This month's video's are all about fit. Every year I see a lot of riders whose bikes do not fit properly or wear their helmets improperly.
This first explains how to adjust your bike to fit your body:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Fsr7yYShD8&feature=player_embedded
This next is how to fit you helmet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yzSwxWIJTk&feature=player_embedded
Remember that helmets are required on PALM whenever you are riding your bike, even in the school parking lot.
Again, let me know if you have any questions or if there are any topics you would like covered.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Back From Florida
When we got back from Florida, the temperature went up to the 50's for 2 days and all of the snow that accumulated for two months melted. It was amazing. It was like we brought Florida back with us, except the green grass was replaced by brown and it was covered with two months of debris. The day we left for Florida, I got a bunch of PALM apps that I wasn't able to process. When I got back, I got another bunch of PALM apps to process. Welcome back.
I processed the first batch and when I checked I caught a lot of mistakes that I then had to correct. The second batch I processed had 10 applications without a stamped self addressed envelope for the confirmation letters which I then had to supply. It took from Wednesday when I got back to Saturday to process all the applications and mail out the confirmations. Then Sunday we were hit by 10 inches of snow, more what than the "storm of the century" gave us. Later in the week we got another 4 inches or so. All the snow that had melted was back.
Because I was in Florida I missed the February potluck that kicks off the Garden Resource Program. There is nothing better than getting together with a bunch of enthusiatic gardeners in February when there is no hope of spring. The best I could do was help out in the seed packing. There are 1700 people who get seeds from the Garden Resource Program. The seeds are brought in bulk and then split into individual seed packets by volunteers. There are seed packing parties all over the city. Our group packed Kentucky Wonder pole beans into 1400 envelopes. It took over 2 hours and we were all sick of beans by the end. Then it was off to Calendula seeds. One of our group was a middle aged woman who had done the Michigander several times. I got to talk up PALM. We weren't any closer to spring but we were surrounded by seeds and bike riding anyway.
I processed the first batch and when I checked I caught a lot of mistakes that I then had to correct. The second batch I processed had 10 applications without a stamped self addressed envelope for the confirmation letters which I then had to supply. It took from Wednesday when I got back to Saturday to process all the applications and mail out the confirmations. Then Sunday we were hit by 10 inches of snow, more what than the "storm of the century" gave us. Later in the week we got another 4 inches or so. All the snow that had melted was back.
Because I was in Florida I missed the February potluck that kicks off the Garden Resource Program. There is nothing better than getting together with a bunch of enthusiatic gardeners in February when there is no hope of spring. The best I could do was help out in the seed packing. There are 1700 people who get seeds from the Garden Resource Program. The seeds are brought in bulk and then split into individual seed packets by volunteers. There are seed packing parties all over the city. Our group packed Kentucky Wonder pole beans into 1400 envelopes. It took over 2 hours and we were all sick of beans by the end. Then it was off to Calendula seeds. One of our group was a middle aged woman who had done the Michigander several times. I got to talk up PALM. We weren't any closer to spring but we were surrounded by seeds and bike riding anyway.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Florida Weekend
Every year in February I try to spend a long weeknd in Florida. By February it's been winter for 2 months and you can't remember going out without mittens, a down jacket, and a goofy hat that covers your ears. This winter has been especially brutal for me. It got cold and snowed in the first week of December and the snow never went away, only accumulated. I run in the morning and there were a lot of mornings in the low teens. You have to wear so many clothes. The day that we left for Florida it was 6 degrees when I ran.
The first challenge to going to Florida in February is packing. Every year I have to persuade myself to take a short sleeve shirt and suntan lotion. They seem so exotic in February. Another problem is that what you wear to the airport you are stuck with the whole time in Florida. You don't want to take a down jacket especially if you are paying for luggage. I dress in layers. Of course all those layers have to come off for airport security. (If you are only going for a weekend, you can't drive.) But it's all worth it if you stand outside without wearing a coat and see sunshine and green somewhere.
This year I went Feb 11-15 to Jacksonville, Florida for the Breast Cancer Marathon. I ran it with my brother and my sister who is a survivor. We finished it the same day we started: a victory. Note we are casting shadows. (Remember the sun? Another casualty of winter in Michigan.) And in the background. Is that green? And my brother is wearing shorts and a t shirt. (Remember it was 6 degrees when I left.)
The next day we went on a short bike tour of San Marco in short sleeve shirts. It was in the 70's. So I got a February ride in. (I have to mention bikes somewhere. This is a blog about PALM after all.)
One of the best things about staying in Jacksonville Beach was that I got to run on the beach at dawn. The sun comes right out of the sea. You see all of the colors of the sunrise reflected in the water. And since it is winter you don't have to get up all that early to do it. I know, I know, I should be processing those PALM applications. I'll get back to them soon, I promise. Winter will win out.
The first challenge to going to Florida in February is packing. Every year I have to persuade myself to take a short sleeve shirt and suntan lotion. They seem so exotic in February. Another problem is that what you wear to the airport you are stuck with the whole time in Florida. You don't want to take a down jacket especially if you are paying for luggage. I dress in layers. Of course all those layers have to come off for airport security. (If you are only going for a weekend, you can't drive.) But it's all worth it if you stand outside without wearing a coat and see sunshine and green somewhere.
The next day we went on a short bike tour of San Marco in short sleeve shirts. It was in the 70's. So I got a February ride in. (I have to mention bikes somewhere. This is a blog about PALM after all.)
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Safe Cycling for Adults from the NHTSA
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.
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.
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.
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