Greenway Etiquette

Here is a great video on greenway (or all trails for that matter) etiquette.  Believe it or not, there is a lot of conflict between user groups and we all need to do our part to help get along. Please help by spreading this video. For more information on Roanoke’s Greenways visit www.greenways.org.

Recharger Device on a Bike

In the 1930s, cyclists said “Let there be light (while I pedal at night)” and hub manufacturer Sturmey-Archer gave it to them. The company’s Dynohub contained its own mini generator to power bike headlamps.

Now, many decades later, Dahon — via its signature line of components, BioLogic — has found a way to harness that same user-generated electricity to power iPhones, iPods, GPS units, or just about any small electronic device.

BioLogic ReeCharge

The to-be-released BioLogic ReeCharge device works on bikes with a dynamo hub on the front wheel. Dynamo hubs, made by companies like Shimano

The National Parks – America’s Best Idea

The National Parks – America’s Best Idea is a documentary series by Ken Burns, and it is truly amazing. I’ve been watching it with my seven-year old son and it has captivated both of us.

When: 8PM on PBS, now through 10/4

Weekend Recommendations (Sept. 25-27)

Your Weekend Update of what’s going
on OUTSIDE is now posted – click here!

In the mean time – check out this video.  You can see more like it at the 9/30 Radical Reels Film Festival.

If you have a video you’d like to share send me an email (pete@roanoke.org).

Get Outside!

Pete

Celebrate National Public Lands Day

National Public Lands Day is the nation’s largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance the public lands we all enjoy. Join the Roanoke City Parks & Recreation department at Carvins Cove Natural Reserve to help celebrate this event. Volunteers from Roanoke Valley Greenways will be on hand to lead a trail improvement project. There will also be nature-based activities for parents and children facilitated by the good folks from KIVA (Kids in the Valley, Adventuring). Come help improve upon one of the Roanoke Valley’s finest outdoor recreation venues!

Where: Carvins Cove Natural Reserve – Bennett Springs parking lot
When:  Saturday 9/26, 8am-1:30pm

The first four hours of the event will be a workday on Hi Dee Ho trail. At noon there will be a catered lunch by Comfort Cuisine.

The first 50 adults and first 50 children who RSVP to Michael Clark (michael.clark@roanokeva.gov) receive a free event t-shirt. Those who participate will also have a chance to win a Gary Fisher mountain bike donated by East Coasters bike shop.

Great News for Roanoke River & Greenways

The low-water bridge across the Roanoke River in Wasena Park will soon be replaced – and this is great news for canoeists and kayakers who like to float the river.  Low-water bridges and dams pose great hazards to paddlers. At higher water levels the nature of their design creates a dangerous back-flow of water, known as a hydraulic, that can trap a person or boat (two people recently died on low-water dams in Franklin County).

As it is now, boaters must get out of their boats and portage around the low-water bridge at Wasena Park – but come next spring this will all change. Don’t get me wrong, dams and low-water bridges have their purpose, but some have outlived their usefulness and options that also accommodate recreation should be explored.

A dam on Virginia’s Rappahannock River was removed in 2004, creating a half mile of rapids on the Rappahannock River that weren’t previously there, and thus a new outdoor recreation industry. The New York Times recently wrote an article that highlights this and more. Sometimes we forget how fortunate we are to have the Roanoke River running right through Roanoke and this is a great step toward opening it up even more!

Continue reading below for the Star City Harbinger’s detailed report on the bridge replacement at Wasena Park.

Bridge at normal water level (courtesy Roanoke Times)

Bridge during flood - hyrdolics created are very dangerous (courtesy Wiretap Studios)

“A development that City of Roanoke Engineer Phil Schirmer says will be a “boon to Roanoke’s outdoor-based economy,” the low-water bridge separating Wasena and Smith Parks will be replaced with a new pre-cast concrete bridge with 3 wide and tall openings to permit kayak/canoe passage and allow fish to migrate upstream.

Bicycle Ticketed for Excessive Awesomeness

The police in Toronto have got it going on. Perhaps our local police can do this in conjunction with some similar programs they already do. Programs exist that allow officers to reward kids they see wearing helmets – what are some other ideas? Leave your comments below.

Pete

Photo of the ticket, and the bike in question, courtesy of Leanne Eisen.

When photographic artist Leanne Eisen left the Scotiabank Theatre on Monday following a screening of Ponyo, she was surprised to find this piece of blue paper wrapped around the handlebars of her vintage bicycle. At first, she only saw the words, “Your bicycle has been ticketed because…”

Do you run or bike near cars? – Road ID

Courtesy of Rhonda Chatten and More Than a Ride – -

“Let me tell you a story about a hike, a 17 year old, a bike and an ER.

Last night I met up with a group of friends that meet every Wednesday evening to hike around a local mountain. Mill Mountain is a nice hike with some challenges. It is so wonderful to have a group of friends to share all sorts of adventures with. Well ten minutes into the walk up the old road to our trail head, we see a seemingly calm young man sitting on the wall. We looked over closer and noticed a good amount of road rash and blood, so we hopped on over.

We get over and he could not see us clearly, he was seeing in pinks and greys. He looked really hot and really pale and a lot in shock. One of us dumped water on his head as we tried to contact a parental unit (it was a bad time of day to find people we learned) and address some of his immediate concerns. We got him to lay on the ground in case he passed out and so he could maybe get some oxygen to his head. Another cyclist (who also happened to be a police officer) was riding by up the road and stopped. He called EMS, while we were trying to find anyone he could talk to on another phone.” Continue reading the rest of the story on Rhonda’s blog More Than A Ride>>>

StarBomb is on……………

Roanoke is getting in on the Zoobomb tradition with StarBomb!

Captain Insane-O has just announced Roanoke’s 1st StarBomb!

According to Wikipedia – Zoobomb is a weekly bicycling activity during which participants ride bicycles rapidly downhill that originated in Portland, Oregon.

Participants transport their bikes to the top of a hill – in this case Mill Mountain. From there, participants ride their bikes down the hills in the vicinity. This process is often repeated several times throughout the night.

There is an emphasis on unusual bicycles, first and foremost the children’s bicycles or “minibikes,” but extending to tall bikes, swing bikes, choppers, non-functional bicycles, etc. Though many riders bring their own bicycles, Portland participants maintain a “Zoobomb pile” that is a sculptural tower of minibikes anchored to a bicycle rack at the Zoobomb meeting point. These are spare bikes that are used as loaners for would-be Zoobombers who don’t have their own bike. The pile has become a local landmark.

When: On/around full moon. Tentative dates: 10/2, 11/1, 12/4, 1/1, 1/29 (all at 8:30pm). Join the Starbomb Facebook group to stay connected and informed.
Time:  9-1o:30pm (just after the Star City Alley Cat Race- which you should support too)
Where: Meet at Car Less Brit Museum (310 2nd St. SW, Roanoke, VA)
Free event. 1-Way Transportation to zoo for possible nominal cost.
Bring a bike, bike lights, and any safety gear you need.

Its a good time and you WILL have fun!
MINI BIKES ENCOURAGED – ALL BIKES WELCOME
HELMETS ARE A GOOD IDEA
* RIDE AT YOUR OWN RISK *
LEAVE NO TRACE

Visit the Facebook Events Page

Car Drivers, Bike Riders, & Sidewalk Users!

Ride Solutions, MyScoper, and Car Less Brit Museum, present:

“Car drivers, Bike riders, Sidewalk users!”

In recognition of Virginia’s Cycling and Pedestrian Awareness Week:

You are invited to INTERMODAL LOVE…

• bike riders
• car drivers
• pedestrians
• skaters
• rollerbladers
• and any other configuration

…for a car drive, bike ride, walk, run, skate,

Taking place downtown Roanoke, starting at Car Less Brit Museum then right on Campbell Avenue, right on Market Street, right on Church Avenue, down Jefferson Avenue to Campbell, turning right and doing the downtown circuit over and over.

250 INTERMODAL LOVE balloons will be attached to the INTERMODAL LOVE car and handed out to all lovers of cars, bikers, walkers, runners, skaters, etc.

• no special gear needed
• join in at any point
• stay on the circuit as long as you want

Friday, September 18
Noon-1PM
Starting at 310 2nd St. SW

End up at Car Less Brit Museum around 1 pm, pop over to Blue 5 for a drink/bike to eat and come back to Car Less Brit Museum for a gander round the museum and a social time with like minded folks.

Visit the Facebook Event page to see who else is going!

12:00pm – 1:00pm

starting from Car Less Brit Museum (but join at any point on route)

310 2nd St SW