Today Oil prices jumped over $10 a barrel, although I really don’t know how big that is but according to the New York Times it is the BIGGEST JUMP EVER. Just Frakking Great.

How did I know something was up, I noticed the stock market was taking a nose dive. So now everyone’s savings, 401K, and the overall economy is taking a hit because of some black tar stuff. But don’t forget is was up a ton yesterday as well. I am not annoyed by the economy, we’re tough. What annoys me is how dependent the market is on oil price fluctuations. Wouldn’t it be nice not be so oil dependent? Isn’t say… food, more important.

So that’s it, I am going to do my best to turn my back on oil. I already don’t drive much at all so my new goal is to let my car get dusty sitting in the garage. I’ve got all the bikes, mountain, cruiser, road, beater that no one would want to steal. I’m prepared. And of course I’ll take public transportation. Light rail rocks, the 16th street shuttle does me just fine.

For speed or when I need to get somewhere quick I’ll use my scooter, that will be my indulgence. But with an average of between 70 and 75 mpg I really don’t mind the whole $3.89 it took me to fill the tank last week. It’s still a frak of a lot better than any car.

The area that I haven’t figured out yet is the occasional dressy event out where we all jump in a cab across town. But for that I wonder if I can request specifically a hybrid cab.

And of course. My feet work just fine. Pedestrian friendly all the way. So I’ll keep a tally of how many days it has been since I drove my car. Just a simple goal really. Do my part for reducing my carbon footprint and having a little fun, getting a little healthier, along the way. The last time I drove my car was on Sunday June 1st. So I’m not doing too bad. I have even researched some options for cargo trailers to go on the back of my bike. Anyone else care to cut down on their car use or share how things are going. Look at it like an improvised support group. Do you think going cold turkey on a car is easier or tougher than smoking or heroin. Let’s find out. Here is the Forum Link…

http://www.theurbanbrain.org/viewforum.php?f=6

How much can you cut down on car use and how? Share your story there. ;-)

And if you want to listen to something interesting, but not cheerful, here you go.

And yes, for those who recognize the word Frak… It’s from Battlestar Galactica.  How clever that they created this word and it STUCK but they don’t get in trouble with the censors.

It isn’t often that I get behind the wheel to drive on the roads, but every time I do I ask myself the same question…. “is it time for a new car”.

I don’t really have much in the way of driving. I cruise around Denver by foot, cruiser bike, by my ages old mountain bike, by bus, by light rail, by cab, and by scooter. I rarely drive my automobile (make that, my giant SUV). What drives me to get behind the wheel (get it) is usually a trip to the mountains which may or not have some bad snow conditions or carrying alot of stuff.

My auto, as I mentioned above, is a monster gas guzzling SUV. It’s a 2000 Dodge Durango that I originally bought when I lived in Vail and wanted to be able to get around regardless of the weather or the type of road. It was also a priority to have space for a 125 lb pup. Priorities you know.

But now that I don’t live full time in the mountains I wish I had a nice hybrid to feel better about that drive between here and Vail when I do go to the mountains. At the same time I feel better when I drive in a snow storm (which is often the case as I chase powder days) to have my trusty SUV. I should mention that this SUV has roughly 130,000 miles on it, gets roughly 17 mpg, and just passed it’s emissions test with flying colors.

Here is the question that I have gotten many answers to. Am I more environmentally responsible to keep driving my gas guzzling SUV that I rarely drive anyway until it either fails an emission test or stops working or should I buy a new hybrid now. If you don’t know why this is even a question, you have to understand that there is an argument that one of the biggest damages we are doing as a culture is to be constantly consuming and disposing of everything all the time. We fill up landfills, we create a non stop flow of trash, and we don’t keep something that isn’t shiny and new. There are also arguments being made that the best green technology is just around the corner in 2010. Whatever my green car choice is today may not be as green next year. Also, some people say the greenest car I could buy is a used car for just that reason.

Don’t get me wrong. You can’t put off doing something greener just because the technology will be better tomorrow because (hopefully) the technology will always be getting greener.

But if “Big Red” is still chugging along fine and getting minimal miles at all… is it better to wait. Will my lifetime carbon footprint be lower for not churning through the products I buy treating it all as disposable.

Or perhaps it’s from my upbringing in the Midwest where everyone I knew bought a car and drove it till it simply wouldn’t go another mile. Mind you, no one I knew growing up believed in leasing a car either. And no, we didn’t go cow tipping every weekend.

But I digress.

Ideally I’d love a green vehicle that was a little better suited for deep snow. Maybe the Prius isn’t the best pick, but there has got to be a better option. If I wait, will the options get better? Or is it better to get the big gas guzzling SUV I have now off the road immediately? Does it depend on how much I am driving now, or doesn’t it?

I am keeping my limited drive time gas guzzler for the time being. Especially considering how little I drive. But beat me up, change my mind, or tell me your thoughts. I pose the question because alot of folks may be asking it. Keeping it sure hurts at the gas tank. But does throwing it away really help?
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

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.

It all started when some friends of our got their own cruiser bikes and were showing them off to us after a Rockies game. We had just finished a couple brews and were heading out when they pulled up to show off their new bikes. I wanted to learn more.

Basically the cruiser bikes that are growing in popularity across the country right now are appealing for a number of reasons. First of all they have character. You can get them with awesome paint jobs including flames or flowers, gypsy writing or skull and crossbones. Whatever your taste they have a bike for it. You can get low riders, classic cruisers, European throwbacks, and townie roadsters. Add to that an wide selection of tassles, old fashioned bells, squeaker horns (pictured above), retro lights, front baskets, back baskets and more and you can create your own
piece of art or expression of your personality.

And lets not forget that it is one more two wheel vehicle that allows you to skip the headache of driving in a car, parking a car, and lets you be a little bit more green.

After asking around we found one of the top brands was the Electra Bike. There are many other brands out there and I recommend you take some time to do some web surfing and check them all out. While Electra may be one of the most popular, it may also be the most common. But with so many different styles you can still find something unique and then you have the benefit of customizing it.

Priced from about $100 and up to about $600 for a bike these make great downtown transportation solutions because they aren’t as risky as chaining up a $300 mountain or road bike. Don’t get me wrong, they will get stolen if you don’t have a good bike and word at the bike shop is that this time of year with school starting is ripe with a boost in bike thefts. I even found new ones less than $100 in some of the other brands like XYZ bikes.
Before selecting my bike I searched the Electra Bike site, XYZ Bikes, sixthreezero, Firmstrong, Micargi, Greenline, Nirve, Schwinn, Hampton Cruisers (fun tunes on their site), and Sun. I also checked out the stores around town to “kick the tires” on the different bikes. While I am sure different bike stores focus on different types of bikes I have to compliment the guys at the Cycle Analyst in Wash Park for having the best cruiser selection and accessories. These guys had models on the floor to at least get a feel for the ride and they had TONS of books with the drawings and designs for most of the others. This way you can just stop in, pick out your bike, and either leave with it that day or wait till it comes in. If you can find a floor model you will save yourself the shipping cost. Plus they have so many accessories in stock you can try out different baskets, bells, and everythign else to trick out your bike to your hearts content.

Four of us went over to pick up our Electra’s including mine, one ladies Betty, one ladies, Gypsy, and one ladies Hawaii (all Electra). Then everyone set out by bike to go grab some beers and celebrate their new bikes. The cruiser that was calling my name was the Amsterdam sport. I loved the classic retro European style, the old school leather seat and handle grips, the positioning of the handlebar, and the leaner meaner tires. Or maybe it just reminds me of my dads old cruiser that I used to ride from home to campus and the nostalgia of that time.

Either way, I just love the darn thing. Now I am working to trick it out with my own favorite items and even hunting around on ebay for some antique or European items that aren’t available in the neighborhood store. But thats just me and everyone likes what they like.

If you get one don’t forget to get a GREAT LOCK!! I was warned to only get the U-bolt locks with the newest key lock system. These require a very loud machine to drill away for 20 minutes or so to break and that is not likely to happen without being noticed. The other cable style locks can be cut quickly, quietly, and sadly while you are enjoying a stop in your cruiser day. That would be a big bummer and a big disappointment, especially after you have transferred effort and creativity into making it yours.

I’ll let you know how my adventures on the cruiser bike go. I bought a couple bike maps while I was at it and have a great deal of exploring to do.

This is old news. But people still don’t listen so it is worth repeating. Go by a Nalgene for Pete’s sake. Buy two or three and keep rotating them in the dishwasher so you never have an excuse. I’ll even think of a fun logo for this site and make my own if it helps…. hmmmmm not a bad idea. But anyway, the point is about the Air Grocery Bag.
The New News (redundant) that I wanted to focus on is about a great environmentally friendly solution to grocery bags. If you thought that water bottles were an issue just think of how many plastic grocery bags walk out of Whole Foods and every other grocery store every day. The answer is FAR TOO MANY.

This past weekend I bought a solution for me. A company called Granite Gear is selling a product called an Air Grocery Bag. Awesome and compact this is a wonderful solution that you can use over, and over, and over, and over. And it fits in my scooter or glove box with almost no space taken up. Cool.
So go buy one. Now. Stop using throw away bags.

Actually, every little bit helps so I just like to share with everyone all the ideas out there. Do what you can, maybe even a bit more. You don’t have to be perfect (I certainly am not) but every little bit does make a difference.

Since I have my scooter now and am searching for excuses to use it (ie “sure I’ll go pick up lunch” or “lets get carry out, I’ll fly”) I thought it might be a fun time to try and find the best breakfast pastries, breads, etc. in Denver. So every morning before work I jump on my scooter and cruise out to search out something I can bring back and share with the office.

Not exactly Magellan setting out for the new world, but a good enough of an excuse to cruise around as any. Plus I get to share my finds with others so maybe there is some good karma there as well.

The ground rules are easy. I don’t want to get in my car so the distance shouldn’t be too great (not that I wouldn’t scoot far, I just don’t have that much time before work) and any pastry could work. Bagels, croissants, donuts, etc. Just as long as it counts as breakfast fare.

Day one I scooted up through the Highlands. I remembered seeing a number of bakeries around the 32nd street area. Sure enough, just past Duo I saw a familiar sign for a bakery. It was Rosales Mexican Bakery located at 2636 W. 32nd Ave. I parked my scooter and shot inside.

First of all, the bakery looks like a wonderful spot for great authentic cookies, sugary breads, and other sweet delights. For breakfast fare the options were equally as sweet. Already prepared were a number of sugared donuts, Pan Dulce, and other tempting items.

I asked about other donuts they might have and they said they were about to slather up a number of fresh donuts with some Mexican chocolate sauce. That works for me.

Minutes later I am headed out the door with a dozen donuts under my arm. 6 sugar coated and 6 smothered in chocolate. Not exactly a health breakfast but a little indulgence now and then is good for the soul.

I brought the first day’s bounty back and they got quickly snatched up. The most popular… the chocolate. The donuts themselves had an even richer, more sugary texture than most donuts. Perhaps a characteristic of the Mexican Bakery technique.

And there you have day one of the pastry quest.

Is too much of our life about the money?

The New York Times this past Sunday had an article about how the millionaires out in silicon valley just don’t feel rich anymore. Apparently, once you make $2 million, or $5 million, or even $10 million you still feel the need to work 60, 70, 80 hour weeks to make sure that you can keep up.

For some folks the money goes into bigger, and bigger, and bigger houses. Or faster cars, expensive gems, boats, trips, etc.

Basically, you will always spend what you make and need to make more.

That is so sad. And yet I seem to be spending what I make. I make more than I did when I was just out of college, but I don’t seem to have a great deal of extra. Isn’t it amazing that people just keep finding new things they “need” that they would never dream of years ago under a different tax bracket.

I have to wonder why it is that we just keep buying more and more instead of saving more and more. Are material items really that much more important than our free time, our ability to travel perhaps for a year and see the world? Do we really need the 10,000 sf house and the six figure car if our budgets grow. Is it keeping up with the jones.

Don’t get me wrong, I have my toys that I buy with extra money. But I don’t mind having a new scooter when my car has been paid off for a year. I really don’t feel the need to have the newest and greatest automobile. I do, however, want the coolest blue tooth ear bud for my iphone.

But given the opportunity to have a couple million in income I don’t believe any amount of peer pressure would make me choose to burn through it as quick as I could. I would like to think I would buy more time. More free time, more flexibility, and more freedom.

Check out the article and let me know what you think. Do you believe you will always be spending what you earn, regardless of how high that income goes? If you say you wouldn’t, let me ask you this…. are you currently making more than you made 5 or 10 years ago and are you spending it all? If so, what makes you think it would change?

Perhaps it was meant to be a sob story, but it is a bit more of a reality check. Here is my advice for you future millionaires who might get trapped into working 80 hours a week. Stop buying stuff.

Duh, and yet not the easiest thing to do. What does that say about our culture.

Here is that NYT article

August 5, 2007

In Silicon Valley, Millionaires Who Don’t Feel Rich

By GARY RIVLIN

MENLO PARK, Calif. — By almost any definition — except his own and perhaps those of his neighbors here in Silicon Valley — Hal Steger has made it.

Mr. Steger, 51, a self-described geek, has banked more than $2 million. The $1.3 million house he and his wife own on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean is paid off. The couple’s net worth of roughly $3.5 million places them in the top 2 percent of families in the United States.

Yet each day Mr. Steger continues to toil in what a colleague calls “the Silicon Valley salt mines,” working as a marketing executive for a technology start-up company, still striving for his big strike. Most mornings, he can be found at his desk by 7. He typically works 12 hours a day and logs an extra 10 hours over the weekend.

“I know people looking in from the outside will ask why someone like me keeps working so hard,” Mr. Steger says. “But a few million doesn’t go as far as it used to. Maybe in the ’70s, a few million bucks meant ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,’ or Richie Rich living in a big house with a butler. But not anymore.”

Silicon Valley is thick with those who might be called working-class millionaires — nose-to-the-grindstone people like Mr. Steger who, much to their surprise, are still working as hard as ever even as they find themselves among the fortunate few. Their lives are rich with opportunity; they generally enjoy their jobs. They are amply cushioned against the anxieties and jolts that worry most people living paycheck to paycheck.

But many such accomplished and ambitious members of the digital elite still do not think of themselves as particularly fortunate, in part because they are surrounded by people with more wealth — often a lot more.

When chief executives are routinely paid tens of millions of dollars a year and a hedge fund manager can collect $1 billion annually, those with a few million dollars often see their accumulated wealth as puny, a reflection of their modest status in the new Gilded Age, when hundreds of thousands of people have accumulated much vaster fortunes.

“Everyone around here looks at the people above them,” said Gary Kremen, the 43-year-old founder of Match.com, a popular online dating service. “It’s just like Wall Street, where there are all these financial guys worth $7 million wondering what’s so special about them when there are all these guys worth in the hundreds of millions of dollars.”

Mr. Kremen estimated his net worth at $10 million. That puts him firmly in the top half of 1 percent among Americans, according to wealth data from the Federal Reserve, but barely in the top echelons in affluent towns like Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Atherton. So he logs 60- to 80-hour workweeks because, he said, he does not think he has nearly enough money to ease up.

“You’re nobody here at $10 million,” Mr. Kremen said earnestly over a glass of pinot noir at an upscale wine bar here.

Not every Silicon Valley millionaire, of course, shares that perspective.

Celeste Baranski, a 49-year-old engineer with a net worth of around $5 million who lives with her husband in Menlo Park, no longer frets about tucking enough money away for college for their two children. Long ago she stopped bothering to balance her checkbook. When too many 18-hour days running an engineering department of 1,200 left her feeling burned out and empty, she left and gave herself 12 months off.

Yet like other working-class millionaires of Silicon Valley, she harbors anxieties about her financial future. Ms. Baranski — who was briefly worth as much as $200 million in 2000 but cashed out only $1 million before the collapse of the tech bubble — returned to work in March.

Along with two partners, she founded a software company, Vitamin D, and already she is resigned to the sleepless nights and other stresses that await her. “I ask myself all the time,” Ms. Baranski confessed, “why I do this.”

Working inside a start-up has always been invigorating, she says. But she and her husband, 62, who also works, have concluded that she must stick with it if they are to continue to live the life they enjoy here.

Recently the couple hammered out an agreement: Ms. Baranski will work at least five more years for the sake of their bottom line.

“People around here, if they have 2 or 3 million dollars, they don’t feel secure,” said David W. Hettig, an estate planner based in Menlo Park who has advised Silicon Valley’s wealthy for two decades.

The Luck Factor

Many of the more modest millionaires here feel sheepish, even guilty at times, about their piles of cash. Talent played in a role in their financial success, but so did being at the right place at the right time.

“They recognize that if they happened to walk into a different office,” said Marilyn Holland, a Menlo Park psychologist who has been counseling the Valley’s elite for 25 years, “things would have turned out very differently.”

That is one big difference between these working-class millionaires and the country’s wealthiest tycoons, who tend to see themselves as pillars of the community worthy of the hundreds of millions of dollars, perhaps billions, they now possess.

“A lot of the money here is accidental money,” said Bruce Karsh, 51, an engineer who puts his net worth at $2 million to $4 million. “People weren’t setting out to become gazillionaires.”

Ms. Baranski is one of them. The daughter of a college professor who died when she was 12 and left her mother to raise three children, she began college intending to become a musician. But worries about the debt she was racking up prompted her to transfer to the engineering school, where she eventually earned a master’s in electrical engineering.

That today she is worth around $5 million, said Ms. Baranski, who helped to put herself through school cleaning houses, “was unimaginable in my 20s.”

“I always ask myself, ‘Do I deserve it?’ ” she said. “It never feels like you do, because that’s a lot of money.”

Ms. Baranski is hardly the only working-class millionaire asking herself this question. Ms. Holland said she regularly works with multimillionaires who wonder why they are so well compensated when others, like teachers, who contribute so much to the world, are not.

The lucky moment in Ms. Baranski’s career came when she took a job as the head engineer at Handspring, the hand-held device maker, in September 1999. By the end of 2000, Ms. Baranski’s stock holdings briefly made her one of the wealthier women in Silicon Valley.

At quick glance, Ms. Baranski and her husband, Paul, live modestly. She drives a 2006 Subaru, her husband a six-year-old Saab. Their children attend public school, and vacations tend to be modest affairs centered on visiting family.

Ms. Baranski cares little for clothes or jewelry. They have a swimming pool, but only because Ms. Baranski pressed hard for one, a dream of hers growing up in Southern California.

Like most of her neighbors, Ms. Baranski splurged most on a house in a community studded with some of the most expensive real estate in the country. Early in 2001, when Ms. Baranski seemed richer than she was, they paid $1.95 million for a dilapidated house in Menlo Park, knowing they would tear it down. They spent $1 million over the next few years building their dream house.

Ms. Baranski recognizes, of course, that she is far better off than many of her neighbors. Even well-paid college administrators, professors and other white-collar professionals struggle to pay their bills in this expensive redoubt 30 miles south of San Francisco.

“I don’t know how people live here on just a normal salary,” said Ms. Baranski.

Her nanny rents an apartment in Palo Alto, Ms. Baranski said. She pays her what she described as a generous salary and gave her the keys to her old Saab when she bought the newer one. But “basically I have no idea how she survives here.”

Mr. Hettig, the estate planning lawyer, sums it up for many: “We’re in such a rarefied environment,” he said, “people here lose perspective on what the rest of the world looks like.”

‘A Dime a Dozen’

David Koblas, a computer programmer with a net worth of $5 million to $10 million, imagines what his life would be like if he left Silicon Valley. He could move to a small town like Elko, Nev., he says, and be a ski bum. Or he could move his family to the middle of the country and live like a prince in a spacious McMansion in the nicest neighborhood in town.

But Mr. Koblas, 39, lives with his wife, Michelle, and their two children in Los Altos, south of Palo Alto, where the schools are highly regarded and the housing prices are inflated accordingly. So instead of a luxury home, the family lives in a relatively modest 2,000-square-foot house — not much bigger than the average American home — and he puts in long hours at Wink, a search engine start-up founded in 2005.

“I’d be rich in Kansas City,” he said. “People would seek me out for boards. But here I’m a dime a dozen.”

No one knows for certain how many single-digit millionaires live in Silicon Valley. Certainly their numbers reach into the tens of thousands, say those who work with the area’s engineers and entrepreneurs. Yet nearly all of them still have all-consuming jobs, not only because the work gives them a sense of achievement and satisfaction but also because they think they must work so much to afford their gilded neighborhoods.

That certainly describes Tony Barbagallo, 44, who over the last two decades has collected around $3.6 million in stock and options from companies he has worked for. Despite his good fortune, though, he is surprised to find that he worries like most other Americans about matters as varied as the soaring cost of health care, the high price of college and the pressure to sock away more money for retirement.

Taxes have devoured about 40 percent of his stash, Mr. Barbagallo said, knocking that figure down to $2.2 million. Over the years, he has tried to live off his salary, but not always successfully. To limit their monthly expenses, he and his wife Catherine bought a ranch house far from Silicon Valley, in the town of Moraga, for $750,000 — by Valley standards a modest sum.

But they spent $350,000 on extensive remodeling — causing them, not for the first time, to dip deeply into their nest egg.

Today, he has roughly $1.2 million left in savings and another several hundred thousand dollars’ worth of home equity, Mr. Barbagallo said, with one child in college and a second on her way.

So he works as hard as ever, logging more than 70 hours a week at a San Francisco start-up.

“Poor Tony, he’ll never be able to retire,” Catherine Barbagallo said.

Chasing the Top 0.1 Percent

Many of these millionaires have options, of course, beyond working hard to earn another $5 million to $10 million. A few even choose to jump off the golden treadmill.

That is what Mark Gage, 51, an engineer, and his wife, Meredith, did when they left the Bay Area in 2005 with $3 million or so in assets. They bought a house in Bend, Ore. — “a bigger, much nicer home with dramatic views” — and now Mr. Gage works only when the perfect consulting job presents itself.

Yet the same drive that earned so many of the engineers and entrepreneurs who live here their fortunes keeps them tied to the Valley, which resembles nothing so much as a sprawling post-war suburb, though one whose roadways are thick with cars costing in the six figures.

Umberto Milletti has fantasized about downsizing his life to ease the financial pressures he feels despite a net worth around $5 million. In 2000, when his stake in DigitalThink, the online learning company he co-founded in 1996, was worth around $50 million, he bought his family of four a five-bedroom house in Hillsborough, an upscale suburb south of San Francisco. After his net worth fell 90 percent, though, he found the house more of an albatross than a dream.

“We could move,” Mr. Milletti said. “But if you do that, then you’re admitting defeat. No one wants to go backwards.”

So he works 60 to 70 hours a week at InsideView, an online sales intelligence company he co-founded in 2005, in part to prove that his first success was not a fluke — but also to meet his monthly nut, which includes payments on a seven-figure mortgage.

Silicon Valley offers an unusual twist on keeping up with the Joneses. The venture capitalist two doors down might own a Cessna Citation X private jet. The father of your 8-year-old’s best friend, who has not worked for two years, drives a bright yellow Ferrari. Temptations loom everywhere.

“You see how much money you have in the bank,” Mr. Koblas, the computer programmer, said, “and your eyes get really big.” He described it as “upsizing your life to your cash flow.”

Then there are the additional burdens on this digital elite, said Ms. Holland, the psychologist — demands they are typically not prepared to handle.

“There are all these people who come to you for money,” Ms. Holland said. “Siblings, parents, other relatives. Organizations seeking charitable contributions. There’s this assumption you have all this money — so why don’t you write a big check to the school or to this other charity?”

Other pressures can come from within the social circle. Mr. Barbagallo, for instance, remembers when several couples tried cajoling his wife and him — unsuccessfully — to fly to Las Vegas for a charity event featuring Andre Agassi.

“You look around,” Mr. Barbagallo said, “and the pressures to spend more are everywhere.” Children want the latest fashions their peers are wearing and the most popular high-ticket toys. Furniture does not seem up to snuff once you move into a multimillion-dollar home. Spouses talk, and now that resort in Mexico the family enjoyed so much last winter is not good enough when looking ahead to next year. Summer camp, a full-time housekeeper, vintage wines, country clubs: the cost of living bloats.

To Mr. Milletti, it all looks like a marathon with no finish line.

“Here, the top 1 percent chases the top one-tenth of 1 percent, and the top one-tenth of 1 percent chases the top one-one-hundredth of 1 percent,” he said.

“You try not to get caught up in it,” he added, “but it’s hard not to.”

Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company

Nope, this isn’t a continuation of the scooter story saying I only go 10 mph. This is about a movie being done by some Denverites called 10 mph that will be playing here starting August 9th and going through the 12th.

The story is based upon a documentary by a couple guys who, basically, decided not to give up on their artistic ambitions for a regular paycheck. So they did what so many aspire to do and quit their jobs to go hit the road. Their method of hitting the road, however, may not be what many of you aspire to.

These two adventurous spirits set out to conquer the world, from coast to coast, on a segway. You heard me right (or read me right) that these two friends, Josh Caldwell and Hunter Weeks, carried on this quest at a mere 10 mph. They had a crew following them the entire way, sought out sponsors, and had both good and bad run ins with local law enforcement. From Seattle to Boston, their 200+ hour trip was documented and the best 90 minutes or so is making to a screen for your entertainment.
They claim that the movie will make you want to quit your jobs so maybe you should see the movie on a Friday night to give yourself time to reflect. Or not, its really up to you. Either way, it looks like a great story.

One point they make is that we just need to SLOW DOWN. Since we now cruise across the country at 70 mph in our steel boxes we have lost touch not only to the feel of our surroundings but even to the enjoyment of the details. I agree. Even just going from my car to my scooter or bicycle I suddenly notice more about everything. I see the neighborhood better, the little restaurants, shops, people. Everything. I also notice the person on the cell phone who almost runs me over but that is a different detail. It’s a good point that is based upon the premise that with the very first travelers across America their average speed was 10 mph and it was a better speed for living and, at that speed, for smelling the roses.

Hunter Weeks and Josh Caldwell met in college while studying abroad in Indonesia. This exotic adventure served as a precursor to the exploratory path the two friends would lead as business partners and eventually co-producers of 10 MPH, a feature-length independent documentary and their debut as filmmakers.

They began their entrepreneurial journey in Tucson, Arizona with the launch of a non-profit organization aspiring to explore the world through a web-based interactive experience rich with multi-media content including audio interviews, video, photography and writing. Throughout the next few years, they realized several periods of growth and transition until the time came for them to leave their nine-to-five web marketing jobs to pursue careers in film and multimedia.

They moved to Denver, Colorado to launch their production company, Spinning Blue, and soon after began production on a documentary following a whirlwind coast-to-coast 10 mph road trip that would solidify their passion for that thing they knew they were meant to do: filmmaking.

Their previous professional endeavors armed Hunter and Josh with the business knowledge, strategic sense and logic they needed to successfully undertake a feature-length production. Their sense of adventure, curiosity and passion for telling stories gave them the courage they needed to dive in head-first.

With virtually no connections in the film industry, no formal training and no financial backing from investors, Hunter and Josh whole-heartedly embraced the independent nature of this first production. Taking a grassroots approach to building a web of supporters throughout communities across the country, Hunter and Josh were able to create a qualified film while defying conventional means to filmmaking.

They used one Sony PD-150 with a 16:9 lens as well as some additional microphones during production, logging 180 hours of footage after an intense 100-day period of principal photography. They rallied a small post-production team, soliciting help from the Denver film community for special effects, sound engineering, and other postproduction needs. They edited the film using Final Cut Pro.

Interested in tickets, check out the film site at the Denver Film Society.

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.

But except for those periodic mountain adventures I would prefer to travel as light and environmentally friendly as possible. So with the addition of a scooter to replace an auto for the 99% of my life spent here in Denver I just went from a measly 13 mpg to a wonderful 60 or more mpg. I may rarely, if ever, drive. But now at least I feel better about it.

Now let me tell you a little bit more about the process to get yourself zipping around on a scooter, just in case you are thinking about it.

PART I – Bike and Class

First of all, you need to decide if you want a smaller engine such as a 50cc engine or something larger like a 150 cc. There is a big distinction between the two. With a 50 cc engine you can just buy and go, parking wherever you want on curbs and other spots. It is looked at more like a bicycle as far as rules and licensing are concerned. No special license required or endorsement on your license. But it has a little less pep, so if you need or want to be able to accelerate when you need to (this can be a bonus for safety to get out of someone’s way or in traffic) this might not be the best choice.

Now with the bigger engine you will have the zip to power on Speer if some loser doesn’t see you and starts to weave into your lane, but it also means the process to get you legally zipping around takes a few more steps.

But that is the cool part, there is no difference between you and a motorcycle as far as the law is concerned. You need to go pass both a written and driving test on your scooter before the great state of Colorado will give you permission to zip around. Now to be clear, you need a license to legally drive a larger engine scooter but you don’t need one to buy one.

Guess what that means… alot of people buy a larger scooter and drive around without their endorsement or at least until they get around to taking the test. Or you have another alternative. You can do what I did and sign up for a Motorcycle Safety Foundation two day class which runs you through all the safety, training, and other knowledge you need to be safe on the road information and prepares you to pass the test at the end of the two days.

Did I mention it will also shorten your wait at the DMV? More about that later. Plus your MSF safety card usually, with most carriers, gets you some preferred insurance rates.

Anyway, back to the class and the story I have about that.

The class costs about $240 and states that it goes from 7 am to 5 pm for two days straight. I signed up for the this past weekend and followed all the rules which are to (1) make sure to pick up your homework book at one of the local scooter spots and get it done before class (easy), (2) Wear long pants, over ankle boots or shoes, long sleeve shirt, and gloves, and (3) don’t be late.

The being late part is really important. If they start class without you then you cannot jump in. Say good by to your class cost and if it is for day two you just lost that one day you spent already. It has something to do with the insurance of joining the class if you miss even a little bit of the instruction. So don’t be late. Even if you stay up late at a birthday party the night before.
The class was held at the Denver Coliseum. You know this spot, a beat up old parking lot located off of I-70 filled with leftover carnival cars and junked up trailers with the trains running by and the overpass hanging overhead. Very pretty and cheerful, but perfect for having a safe wide open spot to practice.

Our road instructor was a great seasoned ex police motorcycle officer. He had a great sense of humor, dry and quick, and could do about anything on his bike. He was fondly referred to by his younger cohort and fellow instructor as yoda, the wise teacher. Yoda, it turns out, could ride tight circles on his hog while balancing with his knees on the seat, which we witnessed as they tested out a bike during an out of class break.

In a class of 12, I was the only scooter among a pack of motorcycles. They had road bikes, dual bikes, Yamahas, Kawasakis, and more. I, however was on the “cute bike”. That’s okay, the younger instructor confessed he had never ridden a scooter until the class and loved them. They were, as he described it, “just fun”. No need to shift or worry about maneuvers… you just zip and go.

The first day we spent half the day on the course testing one drill to the next. Part of it was a bit dull for me when the drills called for learning to shift (Scooters like mine don’t shift). But that just meant I zipped the loop having fun. The weather was humid, like walking around with the dense weight of the water pressing on you. But it was overcast and the sun stayed hidden so we got spared a bit.

You spend your first day first learning how to power walk your bike, then progress to drills taking you back and forth, shifting, doing turns. It’s fun and fairly easy. Just getting a feel for your bike (or scooter). By about 1 pm you get a quick break for lunch and then are asked to meet at Sun Honda for the written part of the class. For those of you who hate tests, this is one you shouldn’t stress about.

We get there and get a two part video watching and discussion section that covers the basics of bike safety and common sense. I mean, really, you will not have to stress about the test. The instructor said they gave it to a group of nuns who never took or read any classwork about motorcycle safety and they all passed.

He also said he stopped telling that story after he told it and someone didn’t pass. And of course he told our class, so anyone who didn’t pass must really have felt great about hearing that comment. I do think we may have had one person who did not pass. But some people just hate tests (or really should not be out there on the road).

I forgot to mention. The price tag for us to have the class at Sun appears to be in the form of advertising. We all first went on a 25 minute tour of the building, the showrooms, the bikes, the accessories and the service department. Our guide cut to the chase and let us know he was available if we want to buy anything and would give a discount to the class.

I can’t really complain. They provide a space to do the class and I am sure a number of those newly trained motorcycle consumers loved seeing the big classic Harleys. Some of them might even buy something. They also have a cool room upstairs with vintage bikes that was fun to see. And the crowds checking out the bikes were almost as interesting as the bikes themselves.

After a few hours of watching, listening, and quite a bit of yawning its a quick written test, immediate feedback on your score, and out the door. By now it is after 6 pm. Plan to run over the first day with the goal of getting out early the next.

Intermission: I want out for a friends birthday party that night and we had both Saki and beer. I will pay for this later

Sunday morning we all arrive at 7 am. I am feeling less than perfect from the birthday party before and guess what the weather decides to do to help me out. It decides to be 100% sunshine, humidity, and scorching heat. The black asphalt acts as an amplifier to the heat sending it up through our boots and the bikes are radiating more heat as they chug through the day. Ouch.

There is a series of 7 drills on day two that include….

• Quick stops demonstrating the ability to, well, stop quick
• Tight U turns to demonstrate your ability to maneuver in close places
• Corner turns to demonstrate going on an on or off ramp
• Wider turns to demonstrate curves of a road
• Swerving to dodge obstacles
• Riding over something in the road (a 2X4 in this case)
• Doing lane changes
• Stopping in a curve

The drills were fun, and the only time that we got a break from the heat with some nice wind. That and hiding out under the overpass. They also prepared us for the test which included the U turn first, the quick stop second, and finally the curves.

The good news is that these tests are items that we already did many many times. When you did it wrong you did it again. If you thought you did it right but missed something, they tell you. It really does mean that you learn something for road safety that is needed. It also prepares you for the test.

I couldn’t imagine, if you never rode a scooter or a bike, that these tests wouldn’t be a little tricky. But with the two days sweating on that parking lot you get it dialed in perfectly. And hopefully you don’t get to nervous and forget it when the actual test arrives. Two people did have a bit of a freak out during the test and after completing the u turn (the test that gave everyone the most trouble) and then forgot to cruised right through the easy stop. Ouch again.

So that was it. Test is passed, class is wrapped up, and it’s only 2:30 pm. We take our wonderful Motorcycle Safety Cards (which are not your license) and our stinky, sweaty selves and cruise out of there as fast as we can for cool showers at home.

PART II – The DMV

This deserves it’s own heading because if you do this wrong you will sit in line for a long, long, long, long time.

Your card means you don’t have to wait in the super long line at the DMV, or take the test there. For those who don’t know, the DMV can be the single longest line in the city of Denver. That and the Social Security Department. So just trust me on this advice on how to handle it. Go to te office before they open at 8 am. Some say to go at 7, I went at 20 till. There was already a long line in front of me waiting to get in the door but most of these folks will need to do the long process of the test. You, with your handy motorcycle endorsement card, will be going to the expedited line. After the first 30 people ahead of me walked in and got numbers I just told them what I needed and was sent, instead, to the head of the line for quick stuff (or something like that). A quick show of the card, a punch of my old license, and my $2 fee and I was all set. Done. The time was 8:15 am. I was there for 35 minutes. Behind me in the “short line” by the time I was done were about 40 people. The difference of showing up 20 minutes before they opened and arriving after may have saved me 2 hours. Think about it.
I almost forgot my last experience before I got to go scooting around Denver testing out my new scooter and my new license… it was the moment of getting my new photo taken at the DMV.

Without giving me a heads up the DMV representative snapped a photo and said I was all wrapped up.

“How did the photo turn out then? Does it look okay?” I asked

He paused for a second, looked down at his screen and replied “Well, it looks like you”

I don’t think I want to see this license.

Share your thoughts and lets see what sort of scooter town Denver is.