Mending Fences

There's something happening around Spruce Grove that you might not be aware of...

Spruce Up Spruce!

Spruce Up Spruce is a project started and organized by Spruce Grove's Mayor, Stuart Houston. I first learned of it during the planning stages for La Tour De Spruce when we met for the pre-Tour route ride. In case you happen to be around Spruce Grove, This is what Mayor Houston looks like: 

Yup, he is usually smiling and out doing something interesting for Spruce Grove. So, Spruce Up Spruce... This project includes painting the street facing fences around Spruce Grove. When Stuart first mentioned the project back in May, they volunteer painters were painting their way West on Grove Drive. The next time you head down Grove Drive, have a look at the fences. You'll note that they are freshly painted. Now, what many people aren't aware of, is that the fence painting - including the street facing side - is actually the home owners' responsibility. When a new building project takes place, the builder puts on the initial coat of paint but the home owner who buys the house is then responsible for the upkeep of the paint job on BOTH sides of the fence.

So why is the Mayor of Spruce Grove out painting fences? Well, first to bring awareness to the need to keep up with the fence painting but more importantly, to build a community. He doesn't simply send out a letter and say "Hey, You, homeowner, you need to paint your fence". Instead, he let's you know that you are responsible for painting your fence AND if you need a hand, there are both paint and willing painters to help you out (disclaimer - I've never seen any of the letters that go out but have heard they offer painting assistance & paint). 

I've always enjoyed volunteering especially when you can see your work in action or the results of that work. Don't get me wrong, charities need money but it is such a rewarding feeling to do something and see the results. I was hooked and started making plans to join the crew (by "crew" I mean the volunteers who show up to paint - not a set group of people but whoever is available at the time). With my training schedule from May to August, I'm almost embarrassed to admit that it took me all the way to August 17th to finally get out to paint but I did get out and here is what happened that day:

The fence featured in this tale is on the south side of Longview Drive, between Linkside Court & Calahoo - in case you want to drive by and admire it. :D Above is the before picture - quite weathered and ready for paint. A crew of 10 (including home owners who live on the other side of the fence) was on hand and 16 sections of fence awaited our brushes. Note: there are official colors, you can check Home Hardware to find out what they are. 

Several of us started with the light grey of main fence: 

 

While others came behind us with the blue:

 

The entire project took about 2-3 hours - several gallons of paint (2 coats of each color) & Tim's coffee (thank you to the volunteer who brought the java) -  and many hellos from curious passer-bys who stopped to check out what was going on.

At the end of the day we left behind a "new" fence, thankful homeowners (one in particular was ill and unable to paint the fence themselves but joined us with the loan of his weed whacker and in conversation), and a few more Spruce Grovers who know that they don't live in a city but in a community.

I can't wait for next year's Spruce Up Spruce weekends - stay tuned, I'll post the dates here so you can join us too! For now, some pics of the day:

W. O. W.

Crazy ride of insanity! I'll update with a post soon but this ride is now in the books!

Sadie is heading home!

These Hills Are Not the Boss of Me!

O. M. G.

Up at 5, Sadie was making new friends right away. She says Emma is so cool!

The plan this year was to get to the front of the lineup so that I could head out early in the pack and shave a half hour off of last year's time of 7.5 hours on day 1. 

So.. Up front Sadie & I went!

And out the gate at 9am. :) We were off and riding like the wind (unless there was a hill, then we rode like a tortoise). The first rest stop came up in no time at all. I hear rumors that it was only 15 km into the ride. Sadie was feeling good and I was set on snacks & water so we took a pass. Off to the second stop we went.

During the first 2 legs of the ride there were 2 riders down, both in car vs rider events. Nothing appears to be broken for either rider and we hope that they are okay. 

Rest stops were amazing, as usual, with water, snacks, snacks, and snacks and many helpful volunteers. Did I mention the super clean and plentiful porta potties? :D 

Sadie had a quick checkup due to her stubborn refusal to shift into the largest front gear. As I suspected, her bottom bracket is pretty loose and needs replacing after the ride. The helpful bike mechanic gave her a tweak and she performed better for the remainder of the ride. 

Lunch was far better this year and I was happy to have the turkey & cheese out of the sandwich along with a super gooey, chocolatey, tasty brownie. 

1 more stop after lunch and we were on the final leg. 

Now, I need to send a HUGE Thank You out to Alex, Jimi, and Adam who were the best ride buddies EVER! Not that they rode WITH me, exactly but they rode past me after every rest stop and always had something wonderful to say. :) Guys, I truly enjoyed your company today. Alex, I've stalked you on Facebook already and look forward to looking up your radio program. Adam, my name is not Mary but I'll share cheese & wine or beer & nachos with you anytime. Jimi, I am absolutely still having an amazing time!!! 

Did I mention that I did the 115 in 6 hours today? Oh, yeah! :D

And now, time to call it a night. See you all in the morning!! 

Today We Ride

5am and I'm awake. I'll catch the 6am shuttle to Canada Olympic Park for opening ceremonies & breakfast. 9am we ride. 

The weather looks good, cool for now and sunny for most of the day. Sunblock is in order. 

See you all at the other end! :)

Fundraising

Hello!

Thanks for stopping by to follow the adventures of Sadie, Ghiry, myself, and all of my friends. We are having a lot of fun biking, taking in the scenery, attending festivals, and meeting new people. But what is it all about?

For the next 2 weeks it is all about fund raising. You see, I am riding in The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer on August 9th & 10th and I need your help. I've set my goal really high this year and have reached out to a lot of people but I'm not even close to making my goal. This is where you come in!

The goal: $25,000
Current donations: $2,542

Remember, a donation doesn't need to be huge, it just needs to happen. A lot of little donations add to to a lot of money very quickly. So please, click the link and make a donation today. Everything is done online. It's quick, it's easy and YOU are making an epic impact on the fight to conquer cancer!


THIS IS THE LINK --> http://www.conquercancer.ca/goto/nhkayakgirl2014 <---- RIGHT THERE!

UPDATE Aug 1, 2014 - Funds raised to date: $3252. Let's keep the momentum going! There are only 7 days until I RIDE! :) Click the link above to donate!

UPDATE Aug 5, 2014 - Funds raised to date: $3352. CLICK THE LINK ABOVE TO HELP GROW THAT AMOUNT! :)

UPDATE: Aug 6, 2014 - $3402! Thanks to a "stranger". :D

UPDATE: Aug 7, 2014 - $3502 - Thank you out to Lorna & Eldon! Your donation will show up on my page in a couple of weeks after it is processed. 

Bicycle Repair Man!

Ghiry was so excited to be taking a ride that he didn't even notice Sadie in the truck when he bounded into the back set. It wasn't until we had reached Edmonton that he calmed down enough to realize that her rear tire was hanging over the back of his seat. "Um, Mom, where are we going and why is Sadie in the truck?", he asked. I explained that Sadie had a check up with Bicycle Repair Man tonight and we were taking her to his shop. Though not highly amused to be sharing his space with "the bike", Ghiry was tickled that it wasn't him who had a check up tonight.

Super cute Bicycle Man leaning against a tree in the yard. I couldn't resist! 

While Keith (aka Raving Bike Fiend, Bicycle Repair Man, etc.) popped Sadie up on the stand for her check up, Ghiry headed off to hang with Dani. He reports that he had a wonderful walk up and down the street, enjoyed a cool drink, sniffed the heck out of the back yard, got more hugs than he's had in his life, and generally enjoyed himself immensely. I've been instructed (by Ghiry) that he is not to be left behind on future trips to RBF Cycles. Fortunately, they are super dog friendly so I think I may oblige as long as I'm not heading off on a ride from there.

The concern this evening for me was the state of Sadie's tires, rims, and rear breaks. We have only 2.5 weeks until THE RIDE and I'd had a flat tire on Sunday's ride. My concern was that if it was time to change the tires, let's check the rims to see where they are at before heading out to buy new tires. Keith assured me that although it is probably time to change at least the rear rim, Sadie is just fine for THE RIDE. And despite the flat yesterday, tires are made of 2 layers and I've only got nicks and tiny cuts in the outer layer of the tires so I should be fine. Oh, you can be sure I've got spare tubes on hand just in case! The only real repair Sadie required as a new set of rear break pads. For 23, and having ridden over 1500 km in the past year, she is holding up amazingly well.

Even though I've been cycling for 32 years, sometimes I feel pretty bike dumb. It's like when you buy a car or a computer or a fancy new phone - you aren't necessarily the one fixing it and so, might know little about it. I'm making it a point to change that this year (and going forward). I may never become Bicycle Repair Gurl but at least I'll know enough about Sadie (and all of my bikes to come) that I can talk sensibly about them and know how to check for worn parts.

Repairs completed, Keith was kind enough to give Sadie a quick wash & rinse. Um, yeah, maybe we were riding in the rain during the Community Garden Tour on Sunday, maybe. Sparkly clean and ready to stop on a dime, Sadie and I were both relieved that she only required minor work tonight. Keith is keeping an eye out for some wheels for later in the season and I'm now considering a paint job or a paint touch up for Sadie. Perhaps it is Veronica who needs a new color...

Packed up and heading home, Ghiry already misses his friends at RBF Cycles & Sadie sends out a huge THANK YOU to Keith (she says he's the best Bicycle Repair Man she knows). RBF Cycles is the official repair shop for Sadie, sponsoring her in THE RIDE by providing her tune ups, check ups, and general repairs.

You can sponsor Sadie as well with a donation to The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer. She will really appreciate it!

Garden Bikes

You didn't know that gardens & bikes go together well, did you?

I woke up this morning intending to ride but not sure where. A quick perusal of Facebook and I located a promotion for Sustainable Food Edmonton's 2014 Bike Tour of Edmonton's Community Gardens (co-hosted by Edmonton Bicycle Commuters Society). Sounded interesting, Sadie was up for a trip to Edmonton, and so I signed us up.

Arriving at The Idylwylde Cheery Tomato Community Garden Sadie & I met up with about 25 other cyclists and received our rainbow tape - indicating that we were riding with the group. 

Sadie promptly installed the tape on her frame so that she could wear it forever. Sadie is partial to colors, in case you haven't noticed. She has a red frame, blue stripes on her tires, pink streamers, red, white & blue spoke beads, and rainbow tape. She's also talking about re-painting herself this winter.

We received a brief overview of the Cheery Tomato garden, checked out the plants, had a quick "bike riding safety for groups" lesson and started on our way. And... Sadie got a flat before we even rolled 10 feet down the road. I grabbed Brian - aka: Mobile Bike Shop Man - and we assured the group we would catch up at the next garden. I carry a spare tube, tire levers, & a pump at all times so was set with the items needed to replace the flat tube. With Brian's help, and the support of the sweeper car, we were done in less than 10 minutes. 

Thank you Brian!

Rejoining the group at the garden behind W. P. Wagner School, we had the opportunity to speak with a couple of the gardeners there. One of them is using a self watering system comprised of 2 terracotta pots glued together (tops together) and the bottom hole sealed up. The pot is then sunk into the ground near the plants and filled with water using the open top hole which is above ground. Over 3 days, the water leaches out of the pots and into the soil, watering the plants. A great solution for hot days when you can't make it to the garden every day! 

Next stop: Mill Woods United Church's community garden.  This one is a fantastic community project. The raised garden boxes were built by the local high-school shop class and the garden is comprised of both private and public gardening spaces filled with herbs, veggies, & flowers. 

 

Next up, a beautiful family garden in Lee Ridge. While this is not a "community garden" per se, this community gardens! 

The bikes and the bikers really enjoyed this little city lawn garden. 

Up next, the Richfield Community Garden. This was by far the biggest garden of the day, located right in the middle of a field, near a walking/biking path. 

Regrouping after the garden info session, we were off and rolling towards the starting point. Overall a good day with only 3 flat tires, 1 drop out due to mechanical reasons, some very interesting bikes - fold ups, recumbents, mountain bikes, road bikes, hybrids, and every color imaginable - and just a bit of rain and cold to make the day complete. Our route took us over 23 km around Edmonton. I highly recommend seeing the city by bike whenever possible. 

To learn more about Sadie & The Ride, visit her post here.

Thank you, Nonna!

Hi! It's Sadie again. I want to send a thank you to my Nonna. She donated to me! She even wrote "Go Sadie!" to me!!

My Nonna lives all the way across the country (and in another country) in New Hampshire and she is the one who got Tammie her very first bike and always took her bike riding around town. This is my Nonna. She always smiles when she sees me. I love my Nonna and I am so excited that she donated to support me!

Thank you, Nonna! :D
Love,
Sadie

It's Me, Sadie!!!

Hi! Hi! Hi! It's me, Sadie! SHHHHHHHHHH, don't tell Tammie but I took over her Facebook and now I'm taking over her blog because I wanna do fund raising too! It seems like a lot of fun and she's the one pedalling down the road for miles and miles and miles (you get the picture) so I want to help her out. Oh, this is me!

 Aren't I cute? Tammie got me really pretty pink & sparkly streamers to ride with so people would recognize me and I have Spokie Dokes that play music if I go slow. But I like to go really FAST so you don't hear them unless we are walking across a crosswalk or rolling to a stop. My Spokie Dokes are red, white, & blue because I came from the United States with Tammie almost 2 years ago. I like it here in Alberta because we never did a BIG bike ride like The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer in America but this is our second time riding in this BIG, GIANT ride here in Canada.

This is the link that you should click on to make a donation.
 http://www.conquercancer.ca/goto/nhkayakgirl2014
Tammie says that we have to raise $2,500 just to ride in August and that we are almost there but I know she is hoping to raise a lot more than that and we only have a few more weeks to go. When you donate at the link, make sure you put "Go Sadie!!!" in the message field so I'll know you are donating because of me.

We've done a lot of things so far this year to let people know about The BIG GIANT Ride. Tammie let me wear my streamers and she even made me a couple of signs and we went to Bikeology Bike Fest in Edmonton. It was a little scary for me because I've never really been in a very big city before but Tammie said we were going to a park and I like parks. Here I am with my streamers, signs, & Spokie Dokes at Bike Fest.

I got to meet a lot of people on that day and it was really fun! I gave away bubbles and prizes and I told everyone that I was riding in The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer. A lot of people could hardly believe that I am riding 220 km in 2-days. They were all very nice and wished me good luck. I can't wait to tell them all about the ride after I have finished it in August!!

So maybe I should tell you a little bit about me! I'm a 23 year old Specialized Crossroads. That means that I am a hybrid bike - part street bike, part off-road bike. I'm half 4x4 at least. I keep telling Tammie that but she doesn't let me off the paved roads very much and every time I do go in the mud, she makes me take a shower and wash it all off! I went in the mud on Easter Sunday and my tires came out looking like this!

It was fun and my brakes got all gummed up and I just LOVED it! Maybe if you make a donation Tammie will let me go for a 4x4 trip around Spruce Grove! Won't you donate and put "Let Sadie go 4x4'ing" in the message? I bet if enough people do, she will let me!

Oh! One really really fun thing we did was to ride on a tour of Spruce Grove with the Mayor. I got to meet the Mayor! I actually got to ride with him twice because Tammie took me to the planning ride too. I even met the Mayor's bike! It was cool. You'd think a Mayor's bike would be stuck up and stuff but he really wasn't and the Mayor was really really nice too. He showed us his favorite parts of Spruce Grove and some new trails and brought cold drinks for everyone on the ride. This is the Mayor's bike:

I got to meet the riders from the Devon Cruisers & Shift Happens too! They came all the way out from Devon just to ride with us and see Spruce Grove. Tammie's favorite trail might be the one that goes through the forest and under Grove Drive but mine is the one that goes through The Secret Park.

Sometimes we go to other towns to ride. We've been to Stony Plain and Devon and Edmonton. Tammie let's me ride in the truck when we go far away. Sometimes I have to ride with the The Big Black Dog, Ghiry, in the truck like if we are just going to the bike shop. Most of the time I get to ride by myself though.

Ghiry doesn't go riding with us when we roll around town training because one time Tammie took him with us and he pulled both of us right over! He's so big and strong. I'm glad he likes me because I think he could bite my front wheel off in one chomp!

Another thing I got to go to was Canada Day in Jubilee Park. I got new handlebar grips because mine were ripping apart and I haven't had new ones ever. They are pretty cool and my streamers stick in them really well. We must have met like 200 people at least. I got to tell everyone all about my training in Spruce Grove and Tammie got to pass out a lot of information about The Enbridge Ride. We did a prize draw and gave away some really neat bike stuff. I liked the green water bottle but Tammie says I don't need one because she wears a Camelbak. Green is a nice color though. Maybe if I get a new paint job I'll be green. Or maybe yellow. I like yellow too.

I went to bike school last month or maybe it was in May. I lose track of the months sometimes because I don't do much other than ride around and think about riding around. I don't watch TV or listen to the radio because I can't turn it on by myself. Tammie says that bikes don't need radios anyway, we have great imaginations. I don't know what she means. Bike school was fun though. Tammie learned how to fix my gears and then she even got me a sister and took her to bike school too. My sister's name is Veronica. Tammie calls her a Back Alley Special and we hang out and visit during the day, talking about all the places we want to ride together.

I want to show Veronica all of the places in Edmonton. I saw some really cool buildings there last weekend and met some new friends. I think Veronica would like this church because it is really pretty.

Tammie says that she can't ride both of us at the same time though so I'll have to stay home when Veronica goes to Edmonton but I don't mind. I want her to go with us on The Ride too but Tammie can only ride one bike at a time so Veronica has to stay home. I'm kind of sad about that but maybe Veronica isn't ready yet because she hasn't been training at all yet. She only just got her new tires and wheels from Keith.

Oh! You have GOT to meet Keith! He is really nice. He is my riding coach. Well, okay, he is Tammie's riding coach but he is my Bike Mechanic. He is sponsoring me in The Enbridge Ride and said he will fix me if I get broken. He is a good bike fixer so that is very nice of him. I went riding with him and Tammie last week and we went on very very big hills. Keith is teaching Tammie how to ride on hills better and how to ride faster. He says she has to wipe dog poo off the bottom of her shoes. I'm not sure she ever gets dog poo on her shoes but he must know what he is talking about because he is really really fast. This is Keith:

Phew, that was a lot of typing for a bike to do. Now that you know some more about me, won't you sponsor me with a donation for The Enbridge Ride? I would really appreciate it and Tammie can't ride if you don't. Please? I'm making great big bike eyes! :) Who can resist a bike like me? :D

Donate here: http://www.conquercancer.ca/goto/nhkayakgirl2014

History by Bike

It was a beautiful (hot, very hot) sunny day as Sadie & I loaded up to head to Edmonton for an Edmonton Bicycle Commuters Society event: Bicycle Tour of Edmonton's History.

You can find the EBCS calendar here.

Arriving at Bikeworks North, Sadie hopped out of the truck and turned a few donuts in the parking lot while waiting for the group to arrive. Sadie tends to be chronically early to bike events and finds that the nice thing about being a bike is that she is always ready to roll down the road whereas I tend to need to gear up - helmet, sunblock, socks, bike shoes, you get the idea... I took a few minutes to check out the shop and gear up while Sadie puttered around. I love the colors that Bikeworks (North & South) have gone with.

The tour was lead by Karly & Chris who each did a fabulous job of providing interesting historical information on the buildings we were seeing. While I can't recall everything, here is a bit of what Sadie & I saw:

Church Street - Click the link to see the church list and learn more about them.

The above image may not look like much but in a 5 block strip, starting here, there are 22 churches (one or 2 may have moved/closed) on this street.The oldest church is 1903. I'll be back to take photos soon and update. Besides, why spoil the fun of you exploring this street yourself. :)

Stops also included several "block" buildings - warning, most stuff was built around 1903-1913 on this tour so I'll save you the info on years unless it is built later.  The above is the Hecla Block. Many of these blocks are now apartments, some with stores downstairs. The nice thing is that they appear in the middle of the city, when you least expect them. Have a ride around and see what you can find! Someone referred to them as invisible history - you don't realize they are there until you go looking.

The above is on the side of the Imperial Bank of Canada building, built in the 1950's. If you do visit this building, look around for the Canada Permanent Building about 1 block down and across the street. You can't miss it and the architecture is fabulous. 

Sadie's favorite building was the St. Josaphat Cathedral - a Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral:

The tour paused briefly for coffee on 101A Ave and a quick trip around the corner to visit a 1920's Horse Chestnut tree! This tree is in the center of a back alley - see if you can find it and enjoy a sit on the bench in front of it.

Returning to Bikeworks, Sadie hopped in the truck for the ride home, eager to have a rest after her second ride of the day. As for me, I am planning a return trip in August when I have the time to stop and photograph everything, including the historical markers on each of these sites, as well as locate additional sites. Stay tuned!

Into the (River) Valley of Death

The North Saskatchewan River looks like a sneaky slippery snake for a reason...

Early this morning I received an invite to ride the river valley. I've only ever been on the peripheral of the Edmonton River Valley - by car, on foot, but  never into The Valley and never on bike. "Sounds like a great idea", I thought, "sign me up!". I responded back, "Yup, I'm in!" - afterall, I've been doing hill training in the glory hills north of Spruce & Stony. I was sure I was ready.

HA!

The evening started with some warm up laps in a neighborhood northwest of The Valley as I awaited the arrival of my riding partner. When Keith arrived, we headed south. I was amazed by how few cars were on the streets of Edmonton at 7pm on a Tuesday evening. Of course, it was a business district and past rush hour so I suppose everyone had already left town.

When we reached the lip of The Valley, I looked down on the beautiful view but never registered just how far DOWN it went. Try it yourself - stand on the lip of The Valley, taking in the beautiful views and you'll find that you don't really think "Hmmmm, that looks like a long way down (and hence up)". And down we went. The wind blowing though my helmet, a huge grin on my face, rolling down, down, and down. It truly is a wonderful trail to ride.

Keith of RBF Cycles is a fantastic trail guide as he rides The Valley regularly and knows cycling. The route that he selected was an excellent challenge and I only felt like doing bodily harm to him once, amazingly enough! All kidding aside, you never realize just how NOT hill ready you are until you ride some real hills.

We crossed the river and rode east along the southern bank for some time (mostly uphill) before heading into the ATC for a break. Sadie took in the scenery while I thought about what I had just done (the steepest hill I'd seen in some time) and chatted with Keith about why his bike appears to fly uphill while Sadie feels like she is a sinking rock (besides my lack of practice) - Keith's bike weighs just about... oh, nothing! Must remember to take photos of Keith's bike the next time we ride.

  The trip out of The Valley and back into the city was easier and I got in some faster speeds than I have been riding and we zipped into one of my favorite stores - Italian Centre Shoppe for a drink before heading home. A huge thanks to Keith who taught me a thing or 3 (heels down, scrape dog poo, if you want to ride fast - you have to ride fast) and makes a great friend, guide, & coach. Sadie & I are delighted to have Keith & RBF Cycles as coach & sponsor for our ride. :) We couldn't ask for better.

And, I'll be back in The Valley soon. You can't keep me down, Hills!!!!