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!

Blackberry Picking (a Ride in the Country)

I as invited by my friend Ashlee to come pick blackberries at Ashland Farms.  It was a hot day-as everyday is.  The farm is down in Flintstone, GA, about an hour bike ride from my house.  I didn't race it-it was too hot for that.  Going down into Georgia is one of my favorite places to ride-going through St. Elmo and down across the state line is a good distance to go without any hills to speak of.  Though the distance is a far bit, because it is such easy riding, much of it in country, it doesn't seem far at all.

At the Gate

Riding in

The Garden

After taking a tour of the garden, it was time for blackberry picking.  Into the brambles we went.  It was scatchy, sweaty, buggy and possibly snakey.  But my toil was rewarded!

                                     

Blackberries!

It was cooler as I rode back.  My rough, bloody self met Q for dinner and then I rode the rest of the way home, with my treasure.

Spontaneous Bike Fest!

Last Thursday I went to Speed Work.  I haven't been training for anything this season, having decided I wasn't going to be doing Triathlons this year.  But as the season goes on, I find myself picking up my training schedule in spite of myself. .  The cold weather last winter, while it didn't keep me off the bike for commuting,  discouraged me from going outside for any other aerobic activity and my training never really took off.  When I saw that I wasn't going to be able to get it together of the Waterfront Triathlon (coming up this weekend), I just went into full lazy mode.

  How nice that felt! 

   But being around active people means I really don't get that far away from it.  My daughter is training for a half-marathon and asked me to do it with her.  So that has gotten me into the running.  Friends have taken to regular river swims and that just sounded like too much to pass up. And while I have not gotten my road bike out once this year, I have regular long commute rides that could double as training rides. So it seems like I am in training mode, whether I meant to or not.

  So with that in mind, I went to speed work.  Every Thursday runners gather at Fast Break, jog over to GPS track and do what ever torture Joey inflicts on on and then job back.  It is suppose to be good for you-if you survive!

    It was a pleasant note to see the number of runners who rode their bikes to Fast Break. There is a severe need for bike racks at the running store!I don't know if I am right in my observation, but it seems that runners in training are more likely to use bikes to get around with then bikers in training.

  After speed work, most of the biking runners adjourned to the North Cat Chatt for supper, beer, and hanging out.  As we were exiting the north CAt Chatt, there was Bike Director Phil and wife Donna.  They had been passing by when they saw the large group of bikes with some known bikes in the crowd and though they would come by to say hi and see what was going on.  We met them on the side walk and stopped to talk.  Then other bikers riding by saw people they knew and stopped to say hi.  Soon, the sidewalk was so full of people on their bikes that we started over flowing into the  streets.

  What fun!  It wasn't so long ago, for me to even see another biker was a rare event.  Now, just standing on the street corner, suddenly there is a bike party!  Wow!  After sometime, there was a reshuffling of the groups.  Some of the newcomers joined some of those that were at the North Cat Chatt and went back in for more socializing, while others just got on our bikes to go home.

    So, it is looking like bike riders can always find others to spend a little time with.  Biking used to be a very lonely thing to do, but no more!

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Phil and Deborah Gates

  IN the previous post in the Hands Over Sands, I mentioned there was one other bike rider.  His bike drew me not just because it was the lone other bike but because it was an awesome commuter with wooden rack and Brooks leather saddle.  I unfortunately had forgotten my camera and didn't take a picture with my cell phone that I knew wouldn't do it justice.

   I had to identify who owned such a bike and soon found myself talking to Phil Gates.  His wife, Deborah, was also there having walked over from their Northshore condo.  This friendly couple was soon telling me (after gentle prodding from me) their Chattanooga story. Like many people, they moved from Atlanta to get away from-well, Atlanta-the size, traffic and whatever else that Atlantans seem to find objectionable.  They bought a house and fixed it up and lived in it for several years until they decided the house was too big and too much upkeep, so they sold it.

   As they have an internet based business, Phil and Deborah had the freedom of moving anywhere they wanted to.  They had lived in different parts of the country over the years so had  much experience to detemine what makes a great place to live.

  After giving it some thought, they decided that no place else could beat what they could get right here in Chattanooga-the livability, walkability, bikeability and just the plain friendliness of the people.  They bought a condo on the NorthShore and have been living the Chattanooga downtown life ever since.

   I always find it interesting to hear how Chattanooga is viewed by those who come from other places.  I have always lived here so it is hard for me to be objective about it all.  Really, since I have never lived any place else, I have nothing else to compare to.  So when people who do have something to compare it to say how wonderful Chattanooga is, I am grandly pleased.

    Phil and Deborah, you certainly add to the friendliness of Chattanooga.  I enjoyed coming the Mercatino's for breakfast for your World Cup gathering. I am sure our paths will be crossing often!

Hands Over Sands Report

  Last week I joined in with the local Hands over Sand demonstration, joining hands over the Tennesse River that flows eventually into the Gulf of Mexico.  This was a show of support of the cleanup effort of the oil spill and alternative energy.  I stand behind that and was there to lend my hands.

   But I don't go so far as to demand a ban on drilling.  I am very suspect on easy solutions.  I have heard it argued if we are going to use the oil, it is hypocritical to ban oil wells on our shores because of the risk.  Do we foist that risk on other countries? Other shores?  This oil spill is a reminder of one of the ugly aspect of oil use.  Do we hide it away from our view as we continue our pace of use?

  Obviously before we decide where our oil should come from, we need to seek out ways of using it less.  Alternative energies is a place to start looking.  Again, I am all for that.

   But it seems there was a lack of talk of what should be coming before the alternative energy talk-just using less.  Cutting back on an individual level and asking for more infrastructure that would support using less. To me this is the first item of the agenda.  Then alternative energy, and then finally  how do we get the oil that I know we will continue to use until every drop is sucked out.

  So with that in mind, I was expecting more people to show up on bicycles.  Even if people had driven to the North Shore and then rode their bikes the last yards, the presence of bikes would have been a strong statement.  But there were only 2 bikes to show up-mine and one other. That is is.  Out of more then 80 people. 

  No one else thought to ride a bike to underscore the statement being made.  Nobody else thought that avoiding their car for this demonstration would have been a powerful statement unto itself. (there were some walkers that I commend, except there are no visuals for the walkers)

  Hmm...I am sensing a bit of disconnect here.  Could that be our problem?

Summer Games Round II

  This is my entry for the second round of the Summer Games at Lets Go Ride A Bike.  The first event I chose for myself was carrying a load, something I do it all the time.  I am ever amazing myself and others on how much I can carry on a bike.  I often go shopping without that very crucial question that bike riders should always have-how exactly am I getting this home?  When I make it out to the bike with my purchases, reality hits me, as though the bike was a complete surprise.  But I found with a little bit of ingenuity that I can fit it all and even ride it home.

  These pictures are from a typical Sunday shopping trip.  First a trip to the Chattanooga Market to get my produce, then a trip to Greenlife for all other grocery needs.  Usually that overloads me to beyond capacity.  But on this trip home, I by passed the 2 Bridges Art Festival and I was taken by the bright, big and cheerful flower.  My little garden corner is shaded and dark and it is hard to have colorful flowers. I thought this would brighten things up.

  Of course, I committed to buy it before I had a plan of getting it home.  No problem.  The stem went between me and my backpack.  I was quite the picture it seems, because several of the vendors stopped me to take their own picture of me.

Carrying Flower Home

"Planted" in my garden

For my second event, I had every intention of doing a maintance task but I didn't get around to it.  I am ashamed to admit that doing maintance on my bike is an extremely rare event.  I keep regular dates at Suck Creek Cycle for the guys there to keep me running but rarely do any on my own.  So while I have done enough to know I am perfectly capable, it just is not a thing that comes naturally to me. 

  So under pressure to get something done, I reached for something that does come naturally-reading.  I read Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne(Q, I bet you didn't notice that I had taken your copy)  Q had read it and greatly enjoyed it-telling me choice bits from the book.  He had forbidden me from reading it until he had had finished with it because he didn't want me ruining it for him with me telling him those choice bits of othe book.  While the book felt familiar because of this exposure, there were still delightful surprises for me to discover on my own.  A very enjoyable read.

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Boycott BP?

  People seem to be upset, as they should be, about the oil spill in the Gulf.  That is a disastor of immense magnitude.  But I have to admit, I am not getting this reaction of supporting a boycott of BP. What is that?  How is going to another dealer for our oil addiction going to help anything?  All the oil companies have their hands dirty with environmental sins.   Making other oil companies more profitable at the expense of BP does nothing except making the high risk oil drilling more appealing to those who stand to grandly benefit from it.

   Where are the calls for lowering oil consumption? BP is the face right now of our oil bloated selves.  Calling for a boycott but with no reduction of consumption is like trying to starve the face while feeding the body.  How is this oil suppose to get to us?  Some magical IV that delivers oil to our systems while by passing the producers of oil?  Get real.  We and BP and the rest of the oil companies are in this together.  If we want oil companies to change their ways, we must change our ways.  If we are upset with the profits oil companies are making and the risks they are taking in making those profits, the solution is pretty straight forward-go on an oil diet.  Not a crash diet with little long lasting affect, like we did in the 70's during the oil shortage. But real lifestyle changes, the kind that have long lasting affects.

   If we all put the effort of reducing our oil use just 10%, that would start changing things.  We can drive 10% less.  Buy 10% less producsts that use petroleum.  Reduce the use of plastics.  Just 10%. That will send a message to BP, the other oil companies, Washington and whoever else.  We need everyone on board to get the oil companies more responsible, to get Washington more supportive about helping us find alternatives, and to produce real change in our habits.

   Forget boycotting BP.  Just using a little less does a lot more. So go out there and get on a bike, for goodness sakes!

B on B People and Bikes

     

It was a great crowd for breakfast on the bridge today.  A lot of new faces and faces that we haven't seen since last year.  This is Will, who walks to his job as a courier everyday.  He lost an amazing amount of weight when he started his transportation walking and has kept it off for 8 years.

Zac of the Main Street Bike Co-op came by today

Breakfast regular, Holly. Cool hat, Holly!

It was Chris's first time. He did a quick u-turn with his bike at the offer of coffee.

And the bike he was riding?

Gas powered.  He found the bike in the trash, rescued it and outfitted it with a conversion kit. A little noisy for my taste, but very effective.  He uses it to pull a trailor of kids through these Chattanooga hills.

This was a pretty little bike.  It is a Sears bike, like I had as a kid. Ha, it brings back my earliest biking memories!

An extenda bike

Over all, we had an interesting mix of people and bikes this morning.

Hoping your morning was as nice as morning on the bridge!

n

Wayback Treat

Although I don't often actually attend Riverbend, during the week it is going on,  it still dominates on the horizon.  There is no escaping from it.  But that is not a bad thing, especially when Riverbend comes to me.  As part of Riverbend Eat and Greet program, the band Waybacks from San Francisco came to do a few numbers at Greenlife.  I made sure my weekly shopping trip coincided with the miniconcert.  It was as hot as blazes, but that didn't stop the crowd from enjoying themselves. 

  Here are a few pictures of the event:

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Riverbend Parking

  For the last few years, there has been bike valet parking at Riverbend.  I volunteered on Saturday but I did go by and visit on Friday.  Since going by the parking site is on my way home, I guess I will be going by it every night of Riverbend, unless I am actually doing more volunteering at it.

Sydney, Chase and Jennifer are waiting for the bikes.  It is still early, so only a few bikes have come, but they will be coming.  Saturday we were filled to capacity with almost 125 bikes coming in to be parked.

The bikes are coming!

Sunset over the aquarium

Q taking in bikes

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The littlest biker (don't worry, he does have a helmet)

   It was good seeing all the people riding their bikes to the festival.  Why wouldn't they?  They got the best parking of all and the use of a clean port-a-potty without a line.  Riding the bike is truly the easiest way of getting in and out of Riverbend-except for fireworks night.  That night the Walnut Street Bridge will be closed, so I don't even plan on coming to the south side of the river.  But until then,  I will be coming around.  Maybe I will actually go into Riverbend.