Transportation Facts

Tonight I've been researching bike crash/ped stats on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website. The most recent data on crashes/fatalities is from 2008 and this document is fascinating. I recommend taking a look at both documents to educate yourself about who, where, why, what and when. I learned that most injuries happen between 5pm and 9 pm and during the months of June and September, occurring more frequently in urban areas and in non intersection locations.

This made me think that drivers may not be on the look out as much during summer break from school. It makes sense to me as a driver and a rider. I look forward to the breaks when I know kids won't be crossing or packed around the schools. It just makes for easier riding.

Things you can do to keep yourself safe: Be as bright and noticeable as possible. Wear a dayglo shirt, use a reflective vest, put lights on your wheels, on your handlebars and on your seat post. Keep those "uncool" reflectors on your wheels...they really do work. I know we cyclists want to show off our cool duds, tight jeans, swing tops, flip flops, stocking caps, ball caps, cute hats, fun hair, and everything else. Kind of like the kid who doesn't want to wear a coat to school when it's -10 cuz it just ain't cool. Really, what's cool is arriving alive and unscathed. Put on your brights, toot your "horn" so to speak and show that you want to be seen. Nothing screams "LOOK AT ME" like dayglo and reflective tape. You stick out like a sore thumb. That's much better than sticking out like a sore thumb under someone's bumper. I don't want that for myself and I certainly don't want it for my fellow riders OR drivers.

Let's all brighten up on these fall days. One worry about dayglo orange...you might call that urban camo right now with the colors of the leaves!

The Zombie Ride is coming up on October 31st (Happy Birthday MOM!) and plans are set to meet at Parilla Grill in Hyde Park(1512 N 13th St) at 11:30 for $1 Bloody Mary's. Dress up in your pretty zombie attire and get your freak on. I don't promise that it'll be super organized, but it will give you an excuse to get out with likeminded freaks and maybe scare some kids or something. This is a 21+ ride due to bar stops. Comment with any questions or visit the Boise Pretty Dress Ride Facebook page for more info.

Until we ride again, Ciao!

Road Runner, If he catches you...

Meep, meep! That's how I feel sometimes on my bike...small, sorta fast and almost invisible, even in my dayglo super reflective long sleeve shirt. I had six shirts on this morning. A record in my book, even from my coldest days on the bike before. I had forgotten to take off my work shirt before putting on my cycling clothes, then added my dayglo at the end for the hell of it. Poor work shirt...it was pretty sweaty when I arrived. Oh, and even in this shirt pictured here...which I really wear on the bike, people still have the damnedest time seeing me. I find that amazing.

So this day was a bad one for bikers in Boise, with another biker being hit out on State street in the Lake Harbor area. I looked for this bike/car crash on the Idaho Statesman, KTVB.com, KIVITV.com find no mention of it. I searched those sites for the accident that happened a few weeks ago at McMillan/Five Mile and find no mention of that either. I did find a story I missed about a cyclist being killed out in the far west part of Chinden back in August. Is anyone keeping a tally of these incidents? I did see where the founder of Penthouse mag died. Who gives a shit about that? Why can't we hear about what is happening to our peds and our riders?

It was a hairy day on the bike today and I feel like driving tomorrow. I had a nice encounter with a very new black Range Rover with a woman behind the wheel that doesn't understand how to use her rear view mirrors. Thank God I am looking for her. A white VW Jetta ran the red light at the four way ped cross at 8th/Bannock tonight. I heard him coming...being on the bike does this to your ears. Daren and I witnessed a high speed turn on a red light, just to get to another red light. Luckily no peds were stepping off the curb, no bikes were crossing. It was dark...they were lucky. I also had a very young cyclist cut me off...she's lucky I wasn't a car or she would have been run over.

I have a comment for my old pal from Craig's List: It turns out that there are plenty of "anus-faces" driving cars. I'm witnessing lack of use of turn signals, lack of headlights, broken taillights, failure to yield, excessive speed, running red lights, rolling through stops. Now, when I look at that list I see that I can do everything on that list with the exception of excessive speed.Turns out we are all anus faces if we don't follow the damn rules. Everybody, get a clue. Car driver, use your head and use your turn signal. I've been working on my intuition, but as of yet, I still have no clue what you are going to do. Also, when you wait for me to cross or yield to me near a crosswalk, I do appreciate that, but please do not do that. It pisses the drivers off behind you and I am prepared to wait until I can safely cross.

As usual, I'm posting pissed. I read the October 2010 National Geographic today about the Gulf spill. I'm sickened by our addiction to oil and petroleum products. Yes, I realize my tires, plastic parts, grease on my moving parts, etc, etc are from those products...but we've got to do something. When we have little straws all over the Gulf and in multiple places around the world, we look like hungry pigs sucking our planet dry. Can we each do one thing to reduce our need, our greed, our lust for oil? Name something you can do and do it. I challenge you.

Rain is on its way...we're running out of the last best days of this beautiful fall. Remember to slow down on these dark and dreary days, watch for bikes, motorcycles, kids going to school, peds and the purely clueless. They will appreciate it.

Until we ride again, Ciao!

Critical Mass 10/10/10

Ahh, after popular demand and like a bad rash, I'm back! Seems like life just took over and swept my writing under the carpet for a bit. I'll make no promises to be regular, just appropriate.

Today was a whirlwind of a day, starting out with a great ride to Big City Coffee for breakfast then home to prep for the Critical Mass ride celebrating 10/10/10 and 350.org world work party. There was a tree planted at Camels Back park and a bevy of bikes. We rode around downtown en masse which was fun and what I want to talk about today.

I've not been involved in any true critical mass bike rides, but thought I had read enough and heard enough to understand them so I was really looking forward to this ride. I learned a few things today and I'm not sure where I stand anymore. Being a huge bike safety advocate, I feel like a critical mass might not show the car drivers what we want them to see...riders who know how to share the road. When we're traveling down a three lane one way, I would expect us to stay in a clot for safety. Today there were several riders choosing to ride down any lane of the road and away from the main pack. This is just dangerous and makes drivers mad.

I researched critical mass on Wikipedia and learned the interesting term "corking" which is when one or more cyclists hold up traffic so that the pack can move through red lights and stop signs. Really I feel that it would be very powerful for a critical mass to move in a mass observing traffic laws and showing the car driver that we really do respect our DUAL right to the road. I'm conflicted. Do we stand up and shake our fists or sit down and just do the right thing, hoping for the best.

No one heard much about the cyclist that got hit two weeks ago. The rider was traveling westbound on McMillan and was hit by an eastbound car turning left. The rider suffered a broken neck and has spatial paralysis at this time. He does have some limited movement of the limbs but no one is sure of what will happen. Why wasn't this in the news?

This crash rattled me and I've been extra cautious on the road. If only we had eyes in the back of our head! Here's one thing that recently happened to me...I was riding south on Americana and have no recollection if I was passed by this car or came up on this car, but whatever the matter, I was on its left side when it stopped to allow peds to cross...but not me to scoot around. At first I was mad, then I realized, I might be wrong. If I were to come up on a car waiting to turn, I have to yield to the car, no matter that there's a bike lane there. If they came up on me, then of course they should yield to me. Some of us have probably experienced the rider coming up on the left when we are making a turn and have had them shake a fist or yell to watch out. But these cyclists, if they're coming up on a car waiting to turn, need to also wait for the car to turn...as you would if you were driving the car yourself. It is important to think these things...it will help you reach your destination safely.

You may not agree with me tonight and that's okay. I'm again enjoying my freedom of speech and you should too.

I made it in the Sunday paper today and you can find my article here.

Until we ride again, Ciao!

Hot enough for ya?

Record heat, me wearing my standard gear of jeans on the bike. Yeah, it was hot enough.

Saw a couple of commuters on my way home today and it felt like I was riding in a pack for a bit...I might have to try to leave the office before 5:30 more often. I came out to a flaccid tire tonight and after the 4 flats we got on the WRT I wasn't really relishing changing another so soon. Seems to be holding air so far but we shall see the truth in the morning.

Tonight I satisfied my stupid side and read some of the rants/raves on Craigslist Boise. Gawd, people need to get a life. (including me...) Of course I'm always looking for the posts on bikers and the sour attitudes that come from the driving community around here. Sure enough, I was not disappointed and I was lucky to read a wonderfully informed post about how I should get my candy@$$ on the sidewalk instead of riding on the road. Also that we cyclists look ridiculous in our skin tight shorts and wind breaker helmets. Let me tell you something Mister Car Driver...I wear my damn helmet in case of an accident just like you wear your seat belt. And you know what? Those tight shorts have pads to keep my buns from getting sore and they're tight so I don't get chafe on my legs from the material moving. So besides looking stupid, they serve a purpose, just like a bib does on foolish mental idiots like yourself. Drooling your drivel out on Craig'sList and hoping for a bite...and here you get me.

I'm a bike rider. I always have been. I was lucky enough to have parents that saw the value of a bike as entertainment, exercise, freedom and everything else. I grew up riding on gravel out in the country and some may call me a backwoods hippie, greenie, earth momma or whatever, but I'll tell you something, I am not going to be fully responsible for the desecration of this earth that using up every last bit of oil will do. I want to be part of the solution. If you, Mr. Car Driver, rode a bike 2 x a week instead of driving your vehicle, you might reduce your chances of a heart attack (unlikely because of the alarming way that cars fly around you and disregard you), reduce chances of diabetes, reduce your carbon footprint, reduce your wear and tear on the road, reduce your stress level (also unlikely because people like you will be writing about how much you suck or how ridiculous you look.), reduce your world view to that which is right in front of you. This last reduction strikes a cord with me for sure. I've reduced my view so much, and in turn expanded my hope for a change. It's hard to be on the bike every day. What if I didn't have a choice? What if this was the only way to get my kids to school or to my job? What if I am on my way to the hospital to see a dying friend and it's the only way to get there? Do you think you are the only one on the road with a human life, something to move, or someone to care about? It turns out that I'm riding to my JOB everyday and not because I got a DUI, but because I choose to. I have the right to be there.

OK, obviously this post on Craigslist struck a cord. Here's the actual text from the posting:

SHARE THE ROAD does not just mean cars have to get out of YOUR way! If there's a lot of traffic, MOVE YOUR ASSES TO THE SIDEWALK! Bully for you for going green and helping the environment, but the rest of us are trying to get to work, moving furniture, or maybe visiting a family member in the hospital. And we want to be able to do it without nearly running you over or getting in a wreck because you are hogging the fucking lane. Your holier-than-thou behavior means jack shit. How do you think your bicycle ended up in the shop where you bought it anyway? It got here by truck, not by bike, so MOVE! And remember, traffic laws also apply to you, so wait for the light, anus-face. Also, unless you are in an actual race, or training for one, take off those ridiculous spandex "look at me" biking outfits and wind-reducing helmets. You look like a fucking moron, and there's no need to get into your full bicycle regalia to make a quarter-mile trip to the Hollywood Market for cigarettes and Gatorade.

I certainly appreciate our right to freedom of speech which I have also exercised here. I only hope that somehow, some way, we can each realize that we do not know one another's circumstances. So next time you see me on my bike, realize that I have a beating heart like you, that I want the same thing as you. I'm not trying to take away your right to drive a car, so why are you trying to take away mine to ride a bike?

Until we ride again...and I'll be watching for you, Ciao!

Oh, and I'm not an "anus face." ;-)

Weiser River Trail, part deux

We just returned from our second trip to the Weiser River Trail (WRT) where we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. This trip found us starting at the Cambridge trail head which is near the fairgrounds. We drove up on Friday evening and spent the night at the Frontier Motel for $62. Our room was right on the highway, so it was a little noisy, but otherwise, just fine.

Saturday we got ourselves ready and had a hearty breakfast at Bucky's Cafe and Motel (good) then got to the trail head by about 9 a.m. There we found a local bike-a-thon and lots of little kids on bikes heading out on the trail to raise money for an unknown to me cause. It was fun to see them all take off laughing and squealing and it set the mood for the day.

Our goal this time was not set in stone, though we had an idea of going to the hot springs that we saw on our forest service map about 30 miles north. The morning's ride from Cambridge to Council was a wonderful 20 miles with a few interesting incidents. First off, my front disc brake was rubbing and it seemed nothing we would do to adjust would stop it. I finally decided to just "go with it" and figured I'd get an extra workout if it got really bad. We had stopped about 4 miles into the ride to make the last adjustment when out of the brush burst a red tailed fox who scrambled up the hill and out of sight before I could get much more than "hey, fox" out of my mouth. A few miles further a large owl swooped out of a tree and flew right across our path. I'd never seen an owl fly so fast and wondered if it was on the hunt.

At mile 10.5 we came upon an elk carcass that was over the bank by the river. It had not been disturbed but was bloated and fragrant...we pedaled on quickly. There are many bridges and gates on this section of the trail and it is just beautiful. So many more trees and wildlife than below Cambridge. We stopped at Goodrich and saw the old school pictured here. There were lots of cows around, but not much else.Shortly after this stop, Daren got the first flat of the trip, caused by our good old friend, puncture vine, AKA the Goathead. We hate these things...there's a Facebook group here in Boise called Goathead Avengers and they've got the right idea, get rid of them! We really only saw three plants on the whole trip, but it seems that their nasty seeds traveled with us, for Daren got another flat when we were in Council...which then set another mood for the trip...not such a pleasant one.

Unsure of what our true destination was, we pushed on after having lunch in the middle of town next to some old Case steam engines.

We rode through Fruitvale which was like riding through the apple store...it was so fragrant and there were apples everywhere you looked. We found out that Fruitvale used to have many orchards providing fruit for this area, but when Washington starting growing apples and producing fruit before the Idaho growers could, it shifted the focus away from this area. Many, many fruit trees remain and you can see bear scat everywhere. There are a lot of black bears in this area, though none made themselves known to us. It was still a bit unnerving.

We finally saw 4 other bikers on the trail headed south who had come from the Tamarack mill and were on their way to Council. It was nice to see someone else out there. We asked them about the hot springs but they had not seen anything. We pedaled on. It was getting near 4 pm and we still had no clear place to camp. We decided to push on "just around the corner" (3 times...) and finally came upon Starkey.

This is quite the place with quite a story. A quick search finds that this property is for sale...but read carefully, the current owner will keep part of this property and limit the commercial development of it. We looked at the manicured lawn with its fire ring and open areas and recognized it for what it truly had been in the past...a camping area and resort. Unfortunately we were not welcome, as there were many no trespassing signs post everywhere you looked. Not even a nod or hello came from the two folks we saw there and I was confused to say the least. Defeated, we turned around and rode back to Council. On the way there we jumped onto Highway 95 at Fruitvale to save our buns on this 41 mile day. I manage to get a pinch flat on my rear tire in a road construction area and about went over the edge of the road. We hobbled back into town looking for a place to stay and found the Hodges RV Park.


Hodges doesn't have a website, but they have the best RV/tent camping right off the WRT. We paid $20 for a nice tent site in the lawn with a picnic table and got hot showers as well! What a wonderful treat. The owners Irene Schuerkamp and Malcolm Hodges have thought of all the details. Irene shared stories of the area with us, including the story of the Starkey Hot Springs which has been pretty contentious for some time. Apparently the current owners are not happy about the foot/horse/bike traffic that the WRT brings to their exclusive resort. Gosh, what a bummer. It would be the PERFECT way point for travelers on the WRT. Imagine a wonderful place to camp or a cabin to rent, a hot shower, a great soak for tired bones in the natural hot spring pool. Being a hot spring lover, this made me want to cry. It could be so much. Be sure to click on the link above and read about this 2 million dollar property.

Irene and Malcolm are selling the Hodges RV Park for $150K. It has five acres and comes with the full RV park as well as the house and all outbuildings. I'm not sure of the number of hookups there are but it seems like a lot. Malcolm has cancer and is not well. He is being treated with chemo right now, but Irene isn't sure what the next year will bring and they'd like to simplify. This is a great spot for the right person. We felt melancholy leaving this morning after visiting with Irene and hearing about these significant times. We wish her and Malcolm the very best and hope they are back RV'ing sometime soon. She did share that many cyclists who are traveling across the US stop there and we recommend you do to0. It's the nicest RV park we've been to.

Our anniversary evening was spent with a bag of burgers and fries from the burger place right on the highway in Council (I forgot the name), two oilcans of Heineken and a single size sparkling wine. We played a short game of cribbage and were too tired to continue. The moon was nearly full and we were lulled to a fitful sleep by barking dogs, howling coyotes and a band off in the distance.

Traveling back today we scared a coyote out of the brush and he made a mad dash down the trail ahead of us then disappeared. Lots of cows were around and again lots of bear sign. At the 10.5 mile point we came upon that dead elk and scared off a scavenger. We're still not sure if it was a wolf or coyote. The carcass had been drug around and it was 100% different than the day before. Needless to say, I wanted to bust out of there and made it known to Daren we were leaving NOW! (I'm a big chicken.)

The rest of the trip into Cambridge was uneventful and bird sightings were our only excitement. The morning was beautiful and the leaves are turning. It's hard to believe that fall is here already. And it's hard to believe that we still have one more trip to make before we complete the WRT. I'm not sure when we'll get to this last section as the weekends are busy from now until mid November. Perhaps the spring will see us at Fruitvale riding to to New Meadows and back.

The WRT is a very special place that you should see. Put this on your to-do list, I promise you'll find something you like.

Until we ride again, Ciao.

News Flash!

I was just forwarded an email that outlines AAA's push to move funding for biking, trails and walking and put it toward the highway system. They blame a budget shortfall in the highway system on funding programs like the rails to trails conservancy and many other programs designed to provide safe trails and roadways for alternative modes of transportation. You can read a synapsis of AAA's viewpoint here.

Please take a minute to make your opinion known at the Rails to Trails Conservancy website. You can send a message in just a few seconds letting AAA know that you want the funding to stay right where it is. If it is taken away, it will be very difficult to get funding from another place.

Remember, AAA stands for American Automobile Association and they represent the car. They do not represent you cyclists, walkers, or packers. Let your voice be heard and VOTE!

Until we ride again, Ciao!

Feels like Monday...

Boy was it tough to get out the door today. I just wanted to get in a car and drive to Papa's Cup O Joe and then to work. Alas, I have taken a vow to ride the bike and that I will!

Today was interesting as I started to feel the tension on my bike that I usually feel in my car. The worst part of my northbound commute is at 16th and Main where three lanes converge to two and the bike lane crosses the turn lane. I once got in an accident right in this intersection, hitting a gal who ran a red light and demolishing her little red car with my little blue Honda Civic wagon. The wagon lost a bit of bumper, but withstood the crash quite well...not so for the red car. So today at that very same intersection, some dumb guy in a white mini van came within about two feet of yours truly and I slammed on the brakes. The guy in the truck that the van was cutting off laid on the horn and we had ourselves a car showdown. As the innocent biker here, I was left shaking my fist and reserving the finger, just in case the van wanted to lie in wait for me down the road. (must always think of these things first before taking action.)

It just reminds me of being in the car...no wonder really since I'm riding along with the cars on my bike. If only more people would bike. I felt so frustrated on the way home thinking about this. Why can't it be that way? Why can't we plan our lives a little better and slow down? As I suck in the exhaust tainted air I wonder what our children will do. What will air be when they are my age?

If I can inspire one or two people to get on their bikes a couple of times a week, I am successful. If each one of you can inspire someone to ride a few times a week, that is great. It only takes one match to start a fire. Are you that match?

We are doing the second leg of the Weiser River Trail this weekend and celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary. The weather report looks good and we are excited! In about three weeks we hope to be participating in the Muddy Buddy race in Estacada, Oregon...look this up...it looks fun!

Jerry Joseph is playing at Alive After Five on tomorrow. If you are in Boise, get yourself down to the Grove!

Until we ride again, Ciao

Counting Cars

For the past two days I have volunteered for the Ada County Highway District (ACHD) counting bikes at two different intersections here in Boise. I thought it sounded fun and it was, but it was also enlightening.

The first day found me sitting at Americana/Latah/Emerald relaxing in the shade of the big trees on the edge of Morris Hill Cemetery. It was a lovely way to spend 2 hours watching for cyclists and inevitably counting more than bikes. (I started counting people on cell phones and lost track very quickly.)

Today I was at Vista/Overland and my gosh, what a difference. Cars, cars, cars and hardly any peds or bikes. Here's a photo of the view from my bench:
You can see the biker there...one of the very few that I saw at this intersection. The photo makes it look nice, but I want to share with you what I ended up thinking about this particular place.

It seems to me that this particular intersection represented a socioeconomic difference from wherever I had been before. There were the obvious people coming from the airport in some amazing cars, but mostly there were a lot of work vehicles, junky cars and loose hubcaps. So many cars went by with jangling bits and I started to really look at the driver...are they deaf? Is this some sort of music to them?

Obviously we live in a car centric society. Nothing could be more obvious when you count the cars at the stoplight as 9, see 10 occupants in these vehicles and can count 48 available seats! Ok, I'm not kidding, 48 seats. That really opened my eyes and I got to thinking, what if we were all on bikes or walking? We would then hear the wind in the trees instead of seeing the wind blowing. We would hear the birds sing...I saw/heard not a one at this intersection.

It was also obvious that it is much more efficient to ride a bike. You can really move. You can go places cars cannot. I watched bikes take different routes than I would have thought and it made me want to explore this city on my bike. Where can't I go? (there are places I won't go for sure)

An interesting observation at one point leads me to believe that the louder the stereo, the crappier the car. At one point there were 3 dudes at the stoplight with their windows down and stereos competing for best bass line. All were loud and sounded clean...all cars were crap. All were young men. Can we draw any conclusions here? I'm sure you might have one or two.

What this counting experience made me realize is the my belief in a car free existence is becoming solid. There are more and more bikes out there and more cars too. When you are on the bike, there's nothing like it. The wind in your face, the cool of the morning and heat of the afternoon. There's the subtle nod from fellow commuters...yes, I know how you feel they seem to say and Good Job for doing it anyway. The view from the bike is great. I've seen deer where I never knew there were any and all sorts of interesting things.

I encourage you, reader and potential rider, to get on your bike one time next week and ride to work. It may change your life.

Until we ride again, Ciao!

Two wrongs don't make a right, but three rights make a left.

Wow, what a commute I had this morning. Here's a little about my ride. I leave the house somewhere between 7:15 (on a good day) and 7:30. it takes me just about 1/2 hour to travel the 5.25 miles to my office and it is all street riding. Most of the way there are bike lanes and I also go through a lot of residential and a school zone.

In this school zone today, I was almost hit twice by drivers making a left turn onto the street I was on. My street is a through street, theirs, side streets. One man in a mini van had windows so fogged over, I don't know how he got out of his parking space. The other car, a sedan, had two kids in the back and one in the front who ALL saw me, but their adult driver did not. In both of these situations I stopped my bike and made eye contact with the driver before proceeding. The gentleman was genuinely shocked when he rolled down his window and saw me. The lady, well she seemed unimpressed. Let me tell you something driver: I AM RIGHT HERE. WATCH ME. I have every right to be on the road just like you do. I take precautions to keep myself safe. I look, I watch for YOU, I choose routes that aren't heavily traveled, I wear bright clothes (and believe me, I truly love black, so wearing yellow isn't fun for me.) Do me a favor and look harder, look twice, move slowly, make eye contact. USE YOUR TURN SIGNALS. I cannot guess what you are going to do. (nor can other drivers around you.)

On a much lighter note, I want to send props out to Tumbleweed Boutique in Portland, OR. I made a stop there last October to pick up some amazing over the knee socks and found, to my delight, many other items perfect for a gal like me. Over the knee (OTK) socks are a fun alternative to standard cycling socks when paired with short pants or skirts in the cooler weather. I wanted to keep my legs warm and not wear tights all of the time. the OTK sock keeps the leg and knee warm and looks stylish at the same time. Some of my favorite sock makers are Sweet Marcel and Sock It To Me. In the dead of winter you're going to need a wind stopper knee, but for fall riding, these socks ROCK! Get some! And one more smart foot tip for the bike: put a sandwich baggie oer your toes before you put your shoes on (on top of your socks.) This acts as a wind barrier and will keep you many degrees warmer without spending a boatload on booties. Of course, booties, in the dead of winter are necessary and coupled with the baggies you should stay pretty comfortable.

Until we ride again, Ciao!

Some Days

Well the threat of rain so far has only been a threat, but the panniers are loaded with gear. I'm ready! Yesterday I counted 15 bikers on my way to work! That was a record. I still don't see many riders once I cross Overland though. On Monday I'll be attending a meeting to learn about the Ada County Highway District bike count that I'll be participating in on Tuesday and Wednesday. I'll be located at Vista/Overland on one afternoon and Emerald/Latah/Americana on another afternoon for 2 hours. I'll be counting the commuters which should be interesting in those areas.

One thing that I pass every day on my ride is the Corpus Christi House which is a daytime homeless shelter. I see the same people there every day, some on bikes, some with cars, some just walking and I wonder about their lives. A bike seems indispensable for someone without the means to buy gas. You can put a trailer on it, load it down and ride it anywhere. You can cross a nation, a continent, a simple street by your own volition. I wish I had my camera today as I saw a lady on an old mountain bike pulling an awesome home-built trailer. It had BMX wheels and what looked like varnished 1 x 2's. It was almost like a giant Radio Flyer wagon and looked like you could haul most anything. I'm proud of the ingenuity of us humans!

I wanted to drive today so badly. I could imagine the comfort of the seat, the thrill of power behind the gas pedal, the good thumping stereo and the roof over my head. Then I thought of my workmate, Ben, who is currently without anything but his bike and my pledge to ride as much as I can. I put on my helmet cover, grabbed my panniers and headed out. To make the morning better I swung into Alia's Coffee House (which doesn't have a website, but does have a Facebook) for a cup o'joe and a bagel. Always delicious and Sheri knows my coffee AND my name. Stop in if you get a chance.

Boise's Pretty Dress Ride inaugural ride will be on Sunday at 10, meeting at Big City Coffee.
That's in the Linen District. It should be a bit of fun, though I might be over my head with this big idea! We'll see.

Until we ride again, Ciao!

Just one more thing tonight

It is curious that with the advent of the automobile and the airplane, the bicycle is still with us. Perhaps people like the world they can see from a bike, or the air they breathe when they're out on a bike. Or they like the bicycle's simplicity and the precision with which it is made. Or because they like the feeling of being able to hurtle through air one minute, and saunter through a park the next, without leaving behind clouds of choking exhaust, without leaving behind so much as a footstep. ~Gurdon S. Leete

This is exactly what I think!

Cheers to all who ride!

I found this fun photo on the web. It's a little racy...but hey, we are all human here right?

A big cheers to all of you cyclists big and small, young and old, men and women. It's hard work competing the big cars and trucks out there. Today I'm reminded every which way I look that the car rules the world. I'm thankful for my bike lanes, but I love that the car lanes aren't littered with cans and sticks and even a PILLOW this morning! Ah well, that's life on the bike.

Another interesting thought today as I was passed by a "bike" with a motor on it.Now, do you call this a bike or??? and there's no license plate on it, but it's got a motor and a gas tank. So this one left me thinking for the ride back to work at lunch. I'm riding a bike to use less gas, make less of a dent on the environment and get a little workout to boot. Here's this guy going merrily along and I should say loudly along and I felt a little peeved about that. What do you say?

My legs are still tired from the WRT ride and a fun mountain bike ride on Monday morning with my good pal Sheri D. We did the classic freeway loop with chickadee ridge, then made our way over to Java in Hyde Park for a delicious coffee. It was a cool morning, perfect for riding, unlike the blasting hot from the days before. What a difference a day makes.

Let us all remember to look both ways before we cross and look twice, it may save a life.

OH, and I'm thinking of starting a Pretty Dress Sunday Ride here in Boise. Let me know what you think! I'll be posting this on Facebook too.

Until we ride again, Ciao!

Weiser River Trail

Well we made it back from the Weiser River Trail. What can I say but...ouch. Everything seems a little bit sore. We loaded the B.O.B up with our tent/sleeping bags/tools/misc and our panniers with clothes and food, then hit the trail.

The Weiser River Trail is really something to behold. We started just below the Presley trail head at the Galloway Dam area which has no services and limited parking. If you start from Weiser, make the drive to the Presley station which is 6 miles from town and just a short bit up from Galloway Dam. There are restrooms, ample parking and a very nice water pump that gives you fresh cold water and a nice view of the river.

Day one found us starting at 1:17 p.m. which is significant only for the fact that it was going to be 90 this day and was truly an awful time to start. There's really no shade all the way to Midvale so we had some miserable miles on the bikes. The surface of the trail is rather rough, being big gravel all the way. At about mile 8 from Galloway, there's a nice picnic area on the right side which is right on the river and affords a bit of shade. We devoured our sandwiches from the Boise Co-op and soaked a couple of bandannas. I recommend not taking your bike down to this area as there really isn't much of a trail and there's a lot of grass.

From there we slowly headed north pausing here and there to catch a break. Don't let the flat appearance deceive you, it is uphill all the way. We found simple joy in the little tiny downhills that we could find. I asked Daren if this was the southern end of Hell's Canyon since I certainly had the feeling I had entered the oven of hell. (Yes, it was hot.) There is A LOT of poison ivy along the river so finding somewhere to jump in was difficult but we finally found a spot about 4 miles south of Midvale where we stripped to the birthday suits and jumped in. A well deserved treat.

We came out of the canyon and into the farmlands outside of Midvale where I proceeded to run over a big snake. Yuck. We pulled into Midvale at 5:5o...which is also significant because the grocery store there closes at 6. We zipped in with minutes to spare and bought two ice cold waters, then hosed off in the park. There are lots of water spigots in that park so you can refill...and we were nearly out of water, each carrying 100 oz. !!

8 miles later and we pulled into Cambridge where the annual bluegrass festival was going on. We rode into town and had a burger at Bucky's at 7:50..which is again significant because Bucky's closes at 8. (I call that by the skin of our teeth!) Full and happy and carrying two oilcans of Heineken, we made our way 3 miles north to Mundo Idaho RV/trailer/tent/hostel. The tent area is also the RV area I believe and was right near the road and the hostel. The shower was a welcome relief after a fierce battle with hoards of mosquitoes that seemed hell-bent on sucking the rest of the life out of us. I ended up with more than thirty bites and my legs currently resemble some sort of pox ridden swollen sticks. We stayed in the bathroom to finish our brews, then scrambled for our shelter. Exhausted that we were, sleep was hard to come by.

Waking up from our short sleep, we realized that the northern sections of the trail were out of our current reach. Daren's IT band flared up and our spirits were a bit low. We decided to turn back home. After reading the map (and mostly trying to avoid as much rough riding as possible) we took back roads all the way to Midvale which was about 13 miles from Mundo. It was great fun and we saw lots of farms, animals and people and even had one horse go absolutely nuts when it saw us. It was running and bucking and making lots of noise. It occurred to me that only it's Pavlovian relationship with the fence kept it from charging us. Horses are such good jumpers, I felt kind of sorry for it that it just didn't jump and run for it's life!

That was really the last truly pleasant bit of the day as we made our way back down to the car. It was a long 35 miles and very hot again, though we started around 8:30 a.m. The best part of the end? That Presley station and the water spigot which is right on the trail. That water is so cold and so fresh, we soaked our heads and bandannas and pedaled the last mile to the car much refreshed. By my odometer we had ridden 69.54 miles...not too bad for our first self supported overnight trip. Daren was the super trooper as his IT band cut him no slack all the way, but he made it.

What lessons did we learn? Start early. Hook the pins on the bob the correct way. Attitude is everything. ssstttrrrreetttchhh.

The WRT is quite fun overall and we intend to return at the end of September to ride from Cambridge to Rubicon. This is the beginning of the big stuff for us as we prepare for the ride from Anchorage to Boise next year. At the same time it seems possible and impossible and overall incredibly exciting. Bike trekking is the thing for me.

Until we ride again...and the buns aren't so sore, Ciao!

DARKWAD! Don't be one!

Ha! I bet that got your attention! What the bleep is a darkwad? Someone who rides at night with no light. Having just returned from the grocery store on a dark and warm night, we were able to spot at least 10 riders without any lights on their bikes.

We assume that because we bikers can see other bikers and the cars too, that they can see us as well. Not true! Working for eye doctors for the past 16 years has given me some insight into vision problems that most people aren't aware of. First of all...a lot of old drivers might have cataracts...and a cataract gives you cloudy vision. At night if headlights shine directly into a cataract eye, the light is scattered and can make it so the person only sees the glare of the light and nothing else...including YOU darkwad! Also, a lot of people don't wear their glasses...you can imagine what this must mean! They don't see you at night!

Moral of this story is this: If you want to save your life at night, put some lights on your bike. It's the best thing you can do to save your own skin.

Tomorrow we start our ride on the Weiser River Trail. We'll have pictures and stories on Monday. Try to get out on your bike this weekend. Your legs and lungs will love you for it!

Until we ride again, Ciao!

Mariah, I call you wind....

It starts out as rain in the very early morning, overcast all day, then sun finishes the afternoon. Alas, leaving work, the wind hits me in the face and I think, gosh, my panniers are full...and there begins the slog home with a full load.

It's all worth it though. I still feel exhilarated from the ride home. Since it was Alive After Five in Boise tonight, I had to stop in. If you haven't heard The Budos....well, you need to look them up. What a fantastic 9 piece funk band! I feel lucky to have seen them. And that it was AA5 night, there were bikes everywhere! I haven't ridden on the greenbelt in a while and I was so glad to see so many bikers out there. I'll have to say, the commute is a lonely one...though I did see one guy this morning.

Nothing crazy good or crazy bad to report and I'm glad for that truly.

Until we ride again, Ciao!

Wrong Side! :o

Wonder of all wonders! Those cyclists who ride on the wrong side thinking they are right. Today I just about got hit by a gal who was riding up on the wrong side of a side street and proceeded to turn right in front of me...and she tells ME to watch out! Uh yeah, right. Of course I'm going to avoid you crazy cigarette smoking cyclist lady! I like my skin and my bike too much to donate to your cause!

Which brings me to what I'm thinking about today: Educating the cyclist. There are still so many misconceptions about where you should ride your bike. With traffic, against traffic, stopping, not stopping. If one actually reads Idaho code, it says this:

49-717. POSITION ON HIGHWAY.

1. Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway at less than the normal speed of traffic at the time and place and under the conditions then existing shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway except under any of the following situations:
   (a) When overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle proceeding in the same direction.
   (b) When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.
   (c) When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions including fixed or moving objects, parked or moving vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards or substandard width lanes that make it unsafe to continue along the right-hand curb or edge.
   
2. Any person operating a bicycle upon a one-way roadway with two (2) or more marked traffic lanes may ride as near the left-hand curb or edge of the roadway as practicable.

Ok, so I'm reading this and thinking anyone should know what side to ride on. Well, is it actually clear? Reading number one I see it saying riding on the ride hand curb OR the edge of the roadway...but not right-hand roadway. Do you think it makes a difference? Oh wait...do you think anyone even reads this except a biker with a beef?

Seriously though, all people should have to have training to ride on the road and also training on how to drive around bike riders. My new commuting route from Americana to Canal via Latah, Nez Perce and Shoshone leads me to believe this more than ever before.

I'll be taking part in a bike count for an Ada County study in mid September. I've volunteered for my actual commute as I'm curious to see who's doing that one too. Hopefully more than I think.

Until we ride again, Ciao!

Logging the Miles

Off and riding, that's me today! Yesterday I put on the new computer (wireless) and have logged 10.5 miles. If that's what I did today, I currently have about 70 miles on the bike. It's such a nice ride. In fact, tonight when I got on my mountain bike, it felt very strange. Normally getting on my mountain bike is like sitting in the back seat of a Cadillac...cushy and great. Today I felt stretched out!

One thing I love about the Black Sheep is the perfect geometry. It's so well balanced, I can stand at a stoplight and balance without much trouble at all. It also came with a Brooks Imperial saddle. I've never ridden on a Brooks as I always thought they looked like some sort of torture device. Much to my surprise, it is as comfortable as my Terry Butterfly...probably even more so.

We put the B.O.B trailer on my mtn bike tonight to test it out. This weekend we'll be riding the Weiser river trail and formally beginning our training schedule for next year's trip to Alaska. The WRT is about 164 miles round trip, and no, we haven't trained for this distance at all, so we're going to take it easy. We'll be towing the B.O.B with the tent and our sleeping bags, as well as food/cookware, etc. It's on my bike now, but I think we'll be switching back and forth to be fair.

A little bit about Alaska: We've got a tandem Cannondale (MT800) sitting in storage in Anchorage and we plan to fly up next summer and ride it back to Boise. For the first time ever we're going to take a leave of absence from work...for two entire months. I'm so excited about that, I can hardly stand it. We'll be doing part of the trip on the Alaska Marine Highway boats so it won't all be riding. As we've only been on a tandem twice at this point, we need some practice miles and are trying to find a bike to borrow once in a while here in Boise. We shall see.

The commute today reminds me of why I do it...decompression from a yucky day at work. I wish more people did it...we'd all be in better moods.

Until we meet again, ciao. Ride on!

Minor Notoriety

Welcome to my blog! i decided to start this one because of recent events in my life and I wanted share them with everyone.

Last weekend (August 21, 2010) I won the car trader contest for New Belgium Brewings' Tour de Fat. I traded my 1992 VW Jetta for a 2010 Black Sheep commuter bike, and no, I don't get my car back, ever.

This past week my car went to Vehicles for Charity and will be auctioned. 60% of the sale stays with Vehicles for Charity and 40% comes back to the Southwest Idaho Mtn Biking Assn or SWIMBA. I'm very happy with this arrangement and hope that my car fetches a bit to help these folks out. My old commuter bike has been parted out somewhat, with the wheels and tires going to my husbands bike so he now can switch wheels to commute to work instead of riding the knobbies. The frame and components I intend to donate to the Boise Bicycle Project as there is much about my bike that will still benefit someone. Overall this is great for a lot of folks not just me.

So why did I start the blog? Well I'm starting to feel like a pariah if I step into a vehicle and drive. Besides managing an eye surgery center, I'm a handcrafter and we had a show yesterday that was a couple of miles from my house. For the shows we must have a tent, tables, displays, our wares (which for me includes hula hoops), etc, etc...all in all, a very heavy and cumbersome load. I drove. What that got me was a bit of flak from someone who recognized me and asked me how the bike was. I told him and I also told him that I had driven to the show. He then proceeded to give me a hard time about that and I'm still feeling, 24 hours later, crappy about that interchange.

Today I DROVE to REI to pick up a new sleeping bag and miscellaneous parts for my bike, then Home Depot for pipe, Michael's Crafts for supplies and headed home. At REI I was asked, because of my purchases, if I was a commuter and I volunteered my status as the car trader, then told her I drove today to their store. She was quite nice and congratulatory and talked about some volunteer opportunities. What a difference...and to not be chided for driving.

When commuting by bike, if you are a new commuter or an old one with a brand new bike, you are going to have some growing pains. On my new bike I cannot fit my old panniers on the rear as there's no rear mounting system. My old rear-view mirror would not fit on my new handle bars. I now have solutions to both of those issues and will have a nicer ride to work tomorrow. One other thing about winning a bike is this: If you weren't planning on winning,but had appointments across town and suddenly you don't have your car, what do you do? (I drove to that appointment and subsequently am looking for a new doctor that is within a reasonable riding distance)

I'll be writing more on this blog, giving you the tales of my days on the bike. It is a great honor to be a car trader and I have a great opportunity to set an example of what can be done by bike.

Until we ride again, ciao