Show #657 – August 23, 2024

Guests: Laura Moulton; Cassie Brandt

As August comes to a close we are beginning to wrap-up our series on great riding trails.  This episode, we take a ride down the Katy Trail in Missouri with trail manager Cassie Brandt.

We’ve had clients tell us how much they enjoy the Katy and listening to Cassie, you might just want to add it to your bucket list.

Before we get to the trail though, my first guest today is .  Back in 2011, I spoke with Laura about her then 3-month art project, Street Books, in Portland, Oregon.

Fast forward 13 years! And, Laura has sort of been kicked upstairs to an administrative position as executive director for the non-profit. Today, Street Books has expanded from one bicycle driven library to three with a set schedule, thousands of books loaned out free each year, and an incredibly inspirational story.  I can’t imagine you not finding this project important and heartwarming.

  In addition to the link to “Loaners,” the book she and “Hodge” wrote, here is a second link to the Librarian Summit on YouTube

If you think you’d like to start a project like Street Books in your community, log on to streetbooks.org and contact Laura.  I can’t think of any reason this wouldn’t be welcomed in any neighborhood.

The Katy Trail is the longest rail trail in the Rails-to-Trails network, consisting of 240 mostly flat miles.  Yep!  Mostly flat! 

Managed on a day-to-day basis by four State Parks, it’s Cassie’s job to make sure that the trail is monitored for problems, even offering up a lost-and-found for cell phones that seem to get left behind occasionally.  Let’s take a little trip on the Katy and find out what you can see, what you can do (other than riding,) and of course where you can eat and stay.

My thanks to Cassie for joining me to fill us in on all-things-Katy-Trail.  Here is a photo of the Sunflower silo  and a link to the Sedalia Depot.  I’m thinking this should be one of our bucket list items.

 

 

Our new YouTube channel will be live soon and, although we won’t be uploading video, you will be able to listen if your favorite medium is YouTube!  We’ll add the link to the channel on the website too.

Next time on TOC, we’ll be speaking with Bruce Donald, the CT manager for the ECG.  He’s got SO much knowledge about not only the CT portions of the route, but much of the Southern New England area.

August 23_transcript

 

 

Show #656 August 14, 2024

Guests: Jill Warren; Scott Kasper

Back in April, 65 members of the European Cyclists Federation, representing 40 countries, signed the EU Declaration of Cycling.

Founded in 1983, the European Cyclists’ Federation is a Brussels-based independent non-profit association dedicated to achieving more and better cycling for all in Europe.

The ECF’s mandate?  That by 2030 there will be more cycling, safer cycling, and stronger political support for cycling that includes higher investment with more and better infrastructure.

Today, my guest is Jill Warren.  Jill, who is CEO of the European Cyclist’s Federation, left the corporate world to pursue a career committed to expanding cycling for everyone everywhere.  She’s lived in Europe for 35 years and, although she does have a car, rarely drives it, depending instead upon one of the stable of bikes for transport.

Jill says, and I quote, “there is no conceivable way to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the European Green Deal or climate-neutral cities without significantly more cycling.”

You can find out more about the ECF at ecf.com.  And, sign up for their newsletter there too.  I’m hoping we here in the U.S. can take a page out of her playbook in hopes of expanding our cycling infrastructure. 

In the second half of our episode today, we continue our summer exploration of great and favorite trails. 

One of my past guests, Scott Kasper, contacted me and wanted to share his experience of the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park in Utah.

Not as well known or traveled as the Grand Canyon, Scott thinks this trail is just as breathtaking and urges us to drop in, climb out, and disconnect from the grid for a few days, taking in the beauty of the rugged White Rim Trail.

Located between the Green and Colorado Rivers, the 100-mile MTB trail is both rugged and breathtaking.  As promised, Scott’s gallery shows the beauty of the White Rim Trail. 

My thanks to Scott for sharing his experience of the White Rim Trail in Moab.  As promised, we’ve posted a gallery of his photos on outspokencyclist.com.

We’ll be heading to Missouri to explore the 240 mile Katy Trail on our next Katy Trail, episode and will be having a chat with Professor Wes Marshall whose book, “Killed By A Traffic Engineer,” is acclaimed as the transportation book that will change the way you look at our streets.  Provocative title, huh?

Thanks for listening – I hope you enjoyed the show.

Hope you’re having a great day.  Stay safe.  Stay well.  And remember, there is always time for a ride.  Bye bye.`

Transcript_ August 14_2024

 

 

Show #216 – October 18, 2014

Guests: Philly Bike Expo’s Bina Bilenky Trahan, Rails-to-Trails director Keith Laughlin; Brett Horton of the Horton Collection

As bike shows go, the Philly Bike Expo is one of the best! And, as the weekend of November 8-9th approaches, I thought it would be a good idea to check in with show director Bina Bilenky Trahan and find out what is new for 2014. The Outspoken Cyclist herself will be attending the show this year too!

As we ramp up to the midterm elections here in the U.S., and with a possible changing of the majority party as an outcome, I wanted to find out how transportation issues might be affected. So, I always like to go to the “man-in-the-know”, Rails to Trails director Keith Laughlin. Keith has been in Washington, DC for many, many years and knows what is happening in Congress as well as anyone. He’ll also catch us up on some new and exciting developments with Rails to Trails for 2015.

Even though it’s still 10 weeks until the holidays, I wanted to get a jump start on some ideas for the gift giving season and, as everyone knows, I LOVE books!

From the over 170,000 photographs of the 1920’s and 1930’s of what racing looked like in the early 20th Century, Brett Horton, owner and curator of the Horton Collection was able to choose 106 of them to offer in a lovely hardbound book titled “Goggles & Dust – Images from Cycling’s Glory Days”. The book celebrates the grit and determination of the bicycle racing pioneers who established the records, traditions, and distinct flavors of Europe’s most hallowed races.