This upcoming September 22nd is World Wide Car Free Day!!

Leave your car at home and bike, walk, or use public transportation. Just don’t get in that car!! Learn more about this worldwide organization here.

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I had a wonderful little surprise in my mailbox the other day. A new program that is being promoted by the Downtown Denver Partnership called “Drive Less Denver” is promoting, simply put, an effort to drive less in Denver.

As they phrase it, “Creative Ways to Maneuver Downtown Without a Car” the site promotes the bus system, light rail bike paths, and walking paths throughout downtown. The site also has its own Drive Less Denver Blog that documents various people’s efforts to embrace the automobile free lifestyle. In my opinion the blog is the best part of the site giving a story and a personality to this “drive less” challenge.

The site also offers info and maps for all the routes around town and the Mayor’s challenge itself. Plus some other informational features about RTD and more. Check it out and enjoy. Every little bit helps.

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The first time I took my new Electra Cruiser Bike on a ride I dang near wiped out. I was coming up to my first intersection and started grasping for the hand brakes.

There are no hand brakes on a cruise bike. It is far simpler than that. You pedal forward, you move forward. You pedal backwards, you stop. But it is taking my brain a little time to let go of all the years of using hand brakes on scooters, bikes, mountain bikes and pretty much anything on two wheels.

But other than that.. I love my new Cruiser bike. And here is the scoop on where to find them. [Read more →]

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Grab your cruiser bike, road bike, mountain bike or trick bike and head over to the the Colorado State Capital in Downtown Denver tonight (Saturday) for the Kaiser Permanente Moonlight Bike Ride.

This just sounds fun to me. Cruising through the streets of Denver with the soft glow of the moon showing you the way. And with a “Gonzo” wave of folks taking off in the later start and a costume contest element I think half of the event is just about having fun and, as is a common theme for me, being a kid again.

Now my favorite is a snow shoe under a full moon where the light from moon bouncing off the snow literally makes it bright as day. But for city living this sounds like the same great idea. And don’t forget it goes to benefit a good cause…

Proceeds from the Kaiser Permanente MOONLIGHT CLASSIC benefit SENIORS INC.

Created in 1969, SENIORS INC. is a non-profit agency dedicated to promoting independence and enriching the quality of life as we age.

The organization sponsors programs and services throughout Colorado which help and encourage the elderly to live independently, and support opportunities for older adults to continue to learn, grow and contribute to society.

Contact Seniors Inc. at 303.300.6900 or at www.seniorsinc.org.

Here are the details…

The event will start and finish at the foot of Colorado’s most recognizable landmark - The Colorado State Capitol in downtown Denver. The 15-mile course will tour other landmarks, new and old. A shorter 8-mile course will also be available. Registration and the 180 Energy Drink After Hours Cycling Bash will take place on Saturday night from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.The Family Wave of riders starts at 10:30 p.m. and the “Gonzo Wave” begins at 11:30 p.m.

Proceeds from the Kaiser Permanente Moonlight Classic benefit Seniors Inc., a non-profit agency dedicated to promoting independence and enriching the quality of life as we age.

For more information and to register to participate, visit www.moonlight-classic.com or call 303-282-9020.

Where: Downtown Denver - The event will start and finish at the foot of the Colorado State Capitol
When: 8:30 p.m.

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The single most photographed bridge in denver is getting a much needed facelift over the next few months.

Originally designed to look beautiful, which it did, the bridge also collected water on the stairs causing a rust. Over the past couple years it has been repainted, and repainted, and repainted.

Well now it is getting a full overhaul with some beautiful granite stairs. It will be looking beautiful!

Here is that schedule for those of you who live or use the bridge regularly. The good news is that only one side gets the face lift at a time so you don’t have to worry about going around. Schedule from Riverfront Park.

DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Weeks beginning:

* 8/6 – Close Bridge Stairs and open temporary stairs for pedestrian access
* 8/6 – Remove center railing on Bridge Stairs
* 8/6 – Set up supports for bike ramp
* 8/6 – Begin removal of treads

* 8/13 – Continue removal of treads/landings/decking

* 8/20 – Continue removal of treads/landings/decking

* 8/27 – Remove outside railings/decking/structural support angles
* 8/27 – Start installation of new steel angles and tube steel

* 9/4 – Continue installation of new steel angles and tube steel

* 9/10 - Continue installation of new steel angles and tube steel

* 9/17 – Continue installation of new steel angles and tube steel
* 9/17 – Start installation of granite treads

* 9/24 – Sand blast existing white/rust colored structural steel
* 9/24 – Painting of existing steel
* 9/24 – Continue installation of granite treads/landings

* 10/1 - Continue installation of granite treads/landings

* 10/8 - Continue installation of granite treads/landings

* 10/15 - Continue installation of granite treads/landings

* 10/22 - Continue installation of granite treads/landings

* 10/29 – Completion activities/demobilize/punchlist

Which means it will be open just in time for Halloween. Lets all have a spooky celebration there.

And for those who don’t know the exact details of this famous Denver bridge here is the quick scoop…

Denver Millennium Bridge Opens

Date: 26/04/2002

The Denver Millennium Footbridge was officially opened by the Denver Mayor, Wellington Webb, on Monday 22 April at a ceremony attended by city and state dignitaries as well as engineers, architects, and local residents.

Arup provided civil and structural design services from the beginning of 2000, and were present on site throughout the construction phase. The design team overcame the significant challenges presented by the complex geometry of the cable-stayed structure’s 200ft (61m) tall steel mast and unusually wide deck (80ft / 24m) to produce this spectacular structure.

and…

Millennium Bridge in Denver
One of the greatest hurdles architectural engineers faced in creating this beautiful bridge in LoDo was developing a clear span across 125 feet of railroad track while keeping the vertical elevation gain at less than 30 feet. They decided to develop a unique “cable stayed” solution using a tall mast to hang the deck. The mast was placed on the city side of the bridge visible from downtown. The cables to both the bridge deck and grade were arrayed from there. To make the structure as thin as possible a steel frame that derives its stiffness from tension applied to the thin structure of the deck was conceived. This “post-tensioning” was achieved by installing beams with engineered sag, then using the mast as a lever to pull up the deck with the cables into a shallow bow while the opposite end of the bridge is held down by two steel rods. Concrete was then applied pushing down the deck and applying tension to the cables. The combination of tension in the cables and the rods form a thin, stiff and stable deck assembly. The Denver Millennium Bridge was the first cable stayed bridge in the world to use this post-tensioned structural concept.

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This past weekend and today I took a small step forward in reducing my carbon footprint. As of this morning I am an officially licensed motorcycle licensed scooter driver.

How does this reduce my carbon footprint? Well so far whenever I had to get somewhere quick or without the time or the convenience of jumping on my bike I would pull out my keys and jump into that gigantic SUV I bought back in 2000 to travel across town. I keep the beast because (1) it is paid for and (2) I have a 125 lb pup along with tons of gear that I need to carry between Denver and Vail whenever I get a chance to enjoy the mountains. [Read more →]

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What a fun tagline… “Serious food Silly Prices”!

While there has a been a great deal of excitement about the new King Sooper announcement another grocery store has popped up and opened for business. In the Highlands and close to the CPV, at the corner of 38th and Wolff a Sunflower Farmer’s Market began serving the community. Initial feedback was that there was wonderful produce to fill the need of local cooks and munchers downtown.

Let’s face it, a grocery store is a big big thing. Bigger than a top restaurant, bigger than a retail shop, a grocery store that is convenient makes our lives that much easier. So last night I went to check it out.

[Read more →]

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The 2007 Tour de France has started!!

And to track it you need to check out these links

Here is the Tour de France Blog.

Here is the Tour de France Site.

How amazing is this race, the athletes, and the history and tradition of this incredible event. Plus just think how cool it would be if we all got out on bikes to take advantage of this great mode of transportation across the world more. Reducing carbon footprints, traveling from place to place feeling and touching everything.

That does it. I am getting my messenger bag ready for some serious rides. I spent last summer picking up groceries on my mountain bike and cruising around to town hopping curbs and exploring roads. This year I am getting a road bike and increasing my range and adding a few road events to my plan. So if you get a chance visit the “which bike should I get” forum question and give me some help.

The tour has me pumped up. How cool.

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Today I am picking up my scooter. Lets face it, if I have to go somewhere not on foot or bike at least I can use as little fuel as possible. And the zippy things can be fun. I won’t tell you what I picked out, but I will tell you [Read more →]

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Paraskevidekatriaphobia is the fear of Friday the 13th. In honor of this how about a little trivia…
Friday the 13th

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Cite This Source

A Friday occurring on the 13th day of any month is considered to be a day of bad luck in English, German and Portuguese-speaking cultures around the globe. Similar superstitions exist in some other traditions. In Greece and Spain, for example, Tuesday the 13th takes the same role. The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia (a word that is derived from the concatenation of the Greek words Παρασκευή, δεκατρείς, and φοβία, meaning Friday, thirteen, and phobia respectively; alternate spellings include paraskevodekatriaphobia or paraskevidekatriaphobia) or friggatriskaidekaphobia, and is a specialized form of triskaidekaphobia, a phobia (fear) of the number thirteen.

History of Friday the 13th

There is no reliable evidence that Friday the 13th was considered to be especially inauspicious before the late nineteenth century, though both Friday and the number thirteen were separately identified as negative. Because of this, attempts to explain the superstition with reference to historical events are speculative.

One proposed origin relates to the Last Supper. Judas, the thirteenth guest, was instrumental in the Crucifixion of Jesus, which happened on a Friday.

Other theories offered in relation to Friday suggest that Eve offered the apple to Adam on a Friday or the slaying of Abel happened on a Friday (though the Bible does not identify the days of the week when these events occurred). [Read more →]

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