Passing of another GREENBELT Pioneer

A friend, Crystal, who lives in Grand Junction, CO, brought this to my attention.

Gay Hammer was the original project coordinator for the Boise River Greenbelt.  Her obituary calls it "the adventure of her lifetime."  Her obituary can be read HERE.  I wasn't familiar with her name, but I honor and admire her for the work she did.  Surely she must've been friends with Bill Onweiller, the city councilman who was one of the visionaries.

From her obituary: "Gay fondly told the story of the Greenbelt committee's first, harrowing effort to buy land along the river. As they surveyed the area, Gay and her cohort were confronted at gunpoint by an angry landowner, who swore there would never be a greenbelt on his land. Ultimately, that stretch of land became the first part of a 25-mile long pedestrian and bike pathway along the Boise River. Gay was pleased to attend the 50th Anniversary of the Greenbelt project in 2019, and was recognized as one of the founding pioneers..."

As a lifelong resident of Boise, and a long-time cyclist, I've been around to observe the entire life history of the Greenbelt.  Before there was a Greenbelt, my buddies and I floated down the Boise River on tubes... the shoreline was pretty "dicey" in most places on account of old rusty cars, slabs of concrete and asphalt, scrap metal, 55-gallon drums, and pretty much everything else.

It's hard to imagine now, at least in the USA, but rivers and streams were once thought of as waste repositories.  (Send your detritus on downstream, where somebody else can deal with it...)  The land along the river was deemed worthless.  People lived on higher ground, and the river bottoms were the home of sawmills, junk yards, gravel pits, slaughterhouses, etc.  (Yeah... I'm talking about the Boise River.)

Thankfully, Bill Onweiller and Gay Hammer and other like-minded citizens elevated our view, and paved the way (literally!) for the "crown jewel" we now enjoy.

If you are interested, there's quite an interesting "promo video" for the Greenbelt that has somehow survived the years.  It's mostly grainy old footage - much of his shot from a helicopter above - showing the Greenbelt route, before there was a Greenbelt.  "Today, that [Boise] river meanders through a city of over seventy-five thousand!" (1970 - I was 16 at the time.)  Definitely worth watching.

1970 Boise River Greenbelt Aerial Video - YouTube

THE TIMES WE LIVE IN!

I doubt it made much difference to anybody, that I haven't posted anything in 6+ months.  I've definitely lost some steam, when it comes to advocating, I must admit.  I'm still trying to practice what I very occasionally preach... but it has become very obvious that there are bicycle advocates who are considerably more "zealous" about it, than I am.  (I have been occasionally submitting something to the Facebook "Boise Bike Lanes" group.)

Part of that may be due to how long I've been at it.  I've been what I call a "dedicated transportation cyclist" since 1986 - that's 35 years.  Things have changed in that time.  There are far more striped bike lanes around town.  I believe the attitude on the part of both roadway administrators and the general public is more bike-friendly.  And the battles that are being waged on behalf of cyclists have also evolved.

In the late '80s or early '90s, cyclists were a pretty rare sight.  The vast majority of trips over the road were in single-occupant vehicle.  Since then, there have been developments that have made alternate modes of transportation more attractive.  Gas is more expensive.  People are far more aware of "climate change"... or at least it's discussed more.  The population has aged... and society doesn't seem to put as much value on car transportation as it did a generation or two ago.  (Our public transportation in this area has NOT gotten much better, unfortunately.  Primarily because of low ridership.  But the eternal question... Which comes first - the bus or the passengers?)

On the other hand, our area has continued to grow by leaps and bounds.  There are a lot more people living in the suburbs, with a long daily commute.  The roads are wider.  Places that used to be open fields and meadows, are now seas of rooftops.  (As a life-long resident, that breaks my heart.  It's pretty much impossible any more, to leave from my house for a nice "bike ride in the country.")  Riding a bike from home in Kuna or Middleton, to a job in Boise, is NEVER going to be a practical choice, for the vast majority of people.

Nowadays, bicycle advocates are measuring the width of bike lanes, to make sure they are up to code.  As I can still remember many a mile on a 1-foot patch between the fog stripe and the weeds, I'm still exulting in ANY bike lane!

They are demanding "protected" bike lanes.  You know... something more than a painted stripe.  A curb... or bollards... or separated altogether from the roadway.  Imagine!  While I totally agree that such an infrastructure would be ideal, and would attract new cyclists (many on their E-bikes, because let's face it... PEDALING IS HARD!), and would make it far more kid-friendly than it is now... there is a price to pay.  And the administrators are having a hard time accepting that price.  Less roadway width for motorists, who still make up the vast majority.  Increased maintenance costs.  (A protected lane is going to me more expensive to keep free of snow... or it might just be abandoned in the winter.)  Etc., etc.  I'll always favor such improvements... but I no longer have the energy or inclination to "die on that mountain," as they say.

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On a personal note... I've had a physical setback.

July 24th.  I was on Bogus Basin Road.  Went up there to try to get some sunset photos... you know, with Stack Rock in the foreground.  It turned out to be an ill-fated trip.  I climbed up a gentle slope, to get a better angle for a photo.  Stepping back down... a brief moment of inattention... I stepped on a curb, landed awkwardly on the ball of my foot.  My ankle extended in a bad way... foot folded up into my shin.  I limped home... since I was able to limp, and didn't feel a sickening snap, crackle, or pop, I figured I'd just stretched things out, and some rehab would bring it back.  I "rehabbed" for a month... still couldn't put any weight on the front of my foot, run, stand on tippy-toe.  Went to the doctor.  It took her 2 minutes to diagnose a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Long story short... I had surgery to fix it on November 17.  Dr. Neary was very happy with how the surgery went, and she says I should regain 100% of function.  After 5 weeks... maybe longer.

So - I'm just about 4 weeks into that.  (But who's counting?  hahaha!)  On December 22, I intend to go bicycling!

(Between July 24 and November 17, I bicycled 1400+ miles... but it was more like work and less like play.  At first it was downright painful... by the end it was just drudgery... pedaling for the sake of pedaling.  I look forward to feeling the joy again - and soon!)

I hope y'all are still enjoying quality time in the saddle.  Watch for me - I'll be back soon!

Ultimate SDV?

I'm really enjoying my choice of SDV (Social Distancing Vehicle) these days!

(For post-2020 readers, if there be any: As of April, 2020, the entire planet is under quarantine, in an effort to prevent spread of the Covid-19 virus. It is the first plague of the 21st Century... if you don't count terrorism or climate change, I s'pose. We are all advised to wash our hands frequently and try to maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from other people. PERFECT for bike riding... at least the distance part. (There's another recommendation that's plain DUMB... try to keep your group gatherings of less than 10. Futility! If each of those 10 people is a carrier walking away from that gathering, and meets with 9 other people, who in turn each meet with 9 other people... 1000 people infected in 3 "generations"!!) But I digress.)

Some people see cycling as a social activity. You see groups cycling together. To bring even more sense of togetherness, sometimes these groups ride together in matching costumes! (I wish they'd stay off multi-use paths, when they're riding together FAST in their costumes! They really belong on the street.) I've always been more of a "lone wolf" cyclist. Other than my grandkids, who I ride with from age 1 (when their momma will let them go) until they "age out" at 10 or 11 (WAY too cool to do something lame like bike-ride)... I go maybe 3 times a year, average, with other people. I generally enjoy my rides with others, but that means ORGANIZING... when solo, I can just go!

Today, I rode about 2 miles with granddaughter Bonnie at the park. (She's 7, and getting comfortable with starting and stopping. She's ready for expanded horizons.) Then I rode downstream on the Greenbelt, to the bridge a couple miles down from Glenwood. Except for a couple pockets of humanity (people who don't understand, and/or don't care, about airborne disease transmission), it was pretty darn easy to maintain that social distance.

Nature (bike) hike

A warmer-than-usual day afforded me an opportunity to bicycle downstream once again, along the Greenbelt on the south side of the Boise River, and then upstream on the north side.  Some of the sights I observed:

Once you get out of the heavily-populated river banks, you start seeing more bird nesting areas.  I always enjoy seeing these comorant nests...

When I was snapping these photos, a nice lady out walking her dogs gave me a heads-up about some blue heron nesting activity a little farther downstream...

On the way back, due to some inspiration I received from a photo posted on social media, I thought it would be fun to try some macro photography of moss.  Usually I just ride on by, but even the tiniest slice of nature can be strikingly beautiful.  Below are two close-up photos of "moss canyons," each followed by a farther-away photo that includes the close-up scene...

Banner January

We had unseasonably warm weather through most of the month of January, and being an old retired fixed-income guy, I was able to take advantage by doing a lot of cycling.  (NOTE to people from elsewhere, considering moving to Boise - it's usually AWFUL in January!  Snow... cold... smog.  We just got lucky this month.  Don't move to Boise!)


And as is my custom nowadays... at least this time of year a large percentage of my cycling was on the Greenbelt.  It's not as pleasant in the dead of summer when the pavement is overrun, but in January there are not Greenbelt traffic jams.  And, let's face reality - with the meaningful influx of newbies in cars, the streets are getting less bicycle-friendly and more stressful all the time, year-round, at least on the streets without bike lanes.

I covered the area from the "Highway 21 high bridge" upstream...

... to Eagle Road downstream.

Some nice scenery between the two, as well.  Good times.  (What a blessing it is, to have a flexible schedule that enables me to hit the road at the peak time of day.)

But - the highlight of the whole month was earlier today, when I got to take my granddaughter Laurel on her first ever bicycle ride!  (It was a delight for me... serious business for her!)

New decade... quality saddle time!

Good fortune was mine...  took advantage of the nice weather.  You know it's going to be a good year and decade, when you squeeze in 20 miles on Day 1!

Out Orchard and Gowen, for an armament check.  (Gotta make sure we're ready for the Ayatollah and his minions!)

Did a loop around the Boise Air Traffic Control Tower.

TRIVIA: The tower is the tallest ATC tower in the northwest.  It's the second-tallest building in Idaho, behind the Zion's Bank Center downtown, which is 28 feet higher.  (But the bank building includes an unoccupied vanity tower on top, that's probably the top 40 feet.)  I was lucky to get a tour of the Air Traffic Tower with a Scout group, just before it was turned over to the FAA back in 2010.  Nice view!

From there, out Pleasant Valley Road, Hollylynn Drive, South Cole Road, Lake Hazel, and back into town on Orchard.  I also had a very pleasant stop along the way to visit with my friend Bob, who I hadn't seen in probably five years.  (Airport tower is still visible in the last photo.)  So - time well spent all around!

Boise hidden places #1

Have you crossed this path before?

New bicycle - new horizons

From time to time I've been putting a few miles on the new MOUNTAIN BIKE.  (My "toy" bike.)

It seems very capable.  I'm wondering if I should've gotten the Size L instead of the Size XL.  (I went with my shirt size.  Once I'm riding, it's very comfortable, but it's like a Clydesdale when I'm hopping on... at least with the seat adjusted for comfortable road riding.)

I've gone on a couple of exploratory missions along a canal bank that runs nearby our house.  (The Missus has used the path routinely for walking exercise, but for 29 years I've lived within 1/2 mile of it, and have never set foot or wheel on it.)

It runs all the way over to Boise Motor Village.  Here's the Porsche dealership.  (I like that snazzy gold convertible with the black stripe.)

A little farther upstream - the beautiful campus of Bishop Kelly High School.

The canal isn't deep - probably waist deep in the deepest spots.  The scenery is at its best, this time of year, even along an old canal bank...

Continuing... we get to the Borah High School campus, from the back side.

I got off at the same place I got on - Philippi near the Hillcrest Shopping Center.  (The most challenging terrain is near the east end - deep ruts created by 4-wheel vehicles driving on it when it was muddy.)

Today is Memorial Day.  Traditionally I hop on the motorcycle and visit some of the area cemeteries to review flowers and flags.  However, the forecast was for unpredictable weather today, so I stuck close to home... but I did take a detour over to the two Fields of Honor, at nearby Morris Hill Cemetery.  The price of freedom is visible there.  (It's good to take a moment to feel gratitude for the freedom I enjoy, and for the brave men and women who have given it up for that freedom.)

Ride to Sandy Point

On Thursday, 4/25 - just because I can, being that I'm a retired guy nowadays - I took an afternoon ride up Lucky Peak way.  The riding was nice... the scenery likewise.

The Greenbelt is gloriously un-crowded on weekday afternoons, I'm discovering - at least until school is out.  In June, all bets may be off.  (It's never very crowded east of Eckert Road or thereabouts, however.)

The past couple (nice!) weekends have brought the amateurs out, adding their little slice of humanity.  I'm always quite amazed at how many seem to not realize that the Greenbelt is a transportation corridor.  They seem to be in their own little world, when they stop to chit-chat and block the entire width of the path, or walk 3 or 4 abreast.  (I guess people complain about the "riding abreast" thing with cyclists on the roadways... but even cyclists are astute enough not to stop in a traffic lane to chew the fat for awhile.)  I think I'll start doing road loops on the weekends, and just avoid the most crowded times... do my Greenbelt riding during the week.  (I highly recommend retirement, based on the experience so far.)

New & Improved Plantation Island

The pedestrian/bicycle bridge right behind Les Bois park (RIP) was removed a couple springtimes ago, after the "Snowmageddon" runoff threatened to wash it out and send it downstream.  (In retrospect, the foundations on both sides held, and it would've likely remained in place.)

Following a fundraising effort, the foundations were shored up this spring, the bridge was dropped back into place, and the asphalt for the half-mile or so across the island was replaced.  It's all been open again, for a couple weeks.

Probably 90% of the area population is oblivious - it didn't matter to them that the bridge was removed, or that it was replaced.  But for those of us who grew accustomed to using it for our transportation and recreation, it's awfully nice to have it back!  My sincere thanks to the generous people who donated to the project, and to the good folks at the Idaho Foundation for Parks and Lands, who made it happen.

(Photos are of the new asphalt and the reinstalled bridge.  And I had to include a family of wild turkeys that crossed my path, just on the other side.  It's a blessing to have such encounters.)

Late Winter Wonderland!

For awhile, it seemed like we weren't going to get much of a winter in these parts, this year.  January was extraordinarily mild, with some days getting into the low 50s.  (Was Algore right??)  But - winter has returned.

The past couple mornings, the roads have been too gnarly for me to feel good about sharing them with cars... so I took the bus.  And each afternoon it warmed up nicely, providing suitable conditions for bicycling home.  (The buses all have a bike rack on the front.)

I share some photos of some nice winter scenes, snapped the past couple afternoons.  (The Parks Department does a fantastic job of maintaining the Greenbelt - heck, e-scooters could ride on it!  The roads shared with motor traffic... it's hit and miss.  But in the afternoons it's been more slushy than slippery.  Just the same, eternal vigilance!  Any ride where you get to Point B unscathed, is a successful ride.)

The final photo is the best possible "natural phenomenon" I'll enjoy this month - my brand-new granddaughter, Laurel!  (Being held by big sister Bonnie.)  Babies are miraculous!