Steve A. and I are bicycle touring, self supported from Rock Island State Park on Saturday to Cedars of Lebanon State Park.  The idea is to shake out our gear/system before we ride the Natchez Trace.  One-way drop-off's are a pretty good way to tour.  

Ah, my first overnight self-supported bicycle tour. I had been on many week-long and overnight supported rides, including the BRAT twice, RAGBRAI once, Tour de Cure and Jack and Back numerous times. Since I'm going to ride the Natchez Trace in September, I figured I'd better test the system.

For my first self-supported ride, I needed a moderate distance, and I wanted to ride from my doorstep somewhat close to downtown Nashville. In 2007, BRAT rode without me, starting in downtown Nashville, first night at Henry Horton. I'd use their cue sheet as a base.

This was also my first trip with my Amod GPS data logger.  Here's the track from day 1, and the better pictures from both days.

I read a post on the Harpeth Bike Club email list this evening and it was text about how to deal with an angry dog. I thought I recognized the formatting and the story. Yes, it was Ken Kifer's article on Coping with Dogs.  It reminded me of Ken's website and other sites that inspired me when I first started cycling.  I thought I'd share a few things about them both.

Ken Kifer had ridden an estimated 100,000 touring miles over his years of cycling in Scottsboro, AL.  He was run down by a drunk driver in 2003 while riding his bike 6 miles from his home. If you want to know how to make your own pannier, find a place to camp, ride to work, and tons of other useful cycling information that many now take for granted.  Ken was an authority that taught thousands.  His website is still up and running, with the content the same as it was the day he was killed.  I believe his site is one of the most important bicycling sites in the world.









Sheldon Brown I would guess rode a bicycle almost every day of his life (excluding birth, and after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.)  I can picture Sheldon with his beard and a shit-eating grin, pedaling along on his single-speed fixed gear.  He was survived by a brilliant wife and two kids - all over-achievers.  Sheldon decided to be a professional bicycle mechanic / author / webmaster - all things bicycle, rather than some kind of physicist or whatever.  He was the PhD of bicycling.  The guy knew everything.  He wrote for magazines over the years.  He built the most comprehensive encyclopedia of bicycling anywhere.  It was all free and available to the world.  The world knew Sheldon for being an expert.  But, he was humble and always willing to help.  I posted a question on a newsgroup once - I think it was about drilling a drain hole in a bottom bracket.  Well, Sheldon emailed me directly with an answer, with no thought of any reward other than to help someone out.  This is Sheldon's reward - going down in bicycling history as one of the greats. 

Sheldon, they'll find a cure for your MS some day, and I'll do my part in your honor.

Ken, we'll do everything we can to make the roads safer for you and everyone else out there. 

What are you going to do?

If you have 18 minutes, this is pretty good. Left brain and right brain.

CLICK HERE

WWW.TED.COM

I went out and rode the HBC Tuesday night ride. I'm the ride coordinator, and lately I rarely ride on the club rides, and it's pretty pathetic I know.

Last night, I rode the new Tuesday location. The start is right off I65 by Cool Springs Blvd to the east, and the route heads south through McKay's Mill, Arno Road and all that. Pretty neat ride once you get away from Cool Springs Boulevard. Fortunately there's plenty of room for cars and bicycles because the roads around Cool Springs on the east side are basically wider than what's needed for traffic.

Anyhow, I was contemplating cars that speed around out in the country in such a big hurry. A bicycle that slows them down in a blind curve infuriates many of these country-dwelling soccer mom's. They're in such a big hurry to get home from work, or whatever it is that's so urgent that they pass bicycles unsafely. Why in the world did these people move out into the country in the first place? The peace and quiet? The slower pace and relaxation? Seems like the very nature of the infuriation induced by a bicycle is exactly the opposite thing these people are looking for when they make that choice to move out there. I see fewer angry drivers when riding through downtown Nashville! Maybe angry people in the country actually moved out to the country to get away from city bicycles? I just don't know.

After the ride, about 20 of us stopped by a Mexican restaurant for food and drink. Everyone toasted the great new route and ride. The next toast a few minutes later was to "Pat Clements - our ride coordinator who actually came out and rode with us!" And everyone cheered and toasted, including me. I'm not likely to get out for too many Tuesday rides, but I guess I need to ride more or I'm gonna get fired! Hmmm...I'll have to think about whether that's good or bad! (-:

Someone sent me these amazing videos of this robot build by Boston Dynamics under a DARPA research grant. Truly amazing.

Here it is in its current form. You can see that it's pretty sophisticated.



But, it hasn't always been that way. Here is version 1. You can see they've come a very long way.



Long story short, keep working hard at something and you can go from 'stupid robot' to 'that thing kicks ass.'

I hired Gabriel's Tree Service to remove most of the bamboo from my back yard in preparation for a fence. I wanted to mention the positive things from the experience.

I found Gabriel on craigslist.org. Seemed like he said the right stuff in his ad, so I called. 615-582-2623. He came over and left me a very competitive quote, later started the work.

Bamboo is probably one of the worst materials to remove for tree people. The roots are covered with dirt, and the silicon embedded in the material is very hard, so it's tough on the chipper. Gabriel had a problem with the way some of the dead bamboo splintered. It caused the output chute on the chipper to clog up. They worked through the problem.

After removing the bamboo, Gabriel used a stump grinder and sweeped the whole area, grinding the bamboo roots, and the stumps up, leaving the whole area ready for grass. This wasn't discussed upfront, but he said that's what needed to be done. No extra charge. Other services wanted to charge me upwards of $1000 for that same grinding.

One of Gabriel's marketing strategies is "Ask About Free Tree Removal". It turns out that in churches, parks, or other areas, he'll remove large dead limbs (widow makers), or maybe the whole tree, to make the area safer for kids. That's an admirable idea, and goes a long way towards spreading a good word about his company.

Long story short, I'd use him again for work that I can't handle with my own chainsaw!

OK, once and for all, I'm kind of tired of all the questions:

• You're a vegetarian?
• How long have you been doing that?
• That's weird!  Why the hell would you want to do that?
• Why did you quit eating meat? ("you big dummy" or "weirdo" implied with the non-verbals)
  

I plagiarized this from ibike.org. It's just too good not to reproduce.

More Than Forty Good Reasons For Bicycling

1. Bicycles Increase Mobility For Those Who Don't Have Access To Motor Transport.
2. Bikes Increase Mobility For Those Who Don't Qualify To Drive A Car.
3. Bicycles Increase Mobility For Those Who Can't Afford Motor Transport.
4. Bikes Increase Mobility For Those Who Don't Want To Drive Motor Vehicles.
5. There Are 28 Miles Of Bike Trails In The City of Seattle.  (Nashville has 80 miles of bike lanes)
   
6. Bicycling Is The Most Efficient Form Of Transportation Ever Invented.
7. You Get Exercise From Bicycling
8. Save Travel Money By Biking
9. Reduce Stress
10. Biking Is Therapeutic For The Mind & Spirit
11. Cycling Is Therapeutic For The Body
12. Your Commute Will Be The Best Part Of Your Day Instead Of The Worst Part Of Your Day.
13. Cycling Improves Self-Esteem
14. Save On The Membership To A Health Club, Get Your Exercise Bicycling To Work
15. Cycling Is Low Impact On The Body
16. Cycling Is Low Impact On The Environment
17. Bicycling In Your Neighborhood Is A Great Way To Meet Your Neighbors
18. Camaraderie of Cyclists Makes It A Great Way To Meet A Nice Stranger With A Similar Interest
19. Bicyclist Can Ignore the Traffic Reports
20. Feel the Self-satisfaction Of Biking Past A Traffic Jam In The Bike Lane.
21. Predictable Commute Time
22. Easier Parking
23. Cheaper Parking
24. Leaving Your Car At Home Provide A Parking Space For Someone Less Fortunate
25. If You Are Lazy, Your Bicycle Provides Door-To-Door Transport (You Don't Have To Walk Across A Vast Parking Lot)
26. Reduce Demand For Parking Lots
27. Reduce Energy Consumption (see below)
28. Reduce Air Pollution -- Bicyclist Emit Few Gases
29. Reduce Water Pollution -- Bikes Don't Drip Brake Fluid, Anti-Freeze, Transmission Fluid, Etc.
30. Reduce Noise Pollution -- Even Without A Muffler Bikes Are Quiet
31. Reduces Road Wear -- Even If Cyclist Feel Like They Have The Weight Of The World On Their Shoulders.
32. A four mile bicycle trip keeps about 15 pounds of pollutants out of the air we breathe.
33. 40% Of All Trips In The U.S. Are Within Two Miles Of Home.
34. Prevent and protest the sanctioned murder (homicide by motor-vehicle) of responsible citizens.
35. Bikes Small Profile Reduce Congestion
36. Motor Vehicle Emissions Cause More Than Half Of The Northwest's Air Pollution.
37. Reduce Need To Lay Additional Asphalt And Concrete
38. Easier to Vary Your Route By Bicycle
39. Bicycling Improves Cardio-Vascular Health
40. Better muscle tone, bone mass improvement, clearer skin
41. Healthier People Have Lower Health Care Expenses
42. New bicycle commuters can expect to lose 13 pounds their first year of bicycle commuting.
43. The Exercise Increase Your Productivity At Work
44. Increased Bike Uses Generates Bike Facilities Which Increase Property Values
45. Bicycling Gives You More Fresh Air Than A Sauna And You Can Still Sweat And Clean Your Pores
46. Bike Commuting Is A License To Dress Weird And Still Feel Smug
47. Urban Cycling Keeps You Humble
48. Biking Is Virtually Life Long Activity
49. Bicycling Can Be Enjoyed In A Wide Variety Of Topography
50. Cycling Can Be Enjoyed In A Wide Variety Of Climates
51. Bicycles Are A Great Means To See The World
52. Bicycling is cool.
53. Biking Is Fun.

A bicyclist burns about 25 Calories per mile.  One large egg supplies 80 Calories.   A cyclist can travel about three miles on the energy of one egg.
0 (symbol for one egg)

A person walking would require three eggs to go the same distance.
000

A loaded bus requires the equivalent of two dozen eggs for each person it carries three miles.
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A train requires the equivalent of three dozen eggs for each person it carries three miles.
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A car that gets 12.5 miles per gallon requires the equivalent of seven dozen eggs to carry one person three miles.
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Even if you double the miles per gallon and double the occupancy a car will still use the equivalent of twenty-one eggs to make the trip -- more than twenty times a bicycle.
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