Phil B writes insightfully on his blog Multimodal Alaska Adventures about bicycling, transit, and everyday adventures in the last frontier; we learned during the interview that he is also writing a column for Alaska Commons. He is far more equipped to deal with the cold than we will ever be, and looks fantastic in a beard of ice. We discuss Anchorage & The Valley as the grist for his commute, dealing with cold, ice, and how riding the bus can get you some personal time before returning home to the family.
Also: the Bicycle Film Festival in Portland (including the film Boy, featuring actor Timothy Spall), Lucas Brunelle, as well as the shortest and longest midnight mystery ride. AND:John Malkovich sings on Russian television.
Headlines
BikePortland: Oregon State Parks unveils “bike pod” facility plans for bicycle travelers
Amtrak: recycling facilities are being added to bi-level trains!
OregonLive: Did “Top Gear” go [pause] …too far… with bicycle safety spoofs?
[Steve in WY sent us Top Gear staffer James May’s take on bicyclists some time back, whose primary complaint was simply that bicyclists aren’t friendly enough.]
Mail
real, physical mail from Rory in Michigan! He made a custom tote for six-packs which he mailed to us. we are flabbergasted and thankful.
Jolene on facebook muses on the pronunciation of “Velo Cult.”
Tim in DC: locking up a bikeshare bike is “like paying to put car2go in a garage.”
Robert C. dispells the notion that Iowa is flat. In fact, it’s not even in the top 10 flattest states! (The flattest is Florida) However, Iowa is #13. He adds a postscript asking about the nature of the term “cross-country.”
Brother Dan enlightens us on the history of daylight savings time.
JohnnyK points us to the Bike Fisherman website!
Jame on bus routing: “Transit map reading should be required to graduate middle school!”
Dan from Tennessee writes in – apparently we influenced his decision to relocate to Portland!
Fine Print
email us: thesprocketpodcast@gmail.com
twitter: @SprocketPodcast
phone in or SMS: 503-847-9774
web: http://thesprocketpodcast.com
music: Ryan J. Lane (intro & outro) & Hurtbird (headlines)
Thanks to sustaining donors Logan Smith, Shadowfoot, Kathrina Mellemgaard, Roger Grigsby & Wayne Norman for supporting our show costs.
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