Talking about Coffee...

Speaking of coffee, this is one of those posts that I have been slow to getting around to. At the 3 State 3 Moutain Challenge, I had a nice visit with Kevin Price of Blue Smoke Coffee who was giving the coffee away at the Greenlife tent. I was there at 6:00am helping to check riders in and I NEEDED MY COFFEE

So I was a frequent visitor to the tent and ended up having a great conversation with Kevin. I had met him before at Greenlife when he was stocking the shelf with his wares. (That is one of the things I like about Greenlife, you often actually run into the people behind the products. Hope that doesn't change as it morphs into Whole Foods)

     There is something about bikes and coffee-a natural affinity of sorts. Blue Smoke Rostery is Chattanooga local but thinks globally with a sustainable and very generous spirit. He uses fair trade,organic, shade grown coffee that he roasts in a carbon neutral roaster using green renewable energy. And if that isn't enough to have credentials as a responsible, caring business, he gives 5% of sales to environmental and humanitarian causes. And of course, most interesting for this blog's topic, he makes his local and post office deliveries by bike.

    I have been drinking his coffee since I ran into him around Christmas. About that time the the source of my morning coffee, the Deli next door to my studio closed and I have had to start making my own. While nothing can beat having ole man Joe hand deliver my coffee to me every morning, that smell of fresh brewed Blue Smoke Coffee has given my mornings such a wonderful perk that I am glad for the opportunity to get back into my own brewed coffee.

    If you are interested in great coffee, check  out Blue Smoke Coffee.   You can get it in Chattanooga at Greenlife or order it directly.  Kevin will bike to the post office himself to send it on its way to you.

An Amazing Biking Artist

  Chattanooga has many amazing people in its biking community.  And some people have found amzing inspirations bybeing in the bike community.  Celeste Sneed is both. She is an artist that started biking a few years ago and has been inspired by her biking experiences to once again to pick up her brush and put that into her art.

  She had done the art work for both the 3 State 3 Mountain ride and the 3 Rides 3 Hoods Ride.

  I first became aware of Celeste's talent when she did henna art on my wrist during Culture Fest last year.  I was impressed with her abilites then but I have to say I have been blown away by her artwork that she has been coming out with the past few months.  Check her out to find out more about her and see more biking art.

   Now, I just have to decide which print I want to get for myself.

3 Rides 3 Hoods Ride Trial

  This past Sunday was a fun day of riding around town.  A group of us were trying out the 3 Rides 3 Hoods ride for this coming Sunday, May 2.  This ride, with three parts through three different urban neighborhoods, is part of Jane's Walk. 

  Here are Cortney Mild, our BBB (beautiful Biking Ballerina)  and Jim Johnson of Bike Tours Direct,the planners of this event looking over the route.

Riding the Circle at the Hunter!

No tour of Chattanooga would be complete without a nod to our Civil War history.  Jeremy is inspecting the monument at Orchard Knob

Close up of the monument

I

It was opening day at the Chattanooga Market.

Jeremy and the Lady J during our lunch break at the Market

The ride goes through North Chattanooga and Downtown,  Southside into Highland Park and Orchard Knob  and then finally into St. Elmo.  I wasn't able to do the trial ride into St. Elmo but I will be doing the official ride next Sunday.  This trial was fun.  There will be speakers at different points on each of the ride to talk about the history of the area.  The pace was easy, the terrain was mostly easy-although going up Orchard Knob might be tough for newbie riders.  But it is short so nobody will be left behind.

    This will be the day after the 3 State 3 Mountain ride.  If that ride was too much for you or looking for a sociable recovery ride, come join us for one ride, two rides or all three rides at the 3 Rides 3 Hoods Ride.  This is a new ride for our ever growing biking scene in Chattanooga.