Photo Blog: The Fair

The fair grounds from the ferris wheel. Does it look like a petri dish?


We paid $12 for this ride - how 'bout some bulbs?


A friendly reminder, playaz only!

Imagine My Pleasure

Aparently the car wants to be driven more.


Special thanks to the local daily.

Passenger Data: August 2 - 9

8/8 – 8am – Depot to Work – 5 aboard
8/8 – 8am – Home to Depot – 4 aboard, 1 pickup, 1 drop
8/5 – 4pm – Depot to Home – 1 aboard, 4 pickups, 3 drops
8/4 – 8am – Depot to Work – 8 aboard
8/4 – 8am – Home to Depot – 1 aboard
8/3 – 4pm – Work to LBS – 6 aboard
8/3 – 8am – Depot to Work – 3 aboard
8/3 – 8am – Home to Depot – 1 pickup
8/2 - 12pm - LBS to Work - 13 aboard, 1 pickup, 1 drop
8/2 - 11am - Work to LBS - 8 aboard, 2 drops
8/2 – 8am – Depot to Work – 4 aboard
8/2 – 8am – Home to Depot – 1 aboard, 1 pickup

Tales From the (MS150) Tour

The Ride – 5-ish miles from home to the tour start. 75 miles from start to tour finish. 15-ish miles from finish to the in-laws.

The Bike – steel framed mountain bike with 2-inch wide slick tires at 60 psi. Mountain bikes are an unconventional choice for riding that far, but I love this bike. I could nap on this bike and it would still get me where I mean to go.

The Worst – there was a particularly busy four-way stop intersection on the edge of the finishing town that also happened to have very poor course markings. I stopped nearby to chat with some people about the lack of markings and watched the variety and creativity of the riders as they for better or worse navigated the required left turn. There were bikes everywhere. Thankfully everybody seems to have made it through without contact. Sadly and surely, from a driver’s perspective, the chaos was unnecessary and unwelcome.

The Irony – mountain bikes on rides like these sometimes elicit strong opinions from other riders. There are the experienced road riders who “know better” than to ride 100 miles on such a bike and they expect you should know better too. There are also the inexperienced riders on their ill-fitting bikes who express a mixture of admiration and pity, being glad and relieved that at least the tires they had tech support fill with air this morning before the tour were skinny. I quickly developed a standard response of “I knew what I was getting into” for those who were willing to express these opinions to me.

So I found it completely and utterly inronical when the man with the wobbly rear wheel (hopefully he broke spokes during the day and was just trying to finish as opposed to having started the ride like that) and the wheels that still tracked in different directions anyway, even if the wobble were to be fixed (could it be a bent frame?) rode up to me at the previously mentioned intersection. After catching his balance (he almost fell over as he stopped, seriously, I even put my arm out to try to catch him) said, “I can’t believe you’d ride that bike on this tour.”

The Conversation – another guy rolled up behind me and the typical small talk ensued. “Hi. My ride is going fine. Yes you’ve seen me on the city bike trail. Yes I ride a lot. Yes I’m riding a mountain bike. No, I haven’t decided if I’m riding the century loop; after the ride I still have to ride to my in-laws. No, I’m not having them pick me up. No, I’m not really into the car thing. No, I haven’t been arrested for DWI.”

...arrested for DWI. Here's why this conversation turns into a good story. I said at the beginning that "suspended license" is a first thought for lots of people when they see someone headed to work on a bicycle.

“I’m concerned about green house gasses. No, I still think the bicycle beats hydrogen and solar powered cars. I’m one of the 14 bus riders in Sioux Falls. I use my bike and the bus to reduce my automobile usage by 350 miles a month. A typical day has me riding on the bike trail home from work.” At this point the guy decides he can’t keep the pace and excuses himself. He said hey to me at the finish line so I figure he doesn’t think I’m totally crazy…just a little crazy.

Report: August 1-7

Trips -
MinusCar: 13
Multi-occupant Auto: 6
Single occupant Auto: 5
My Car Miles: 200 (that’s not a typo)

It was a week full of poor planning, error and many miles of driving, but everyone survived.

The Boy 7 and his friend attended another camp downtown this week. Monday and Friday were my days to pick up. Both days I biked from work, met the boys, explored downtown for 30 minutes then boarded the bus for home. Both days involved single occupant trips in the car for mobile bus stops. In all the excitement of Monday’s trip home it finally happened…we exited the bus and headed for the nearby car and I walked away from the bus, leaving my bike behind. Thankfully, the driver alerted me. Friday as I waited with my bike at the morning stop I arrived at the realization that I would need a car to get the three of us home. Ride home, get the car, leave the car and ride to work after having long since missed the bus.

After a long hard summer for The Race Bike, Wednesday it was finally intact enough for real use. Early in the summer we replaced the hydraulic disc brake system with a substitute that hopefully will work a little better below 50 degrees. Shortly after that we sent the front suspension away for some factory repair. I used the car for mobile bus stop so that I could ride the repaired bike home and was I woefully unprepared for that. Here is a list of what went wrong: the clipless shoes I brought didn’t match the clipless pedals on the bike, I brought a half pair of gloves, and I purchased Gatorade to fill my bottle but the bike didn’t have a cage to hold the bottle. It’s a wonder I made it home.

The two other trips and 187 of the 200 miles are attached to a very hard day for the MinusCar Project, yet a very normal and happy day for the life of most people. I traveled 90 miles away to Ponca State Park in Nebraska, for some off-road bicycling. This trip required that I fill the car with gas for the first time since May 25th. Of course, it was a fun trip, good company, and very nice riding.

Bicycle Training: 17.5 hours

In the News: China & Kyocera

The Christian Science Monitor reports on the rise of automobile use in China. I can't imagine what it would be like for a kid in China, realizing that in their lifetime, instead of just reading about Beijing or The Great Wall, they're likely to be able to drive to those places and see them with their own eyes. Much like our own excursions to the Corn Place, Wall Drug, and Mt. Rushmore.

Like it or not Kyocera has a parking lot in San Diego covered with solar panels. "Kyocera today announced that it will hold a public dedication for its first-ever Solar Grove(TM); an array of 25 "solar trees"(TM) that converts a 186-vehicle parking lot into a 235-kilowatt solar electric generating system..."

DDD Agrees; It's Contagious

DDD asked me to give him and his blog some love and then he found an irresistible way to get it from me. He got on his bike. He didn’t stop there. He rode it for utility. Into Shopping Central. With his young son.

Shopping Central in my mind is like a minefield. In Shopping Central, IF you can find a place marked for pedestrians to cross the street, you’ll also find a countdown timer attached to the light so the elderly know not to bother to try to cross, and the brave peds know exactly when the point of impact is going to be. Although they only rode near it, Shopping Central contains the busiest intersection in the state.

And his son, DDD(2) gets it too, “the next time mom needs groceries, if there isn't to many to get...we should bike to HyVee.”

Nice job guys. Much love.

Heavy Cycling

Friday night riding buddy Uncle Albers and I put down about 30 mostly off road miles in the dark. He and I were well matched for speed which made for a very fun ride. Think speeder bike racing through the forests of Endor without sunlight or the Ewok traps. At one point our lights revealed a couple really young deer running though a park.

To bed at midnight and up at 5:30am to get to day 1 of the local MS150 Tour. Waking up like this is good practice for the upcoming 24 hour race, except The Wife doesn’t come to the race and I was sleeping through my alarm until she jostled me awake. Thanks dear. I rode to the ride, rode the ride, and then rode to the in-laws after the ride. Seven hours and 98 miles later I was reunited with my family and it didn’t feel so good in the shower trying to keep my sore spots away from the stinging water.

I skipped day 2 of the MS150 so I could hook up with Uncle Albers, Eggsnbacon, and Rotsap Rekced for a trip to Ponca State Park in Nebraska. It was hot. Early in the ride I broke my chain and unlike the previous broken chain experience I knew where my tools were. In spite of that, any time spent playing in the dirt is still a good time. Rekced and I left the other two in Ponca and came home after maybe just an hour of riding.

Here’s the endless view from the bluff at Ponca. The white spot is a boat.

Viewewd Media: August 1-4

8/2 - Undertow ****

A not at all happy story about a dad and two boys struggling but surviving after the death of their mother. Along comes dad's brother wearing sheep's clothing. He wants something and is ultimately willing to kill for it. The two brothers must survive to face the evil that is their family.

8/3 - Criss Angel's Mindfreak on A&E

In 1998 Criss Angel and Klay Scott worked together on Angeldust: Musical Conjurings from World of Illusion. It was a soundtrack to accompany Criss Angel's stage production and a VERY good CD. Since then I've seen Criss in the media just often enough to know that he's still performing and aparently making a living. Wednesday his new A&E TV show was featured in the USA Today. I watched. I was entertained. I'll probably watch again.

Walking & LJSSGTM

I hooked up with The Wife for lunch today. I walked toward downtown hoping to be intercepted by a bus. 1 mile later, two blocks from my destination one caught up with me, too late to be useful.

Interesting, MapQuest reveals the distance from work to meet The Wife and work to the LBS are within .02 miles, in mirror image opposite directions.

I observed a stroller locked to a bus stop bench with a bike lock. Hopefully the passenger realizes strollers are allowed on the bus and the stroller was still in one piece when they returned.

As I walked I thought about tracking statistics for drivers who block sidewalks while exiting parking lots only to reverse back into the parking lot when they realize they’re not going to be able to enter the street before blocking an oncoming pedestrian. By the end of the walk I realized there’d be too many to count. The experience causes me to contemplate which activity I perceive to be more dangerous: cycling on the road or walking on the road (sidewalk). I’m often tempted to climb in and out through the car’s back doors instead of walking around it.

We ate at Long John Silver’s. It’s been a lot of years since I’d done that. I’m amazed that LJS survived Hardee’s. A quick survey at work revealed 90% had never partaken of the LJS deep fried goodness (by goodness I mean not very goodness at all), and 10% may have eaten there maybe once in the last 10 years. Their website reveals in 2002 they became friends with some pretty deep pockets. Deep enough I suppose to carry them through to the next lenten season.

It will be another 10 years before I eat there again.

Bus Route Changes Continued: I'm In the Paper Today

The Local Daily contains an article about the city council approved transit changes. Here are the highlights as I see them:

Transit General Manager Nardini says this, "What we'd like the opportunity to do, through travel training and adjusting their schedule, is to make it just as good or a little better." Maybe a reason why people get grumbly is they're having to rearrange their lives because the Transit General Manager has set for himself such a lofty target.

Here's the part about me: "...the number of riders already is up about 1 percent from last year, which he attributes in part to the addition of bicycle racks on buses this spring. The number of riders per hour stands at 14, a number Nardini said could soon rise to 15..."

I guess this makes me 1 percent.

Passenger Data: July 26 - August 1

8/1 - 4pm - Depot to Home - 12 aboard, 12 drops
8/1 – 8am – Depot to Work – 6 aboard
8/1 – 8am – Home to Depot – 2 aboard, 1 pickup
7/29 – 1pm – Depot to Work – 15 aboard, 1 pickup
7/29 – 8am – Depot to Work – 7 aboard, 2 drops
7/29 – 8am – Home to Depot – 1 aboard, 1 pickup
7/28 – 8am – Depot to Work – 8 aboard
7/28 – 8am – Home to Depot – 3 aboard, 1 pickup

Bus Route Changes

I understand last night our city council approved the proposed bus route changes; originally scheduled to be in place by August 1 it sounds like the new target is August 25. I haven't seen anything officially documented yet. The changes are being brought about by a new bus transfer station built near shopping central.

As a bus rider it feels interesting to have to plan my job arrival and departure around new decisions made by committees and advisory boards. I chose not to be involved in this process mainly because it began long before I started the MinusCar Project, but also because I have other priorities and methods of transport. Unfortunately many of my fellow passengers were equally uninvolved and are much more dependant on bus transport than I am.

Today I spent some time reviewing the proposed changes. Assuming I’m reading the most recent iteration the best thing will be my route moves from 2 miles away to less than a half mile away from my home. This greatly increases the likelihood that the MinusCar Project will successfully continue through winter.

The worst change comes with after work downtown departure times: 4:15 and 5:45 are the choices. Leaving work an hour early or and hour late to meet the bus seems a little off to me, however rider statistics (which I’ve posted here) might explain the lack of need for something more regular. I guess if a person misses the 4:15 they might as well catch a 4:45 and go shopping by the new transfer station instead of waiting downtown for 90 minutes. It’s also true that a bus arrives near my work around 4:45 which will be quite reasonable for me to take home; it just won’t allow me to go downtown.

altEnergy - Cooking Oil and Wind

Here's an article about a couple in Ohio, tired of paying so much for gas, bought a kit that allows them to burn cooking oil in their car.

Here's an article about John Deere and their plans to invest $60 million in wind energy projects this year.

And the Cleverchimp mentions the bikescape blog post featuring James Howard Kunstler. Kunstler is no optimist so if you've got a high level of anxiety about the future like I do consider avoiding these links. I listened to and rather liked the bikescape podcast and read this TruthOut article which ends:

"If there is any positive side to stark changes coming our way, it may be in the benefits of close communal relations, of having to really work intimately (and physically) with our neighbors, to be part of an enterprise that really matters and to be fully engaged in meaningful social enactments instead of being merely entertained to avoid boredom. Years from now, when we hear singing at all, we will hear ourselves, and we will sing with our whole hearts."

/kt - He Blogs

My boy /kt is blogging. He's got a handful of posts under his belt. I hope he's in it for the long haul.



Today he writes about Gary McKinnon, a British hacker who found his way into unprotected US military computers. This story was new to me. I went the Google route on the guy and read this Guardian article about him.

Camping

The family took a short camping trip Saturday into Sunday. Here are some scenes.

I found this in the camping tub for fire starting. Weird.



The South Face.



More rock.

The Boy 3 Is Scary

The Boy 3 took the matter of Saturday lunch into his own hands. I should have known there'd be trouble when he came to me (in the bathroom) and said he was waiting for lunch. He tends to state things in opposites. (I wonder if that's why he always does what you tell him not too...hmmm.)

He is allergic to wheat and dairy so there is very high risk associated with him choosing his own food.

Here's what he made...



...he ate all of it.

In other food news, Mother's Brand cereal from Quaker has Cocoa Bumpers (think Cocoa Puffs) that are wheat and dairy free. It's always nice to have these products added to the market. Recently Kellogg's put wheat in Corn Pops, not only one of his favorites, but also the last Kellogg's Cereal without wheat.

Monthly Summary Report: July 4-31

Trips -
MinusCar: 35
Multi-occupant auto: 29
Single-occupant auto: 9

My Car Miles: 64 compared to 128 for June and previous average of 450.

Report: July 25-31

Trips -
MinusCar: 8
Multi-occupant Auto: 10
Single occupant Auto: 3
My Car Miles: 9

While single occupant auto trips are higher than I'd like, the 9 miles put on my car this week indicates it was probably used exclusively as a mobile bus stop. Usually I like to report the specific need for single occupant trips but I can't remember them.

This week also included a special first of its kind family MinusCar trip to a nearby birthday party.

Bicycle Training: 2.3 hours

After the big crash on Wednesday I put bicycle training on hold. If I were a participant in sports requiring rapid direction changes I might be inclined to visit an orthopede, but I don't so I'm not. The knee feels pretty good, I've continued to be able to use the bicycle as transport which makes me happy.

But what about the hip? A Friday family walk amongst the sculptures in the downtown area revealed to me that I also injured the hip that is connected to the knee. Since Friday the sore hip has been making sleep difficult because it wakes me up and wants me to change positions.

I plan to resume training this week.

Viewed Media

7/31 - Anchorman **

Eh, yeah it's funny. I'm not much for Saturday Night Live talent making their way into movies.

7/28 - Deadwood: Season 1: Episodes 1-2 ****

I don't like Westerns, therefore I was prepared to not like this series. Half way through the DVD I was thinking it was good and worth finishing but I probably wouldn't need to continue with the next disc. At the end of the second episode I couldn't believe it was ending. I needed to know what was next. I like Deadwood.

Much has been said about the naughty language in this series and much of what has been said is true. For me, the language wasn't much of a distraction. I remember one section of naughty dialog striking me as unlikely, but other than that I was fully able to engage the story and let the dialog flow.

Deadwood will be back on this list.

(5 star scale)