Scott Campbell sent us this report on Sunday.. However, I have been so covered up with excitement (some of which is detailed here at the end), that I am not getting it sent to you until now. And in Scott's words below, you will see that the Denver Mayor **knows** bicycling:
========================================
This is the day I had been waiting for since I started this epic journey. Well, actually yesterday was the day I had been longing to come up. That was the day my companion Pam Slocum was to join me on this adventure. She arrived in Denver on June 22.
The following day we rode from our hotel to city hall to meet with mayor John Hickenlooper. We arrived a little late after having to fix a puncture on the front of my bike. We were met by a small group of people including James Mackay, Bicycle Planner for the city of Denver, Steve Stevens, high wheel rider, collector and historian, Paul Brekus, another high wheel rider, Chris Krieg, artist, David Russel, artist and rock climber, and a crew from the local TV station. Shortly thereafter, the mayor walked up to the podium and started reading the proclamation that he was presenting to us.
After making the presentation, the mayor told us all a story about his bicycle that he purchased in the early 1970s. He would ride that bike every where and he still does to this day. For example, he is planning to ride it 14 miles on Bike to Work Day next week. The mayor was interviewed by the TV reporter and talked about the feeling one gets while riding a bike. He described the sense of being connected with the earth, the people one sees on the street, and the wonderful smells you get to experience while out in nature.
Then it was my turn to be interviewed. The reporter asked me, "What would you tell people that are sitting in their cars?" My reply was, "Get out of your cars, slow down and feel the wind on your face. Get to know your community, see the world from a different perspective, and arrive at your destination with less stress."
We said our thank yous and good byes and headed out into the city to view some of Chris's murals (they can be found
========================================
- On Monday, we caught up with Scott & Pam outside of Craig, CO. The two of them had just powered over the Rocky Mtns. -- they pumped their heavy bikes (Scott - 110 pounds, Pam's weighs in at 88) over the 12,000 foot Trailridge Pass. And here is Scott in his own words from the Nampa River Campground talking about that ride and the road ahead:
http://nationalbicyclegreenway.com/Podcasts/ScottCRoad6-27-06.mp3
- Because all our cyclists were so impressed with Mayor Hickenlooper, I sent him this Thank You:
========================================
Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2006 14:29:38 -0700
Mayor John!!!
On behalf of our organization, the National Bicycle Greenway, I want to thank you for remembering your two wheel roots for us by making yourself present for Denver NBG Day. As per the two short podcast debriefings that we just did with our rider scouts below, it does sound like you are a real bullets cyclist:
http://nationalbicyclegreenway.com/Podcasts/ChrisKrieg6-23-06.mp3
http://nationalbicyclegreenway.com/Podcasts/Stevens6-23-06.mp3
I look forward to meeting you next year when I come through on my HiWheel with my new book "
THX 4 U!!
========================================
- If you do get to the podcast we did with Steve Stevens, noted above, be forewarned that I am told the horn solo he did of Daisy Belle sounded excellent in person and yet the cell phone that sent it to us, missed a lot of the notes.........
- With just under 30 days left until we end in San Francisco, The City is starting to really heat up for our arrival :
SF Andy Thornleu whose
Here is the copy:
Escort the Busycle to City Hall
Fri., Jul. 28 | 2pm, Potrero Del Sol Park (Potrero & Cesar Chavez) *
National Bicycle Greenway (NBG) cyclist Scott Campbell has been busy scouting a bike route from Boston to San Francisco since the end of April - he'll arrive at San Francisco City Hall accompanied by the head-turning Busycle (a reconverted Dodge van that's pedaled by 14 happy humans) to receive a proclamation from Mayor Gavin Newsom endorsing the NBG's mission to connect Boston and San Francisco with a safe bikeway (a healthy green echo of the proto-interstate Lincoln Highway).
Be a part of this exciting story by helping escort Scott and the Busycle to City Hall - meet at Potrero Del Sol Park (Potrero & Cesar Chavez) for an easy two and a half mile ride to the Civic Center, where a short ceremony will follow in which the Mayor and Board of Supervisor's offices will declare their support for a safe bike connection from Beantown to Fog City.
If you want to sign up to ride the Busycle in any of its five Bay Area relays, contact NBG Director Martin Krieg NBG@bikeroute.com more info http://www.bikeroute.com - 415-240-4712
SF Jimmer Cassiol pumped out the 2006 San Francisco Mayor's proclamation a month in advance so we can brag about it at our
SF There's so much going on at our
SF Also at our schedule/scorecard is the podcast we did of author/speaker judy b. and her experience of rolling the streets of San Francisco. Click here (http://nationalbicyclegreenway.com/Podcasts/judyb6-06.mp3) to hear her speak:
SF Frank Chan, also a San Francisco Bay Area native like myself (we are a quickly shrinking minority), who also went to the same Catholic high school as I, Moreau, in Hayward, CA, spent some time talking about biking in San Francisco with me. As a man who regularly powers up 31% streets, some of the steepest in the world, he does have a thing or two to say about SF cycling. Until we get his podcast produced, do get a look at his site and the movie there that documents the amazing climbs he undertakes. Click here to see his movie (http://www.russianhillroulette.com/)
- Jack Martin of
There will be over a dozen HiWheel bikes from yesteryear making the run along with all manner of different bikes. If you want to join us, go to http://NationalBicycleGreenway.com/Forms/newriders.php . And it is starting to look like the American River Trail community and elected officials up there will be out in force at all of the stops we make on this world class bike trail. It is easily one of the finest I have ever ridden anywhere in the US!!
- And once again Reno Wheelmen bike club president,
- Due to bandwidth overload, we have had to move some of our more popular on lines movies to a different server.
You can see our 2006 Boston send off at:
http://revver.com/video/31940
- The Mount Rainier 2006 NBG Day is at:
http://revver.com/video/31960/
- The amazing down hill, feet over the bars, HiWheel crash that Jack Castor lived to talk about is at:
http://revver.com/video/31941
Jack's crash will truly blow your mind if you have not seen it. And all of them now load faster and run w/o interruption!! Yahoo!!
Too much excitement to manage --- Yahooooo!!
THX 4 all of U!!
54% of New York City households do not own cars
Martin Krieg "Awake Again" Author
http://www.BikeRoute.com/MKRIEG.HTML
'79 & '86 TransAmerica Bike Rides
2007 w/"How America Can Bike & Grow Rich"
Coma, Paralysis, Clinical Death Survivor
NBG Founding Director, HiWheel Cyclist
Bicycling advocate saluted
By Ryan Morgan, Camera Staff Writer
June 24, 2006
Boulder Mayor Mark Ruzzin proclaimed the day "National Bicycle Greenway Day" in an impromptu ceremony outside city hall Friday afternoon.
He was there to greet Scott Campbell, a Californian who's bicycling across the country to promote city-to-city, bike-safe greenways to encourage people to use their bicycles, rather than cars, to commute.
Ruzzin said the city government and people who live in Boulder are committed to the same cause.
"It's really special to have you here because we want to be part of your effort," he said.
Many, if not most, commuters travel from one city to another twice a day, Campbell said, and the lack of inter-city paths or bike-safe streets keeps those people in their cars.
"If they can do it safely on their bikes, they will," he said.
Campbell said his travels across the country - Friday was day 58 - have gone remarkably smoothly, aside from having to spend one stormy night in an empty house that was still under construction.
As Ruzzin, Campbell and his supporters stood chatting in the sunshine outside the Municipal Building at Broadway and Canyon Boulevard, it became fairly obvious Boulder's on board with his idea.
Bicyclists constantly whizzed by on the Boulder Creek path. One of them was former mayor and current Boulder County Commissioner Will Toor, who was pedaling and sending text messages on his Blackberry.
Contact Camera Staff Writer Ryan Morgan at (303) 473-1333 or morganr@dailycamera.com.