A Journal of Movement
On Wednesday July 29th I’m hosing a slideshow and community forum for the Freewheel space in Leavenworth. The event will be held at the Red Barn at Wenatchee River Institute’s Barn Beach Reserve. If you’re in the area and want to be a part of this project I hope you can come by. It’s shaping up a great night that will help us create dialogue for the location of the stand, and generate fundraising to make sure we build something really nice for the town.
Well the time has come and I could not be more excited to share with you all my most recent project: Freewheel – A Public Bicycle Station for Leavenworth Washington. This project is made possible through a generous grant from Alta Community Enrichment, a small but thriving non-profit in Little Cottonwood Canyon that works to supports the arts, cultural events, and education both in and out of LCC. Later this month, I’ll be teaming up with Wenatchee River Institute to host a special event aimed at fundraising and generating community dialogue for the location and installation of this space.
I’m sharing this proposal here to give the community of Leavenworth a chance to preview the plans and ideas involved in this space, but also because it comes straight from the heart of Nature of Motion’s mission – To advocate and encourage the use of the bicycle for travel, adventure, and personal transportation. I’m so excited to be implementing this idea and taking direct action to create the infrastructure needed to help our society transition to a less energy-dependent future. While they might seem small, it’s things like bike lanes, racks, and repair stands that can lay the groundwork and encourage people to consider the bicycle as a safe and convenient alternative to fossil-fuel transportation. The world is changing fast, and it’s about time we catch up.
If you haven’t heard, wildfires have been taking over eastern Washington, with some half dozen different fires including the incredibly massive Carlton Complex which has torched over 215,000 acres to date. Coupled with a couple weeks of 100+ degree heat, and as my friend Scott put it best, it’s felt like a smoky oven. Needless to say, we’ve been laying low and doing our best to adapt to the situation at hand, things seem to be improving but I’m still skeptical for the future. For now, we’re enjoying a reprieve and I’m reflecting as well as looking forward to how and best balance this reality as it unfolds. Below you’ll find a few pictures from our weekend of clarity, and a few words regarding what it’s like living in a pressure cooker. If you’re into pictures or like your dose of crazy diluted as possible, remember to check us out on the Facebook and Instagram, where angry rhetoric is in short supply.
This is a topic I’d been wanting to write about previously, but have only now found the motivation after my recent and unplanned decision to run a marathon. Now, with my legs as tight as a drum, and my general mobility restricted to the house, I’ve found the motivation to put together some words on the subject. Continue reading “Endurance, Recovery, and the Miracle of The Bike”
Fall is underway here in Leavenworth. Kids are back in school, the light is softer and the air has a chill. Liz and I are finished with work for the season and for us this means an opportunity to use the changing of the seasons as a time for personal reflection and growth. For a lot of climbers this much time off would warrant road trips or weekend visits to nearby destinations, but for Liz and I, this time is a stay-cation. We’ve been reading, catching up on the missed yoga, enjoying using our oven again, and generally enjoying life. The cooler temperatures mean we’ve been able to get back down to the crags and domes that line the canyons, the rubber on our shoes is feeling a little stickier and our palms a little less sweaty. We’ve had some visitors this week as well, my brother Taylor managed to make it our for a short visit, getting a quick tour of the area with a hike up to Stuart Lake and a lap up the tireless Castle Rock, sending the six pitches of Catapult and Midway with ease. Scotty’s back with Shakaka and has fallen right into our routine of climbing and laughing, and drinking coffee. Continue reading “Burn it down.”
Last week we wanted to “take it easy”, which more often than not means that instead of a big trip we end up having some very long and hard days. This was no exception. No car, no problem. Continue reading “Outer Space into Orbit”