Velocity

Hats off to those who blog or vlog on a regular basis. Obviously we have a lot more work to do before even hinting at regularity.

However, we’re off to another good start with Glen’s new video being posted on the website. It is titled "Velocity". This one is a compilation of cycling footage exploring the bike trails of America.

We purchased our first set of bikes for the RV in Sacramento in 2014. A couple of city cruisers - the Schwinn twins. What a difference that made! Now we were covering more ground that we did as foot travellers. The magnolia lined avenues of Mobile, the dirt bike trails in Sedona, the country roads in Cades Cove, and the rails to trails which are everywhere (more about that below). The video captures glimpses of those outings plus trails in many other states. The music track is Glen’s composition Drop D Gorgeous (with acoustic guitar in drop D tuning for those of us who aren’t guitar geeks). He just finished recording it last month.

Glen still has his original bike, but 3 years ago on my birthday we visited a Pedago shop in Blue Ridge, GA. I got quite attached to this black low step over called the Boomerang. Of course once I tried this sleek Cadillac of an ebike, I was hooked. Did I mention it was my birthday? Even so, I resisted. Twice I said no. Twice we drove away in silence. Twice I broke the silence with “but you know a good point about that bike…” Twice Glen sighed and turned the RV back toward the shop. And that’s how I got my birthday bike in black, well later black and red, but more about that later.

In the beginning we avoided bike racks by storing the bikes inside the RV, desperately trying – but only partly succeeding - to protect the cupboards from scratches and the lino flooring from tire tread marks. Every trip we would ponder once again the pros and cons of a bike rack. The main con was adding length to the RV.

Finally we got fed up of shuffling our bikes in and out of the RV. We diligently studied the various types of racks and decided on a Thule Helium, which we purchased in Framingham MA. How glorious it felt to have the bikes out of our living space. A few days later, just outside Bar Harbor, we notice a road construction worker waving us down. Then we noticed the noise. Our bike rack had collapsed under the extra weight of my ebike and was now dragging both bikes along the highway. In construction they say you should measure twice and cut once, I guess we should have weighed twice and bought once! Lesson learned. We were lucky to find Mike who at that time ran a Pedago outlet in Belmont MA. We ended up ordering a complete wheel assembly for the front wheel, and a new rim for the back. Also needed new tires, pedals and a mirror. Mike did a splendid job replacing parts and repairing it. I couldn’t resist. I picked out red tire rims and matching red chain guard. Mike capped off by selling us a Thule T20 fold up bike rack, more suited to the weight of the Pedego. Now we unload the bikes when we are encamped and fold up the rack when it is not in use.

There is rarely a trip where we don’t get several good rides in. Early on we discovered an organization called Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) who are creating and maintaining bike trails from former rail lines. www.railstotrails.com. The majority of footage used in the new video has been taken while riding on RTC paths. You’ll probably notice there is more footage of me riding than of Glen. That’s because Glen is really good at steering with one hand and holding the camera with the other, whereas I almost end up in the ditch when I attempt that trick.

Hope you enjoy the video and hope to see you on a bike trail some time.