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.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
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.
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.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Download PALM Application Now
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
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.
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.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
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...
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...
Monday, December 26, 2011
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.
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.
Friday, December 16, 2011
PALM 2012 Update
As I said in a prior post, we will not be mailing out the 2012 PALM application as we have done in the past. The only way to get the application will be to download it from the PALM website: http://www.lmb.org/palm. The 2012 PALM application will be available for download starting at Jan 12 noon (EST). This will give you 48 hours to download and mail your application before the Martin Luther King holiday weekend. Remember to send both the filled application and the signed release page with your check or money order and a business sized stamped self addressed envelope to PALM; PO Box 7161; Ann Arbor, MI 48107. If you mail your application from a post office, you can have them postmark it right then. This may help you get on the ride (if we get don't 1000 applications all postmarked Jan 12).
There's been a change to the route. We couldn't get Oxford as a site. Instead the Thursday site will be Ortonville. This will mean that the last day's ride will be 45 miles. Usually we keep the mileage for the last day down to 30 - 35 miles to be sure everybody is there in time for the PALM parade, PALM provided lunch, and the return buses. We may have to rethink the parade and have the buses leave later. We'll see.
Yesterday it was in the 50's. I try to ride every month and yesterday seemed my one chance for December. Too bad about the rain. Although the weather kept getting cooler thru November and there was some frost, my fall vegetables didn't seem to be in danger. I didn't pull my carrots and parsnips until the last week in November. (I got a pretty good crop of carrots: good size and no forks. But did I get the ugly parsnips! More like misshapen heads than roots.) And I didn't pull my beets until the beginning of December. Now with my garden put to bed I have nothing left but winter. At least the grass is still green.
There's been a change to the route. We couldn't get Oxford as a site. Instead the Thursday site will be Ortonville. This will mean that the last day's ride will be 45 miles. Usually we keep the mileage for the last day down to 30 - 35 miles to be sure everybody is there in time for the PALM parade, PALM provided lunch, and the return buses. We may have to rethink the parade and have the buses leave later. We'll see.
Yesterday it was in the 50's. I try to ride every month and yesterday seemed my one chance for December. Too bad about the rain. Although the weather kept getting cooler thru November and there was some frost, my fall vegetables didn't seem to be in danger. I didn't pull my carrots and parsnips until the last week in November. (I got a pretty good crop of carrots: good size and no forks. But did I get the ugly parsnips! More like misshapen heads than roots.) And I didn't pull my beets until the beginning of December. Now with my garden put to bed I have nothing left but winter. At least the grass is still green.
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