Bikes and Buses are Beautiful: Parade SUCCESS!

The Walla Walla Fair Parade took over downtown streets this Saturday morning. As I rolled through the parade line-up looking for my contingent, I felt a small smirk lift up my cheeks. Truck, truck, SUV, truck, Semi-truck, truck, hummer, SUV limo, truck.. then BICYCLES, lots of beautiful BICYCLES.

I welcomed a cheer as I arrived, since I had this in tow:

A pirate ship!

It's not as big or grand or magnificient as I once hoped to create, but since the sprinklers attacked it twice and free time has been quite limited lately, I think it's got a nice homely appeal. :)

I even found a pirate!

What made me the happiest about our group was the fantastic variety we achieved. We were a great display of all the different ways to live, love and ride bicycles.

Barbara showed us that yes you CAN wear a skirt on a bike!

Jared piloted a PediPower pedicab.

Ben Chaddock, the new president of Whitman Cycling- Cheers, Whitman!

Reggie, from Bicycle Barn, rode a (remake) penny farthing. Now that is just plain COOL.

Jeanne brought beautiful flowers from Welcome Table Farm and designed beautiful posters for us to hang on our buses (I wish I had taken a picture of them!)

Hoorah! Alice (who grows tasty vegetables over on West End Farm) rode her Xtracycle!

Laurel (above) and Lish (below) were not lacking for enthusiasm. :)

Sean Duffy picked out one of his (many!) restored vintage bicycles to ride.

And there were many more.. (and it's taking me a long time to upload these, so that's all you're going to see!)

So cheers! and Thank You! to all the cyclists that came out to the parade to promote a beautiful way to get around and enjoy life.

Ship not quite sunk

So the sprinklers killed the pirate ship a couple times which set back my progress.. so it's not quite as 'grand' as perhaps I envisioned. It's much smaller, quite haphazard, extraordinarily misporportioned, lacking certain key features (like a sail and mast) and has a certain childlike appeal.. but that's what I whipped up. :) I'll cross my fingers give it a test run in the morning.

The unusual normal

At times I'm hyper-conscious about making bicycling as culturally normal as I can. I go to the grocery store on my bike, I go to work on my bike, I go to potlucks and movies on my bike, I go everywhere on my bike and I do it wearing regular clothes!

Other times I am consciously pushing the envelope so that going to the grocery store starts to pale in comparison to stunts like moving out of my apartment via bicycle trailer (including mattress, cabinets, etc.).

I wonder, though- does the latter cancel out the previous? If I'm doing culturally.. let's call it "unusual," activities like towing a bed and boxspring by bicycle-- do I negate all of my attempts to be a "normal" bicyclist? On the other hand, if I just focus on being "normal," will that normal become the radical, resulting in further dilution of my influence?

Bikery Racing: a junior cycling team

A little preview of things to come..

Bikes and Buses are Beautiful: PARADE!!

Bikes and Buses are Beautiful: PARADE

YOU ARE INVITED to be a part of the "Bikes and Buses are Beautiful" group in the Walla Walla Fair Parade, Saturday, August 30, at 9:30am, meeting at 5th & Alder.

Our purpose: Raise the profile of bicycles and buses in the community.

How we'll do it: We're going to have fun on our bikes- all sorts of bikes. Ride your cruiser, your roadie, your fixie, your recumbent, your tricycle, your banana seater, your two-seater, your balloon tires, your skinny tires, bring your trailer, deck it out, rediscover ribbon and wear your finest skirt, your suit, your beach shorts or gorilla suit; and sound!- bring sound! bells and horns and other cheerful chimes. Bicycles are not limited to speed and spandex- bicycles are much more than that. They are creative individual expressions and practical means of transportation! Load up your panniers and trailers with delectables from the market- bikes - are - beautiful!

AND, for those interested- we will have a "precision" section at the front of our group, cycling in patterns. Please meet the night before on Friday, August 29 at 7pm at Borleske Statium parking lot (Rees & Park St.) to practice. What fun.

For those wishing to tackle a big project in decorating their bike- keep an eye on this blog in the weeks leading up to the parade. We'll get together and have some paper mache fun.

And not only are bikes beautiful, but so are BUSES! We will be escorted by 2 Valley Transit vehicles- a trolley and natural-gas powered bus. They will be filled with energetic passengers (could be you!) and we'll also show how to load and unload bikes on the front of the bus.

Logistics: Parade starts at 10am, please show up at the start (5th & Alder) at 9:30am to organize. We'll establish groups, go over details and do a demo of the bus bicycle rack. Participants must be 18 & older and helmets are encouraged.

Ready for the fun?: Email ww2020 (at) charter (dot) net and jensenrs (at) gmail (dot) com and let us know how you'd like to participate. Questions can also be left as comments on this post.

Bus participants should call or email Gail at 525-9140 or gail (at) valleytransit (dot) com.

For more information, call or email
Rebecca Jensen (RJ) at 509 205 1430, jensenrs (at) gmail (dot) com
Dan Clark at 509 522 0399, clarkdn (at) charter (dot) net
Andy Pryor at 509 525 7163, apryor (at) gohighspeed (dot) com

Sponsored by the Walla Walla 2020 Transportation Committee, Sustainable Walla Walla, and Valley Transit, together with area cycling groups.

MORE INFO/UPDATES: anadventurecalledbicycling.blogspot.com

The pirate ship..

..is in progress.


I need to buy more duct tape. :)

a Bicycle Declaration

My friend Debi, who is an attorney, sent me this:

47.26.300 Bicycle routes ‑‑ Legislative declaration.

The state of Washington is confronted with emergency shortages of energy sources utilized for the transportation of its citizens and must seek alternative methods of providing public mobility.

Bicycles are suitable for many transportation purposes, and are pollution‑free in addition to using a minimal amount of resources and energy. However, the increased use of bicycles for both transportation and recreation has led to an increase in both fatal and nonfatal injuries to bicyclists.

The legislature therefore finds that the establishment, improvement, and upgrading of bicycle routes is necessary to promote public mobility, conserve energy, and provide for the safety of the bicycling and motoring public.

Guess when this was written?

1974 – during the first energy crisis during the Arab Oil Embargo. Not much progress since then.

-Debi Toews | Willis & Toews, PLLC

Bike Thyme - August 19

This week's Bike Thyme we will be going to *Bennington Lake*!

Bike Thyme: every Tuesday, 6pm, meets at 1st & Main St. No spandex. Picnic pace. Bring dinner. Have fun.

An Announcement & a Search

It's official. I am the new Bikery director and cycling coach.

A few years ago, my Whitman Cycling teammate, Greg Dering, and I started a program called 'the Bikery' to teach bike repair (and indirectly, critical thinking skills and life lessons) to youth in Walla Walla. The program was funded by and based out of the Walla Walla Community Center for Youth. Since Greg and I left, a junior cycling team did sprout, but the Bikery has remained only sporadically alive. Now the WWCCY has hired me on to tackle the Bikery and coach the junior team. The potential in my brain is exploding.

BUT! One step at a time. We need a space. The Bikery, you see, doesn't currently have a home. The Bikery is a bunch of tools and an old curriculum binder stashed in a closet. We are looking for a space that is:

-Somewhat central (e.g., the airport is too far east)
-Free, or very cheap
-Safe and secure
-A place we can leave tools and some bikes

Have ideas? Leads? Contacts?

"Motorist Mania"

Even the nicest people can turn into jerks once behind the wheel of a car.



This was made in the 1950's. It's a shame we haven't really made progress.

Espresso

Since espresso and bicycles are so closely related, here is quite possibly, quite newly discovered- my new favorite treat. Our Bella Luna Decaf (yes, our decaf tastes great, has got body and is water-processed!) under silky soy foam (first time I tried steamed soy for myself!) with a sprinkle of raw sugar and one of Lauren's delectable currant scones. A Barbara Kingsolver book completes the nutritional value. 

How do I fix this?

This is me, a college sophomore, smiling and shouting out to my coach, "Hey, look at me!!" I was quite proud of myself at the time for keeping up with the 'A' ladies (I was a 'B') as we crested a hill in a road race. Inspired by my team, I worked my butt off (quite literally) on my bike during college, keeping the Collegiate Nationals Team Time Trial in mind each year. The 3 years I was on it, we won.


I later entertained the idea of "going pro." I never imagined myself as the super star, or winning gold- but I had a George Hincapie mentality (which I blame on being a defender during my soccer upbringing) and I knew I could contribute. So I dipped my toe in it, tried a few pro-level races which I mostly spent hanging timidly on the back. The level of seriousness, however, turned me off. There were things I LOVED about that level of racing (mostly, getting exhausted), but I just wasn't quite so cut-throat enough (I thought) to care so terribly about whether I won, but I cared more whether I got in a small, hardworking circular paceline, because those things are FUN.

Anyhow, I struggle now to figure out my "athletic identity." I've considered running (a marathon!), triathlon (an Ironman!) and cyclocross (a muddy, technical bonanza!) and haven't succeeded in committing to any of them. Now my quads have shrunk, drastically, in my mind- and I can feel it on the bike. I stand to keep pace... and the power just isn't there.

I've also been having a harder and harder time actually getting myself out the door for a ride. Is it because I know that it doesn't feel the same and I just want to ignore the problem? Why don't I have the fervor to improve that I once had? Because I have no team?

All I know, is that it is much harder to discipline yourself to improve when you're trying to get BACK into the shape you were formerly (and recently) in, than it it is to improve from ground zero where every gain is a new experience. It's harder- because of pride.

It also occurred to me that I had been accustomed to such a high level of energy output (..ha, and input!), that maybe I'm feeling like an addict coming off drugs. I'm craving the endorphin highs.

So how do I fix this?