Alternatives to PALM

As many of you know, PALM again filled very quickly this year, and we have turned away a large number of potential riders. I think that PALM is a fairly unique ride in that we keep most of our daily distances to a maximum of about 50 miles, and we try to have a ride that appeals to a wide variety of ages and abilities. However, there are other rides in Michigan and our surrounding states that you might decide to try as an alternative to PALM. Perhaps some of our registered riders will also enjoy trying a second ride this season. I will list some of them in this entry and also on our website blog. You can get details on the events by checking out the web sites. As far as I can determine, none of these rides are filled yet.

The Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure. www.goba.com. June 16-23, a 7 day loop ride. From what I have been told, this ride attracts the same variety of participants as PALM does. Like PALM, each year GOBA follows a different route, and this year's ride is rolling with some more significant hills and takes place in the area south of Columbus. The 7 days include 5 riding days of 45-54 miles each, with 2 layover days that include optional loop rides or alternate activities. The ride limit is 3000, and the fee does not include meals. GOBA has an excellent web site, with lots of details about the ride and an excellent rider handbook.

Rides sponsored by the League of Michigan Bicyclists. www.lmb.org. The League sponsors several rides, including the Pedal and Paddle on June 2-3, the Sunrise Adventure June 15-17, MUP July 14 - 21 (60+ miles each day), and Shoreline West Aug 4-11 (longer days and lots of hills).

If you want even more options, you can go to www.bicycletournetwork.com, the web site for the National Bike Tour Directors Association, and search for rides all over the country.

Another option for trips that involve several days of cycling and are based at a hotel or conference center are available from the Road Scholar organization (formerly called Elderhostel). These programs are for mature adults, and most participants in the bicycling programs range in age from 45-70. So these are not options for families. I have participated in each of the programs listed below, and I enthusiastically recommend all of them. Check out the details and dates at www.roadscholar.org. You can also email me at www.palmbiketour@yahoo.com if you want to know more about these programs.

Program #13922. Bicycling Through Amish Country. Rides of 20-40 miles each day on the flat, quiet country roads in northern Indiana.

Program #9947. Bicycling on the Great Allegheny Passage. Bike a 30-40 mile section of this beautiful rails-to-trail route south of Pittsburg each day.

Programs #18629 and #13306. Biking the C & O Canal Towpath. Bicycle sections of this bike path that stretches from Washington, DC to Cumberland, MD.

We sincerely hope that all of you find a biking adventure that you can enjoy in 2012.

Ellie, PALM Mail Granny

Education Suggestions

Last year I provided links to various videos about cycling safety and how-to's on bike maintenance. I recieved little feedback as to how much this helped people prepare for PALM.

So, this year I am looking for specific suggestions. What would you like to see? Let me know and I'll do my best to either publish a link or provide the information myself.

PALM Fills

We posted the PALM 2012 application for download on Jan 12. It was supposed to be at noon but I put it out there earlier so that the server wouldn't be bombarded. I  picked Jan 12 so that people would have two days to mail in their applications before the MLK holiday. We would be able to tell by the Saturday mail whether people knew that the application had to be downloaded from the website or whether we had to call/email people over the weekend to tell them about it. We needn't have worried. We received the applications for 629 riders and 53 staff postmarked Jan 12. We received the applications for 137 riders postmarked on Jan 13. We decided to accept all the riders postmarked Jan 13. That gives us 766 riders, well over our 700 rider cutoff. PALM filled in two days. Amazing.

Using the email address on the applications, Ellie sent out emails for every application that was accepted. She returned the checks with our regrets to everyone whose application had a postmark after Jan 13. Everyone who mailed in an application should know by now whether they are on PALM or not. It's nice to fill quickly but we really don't like telling people that they can't be on PALM. We all live for PALM and can imagine what we would feel like if we couldn't do it. But we are limited: we stay at schools and they can only handle so many people comfortably. There is just so much you can ask an all volunteer staff to do. Still we hate to say no. We don't keep a waiting list. Instead we accept more riders than our limit to cover any cancellations that may occur.

   So looking at the numbers, I am 833 behind : 766 riders and 67 staff/SAGs. So much for New Years resolutions. There are basically three of us doing registration. Vickie checks the applications (Were the waivers signed? Were sizes picked for the tshirts?  Is there an emergency contact? Is the check amount correct?) and does the paper work for the accountant while Judy and I key in the applications, create and send out the confirmation letters. (The meal, bus, and tshirt counts and the meal and bus lists come from this.)

   Vickie has the tougher job. Any mistake means she has to contact the rider by email or phone to straighten it out. Any mistake with a check means she has to mail the check back and get a new one. This takes time. It also means that your check won't be cashed for a while. Vickie processes the applications in the order received and doesn't cash the checks until the application has been verified. There are roughly 500 applications. It's a good thing Ellie sent out emails telling people that they are on the ride because it may take weeks before they receive a confirmation letter or even have their check cashed.

Download PALM Application Now

You can download the 2012 PALM application by clicking this link. If this link is busy then click this link.

Winter Day

   I did make it to the First Dozen in Dearborn on Jan 1. It was very windy: I was almost blown over by a gust while waiting at a red light. Fortunately the wind was against us on the way out and with us on the way back. There is nothing worse than riding, thinking you are in good shape, only to find when you turn around that you had a strong wind at your back and now have a long way back. It happens to me every year. The temperature was in the 40s so there was no chance of the predicted snow. There was a brief shower at the start but none during the ride. That would have been brutal.

   I checked the Weather website. The average high in January is 33 and the average low is 18. Up until now we may think it's cold but it's not. We've been 10-15 degrees above normal. Until now that is.  Tuesday was a real winter day: it started out at 17 degrees and didn't make it out of the low 20's with a 10-15 mph wind from the northwest. I run in the morning. Running the first time that it is below 20 is hard for me. At the end of the winter when I've done it for 2 months I don't even think about it. But that first time...

   We still haven't had a real snow. I can still see the grass so I know that winter hasn't actually started yet. And yet next week you will be able to download the 2012 PALM application starting at noon on Jan 12. It doesn't seem possible. Generally we are in the depths of winter when the PALM applications go out. So don't forget and tell all your friends: Jan 12 starting at noon download the 2012 PALM application, winter or no winter.

Registering Groups on PALM

   I suggested in a previous post that if you intend to ride with a group, you should have everybody in the group on the same application (ie in the same envelope when mailed). That way you won't have some of your group not making it on PALM because they mailed their application in too late. If everyone is on the same application (envelope) either everyone in the group is on PALM or none of the group is on PALM. (And if the group decides to cancel, it will only cost $20 for the whole group, not $15 apiece.) But what if members of your group are in different states? (We have one family with members in Nebraska and members in Arkansas.) How is everyone going to sign the waiver?

   To get around this, I put the waiver on the website at http://www.lmb.org/palm/files/PALMLiabilityWaiver.pdf. Pick the person who will mail in the application. Have everyone who is remote download the waiver now,  fill it out, and mail it to this person before Jan 12. Then this person can download the application at noon on Jan 12, fill out the application for everyone, sign the waiver him/herself, and include the waivers for everyone else who is remote. Don't forget the business sized stamped self addressed envelope.

   One thing you will notice is that the waiver is 1.3Mg in size and takes a while to download. You may worry about how long it's going to take to download the whole application. Don't worry: the application is about 1/10 the size. I don't know why the waiver alone is so large.

   I mentioned I like to bike at least once every month even during the winter. I hadn't ridden yet this December and it wasn't looking like I would be able to do it. But while I was running yesterday I noticed that there wasn't any wind, that it was partly cloudy, and seemed mild. It was supposed to rain, but it looked like it would hold off for a while. So when I got back, I put on all my cold weather gear, pumped up the tires on my mountain bike (that took a while), and got out. It was about 38 degrees but it didn't seem that bad. My toes got cold at the end,  it started to sprinkle the last few blocks, and my throat got a little sore but I was able to get a 12 mile bike ride in. I was happy. And tomorrow I plan to do the First Dozen bike ride in Dearborn so I will be able to check January off the list. Now if I can get down to Florida sometime in February...

PALM Postcard

   By now everyone should have received a postcard from PALM announcing that PALM will not be mailing out applications this year. Instead you will be able to download the application from http://www.lmb.org/palm starting at noon January 12. Once again, we are doing this so that everyone will be able to get the PALM application at the same time and have an equal chance to get on PALM. We know that not everybody has internet access. We mailed out the postcard early so that riders that don't have internet access have time to make arrangements with friends or locate a public library with internet access. January 12 is a Thursday so libraries and post offices should be open. If you have friends on PALM, check to see if they received this postcard and realize that they will have to download the application from the PALM website.

   Remember  you only have to pay the registration fee right away (same as last year: $110 for participants 18 and above, $65 for participants 11 to 17, $55 for participants 10 and below.) You can add meals and bus rides any time before May 15. Please enclose the completed application page, the signed release page, and a business sized stamped self addressed envelope with your check or money order when you mail in your application. If you are riding with a group, try to get the whole group on the same application (ie in the same envelope). That way either everyone will be on the ride or everyone will not be on the ride. We would like everybody to be on PALM, but the size of the schools that we stay at forces a limit of 700 riders. Best of luck to all.

   No white Christmas but winter is here for sure. I don't think I'm going to be able to get in a December bike ride. My vegetable garden has been put to bed. (I pulled the last carrots, beets, and parsnips at the beginning of December). I leave the flowers in the front of the house alone so that the birds can eat the thistles from the cone flowers and blacked eyed Susans. I got to see some finches in September/October but last week I got to see a pair of downy woodpeckers: all black and white and red. Pretty exciting for Detroit.