKJzCkY3fAthat7eYSgjmG2OLl5lKl1anBwU/s1600/IMG_1786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Vs6kQ1Xw_v3uEQOmidH_IcvWyPP01-dnj4T0fAXA9ngL7DrvtrF0xrouf8N3zCLvLCLMJbWQJCj1ZjcYS4r7of3QAF0CZ1EXtUUi5MYWKJzCkY3fAthat7eYSgjmG2OLl5lKl1anBwU/s400/IMG_1786.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One of Fairfield's cafe's</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Vs6kQ1Xw_v3uEQOmidH_IcvWyPP01-dnj4T0fAXA9ngL7DrvtrF0xrouf8N3zCLvLCLMJbWQJCj1ZjcYS4r7of3QAF0CZ1EXtUUi5MYWKJzCkY3fAthat7eYSgjmG2OLl5lKl1anBwU/s1600/IMG_1786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3Zlg15IL-1nYSI_kO8TIPOl29swdCQKLkZTJ26rnt-K70VDVhibyLGXRZNuUssgEmQ24OROPG6dR0twycG4lWzPdJaJVsk0cPsfqJjUokQHg_jcllhSLn58i-5iCR3Gd8VF6Ez7jzig/s1600/IMG_1802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3Zlg15IL-1nYSI_kO8TIPOl29swdCQKLkZTJ26rnt-K70VDVhibyLGXRZNuUssgEmQ24OROPG6dR0twycG4lWzPdJaJVsk0cPsfqJjUokQHg_jcllhSLn58i-5iCR3Gd8VF6Ez7jzig/s400/IMG_1802.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Riding on Fairfield's 17 mile trail</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3Zlg15IL-1nYSI_kO8TIPOl29swdCQKLkZTJ26rnt-K70VDVhibyLGXRZNuUssgEmQ24OROPG6dR0twycG4lWzPdJaJVsk0cPsfqJjUokQHg_jcllhSLn58i-5iCR3Gd8VF6Ez7jzig/s1600/IMG_1802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibEyfIp_rJ1b457CGeYDrUQIoWtLs6oobP_X2J-O15XRwKEzl-escfXdrjy6gnm3ql0mCvJeMwEQ5lC7R4bLr_Ct7sHqVbahMXz2LErdH-_gQ3ug3pCqRzs6nB1vdwA_MDqhkqxOfmw_0/s1600/IMG_1810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibEyfIp_rJ1b457CGeYDrUQIoWtLs6oobP_X2J-O15XRwKEzl-escfXdrjy6gnm3ql0mCvJeMwEQ5lC7R4bLr_Ct7sHqVbahMXz2LErdH-_gQ3ug3pCqRzs6nB1vdwA_MDqhkqxOfmw_0/s400/IMG_1810.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Scott Timm's bike ready for the conversion</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibEyfIp_rJ1b457CGeYDrUQIoWtLs6oobP_X2J-O15XRwKEzl-escfXdrjy6gnm3ql0mCvJeMwEQ5lC7R4bLr_Ct7sHqVbahMXz2LErdH-_gQ3ug3pCqRzs6nB1vdwA_MDqhkqxOfmw_0/s1600/IMG_1810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVD77vJzfC57JVOBNnZvXieZENuNLHWjg-sDQXRhF3ifdDIJLnz8c9TvfeGPXabzy68rW1X_qBQQUuSRfIntFRmz_EF1f_NgJk1yRvRZsE4XyAqIc8iWkFGXSTewStHSiESYslZ4aAYwA/s1600/IMG_1811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVD77vJzfC57JVOBNnZvXieZENuNLHWjg-sDQXRhF3ifdDIJLnz8c9TvfeGPXabzy68rW1X_qBQQUuSRfIntFRmz_EF1f_NgJk1yRvRZsE4XyAqIc8iWkFGXSTewStHSiESYslZ4aAYwA/s400/IMG_1811.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mark Stimpson ready for conversion action</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVD77vJzfC57JVOBNnZvXieZENuNLHWjg-sDQXRhF3ifdDIJLnz8c9TvfeGPXabzy68rW1X_qBQQUuSRfIntFRmz_EF1f_NgJk1yRvRZsE4XyAqIc8iWkFGXSTewStHSiESYslZ4aAYwA/s1600/IMG_1811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKtr4SvmU39jJ04gqRjd445SAZhTHVmwF-tf3HzHmkPsanDk8heTuw1HK7QXMQwDsWroSEAe34lv-FBTUsUeTzYuXWjaQbO5bKbPRignD9h0DskHA8AeFRnOiONF_taIZlkOJff_Jx50/s1600/IMG_1813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKtr4SvmU39jJ04gqRjd445SAZhTHVmwF-tf3HzHmkPsanDk8heTuw1HK7QXMQwDsWroSEAe34lv-FBTUsUeTzYuXWjaQbO5bKbPRignD9h0DskHA8AeFRnOiONF_taIZlkOJff_Jx50/s400/IMG_1813.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Oliver salvaging the front tire for use on the motorized front wheel</div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><br />
</span></span></div>The Green Ridershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00812811378202012353noreply@blogger.com0