Bike4Peace

Bicycling in the Blood

2012-02-17T10:27:00.000-08:00

Roy Russell was the clerk of court in Chouteau County, Montana, early in the 20th century. He had no use for automobiles. He got around by bicycle, including one trip from Glacier Park to Yellowstone Park, over 400 miles of rugged roads.

There are clues to explain Roy's distaste for cars. He was a prohibitionist and in those days cars in Montana ran on alcohol. I imagine he associated obnoxious, noisy machines that hogged the road with loud drunkards who disrespected the law.

I suspect there's more to it than that. I knew Roy's son, Edward (my beloved Great Uncle Ted), who was a machinist with deep appreciation for elegant design. I expect that family trait informs Roy's love of bicycles. The efficiency of a bicycle can be awe inspiring.

I have seen a picture of Roy Russell on his safety bike with a baby in the basket. That baby was his granddaughter, Meg Lewis, born in 1921. Thirty-four years later she became my mother. She also loved bicycling.

At 59, Mom joined one of the first groups to include American cyclists on a tour of Communist China. Her bicycling diplomacy also included a trip across strife torn Sri Lanka. She rode through many exciting places, but I more often remember Mom cycling around our home town, her baskets full of whatever.

So I guess I inherited cycling as well as peace making. I've come to believe that the bicycle is the appropriate transitional tool for our times. It will keep people moving without using oil and we'll all be better for it.

My antipathy for cars does not come directly from my great-grandfather, however. I earned that. I was a professional driver and used to train CDL students on the LA freeways. As a first responder, I got to see close up what happens to a human body that's hit by a car. A car is a deadly weapon, even when that's not the intention.

I remember writing to my mother that "more people are killed on US roads every year than the total number of US soldiers who died in Vietnam. We were in the streets against the war. Where are the protests against the car?" The main reason I avoid driving is the same reason I don't run around randomly firing a shotgun. I don't want to injure or kill anyone. Bicycling is more peaceful behavior.

I'm passing on my love of cycling to others. Bike4Peace and the CBC are my main outlets lately. I'm most proud of my little girl. Lucy grew up on the back of my tandem and at 27 she's still bicycling today.

Last time I rode across Montana, I stopped at the Chouteau County Courthouse and called up Grandpa Roy. Since I got this ticket on my bike, I've been dwelling on his spirit. His memory strengthens me. I guess that's the value of ancestors.

Direct Action to End Climate Change

2011-12-30T16:42:00.001-08:00

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/direct-action-to-stop-global-warming/

We want our great-grandchildren to inherit a livable planet. We recognize it is impossible to continue to consume resources faster than the Earth produces them. We are determined to act now to fix this problem.

That's why I created a petition to The Oregon State House, The Oregon State Senate, Governor John Kitzhaber, The United States House of Representatives, The United States Senate, and President Barack Obama, which says:

"In recognition that it is impossible to continue to consume oil at the rate we now do, and that the climate is changing largely because of our consumption of oil, we the undersigned hereby vow to learn to get around without gasoline consuming personal cars. We urge you to stop subsidizing cars and to plan for a world where nobody burns petroleum to get around."

Will you sign my petition? Click here to add your name:

http://signon.org/sign/direct-action-to-stop?source=c.fwd&r_by=834024

Thanks!

DC

2010-09-23T11:20:00.000-07:00

For the third time since Bike4Peace started, I rode my bicycle into DC on Monday. Still love the trail system that serves to enter this city; still terrified but miraculously unharmed by the urban traffic. And it's still the mysterious and intriguing center of our dysfunctional government.

Ironically, even as Bike4Peace has maintained DC as the goal of our ride, my political vision has diverged. I retain no hope for personnel changes in our government ever reforming our system. We need a radical transformation much deeper than that if we hope to continue as a species on earth.

I've watched Cynthia suffer the consequences of being a leader who speaks truth to power. Recently her house was broken into and many of her associates seem to be under surveillance. We all know the list of such leaders who have been murdered. I pray she will continue to avoid this fate, even as I want her to succeed in fomenting nonviolent revolution.

Each of us can help by becoming better resonators for truth and and stronger advocates of justice. Every action of our lives must reflect our desire to undermine the corrupt and exploitative power structure and to build communities which foster peaceful egalitarianism. Tax resistance, counter recruiting, and continuous outreach are tools we must be familiar with. Bicycling from organic gardens to collective organizations, we will build a better world.

Biking the Ozarks

2010-09-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

Some drivers here seem to believe that if they honk loud enough the road will get wider. Overuse of the horn somehow gives them permission, especially if they drive a log truck, to pass impossibly closely on the narrow, hilly roads.

Although they offer more topography than Kansas, the Ozarks aren't much as hills go. The highest peaks are under 3000 ft. But the roads were built before dynamite and D10 Cats were invented by farmers who were more concerned about saving farmland than making the route easier for their oxen. There are some sharp climbs.

Now I don't want to give the impression that everybody is rude around here. Some drivers are very polite and patient, while the majority give a cyclist plenty of room, even if it means an unsafe venture on the wrong side of the road. Face-to-face, everybody seems quite polite, although few seem to understand why anybody wants to bicycle through the area. Since the Trans-Am runs through here, they've seen enough cyclists to accept them as part of the scene.

I'd like to review the Missouri Driver's Manual with a few of these drivers. I'll bet the section on slow moving vehicles isn't much different than any other state. "An over-taking vehicle is responsible to remain a safe distance behind the slower vehicle until it is possible to pass safely on the left."

While we're reviewing that, we may want to look over the section on who is allowed to use the roads. We know the courts have ruled that human- and animal-powered vehicles have a right to use public roadways, while motor vehicles use it by licensed privilege. The small towns around here are crawling with unlicensed quads, from bladeless supercharged riding mowers to off-road destroyers. I'm not sure why local law enforcement looks the other way. They don't seem to enforce seat belt laws either.

Today we decided the motel room wasn't too expensive after cruising by the home where bicyclists can stay for a free-will donation. The big "Jesus is Lord" sign over the Ten Commandments in the front yard reinforced another cyclist's assessment of the host as a "whack job." We just didn't feel like spending the evening explaining our lifestyles in his little house.

Back on the other side of Missouri, we had a wonderful host who is a Code Pink transsexual who has run for national office three times and been arrested for speaking truth to power. Then we spent a night camped on the lawn of a courthouse listening to the same five cars drive in circles late into the night.

Riding lots of relatively short up and down hills requires a different style than the slow pulls of the Rockies or the flats of Kansas. Broad gearing and smooth shifting habits give opportunities to maintain maximum forward momentum of the bike by maintaining full spinning momentum of the cranks, with the occasional exception of an out-of-the-saddle maneuver to pull over the top of a short rise without downshifting.

I want to pay homage to Aaron (or is it Erin?) McCrotchety, the fabled Scottish bike tourist who developed the out of saddle descent. With head and arms in a full tuck, tail elevated, and knees and elbows bent to absorb shocks, this posture allows one to move downhill quickly. Between this and powering over the hills, we avoid TB (tired butt).

A Missouri monsoon nearly turned us into Sag4Peace, as we wimped our way into a safe motel. Today in spite of ominous forecasts, we rode without rain. The humidity was high enough that one was challenged to know that it wasn't raining, but no drops fell, save the sweat dripping from my helmet straps. Through the hills and hollows of the Ozarks, Bike4Peace 2010 continues.

Written by Vernon Huffman.

Utah

2010-08-12T16:21:00.000-07:00

Who knew August was the rainiest season in Southern Utah? I was caught unprepared for a thundershower at 10,000 feet, but incredible fortune left an open bay in an unattended snowplow garage. The next rain shower found Yeyo & I huddled under a tarp I had made to protect the bikes at night. It's worked well in both roles.

Even as I tried to prepare for every eventuality in the lightest way, I knew one cannot possibly anticipate what will happen on a long bike ride, only accept miracles with grace and gratitude. This ride has proven no exception.

The road across southern Utah has been a lot to handle, with various serface and traffic conditions dipping and climbing at grades up to 14%. Add to this weather conditions from soaking downpour to dry-as-bone desert, some pretty intense winds, and temperatures from 40s to 90s.

I can't even begin to describe the landscapes. Frequently you round a corner or top a ridge to find yourself on another planet. Eons of settlement, upthrust, and erosion have created incredible places with amazing scale and diversity. I've spent a lot of time imagining how the first people lived here.

Plans for making this difficult path across the continent with this mix of riders on a two month schedule were overly optomistic. Oh, never fear, we will make it. Most of us will ride our bicycles most of the way, but we have had to depend upon a rented motor vehicle. I'm not thrilled to make this compromise, but it was the only wise choice.

Our goals are intact. Our spirits are high. We are learning and growing with every spin of our pedals and the universe continues to provide abundant and glorious experiences. Bike4Peace 2010 rides on!

Loneliest Hours on the Loneliest Highway

2010-08-03T15:04:00.000-07:00

We left Ely, NV, at 1:00 AM, as has become our custom during this week of crossing the hot, dry, sparsely populated area. The first hours of climbing were about what I had expected, but something switched on inside me as I rode down the seven and a half miles of six percent downgrade. I hit the bottom spinning at full leg speed in my highest gear, stretched across my aero bars for minimum air drag. Pulling to the front of the pack I kept that spin going for eight miles across Spring Valley from Major's Junction, watching the silhouettes of the eastern mountains slowly grow against the first light of dawn.

The road gradually climbed toward the towering mountains until I could see the details of their upthrust granite faces in the dim light directly in front of me. Then highway 50 turned northeasterly into a short descent too steep to spin through and slowly climbed out, so I could continue my spin by down-shifting one gear every quarter mile. It went through a series of swells, each taller than the last. I stopped on a downturn to remove insulating over-clothes and felt the slight tailwind.

Now the crags on my left were closer than those on the right, where a dozen modest homes were tucked into the hillside, about half of them behind an archway built entirely of cast off elk antlers. As the morning sun made a western peak glow, the coyotes burst into song and I struggled to keep my spin up in my climbing gear, pulling five miles up at six percent grade. As the hills on both sides mellowed toward the pass, the scrub pines took over the landscape from the sagebrush.

I took a nice long break at the top of the pass. Though it was the first I'd seen of the sun, it had fully risen on the valley to the east. From here it was a pleasant downhill all the way to Baker, where I write this while waiting out the heat of the day. Tonight we'll face one of the most challenging rides so far - 84 miles without services. We're ready.

Solo PreRide

2010-07-20T08:34:00.000-07:00

After kissing Yaney goodbye in Florence, OR, I had a pleasant ride down the coast with no premonition of what lay ahead of me. There were some challenges - seven devils - lots of other cyclists from around the world, and memories of my previous experiences along those roads.

Carol, my host in Trinidad was gracious and engaging. The hardest part of staying with her was leaving so soon. She fed me well and gave great advise about Google Maps for Bikes, suggesting that I stay on Hwy 299 because their alternative routes were much harder to ride.

The highway to Redding has five major climbs, each hotter than the last. I was proud to get over the first three, plus two harrowing descents in one day. I drank ten bottles of water and tested my limits. The potholes on the downhill shook off my headlight and loosened one pannier. Luckily I've got bombproof wheels. Phrank N. Bike is weird, but tough.

There were certainly times when I regretted the 90 pounds of equipment I straddled. Why had I chosen to bring all this stuff? Besides always having whatever I really needed, I was able to medicate a flagger suffering with serious allergies and rescue two motorcyclists who didn't have the tools they needed to fix their breakdowns. A daintier bike wouldn't have been able to ford the streams that Google Maps sent me through later between Redding & Chico. But weight equals work.

When I lay exhausted in my tent-sauna in the evening, I heard a voice just outside. The gentleman from the next tent, whose father-in-law had briefly tested my weak Spanish, was offering me tacos. Although I had eaten, I gratefully accepted. I haven't had so much red meat in years, but they sure hit the spot.

The next climb was better planned. Up at dawn, I made the west side of Oregon Mountain before the sun rose and crested Buckhorn Pass by noon. It was a great day to be alive and nobody to share it with. My cell was out of service for the first time this trip. Then two young women arrived, parked their pick-ups back to back, and started trading loads. They worked for two branches of the same company on opposite sides of the mountain. They filled my water bottles and shared a pizza with me.

Next I made a fun descent on switchbacks at about the same speed as the rest of traffic. The pavement was much smoother than what I'd been experiencing. Even the over-sized FWD pickups and huge RVs were nonthreatening, for a change. Downhills are my favorite part. This one isn't quite up with the side road through the Redwoods south of Crescent City, but it was refreshing.

It was a good day and I felt sure I could cover the miles to Red Bluff, where I had an invitation to camp in a yard. By the time it hit 106 degrees, I just wanted shade and water. I slept a bit in a day use area until the shadows covered the shoulder.

Somehow I forgot Carol's advise. Between ridiculous diversions from Google, Garmin's absolute inability to plan a sensible bike route, and my own baked brain, I spent much of the night wandering lost. At wit's end, I slept on the side of a rural freeway ramp, bike taillight still flashing, until the traffic sounds dimmed. Then I "cheated" for six miles of smooth wide shoulder. We need to pressure lawmakers to lift that ban.

I found my host's home at sunrise. She was in Canada, but left permission to camp. With the shade of a big fig tree and a well placed garden hose, I was clean and relatively refreshed for the final push into Chico.

Now I'm relaxing in the wonderfully supportive GRUB Collective - Growing Resourcefully Uniting Bellies. Today when he gets off work, I'll begin the next phase of the journey in the company of Ron Toppi, the founder of Bike4Peace.

Hosting Opportunities Still Available

2010-07-17T21:46:00.000-07:00

We still have vacancies for hosting on the following dates. Dates where there are two days are rest days. Please let us know if you, family, or friends can host us overnight (or during the day on night ride days) in the following locations.

7/29/2010 Middlegate, NV
7/30/2010 Middlegate, NV
7/31/2010 Austin, NV
8/1/2010 Eureka, NV
8/2/2010 Ely, NV
8/3/2010 Baker, NV
8/4/2010 Baker, NV
8/5/2010 Milford, UT
8/6/2010 Panguitch Lake, UT
8/7/2010 Panguitch Lake, UT
8/8/2010 Escalante, UT
8/9/2010 Caineville, UT
8/10/2010 Hite Recreation Area, UT
8/11/2010 Blanding, UT
8/12/2010 Blanding, UT
8/14/2010 Telluride, CO
8/15/2010 Ridgeway, CO
8/16/2010 Cimarron, CO
8/17/2010 Cimarron, CO
8/18/2010 Doyleville, CO
8/19/2010 Poncha Springs, CO
8/20/2010 Howard, CO
8/21/2010 Westcliffe, CO
9/7/2010 Clay, KY
9/8/2010 Rough River Dam, KY
9/9/2010 Bardstown, KY
9/10/2010 Bardstown, KY
9/11/2010 ??, KY Five miles from Lancaster, KY perhaps we'll go from Burgin to Berea that way instead of in the middle of nowhere.
9/12/2010 Buckhorn, KY
9/13/2010 Virgi, KY
9/14/2010 Rosedale, VA
9/15/2010 Rural Retreat, VA
9/16/2010 Rural Retreat, VA
9/18/2010 Vesuvius, VA
9/19/2010 Stanley, VA
9/20/2010 Middleburg, VA

Yaney for Bike4Peace 2010, you may call my cell phone at 541-829-9788. I'll be available to answer it up until July 21. You may also email me at sweetheartofthevalley@ gmail.com. Many thanks.

Common Sense

2010-06-25T23:58:00.001-07:00

Common Sense to Government

Group Bicycle Ride with
Cynthia McKinney

7:00 AM 10:00 AM Noon
1193 Pine St Cappy Ricks Park Union & Texas
Oakland Martinez Fairfield

Saturday - 24-July-2010

3:00 PM 6:00 PM
Farmers' Market State Capitol
Davis Sacramento

Demonstrate Your Bicycle as a Solution to: Please Ride with Us
►Climate Change As Far As You Can
►Health Crisis
►Oil Wars
►Economic Collapse

Join Cynthia McKinney as she bicycles from the Bay Area to Washington, DC

(arriving 22 Sept) http://b4p.bbnow.org/.

B4P 2010 Rider Bios

2010-03-03T12:08:00.000-08:00

Scott Thomson

Since 2004 Scott has been an active member of the Board at Bikes Not Bombs, served as Clerk from 2007-2009 and became board Chair in 2009. He also taught Earn-A-Bike there in 2006. When he is not at Bikes Not Bombs he works at the Unitarian Universalist Association as a Systems Administrator, brews beer, rides bikes and reads. He lives in Jamaica Plain with his partner Amy, their cat and four bikes.

As far as food goes I'm mostly vegetarian, I do eat local meat and sustainable fish, but I can also be flexible when needed. If there are other vegetarians it's probably easier to group me in with them.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Cynthia McKinney

In the fight against bigotry, we stand together, and we must. In the fight against injustice, we stand together, and we must. In the fight against intimidation, we stand together, and we must. After all, a regime that would steal an election right before our very eyes will do anything to all of us."

Cynthia McKinney has made a career of speaking her mind and challenging authority. She began on day one of her political life and hasn’t looked back. With her opinions, actions, and even her sense of style, McKinney has inspired both admiration and controversy.

In 1992, McKinney won a Democratic seat in the US House of Representatives in the newly created 11th district, drawn from Atlanta to Savannah. She was the first African-American woman to represent Georgia in the US Congress. Her gold tennis shoes and braided hairstyle became her trademark, and effectively gave her a higher profile on the predominantly white, male House floor. Though a Democrat during President Clinton’s tenure, she did not simply follow the Party line, as when she voted against NAFTA.

During her second term, her district was re-drawn and re-numbered the 4th district. McKinney protested the new boundaries, but was still re-elected to the seat. She was a supporter of a Palestinian State in Israel-occupied territory, and sparked controversy by criticizing American policy in the Middle East. After 9/11, McKinney suggested the President had received warnings. The criticism she received as a result combined with being targeted by the pro-Israel lobby contributed to her defeat in the 2002 election; however, she ran for the seat again and was re-elected in 2004.

McKinney was a vocal critic of the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina. When Nancy Pelosi encouraged a boycott of a Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate Hurricane Katrina, Cynthia chose instead to participate and submitted her own report. She continued her criticism of the Bush administration and introduced legislation to release the documents related to the murders of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Tupac Shakur. She was the first Member of Congress to file articles of impeachment against George Bush and voted against every war funding bill put before her.

Cynthia McKinney has never been afraid to speak her mind, and stand up for what she believes in. Late in 2007, she left the Democratic Party to take her energy and ideas to the whole country by becoming a Green Party Presidential Candidate.

More information about Cynthia can be found at www.allthingscynthiamckinney.com (currently under reconstruction).
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Vernon Huffman

2010 will be Vernon's third bicycle ride across the continent for peace and sustainability. After supporting Ron, Jesse, and Jeff on the first ride in 2005, he rode along on the northern route in 2006 on a tandem stoked by Ananda Portal. In 2007 Vernon joined Michele Darr, her twelve year old daughter, Tala, and two year old twins, Grace & Willow, for a 4500 mile bicycle trek. After traversing the west coast, crossing the south, and hauling up the Mississippi, they rode to DC to meet Ron Toppi and the Bike4Peace crew from the northern crossing. All tolled, Vernon has bicycled over 10,000 miles through 28 states and commuted another 10,000. 15 years of his adult life have been spent without owning a car.

On or off his bicycle, Vernon is a political activist. At 17, he was a full-time citizen lobbyist in the Montana Legislature. At 28, he took time out of his life as a performer to be a Democratic nominee for the Washington Legislature. At 50, he was an international observer of the elections for the Palestinian Legislature. Vernon served as a medic on the International March for Peace & Justice in Central America, and later traveled alone to Africa to learn how people were living there. He has helped many non-profit organizations, including the new Corvallis Bike Co-op.

I'm not allergic to anything, but I have a strong preference for local organically grown raw vegan food. I love to facilitate, enjoy conflict peacefully resolved, and want to sing, dance, and laugh at the slightest provocation.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Yaney MacIver

This will be Yaney's first cross country bike ride, although she did hitchhike from SF to Long Island once. An activist since she was 15, she held a two and half year stint as Oregon PeaceWorks Program Director (2003-2005), restarted the Linn Benton Chapter of the Pacific Green Party in 2002, and has served a a NOW Chapter President. She enjoys music and dance; owns three saxophones (tenor-Keith Anne, alto-Mick Angela, and soprano-Charlie Louise); and is still working on a volume of poetry called Passionata Et Materna. She works as the Office Administrator at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Corvallis, Oregon--a wonderful place to work--and only two and a half miles from her home at the Pi in the Sky Ranch on Dimple Hill. For her blog of random thoughts please visit Slices of Pi from the Pi in the Sky Ranch.

To rephrase Canned Heat a bit:

I'm going cross country, babe don't you wanna go
I'm going cross country, babe don't you wanna go
I'm going to some place where I've never been before" Like DC. Please join us.

Her birthday is 9/11. Yaney will be turning 55 on the ride.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

YEYO~

A little about me: not much to really. I am currently attending
Antioch University Seattle focusing on Psych and Law with emphasis on
Environmental Justice. I plan on creating a personal "blog" during the
tour. And I create, and enjoy specific types of electronic music. I
mostly read books from the environmentalist persona and BIKES!
yea. And I own a very small music distro. with my best bud.
www.pleasureboatrecords.com

check out my blog i just started:
http://yanomasoil.blogspot.com/
music:
http://soundcloud.com/bonkers
www.myspace.com/beetseeka

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Annie Ebiner

Cycling across America has been a lifelong dream for me. To do it with a solid group motivated by purpose is that much more amazing.

I'm a 31 year old nurse practitioner living in wine country. My partner is an assistant winemaker, but I prefer margaritas to wine. I do travel down to Los Angeles fairly frequently to visit my 14 siblings and 35 nieces and nephews. I ended up in the healthcare field after my 2 years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Senegal, West Africa, where I wished every single day that I had something concrete to offer; after going back to school, and several years as an oncology RN, I'm now working in a family practice clinic in Ukiah.

Other than attending a Camp Courage in Sacramento, I haven't been involved in much local politics, but I am a complete political junkie and love learning about the issues.

I always have been more of a runner than a cyclist, though I did bike/hike (the hiking was on the some of the longer uphills!) down the California coast in the summer of 2008. That was tough but great!

I am really looking forward to this adventure... the challenge, the growth, the beauty, the learning, and the relationships. Can't wait to start:)

____________________________________________________________________

Tyler Boudreau

Tyler Boudreau is a former marine infantryman and a veteran of the war in Iraq. He has spoken to audiences (and stood in vigils) around the country relaying his experiences in the military and discussing veterans’ issues. He is author of the book Packing Inferno: The Unmaking of a Marine and many articles, which have appeared in the New York Times, Boston Globe, Seattle Times, The Progressive, Truthout, International Herald Tribune and others. In 2008, Tyler traveled to Amman Jordan with a media team to investigate and raise awareness about the on-going Iraq Refugee Crisis. Over the summer of 2009, Boudreau rode his bicycle unsupported across the country from Seattle, WA to Northampton, MA, where he now resides, as an effort to reacquaint himself with the land, reintegrate with his community and family, and to positively reinvest his strength in America. (It was the first time he’d ever ridden a bike more than ten miles!) Along the way, he stopped to join community discussions about the wars of our time. Tyler divides his time now between family, writing, a bit of gardening, and now obsessive cycling. He will join the Bike 4 Peace ride in Eli, Nevada and sadly depart in Everton, Missouri.

More details about Tyler Boudreau’s life and work can be found on his website: www.tylerboudreau.com

B4P 2010

2010-02-23T20:40:00.000-08:00

We're bicycling from San Francisco to Washington, DC between 24-July and 22-Sept, 2010, without motorized support. Cynthia McKinney, six term Member of Congress and 2008 Green Party nominee for President, is riding. The ride will demonstrate the bicycle as a transformational tool to solve the problems of Climate Change, Oil Wars, the Health Crisis, and the Economic Crunch. Along the way, riders will facilitate community discussions around the question "How can we support each other to live true to our best values?"

We expect to be joined by bicyclists from across North America as we converge upon Washington, DC, for World Car-Free Day, 22-Sept. Those who don't have time to cycle the whole way may put their bikes onto mass transit and join us where they can. We'll meet at the US Capitol Building at 10 am and ride together.

Our route, schedule, and discussion group are open to anybody with a free Google account. Please join us. If you would like to bicycle all or part of the route, plan a convergence ride, or host riders passing through your community, please e-mail bike4peace@googlegroups.com. Please forward this and re-post to others who might be interested.



---------------------------------------------+
  __o     CONTINENTAL CRITICAL MASS
_`\;,_        plan to ride from home     
(*)/ (*)  CONVERGE ON WASHINGTON, DC
             22 SEPT - World Car-Free Day 
                  http://b4p.bbnow.org/            
---------------------------------------------+

Help Build a Bike Co-op with No Cost to You

2008-06-02T15:31:00.000-07:00

Please spend a couple minutes to cast a vote for this idea, so we can win $10,000 to start the Bike Co-op.

First go to http://ideablob.com/ and register so your vote will count.

When they confirm your membership go to http://ideablob.com/ideas/2408-Corvallis-Bicycle-Co-operative and vote for us.

Then you can enjoy exploring this interesting web site as much as you like. Maybe you'll even submit your own idea and ask me to vote for it.

Please forward this message to others who might help us out. Thanks!

Join Us!

2007-12-17T11:05:00.000-08:00

Please join our group and stay on top of the discussion.
http://groups.google.com/group/bike4peace
Invite friends who may ride, host, or support Bike4Peace.

My Heroes

2007-01-25T05:59:00.000-08:00

My life has been completely consumed by the vision of a continental critical mass of bicycles converging upon DC for World Car Free Day, Sat 22 Sept. Energy for this Gandhian action is coming from all directions, convincing me that the ecosphere has a mind. Let me tell you a few stories.

Ron Toppi is the founder of Sharing Wheels, a community bike shop in Everett, WA. Determined to simplify his life and save others, this brave veteran has ridden to DC twice with Bike4Peace (http://www.bike4peace.org). "We'd rather bike for peace than kill for oil." Ron is planning to lead another contingent across the northern route this year.

Michele Darr is a mother driven by love to heal our society. Having spent two months in Kuwait under Iraqi occupation, she is aware of the realities of war and opposed to US military activities in the region. Even with three children in diapers, Michele has been arrested three times for practicing free speech in a Senator's office. The Journey of HOPE (Healing Our People & Earth) will move down the West Coast and across the south, empowering discussions in communities along the route (http://www.emissariesofhope.org). I'll be riding with Michele and family.

Brian Willson recently added another chapter to his inspiring story by leading a ride up to the Veterans for Peace conference. Brian lost his legs to the nuclear train while engaging in nonviolent civil disobedience, but that hasn't stopped him from riding a human powered vehicle. We hope to see Brian cycling in DC.

Don't wait to be led. Check the web to find out what's happening in your area. Take the initiative to organize a ride to DC from your home. Host riders coming through from elsewhere. Spread the word to everyone you know. Please tell us how you fit into this cross-continental uprising. Sustainable communities are breaking out all over!

- Vernon Huffman
kashimbi@earthlink.net
425-438-8985

Bike4Peace Again!

2007-01-25T05:58:00.000-08:00

We're riding our bicycles to Washington, DC, again arriving on Sat 22 Sep, World Car Free Day. You say you could never ride that far? Well, how far could you ride? Twenty or twenty-five miles? Okay, so you do that right after breakfast, then you take a break. Then you do it again and stop for a good healthful lunch. Another twenty or twenty-five miles, another break. One more ride, dinner, shower and sleep. That's a typical day for Bike4Peace. After riding five days you take a rest day. Pay attention to your body as you grow stronger. Stretch frequently, drink lots of water, eat low on the food chain. At this pace, nearly anybody can cross North America from west to east in about seven weeks. Or perhaps your ideal pace is different. Plan your route to push yourself, but don't break anything. It's not easy, but it's beneficial.

Prepare by getting very familiar with your gear. Consider the minimum you need to stay healthy. Pack it onto the bike and ride twenty-five miles. Too heavy? Reconsider, reduce, and repack. There are some things everybody needs - four large water bottles, a toothbrush, and a sleeping bag. It's a good idea to have two bicycling outfits and a set of sweats for when you're not riding. When you buddy with another rider, one of you can carry a tent and the other some cooking gear (keep it simple). Invest in Ortlieb panniers; they're worth it. You'll need some special items you might not find in a convenience store, and these items can be shared across the packs of all the cyclists. There's always room for the item that nobody else would think to bring. Avoid unnecessary redundancy as you pack the way only you can.

What sort of bicycle is best for this journey? Well, it's got to be comfortable for you and sturdy enough to haul your load over every imaginable surface. Some prefer 26" wheels, while others like 700c. Either way, you need aramid tires, heavy spokes, and light rims. A super skinny, flexible seat is most comfortable. You'll want the best bike mechanic in town to consult and examine your gear. Pack some extra spokes, a few tubes and a tire or two. Start out with a fresh chain and gears. Carry 4 oz of Tri-flow and a rag. Know how to take your bike apart and put it back together. Be sure somebody has the tools and parts you might need. We decided one good floor pump was easier than a bunch of little frame pumps. There are bike shops along the way, but they don't always have what you need.

Cross continental bicyclists are the core of Bike4Peace, who welcome additional riders for any portion of the trip. Some will ride across town, some across state, and some the rest of the way to DC. It's especially nice to be joined by riders who know the local terrain when we're trying to find a specific place or determine the safest route. We've skipped around some bike trails that may have been great because we weren't sure where they went. Highway maps only tell so much. It's such fun to meet people who live on their bikes, each in a unique way. Every community bike shop is a delight. A local cyclist leading the pack can be a great asset, especially if her panniers contain lunch.

Of course, hosts are the true heart of Bike4Peace. The ride simply could not happen without the support of the generous people who open their homes or churches to the riders. We've been repeatedly surprised by the graciousness of strangers. Most Bike4Peace hosts have been found by googling the name of a town plus bike or peace. Those who stay behind help to line up hosts by telephone as we ride. Sometimes we make connections through organizations with resonate missions, but some of our greatest hosts had divergent political or religious beliefs from the bikers they hosted. Humanity itself is common ground enough to inspire support for survival. If you can look a stranger in the eye and explain your needs without expectation, you'll always be okay.

Different levels of support are appropriate at different times. Cyclists are prepared to sleep outside, bathe out of a cook pot with a towel and some Dr. Bronner's, or eat whatever is available, but they really appreciate a warm shower, a lovingly prepared meal, or soft bed. Hosts who can provide massage, chiropractic care, or a sauna can achieve legendary status. We've found that a simple diet of diverse fruits, veggies, seeds, and nuts is best. We especially appreciate locally grown organic produce. Perhaps a pot luck, with the challenge of using food grown organically within the county, would be appropriate in your community. Beggars cannot be choosers and riders with food sensitivities may need to carry some hard to find foods.

Bike4Peace is building a network of people devoted to the search for a sustainable lifestyle. We're eager to observe your successes and discuss your challenges, particularly if you live where we could spend a rest day. Communication is always a challenge. Riders can carry cell phones, which sometimes work, or check e-mail when the Internet is available, and we can always use help passing the word along to make sure everybody is on the same page. We don't want to organize or control anybody, just to share what others are thinking and doing. We want you to feel unity with a whole nation full of good people who are only a bike ride away. Please take the initiative to build your own Bike4Peace and let us know what you're doing. Together we can build a peaceful world.