Category: Bike

24-hour Dash Around San Francisco

Post author By TravisGood
Post date March 29, 2010
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This day could have set a record. Since I had recently visited San Francisco as a tourist and spent 10 days getting to know the city, I was able to give Kelsey an intense overview in just a day. For most people our agenda would have been considered ridiculously overburdened but not Kelsey. We started our tear around San Francisco at 8:00 AM on Saturday and except for sleeping we didn’t slow down till the next morning.

We started the day with a drive around Apple’s campus at 1 Infinite Loop in Cupertino and continued on to a tour of Stanford University’s campus in Palo Alto. These are a company and a university which we both admire and wanted to see first-hand. We visited both these icons in one morning. The day had only begun!

Animal Bike Canyon Desert Road Travel

A Green Green Desert

A green desert? Yes. This part of the Sonoran desert has two rainy seasons and the result is a predictable green. And as my visit came after recent rains at the dawn of Spring, the desert was an especially radiant shade of green. Miniature flowers were in bloom across the desert floor, cacti of different types were baring blossoms, and a floral scent was in the air. In general, Organ Pipes Cactus National Monument was showing at its best!

Bike Historical Mountain Road Travel

Cliff Dwellings in Nowhere

Post author By TravisGood
Post date March 22, 2010
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Two months ago I tried to visit Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument but flooding from a recent snow storm had damaged the access bridge. It was closed. This time the park was open but the bridge remained out of commission so to visit you had to hike three miles. That is, you had to hike three miles if you didn’t travel with your own folding bike!

Bike River Road Travel

Reprise of Riverside Rides

Post author By TravisGood
Post date March 19, 2010
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A few weeks ago I rode my new foldable bike along riverside paths in Knoxville, Nashville, Memphis, Little Rock, Albuquerque, and Sacramento. For midwinter I enjoyed amazing weather. My memories of these rides are of having a fantastic time (except Knoxville) in beautiful settings and, as I started across the country again, I found myself yearning for a repeat.

So why not?

In Memphis I took the picture above. Yes, again the weather stayed near-perfect as I also rode in Nashville and Little Rock. While Memphis was almost an identical experience my other rides were fairly different. Little Rock was done in the bright of day rather than at dusk which provided a different perspective on the city. Nashville was a different route along a riverside park across the Trinity River. All were fantastic rides.

With experiences so good you can expect to see my red bike in the future!

Bike Road Travel

Riding Around San Francisco

Post author By TravisGood
Post date February 11, 2010
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You can’t put me in a lovely bike-able setting on a gorgeous day and not expect me to head out. Without the bike I’d hike but my little foldable was just sitting there wanting to be ridden. The first afternoon I focused on familiar turf, the waterfront near where I was staying. That ride was around 14 miles in length while the following ride was 27 miles in length. The second ride was more a grand tour of the city’s periphery.

The first ride started off around Fisherman’s Wharf and continued all along the waterfront down into the industrial areas. Eighty percent of this ride was unbelievably nice but it got a bit uninteresting when all I saw were warehouses.

Bike Bridge Ocean Road Travel

Bike Ride of a Lifetime

I’d driven enough of the Marin Headlands to piece together a bike ride in case the weather cooperated … and it did! This area on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge consists of federal parks and the town of Sausalito. All of it perfectly beautiful and all funneling into the Golden Gate Bridge. Why not bike it all and then across the bridge and back? Why not!

Bike Historical River Road Travel

Circumnavigate Lake Tahoe

Post author By TravisGood
Post date February 5, 2010
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Several times I’ve driven segments of the road around Lake Tahoe. Over the course of three visits I still hadn’t driven the western shore. Today my goal was to make it happen … and it didn’t.

But I get ahead of myself!

Bike River Road Travel

Picture Taking while Bike Riding

Post author By TravisGood
Post date January 19, 2010
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I know, I know. Walking and chewing gum at the same time. What a talent!

Seriously, this first stage of my road trip is about distance punctuated with bike rides. It started with a couple of rides in Virginia. The following day I rode along rivers in Knoxville and Nashville. Today my river rides were in Memphis and Little Rock … and they were the best yet!

Bike River Road Travel

Riding the Rivers

I woke up this morning wondering “Why the heck did they name this town Johnson City?” Odd thought for first thing in the morning! Maybe I had a sense that answers would be coming.

On my drive to Knoxville I visited Johnson’s Early Home, Johnson’s Homestead, Johnson’s National Cemetery, Johnson’s National Historic Site … have you figured it out yet?

Bike Mountain Road Travel

Roanoke and Blacksburg

The first leg of this trip is a series of long driving distances broken up by periodic bicycle rides. Yes, this time I’m traveling with a folding bicycle which I rode today in both Roanoke and around the Virginia Tech campus. It was fun! It sort of fills a space between walking and driving. I could cover ground faster than by walking and yet still get closer to things than I can in my car. Today was a good first test of the bike’s value.

“Folding bicycle?” you ask? Watch the video and learn more!