Hill Climb Just Before Gaviota

Hills near Gaviota.

Just south of Lompoc, CA. Highway 1 climbs over a grade in the Traverse Ranges. Then it meets 101 for the downhill to Gaviota State Park.

Shoulder good, traffic light, great bicycling.

I used my new MP3 player. Earphone in one ear, other earphone dangling so left ear could hear traffic.

I don't know names of artists, or tunes. I just know what sounds like "energy."

Putting tunes on the player, before my trip, was a bit hard till I figured out how to follow the "find similar music" links.

One of the few names I remembered was "YMCA" by the Village People. That linked me to Abba, The Begees, Donna Summer and so forth. Like in a big old gay disco.

The air felt good, road was smooth, scenery fantastic and the pulsating energy of music added to the joy.

It's what they call and "endorphin high."

I get them quite a bit from a nice steady climb. Not pushing too hard, just enjoying the energy; like dancing.

Right past the top is a rest stop where Highway 1 meets Highway 101.

I began to think I might have been pushing my luck too far.
After all, I am 51 years of age.

At the rest stop was a Greyhound bus behind some tow truck.

Did it break down? Engine overheat? Brakes gave out?

Guess that was a big hill, but I was enjoying the music.

Images of me near end of my 2006 bicycle tour

Leslie took this shot of me as we were eating in an outdoor cafe in Santa Barbara.

Saying goodby to Leslie after a nice visit. Close to the end of my 2006 bicycle tour.

Life After The Alaskan Way Viaduct

It looks like Seattle may have to live with out it's "Highway 99 corridor" whether it wants to or not. Construction will take a long time for what ever they build to replace Alaskan Way.

Likely to last over 2 years!

If that city can survive for 2 years with out the viaduct, it can probably survive indefinitely.

A group called, "People's Waterfront Coalition," has suggested the so called "surface option." Basically reroute Alaskan Way traffic through existing downtown streets. This would be facilitated by mass transit improvements. Basically getting more people out of cars. Also some circulation improvements to downtown streets so that they better connect with the rest of Highway 99.

Could be a radicle solution, but there may be several years when the "surface option" is the only choice. What happens during construction?

This idea is worth repeating. "If the city can survive such a fate for two years, why can't it survive indefinitely?"

Maybe there is a better plan to reroute Alaskan Way traffic during construction, but I haven't heard of one.

Other plans call for building a tunnel, to replace Alaskan Way. This is the foremost plan, at least according to Seattle Mayor Greg Nickles. Recently an estimate for the cost of said tunnel went up even more. Talking billions with a "B."

Still, city council has recently voted to take some other proposals, such as rebuilding existing roadway, off the table.

It's either "the tunnel or nothing," at least according to recent city council action.

Taking the clutter of "also ran" ideas off the table seems to put the "surface streets / no replacement" option into second place. That is at least according the guest from People's Waterfront that was on KUOW last Friday.

Of course the state and other forces may "weigh in" differently. Rebuilding, or some kind of elevated roadway option may not be totally dead. Even these options could cost a billion or two.

The surface streets option costs something as well. Quite a bit of street and transit improvements.

Well, maybe the tunnel, or rebuild options, can provide a detour, for that traffic, during construction. Otherwise, it looks like the surface streets option will reign for a long time, whether the city likes it or not.

People may just have to cut back on car use.

By the way, in case you are wondering (those who don't live in Seattle's news environment), Alaskan Way has been determined to be unsound. Due to earthquake damage and further seismic threat something will have to be done.

My 2006 bicycle tour album is now on the web

Here.

Still have to better integrate it into various menus on my web site.

Now it's time to go to bed.

Experiences from my 2006 bicycle trip coming soon to the web

Still working on the pages around doing other things, like work for instance. Yes, I earn a living, working as a custodian. Time to think about what I plan to write.

Meanwhile I was interviewed on the radio. A show called Around The World on KZSB in Santa Barbara. Show will be rebroadcast again at 10 AM Saturday Sept. 23. The segment about my trip is at the end of the hour around 10:50. Anyway, it's 1290 AM from Santa Barbara and on the listen live link at newspress.com. Also syndicated some places, including stations in Australia.

Even if you see this and miss my interview, it seems like that station has a lot of interesting and locally produced shows. Not like so many stations that turn out to be just local transmitters for the big national shows.

I remember, back in the 1980s, when it seemed like all one could get on the radio was "Talk Net," with Bruce Williams. He was all up and down the dial from all over, including here in Bellingham.

Anyway, that was the 1980s, now it's today, with more and more Internet and media diversity, in terms of programming at least, all the time.

Above photo is me, taken by my friend Leslie, who brought his bike up to Santa Barbara on the Surfliner Train. He came up from Los Angeles for dinner. Image was taken at a Santa Barbara bike path.

Walmart Expansion in Bellingham?

Some say, "let the market decide."

If the market were like me, Walmart would not be a lucrative business. I've never been to a Walmart, basically because I don't drive.

Walmart is not easy to get to, for me. No, I am not even boycotting that corporation. Maybe I should check out a Walmart, someday, just to see what it's about. On the other hand, who wants to bike through all that traffic!

If people were less addicted to their cars, the market would behave differently. Walmarts cater to parking and freeway exits. If those things were less crucial, in a business plan, even mighty Walmart would be different.

Bellingham City Council has passed a temporary moratorium on large retail development in the city. Sort of a cooling off period as Walmart plans to expand it's local store into "super store" status.

Many support the moratorium, but others say it was a bad move. Some fear the corporation could just relocate in Ferndale. Others are dubious about the council's foray into what they feel should be a market driven choice.

I don't have a strong opinion either "pro" or "anti" moratorium.

Some feel that as long as the expansion is in an area that has already been "trashed" by sprawling retail, don't worry. Bellingham's Meridian area is already "strip mall city." At least it isn't devouring more prime farmland.

Also the city and Walmart can, and have worked out some deals that could improve circulation in the area, if the store were built. Like extending Deamer St. (I think).

One problem that "Meridian Strip" faces is a lot of "dead end" suburban streets that just lead to the hopeless and traffic clogged arteries. Attempts to retrofit the area into something closer to a gridiron street pattern, with more streets going through, could help a little, at least.

Still, if less people were addicted to their cars, things would be different. If the marketplace was driven by pedestrians and bicyclists, the city council would not have to go out on the "politically unsafe limb" of moratorium land.

Market economists might say that the people vote for Walmart with their feet. Problem, they are not voting with their feet, they are voting with their cars.

Folks, you just got to cut back on your car use if you want a better world.

As for Walmart's lack of health insurance for employees?

A very common problem in all of the retail / service sector; even the beloved "mom and pop's."

We need something like "single payer" health insurance basically handled by the state.

Big changes need to come in the way people live and do business on many levels.

Comment on Walmart Superstore, Richland, WA.

Light shafts in the redwoods

I am working on the pages for my 2006 bicycle tour down the west coast. It takes a while to put things together. May mean less blog entries for a bit as I write my trip story. Before long, that story and the photos will be available. Stay tuned.

Obligatory 911 comment

Tomorrow is the 5 year anniversary, but I think there is too much fanfare over these events. Notoriety and glory is one thing that the terrorists want.

Last Friday, I heard a great interview on KUOW's Conversation show with the author of a new book called "What Terrorists Want," by Louise Richardson.

It sounds like one of the big things they want is notoriety.

Maybe we should shuffle news of these crimes onto the back pages. Shuffle the news behind stories about many more lives that are lost each year to drunk drivers, for instance. Don't give terrorists so much notoriety.

Just let the CIA, Military, FBI, and so forth, quietly do their jobs catching these perpetrators.

It seems like our President has been taken over by terrorists. This is the Presidency that is defined by 911. Bush plans to travel to Ground Zero, Lay reefs, also head to Pennsylvania for that plane crash. It seems like every time Bush opens his mouth, it's about 911 and reaction to terrorism.

Why is he wasting so much of his time, and energy? What about affordability of health care?

Of course, Republicans are usually not very good at putting effort into a domestic issues. Republicans usually talk about getting the government out of domestic affairs. Reduce government so the Walmarts can take over.

Did I say Walmarts, or should I say the marketplace?

Leaving domestic affairs up to "market forces."

It is Republicans who focus on foreign affairs and national defense issues. Democrats are the ones who to get the urban transit systems going. Democrats discuss issues like affordable housing and health care; what ever attempts to make the lives of ordinary Americans work.

We need transit systems to help us become less dependent on that volatile Middle East, for oil.

Will our reaction to terrorism destroy us? Bankrupt us? Distract us from the things we really need to do for energy independence and security?

Maybe we should relegate terrorist crimes to the back pages where they belong. Put them behind the murderers and drunk drivers who take more lives each year.

Would I display a flag for 911?

No.

I would rather display the flag for something positive, like the anniversary of Americans landing on the moon.

Can someone do more stories about the Apollo PAC for clean energy?

Posted On Labor Day

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The thing labor needs most?

A long and wonderful vacation.

I am back home from my 2006 trip down the west coast. This was my 5th west coast tour over the years.

Came back by train.

Above picture taken from observation tower atop Santa Barbara County Courthouse. Downtown Santa Barbara has a lot of classical architecture and pedestrian malls.

A similar view was featured in the popular book "Bicycling The Pacific Coast" by Tom Kirkendall and Vicky Spring, (at least in an earlier edition). I remember pouring over that book before my first west coast trip in 1987.

Cyclists are still taking that book with them as they do this trip. (Probably later editions).

At the end of my trip, the radio said that California has just passed a strong piece of legislation designed to roll back state wide greenhouse gas emissions. Roll these back to 1990 levels by 2020.

That will be a tall order as one must remember, population is also increasing.

Just "treading water" (keeping same percapita consumption levels) means increasing consumption if population is increasing.

This will require some major changes.

Or, maybe the goal can't be achieved with conservation? Nuclear power anyone? How about solar? Hydrogen Fusion?

All of the above.

Ironically, southern California seems more bicycle friendly than northern California. More people and more money for infrastructure. Also the need is clearly evident.

Things like bike paths and the southern California Surfliner train are great.

Now, back hear in Washington State, the Dave Ross Show, on Seattle's KIRO, does a segment about how to make roads safer.

Labor Day weekend is a deadly weekend on the roads.

Many kinds of suggestions come in. People suggest things like making truckers only operate at night or having the driving test become harder.

No one mentions making the nation less dependent on automotive travel. Maybe I should have called.

Looking forward to adding photos and stories, from my 2006 trip to these sites in the next few months.