Our first cycling video comes to us from the LAB and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It provides us a general overview of safe cycling on the road:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdrrxIpQpt4&playnext=1&list=PL20CCC0D547D6115C&index=10
And, from a real Road 1 (now Taffic 101) class, is a little more detail on the ABC Quickcheck:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VziOIkNXsE
As always, let me know if you have any questions.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Bike Videos
Now that the PALM registration rush has finished, it is time to start thinking about preparing for the ride itself.
To start, here again is the link to the Traffic 101 on-line course that contains most of the material that I will be covering during the PALM evening classes: http://www.bikeed.org
This free course is endorsed by the LAB and will give you the basics of safe cycling.
I plan on posting links to various bike safety and maintenance videos over the next few months. If you have any requests for a particular aspect of cycling, please let me know.
To start, here again is the link to the Traffic 101 on-line course that contains most of the material that I will be covering during the PALM evening classes: http://www.bikeed.org
This free course is endorsed by the LAB and will give you the basics of safe cycling.
I plan on posting links to various bike safety and maintenance videos over the next few months. If you have any requests for a particular aspect of cycling, please let me know.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Winter Continues
How did you fare in the storm of the century last Tuesday night? Here the storm got as much coverage as the Super Bowl, starting days before the event. The storm was pretty spectacular: the sound of sleet/ice hitting the side of our house woke us up at 2AM. (How can it sleet when the outside temperature is 20?). And we had loud thunder and lightning which my dog didn't understand at all. But where I live in SE Michigan we only got 6-7 inches of snow. A bad snow storm but one of several we usually get during the winter. For the last couple of years Washington DC has gotten worse snow storms then we've gotten. What it has been is cold. Not below zero or even single digits, but many, many days were the high hasn't reach 20. I run outside during the winter and I can tell you that that wears on you.
After all the publicity everyone was prepared to not go to work on Wednesday. Where I was lots of people were going to work from home which, with the internet, they could do. But I was just starting at a new contract job so that wasn't an option for me. And since this is Michigan missing a day's pay wasn't really an option either. After digging out I was prepared for a long commute. The roads were a mess but there was no one on them so I even got to work on time. Traffic was even lighter on the way home at night.
All of this leads up me to telling you that Vickie is processing your applications in Florida. While you may be cold and housebound, your applications are warming in the sun as Vickie checks them over and fills out the sheets for our accountant. They are still warm when they get to me but the confirmation letters you will be receiving will be cold. I produce those and I'm still here. I will be going down to Florida next weekend to see what all the fuss is about so I'll be able to report to you whether it's worthwhile to go to Florida or not.
Meanwhile my garden is under a foot of snow and my compost heap is frozen solid. If I had mixed the right proportion of 1 part nitrogen to 2 parts carbon, the compost heap would have had an internal temperature of over 100 degrees and would not be covered with snow. It looks like I need some work on that. The snow has been there so long that it's hard to get motivated to look at the Johnny's Seed Catalog let alone start planning where to plant what. Maybe a weekend in Florida will make me believe that there is a spring. Until then all I have are these PALM applications to remind me.
After all the publicity everyone was prepared to not go to work on Wednesday. Where I was lots of people were going to work from home which, with the internet, they could do. But I was just starting at a new contract job so that wasn't an option for me. And since this is Michigan missing a day's pay wasn't really an option either. After digging out I was prepared for a long commute. The roads were a mess but there was no one on them so I even got to work on time. Traffic was even lighter on the way home at night.
All of this leads up me to telling you that Vickie is processing your applications in Florida. While you may be cold and housebound, your applications are warming in the sun as Vickie checks them over and fills out the sheets for our accountant. They are still warm when they get to me but the confirmation letters you will be receiving will be cold. I produce those and I'm still here. I will be going down to Florida next weekend to see what all the fuss is about so I'll be able to report to you whether it's worthwhile to go to Florida or not.
Meanwhile my garden is under a foot of snow and my compost heap is frozen solid. If I had mixed the right proportion of 1 part nitrogen to 2 parts carbon, the compost heap would have had an internal temperature of over 100 degrees and would not be covered with snow. It looks like I need some work on that. The snow has been there so long that it's hard to get motivated to look at the Johnny's Seed Catalog let alone start planning where to plant what. Maybe a weekend in Florida will make me believe that there is a spring. Until then all I have are these PALM applications to remind me.
Monday, January 31, 2011
PALM Meeting / Registartion Starts
Last Sunday Jan23 was the PALM meeting, Everyone was amazed by how quickly PALM filled up this year. We are using the postmark on the application to determine whether the application made it on time or not. If the application is postmarked Jan 18 or earlier, the application was accepted. With this date we accepted 783 riders and 69 staff (including site people, SAGs, bike shops, truck drivers, etc.). Since the meeting a few more applications postmarked Jan 18 have trickled in. As it stands now, we'll have over 850 people on PALM. So much for the 700 rider cutoff. We trying to determine if the this year's sites can handle the extras. So far it looks like there is enough camping room, but one site's cafeteria can only hold 250 people. We may have to go with extended meal times.
There was a discussion on how we can guarantee that everyone gets the application at the same time. US mail, even 1st class US mail, isn't the answer. One staff member who lives 40 miles from Ann Arbor didn't receive his application until Jan 18 even though it was mailed Jan 13. We have riders who are in Florida, Arizona, and Alabama when the applications are mailed. It takes days for them to receive their applications. Mailing the application a day early wasn't enough. Then there's the MLK holiday. If you got your application before the holiday, it gave you some extra time to fill it out. If you didn't get your application before the holiday, you were dead. We are still trying to figure this all out.
I do the final step of registration which includes mailing out the confirmation letters. I got applications for 8 people at the meeting so that I could check out my programs for this year. It took me a couple of days to enter these applications. Now I'm just 850 behind. Ah well, a journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step.
There was a discussion on how we can guarantee that everyone gets the application at the same time. US mail, even 1st class US mail, isn't the answer. One staff member who lives 40 miles from Ann Arbor didn't receive his application until Jan 18 even though it was mailed Jan 13. We have riders who are in Florida, Arizona, and Alabama when the applications are mailed. It takes days for them to receive their applications. Mailing the application a day early wasn't enough. Then there's the MLK holiday. If you got your application before the holiday, it gave you some extra time to fill it out. If you didn't get your application before the holiday, you were dead. We are still trying to figure this all out.
I do the final step of registration which includes mailing out the confirmation letters. I got applications for 8 people at the meeting so that I could check out my programs for this year. It took me a couple of days to enter these applications. Now I'm just 850 behind. Ah well, a journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Alternatives To PALM
As many of you know, PALM 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. I will list some of them in this blog entry, and you can get details by checking out the web sites. As far as I can determine, these rides are not filled as of the end of January.
The Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure. www.goba.com. June 18-25, 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 flat to rolling and takes place in central Ohio. The 7 days include 5 riding days of 45-60 miles each, with 2 layover days that include optional loop rides or alternate activities including a trip to the Columbus Zoo and the U.S. Air Force Museum. 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.
Across Ohio Bicycle Adventure (XOBA). July 23 to July 30. www.outdoor-pursuits.org/xoba/ The ride is limited to 250 participants and provides limited sag service. This year's route will travel through western Ohio, with flat to rolling terrain. The daily distances range from 52 to 70 miles, with a total of 444 miles.
Rides sponsored by the League of Michigan Bicyclists. www.lmb.org. The League sponsors several rides, including the Pedal and Paddle on June 4-5 and the Sunrise Adventure October 7-9. Their other 2 rides all have longer days and challenging hills.
If you want even more options, you can go to www.nbtda.com, 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 #13922RJ. Bicycle Through Amish Country. Rides of 20-40 miles each day on the flat, quiet country roads in northern Indiana.
Program #9947RJ. 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 #13329RJ and #13306RJ. 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 2011, and we hope that you will be able to join us on PALM in 2012.
Ellie, PALM Mail Granny
Sunday, January 23, 2011
PALM 2011 Has Filled
On Saturday we had 61 riders, on Tuesday we had 330 riders, on Wednesday we had 630 riders, and on Thursday, Jan 20, we received the applications for 143 more riders. PALM for 2011 has filled. There is still some discussion but it looks like if your application has a postmark of Jan 18 or earlier you are on, otherwise you are not. This will bring the total number of people on the ride to about 780. (This doesn't include staff, SAGs, and truck drivers). Our cutoff is 700 riders so this puts us well over the cutoff even if 50 riders cancel.
PALM is run by an all volunteer staff who do it because we love PALM. It is hard for us to turn anyone away from PALM, something we love. 700 riders is about the limit that the schools we use can handle. Any more and it is long meal lines and cold showers for sure. When PALM started, it used to have a northern and southern route and had over 1000 riders. It was chaos. It was hard to find (volunteer) staff who could run the extra 4 sites. It doubled everything including the chance of something going wrong. I do the registration now and I can tell you that not that many people did PALM more than once in those days, leading me to believe that the rider experience was not that great. Now there are lots of people who do PALM 3, 4 or 5 times even entire families. The PALM experience seems to be a lot better. So 700 is not an arbitrary cutoff instead it's the maximum number of riders that experience has shown us that we can handle and still deliver a good rider experience.
So the best that we can hope for is to give everybody the same chance to get on PALM. This year I staggered the mailing. I sent the applications to the out of state and West Michigan riders a day early. I hoped that everyone would receive their applications by Jan 15. (I have already heard from people who didn't.) I put the application on the website on Jan 15 (at midnight) so that if you didn't have an application mailed to you (or didn't receive it yet) you could download it. And we are hoping to use the postmark on the applications we receive to figure who is on and who is not. This would be fairer for out of state and West Michigan riders.
For the people who didn't make it onto PALM this year, you will be receiving your checks and our regrets next week. We know you won't be happy. We are not happy if we can't do PALM. Try not to call the PALM phone number and complain to Ellie. She's on the DL and may not be able to do PALM herself. As I mentioned before, Vickie and Ellie are contacting everyone who is on the ride to tell them they made it. It will be weeks before they receive their confirmation letters and this will cut the suspense.
One final word: PALM does not have a waiting list. Instead we accept more than our cutoff (we'll be accepting 780 this year) and pray that enough people cancel to get us down to a number we can handle. Thank you for your interest in PALM.
PALM is run by an all volunteer staff who do it because we love PALM. It is hard for us to turn anyone away from PALM, something we love. 700 riders is about the limit that the schools we use can handle. Any more and it is long meal lines and cold showers for sure. When PALM started, it used to have a northern and southern route and had over 1000 riders. It was chaos. It was hard to find (volunteer) staff who could run the extra 4 sites. It doubled everything including the chance of something going wrong. I do the registration now and I can tell you that not that many people did PALM more than once in those days, leading me to believe that the rider experience was not that great. Now there are lots of people who do PALM 3, 4 or 5 times even entire families. The PALM experience seems to be a lot better. So 700 is not an arbitrary cutoff instead it's the maximum number of riders that experience has shown us that we can handle and still deliver a good rider experience.
So the best that we can hope for is to give everybody the same chance to get on PALM. This year I staggered the mailing. I sent the applications to the out of state and West Michigan riders a day early. I hoped that everyone would receive their applications by Jan 15. (I have already heard from people who didn't.) I put the application on the website on Jan 15 (at midnight) so that if you didn't have an application mailed to you (or didn't receive it yet) you could download it. And we are hoping to use the postmark on the applications we receive to figure who is on and who is not. This would be fairer for out of state and West Michigan riders.
For the people who didn't make it onto PALM this year, you will be receiving your checks and our regrets next week. We know you won't be happy. We are not happy if we can't do PALM. Try not to call the PALM phone number and complain to Ellie. She's on the DL and may not be able to do PALM herself. As I mentioned before, Vickie and Ellie are contacting everyone who is on the ride to tell them they made it. It will be weeks before they receive their confirmation letters and this will cut the suspense.
One final word: PALM does not have a waiting list. Instead we accept more than our cutoff (we'll be accepting 780 this year) and pray that enough people cancel to get us down to a number we can handle. Thank you for your interest in PALM.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Warning: PALM is Filling Fast
I tried to stagger mailing the applications so that everyone would get their application by Saturday Jan 15. That would mean that today would be the first day we could expect to receive applications back. As of today we have received applications for 330 people. If you plan on riding PALM, please tell me that you have already mailed your application to us. Two more days like today and the ride is filled. If you received an application and want to be on PALM, fill it out and mail it tonight. If you haven't received an application yet, click www.lmb.org/palm/files/PALMApp2011.pdf, download an application, fill it out, and mail it tonight. Call your friends and tell them to do the same.
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