A Big Bike Trip....???

**Warning**

 This is likely to be long winded, rambling, slightly on and off topic....actually, it's probably a lot like talking to me.  Anyway, you've been warned. 

I have this idea in my head....a big (big for me) bike trip.  The thing is I don't seem to make it happen.  I kinda know why.  I like things to be just right.  You know, good route, nice campsites, enjoyable trip.  Problem is that to get that type of trip, you need to plan and I don't seem to take the time to commit to this.  Or perhaps I don't feel like I can get enough information to make it happen just so.  Anyway, I hunt around for this type of thing occasionally and today I found a Tour Divide clip that got me thinking about this type of trip again.



Jay Petervary Tour Divide Record Ride from Fisher Creative on Vimeo.

Don't get me wrong...while the Tour Divide is awesome, this isn't the type of trip I'm envisioning.  But seeing guys like this sure makes my little idea seem insignificant and that probably I should just give it a try.  I did come across something that sounded a bit more my speed.

A ride like this might be the right way to get myself kicked into gear.  First off, it has a date and time and a route that someone actually planned and then test rode.  So in fact, they did what I envision as a great planned route (and it's done for me).  Now they're making it public and saying hey....come do this with like minded people.  To top it all off it's free.  It's also unsupported....they just give you the route and let you know when a group is going to start it.  Then you're on your own.  So there is still planning and some feeling of having done it yourself.

The route looks like this:

Basically, Klamath Falls to Deschutes.  Mostly gravel (75%) and rural or middle of nowhere.  Kind of how I envision a tour since I do own the bike for it (Salsa's Fargo).  Anyway, that's what I've been mulling on lately.  Hopefully a firm date and a planned route will make it happen next year. 

Bike to work week....planning group!

Bike to Work, School and Fun Week 2012 was so much fun that we’re already looking forward to next year’s campaign.  Please join us for a meet and greet at Craft Beer and Wine at 22 Martin Street at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, August 14 .  We’re looking for people who are interested in joining the Truckee Meadows Bicycle Alliance and helping us promote Bike to Work Week 2013, but feel free to just come by, say hi, and celebrate cycling if that’s your preference.

2012 T-shirts are on sale at www.bikenevada.org for only $5.00 – or come pick one up at the meet and greet.  All of the money goes toward next year’s event.   

RTC Transportation Group Report.

So the first meeting is in the books and it looks like this RTC group might be a really interesting and beneficial entity.  The long term goal (1 year out) is to have the group produce a version of the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP).  Our version will be passed on to the "official" board who will review it and incorporate it into their own plan.  It seemed the entire RTC entourage was in attendance last night and they provided a really well rounded review of their positions and how they are involved in the final RTP version.  They will also serve as guides as we regular citizens forge ahead.

So who the devil is this citizen group.  We went through introductions last night and some of the job titles I remember are: retired transportation planner, Tahoe transportation planner, architect, geologist, airline pilot, stay at home mom, land use planning student at UNR, engineer, and land use planner.  So while a rather diverse group, many are pretty familiar with the processes in "planning". 

With initial introductions, presentations, and some ground rules about our task we used up the slated hour and a half pretty quickly.  We did use an extended 1/2 hour to brain storm some of the things we were looking to accomplish personally.  I don't have good notes yet (we'll get a copy of the minutes shortly and I'll update), but topics thrown out ranged from continued improved walking and biking (complete streets) to a myriad of improvements to the bus system, to improving the coordination of land use and transportation planning.  This leaves out a lot of what was discussed, but needless to say a biking presence made clear by a few people and real interest in public transportation is present.  All in all, I'm looking forward to the next meeting.  I'll post the detailed minutes when their available.