T-Shirt

After a long period of good intentions, I finally printed up a "propaganda" T-shirt. The shirt is size XXL so I can wear it over whatever I happen to have on at commute-time. Perhaps when I ride past long queues of stuck-in-traffic motorists (burning that $4 gas at a ZERO MPG rate) it'll give 'em something to think about.



The shirt is already woefully outdated; it's 10 days or so old, and my mileage is now up by 150+ MPG!!

Salad Days

The last month or six weeks have been awesome times for bike riders, at least in these parts. The bike racks at the office have been packed, and it seems you can't go anywhere without seeing other cyclists. (I'm happy to say that as a general rule, I haven't encountered too many of 'em riding down the wrong side of the road!)

No doubt the pump price has been one of the motivating factors.

(I heard a guy on the radio - an "expert" - declaring confidently that gas would be back around $2.50, most likely by July. And I breathed a sigh of relief that he isn't managing my retirement fund! I'll be surprised if the price is ever again south of $3.50.)

In years gone by, the spring bicycle-burst usually comes to an end around the middle of June, when temperatures start getting above 90 on a routine basis. Folks who can't ride when the temperature is below 60 or so typically can't tolerate heat, either. It will be interesting this year to see which is the stronger motivator - the wallet or the thermometer.

Are the good times really over?

Merle Haggard - a favorite of mine - penned a song a few years back by that title. The chorus goes like this:

Are we rollin' downhill like a snowball headed for Hell?
With no kind of chance for the flag or the Liberty Bell?
I wish a Ford or a Chevy would still last ten years like they should.
Is the best of the free life behind us now, and are the good times really over for good?

The local newspaper (website) had a provocative headline this morning: "Have Idahoans hit their limit on gas prices?"

I s'pose if your definition of "good times" includes unlimited hummin' around in your Hummer, fueled by $1.50 gas, maybe the good times are over for good.

The article lists some of the side effects of the spiraling price of fuel:
- The VOLUME of gas sold in Idaho, compared with a year ago, is down 5-7 percent
- The Caldwell-Boise ValleyRide route ridership is up 40 percent
- 12 new commuter vans have been added, to meet demand.

The state is also taking in less money. First, because the gas tax is a fixed amount per gallon and sales are down. Second, because people are spending less on other goods and services, so as to afford gas. So sales tax is down.

Is ANY of that bad? Seriously! I see every one of those results as being a good thing!

I think it's fantastic that people are being more practical-minded in their car purchases, and buying a Prius instead of a Yukon XL. If they're smart, they'll also consider where they want to dwell, in relation to where they live their lives. Perhaps 20 years from now, there won't be quite so many people who live a 30-mile-each-way commute from the office and 10 miles from the nearest market. Maybe the average fuel economy will be up by 10mpg. Maybe public transportation will be the rule, rather than the exception. Maybe air pollution will be down significantly. Maybe in 2028, employers will provide locker rooms and showers for all the cyclists and walkers, the way they provide parking lots in 2008.

It's just too bad that people don't seem to be motivated to "do the right thing" unless not doing the right thing becomes painful in some way. There's absolutely NO reason that people couldn't ride the bus more, or buy an economical car and drive less, or carpool, or ride a bike or walk, if gas were $0.95 instead of $3.95.

Of course, I can't imagine the government sitting idly by and watching their revenues slip away. They're already lamenting that they need $250 million, just to bring the state's roads up to acceptable operating condition. You can bet they'll figure out a way to bleed the taxpayers a little more. (Having forgotten all about the Boston Tea Party!)

Springtime ... and the ridin' is easy

This is a dandy time of year to be aboard the bicycle.

Since we got abundant snowpack over the winter, they decided to open the "rooster tail" spillway at Lucky Peak Dam for a few days over the long weekend. I rode up there Friday afternoon to check it out...



Worth the ride. (I heard the Dam Lady telling somebody that's 22,000 cubic feet of water per second. So it would take about 1 second to fill a 3000-square-foot house.)

On Memorial Day, I traditionally hop aboard the motorsickle and check out some cemeteries around the area. This year I decided to take a more limited loop aboard the bicycle. I rode to Pioneer Cemetery off Warm Springs. It was quiet out that way. Then I rode up to the Military Reserve Cemetery; the last 1/4 mile or so was dirt, but I anticipated that. Honest Abe and the Civil War reenactment boys came and put on a show.





It's a wonderful thing, to pause in the course of our normal activities to honor those who paid so dearly for the freedom we enjoy. Freedom is NOT free!

NOTE: Photos are "truncated" - click on any of 'em for better viewing options.

Jet Bike!

Although it's somewhat contrary to everything GOOD about bicycle transportation, this is kinda cool.

This is Bob Maddox, or Medford, OR, on his pulse-jet-powered Schwinn cruiser.



It's the second one he's built - he got the first one up to 50mph. (He figures it's good for 75mph, with the right guy at the controls. Think "Darwin Award" contestant. Paging Evel... paging Evel...)

Evidently "pulse jet" technology is pretty simple... a fire in a tube. Hitler's rocket boys used 'em for V-1 Buzz Bombs back in Dubya Dubya 2. And Maddox says it'll burn pretty much anything from kerosene to corn squeezins'.

It's got a few drawbacks, though:
- 150 dB sound pressure (Think F-15 at full afterburner takeoff)
- it burns 1/2 gallon of fuel per minute
- it glows red-hot during operation, so it's probably not Forest Service approved, huh?
Other than that...

(Wired article - and YouTube video - HERE.)

"Addicted to Oil"

As you are no doubt aware, President Bush recently traveled to the Middle East.

One of his motives was to grovel before the Saudis, to try to get them to increase their oil production. (That inconvenient supply-demand thing. An effort to increase the supply, since his fellow countrymen are unwilling to decrease their demand, but whine incessantly about the cost of fuel.)

Apparently the Saudis said "No." And frankly, who can blame 'em? While a robust U.S. economy is still important to their own economic well-being, they can sell their product (of which there is a finite amount) all over the world for the going price. If we don't buy it, somebody else will.

Last night, Jay Leno was making great light of the fact that Bush was gifted with a bicycle during his trip. Leno implied that it was the Saudis who gave him the bike, and joked that it's their response to the American energy crisis.

Yeah - that's funny. Bicycles as an answer to the energy crisis.

I'm not laughing because bicycles are my answer.

I'm not laughing because if my fellow Americans would get over their addiction to (terrorist) oil, and adopt similar consumption patterns to my own, I'm confident prices would be closer to $2 than to $4.

I'm not laughing because their demand for oil affects the price I pay, on the few occasions when I have to gas up each year. (It was a bit sobering last weekend, spending $15 to fill up my motorcycle tank! Thank goodness it's not a frequent occurrance.)

If we could tell the Saudis, "Screw you! Keep your steenking oil! We're riding bikes now!" ... THAT would make me laugh!!

(I did some digging; the bike was actually a gift from Israeli Prime Minister Olmert. The bike is Israeli-made; probably a fine bicycle. I'm thinkin' it looks just a bit small for the Cyclist-In-Chief.)

BBW, Day 4

That's BOISE BIKE WEEK... NOT BIG, BEAUTIFUL WOMEN!

(Although we can agree that both are very positive, desirable things, huh?)

I'm happy to report I've ridden every day this week (and last week... and the week before... etc.). This week I've been faithful about putting on my "ONE LESS CAR" T-shirt every day during the commute.

(I've also got a T-shirt that says "CARS SUCK." With a motorcycle. But we're striving for diplomacy here.)

I don't think I'm just imagining a LOT of cyclists on the road these days. Which is fantastic, as long as they're being GOOD cyclists - following the rules and not making asses of themselves. (Of course, Danielo has noted that many of them are fair-weather riders, and the first day it's too hot or too cold, they traditionally hang it up. We'll see if gas prices pushing $4 makes any difference this year.)

Speaking of motorcycles... this afternoon I'm going to eastern Oregon on mine, to burn a little fossil fuel. Gonna do some riding in the Blue Mountains, in the Baker / La Grande area. I expect there will be places where the snow is still clinging to both sides of the highway. The plan is to return to Boise Friday evening, rejuvenated and recharged. And to participate in the PEDAL POWER PARADE on Saturday.

I hope to see a HUGE turnout at the PPP! The forecast is sunny and 90+ ... bring hydration! (I hope the weather isn't TOO "nice" for the more fickle among us.)