Well I have safely made it up to Houghton... The UP is BEAUTIFUL!! I am really excited for the picturesque sights on the way home.
I'm also pretty darn nervous/anxious. This is a BIG trip, especially to be doing alone. Fortunately, I have lots of supportive friends and family, so I know I'll pull through.
Anyhow, tomorrow's the big day! I'm about to make a quick run to the local bike shop and pick up some last minute things. I'll eat well today, sleep well tonight, and tomorrow I ride!!!! Wish me luck!
I won't be posting during my trip, because my internet will be unpredictably sparse. But I will be updating my Twitter - Zachnificent - because it has a cool mobile feature in that I can send Twitter a text message and it will update, or "tweet", my status. That means I can send a text/tweet even if I don't have service, but as soon as I do it will go through and update. So if you have Twitter, check it out. If not, I'll post here when I get back :)
Here we go! Have a great couple of weeks!
-Zach
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Adventure on the Horizon
Sooooo in a week and two days I'll be departing on an almost 650-mile bike trip.
My brother lives in the northern U.P. and leaves his small two-door car down here during the winter where we don't get twice the height of his car in snow. Since I don't own a car, I "take care" of it during the winter (meaning, I mostly let it sit in the driveway and collect snow).
Anyway, like usual, he wants it back for the summer. However, UNlike usual, he's not coming down to retrieve it. So I'm taking it up to him. No problem. But once I get up there, I need to get back home. There aren't any trains up there, busses are stupid expensive, and all of his friends are already down here by the time I get up there... Problem?
Nope! I have a bike! :)
So I'll drive up there a week from tomorrow, spend a day with him, and leave the next day. Here's what my itinerary looks like right now:
My brother lives in the northern U.P. and leaves his small two-door car down here during the winter where we don't get twice the height of his car in snow. Since I don't own a car, I "take care" of it during the winter (meaning, I mostly let it sit in the driveway and collect snow).
Anyway, like usual, he wants it back for the summer. However, UNlike usual, he's not coming down to retrieve it. So I'm taking it up to him. No problem. But once I get up there, I need to get back home. There aren't any trains up there, busses are stupid expensive, and all of his friends are already down here by the time I get up there... Problem?
Nope! I have a bike! :)
So I'll drive up there a week from tomorrow, spend a day with him, and leave the next day. Here's what my itinerary looks like right now:
Day 1 (5/5)
Houghton to L'anse - 31 miles
Day 2 (5/6)
L'anse to Marquette - 74.2 Miles (105.2)
Day 3 (5/7)
Marquette to Munising - 42 Miles (147.2)
Day 4 (5/8)
*Camping in Pictured Rocks for a couple nights :)
Day 5 (5/9)
Munising to Manistique - 48.3 miles (195.5)
Day 6 (5/10)
Manistique to St. Ignace - 70.3 miles (265.8)
Day 7 (5/11)
St. Ignace to Charlevoix - 77.4 miles (343.2)
Day 8 (5/12)
Charlevoix to TC - 52.3 miles (395.5)
Day 9 (5/13)
TC to Onekama - 48.8 miles (444.3)
Day 10 (5/14)
Onekama to Muskegon - 92.4 miles (536.7)
Day 11 (5/15)
Muskegon to South Haven - 76 miles (612.7)
Day 12 (5/16)
South Haven to Kalamazoo - 40.2 miles (653.9)
Average daily distance = 59.4 miles
I'm working on the gathering everything I need (luckily I have a some really cool friends who are lending me most of the things I need!). Planning this at the same time as finals week for school is sort of a pain in the butt! Oh well, it's gonna happen and things will go off smoothly, I'm sure!
Wish me luck!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Happy Spring!
The weather outside is awesome. I am so happy for warmer weather. (despite the increased wetness due to rain. Oh well)
Anyway, in the spirit of everyone fixing up bikes for the summer season, here is probably the best youtube video of all time:
"Don't Know Much About Bikes"
Enjoy.
Anyway, in the spirit of everyone fixing up bikes for the summer season, here is probably the best youtube video of all time:
"Don't Know Much About Bikes"
Enjoy.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
The Jake and the Zach (The Fable Aesop forgot).
Question to ponder: What do you get when you cross two metal bikes with road pavement?
So I learned a lesson about biking last night. A pretty important one. It involves riding with others/in groups.
First, the background story...
Last night, some friends of mine and I were treating ourselves to the glorious night spots in this glorious city. We finished dinner and whatnot at the first place and decided to venture out to a second location for dessert (but instead, we just ended up eating more delicious food!). My housemate, Jake, and I rode our bikes, and the others walked/drove. So Jake and I bundled up and headed out. So far so good.
This city isn't too huge, and there aren't too many ways to get from point A to point B. I was taking the route I thought was shortest, and without objecting, Jake simply followed my lead. We were talking, laughing, etc. as we rode and it didn't even occur to either of us to check with the other which route we were taking.
Fast forward to almost the end of the short trip. We're practically just out front of our next destination. Jake and I are riding through an intersection. I assume that he knows that the entrance of this place is on the crossroad, so without asking, I turn left. Jake wasn't turning left. But Jake was on my left. See a problem? As I turned, I collided with Jake. We both have drop handlebars, which suddenly were very intimately cuddling with each other. I can't unhook. Jake can't unhook. Jake starts falling to his left. I am pulled very closely behind aaaaand <insert the sound of metal-clashing-with-metal and metal-scraping-pavement = the answer to your question> kachow! Within a short second, Jake and I went from being upright and next to each other to being on our side and next to each other, sliding along the pavement.
Save for an insignificant elbow scrape and some cosmetic paint/metal gouges on our bikes (mostly mine), we're perfectly fine. Luckily.
The moral of the story, folks, is this:
(as Aesop might say it) Communicate not, ride not.
English: Communication among riders is essential to a safe group ride!
Our "falling out", if you will, originated with my assumption that Jake knew where we were going --> mistake #1. Then I proceeded both not to ask him if he knew, or to tell him where to go/my intentions --> mistake #2. Then we collided.
But we were okay, and enjoyed a great time at the Beer Exchange (a beautiful, fun and cool new place that just opened downtown - go check it out if you haven't yet!) followed by a beautiful, snowy ride home. We made it home without any collisions.
In the end,
"This time we got lucky. Next time we'll communicate!" :)
Safe riding to you all! Thanks for reading!
So I learned a lesson about biking last night. A pretty important one. It involves riding with others/in groups.
First, the background story...
Last night, some friends of mine and I were treating ourselves to the glorious night spots in this glorious city. We finished dinner and whatnot at the first place and decided to venture out to a second location for dessert (but instead, we just ended up eating more delicious food!). My housemate, Jake, and I rode our bikes, and the others walked/drove. So Jake and I bundled up and headed out. So far so good.
This city isn't too huge, and there aren't too many ways to get from point A to point B. I was taking the route I thought was shortest, and without objecting, Jake simply followed my lead. We were talking, laughing, etc. as we rode and it didn't even occur to either of us to check with the other which route we were taking.
Fast forward to almost the end of the short trip. We're practically just out front of our next destination. Jake and I are riding through an intersection. I assume that he knows that the entrance of this place is on the crossroad, so without asking, I turn left. Jake wasn't turning left. But Jake was on my left. See a problem? As I turned, I collided with Jake. We both have drop handlebars, which suddenly were very intimately cuddling with each other. I can't unhook. Jake can't unhook. Jake starts falling to his left. I am pulled very closely behind aaaaand <insert the sound of metal-clashing-with-metal and metal-scraping-pavement = the answer to your question> kachow! Within a short second, Jake and I went from being upright and next to each other to being on our side and next to each other, sliding along the pavement.
Save for an insignificant elbow scrape and some cosmetic paint/metal gouges on our bikes (mostly mine), we're perfectly fine. Luckily.
The moral of the story, folks, is this:
(as Aesop might say it) Communicate not, ride not.
English: Communication among riders is essential to a safe group ride!
Our "falling out", if you will, originated with my assumption that Jake knew where we were going --> mistake #1. Then I proceeded both not to ask him if he knew, or to tell him where to go/my intentions --> mistake #2. Then we collided.
But we were okay, and enjoyed a great time at the Beer Exchange (a beautiful, fun and cool new place that just opened downtown - go check it out if you haven't yet!) followed by a beautiful, snowy ride home. We made it home without any collisions.
In the end,
"This time we got lucky. Next time we'll communicate!" :)
Safe riding to you all! Thanks for reading!
Monday, December 27, 2010
interview # 1
Alright. The holiday season has caught up with me and I haven't posted in a while. Sorry. My bad. But I'm back! :) Here's the jazz I promised you last time: An interview with a real, human TraVeloer!
Without any futher ado, here it is...
Name: Lex
 |
| This is Lex. |
Occupation: Student
Major: Art & German
Year: Junior
Bike: Schwinn
How often do you commute by bike?
Well, I have class four days per week, so at least 4 days week. And sometimes if I'm feeling up to it, on the weekends, too. So maybe 5-6 times a week.
How long have you been commuting by bike?
I'd say since at least over the summer; Since maybe July or August. Whenever I got the new bike to replace my last one that got stolen.
How far is your average commute?
Primarily for getting to campus (I live approx. .5 miles from campus), and the from place to place on campus, ya know, between classes and whatnot. So maybe up to a couple miles a day...
Do you bike during the winter or fair weather only?
For fear of crashes, not in the snow; I'm not a graceful person to begin with. Rain is fine, not gonna stop me, but snow is testing fate. :)
How do you commute when you're not on your bike?
Unless I'm walking, I use my car. But I don't drive to campus.
Where are your most common commute destinations?
Campus. I use to bike to the bank when it was close, but I moved farther away so I don't do that anymore.
Why do you choose to commute by bike?
Gas - not just the money, but the exhaust in the air. It's healthier. And it's actually nice to be in the wind and not closed up in a box. Bike versus car, you can notice things better - you can stop and pick things up.
What benefits do you see to biking?
Is there anything other than what I just said? haha, I think that's about it.
What is the extent of your mechanical knowledge?
Not very extensive at all. I have a tire air pump. I'm pretty sure that if worse came to worse, I could get it (the wheel) off of my bike. I can lift [my bike] and carry it up the stairs to my apartment!
Thanks Lex!
More to come later, folks. Stay tuned and happy holidays! :)
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Oh, hello Winter. Welcome to Michigan! (It's about time!)
No, it's cool - you can bring Snow with you!
Ya know, as it's not only the first day of snow, but also the first day of DECEMBER, I started to worry weather or not the snow would ever come. I mean, hell, it was 60 degrees just two days ago. And 50 yesterday! I can remember bundling up under Halloween costumes to battle the near-freezing air as a kid, but I've witnessed the relatively warm fall weather carry later and later into the winter season over the years, and this year I almost saw the first day of December in Michigan while wearing a t-shirt.
Coincidence? I think if one considers the expansive and currently undisputed science produced by the world's top scientists, it becomes clear that the late-coming winter isn't as much a fluke as it is a result of some serious climatic changes at large. And almost all of the science strongly indicates the changes in our climate are anthropogenic (caused by humans). Let me be more clear: climate change is happening as we speak and there is no uncertainty among any credible climate scientist about it.
So what's the big deal? Read any amount of Bill McKibben's Eaarth and you'll find plenty of reasons it's a big deal. McKibben composes the strong scientific evidence of climate change into a compelling book with a strong message. He points out that because of earth's higher average temperature (up about 1 degree celsius) the tropical zone around the equator is expanding north and south, pushing all other climate zones further toward the poles. The consequences of this include increased tropical storm severity, decreased crop yields, rising sea levels, vast species extinctions, widespread drought in some places and catastrophic floods in others, and less snow in Michigan.
A lot of these are reactions to the increased amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Carbon emissions come from the burning of fossil fuels, like oil and coal.
That's why I ride a bike. Driving a car uses an immense amount of energy from oil and spews all the carbon byproduct directly into the atmosphere. Climate scientists say we can't continue to do that if we wish to pass on an inhabitable environment to our children. So I don't do it. I've decided there's no excuse. Not even today's snow.
Some Pictures from today:
Ya know, as it's not only the first day of snow, but also the first day of DECEMBER, I started to worry weather or not the snow would ever come. I mean, hell, it was 60 degrees just two days ago. And 50 yesterday! I can remember bundling up under Halloween costumes to battle the near-freezing air as a kid, but I've witnessed the relatively warm fall weather carry later and later into the winter season over the years, and this year I almost saw the first day of December in Michigan while wearing a t-shirt.
Coincidence? I think if one considers the expansive and currently undisputed science produced by the world's top scientists, it becomes clear that the late-coming winter isn't as much a fluke as it is a result of some serious climatic changes at large. And almost all of the science strongly indicates the changes in our climate are anthropogenic (caused by humans). Let me be more clear: climate change is happening as we speak and there is no uncertainty among any credible climate scientist about it.
So what's the big deal? Read any amount of Bill McKibben's Eaarth and you'll find plenty of reasons it's a big deal. McKibben composes the strong scientific evidence of climate change into a compelling book with a strong message. He points out that because of earth's higher average temperature (up about 1 degree celsius) the tropical zone around the equator is expanding north and south, pushing all other climate zones further toward the poles. The consequences of this include increased tropical storm severity, decreased crop yields, rising sea levels, vast species extinctions, widespread drought in some places and catastrophic floods in others, and less snow in Michigan.
A lot of these are reactions to the increased amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Carbon emissions come from the burning of fossil fuels, like oil and coal.
That's why I ride a bike. Driving a car uses an immense amount of energy from oil and spews all the carbon byproduct directly into the atmosphere. Climate scientists say we can't continue to do that if we wish to pass on an inhabitable environment to our children. So I don't do it. I've decided there's no excuse. Not even today's snow.
Some Pictures from today:
 |
| Snow covered bike lane on the way to school. |
 |
| Snow covered bike after the ride home. |
I'm not gonna lie, I was a little nervous about riding my smooth, skinny tires in the snow (this was my first snow ride). I fell only once each way on my commute. Luckily I was going slow and they were easy, harmless crashes. :)
I discovered today that standing up on the pedals to climb a hill is no longer an option on slick roads; standing up takes the weight off the back wheel - the power wheel - and thus a loss of traction. Commence fall number one.
I also learned that braking on a shiny surface is a bad idea. Shiny surface = ice. Braking on ice stops the wheel from spinning and again, loss of traction. Now the bike is no longer below me. Commence fall number two.
My housemate is biking his third winter this year and says it's not usually this bad. Understandable, since yesterday's warm weather meant the precipitation was rain, and the sudden over-night temperature drop froze the water, which was underneath the snow this morning. Snow on top of ice always results poorly for things trying to move on top of the snow. In this case, me. But I have no injuries, bruises, or broken anything. So I'd say today was, overall, a successful commute! :-)
Now if I could only get my butt down to the bike shop to buy myself some fenders....
Monday, November 29, 2010
Not again....
Alright, so I was hoping we wouldn't get into this so soon, but we need to talk a little bit about the purpose of roads and who should have rights to their use. Roads are funded by government taxes collected from all tax paying citizens. So shouldn't each of those citizens have equal right to use the road? Or must you drive only personal cars on their surfaces? What about industrial/commercial uses? What about bikes?
In Michigan, state law has granted bicycles a [semi-] equal legal right to the road as a means of transportation. (I'll write more on legal equality later.) However, I am not convinced that this equality is a shared viewpoint all across Michigan. Sure, nearly 10 million people can't all be of one mind, but if a law is in existence it should be at least be acknowledged by all, regardless of their viewpoint on the issue.
Let's cut to the chase. Here's where today's rant is sourced:
If bicyclists truly have equal right to the road, the blockage of bike lanes would not be acceptable. In the case of cars, if there is ever an obstruction in the road (i.e. downed tree, snow, etc.) there's a crew working almost immediately to remove it. Why isn't this the case for bike lanes? Are there simply not enough bikers to report the obstruction? Or is bike lane maintenance not a priority to the city?
Now, I see some misunderstanding in this picture likely stemming from one of two places; first, the homeowner. The person who placed this yard waste here could have been mistaken about the purpose of the bike lane and/or their direct affect on the lane, or they could have been mistaken about when the city was scheduled to pick up the waste, or they just don't care. Otherwise, the problem could be the city who could either be slacking on their pickup or don't put enough funding toward maintaining the bike lanes in the first place. Either way, these obstructions (usually piles of leaves) in the bike lane require cyclists to swing out into the motorized vehicle traffic to avoid plowing into the obstruction, however, the exact action of dodging the obstruction puts both the cyclist and drivers at risk of an accident.
In an attempt to solve the problem, I am contacting the Kalamazoo Transportation Service Center to see what can be done about removing the brush, but due to the holiday weekend, I have not yet been successful. I'll keep you updated. (Feel free to try yourself! (269) 375-8900)
On a lighter note, I have arranged our first few interviews with other "TraVeloers"! Stay tuned for more! :)
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Happy TraVeloing!
In Michigan, state law has granted bicycles a [semi-] equal legal right to the road as a means of transportation. (I'll write more on legal equality later.) However, I am not convinced that this equality is a shared viewpoint all across Michigan. Sure, nearly 10 million people can't all be of one mind, but if a law is in existence it should be at least be acknowledged by all, regardless of their viewpoint on the issue.
Let's cut to the chase. Here's where today's rant is sourced:
 |
This yard brush is practically on top of the bike lane dedication paint! |
 |
AND it's in front of/below the bike lane sign!! |
Look, leaves are fun to jump in and all, but when they are piled up in such a way that they hinder the safety of my commute, I'm no longer jumping with joy. This example of bike lane obstruction is only one of many many many instances in this city, but this one stands out to me because of the blatant ignorance of the existence of the lane.
Another example:
If bicyclists truly have equal right to the road, the blockage of bike lanes would not be acceptable. In the case of cars, if there is ever an obstruction in the road (i.e. downed tree, snow, etc.) there's a crew working almost immediately to remove it. Why isn't this the case for bike lanes? Are there simply not enough bikers to report the obstruction? Or is bike lane maintenance not a priority to the city?
Now, I see some misunderstanding in this picture likely stemming from one of two places; first, the homeowner. The person who placed this yard waste here could have been mistaken about the purpose of the bike lane and/or their direct affect on the lane, or they could have been mistaken about when the city was scheduled to pick up the waste, or they just don't care. Otherwise, the problem could be the city who could either be slacking on their pickup or don't put enough funding toward maintaining the bike lanes in the first place. Either way, these obstructions (usually piles of leaves) in the bike lane require cyclists to swing out into the motorized vehicle traffic to avoid plowing into the obstruction, however, the exact action of dodging the obstruction puts both the cyclist and drivers at risk of an accident.
In an attempt to solve the problem, I am contacting the Kalamazoo Transportation Service Center to see what can be done about removing the brush, but due to the holiday weekend, I have not yet been successful. I'll keep you updated. (Feel free to try yourself! (269) 375-8900)
On a lighter note, I have arranged our first few interviews with other "TraVeloers"! Stay tuned for more! :)
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Happy TraVeloing!
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