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“ELECTRIC CAR SAVES THE DAY” (Wednesday, October 27, 2010)

Sun, October 31, 2010 1 Comment by tomweis

When Kevin pulled up to the driveway, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Was expecting something small like a Nissan Leaf. Instead, I was looking at a cross between a silver DeLorean (complete with gull wings) and the Batmobile.

Kevin’s the Team Leader of Illuminati Motor Works, and this was “Seven,” the electric car he and six other team members had spent the past three years building to compete for a $5 million prize at the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE competition. In June, their homemade, 4 seat, 3155 pound electric vehicle achieved 182 MPGe on a 134-mile run at Michigan International Speedway. Talk about American ingenuity.

So we loaded up the trike, picked up team member, George, and hit the road for Champaign. “Seven” gets 200 miles on a single charge (twice the range of the much-touted Tesla), and I’m happy to report successfully transported 3 adults, a rocket trike, and a trailer 100+ miles to Champaign. This is likely a world record, as none of us has ever heard of an electric car accomplishing such a feat. Whoever thinks electric cars lack for power just needs to ride in one. To demonstrate, Kevin peeled rubber as we headed down the road.

In Champaign, we met up with Matt Childress, who had arranged for our electric vehicles to be displayed on campus as part of University of Illinois’ Sustainability Week. He drove me to campus in his two-seated, fully-electric bike called the TWIKE.

While there, did an interview with Local ABC News affiliate WICD15, which ran a nice piece on their 10:00 news:

http://www.wicd15.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/vid_3271.shtml

Also did an interview local CBS affiliate WCIA3 news:

http://illinoishomepage.net/fulltext?nxd_id=188726

Then did an interview with Celeste Quinn of Illinois Public Media local NPR affiliate WILL, “A Journey to Promote Green Energy.”

http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/weisafmag1027/

Here WILL provides a close-up tour of the rocket trike’s features:

http://will.uiuc.edu/media/gbiker/index.html

Then rolled downtown and popped into WPGU’s studio.  You can hear the full interview here:

http://the217.com/articles/view/tom_weis_rally_leader_biking_across_america_stops_through_wpgu

Then talked to the Daily Illini:

http://www.dailyillini.com/node/44869

Ended the day by riding around the beautiful campus quad before heading back to Matt’s house to join his family and friends for dinner, where we schemed on ways to mainstream the electric vehicle market.

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“PERSONAL APPEAL TO THE PRESIDENT” (Monday, October 25, 2010)

Tue, October 26, 2010 2 Comments by tomweis

Tom and Terri both work early, so I had the house to myself (along with their 3 cats and a dog) to get some work done. Spent the morning uploading videos to the website and reviewing President Obama’s speech announcing his run for president. Then headed into the city to find the Old Capitol building. The plan for the day was to shoot a video for the President, see what kind of media coverage I could generate, and make my way east towards Clinton, IL. Got to the Capitol grounds and found the precise location where the President gave his speech, but the grounds were closed. So filmed the video outside the gate (as best I could, with so many people coming up and asking about the trike), making a heartfelt appeal to the President to follow through on the bold and inspiring proclamations he issued in his announcement speech. In case you’re wondering, that little figure over my right shoulder is a balloon Harley Rider Tom & Terri left on my trike this morning.

Later made some media calls. The Illinois Times came out to do an interview and take some shots of the trike.

http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/article-7927-rocket-trike-stops-in-springfield.html

Also did an interview with local ABC New affiliate WICS. By then, it was getting almost too late to ride, so called Terri and asked if she and Tom would mind a house guest for one more night. Not a problem. Figured I should see Lincoln’s home, since it was just down the street, so rode over there for a quick walk around. Tarried a little too long, though, as the light was already starting to fade.

This meant racing several long miles down city streets as the sky darkened with no back light (it had fallen off as I hurriedly left the house this morning), not totally sure of where I was going and needing to get there fast. Not fun, but I’m thankful for all the drivers who managed to see me and gave me some space on the side of the road. The biggest irony was how happy I was to see those tall smokestacks on the horizon, as it meant I was close to “home.” Was dark when I finally rolled into the driveway, safe and sound. No more night riding, if I can help it.

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“COAL IN MY BACK YARD (CIMBY)” (Sunday, October 24, 2010)

Tue, October 26, 2010 No Comments by tomweis

Visited with lots of people today, so only got in 46 miles, but that’s okay. It’s why I’m riding. Cruising up the frontage rode to Interstate 55 on the way to Springfield, saw a large single wind turbine and rolled down a gravel road to get a closer look. Discovered that the Gob Nob Wind Turbine sits right on top of the former Crown coal mine! Could not have a more fitting site to be generating green energy for the people of Illinois.

Later riding along the shores of Lake Springfield, some members of Brownie Troop #6152 from Rochester, IL shouted out to me as I was pedaling by, so I stopped to talk to them and shared with them what I was doing. They really liked the trike.

A little later, ran into Ric Mari and his family, from Springfield, who shared with me how decades ago, the California community he lived in was going solar. What happened?

Was keeping my eyes on the Dallman coal plant looming over the shores of Lake Springfield, in the hopes of getting up close for a picture. Rode down one street, but it was a dead end. Another was a residential neighborhood with no lakeside access. Saw a couple working in their front yard with Journey blasting on the radio, so rolled up to ask if I could take a picture from their backyard. Tom Hnizodo and Terri Dickson-Hnizdo not only let me take some pics of the plant, but offered me their guest suite for the night. Was later treated to a BBQ dinner with Tom on their back deck, where irony of ironies, we talked about his former job as a Wyoming coal miner, with giant smokestacks belching out emissions not more than 200 yards away. The stories he shared on what it was like mining underground were mesmerizing, and otherworldly. What a mysterious journey life is, made all the more wonderful when you meet people like this.

Later did a little research on the coal plant across the water and learned that the Sierra Club had settled a lawsuit allowing the construction of a new power plant with the lowest pollution rates in the nation; the purchase of 120 MW of wind power; closure of the Lakeside power plant (the #3 dirtiest plant in the country); increasing energy efficiency funding 10-fold; and cleaning up three other coal boilers to the lowest SO2/NOx emission rates for existing boilers nationwide. Better than nothing, for sure, but we don’t need less polluting coal plants in our communities. It’s time to move beyond coal completely. I look forward to visiting Tom and Terri again, not too long from now, when that coal plant stands as a museum for how we used to do things.

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“GREENING THE GRID ONE HOME AT A TIME” (Saturday, October 23, 2010)

Tue, October 26, 2010 No Comments by tomweis

Rode about 10 miles up the Riverfront Bike Path, which was a real treat, where I was met on the trail by local climate activists Tom & Carol Braford, who I had met earlier through the Climate Leadership 2020 Campaign. Took this video crossing the mighty Mississippi River.

Tom’s & Carol’s day jobs entail creating an Ecovillage in St. Louis as a model for the rest of the city, and the nation. They later treated me to breakfast (thanks, guys) at a local Waffle House, where we did some big picture brainstorming on next steps.

Then headed up the road towards Springfield, finding a great bike path (thanks Roger Kramer!) part of the way. Before that, came across this very unique graffiti of a rotating wind turbine next to the highway. Liked it – a lot.

Ran into a fellow recumbent biker, John, who I rode with for a couple of miles and was kind enough to come check on me later as I was starting to lose the light. He told me about a campground that was only 5 miles down the road, so I made tracks for that. On the way, saw a home near Litchfield with a residential wind turbine and solar tracker, so I had to stop. Pedaled down a side road to get to the house and knocked on the door to ask about their setup. Turns out the owner wasn’t home, but his daughter, Kelly Schmidt, and some friends were. Kelly was clearly very knowledgeable about the system, and was happy to give me a quick tour.

Rolled into the campground just before dark, with 69 miles logged on the day. As I’m setting up camp, a guy walked up to me and started asking me about solar power. Wayne Bennett got to talking with me and shared his big idea about solarizing the RV retirement parks in Texas. Hope you do it, Wayne!

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“HALFWAY THERE: PEDALING UNDER THE ST. LOUIS ARCH” (Friday, October 22, 2010)

Tue, October 26, 2010 1 Comment by tomweis

Enjoyed riding through St. Louis this morning. Plenty of back streets to use and traffic not too bad. Got downtown and stopped by the St. Louis Dispatch. All the beat reporters were out on assignment, so pedaled over to the local NBC News affiliate to try my luck there. One security guard wouldn’t let my trike onto the terrace and another practically kicked me out of the lobby (he said network staff would never talk to someone off the street). Went outside and called the news desk upstairs, then spent the better part of the next hour filming a piece for the network. Don’t listen to people who tell you what can’t be done.

http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=223105

http://www.ksdk.com/life/community/gallerypublic.aspx?plckGalleryID=0426722b-712a-4350-8ab9-862c5829651f

Pedaled down to the gateway arch, which was a thrill. Was welcomed there in style by the lovely Rachel Drochter and Angelina Giannas, who were waiting on a wedding party.

Also want to thank Debbie & Steve for the pics.

Then took the trike under the arch for the ceremonial passage to the east, but had to “Fred Flintsone” my way across, as the chain had come off.

Later found my way to the bike the path, saw a beautiful three-dimensional mural that I had to film, backed my trike off the path to get a better angle and the chain made a loud pop and broke.

As I got out to survey the damage, a guy camping nearby casually walked up to me to ask if I needed some help. That guy is Tom Reese, who is riding (mopeding, actually) with his dog, Daisy, from Spokane, WA and has been in St. Louis for about a week. Tom had not only special tools on his trailer to repair the chain, but spare chain links as well (and used to work at a bike store). About 30 minutes later, I’m back on the path heading north, but not before getting a personal tour of the wall mural from Tom. Thank you so much, friend.

Tom had mentioned a homeless “tent city” right up the path, so when I got there, I pulled in to check it out. A couple of guys walked up to me to check out the trike and told me I was at “Hope City.” What a great name, given the challenges they’re facing. In the fading light, I met “DJ,” who made a powerful appeal for jobs in America to help people get back on their feet. Is it just me, or are others just as outraged to have homeless people living in tent cities in America with no jobs, while wealthy special interests block a green industrial revolution and all the jobs it will create?

By then, it was starting to get dark, so I pulled off the trail into a grove of trees, on the banks of the Mississippi River. Was too tired to unpack everything and put up the tent, so just tossed my bag on the ground. Mistake, as awoke a few hours later to sprinkles. Got up and was preparing to ride in the rain, but it stopped, so grabbed a couple more hours’ sleep. Thanks to fellow biker Curt Gilker for the bike-friendly directions through St. Louis, through which I pedaled a total of 26 miles today.

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“ROCKET TRIKE & THE GREEN HORNET” (Wednesday, October 20, 2010)

Wed, October 20, 2010 4 Comments by tomweis

Started the day in St. Louis by getting lost on the way to the Fox News studio (not recommended on a rocket trike in early morning traffic), but with a little navigational help from Dave at the studio, finally made my way there (thanks, Dave). Did a really fun 3-minute piece with Fox2 News’ Tim Ezell on his 9:00am show:

Here’s the best part: “Black Beauty” (the car designed by Kato) from The Green Hornet was also on the lot.

As a huge fan of The Green Hornet when I was a kid, it was a thrill to actually sit in the car. Now if we can just convert it to electric.

Even better news is this: the website is finally launched (thanks for grinding it out, Mike – I know this was as frustrating for you as it was for me). I can finally share with everyone where I am and what I’ve been up to, and will no longer feel like “Major Tom” (from the David Bowie song, “Space Oddity”) floating through space in a tin can. Plan to spend the rest of the day, and evening if need be, holed up in my hotel room uploading the latest videos and photos from the road and letting folks know the site is now live. Good day today. The site is live and I now have over 1,100 miles under my belt (almost half way to DC).

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“BOY SCOUTS & RIVER BLUES” (October 17, 2010)

Mon, October 18, 2010 No Comments by Tom

Packed up in the morning, pedaled over to the water spigot to fill up my water bladders, and was surrounded by Boy Scouts wanting to check out the rocket trike. A couple of the scoutmasters rounded up some more kids and asked me to say a few words about my ride. They listened intently (probably didn’t hurt that I told them I used to be a Boy Scout myself). Got some high fives from some of the boys on my way out.

Rode 10 miles to the next town, where I got a big lunch. Then pedaled another 15 miles to a little Thai stand everyone was recommending and loaded up with another meal there. After going without yesterday, wanted to make sure my caloric intake was covered today. Rolled by “Boathenge” (an artistic display of old boats sticking out of the ground) nearby, then back on the trail.

Rolling down the trail a little later, saw a handmade sign announcing a blues band, the “Naked Hippies” (they weren’t naked), was playing a free show down at the river from 1:00 to 5:30. It was a little after 1:00, and I love the blues, so figured I’d check it out. Great scene: a raised stage right next to the river with a band playing and locals kicking back in fold-up chairs. I listened to a couple songs, rolled up to the stage during a break to drop a couple of bucks in the tip jar, then had a fun banter with the band members, who loved the trike and were excited to hear about the ride. Great sound, which you can hear here.

Further down the trail, ran into Gary from yesterday, who told me about a bike hostel in the town of Tebbetts that I should be able to make by nightfall. I asked about ATMs, as I hadn’t planned on using cash for days on end (a necessity in small towns along the trail), and he proceeded to empty his wallet so I would have some cash for the night. Thanks, Gary! Lots of great interactions with fellow bikers on the trail today, including Bill and his daughter Sydney who were on their tandem bike and rode with me for a stretch. And then I came across this beautiful snake, soaking up the last of the day’s warmth on the trail.

Rode the last mile in total darkness, soaked in sweat (like every day) – with one headlight already out of power and the other probably not far behind – so was relieved to find the Turner Katy Trail Shelter in Tebbetts. I thought I’d probably roll into a darkened hostel, but there were bikes scattered all around the front yard, and a warm light glowing inside. Met some really cool University of Nebraska students biking the trail who fixed me up with some pancakes. Several shared with me their disdain for the two major political parties and thanked me for “being their voice in Washington, DC.” Nice.

The terrain today was totally flat, unlike yesterday, so the chat (the finely crushed gravel they use on the trail) slowed me down. Only got 63 miles in, and they were hard miles. But right knee feeling better and stronger. Will probably use the electric motor some tomorrow, to get some more miles under my belt. Need to keep moving if I hope to have any chance of getting to DC before the snow flies.

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“HELLO, KATY!” (October 16, 2010)

Mon, October 18, 2010 No Comments by Tom

Rolled out of my motel room fairly early and made tracks for Sedalia on Hwy. 50. Hit some more rumble strips on the narrow shoulder, so was relieved to finally reach the KATY Trail in Sedalia.

Before hitting the trail, made a quick stop at the Sedalia Democrat, which took a shot of the trike and said they’d run a story. For those not familiar with the KATY Trail, this is the nation’s crown jewel rail-to-trail bike path. Hats off to Ted and Pat Jones (of the Edward Jones investment family) and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for creating this national treasure! The bike path is 225 miles long and crosses most of Missouri. I’ll be biking 150 miles of it, with most of it following the beautiful Missouri River. We need bike trails like this in every state. If fact, we need a national coast-to-coast bike trail for the American people to be able to safely explore this great country by bicycle.

I had wondered how the tires of the rocket trike would do on chat (the finely crushed gravel they use on this trail), but it turns out there was no real cause for concern. On the first section at least, the trike cruised better on this than on any paved road I’ve ridden on thus far, and what a relief to be away from all the cars, trucks, noise and exhaust. The beauty of riding on leaves and being nestled in by a canopy of colorful trees is just indescribable. My favorite ride day so far.

Had an energy crash late in the afternoon, but took care of that by consuming some Chocolate Almond Butter from sponsor Justin’s Nut Butter, along with dates and dried apricots. That powered me all the way to New Franklin.

Made the campsite in New Franklin just as the sun was setting, riding by some Boy Scouts setting off a rocket in a field. That brought back memories. Pulled into the campground, set up the tent, and rode through the campground to share it with the scouts. They loved it. Met a couple of cool bikers, Rock Warmsley and Marcus Ware, who had passed me earlier on the trail. Enjoyed some great conversation over cold beers and a campfire before calling it a night.

Today was the most physically challenging day of the trip thus far, but in a good way, as the relatively flat terrain made for extended stretches of pedaling. Knocked out 72 miles. Didn’t engage the electric motor once on the trail, as I wanted my first experience with Katy to be pure. Looking forward to seeing what tomorrow holds.

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“HONORING MISSOURI VETERANS” (Friday, October 15, 2010)

Mon, October 18, 2010 No Comments by Tom

Started the morning in my motel room editing more videos and updating the blog, then back on the road. Beautiful weather again (something I’ve been blessed with this whole trip), and more hawk encounters. Late in the day, hit a really bad stretch of road, where the shoulder was extremely narrow and a rumble strip hemmed me in with nowhere to maneuver. Fortunately, it didn’t last too long.

Finally rolled into Warrensburg around dinnertime and pulled into a sandwich shop to grab a quick bite to eat before pushing the final 11 miles to the state park campground. As I prepared to pay, a man walked up to me saying he saw me on the highway earlier in the day and he was buying my meal. Thanks, Shane Collins! Then another person walked into the shop and asked if I was the owner of the yellow trike. She said she saw me on the highway earlier and was fascinated with it, and wished I could have seen the looks on all the other drivers’ faces. There’s something really special about this rocket trike to generate this kind of reaction everywhere I go.

Over dinner, I told Shane and his girlfriend, Kim, that I was hoping to visit the local air force base the next town over, and they asked if I wanted to visit the Missouri Veterans Home. I didn’t know one was here, so they put in a call to the director to see if they could set something up, but he wasn’t available. So I figured I’d just push on while there was still light to ride. Got back on Hwy. 50, and at the next exit saw a sign for the veterans home, felt a strong pull, and made a spontaneous decision to visit anyway, figuring the rocket trike might brighten a few veterans’ nights. I’d figure out where to sleep later. More synchronicity: right after deciding to make for the Veterans Home, my phone rang. It was one of my best friends, Rick Feller (who served his country in the National Guard).

So I rolled up to the front door, walked in, and asked if I could bring the trike inside. One of the employees commenced to get on the intercom to announce a “rocket trike is in the lobby, with a guy who’s supporting veterans and pedaling across the country.” What happened next is hard to put in words, but was profoundly moving. Veterans from several different wars started rolling into the lobby in their wheelchairs. I answered a bunch of questions about the trike (which everyone seemed to really enjoy), then had some very special one-on-one conversations with Americans who know the true meaning of sacrifice, thanking each of them for their service to our nation. It’s time for our generation to toughen up. 92-year old Frank Spicer, a World War II veteran, tried to adopt me on the spot, so I could stay overnight in the home’s guest room, but the people in charge weren’t buying it. Before leaving, I had the honor of interviewing Frank, a real American hero. First, he shared his D-Day experiences, then his thoughts on the need for green jobs for veterans.

I finally said goodbye, then rode a couple of miles in the dark (not recommended) to a seedy, run down hotel. Had a very strange conversation with the guy at the front desk that I thought might never end, but finally managed to get the room key. Then had to figure out how to fit my trike into a room already crowded with two beds. Thanks to the guy on the cell phone who moved his truck, and to Logan for pitching in without a word to lift the front of the trike over one of the beds. I’m not even halfway through the trip, and have already depleted most of my hotel fund, so hoping I make more campsites from here on in.

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“LAST DAY IN LAWRENCE” (Wednesday, October 13, 2010)

Mon, October 18, 2010 No Comments by Tom

Spent the morning uploading the last of my videos, washing clothes and organizing my stuff. Spent much more time in Lawrence than I had planned, but no real choice. Have to stay on top of the social media component of the ride. Am hoping some help arrives soon so I don’t lose more precious ride days. Want to make one final shout out to Marci and Joe for tolerating an unexpected houseguest – it was much appreciated!

That afternoon, met a local inventor who built his own electric bike at a coffee shop, then was treated to dinner (thanks, Scott!) by Scott Allegrucci, Executive Director of the Great Plains Alliance for Clean Energy, one of the organizations leading the fight to block a new polluting coal plant in western Kansas.

It’s incredibly energizing to meet activists like Scott who are really making things happen. Looking forward to getting back on the road tomorrow morning.

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