Watts wrote "Joy to the World."
Consider:
No more let sin and sorrow grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground...
(Verse 3)
Tireless advocate for the most efficient form of
human transportation ever devised - bicycles!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
The cyclists' Christmas carol
Isaac Watts must've been a cyclist.
Watts wrote "Joy to the World."
Consider:
No more let sin and sorrow grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground...
(Verse 3)
Watts wrote "Joy to the World."
Consider:
No more let sin and sorrow grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground...
(Verse 3)
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Riding in the Canal
Once farming season is over in these parts, they turn off the water in the canals.
Years ago, my daughter Hollie and I enjoyed a ride up the channel of the Ridenbaugh Canal, from Protest Avenue eastward. On Saturday I invited Miss Mackie to give it a try, and she was game.
The temperature was in the upper 30s, but not warm enough to melt the ice. We rode carefully over the shorter patches, and walked across the longer ones. We rode under Broadway Avenue, which was an adventure all to itself.
I can't in good conscience recommend this ride. The concrete is rarely sidewalk-smooth, and three of our four tires came back with goatheads. And there are a lot of rocks, dirt piles, weeds, patches of water or ice, and other obstacles.
Years ago, my daughter Hollie and I enjoyed a ride up the channel of the Ridenbaugh Canal, from Protest Avenue eastward. On Saturday I invited Miss Mackie to give it a try, and she was game.
The temperature was in the upper 30s, but not warm enough to melt the ice. We rode carefully over the shorter patches, and walked across the longer ones. We rode under Broadway Avenue, which was an adventure all to itself.
I can't in good conscience recommend this ride. The concrete is rarely sidewalk-smooth, and three of our four tires came back with goatheads. And there are a lot of rocks, dirt piles, weeds, patches of water or ice, and other obstacles.
Friday, December 9, 2011
The first "mountain bikers"?
The modern "safety bicycle" came into being in the late 1800s, and was embraced by the public at the time... and is largely responsible for starting the evolution toward paved roads. The hoardes of cyclists demanded better-quality roads than the muddy thoroughfares that crossed the Fruited Plain up 'til that time. (That would be a hard pill to swallow, for many in our car-centric society nowadays.)
(For anybody interested in bicycle history, I recommend the book Bicycle: The History, by David V. Herlihy. It's comprehensive... and has lots of good photos and illustrations.)
Normally we think of the "mountain bike" as originating in the Bay Area, in the late-70s, early-80s. And indeed, that is when cycling enthusiasts first had the vision of a recreational bicycle ideally suited for trails and dirt-road travel.
However, it could be argued that "mountain biking" was already 80 years old by then. A couple weeks back, I was watching a show on PBS about Yellowstone National Park, and an old photo caught my eye - of a group of cyclists posed on the geologic features at Mammoth Hot Springs.
I did a bit of digging, and discovered The 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps.
They were organized in 1896. According to the Fort Missoula Museum website, "The Corps, consisting of eight black enlisted men, soon was riding in formation, drilling, scaling fences up to nine-feet high, fording streams, and pedaling 40 miles a day. Each bicycle carried a knapsack, blanket roll, and a shelter half strapped to the handlebar. A hard leather frame case fit into the diamond of each bicycle and a drinking cup was kept in a cloth sack under the seat. Each rider carried a rifle (first slung over the back, later strapped to the horizontal bar) and 50 rounds of ammunition."
As for the bikes... they had steel rims, tandem spokes, heavy-duty frame components, and weighed 32 pounds.
In 1897, they rode, essentially cross-country, from Missoula to St. Louis, a distance of 1900 miles, in 34 days. Provisions were dropped along the way at intervals, but they rode - or pushed, in the really gnarly stretches - the whole distance. It wasn't easy. They were "greeted triumphantly" at every whistle-stop along the way.
Frankly, I'm a little surprised that bicycles never caught on in certain situations, for military transportation. Probably too cheap.
(For anybody interested in bicycle history, I recommend the book Bicycle: The History, by David V. Herlihy. It's comprehensive... and has lots of good photos and illustrations.)
Normally we think of the "mountain bike" as originating in the Bay Area, in the late-70s, early-80s. And indeed, that is when cycling enthusiasts first had the vision of a recreational bicycle ideally suited for trails and dirt-road travel.
However, it could be argued that "mountain biking" was already 80 years old by then. A couple weeks back, I was watching a show on PBS about Yellowstone National Park, and an old photo caught my eye - of a group of cyclists posed on the geologic features at Mammoth Hot Springs.
I did a bit of digging, and discovered The 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps.
They were organized in 1896. According to the Fort Missoula Museum website, "The Corps, consisting of eight black enlisted men, soon was riding in formation, drilling, scaling fences up to nine-feet high, fording streams, and pedaling 40 miles a day. Each bicycle carried a knapsack, blanket roll, and a shelter half strapped to the handlebar. A hard leather frame case fit into the diamond of each bicycle and a drinking cup was kept in a cloth sack under the seat. Each rider carried a rifle (first slung over the back, later strapped to the horizontal bar) and 50 rounds of ammunition."
As for the bikes... they had steel rims, tandem spokes, heavy-duty frame components, and weighed 32 pounds.
In 1897, they rode, essentially cross-country, from Missoula to St. Louis, a distance of 1900 miles, in 34 days. Provisions were dropped along the way at intervals, but they rode - or pushed, in the really gnarly stretches - the whole distance. It wasn't easy. They were "greeted triumphantly" at every whistle-stop along the way.
Frankly, I'm a little surprised that bicycles never caught on in certain situations, for military transportation. Probably too cheap.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Cycling at the southern axis
Dacre, the son of my friend Crystal, is working/adventuring in Antarctica. And he's discovered Antarctic cycling! (Some nice photos there...)
Suddenly I feel like a wuss for getting all dressed-down when it goes below 20 degrees. (Of course, it is summertime down Antarctica way... or at least late spring.) I doubt Dacre bike-commutes to work, but I'm happy he's able to saddle-up. Also, looks like there aren't quite as many trees as back home in Colorado.
Suddenly I feel like a wuss for getting all dressed-down when it goes below 20 degrees. (Of course, it is summertime down Antarctica way... or at least late spring.) I doubt Dacre bike-commutes to work, but I'm happy he's able to saddle-up. Also, looks like there aren't quite as many trees as back home in Colorado.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Elite Snobs?
Elite (Merriam-Webster): The choice part.
Writer Will Doig asks, "Are urban bicyclists just elite snobs?" in an very interesting column at Salon.com.
It looks like thousands have commented; I just read the first page of (predictable) comments. Doig: "Railing against bikes, in fact, [is] a great way to sell papers. A hundred years ago, newspapers ginned up scare stories about the threat that hapless women on bicycles posed to pedestrians. Today, old-school tabloids like the New York Post have found that the bicyclists-versus-everyone narrative still resonates."
Never discuss politics, religion, guns, or bicycles at the family holiday party! haha
Doig believes that cyclists need to turn the attitude down a few notches, because they're often unintentionally rubbin' people the wrong way. "Jeff Mapes, author of 'Pedaling Revolution,' thinks the smugness factor is almost accidental: 'I know a lot of cyclists who say their commute is the best part of their day' — not exactly the kind of thing that the co-worker who just spent an hour in gridlock wants to hear at the water cooler."
He writes from the big-city (Manhattan) perspective... feels that drivers feel threatened as their infrastructure is shrunk to make way for bicycle infrastructure. I know we have some of that resentment in less-populated Boise, but it's not felt as acutely, I'm sure.
Do I feel "elite" because I ride a bicycle? Heck yes! That makes me totally superior to those losers in their cars! But if I wear it on my sleeve, maybe I'm doing more harm than good. Besides, I'm not sure I'm part of the "elite snob" demographic, which Doig portrays as "young people and newcomers," encroaching on the establishment. Heck - I was cycling before most of those "trendy hipster" cyclists were even born, and I've been here for the duration. (My contemporaries are the ones who are complaining about those whippersnappers on their velocipedes.)
Writer Will Doig asks, "Are urban bicyclists just elite snobs?" in an very interesting column at Salon.com.
It looks like thousands have commented; I just read the first page of (predictable) comments. Doig: "Railing against bikes, in fact, [is] a great way to sell papers. A hundred years ago, newspapers ginned up scare stories about the threat that hapless women on bicycles posed to pedestrians. Today, old-school tabloids like the New York Post have found that the bicyclists-versus-everyone narrative still resonates."
Never discuss politics, religion, guns, or bicycles at the family holiday party! haha
Doig believes that cyclists need to turn the attitude down a few notches, because they're often unintentionally rubbin' people the wrong way. "Jeff Mapes, author of 'Pedaling Revolution,' thinks the smugness factor is almost accidental: 'I know a lot of cyclists who say their commute is the best part of their day' — not exactly the kind of thing that the co-worker who just spent an hour in gridlock wants to hear at the water cooler."
He writes from the big-city (Manhattan) perspective... feels that drivers feel threatened as their infrastructure is shrunk to make way for bicycle infrastructure. I know we have some of that resentment in less-populated Boise, but it's not felt as acutely, I'm sure.
Do I feel "elite" because I ride a bicycle? Heck yes! That makes me totally superior to those losers in their cars! But if I wear it on my sleeve, maybe I'm doing more harm than good. Besides, I'm not sure I'm part of the "elite snob" demographic, which Doig portrays as "young people and newcomers," encroaching on the establishment. Heck - I was cycling before most of those "trendy hipster" cyclists were even born, and I've been here for the duration. (My contemporaries are the ones who are complaining about those whippersnappers on their velocipedes.)
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Be in court on 12/15!
From the Citizens for an Open Greenbelt Facebook presence:
Mark you calendar for December 15th. For those who can attend, a reminder that our hearing before Judge Cheri Copsey is on Thursday, December 15, 2011 at 3:30pm at the Ada County Courthouse. Our attorneys would like as many of you to be there as possible to demonstrate to the judge that this is an important issue in the Treasure Valley for those who believe that our Greenbelt should be truly open. The judge will be hearing COG's Motion for Summary Judgement and Garden City's Request for Dismissal.
I hope to be there.
If you're a cyclist, but wouldn't often have occasion to use that stretch of the Greenbelt... why does it matter?
Here's why I'm involved:
1) The Greenbelt is envisioned, by those who first envisioned it and by many Greenbelt users ever since, as a contiguous bicycle path that will eventually go all the way from Lucky Peak Dam to Eagle Island... and perhaps points beyond.
2) It's the principle of the thing. I'm offended by a 2-bit provincial mayor - John Evans - whose power has evidently gone to his head. All Idaho citizens should be offended, since it was us who gifted that stretch of Greenbelt to Garden City, with the stipulation that it be maintained as a bike path. Yep - that's the wording in the agreement. Garden City's citizens should be offended that the mayor has spent $15,962 of their dollars (as of October) to fight those who are trying to get it reopened.
I expect Judge Copsey to do the right thing for THE PEOPLE. And I hope to be there, to watch her do the right thing.
Mark you calendar for December 15th. For those who can attend, a reminder that our hearing before Judge Cheri Copsey is on Thursday, December 15, 2011 at 3:30pm at the Ada County Courthouse. Our attorneys would like as many of you to be there as possible to demonstrate to the judge that this is an important issue in the Treasure Valley for those who believe that our Greenbelt should be truly open. The judge will be hearing COG's Motion for Summary Judgement and Garden City's Request for Dismissal.
I hope to be there.
If you're a cyclist, but wouldn't often have occasion to use that stretch of the Greenbelt... why does it matter?
Here's why I'm involved:
1) The Greenbelt is envisioned, by those who first envisioned it and by many Greenbelt users ever since, as a contiguous bicycle path that will eventually go all the way from Lucky Peak Dam to Eagle Island... and perhaps points beyond.
2) It's the principle of the thing. I'm offended by a 2-bit provincial mayor - John Evans - whose power has evidently gone to his head. All Idaho citizens should be offended, since it was us who gifted that stretch of Greenbelt to Garden City, with the stipulation that it be maintained as a bike path. Yep - that's the wording in the agreement. Garden City's citizens should be offended that the mayor has spent $15,962 of their dollars (as of October) to fight those who are trying to get it reopened.
I expect Judge Copsey to do the right thing for THE PEOPLE. And I hope to be there, to watch her do the right thing.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Bike-sharing - coming to Boise?
There was a brief article on the Statesman website about a possible bike sharing program coming to town.
The Central District Health Department (State of Idaho) envisions deploying 140 bicycles, in 14 stations scattered about town. I s'pose it would be similar, but on a smaller scale, to Boston's "Hubway" scheme that I commented on last month.
The Health Department is involved, because they want to fight back against the "obesity epidemic" and bad air quality. Noble motives, to be sure... but as much as I'd like to, I can't imagine that local-errand bikes will make much of a dent. (I snidely commented that the bikes will enable people to run for a big fast-food lunch.)
Another eyebrow-raiser is the cost... the grant the CDHD has applied for is $650,000. That figures out to about $4600 per bike. Mamma mia!! I'm thinkin' private enterprise could do it for substantially less... they ought to let out a contract. (Or perhaps they don't think people will participate, unless it's on Italian racing bikes with the full Campy Record setup!)
The Central District Health Department (State of Idaho) envisions deploying 140 bicycles, in 14 stations scattered about town. I s'pose it would be similar, but on a smaller scale, to Boston's "Hubway" scheme that I commented on last month.
The Health Department is involved, because they want to fight back against the "obesity epidemic" and bad air quality. Noble motives, to be sure... but as much as I'd like to, I can't imagine that local-errand bikes will make much of a dent. (I snidely commented that the bikes will enable people to run for a big fast-food lunch.)
Another eyebrow-raiser is the cost... the grant the CDHD has applied for is $650,000. That figures out to about $4600 per bike. Mamma mia!! I'm thinkin' private enterprise could do it for substantially less... they ought to let out a contract. (Or perhaps they don't think people will participate, unless it's on Italian racing bikes with the full Campy Record setup!)
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