Dan Christensen is a transit bus driver who shares his experiences by blog, twitter, and live storytelling. He was kind enough to drop in for a chat about being a driver, dealing with traffic and bicycles, and experiencing Mount Saint Helens’ eruption in 1980. Read his writing at rolleasyblog.com!
We also implore our listeners to drunk dial us (503-847-9774), Brock describes an amorous evening gone wrong over the last weekend, and we discuss bicycle touring as a near-future occurrence.
Piscataquis Village will be a European-styled, carless development in the US state of Maine, and the vision of Tracy Gayton who joins us for this show. Tracy envisions a city with six key elements: small plazas, really narrow streets, attached buildings, arcaded sidewalks, interior courtyards and streets free from car traffic. After it caught our attention, he was kind enough to supply us with a full rundown on how it might look. [piscataquisvillage.org] We also discuss comparisons to the Bicycle City idea, appealing to misanthropes, and how people might get to and from the village, as well as governmental red tape, bad weather, and Tracy’s own downsized life after retirement.
Brock & Aaron discuss ice on the roads, ice in Brock’s beard, the months-long soaking of socks, Aaron’s ditching of his cell phone, and Brock & Brandon’s utilization of the supertrailer.
coffee in a Pyrex measuring glass
pretty bad coffee
Smartwool socks hold up to a six month soak, though the wool falls out
Brandon pilots the supertrailer
Brandon makes wide, cautious turns
Brock grows an ice beard over a morning commute
Mail JohnnyK asks us where to put a sticker on a bicycle, and says that in Jacksonville a fellow cyclist is like “finding water in a desert.” This makes the cycling traffic problems of Portland somewhat niche.
Darren says “thanks” for the song Brock wrote about his cycling journey, and adds:
“I have been meaning to update my blog, write a closing post and list the highs and lows of the journey, but more importantly, sharing what I learnt whilst in the road. I think the song has just inspired me to do so.”
If you’d like a copy of the song, you can find it here.
Bike Punk is a screen printing company in Portland, Oregon specializing in bicycle-themed stickers and clothing using eco-friendly materials. Sonja & Mike join us to describe their business and their experiences in the city’s bicycle culture. Check outbikepunk.com for a sampling of their wares.
Mail This week’s mail brought the triumphant return of JohnnyK, frequent commenter and loyal listener! He loved Dinner & Bikes, and cautions us that vegans eat vegetables. Also, happy birthday, Mr. K!
Also, our webhost Colin is planning to do some site maintenance that should fix our mobile issues with streaming and iPhone problems.
Joe Biel is a long-time notable Portland, Oregon resident with many distinctions, including the founding of Microcosm Publishing, Cantankerous Titles, his documentary film production, the Dinner & Bikes tours, and experience in the Critical Mass movement in the city. He stopped by the studios today on a Tom’s Cargo Bikes flatbed frontloader bike to discuss these things and much more.
Breakfast On The Bridges is Portland’s regular grassroots good-will event featuring kind volunteers handing out free morning snacks to people propelling themselves to work. Velo Cult, quickly becoming a legendary bicycle shop and community space in the Hollywood District, offered their room for a celebration of ten years of free breakfasts on the iconic bridges that span the Willamette River. Thanks to Steph Routh of Oregon Walks and the KBOO Bike Show for capturing audio from this event and allowing us to share it with you!
Also, to open the show I taped a conversation with Jeremy Mendelson, the transit maven behind Critical Transit, during our multimodal adventure around Providence, RI.
The Sprocket Podcast is pleased to present a partial rebroadcast featuring the best bits from the most recent installment of the highly regaled Humanity On Wheels storytelling event! Many thanks to Kick Ass Oregon History and TriMet Diaries for hosting these amazingly entertaining forums for the unique parade of culture and experience that is found in the public transportation experience.
Mailbag
Listener Ryan has been having difficulties with Apple’s new podcasts app and our show (as have many others). Our take? Apple is effed.
David writes in from Fred Meyer HQ to address our displeasure with local bike racks.
“If you send me photos for ammunition I’ll be sure to harass our planning department about this :-). If I recall correctly, they try to remodel each store ~ every 10 years, I’m guessing these stores are due… “
Darren Alff from BicycleTouringPro.com announces the launch of sister siteGoBicycleTouring.com and is giving away free touring packages in a contest as part of the site launch!
Brock & Aaron hold down the proverbial fort on their own this week in an episode dedicated to clearing the desk of all the cool stuff they’ve learned about in the last month. We start out with talk about tux mayhem, train etiquette, and Indiegogo perks still to come! We drank Moxie & Bridgeport Ebenezer Ale.
My Bike Won’t Fit Here! Aaron introduces a new segment this week. Pictures to be posted here when possible – check back. This week’s egregious bike parking: Fred Meyer! This is a photo from the Portland location at SE 82nd Avenue & Foster Road. Thanks to listener David, who works for the corporation, for a timely response to this observation! We’ll see what changes in the future.
Dan in MN recommends Nick Mason of the League of American Bicyclists as an interview. Also, Dan just moved into his own tiny house that he built himself!
Kevin from L.A. donates generously and says he can hook us up with Tall Bike Bobby.
Honky Tonk Prison is (left to right): Timo Forsberg, Esther Harlow, Chelsea Kline, Ken Southerland, Vivian Yuan, and Amos Hunter.
Portland’s premier bicycle-loving ukelele band Honky Tonk Prison was kind enough to invite Brock into their weekly rehearsal to share some songs and talk about eco-friendly life in the Pacific Northwest, as well as many bad puns and some rollicking laughter! We present an hour of music and conversation as this week’s show.
