New stuff soon....but important meetings are coming!

Ok, I'm back from vacation and pictures will follow.  I managed to get sick the first day back so I'm just hitting work and it will be crazy.  Until I regroup, there is an important meeting this week for the 4th / Prater St. corridor.  Basically, they don't want to do anything on 4th street through the heart of Reno and want cyclists to use 6th st (which is an industrial wasteland).  We want to use 4th because that's where everything cool is!!!  E.g. to me cool is currently bars, restaurants, and the Reno Bike Project. 

Anyway, here's the flyer.  We need people to come to this meeting and give opinions.  We can change their minds, but we need a turnout to do it.

Moab is filling my prescription next week!

Moab...the new antibiotic!

It's spring break time for wifey next week, so we're making our annual pilgrimage to Moab for a little RnR!  I stole the image above from Reno-Rambler (not sure where he got it), but it sure fits the bill.

So don't be surprised if nothing shows up here for a week or so.  I'm only recently past a disposable cell phone on the tech curve so mobile blogging isn't really my thing.  I'll try to have some hiking, biking, camping pics from the trip when I get back. 

The rest of the 4th St. commute.

So I kinda left off on the description of my new 4th St. commute last week.  It's given me some new pics so I thought I'd share.  We left off about at the Reno Bike Project....so as we continue to roll we hit a few other notable places you might want to stop and check out.

Zagol Ethiopian restaurant is definitely on the list and has some really tasty eats.  Just remember to bring your friends and wash those hands, cause the portions are family sized and utensils are not required!   

Breakfast to burgers and beers, Big Ed's has it all.  I haven't made it to this landmark for grub yet but I'm hoping to stop in now that it's part of my commute.

And if it isn't food you need, but just about anything else in the freaking world, "head on down to the big red barn".....or Twin City Surplus.  You know you've heard their commercial at some point.  I do hit this place now and then and it has just about everything.  You'll stay awhile just because you won't believe all the random stuff they have laying around!

From here I turn off at Galletti Way and the excitement drops off with NV Cement plant and the DMV.  After that I can pick up the river path for the remainder of the ride and cruise into work without a care in the world.

So pick a different route and look around the town you live in.  It's like a mini road trip without the car or leaving home!

Banff Mountain Film Festival is this Thursday!!

Click the banner to check out Nevada Land Conservancy!!

Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour
comes to Reno on Thursday, April 5th


John Ascuaga's Nugget Rose Ballroom
Doors open at 6:00 pm
Films run from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Cost: $20 in advance, $25 day of event, VIP tickets available for $43

The Banff Mountain Film Festival, a program of The Banff Centre, is the largest, and one of the most prestigious, mountain festivals in the world. Hot on the heels of the festival held every fall in Banff, Alberta, the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour hits the road. With stops planned in about 390 communities and 35 countries across the globe, this year's tour features a collection of the most inspiring action, environmental, and adventure films from the festival.

The Banff Mountain Film Festival event is Nevada Land Conservancy's largest annual fundraiser. Established in 1998, the Nevada Land Conservancy is a private, non-profit land trust dedicated to preserving and protecting Nevada's open spaces and special places for future generations. As the state's first "Nevada-Born" land trust, the Conservancy meets open space needs by working closely with area landowners, businesses, environmental organizations, and public officials. The Nevada Land Conservancy has protected more than 40,500 acres to date through acquisition, facilitation and partnership!

For more information on Banff or the Nevada Land Conservancy mission, please call (775) 851-5180.

Film List
All.I.Can -  Canada, 2011, 11 minutes
Focus: Snow Sports. Best Feature-length Mountain Film, Sponsored by Town of Banff.  Stunning time-lapse sequences, creative visuals, great skiers, and deep powder are highlights of this excerpt from the award-winning feature film that looks at snow sports and the environment.

Chasing Water - USA, 2011, 18 minutes
Focus: Environment. Best Short Mountain Film – Chasing Water, Sponsored by The North Face. Pete McBride grew up on a ranch in Western Colorado, in 2008 Pete decided to follow the water from his family's ranch to see where it ends up. This is the story of a journey, and a story about the lifeblood of the West.

The Trail Collector - Switzerland, 2010, 5 minutes
Focus: Mountain Biking. People collect all kinds of things: stamps, coins, art – this is a collection of trails.

Kadoma - USA, 2011, 42 minutes
Focus: Exploration, Kayaking. Best Film - Exploration and Adventure, Sponsored by Nemo. "Kadoma" is the nickname for Hendri Coetzee, a legendary South African kayaker who is known for exploring some of Africa's wildest rivers. In December 2010, American pro kayakers Chris Korbulic and Ben Stookesbury followed Coetzee into the Democratic Republic of Congo for a first descent of the dangerous Lukuga River. Seven weeks into the expedition, tragedy struck.

Intermission

C.A.R.C.A. -  Canada, 2011, 8 minutes
Focus: Humor, Avalanche Rescue. One man's quest to revolutionize the world of animal avalanche rescue.

 Seasons: Winter - USA, 2011, 4 minutes
Focus: Kayaking. Brian Ward discovers an unexpected and new-found love for water, in its frozen and expanded form

Ski Bums Never Die - Canada, 2011, 4 minutes
Focus: Snow sports. What does it take to be a ski bum? An unending dedication to powder skiing? The ability to do anything in your ski boots? A lifelong quest for deep snow? Find out with this unusual and inspiring band of skiers in the Kootenay region of British Columbia.

On Assignment: Jimmy Chin - USA, 2010, 6 minutes
Focus: photography, climbing, outdoor culture. A brief portrait of a passionate athlete who has melded climbing and photography. Jimmy Chin believes that "the most honest photos happen when both the subject and the photographer are just in the moment, and the rest of the world has just fallen away."

The Freedom Chair - Canada, 2011, 15 minutes
Focus: Snow sports. Josh Dueck was an aspiring skier and coach until a ski accident in 2004 changed his life for good. Josh's dream is to tackle the backcountry and the steepest and wildest mountains in the world – and with his infectious outlook, he may just catch his dream.

Reel Rock: Sketchy Andy - USA, 2011, 22 minutes
Focus: Slack lining, BASE Jumping, craziness! American climbing dirtbag Andy Lewis is taking the discipline of slack lining into the future as he solos the world’s longest high-lines and masters the hardest aerial tricks, while pushing his equipment to the limit. As Andy goes higher, harder, and faster with climbing, we all wonder how far he can go before it’ll be one step over the line.

Bicycle Bananas Bandit!!

I had to drop the dog off at the groomers this morning, which happens to be right next door to Bicycle Bananas.  As I waited for the groomer to open a few patrol cars rolled up (eying me suspiciously I might add).  I watched as they pulled up to Bicycle Bananas....only then noticing the large pile of glass, that was the remains of a plate glass window.

I didn't nose around too much since they were obviously just checking out the scene for the first time, but it looks like someone did the old smash and grab and got at least a few bikes.  Hopefully, they didn't get anything too expensive.

Here's to hoping the dirt bag who did this gets nabbed.  Remember if you see anything too good to be true on Craigslist this week you might want to check with Bicycle Bananas!

To drill or not to drill.....that isn't the question.

Cold hard facts....doesn't matter how much we drill for black gold, the price at the pump does it's own thing.  I'll venture to guess that building the Keystone pipeline won't make much of a change either.  The safe way to save money is break out the bike and drive less!

The weekend.

My weekend went by in a flash....as usual.  I knew something was brewing on Friday, because I encountered the love bike cruising down First St.

The next clue was encountering about 20 fixed gear riders as I headed up Washington St.  The only question remaining was what draws this kind of crowd to Reno?  There was of course only one answer...

Yep, Scalleycat was in town this weekend.  If I'd been adventurous I'd have headed out Friday night to see just how much PBR these guys (and gals) can drink and still stay upright on a bike.  Instead I waited til Saturday afternoon to head down to the Fort and check out the event as it came to an end.

The end for me involved my own challenges to say upright on my ride home...all in all not a bad weekend.