Sitting in a local Baton Rouge coffee house this evening enjoying a rambling post-meeting meeting chat (yes, there was a meeting following a meeting this afternoon / evening) my conversation partner said, "I was in New Orleans on my usual Saturday 50-mile ride with a friend . . . " when I interrupted.
"Man, the streets in New Orleans are pure crap! Except the ones that have been resurfaced recently."
"Yeah," says my friend, "New Orleans lucked out with Katrina."
Huh? Lucked out?? That's not the way I usually think of it. But then, I imagine you, diligent reader, don't think of it that way either so I need not go on.
Except for the conversation, which did continue . . .
"I mean," says he, "all that Submerged Roads money following the storm. They have bike lanes on St Charles . . . "
"What?!? St. Charles? They MUST have repaved St Charles!"
"Yeah, part of it so far but the rest of it is going to be paved . . . and St Claude and even Decatur . . ."
"You mean," says I, befuddled, "a REAL bike lane and not the fake one they put down for the protest?"
"Yes, a REAL bike lane. The city came back and put one in after the protest."
"Well, I'll be damned . . . "
And so it went for a bit. I drifted off into a memory of being in New Orleans a year or so ago when I had to ride from the Bywater to Felicity and Annunciation (a few blocks river-side of Magazine) to meet a friend then book it on down to a park on Carrollton at South Claiborne for the Bike Easy 2nd Line Ride.
The streets in the Bywater were comparatively smooth by New Orleans standards and exhibited a characteristic exaggerated humped aspect to help shed water into the gutters with their 2 to 3 inch drop off from the asphalt onto brick or cobblestone. Narrow but straight, they were easy to ride with clear sight-lines and interesting streetscapes to hold my attention between intersections.
The intersections required all my attention as the buildings were constructed out to the edge of the property line leaving only the sidewalk between the building and the street. This makes for completely fucked up sightlines for drivers on the intersecting streets with their stop signs. Almost every car comes hurtling out of the side streets about half a car length before stopping (mostly) as the driver checks the cross street for traffic. A bicycle can alter course VERY quickly with what seems a small twitch of the handlebars, especially when motivated by drivers' potentially homicidal behavior.
Crossing into the Quarter heading upriver meant the streets were (mostly) smoother and (mostly) empty given the hour and the day. It really is pleasant riding through the Quarter (relatively) early in the day before the city starts moving in its hangover wrapped shuffle.
The CBD is not bad either but things decay pretty quickly, quite literally, on the other side of the Expressway / Crescent City Connection.
The street I was riding on as I neared Felicity was a torn up, patched up, pot holed piece of shit (so typical of New Orleans streets) that beat me up pretty badly. I turned off it onto another street to take me down a few blocks to a parallel - and hopefully much smoother - street but, to my horror, the street I turned onto was no smoother and its cross streets had their original cobblestone paving exposed. A nice touch for tourism, no doubt, but no delight on a bicycle.
Shaken AND stirred, I gathered up my friend and we headed up the newly resurfaced Magazine Street toward Audubon Park and Carrollton. What a delight! Light traffic, new street surface, pretty weather . . . very nice . . . until the new pavement ended and we were back on the ruinous surface of the old street.
I managed to tune back in to the conversation at this point, picked up the thread of the conversation and said, "It mystifies me why a city like New Orleans, with the crappiest of streets and so much motor traffic, can have so many bicyclists while Baton Rouge, with relatively good streets, has so few."
Add to that the curiously post-Apocalyptic quality of Baton Rouge; post-Apocalyptic in the sense that the streets are curiously empty yet the buildings are intact, the lawns trimmed, the lights on. On a couple of occasions lately, while riding around Baton Rouge with out of state or foreign guests, I got this question, "Where are the cars? You couldn't ride in <their home city> without having to deal with traffic."
Strange indeed.
Stranger still is the view held by natives of the Red Stick that "you can't ride a bicycle IN Baton Rouge!" This is such a strongly held belief that an earlier version of the Adventure Cycling Association map with the spur from the Southern Tier into Baton Rouge used to have a text description saying something like, "The 24-mile spur into Baton Rouge takes riders to the airport in north Baton Rouge. Local bicyclists say you can't ride into downtown but you can rent a car at the airport and drive to New Orleans. [emphasis mine]"
Really? You can't ride into town? But it's okay to dump strangers on bicycles at the airport? Nice, especially since many of the riders coming into town are headed to New Orleans . . . on BICYCLES. Great way to make sure they not only never come back to Baton Rouge but that they only stop long enough to get a candy bar, a Gatorade, and advice on the quickest way out of town, which is no mean feat from the airport.
So how is it that a place that has really bad infrastructure and lots of motor traffic can have a strong bicycle culture while a place with relatively good infrastructure and almost no motor traffic (IF you know where you're going) can have almost NO bicycle culture?
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
A Sermon from the Church of Two Wheels
Dear Friends,
And I do mean Dear Friends. Before we turn to today's lesson let us first turn to each other and express our love for each other regardless of the number of wheels we may roll upon. One, two, three, four, or more, we are all roadway users in the eyes of the Great Law Maker in the Sky. Wave with ALL fingers extended. Smile with your eyes. Embrace with true meaning.
Thank you, Friends.
Today's lesson comes from the Book of Intersections, Chapter One - Right of Way and the Righteous.
For it is written, "He who passes through an intersection without turning to the left or turning to the right but who passes forward unerringly shall be Righteous and be found pleasing in the eyes of the Great Law Maker in the Sky. For the one who passes forward unerringly shall be given the Right of Way and shall take it and be glad in it.
"And he who does NOT pass through an intersection moving forward unerringly but who wishes to turn across the path of the Righteous Forward Moving One shall wait patiently, making the Sign of Turning Thusly for all to see and to approve and to find Righteous. And in doing so He Who Turns Across the Path of the Forward Moving One will be seen as Righteous as well and will be found pleasing in the eyes of the Great Law Maker in the Sky.
"But Woe be unto the one who says unto himself, 'I will be nice unto my fellow roadway user and I shall let him pass across my path even though I have the Righteous Right of Way and I will wave broadly behind my shield and trust that he may see my gestures and trust in my goodness and know that I am not simply sitting in place playing with my telephone and not paying attention and he will know that I am Righteous and would never suddenly run forward to crush him under my many wheels.
"For the Great Law Maker in the Sky knoweth that crossing paths are fraught with danger and did Lay Down the Law for the good of all and many that they not be crushed nor broken nor left bloody. For it is Good that All Roadway Users know whereof they travel and when and how and not be subject to the many and sundry whims of chance and foolishness."
Can I get an AMEN Brothers and Sisters?
Thank you, Beloved! That was a mighty AMEN and pleasing to all.
It saddens me to tell you that even I, even this day, even now on the way to this glorious meeting of Roadway Users did find myself standing at an intersection in the dark, cold, and wet of this night signalling my left turn across the intersection. The light turned green and the driver across the way, headed toward me, sat still as a stone when the light turned green. There were no turn signals flashing; I could not see any gestures urging me to cross his path.
As I stood there continuing to signal my turn with more traffic building up behind me I thought, "My but it's cold (37 degrees) and, while it's not raining at the moment, it is very damp indeed."
Sad to say, Brothers and Sisters, I began to lose my composure and did start to bellow at my Fellow Roadway User to MOVE IT YOU HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY. Truth be told, Friends, I may have used the word "dickhead" or the like toward the end and if you may have been the one who believed they were doing me a favor, I beg your pardon, for I should not have called you "dickhead" or "douche bag" or "fucking idiot" or whatever it may have been I bellowed just before you finally moved across the intersection clearing the way for the rest of us to safely and sanely continue on our way.
Remember, Brothers and Sisters, the ways of the Great Law Maker in the Sky are NOT mysterious but rather are rational and sane and are borne on a desire to see us make our way safely in the world without mishap. Trust the Great Law Maker in the Sky and you will come to know the Clear Way Home.
And I do mean Dear Friends. Before we turn to today's lesson let us first turn to each other and express our love for each other regardless of the number of wheels we may roll upon. One, two, three, four, or more, we are all roadway users in the eyes of the Great Law Maker in the Sky. Wave with ALL fingers extended. Smile with your eyes. Embrace with true meaning.
Thank you, Friends.
Today's lesson comes from the Book of Intersections, Chapter One - Right of Way and the Righteous.
For it is written, "He who passes through an intersection without turning to the left or turning to the right but who passes forward unerringly shall be Righteous and be found pleasing in the eyes of the Great Law Maker in the Sky. For the one who passes forward unerringly shall be given the Right of Way and shall take it and be glad in it.
"And he who does NOT pass through an intersection moving forward unerringly but who wishes to turn across the path of the Righteous Forward Moving One shall wait patiently, making the Sign of Turning Thusly for all to see and to approve and to find Righteous. And in doing so He Who Turns Across the Path of the Forward Moving One will be seen as Righteous as well and will be found pleasing in the eyes of the Great Law Maker in the Sky.
"But Woe be unto the one who says unto himself, 'I will be nice unto my fellow roadway user and I shall let him pass across my path even though I have the Righteous Right of Way and I will wave broadly behind my shield and trust that he may see my gestures and trust in my goodness and know that I am not simply sitting in place playing with my telephone and not paying attention and he will know that I am Righteous and would never suddenly run forward to crush him under my many wheels.
"For the Great Law Maker in the Sky knoweth that crossing paths are fraught with danger and did Lay Down the Law for the good of all and many that they not be crushed nor broken nor left bloody. For it is Good that All Roadway Users know whereof they travel and when and how and not be subject to the many and sundry whims of chance and foolishness."
Can I get an AMEN Brothers and Sisters?
Thank you, Beloved! That was a mighty AMEN and pleasing to all.
It saddens me to tell you that even I, even this day, even now on the way to this glorious meeting of Roadway Users did find myself standing at an intersection in the dark, cold, and wet of this night signalling my left turn across the intersection. The light turned green and the driver across the way, headed toward me, sat still as a stone when the light turned green. There were no turn signals flashing; I could not see any gestures urging me to cross his path.
As I stood there continuing to signal my turn with more traffic building up behind me I thought, "My but it's cold (37 degrees) and, while it's not raining at the moment, it is very damp indeed."
Sad to say, Brothers and Sisters, I began to lose my composure and did start to bellow at my Fellow Roadway User to MOVE IT YOU HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY. Truth be told, Friends, I may have used the word "dickhead" or the like toward the end and if you may have been the one who believed they were doing me a favor, I beg your pardon, for I should not have called you "dickhead" or "douche bag" or "fucking idiot" or whatever it may have been I bellowed just before you finally moved across the intersection clearing the way for the rest of us to safely and sanely continue on our way.
Remember, Brothers and Sisters, the ways of the Great Law Maker in the Sky are NOT mysterious but rather are rational and sane and are borne on a desire to see us make our way safely in the world without mishap. Trust the Great Law Maker in the Sky and you will come to know the Clear Way Home.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
The River Rises
[Another post from 2011 that never say the pixels of day. This particular flood was in the "hundred year flood" category, perhaps even "thousand year." Before the River crested in Baton Rouge the level had been closed to everyone, even those of us on foot, and there was no grass visible on the river side of the levee.
The Crest was something like 50 feet that left mere inches of free-board at the top of the levee. Was I nervous? You bet I was. My place is 20 to 30 feet below that flood stage, depending on who you believe. If the levee gave way my house would have been 6 to 16 feet UNDER WATER. Not good.
Since then, the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) has been doing a great deal of work on the levee downstream of the LSU campus at Duncan Point. The River runs straight and fast along the western edge of Baton Rouge then takes a turn to the west at Duncan Point. That turn means the River puts an awful lot of hydraulic force on the bank right there and does its best to move the point to the other side of the River, one grain of sand at a time. Of course, when there was 1.625 MILLION cubic feet per second flowing past . . . well . . . it isn't moving one grain at a time.]
So . . .
Here's a series of images that document the rising river between May 4th and May 9th. I hope to keep getting a daily image of the river rise until I can't get up on the levee, allegedly May 20th.
These images were taken looking north along the levee from the trail head on River Road at Skip Bertman Drive.
Poor Jethro (my every day bicycle) . . .
[I started writing this post over a year ago then forgot all about it. Oh well, here we are again, a year and more later. Try to think of the below as a voice from the recent past. - ed.]
I've only got 2 bicycles.
I know, I know, how can I possibly live the bicycle life with only 2 bicycles?
Well, not only do I have only 2 bicycles but I hardly ride the 2nd one at all. It doesn't really fit very well and I just don't enjoy riding it that much. I've been meaning to sell it for some time but somehow can't bring myself to part with it. That's something I'm going to have to get over soon as I want a 2nd bike that I can rely on and that I want to ride.
Part of the problem is Jehu - the 2nd bike - is a hybrid-ish Specialized Sirrus. That's not the problem, really; Specialized makes some really good bikes and the Sirrus is no exception. What is the problem is the way the machine was set-up. And even that isn't the real problem.
The real problem is I purchased Jehu before I really knew anything about bicycles or bicycle shops. What was I ignorant of? Things like how important a bicycle's geometry is and what an "aggressive" set-up means and how there are times when a shop buys a bicycle they just can't sell and it's getting to be time to buy the next year's stock and we need to get this old stuff out of here and here comes just the rube to sell this to.
Ye . . . I'm that rube.
Again, don't get me wrong, the Specialized Sirrus is a good, maybe even great bike. My bike Jehu - named for a character in the Bible's 2 Kings who was one of the ancient kings of Israel - got its name because I can be (or at least once was) relatively fast while riding him.
Back in the way back when I spent a year and a half as a Christian I was driving with my church's leader in my even-then-ancient pickup. It didn't take long for him to say, "Slow down, Jehu!" When I asked what "Jehu" is or was he cited 2 Kings 9:20 from the King James version of the Bible:
". . . And the watchman told, saying, He came even unto them, and cometh not again: and the driving [is] like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously. . .." [emphasis mine. ed.]
Given my personality, I kind of liked being called Jehu. But I can't say that really applies any more as it's been 20 years since I have owned a motor vehicle and I am no bicycle racer, to be sure. Nonetheless, my "fast" bike is still called Jehu.
My primary bicycle, Jethro, on the other hand, is not so fast but really steady and capable of hauling weight without complaining. I kind of thought of "Jethro Bodine" from the "Beverly Hillbillies" when I first named the bike - not too bright but really friendly and able to work and enjoy it.
Alas, even a friendly, none-too-bright, willing worker develops issues over time. I've been loosing spokes on the rear wheel for a while and the front wheel started throwing spokes recently.
I finally had to replace the rear wheel last week. The rim had gotten out of round and out of true. We couldn't really do anything useful about the out of round but the rim was returned to true with each broken spoke repair; the fairly regular spoke breakage didn't help things at all.
The final blow came on Lundi Gras when taking a couple of bicycle tourists in town on their way to . . . well . . . that's a story for another post . . . suffice it to say we were headed from home to the grocery store then on to a dinner gathering of bike folk. On the way to the grocery store yet another spoke on my rear wheel "twanged" followed by the sound of it clanking against its neighboring spokes.
I was cooking dinner for what turned out to be 10 people and needed to stop for supplies so I just twisted the broken spoke around a neighboring one and pushed on. We got to Bet-R, my newly favorite grocery store, bought what we needed, and continued to the party. We didn't get far before I heard the spoke-on-spoke ping-ting-ting again; my twisted spoke had untwisted and was free again to play with its neighbors.
Off hops I, again, and twists the culprit onto an adjoining spoke, again, only more so this time. Back in the saddle and off to dinner we went. (Dinner when well, everyone ate heartily, and the fire pit extravaganza was well received.)
Even though the next day was Mardi Gras The Bicycle Shop, my Local Bike Shop (LBS), was open. After breakfast - onion and potato frittata, toast, coffee - my guests and I rode to the shop. I got a replacement wheel; my guests got a tune-up and derailleur hanger replacement and some cable love. I felt a lot better having a new wheel.
Just yesterday, Sunday, March 13, I was taking another bicycle tourist who stayed with me on his way from Austin to New Orleans to catch the LA Swift bus down at the main CATS terminal. We got there in plenty of time so I said my farewells and headed back home. No sooner than I had mounted up and hit the first down stroke than I heard the dreaded "twang" of a breaking spoke, this time on the front wheel. I didn't even look to see which spoke broke or where it had broken; I could see the wheel was out of true again and there was nothing I could do where I was.
Today, back at The Bicycle Shop, the good shop folk expressed confusion about which wheel had thrown what spoke. Surely the new rear wheel hadn't blown up? Indeed not.
I've only got 2 bicycles.
I know, I know, how can I possibly live the bicycle life with only 2 bicycles?
Well, not only do I have only 2 bicycles but I hardly ride the 2nd one at all. It doesn't really fit very well and I just don't enjoy riding it that much. I've been meaning to sell it for some time but somehow can't bring myself to part with it. That's something I'm going to have to get over soon as I want a 2nd bike that I can rely on and that I want to ride.
Part of the problem is Jehu - the 2nd bike - is a hybrid-ish Specialized Sirrus. That's not the problem, really; Specialized makes some really good bikes and the Sirrus is no exception. What is the problem is the way the machine was set-up. And even that isn't the real problem.
The real problem is I purchased Jehu before I really knew anything about bicycles or bicycle shops. What was I ignorant of? Things like how important a bicycle's geometry is and what an "aggressive" set-up means and how there are times when a shop buys a bicycle they just can't sell and it's getting to be time to buy the next year's stock and we need to get this old stuff out of here and here comes just the rube to sell this to.
Ye . . . I'm that rube.
Again, don't get me wrong, the Specialized Sirrus is a good, maybe even great bike. My bike Jehu - named for a character in the Bible's 2 Kings who was one of the ancient kings of Israel - got its name because I can be (or at least once was) relatively fast while riding him.
Back in the way back when I spent a year and a half as a Christian I was driving with my church's leader in my even-then-ancient pickup. It didn't take long for him to say, "Slow down, Jehu!" When I asked what "Jehu" is or was he cited 2 Kings 9:20 from the King James version of the Bible:
". . . And the watchman told, saying, He came even unto them, and cometh not again: and the driving [is] like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously. . .." [emphasis mine. ed.]
Given my personality, I kind of liked being called Jehu. But I can't say that really applies any more as it's been 20 years since I have owned a motor vehicle and I am no bicycle racer, to be sure. Nonetheless, my "fast" bike is still called Jehu.
My primary bicycle, Jethro, on the other hand, is not so fast but really steady and capable of hauling weight without complaining. I kind of thought of "Jethro Bodine" from the "Beverly Hillbillies" when I first named the bike - not too bright but really friendly and able to work and enjoy it.
Alas, even a friendly, none-too-bright, willing worker develops issues over time. I've been loosing spokes on the rear wheel for a while and the front wheel started throwing spokes recently.
I finally had to replace the rear wheel last week. The rim had gotten out of round and out of true. We couldn't really do anything useful about the out of round but the rim was returned to true with each broken spoke repair; the fairly regular spoke breakage didn't help things at all.
The final blow came on Lundi Gras when taking a couple of bicycle tourists in town on their way to . . . well . . . that's a story for another post . . . suffice it to say we were headed from home to the grocery store then on to a dinner gathering of bike folk. On the way to the grocery store yet another spoke on my rear wheel "twanged" followed by the sound of it clanking against its neighboring spokes.
I was cooking dinner for what turned out to be 10 people and needed to stop for supplies so I just twisted the broken spoke around a neighboring one and pushed on. We got to Bet-R, my newly favorite grocery store, bought what we needed, and continued to the party. We didn't get far before I heard the spoke-on-spoke ping-ting-ting again; my twisted spoke had untwisted and was free again to play with its neighbors.
Off hops I, again, and twists the culprit onto an adjoining spoke, again, only more so this time. Back in the saddle and off to dinner we went. (Dinner when well, everyone ate heartily, and the fire pit extravaganza was well received.)
Even though the next day was Mardi Gras The Bicycle Shop, my Local Bike Shop (LBS), was open. After breakfast - onion and potato frittata, toast, coffee - my guests and I rode to the shop. I got a replacement wheel; my guests got a tune-up and derailleur hanger replacement and some cable love. I felt a lot better having a new wheel.
Just yesterday, Sunday, March 13, I was taking another bicycle tourist who stayed with me on his way from Austin to New Orleans to catch the LA Swift bus down at the main CATS terminal. We got there in plenty of time so I said my farewells and headed back home. No sooner than I had mounted up and hit the first down stroke than I heard the dreaded "twang" of a breaking spoke, this time on the front wheel. I didn't even look to see which spoke broke or where it had broken; I could see the wheel was out of true again and there was nothing I could do where I was.
Today, back at The Bicycle Shop, the good shop folk expressed confusion about which wheel had thrown what spoke. Surely the new rear wheel hadn't blown up? Indeed not.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Sign of the times
The picture above, taken May 5th, shows one of the access points to the multi-use path that follows the Mississippi River Levee in Baton Rouge. I've heard that no one will be allowed on top of the levee starting May 20th.It's one of the things about the weather, and weather related events, in Louisiana - we don't suffer those short, sharp shocks of tornadoes (usually). Instead, we live with the very embodiment of "inexorable" -watching storm fronts move in from the northwest in red, snaking lines or the latest hurricane to enter the Gulf turn and steam toward us in near-obscene satellite-eye high-definition resolution. This time, it's the River.
Seems there's been a lot of rain this spring upriver of Baton Rouge. With nearly a third of the continent drained by the Mississippi and its tributaries, when it rains in Ohio we get little buckeyes streaming by a month later. This time it seems quite a bit of Ohio is in the River, at least, Ohioan topsoil and anything else that washes off in the rain.
That the media, local and national, keeps referencing the Flood of 1927 is one sure sign of the immensity of this latest river rise. It didn't help that the Department of Public Works announced there are a few low spots in the Baton Rouge levee that are about 6 inches lower than the predicted high-water mark.
All this whoo-hah made me think it was a good idea to take a photograph of the batture from the same two spots every day around 6 PM. It has proven interesting so far. I'll have photos up soon.
This high water has affected bicycle touring in the area by closing the St Francisville ferry. The state was going to close that service permanently as soon as the John James Audubon Bridge opened but the River forced the state to act sooner than they had planned. I have to check to see if the rumor that the bridge has a dedicated bicycle lane is true. If not, well, it will make crossing the River more interesting than it used to be, that's for sure.
I wonder if anyone has contacted the Adventure Cycling Association?
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Bicycling in the South: Jim Powers comes to town
As I mentioned in my previous post, I met Jim Powers at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show in Austin, TX last month. He was planning on riding from Austin, TX, to New Orleans and was looking for a place to stay while in town overnight.
As I am a registered "host" on the somewhat-unfortunately-named-Web-site Warm Showers I was more than willing to have him stay, once we chatted for a bit and it was clear that he was reasonably sane and seemed to be compatible with my mindset. I'm really happy that he stayed in Baton Rouge for a number of reasons.
For one thing, the reason Jim was at NAHBS is that he is the North American distributor of Zimbale high quality canvas and leather bags. He's not only the distributor but a user of the bags. I have to say they are beautiful pieces of work and very well made, not only from the workmanship side of things but from the design side as well.
One of the things I've heard from a couple of bicycle tourists it that big bags, like my Ortlieb grocery getters, don't have outside pockets so when you want something you have to open the entire bag and dig around. Perhaps a minor inconvenience but the Zimbale bags have lots of outside pockets and that makes packing easier - this little pocket has my cell phone, that little pocket has my wallet, this little pocket has chewy bars of goodness . . . you get my drift. Having separate places for things means checking that little space for what you know should be there rather than diving in and poking through everything in a big bag.
The bags are also beautiful in that retro-grouch sort of way. Waxed canvas and leather or straight up leather bags constructed with attention to detail and finish make them not only useful but a handsome addition to your bicycle.
As Jim is a distributor and the Zimbale Web site given above is for retailers only, you cannot purchase these bags directly that Web site. There is a more or less convenient "Retail Partners" link that will take you to a state-by-state list of retailers. Unfortunately, there is no retailer in Louisiana so I'd have to go to Austin or Dallas or Atlanta to find the closest dealers and that ain't very close. Perhaps, one day, there will be a distributor in Louisiana, maybe even Baton Rouge. Fortunately, Jim's other Web site, Bike Touring News, does have an online store where one may purchase the Zimbale bags, should one be so inclined.
Another reason I'm glad Jim stopped in Baton Rouge is he has been bicycle touring since 1972. Yes friends, the man has been taking to the road on his bicycle for nearly 40 YEARS! I stand in awe.
Has he kept all that experience to himself? No, not at all. In fact, we can all gain a little or a lot, depending on our personal bent, by going to his Website - Bike Touring News.
Seems to me, if I were considering heading out for an extended tour, I'd want to know as much as I could about the fundamentals of touring. Given how much experience he's gained, and lived to tell the tale, I'd say this would be a good place to start.
Of course, we did more than talk about his distributorship and his Web site and blog on crazyguyonabike . After all, visiting is more than talking business.
We also ate at The Chimes where Jim had his first crawfish etouffee and his second hushpuppy. It's kind of nice that most people have never heard of, much less eaten, a hushpuppy, if the folks coming through here on bicycles are any indication. Not eating alligator I would expect but hushpuppies? Really? Seems there really is regional food left in America. Jim also got to try Tin Roof IPA and a Covington brew.
Before Jim left on the LA Swift bus for New Orleans we had a few hours to tour Baton Rouge. I won't bore you with the route, even if I remembered it, but we did see Mike the Tiger, passed around bits of the Lakes, stopped briefly on St Rose so I could drop off a little swag from NABHS, and then headed downtown.
For some reason the Old State Capitol was closed. I'm guessing the state budget has something to do with that as I seem to remember it being open on Sundays before. Fortunately, the new capitol was open and, as always, quite a hit, It really is a beautiful building and provides quite a view from up on the observation walk.
We ran out of time and headed home after getting a little lunch at the Capitol City Grill. Our ride tothe LA Swift bus at the CATS terminal was pleasant and the LA Swift was on time and ready when we got there. I bid Jim "Bon Voyage" at the station and headed home, happy to have had the chance to host another bicycle tourist in Baton Rouge.
Jim was born and raised in Montana. He currently lives in Boise, Idaho, with his wife, Stacy.
As I am a registered "host" on the somewhat-unfortunately-named-Web-site Warm Showers I was more than willing to have him stay, once we chatted for a bit and it was clear that he was reasonably sane and seemed to be compatible with my mindset. I'm really happy that he stayed in Baton Rouge for a number of reasons.
For one thing, the reason Jim was at NAHBS is that he is the North American distributor of Zimbale high quality canvas and leather bags. He's not only the distributor but a user of the bags. I have to say they are beautiful pieces of work and very well made, not only from the workmanship side of things but from the design side as well.
One of the things I've heard from a couple of bicycle tourists it that big bags, like my Ortlieb grocery getters, don't have outside pockets so when you want something you have to open the entire bag and dig around. Perhaps a minor inconvenience but the Zimbale bags have lots of outside pockets and that makes packing easier - this little pocket has my cell phone, that little pocket has my wallet, this little pocket has chewy bars of goodness . . . you get my drift. Having separate places for things means checking that little space for what you know should be there rather than diving in and poking through everything in a big bag.The bags are also beautiful in that retro-grouch sort of way. Waxed canvas and leather or straight up leather bags constructed with attention to detail and finish make them not only useful but a handsome addition to your bicycle.
As Jim is a distributor and the Zimbale Web site given above is for retailers only, you cannot purchase these bags directly that Web site. There is a more or less convenient "Retail Partners" link that will take you to a state-by-state list of retailers. Unfortunately, there is no retailer in Louisiana so I'd have to go to Austin or Dallas or Atlanta to find the closest dealers and that ain't very close. Perhaps, one day, there will be a distributor in Louisiana, maybe even Baton Rouge. Fortunately, Jim's other Web site, Bike Touring News, does have an online store where one may purchase the Zimbale bags, should one be so inclined.
Another reason I'm glad Jim stopped in Baton Rouge is he has been bicycle touring since 1972. Yes friends, the man has been taking to the road on his bicycle for nearly 40 YEARS! I stand in awe.
Has he kept all that experience to himself? No, not at all. In fact, we can all gain a little or a lot, depending on our personal bent, by going to his Website - Bike Touring News.Seems to me, if I were considering heading out for an extended tour, I'd want to know as much as I could about the fundamentals of touring. Given how much experience he's gained, and lived to tell the tale, I'd say this would be a good place to start.
Of course, we did more than talk about his distributorship and his Web site and blog on crazyguyonabike . After all, visiting is more than talking business.
We also ate at The Chimes where Jim had his first crawfish etouffee and his second hushpuppy. It's kind of nice that most people have never heard of, much less eaten, a hushpuppy, if the folks coming through here on bicycles are any indication. Not eating alligator I would expect but hushpuppies? Really? Seems there really is regional food left in America. Jim also got to try Tin Roof IPA and a Covington brew.
Before Jim left on the LA Swift bus for New Orleans we had a few hours to tour Baton Rouge. I won't bore you with the route, even if I remembered it, but we did see Mike the Tiger, passed around bits of the Lakes, stopped briefly on St Rose so I could drop off a little swag from NABHS, and then headed downtown.
For some reason the Old State Capitol was closed. I'm guessing the state budget has something to do with that as I seem to remember it being open on Sundays before. Fortunately, the new capitol was open and, as always, quite a hit, It really is a beautiful building and provides quite a view from up on the observation walk.We ran out of time and headed home after getting a little lunch at the Capitol City Grill. Our ride tothe LA Swift bus at the CATS terminal was pleasant and the LA Swift was on time and ready when we got there. I bid Jim "Bon Voyage" at the station and headed home, happy to have had the chance to host another bicycle tourist in Baton Rouge.
Jim was born and raised in Montana. He currently lives in Boise, Idaho, with his wife, Stacy.
You don't know what you've got . . .
I'm a big fan of Joni Mitchell, have been since I was in my teens, which - in case you didn't know - is a long time ago now. I'm not even going to play "what's your favorite song" but I will say that one of my favorites is "Big Yellow Taxi" because of the lyrics, part of which is alluded to in the title to this posting. Here's the part of lyric referenced:
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
"Okay, great," you may be saying, "but what's that got to do with anything?"
Well, you see, I was in Austin, TX, last month for the North American Handmade Bicycle Show with a few friends from here in Baton Rouge. One of those friends, Joshua, and I stayed at the Hostel International Austin facility (which I highly recommend). We'd brought our bicycles so we rode to the show together and occasionally ran into each other on the floor of the exhibition area.
During one of those moments when we ran into each other on the exhibition floor he said, "That guy in the booth over there is riding from Austin to New Orleans after the show. Maybe you could offer him a place to stay?"
Now, Joshua is not in the habit of offering other people's things to strangers. It happens that he knows I'm a host on the slightly-unfortunately-named-Web-site Warm Showers, "a hospitality site for touring cyclists." As such, I offer a room, bed or back yard (for adamant campers), shower, laundry, a meal here and there, and a general Haven for touring bicyclists. I'm also happy to provide a local tour of Baton Rouge for those who have the time and inclination. All in all, Joshua's suggestion that I talk to the guy was legit.
I go over, chat with the guy (who turned out to be Jim Powers), decide he's not a flake or sociopath or generally incompatible, and tell him he's welcome if he wants to stop in Baton Rouge on his way to New Orleans. Since there was still a lot to see in the exhibition I went on to other booths and immediately forgot about Jim in a fog of bamboo and stainless steel, S&S couplers and general bicycle awesomeness. Oh man . . . but I digress.
I signed up for Warm Showers back in . . . uh . . . well . . . the site tells me it was 37 weeks and a few days ago so something like May 2010 and didn't get so much as a nibble for months. In fact, the first contact I got came while I was out of town but I had forgotten about Warm Showers and didn't change my status to "unavailable." Even though I was on my way home at the same time as the fellow who contacted me was headed into Baton Rouge, we didn't connect.
A month or so goes by and I get another hit, then another, and another, and . . . well, you get my drift. It turns out there are a fair number of people coming through Baton Rouge and they are all different. By that I mean they all have different motivations, different skill levels, different bicycles (boy howdy do they ride a wide range of bicycles), and, of course, different personalities.
The one thing many of these tourists have in common is the Adventure Cycling Association (ACA) and their awesome route maps. The ACA has created over 20 bicycle tour routes ranging from the Adirondack Park Loop to the Transamerica Route, the Utah Cliffs Loop to the Underground Railroad Route. As it turns out, Baton Rouge is sort of part of the Southern Tier Route that stretches from San Diego, CA, to St Augustine, FL.
Not being a bicycle tourist I was completely unaware of the ACA and their maps, much less that the Southern Tier runs just north of Baton Rouge through St Francisville, LA. That wasn't the only thing I was ignorant of.
It seems the July 2009 revision of the Southern Tier Section 5 map includes this little gem of advice:
"The 26-mile Baton Rouge Spur heads south from St. Francisville to the airport on the north side of Baton Rouge. Local bicyclists do not recommend riding into downtown Baton Rouge, but you can rent a car at the airport to visit New Orleans."
"Local bicyclists do not recommend riding into downtown . . .." Um . . . WHAT?
"The . . . spur heads south . . . to the airport . . .." REALLY?! What do you do then, stuck, as one would be, at the airport???
". . . you can rent a car at the airport to visit New Orleans." OH, of course, skip Baton Rouge, rent an automobile, and cruise in comfort through town on the interstate while flipping off this waste of space known as Baton Rouge. Great, just freakin' wonderful. Thank you anonymous "local bicyclists" for showing your love of your town by telling everyone to just rent a car and skip Baton Rouge to go spend their time and money in New Orleans.
Forget "love," what about taking a moment to show visitors your town. Is there nothing here of interest to you, "local bicyclists," that is worth showing to someone else? Do you, "local bicyclists," fear and loathe this place so much that you would tell hundreds if not thousands of bicycle tourist to NOT COME TO BATON ROUGE? WTF (please pardon my Anglo-Saxon)!
Okay, okay, I'll take a breath and calm down . . . better now? You betcha!
It's true that the most direct route into Baton Rouge from St Francisville is US 61 a.k.a. Scenic Highway. Most of the time, US 61 is anything but scenic passing, as it does pine croplands, a nuclear power plant, a pulp mill, and the ExxonMobil refinery with its associated chemical plants, among other delights. And, yes, that means US 61 is a major truck route for the log trucks and chemical tanker trucks and general truck hauling that is required to restock the various enterprises north of Baton Rouge into Mississippi. Add to that the commuters who just want to get where they are going at 80 miles per hour and it can be a bit daunting.
And, it is true that Scenic Highway starts and ends in a black neighborhood where it dead-ends on Main Street by Magnolia Cemetery, one of the best cemeteries in town if historic cemeteries are your thing. Given the rampant if subtle racism in this place it wouldn't surprise me if that alone was enough for the "local bicyclists" to warn people away.
But none of that should matter. US 61 has shoulders on both sides that are no better or worse than most highway shoulders anywhere else in this country. And as for the neighborhood, well, if you're not there at 2 AM looking for trouble you won't find it and it won't come looking for you.
Because of my Warm Showers hosting I've had over a dozen bicycle tourists come to stay in Baton Rouge and six of them have come down Scenic Highway from St Francisville; not one of those six arrived in urine-soaked bicycle shorts terrified and pale from the experience. Not one has even MENTIONED the ride in until I asked them about it and, even with prodding, the most they've had to say is, "Well, it isn't terribly scenic but it's by far not the worst road I've been on." No one has even noticed the neighborhood.
And a good thing, too.
Baton Rouge isn't heaven, by a long shot, but then, where is? There's a lot here to see and do, great food, beautiful neighborhoods to ride, and an awesome group of local bicyclists who love to ride and are happy to do what they can to assist those passing through.
Maybe we aren't the "local bicyclists" who put the bad ju-ju on Baton Rouge through ACA but we are local bicyclists and we say, "Come on down and pass a good time!"
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
"Okay, great," you may be saying, "but what's that got to do with anything?"
Well, you see, I was in Austin, TX, last month for the North American Handmade Bicycle Show with a few friends from here in Baton Rouge. One of those friends, Joshua, and I stayed at the Hostel International Austin facility (which I highly recommend). We'd brought our bicycles so we rode to the show together and occasionally ran into each other on the floor of the exhibition area.
During one of those moments when we ran into each other on the exhibition floor he said, "That guy in the booth over there is riding from Austin to New Orleans after the show. Maybe you could offer him a place to stay?"
Now, Joshua is not in the habit of offering other people's things to strangers. It happens that he knows I'm a host on the slightly-unfortunately-named-Web-site Warm Showers, "a hospitality site for touring cyclists." As such, I offer a room, bed or back yard (for adamant campers), shower, laundry, a meal here and there, and a general Haven for touring bicyclists. I'm also happy to provide a local tour of Baton Rouge for those who have the time and inclination. All in all, Joshua's suggestion that I talk to the guy was legit.
I go over, chat with the guy (who turned out to be Jim Powers), decide he's not a flake or sociopath or generally incompatible, and tell him he's welcome if he wants to stop in Baton Rouge on his way to New Orleans. Since there was still a lot to see in the exhibition I went on to other booths and immediately forgot about Jim in a fog of bamboo and stainless steel, S&S couplers and general bicycle awesomeness. Oh man . . . but I digress.
I signed up for Warm Showers back in . . . uh . . . well . . . the site tells me it was 37 weeks and a few days ago so something like May 2010 and didn't get so much as a nibble for months. In fact, the first contact I got came while I was out of town but I had forgotten about Warm Showers and didn't change my status to "unavailable." Even though I was on my way home at the same time as the fellow who contacted me was headed into Baton Rouge, we didn't connect.
A month or so goes by and I get another hit, then another, and another, and . . . well, you get my drift. It turns out there are a fair number of people coming through Baton Rouge and they are all different. By that I mean they all have different motivations, different skill levels, different bicycles (boy howdy do they ride a wide range of bicycles), and, of course, different personalities.
The one thing many of these tourists have in common is the Adventure Cycling Association (ACA) and their awesome route maps. The ACA has created over 20 bicycle tour routes ranging from the Adirondack Park Loop to the Transamerica Route, the Utah Cliffs Loop to the Underground Railroad Route. As it turns out, Baton Rouge is sort of part of the Southern Tier Route that stretches from San Diego, CA, to St Augustine, FL.
Not being a bicycle tourist I was completely unaware of the ACA and their maps, much less that the Southern Tier runs just north of Baton Rouge through St Francisville, LA. That wasn't the only thing I was ignorant of.
It seems the July 2009 revision of the Southern Tier Section 5 map includes this little gem of advice:
"The 26-mile Baton Rouge Spur heads south from St. Francisville to the airport on the north side of Baton Rouge. Local bicyclists do not recommend riding into downtown Baton Rouge, but you can rent a car at the airport to visit New Orleans."
"Local bicyclists do not recommend riding into downtown . . .." Um . . . WHAT?
"The . . . spur heads south . . . to the airport . . .." REALLY?! What do you do then, stuck, as one would be, at the airport???
". . . you can rent a car at the airport to visit New Orleans." OH, of course, skip Baton Rouge, rent an automobile, and cruise in comfort through town on the interstate while flipping off this waste of space known as Baton Rouge. Great, just freakin' wonderful. Thank you anonymous "local bicyclists" for showing your love of your town by telling everyone to just rent a car and skip Baton Rouge to go spend their time and money in New Orleans.
Forget "love," what about taking a moment to show visitors your town. Is there nothing here of interest to you, "local bicyclists," that is worth showing to someone else? Do you, "local bicyclists," fear and loathe this place so much that you would tell hundreds if not thousands of bicycle tourist to NOT COME TO BATON ROUGE? WTF (please pardon my Anglo-Saxon)!
Okay, okay, I'll take a breath and calm down . . . better now? You betcha!
It's true that the most direct route into Baton Rouge from St Francisville is US 61 a.k.a. Scenic Highway. Most of the time, US 61 is anything but scenic passing, as it does pine croplands, a nuclear power plant, a pulp mill, and the ExxonMobil refinery with its associated chemical plants, among other delights. And, yes, that means US 61 is a major truck route for the log trucks and chemical tanker trucks and general truck hauling that is required to restock the various enterprises north of Baton Rouge into Mississippi. Add to that the commuters who just want to get where they are going at 80 miles per hour and it can be a bit daunting.
And, it is true that Scenic Highway starts and ends in a black neighborhood where it dead-ends on Main Street by Magnolia Cemetery, one of the best cemeteries in town if historic cemeteries are your thing. Given the rampant if subtle racism in this place it wouldn't surprise me if that alone was enough for the "local bicyclists" to warn people away.
But none of that should matter. US 61 has shoulders on both sides that are no better or worse than most highway shoulders anywhere else in this country. And as for the neighborhood, well, if you're not there at 2 AM looking for trouble you won't find it and it won't come looking for you.
Because of my Warm Showers hosting I've had over a dozen bicycle tourists come to stay in Baton Rouge and six of them have come down Scenic Highway from St Francisville; not one of those six arrived in urine-soaked bicycle shorts terrified and pale from the experience. Not one has even MENTIONED the ride in until I asked them about it and, even with prodding, the most they've had to say is, "Well, it isn't terribly scenic but it's by far not the worst road I've been on." No one has even noticed the neighborhood.
And a good thing, too.
Baton Rouge isn't heaven, by a long shot, but then, where is? There's a lot here to see and do, great food, beautiful neighborhoods to ride, and an awesome group of local bicyclists who love to ride and are happy to do what they can to assist those passing through.
Maybe we aren't the "local bicyclists" who put the bad ju-ju on Baton Rouge through ACA but we are local bicyclists and we say, "Come on down and pass a good time!"
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