Audible Autumn

 

hey look, a leaf!

I love riding this time of year!  The lack of humidity in the cooler air is definitely one of my favorite aspects of the changing season (although it was about 70 degrees on the ride in this morning), but what I've really been aware of recently is the new sounds of my daily commute.  It's the rustling of leaves that I've just now started noticing on each ride around town.  Particularly today and yesterday with the crazy gusting winds, I've been amazed at how much louder the streets are.  In a good way.  Mini whirlwinds of yellow leaves blowing through the gutters, the crunching of them underneath my tires.  I have always loved this time of year because of the temps and colors but this is the first time that I've appreciated the aural side of the season.

Once I began thinking about sounds of the seasons, the transition to the snowy wintry conditions came to mind and take the opposite turn from crispy crunch and create a soft blanket of silence over the roads.  This may be part of why I find riding in the season so peaceful. Snow will be here before we know it!

the cruise down Burt just east of 33rd

I was trying to take a pic of Copper but somehow failed...

colors of the season!

and more random branches

 

Ok, this picture deserves more than just a small caption.  We were riding down Burt on the way to work today and all I caught was this, but these two fine folks were maybe locked out of their vehicle or something. I wiiiiish I'd have gotten the gal on the right in the picture better.  She had a priceless back tattoo hanging out openly from her tiny t-shirt that said, "candy shop".  Holy shit. 

new paint on 16th st.

our destination!

It's Nice Out!!!

That's all.  Ride yer bike. 

Annnnd, some random photos...

Commuted in on the sweet new (to us) tandem

Hey Natalie!

Back on the Bob Bridge

Vince's and his dash board hula girl

Transportation Meeting Recap

 First of all, in case you missed it, check out the video:

Transportation Master Plan Public Meeting Video

It felt like the most important group ride I had ever led.  No offense to my weekly Saturday Ladies Riders, but on Thursday night the group of several concerned citizens that rode from Downtown Omaha to this big public meeting really made me feel proud to be an Omahan.  Now this may sound like a bit more emotion than I usually put into my posts, but for some reason I really was moved by the turnout (for both the ride and then later the meeting itself) and then sense of purpose that was felt throughout the group.  We even closed the shop early to give all of us the opportunity to attend; I'm glad we did.

As we pedaled by Greenstreet and then past the parking lot just to the west, we even turned down a FREE BEER offered to us by some Nighthawk tailgaters.  "Free beer for any cyclists!" was happily screamed at our group as we pedaled by. That should give you a pretty good idea of the severity of our mission.  We continued up the Benson route to connect with another group that we'd arranged to meet at Metcalfe Park.  There were about 6 more cyclists there that we tacked on to the back of our citizen train and we continued south-bound along Happy Hollow across Dodge, and through Elmwood to UNO's Scott Conference Center.

We rolled up with our group of about 20 cyclists and wheeled our bikes right inside, where indoor parking was available for us.  As we all signed in and found tables to sit at, it started to set in: this is an important night.  Many different groups worked pretty hard to get attendance up for this night and I'm happy to report, the turnout definitely exceeded expectations.  Mode Shift Omaha, Omaha Bikes, Omaha's Planning Department, and many others were an integral part of making the night what it was.  So a big thanks is in order to all of you. 

I could go on and on about all of the comments and conversations that were had that night, but two things in particular made me smile: 1) "I'm here because of you, Sarah" and 2) "I didn't know Omaha had this many cyclists!"    Good stuff.

One more link to KETV's coverage of the event:  here!

Over and out for now...time to close down the shop and enjoy an IPA.

Cheers,

SJ

It's Happening

I'm not sure if it's the weather, the advocacy and education efforts, or just general Omaha progress,  but there are cyclists galore out on the streets these days!  There's almost bike traffic to get stuck in.  Ok, maybe not quite to that extent yet, but I do believe we're on our way. 

Anyway, with this perfect weather over the last few weeks I've of course been on my bike daily; hauling Copper to and from work, grabbing groceries, riding to friends' houses, the occasional bar hop, you name it, I'm on my bike.  I also have a new project bike in the works that I'm pretty excited about.  It's my old lugged steel Trek touring frame from the mid to late '80s and I'm putting my mustache bar from my other old lugged steel Pinarello that's been sort of unrideable lately due to a front hub issue that I've been putting off fixing.  It will be kind of a fun cruise around townish sort of bike when I don't need the heavy duty capabilities of the Vaya.  Pictures will come soon.  It should be done next week!  My favorite part (well, I'm actually pretty thrilled about most of it) is the Apple Green Brooks saddle that I just finally made my own after looking and drooling over it for the last several months.  She's a beaut!!

Copper, loaded and ready!

After all the crazy storms lately, there have been a bunch of downed trees.

Copper, loving the ride!

My favorite commuting accessory, flip flops.

These thankfully aren't getting torn down now!  Renovation will be fun to observe.

Construction at every turn these days.

I do love riding to work!  I also just sold my 2011 Specialized Ruby and got in its replacement today, the 2012 Ruby Comp.  So far, so good! 

Next week is the Dakota 5-0, which is a 50 mile mountain bike race in Spearfish, South Dakota.  Salsa gave me a Spearfish to race, which is awesome!  Thanks Salsa!!  Wish me luck, it's gonna be a brutal one for me.

Updates will come...eventually!

Get out and ride and let me know how it's going.

-SJ

Interesting Read...

I came across this article on Eco Velo today (thanks to Vince) and thought it was worth sharing.  
The Commuting Paradox

I've been pedaling a fair amount recently but do have to admit that with this heat and hip injury combined, I've been wussing out and driving a bit too.  Copper and I rode in yesterday in the insane heat and humidity and all I could think about was riding in the winter.  People say you can almost ride year round comfortably in Omaha and I'd have to agree...although most people are referring to the 4th "unrideable" season as winter and I'd beg to differ.  I think the summer is way less inspiring to ride during than the peaceful snowy winters. 

Here's a pic from me happily commuting in the snow to help cool you down. 

Hello Again!

I just logged in for the first time in waaaay too long and the first thing I saw was the pic of Natalie in winterish riding clothes!  For the love of Pete, I've been negligent once again.  Ah, summer at a bike shop.  Although, I must say this hasn't been a typical summer for me.  Usually (or at least for the last many years that I've worked in the bicycling industry) summers are non-stop time at the shop; no vacations or really much aside from hot, humid Omaha summers (with a few Grand Lake, CO summers thrown in too). This summer I've been crazy busy, but not only at the shop.  I've had the opportunity to get out of town a bit!  And of course, this means bike trips.

First of all, we (Greenstreet) closed down for 2 weeks during the College World Series to rent our space out to DeMarini who sells softball/baseball stuff and they were way more excited about being amidst the pandemonium of the Series than our lil ol bike shop. So, we packed up the entire shop, moved it into storage and took a vacation!  I helped supervise the Bike to the Ballpark initiative through Omaha Bikes and it was a huge success!  We parked over 700 bikes during the CWS and raised a bunch of money for our organization.  Thanks to each and everyone who made this idea a reality!  Here are a few photos of the crazy night that the sirens went off due to potential tornadoes and ridiculously high winds.

our racks got blown to smithereens!

Volunteers smiling because we're inside.  Thanks DeMarini!

Getting people back on their bikes, despite the downpour.

 So that was just part of it!  Then, after that I took a quick trip up to Grand County, Colorado to visit some friends and some singletrack.  It couldn't have been much nicer! 

Dave, Me, Barry, Mandi on the Grand Lake Lodge deck

view from the deck

and more views from the deck

Strawberry Hot Springs just outside of Steamboat, CO

the rushing water next to the hot springs

Mandi and Barry's back yard! Fun!!

Mandi on her bike

buddies

Guess why they call this trail Chainsaw...

Greenstreet in the mountains!

More Mandi in WP

Such fun flowy riding

almost back to the car. dang it.

Even though it was a quick weekend, it was so great catching up with Mandi, et al.  Thanks again for the hospitality! 

Then, I came back for the Omaha Bikes Handlebar Happy Hour at Jake's in Benson and I'm glad I did!  It was a really fun time with a great turnout.

Love this poster!  Thanks Jake's!!

the beginning of the evening

more omaha bikes folks

a lovely sight indeed!

That's pretty much all of what I have pictures of.  However, that's only because my camera died and I think that the battery got lost in the Greenstreet move...dang.  Certainly one of the most amazing parts of my summer ( riding the STP) remains undocumented, save a few crummy camera phone photos.  Dang again. Actually, I got these two from my time up North...

This was at an awesome Italian restaurant with the owner

My mom's bestest buddy from 7th grade and her husband at our Vader campsite

I rode from Seattle, Washington to Portland, Oregon in 2 days.  Now, having never even completed a century in a day prior to this ride, I was a bit nervous about what I'd agreed to.  Thankfully it ended up being a total blast, and certainly a memorable weekend.  I absolutely love the Pacific Northwest and actually grew up visiting my grandmother who lived in Hoodsport, Washington. I remember always looking forward to the trip up North; collecting crabs and sea shells along the canal was one of my favorite things to do as a kid.  So the trip up that direction a week ago was exciting for all sorts of reasons. 

Unfortunately, I don't have any other pictures of the amazingly beautiful scenery that we cruised by in those two days but the memories will last in my head for a while.  We rode from our hotel in Seattle to Vader, WA the first day which was just about 135 miles.  Again, keeping in mind that I'd never rode a century, I was pretty concerned about this big number.  Thankfully it was amazingly doable!  It was the second day of just over 70 miles that caught up to me.  The ride was wonderfully supported by the Cascade Bicycling Club with food, water, and first aid stops every time you needed them and I was really impressed with the overall organization of the ride.  I could go on and on about each little detail of our trip, from the life changing iced latte I had in Seattle, to the crazy menu-free Italian restaurant, to the inbred campsite hosts in Vader, to the breathtaking views of Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood, and Mt. St. Helens along the winding hilly route.  Or maybe the taste of the Subway sandwich I had at about mile 65, or the bathroom stop at mile 80, or the margaritas at mile 102... and that's all still before Portland! Anyway, lots of memorable and funny stuff along the way.

The one part that I have to take an extra moment to relay more information about was our camping adventure in Vader.  Now, we chose to ride past Centralia, which is where most of the other 10,000 riders decided to camp for the first night to Vader, which may or may not have been our best idea.  The plan was to get the majority of miles out of the way the first day so that we could get into Portland at a decent hour on Sunday.  It almost worked.  We rolled into Vader (Ben ahead of me by a stretch) and looked for a campsite.  All of the legit camping spots were reserved from months prior but Ben found a family with a weird concession tent set up on the side of the road and decided to ask if we could camp on their land. They said sure and were very gracious hosts, despite the fact that it wasn't even THEIR LAND that they ok'd us to camp on!! We also got showers out of the deal (again, not their showers!) after they asked "Old Man Andy" who turned out to be an 88 year old grumpy hard of hearing guy.  Oh Vader, how many stories exist within your town limits!?

We pitched our tent (with the help of Nick, the youngest member of the Vader host family) and just then Dianne and Tony rolled up with their bikes on the top of their vehicle, ready to camp with us for the night and then ride into Portland with us the following day.  This awesome couple lives in Tacoma, Washington and Dianne has been my mom's best buddy since they were in 7th grade.  What a fun treat it was to get to catch up with them for the evening! We enjoyed a few beers that they brought, as well as several Coors Lights which kept coming from the Vader host family...beers, pillows, and too many offerings for help of one kind or another.  What an interesting crew they were!  And, while smoking a cigarette, the momma host explained that they set their little road-side attraction up each year for the STP and never have anyone take them up on camping! Crazy, eh?!  The family sits on the side of the route and sells bananas, water, coffee, sno-cones, and campsites in an attempt to raise enough money to get momma Vader a kidney transplant.  Yikes. Enjoy your cigarette lady.  They were an overly helpful lot, and I really do hope she raises enough cash from selling rotten bananas and dirty pillows to find a new kidney. 

The next day we woke up and groggily broke camp, readying our stiff bodies for the next 70 miles that awaited.  At this point I realized that maybe too many Coors Lights and Fat Tires were consumed the night before...no matter, onward either way!  We started off at about 8:30a.m. I'd say and I felt like my tires were full of lead.  It's funny knowing that stopping is not really an option; you just keep moving the pedals and every minute you're that much closer to your goal.

After what seemed like forever, we arrived in Portland!  Hooray!!  I was nearly in tears from exhaustion and elation and stumbled over to the beer tent on numb toes begging to get out of their uncomfortable cages of cycling shoes.  I don't know the last time a Ranger IPA tasted that good.  After a few beers and a giant burrito we left the finish line festivities and checked into our hotel. Even though the water pressure and temps were hit and miss, it may have been one of the best showers I've had. Refreshing to say the least. Refreshing enough to fuel the rest of my evening which was full of Portland exploration thanks to our good buddy Hodad, who is a Portland resident that was in Omaha for the CWS with DeMarini.  He took us from bar, to donut shop, to bar, to sushi place, to brewery, to strip-aroke club and then back to our hotel.  What a crazy and fun night!! Thanks again for the hospitality and showing us around your fabulous city.  The time disappeared too quickly.

Whew!  What a long winded blog post.  Sorry all, just had a lot to get out there!   Hope you all are pedaling and staying hydrated; this head is intense!  More later...hope I find my camera battery charger!!!

-SJ

Natalie Says...

Natalie giving cycling a thumbs up!  "i lost track a long while ago of how many days i have ridden my bike to work, so i feel a bit badly that this is my first contribution to girl commute. especially since i consider myself something of an everywoman bike rider: i am not superlative in any respect. other than my helmet, bike, and bike shorts, i don't have what you would call "biking gear." i don't ride particularly fast, though i do enjoy speeding down hills. after getting used to riding in traffic on greenstreet's ladies ride, i graduated to commuting. the ride takes between 25 and 30 minutes, depending on how many red lights i hit. i live in the 50s between center and leavenworth. now i am as wary as anyone about traffic, but i've found that it's easiest and least hilly just bombing leavenworth to 19th, making the rest of the way on harney, and from there down to riverfront drive to my office. usually the ride is incident-free, however, today was a little different. at the stoplight at 42nd street, a silver car pulled up next to me in the left lane, with the window down. "miss!" the driver called to me, and i turned to see a smiling gentleman giving me a huge thumbs up and nodding his head. i replied with a chirpy "good morning!" and the light changed. a nice positive interaction particularly brightened my morning (the intent was niceness, not a catcall sort of thing.) which brings me to a brief digression. i told sarah once before that the only real commentary i had come up with to contribute to girl commute beyond the usual gripes about potholes is this: i have not heard one decent catcall since i have lived in omaha. now that it's warmer out and there are more pedestrians out/car windows down, attempts have been increasing. typically this consists of a whistle or "baby," which are little match for gems i've heard in the past such as "girl, i like your walk," or "girl, i like your eyes, are those your real eyes?" (a friend got that one). granted, when biking, i am passing by at a speed that leaves little time to for such phrases, but you would think that there would be something. maybe a bike related pun? i have no idea what, but i am a great believer in human creativity. get to work, catcallers of omaha. but back to the ride this morning: positive interaction, nice weather, feeling good. dispite having not ridden for about a week, hills were coming easily. and then: a got a flat tire. this was my first flat tire. and i'm a little surprised it didn't happen sooner given the multitude of sharp debris i roll over every day. but i knew the lucky streak would end eventually, so i bought a handy dandy patch kit a while ago, which has been dutifully riding along under my seat, waiting for just such an opportunity to be used. flat tire is pretty basic bike knowledge, but not having done it before, the prospect was intimidating. though i had been to a bike maintenance clinic during the winter, how much did i really know or remember? i pulled up the bus stop bench on the corner of park and leavenworth to put myself to the test. found the hole pretty easily, managed to get the back wheel off eventually, and did some serious tire wrangling. i wasted the first canister of compressed air, puncturing it with the little filler device, but not decisively enough, and it spit all over the place. it was slow going, but i made steady progress, and the feeling of accomplishment i had when i finally finished was awesome. i think i'll recall this not as the time i got my first flat tire, but the time i fixed my first flat tire. it only took me an embarrassingly long 35 minutes. i continued on my ride, feeling pretty badass. and lo and behold, at the stop light on 24th and leavenworth, who should be heading past on 24th? none other than thumbs-up guy in the silver car. he slowed down a little and called out "we've got to stop meeting like this!"

Thanks for the great story Natalie!!!  Keep pedaling girly.  You're a great addition to the cycling community of Omaha!  If you have a fun commuting story, send it to me! -SJ

I Guess this is Spring!

The view along Woolworth through Field Club

The Copper view

I didn't quite catch her, but there was another gal riding!

The view off of 19th and Dodge of Central!  My alma mater!

It's been a soggy few weeks, off an on, but Copper and I have been smiling and commuting daily anyway. 

Anyway, the rides have been good.  Today I was particularly packed down.  I don't even want to guess how much weight I was towing, including Copper, my laptop, yoga clothes, paperwork/notebooks, rain gear, and then just the regular messenger bag stuff that accumulates.  It was heavy. 

I don't think that I've written about the transformation that Vern (my Vaya) has undergone lately!  It's now a triple instead of a double since I am a wuss and really like having a super easy granny gear for the hilly ride home, particularly after a long day at the shop.  Pulling Copper home is not always the easiest for tired legs...so now it's easier!  It's also a longer crank arm which is a better fit than my old set up.  At the same time that I was pulling the rest of it apart, I put on a narrower bar (again, to help the fit) and I'm overall, much happier because of all the modifications.

Last week was Bike to Work Week and I asked my ladies to share a commuting story or two.  One lovely gal, Lori, shared this:

"Nothing fancy here. But there was one day last week, I was riding in the rain, and thinking, this is not the best idea ever with lightening in the background. But I kept riding, thank God for clothes that dried during the day. So far 8 days into riding to work, love it! Like I said nothing fancy. But the UPS driver is always jealous of me:)"

If you have a story to share, email it to me!  Or, post it up!!

Thanks for reading.

SJ