holisticgeek’s peace ride

“Hello friends. In Portland again, of course that’s why you’re listening. I wanted to let everyone know that I decided to split off from a bike tour I was going to take. So I hear that a lot of people were commenting and I’m really glad for the support. There were some issues I had that I won’t go into on this blog. Lately I found out that my Grandmother has uterine cancer, that’s not a very good thing. So send good energy to me, she’s getting surgery some time next week.

So, I had originally planned on biking with a group down the Oregon Coast, but that’s all changed. Time for plan B. I’m here in Portland, I’m going to make the best of it for the next few days. I’m going to come back on Friday… I leave on Friday and come back on Sunday. I changed my Amtrak ticket.

I have a lot of things that I can do. I’m probably going to go up to Microcosm Publishing. One of their owners, Joe Byle is an avid bicycle commuter. He actually moved his whole apartment using his bike on a cart. I want to talk to him and get a feel for some other bike sustainable stuff in Portland.

Tonight, I think I’m going to go to a movie. I’m going to see Who Killed the Electric Car. I’m going to take the bike that I have rented. I still have the bike rental, which is a good thing. I’m going to have that bike while I’m here, since I already paid for it. I’m going to get to everybody’s postcards tonight too and I’m going to take some great pictures and go see some really good scenic things around here: Japanese Gardens, Chinese Gardens and some other things happenings in the peace and justice community here. Hopefully, things will turn out very very well, and I’ll have a lot of good adventure with this after all. I didn’t really tell too many people when I was leaving. I didn’t want to make a big deal about it and I didn’t want to rain on anyone else’s parade because it was my choice.

But i did attend a great workshop today. We talked about “changing our relationship to power”. It was wonderful. A lot of good discussion from a guy named Marc who runs Kayak Tillamook on the Oregon coast, where he has actually hired logging professionals, old loggers to lead kayaking adventures to kind of inject sustainability into a community where it’s not necessarily accepted or where you wouldn’t necessarily see it. And talked about how he and three others started a Fresh Food Cafe [Food for Thought Cafe] at the university here in Portland. Where it was a student-run organization, they started this cafe, and it took away $1500 per day of business of Aramark, which was the corporate-run food service. It was a really big success. All the funds stay in the student community, they stay in this business, they stay at cafe. They choose local food, they decide on fair trade economics, they pretty much control their own destiny. They have student workers and they control the price and wages of student workers. Some really good things about how, by shifting the power dynamics and changing your relationship to power structures, you can actually affect change. More than protest and more than demonstrations, but actually going out and doing something, which is wonderful. Hopefully I can learn more about that. I think it’s ffcafe… I’ll find out the link for you later. But Fresh Food Cafe in Portland, Oregon at Portland State University. If you google that you can find all the information about Mark and how they started it.

So, anyway, that’s what happening now. I plan to have some more adventures and actually come to Portland and come away with what I really intended to do… just with an alternate plan. I’ll keep everyone posted. And again, thanks for all the comments. It’s not going to be a waste at all. Have a great night everyone and I’ll talk to you soon.”

Voice Post on Livejournal #2

“Well Amtrak was an experience, I really enjoyed it. It was a long ride though! Sitting in Amtrak on a train was just long and there’s beautiful countryside. I love Glacier National Park. Unfortunately, they say in 30 years there will be no more glaciers because of the current climate conditions and as they progress…

I’m going to Powell’s and I thought I would check in to let people konow that everything went well. I’m enjoying Portland. I’ll keep in touch. Bye-bye.”

Voice Post on Livejournal #1

“Hey, it’s Scott. Just getting ready to go. I’m about an hour and a half away form going to Amtrak, to leave to go to Portland.

So, I’ll be gone for two weeks. I’ll be back to Minnesota August 10. So, stay tuned and I’ll let everyone know how Portland goes and how the ride goes.”

This morning has been spent getting to know the various transit routes that will get me to and from places while I’m in Portland. The Trimet system is very extensive. Portland has three light rail lines - the Red Line, Blue Line, and Yellow Line! There are even zones in Portland where a person can ride transit for FREE! I think that I have my essential routes planned out well enough, and I’m getting to know the city, at least geographically from the maps I keep viewing.

I’m staying at both hostels in Portland the day I arrive and the day before I leave. Northwest Portland Hostel was originally a house that was to be demolished, but in 1980 it was rehabbed and made into a hostel by a bunch of friends, with very little money, all chipping in. They have a great story that you should read.

Hawthorne Hostel is in the middle of the famed Hawthorne District of Portland. This area boasts ecclectic shops and restaurants, as well as a great flavor of Portland alternative culture. Hawthorne Hostel even has a green roof.

I was also pleased that both hostels have a commitment to sustainability, where they reduce their waste, and are conscious about their impact on the environment.

I’m getting very very excited!!

I want to say a huge thank you to everyone reading my blog! This is the very first time that any website I have designed and posted to has cleared the hurdles of 1000 unique visitors and 10,000 hits for a month!

The big days were those when I reported about the Minneapolis Critical Mass on June 30. I posted to a few lists and other independent media sites, plus sent out emails about the photos I captured.

It seems to me as if the progression of the site, my life in general, and the dramas of my cycling are paralleling each other as I approach my departure date for the trip. My legs may not be racing right now, but I’m steeped in planning and coordination. How do I travel from the Amtrak station to the Hostel I’ll stay at. How do I take public transit in an unfamiliar city? Should I stay at the hostel or with my friend Nancy who lives in Portland for my extra night?

All of it is coming together very quickly.

While I’m on the trip I will be posting some voice posts to my LiveJournal. My wonderful partner, Michael, will be putting links to the voice posts into this blog during my trip. Since I won’t have my laptop with me, nor will I have access to the internet, I will need to make some voice posts with either my cell phone or public phones along the way. I’m hoping that I will have opportunities to do that!

After the trip, I’ll be posting photos galore, and sharing my impressions I’m sure! Stay tuned, and thank you all for being a part of this journey with me.

Tree of Life Labyrinth
Originally uploaded by holisticgeek

My knee seems better! I didn’t push myself this evening and only went about 12 miles. I climbed some hills again with a relatively high level of attack, and I didn’t feel any discomfort. I also didn’t push to go fast all the time, and I think that helped.

I did buy a knee brace to take with me just in case I need it on the 50 and 60 mile days in Oregon.

I placed a picture of feet in the middle of a labyrinth on this post to give me some inspiration. When walking a labyrinth, often times, like life, you feel as if you are walking the farthest point from the “center”, or where you would like to be. The labyrinth takes a quick turn, and all of a sudden you are one more turn away from your “center” that you’ve been seeking.

This week has been challenging in the fact that I couldn’t bike much. The last few weeks have been brutal with humidity and heat. I’ve had to resort to riding after sundown, and because of weather and my knee strain, my training hasn’t been what I wanted it to be. I also believe that I need to graduate to a different bike in order to comfortably ride more than 30 miles continually.

But, I’m very hopeful that the physical demands will be fine. I’m excited to learn from the people I meet on this trip, and to sink my heels in and do some service projects along the way. I’m ready to jump out of my skin and experience something great!

As always, I’m forever grateful to those who have helped me fundraise, and have encouraged me. You’re support has made a huge difference!

Stay tuned!!

Critical Mass - 6/30/06
Originally uploaded by holisticgeek

I took two days off from biking, and I think my knee is better for it. I went out this evening to visit my friend Randy who lives about 2 miles away, so I thought I’d do a very light bike ride.

Surprisingly, the knee felt good. I did practice some other techniques I’ve been reading about, like keeping your toes pointed, and using the easier gears to pedal rather than always pushing yourself to get to a destination in record time. Standing up and using the legs excessively only promotes the kind of knee pain I had gotten.

So, a successful 4-5 miles without putting strain on my knee is a good thing. I probably won’t be pushing myself until the tour. However, the days of 50 and 60 miles seem a little daunting now.

I leave in a week!

About three days ago, I noticed the start of a slight bit of pain in my left knee. This is the “other” knee that I didn’t scratch up in my fall on the light rail. I’ve been noticing a little bit of soreness and tenderness behind my left kneecap. This is not good. I have a week before I leave on Amtrak to go to Portland.

I did a lot of reading online and found that this type of knee injury is extremely common in cyclists, and is often the result of over-training. Perhaps my 30 miles in one day not paced well was not wise. I should have stopped at 25 and rested for an hour at least.

This type of tendonitis is often caused by poor positioning on the bicycle, which I’ve been feeling. I test rode a 20″ Gary Fisher Zebrano bike today, and it felt GLORIOUS. It was an easy ride that didn’t stress my muscles. If you’ve been reading a while, you know that the Zebrano is the bike I rented while I was in Madison biking everywhere. A lot of it is the bike I’m using, my seat height, and how I’ve been riding it, now that I do my research on my “injury”…

I find it very ironic that for someone who never was an athlete growing up into adulthood, that at 37, I’m getting my first sports injury. I’m going to need to rest the knee for a few days and not ride, and do some exercises to strengthen the hamstrings and muscles around the knee. Maybe it’s time to start doing yoga again.

But..if anything, I have been able to push myself well, and I’m going to take it on faith that resting is probably what I need right now before this trip. I think however, that I may have outgrown my Breezer already. 30 miles on it is a chore. The Zebrano, with 24 gears was an easy and smooth ride, and I didn’t fatigue at about 22 miles.

Lots to think about right now….

Critical Mass - 6/30/06
Originally uploaded by holisticgeek

With less than two weeks before I head out to Portland, I received my itinerary for the trip, along with safety information. I’m getting really excited! I went out and bought a lot of the gear I needed for the trip. I’ll post about that soon too.

Here’s what I’ll be doing day by day with the Oregon coastal bike trip. The biking will get harder as the days go by, and there will be some days with a shower, and some without.

monday - 11 miles - out to the coast and then to tour an organic farm.

tuesday - 30 miles - we will visit a land trust, and then bike on to Tillamook, where we will spend the night at a campground. showers may be available.

wednesday - 30 miles - we will bike out to Cape Lookout, which is a stunning campground right on the ocean. showers may be available

thursday - day off at Cape Lookout! - optional kayaking trip (I won’t be doing the kayaking), day hikes
around old growth forests, time to do whatever I want! Showers may be available.

friday - 30 miles

saturday - 50 miles - we will bike back towards Portland

sunday - 60 miles - we return back to Portland. Showers may be available.

Bike Injury
Originally uploaded by holisticgeek

It was minor, but it could have been a lot worse. This one did not take place on a road or with a car, nor did it involve me falling off my bike. This accident, which gave me three cuts and a bruise on my leg came about when taking my bike on the Light Rail.

Maneuvering a bicycle through a sea of people to where you place your bicycle takes a lot of time. More time than what you get between door opening and closing on the train. I was just about to place my bike in the rack inside, when the train jolted and took off. I fell over, my bicycle falling and landing on two people, and me falling against my bike and a woman sitting down.

Nobody was injured really, but we were all shaken up. Bicycles need more time to negotiate the train. I filed a suggestion/complaint with Metro Transit. Waiting for my case number, and I need to write a letter to Risk Management with the Metropolitan Council.

Ahh bureaucracy…