Visitors!

  Imagine selling everything you own, setting out on your bikes, with only your trade of jewelry making and photography to support yourself for an adventure of a life time.  This is exactly what Russ and Laura did a year ago and have been on the road ever since.  They rolled in Chattanooga Thursday for a week of exploration.

    They headed out from Portland, Oregon a year ago and have been meandering every since.  They don't have firm plans set and take suggestions from oneplace as to where they should go next.  They were in Nashville when they were told to come to Chattanooga.  I don't know exactly who mentioned CKhattanooga, but looking at the Nashville people Russ and Laura talked about I know Dan Hensley of Nashville Bicycle Lounge and Tricia  of Let's Go Ride A Bike fame.(though I haven't actually met her in person)

  This is their trip so far  
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  So who are these people?  To read more about them go to Path Less Pedaled.  Chattanooga was treated to a presentation Thursday night at Outdoor Chattanooga to hear their story.  There was less then a day notice to arrange and publicise their presentation but there was a good size and very interested crowd that showed up.

   A small group of us took them to dinner at Taco Mamacita's for Mex fusion food.  Russ and Laura are a delightful and down to earth couple.  To live such a lifestyle, going with the flow is a valued attribue and they seemed to have just the right amount of mellowness.    But on the other hand, to live a life where you don't know from one night to the next, where you will be sleeping and always seeing new places and meeting new people requires an alertness and sharpness that is often lost in living the same ole same ole.  After a year on the road, Russ and Laura seemed to have gotten those two contrasting attributes of mellowness and sharpness about right. 

   They love the quiet touring where it is just the two of them, rarely talking to others, and they then look forward to the constant socialization of city stays.  It does sound they get the both of both worlds.

  Talking to them does light those adventure fires that are always smoldering deep within.  Maybe it is time to  Sub 24 hour overnight trips (S24O).  I used to do those occasionally, long before there was a name for them, but it has been a long time since I have done them.  Time to hit the road again, I think.  Russ and Laura might be leaving behind a trail of inspired bike tourers in their path.  What fun!

SORBA's Ale for Trails

  This past Friday was SORBA's (southern off road bicycle association) fundraiser to raise money to complete the Raccoon Mountain trail system.  As awesome as the system is right now, in its completed state, it will be beyond awesome.  So this was difinately something I wanted to support.  And of course, it promised to be a great party.

     I took the short ride to Outdoor Chattanooga in Coolidge Park to practice my panda shots. 

I can't figure out how to aim but I was able to get a couple of acceptable shots.

  At the party, I was greeted by the music of Strung Like a Horse.  Seems like they are showing up everywhere.  Delicious wings by Keller's barbecue with plenty of pasta for tomorrow's tri athletes, the food was great.  Meeting, mingling, munching.  Great fun.

Now to hit those trails!

Big River Welcomes Cyclists

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Big River Welcomes Cyclists
Originally uploaded by donolmt

Of course, any landmark event deserves an after party to celebrate. Big River Grille (don't be fooled by their website.  They may have grown but Big River is Chattanooga, born and bred) came through for us.

Trek brought displays for the pool table!

 

Melissa Taylor, Chattanooga'sTransportation Planning Leader, and Phil Pugliese, Chattanooga's Bike Director

Sondra Aten of Collective Clothing and Ruth Thompson of Outdoor Chattanooga

Fellow Models- The Stone Cup Gang- Laura, Rusty and Stacy

Two more who have been known to show style on the bike,  Patrick  Hall and the Lady Jane

Click here for more pictures!

Collective Commute Bike Fashion Show

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Originally uploaded by Cameron Adams

Sunday was the fashion show on bike and it was a blast!  Sondra of Collective Clothing and Cameron Adams of The Chattanoogan Blog   with the help of all at Outdoor Chattanooga put this together.

Much thanks to the hard work of EleaBlake for makeup and Epiphany Spa for hair. They had quite the job to do in getting 20+ models ready for the show.

And thanks for Trek Bikes, Chattanooga Electric Bikes and Suck Creek Cycles for providing the cycles.

The rains came and went, leaving us undecided whether to have it indoors or outdoors. At show time, it was looking clear enough to have it outside.

  This was another event just this month that was new for Chattanooga and proof of a coelescing biking community.  And it is fashionable!  This was our humble entry in the world wide movement of fashion on bikes.  Personally, since I am NOT the fashion diva, I would not have put the fashion on bikes.  But Cameron, the photographer, has been following this movement for a while and has been documenting the fashion scene here in Chattanooga for about a year now.  I was not even aware of how people were finding themselves fashionable on bikes until Cameron took note.

    Cameron matching up with Sondra was pure genius.  Sondra is eclectic, idiocentric and totally original in her fashion style and Collective Clothing is a FUN place to shop.  And the two of them together wanted to a join up with the biking scene.

    A call went out for models.  It turned out there were more people into fashion willing to get on bikes then those on bikes willing to get into fashion.  Many of the models had not been on a bicycle since childhood which made for some wobbly riding.  But I think they had fun and I know at least one that was inspired to go out and get a bicycle.

    As for me?  What I was doing in the show?  The biking connection was obvious, the fashion connection was not.  And I was over the age of twenty (by a great, great deal!)  Thanks, Blythe(who has been known to show style on the bike) and Rebecca for helping to bridge that large age gap-and for being fellow bikers. For a while, I thought I was going to be the odd man out.                                                   

                 

Reba rocking it!

 Here I am after Darin of Elea Blake worked on me.  This is the pre show shot.  I actually wore a different outfit in the show.  I hope to get more pictures  and I will post those.  Hopefully, there are pictures floating around on our bikes.

  While the bridge opening was the exciting part of Breakfast on the Bridge today, I couldn't let the event go by without mentioning some of the interesting people we had today.  We had a good crowd, and with the bridge opening (how did they all find out about it so so?) had some new faces just show up.  We love that!

This is Mark.  I first met Mark last week on the Tour De Brews (which I will blog about soon)  On his commute to work, he discovered the bridge opening and then breakfast!

Officer Mansell (no relation to Q)  We love it when the bike police come by.  I know them all and are always glad to see them.

A bike tourist from Florida.  He goes around biking different cities and had high accolades for Chattanooga as a biking city.  He said the people are especially friendly. I wonder if having a bunch of strangers inviting him to breakfast  contributed to that impression?

Encouraged by our interest in what kind a gear an experienced tourer carries, he brings out packable sling.

Which the Lady J had to try out. She looks as though she was a born slinger!

Phil, Chattanooga's Bike Director and

Ruthie,  with Outdoor Chattanooga came across us while checking out the bridge.

  It was one of those mornings that just makes me glad to be alive and living in Chattanooga.  Life on a bike is good!

Bike Fashion?

     I went to a great meeting this morning at Outdoor Chattanooga to plan a biking fashion show. If you don't think that biking and fashion mix try out this sight-Copenhagen Cycling Chics.  Sondra Arden of Collective Clothing and Cameron at The Chattanoogan wanted to put something interesting together for the reopening of the Bridge and are partnering with Outdoor Chattanooga  And as it stand now, it looks as though Pilates Chattanooga is going to be a sponsor!

   Be looking for more details-this should be an absolutely fun event.  Chattanooga definitely has a biking community-it was in evidence last night attending the Trek Store open house.  It was a packed house! But most bikers in Chatt-town are road or mountain bikers.  That makes sense-the outdoors beauty of this area just draws people to such activities.  That's how I started biking. And it just keeps growing.

  Bike Commuting has grown also, but the commuting culture has yet to develop very strongly. We are still a small group of individuals.  And because commuting is such an individual thing, it probably always be so.  But this event can go along ways to putting a face (and style) to the commuter.  What fun!