ride for renewables

“OHIO EMBRACING BIG SOLAR” (Wednesday, November 17, 2010)

Sat, November 20, 2010 No Comments by tomweis

Got an early morning call from NBC news affiliate WHIZ (which Paul had emailed in advance of my arrival) wanting to do an interview. So rolled down the old National Highway and met them at the historic “Y Bridge.” You can watch the video and see a photo slideshow at these two links:

http://www.whiznews.com/content/video/288532

http://www.whiznews.com/content/news/local/2010/11/17/2500-miles-in-hopes-of-renewing-energy

Learned from the WHIZ reporter that one of the nation’s largest solar farms is being developed in Zanesville. This popular project, fittingly called “Turning Point,” is expected to bring up to 600 jobs through local manufacturing of the solar panels needed for the nearly 50 MW solar farm. Even more fittingly, it is being sited on a former coal mine. The project is slated to go online in 2012.

Also learned I had arrived just in time for Zanesville’s 52nd annual SERTOMA Pancake Day, a fundraiser for local charities. Followed the news van there for some breakfast.

What a scene. The cavernous basement was packed with people. Later learned they served 6,500 people pancakes and sausage over the course of the day. When the servers heard I had biked all the way from Colorado, Jim Drake (thanks for the contribution) stacked several extra flapjacks onto my already full plate. After devouring those, went back for seconds. Have never eaten so many pancakes in my life. Really enjoyed meeting Scott & Robin Obenour, Cindy, Chuck and Dee Dee.  Before leaving, was approached by a local radio reporter who had heard I was there and wanted to set up an interview for tomorrow. Gotta love small, friendly communities like Zanesville.

From Zanesville, pedaled down the road to New Concord, home of Muskingum University and boyhood home of astronaut John Glenn, the first American to orbit the earth. John Glenn’s historic achievement helped unleash the best of the American spirit. We need a new generation of earthnauts today to unleash that same American spirit to achieve a modern day, green energy “moon shot.”

From New Concord, rolled down the road to Cambridge, which I easily made before dark. Beautiful day for riding. Low 50s and sunny. My buddy Paul had located a campground for me in Cambridge, right off Interstate 70, which was a real score (thanks, Paul!). With the late start getting out of town, only logged 38 miles today, but looking forward to a good night’s sleep. If it rains tomorrow like it rained yesterday, I’ll need it.

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“RIDING IN THE RAIN” (Tuesday, November 16, 2010)

Wed, November 17, 2010 1 Comment by tomweis

Started the day by biking with Harvey over to Capital University to sit in on a couple of his classes and talk with his students about the ride. Learned some fascinating information sitting in on those classes. Here’s one I didn’t know: the gay rights movement in America was launched during the Stonewall riots – when gay men from Greenwich Village, tired of getting beaten up during police raids, decided to fight back. I hope these students look back someday and realize how lucky they were to have him as a professor.

It had started drizzling by the time I left, so affixed the ragtop rain cover and hit the road. Been incredibly blessed with good weather this entire trip, this being the first day I had to ride in the rain. Not yet having had breakfast, and needing to carb-load up for the miles to come, I lucked upon Rubino’s, an Italian restaurant that looked like it had been around for awhile. Turns out they’ve not only been in business since 1954, but also serve some of the tastiest pizza on the planet. Had spagetti for breakfast and a not small pizza for lunch, all in one sitting. Ended up powering me the whole day.

Didn’t think I would make it as far as Zanesville, with all the rain, then happened upon a campground a few miles out, but it was closed. Kept on riding and actually made it to a motel on the edge of town just as it was starting to get dark. Was relieved to be in a dry motel, as my “waterproof” Ortlieb panniers were anything but, and I needed to dry out all my gear. Knocked out 49 miles today. Not bad, given all the rain.

Getting out of my wet clothes, was surprised to see blood on the bathroom floor. Must have happened when my foot slipped getting out of the trike, hitting the hard edge of one of a floor vents. Never even felt it.

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“CONNECTING WITH COLUMBUS STUDENTS” (Monday, November 15, 2010)

Wed, November 17, 2010 No Comments by tomweis

Made media calls in the morning, and visited the Ohio State campus early in the afternoon. The campus newspaper, The Lantern, sent out a photographer to take some pics of the trike.

http://www.thelantern.com/print-edition/november-16-2010-1.1780337

On a serendipity note, ran into Jeff Stephens, Executive Director of Consider Biking, while rolling down to Columbus State Community College to meet Harvey and talk to his students about the ride. They were into it. One even took it upon himself to find a shop where I could get the trike repaired. Michael and Casey of B1 Bicycles took good care of me. They not only fixed up the trike at no cost, but loaded me up with free power bars for the road. Thanks, guys!

After dinner, Harvey took me as a guest to the local Jewish Community Center, for the first hot tub soak of the trip. My legs are still thanking me for that.

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“RIDING THE NATIONAL ROAD” (Sunday, November 14, 2010)

Wed, November 17, 2010 No Comments by tomweis

After being treated to breakfast (thanks, Parker), headed out of town past Wittenberg University, then onto Hwy. 40, which I was told was relatively bike-friendly. With almost no cars on a Sunday, it made for a nice ride to Columbus, until I hit another construction zone.

U.S. Route 40, which used to be called the National Road, was the first federally planned and funded interstate highway in America, linking the older eastern communities with the emerging frontier settlements of the Northwest Territory. In the early 1900s, it was known as the “Main Street of America,” making it a fitting route for my ride.

Pedaling into Columbus, saw lots of activity at the Veterans Memorial where it turns out they were having an annual WWII veterans tribute. So stopped in to share the trike with some of the “greatest generation.” Before leaving, noticed the luggage rack in the back was off kilter. Upon closer inspection, discovered all the weight I’d been lugging had finally taken its toll. The screws securing the rack to the body of the trike had shaken loose and one of the posts was now rubbing against the rear tire. Just hoping the threads inside aren’t stripped. Made it 53 miles today, but won’t be riding much further until I get this fixed.

My friend, Harvey Wasserman, credited with coining the phrase “no nukes,” had been laying the groundwork for me in Columbus and hooked me up with his friends, Bob Fitrakis and Suzanne Patzer, who offered me a room in their beautiful, historic home. Hung out at a local sports bar till they got home, then rolled over to their house and settled in for the night.

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“STRAW BALE HOMES IN YELLOW SPRINGS” (Saturday, November 13, 2010)

Wed, November 17, 2010 No Comments by tomweis

Parker Buckley took Mike, Connie, Tim, his wife (Carol Young) and me out to breakfast in downtown Yellow Springs (everything in this progressive little town is mere blocks away). Afterwards, pedaled down to Main Street to see what kind of interest I could generate in the 100% by 2020 goal. Almost everyone I met (thanks for the contribution, Ray Owens) wants to see this happen for America. Dropped into a great environmental shop, Eco-Mental, where the owner, CJ Williams, was so into the ride she not only donated an upgraded solar-powered charger for my iPhone, but offered to mail my old one home. Thanks, CJ!

Learned more this morning about the beautiful bike trail I enjoyed yesterday, and will be riding on again today. Between Connie and Mike (who’s been a dedicated biker for the past 42 years), they sit on the boards of several bike trail advocacy groups, including Friends of the Little Miami State Park (www.flmsp.org), that make it possible for people to bike safely from Cincinnati to Springfield and beyond. Every state in America needs a bike network like this, so please support your local bike advocacy groups!

Also saw something really cool in Yellow Springs that I’ve never seen before: a strip in the pavement where you can trip the stoplight by rolling your bike onto it.

In the afternoon, Mike and Connie rode 12 miles with me up the trail to Parker and Carol’s house in Springfield. On the way out of town, visited some beautiful straw bail houses being built, which are starting to pop up all across America. They’re elegance is their simplicity.

In the houses Andy Holyoke builds, he adds what I believe he called a “truth window” to each house so anyone can see the actual straw that is behind the stucco walls. Really neat.

Then we rolled over to the state’s first passive house, currently under construction. Passive House is the most rigorous energy standard in the world and a product of decades of German engineering (how fitting, given that I’m riding a German-made trike). For every $100 an average house spends on heating and cooling, a Passive House will spend only $10. That alone should be enough to create a mass market for these kinds of homes in America.

Near our destination, a stream of crows suddenly appeared in the sky, and kept going, and going, and going. There were thousands, possibly tens of thousands, of crows all headed towards downtown Springfield. Mike told me they do this every night this time of year, attracted by the “heat island” effect of the city. I’ve never seen so many crows in my life. It was really astounding. If I had the time, I could have filmed them for probably an hour.

Later, Parker and Carol treated me to dinner, a chance to clean my clothes, and some quiet time to catch up on my blogs. Parker’s beautiful dulcimer playing made the evening complete. Pedaled a mellow 17 miles today, including side trips.

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“BYPASSING WEST VIRGINIA’S MOUNTAINS” (Friday, November 12, 2010)

Wed, November 17, 2010 1 Comment by tomweis

Became obvious weeks ago I wouldn’t get through West Virginia by mid November (when the weather in the Appalachians typically starts turning for the worse), so have been contemplating alternative routes to DC. Something else that’s made itself painfully clear is the rocket trike is not made for mountains, let along serious hills, even without all my gear loading it down. So I unfortunately won’t be profiling any mountaintop removal sites this trip.

The hazardous Kentucky roads I was on the past two days convinced me to seek out bike paths as much as possible the rest of the way to DC, making the Little Miami Scenic Trail – running from Cincinnati to Springfield – a no brainer. Goodbye, cars. Hello, Mama Nature. Was an absolutely gorgeous fall day for riding along the river and one of my favorite ride days of the entire trip. Made it 78 miles from Newport, KY before ending the day in the hip little town of Yellow Springs, OH. Along the way, Ohio Citizen Action called to thank me for posting the video criticizing the Rumpke landfill expansion in Cincinnati, so I briefed their canvass staff on the ride as I pedaled.

http://ohiocitizen.org/?p=4266

Stopped at the Little River Cafe right on the trail for a cold beer, before making tracks north in hopes of finding a campground near Yellow Springs. As I pulled out, a guy by the name of Tim Henderson walked up, saying he had just signed my petition on his phone. He called a friend (Parker Buckley), who called another friend (Mike Groeber), who not only offered me a place to sleep for the night, but rode 6 miles down the trail in the dark to meet me and escort me back to his house. Riding on bike paths at night is a whole different animal from riding on roads. As long as you know the trail (or are with someone who does) and have adequate lighting, there’s little more enjoyable than riding at night. When we arrived, Mike’s wife, Connie Crockett, wasted no time loading up our plates with wonderful pasta and salad. When you’re on a bike, there’s just nothing like being helped by fellow bikers. You guys are the best.

Felt good to get back into a groove. Knocked out 78 miles today.

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“FIGHTING FOR A 11 YEAR-OLD BOY” (Thursday, November 11, 2010)

Mon, November 15, 2010 No Comments by tomweis

When things don’t go according to plan, as has often happened during this ride, I’ve learned to just roll with it, for I know there are larger forces at work here. Made it a few miles further east in the morning, but not without extreme effort, as the bike chain kept slipping, making it next to impossible to get any leverage. It soon became apparent it was about to snap again, so I called roadside assistance for another tow, this time to a bike shop back in Newport, KY that someone had casually mentioned to me yesterday. As it would take awhile for the tow truck to get to me, I decided to gingerly pedal back to the truck stop where I had started the day. Along the way, got some great footage of the to-be nuclear turned coal power plant across the river in Moscow, OH, which I otherwise wouldn’t have gotten, but that wasn’t the half of it.

Right after pulling into the truck stop parking lot, a woman and a little boy walked over to me. Saundra Buckler said her 11 year-old nephew, Brandon, who is not easily excited, was very excited to see the trike. So I showed it to him and his family. I asked Brandon, who was wearing a Star Wars t-shirt, which was his favorite. His answer: “Darth Vader.” Loved his choice of the dark archetype who was ultimately good at heart and chose redemption in the end. I could tell little Brandon was struggling with some kind of serious disease, which Saundra proceeded to tell me about. She explained the effects of Gaucher Disease and all the close calls Brandon had already had and how he was “fighting really hard” and “doesn’t to need to be breathing all that nasty stuff in the air.” Here we have an 11 year-old child, already struggling to breathe, yet just a few miles away was a coal plant belching toxic emissions into his air. There’s something deeply wrong with this picture. Saundra asked that we not make Brandon’s fight for life any harder. Who will join me in fighting for little Brandon Buckler?

Wasn’t able to get Brandon out of my mind during the ride to the bike shop, and I don’t intend to, until we’ve secured his future.

Matt Baker’s reaction to seeing the chain told me I had problems. But the bike repair meister was on the case. After removing the seat, Matt went to work on resolving a whole host of lingering issues, including but not limited to a failing derailer, a failing (very long) chain and a failing shifter cable. A few hours later, the rocket trick was shifting beautifully and ready to roll again. Thanks Matt and Jason at Reser Bicycle Outfitters for getting me back on the road so quickly.

By now it was getting late, so walked down to Dixie Chile (had never tried this one) for one last Cincinnati 4-way. Had a great conversation over dinner with Stu and Nancy, both Harley riders. Then walked the trike down the street to a nearby motel. This time, it wouldn’t fit through my door, so thanks to Linda and Margie at Travelodge for letting me store it in the laundry room! Best part of staying here was the sound of horse carriages clumping down the road outside my window on the street.

Two miles forward and 30 miles back (to where I started) today. And that’s OK.

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“CONGREGATION OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE” (Wednesday, November 10, 2010)

Mon, November 15, 2010 No Comments by tomweis

After breakfast (thanks, Nick), hitched a ride with Adam and him back to Soho Sushi to retrieve the trike. From there, headed down to the riverfront in search of the “Purple People Bridge.” Once used by cars, this bridge spanning the Ohio River between Cincinnati, OH and Newport, KY is now dedicated to pedestrians and bikes.

Mike Asad, who I met in a Bellevue, KY parking lot, had some strong thoughts to share on coal burning and renewable energy.

A little further down the Kentucky side of the Ohio River, spied a barge transporting coal down the Ohio River.

Then came upon the entrance to the St. Anne Convent and felt inspired to roll up the driveway to say hello. Was warmly received at the door by Sisters Mary Belle Borros and Mary Bertha Berling.

I was then invited inside to meet all the Sisters of the Congregation of Divine Providence, who told me all about the new geothermal system they had recently installed, before treating me to a wonderful home-cooked meal. I learned that they also grow a lot of their own produce on the grounds.

Before leaving, Sister Mary Luke Murphy gifted me with their prayers (and stocked me up with almost more food than I could carry). Bless you, Sisters of Divine Providence!

Although it looked good on a map, Hwy. 8 had no shoulder and was full of potholes, making for some hazardous riding. On top of that, the bike chain started acting up again in the late afternoon, so hedged my bets and made for a truck stop after 32 miles. Just glad I took the detour along the way and didn’t try riding through the new pavement. One of the workers told me some bikers who did try it ended up with flat tires and hot tar coating their bikes. Don’t know how far I’ll get tomorrow with this recurring chain issue, but not much I can do about it tonight. Got permission from the truck stop owner (thanks to Anna and Barbara) to pitch my tent near the idling trucks (that’s what earplugs are for) in the back. Set up shop inside where it was warm until they closed (11pm) then hit the sack. As luck would have it, this little, rural truck stop served Empress Chili.

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“LATCHKEY KIDS IN CINCINNATI” (Tuesday, November 9, 2010)

Sun, November 14, 2010 No Comments by tomweis

Packed up in the morning, made some media calls and got one last Skyline fix with Sheryl & Joe.

Before pedaling south into the city, rolled up to the entrance of the Rumpke landfill, just down the road from my sister’s house. Already the sixth largest landfill in the United States, Rumpke is suing the citizens of Colerain Township to nearly double in size. Known to most as “Mount Rumpke,” the landfill is the highest point in Cincinnati. What most don’t know is a fire has been burning at the dump since August of 2009 and they not only don’t know how to put it out, they don’t even know what is burning.

Pedaling past St. Joseph Catholic School a little while later, some of the kids excitedly yelled out to me, so I pulled over to let them check out the trike. One of the teachers thought it would be neat if I talked to the kids in the school’s latchkey program, so I asked the principal and we made it happen. Interacting with those kids was the highlight of my day.

Did an interview with local ABC affiliate WCPO-TV on Fountain Square:

http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/region_central_cincinnati/downtown/man-rides-rocket-trike-to-achieve-bold-goal

Also did an interview local NBC affiliate WLWT TV.

While on Fountain Square, one of the people who walked up to me was Zach Weprin and his dad. It was getting late, so he offered to let me crash at his apartment right down the road. Zach, along with his buddies Steve and Nick, owns Soho Sushi, a casual sushi restaurant. There’s something really inspiring about childhood friends coming together to jointly pursue a dream. Their hope is to become to sushi what Chipotle is to burritos. If what I experience there (very tasty, healthy, fast sushi) is any indication, I believe they just might do it. Thanks for dinner and a place to crash, guys! Easy ride day today: 18 miles.

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“MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL & AN IRAQ WAR VET” (Monday, November 8, 2010)

Sun, November 14, 2010 No Comments by tomweis

Rick picked me up at 6am so we would be downtown in time for the shift change at Fire Station Station 14. Thanks, Lt. Berger, for allowing me to store the trike there overnight. Rolled it into the side lobby of the Hilton (visiting team hotel for the Pittsburgh Steelers), hoping to talk with a player or two, but no such luck. So set up shop in the ornate lobby of the hotel and put in a few hours on the website. Longtime family friend Hamid Abdulla drove into the city to join me for dinner (thanks for everything, Hamid!), then rolled the trike over to a little tailgate party to see what kind of interest I could generate in the ride there. Joe met me later to pick up the trike, then hooked up with my brother Dan and headed over to the game. On our way into the stadium, a disabled Iraq War veteran asking for help caught my eye and I stopped to talk with him. Others streaming by seemed oblivious to his plight. How is it that veterans, who have sacrificed so much, including limbs, end up living on the streets in America? I thought we were about taking care of our own.

Apart from the two obnoxious fans in front of us who finally had to be removed by security, had an enjoyable time at the game with my brother. What looked to be a blowout in the first half turned into a squeaker of a victory by the Steelers over the Bengals. But my thoughts would not leave the military veteran sitting in the cold outside the stadium. I wonder about him still.

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