Best New Year's Eve Wishes to You All,

I'm staying in Redway tonight.   This sweet man in the photo below, and the others at the local radio station, KMUD, helped me find a place to stay indoors,  which is essential, as tonight it's expected to be snowing!

Simon Frech of KMUD and Steve of P.E.D.A.L.

Snow covered peaks - Send chills down my spine, not in a groovy way

Where I camped last night - Real nice

More to come soon!   As soon as I figure out how to upload video....

Take Care,

Steve

The Enchanting Land of Fancyland

Hello Everybody.  Steve here.   I recently visited Fancyland, a burgeoning young intentional community in the hills east of Arcata, California.

The community, unlike other communities I have visited, offers retreats for artists and activists for no cost,  save the food you eat and lending a hand with general upkeep for the common space (i.e. tidying up after yourself, wood chopping for the wood stove).   The latest project involves completing the common house, which includes a studio.  

One of the window views from the new studio space.

Wonderful wall installation by a visiting artist in new building. Made from recycled off-cuts of wood.

Wall close-up

Wall closer-up

The buildings are without any electricity,  candlelit,  warmed by wood stove,  and user-friendly in being well-organized to quickly acquaint visitors with the logistics and philosophy of the space.  It was also refreshing to be in a place where the arts is a major focus.

  

Paper floor of cob house screen-printed by friend of Sacha, the main resident and initiator of Fancyland.

Floor detail.  Wow.

More floor detail.

Forest trails connecting the buildings

This is the floor from a building made entirely out of salvaged old-growth redwood.   Notice the width of the single plank my foot is on.   My foot length is about 11.5 inches to give you a sense of dimension.

'Edible and Medicinal Plants of Fancyland: A Collaboration', a book created by visitors' and residents' personal accounts of plants they have used, and where they found them on the 13 acre Fancyland property.  Peterson and other plant field guide books are available also for reference at Fancyland.

California Black Oak, like other oaks, yeilds a yummy acorn when  leached of it's bitter tannins. Here the leaching procedure involves setting the ground and muslin-sacked acorn flesh in a river for ten days.  Awesome.

Miner's Lettuce and Wild Ginger: What do they have in store for you?

Summer Lodgings

Great View

Garden still pumping out hardy greens like kale, and chickweed which we enjoyed eating

Sweet Jacqueline, who hosted me.  Notice the lamps (no electricity remember), and the to-be-painted stone block wall.  The stone blocks are aerated concrete, which helps keep the building warm in the winter time, and cool in the summer time.  

Thanks Jacqueline and Fancyland for welcoming me, and for the lamp lit yoga sessions!  From Arcata, where I now am, I'll be heading to a community called 'Magic' in Palo Alto,  where an old friend of mine resides.  Along the way, I'll be seeking warm and dry indoor places to sleep.  Please let me know if you know of any!

Keep on,

Steve

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year

On Behalf of the Entire PEDAL Team, thank you so much for your support over the last 6 months.
Have a great Holidays, and a happy New Year.
Keep reading and responding,
The PEDAL Team.

Resplendent Redwoods

Hey all!

Since our last post we have been cycling through rainy redwood country.

We stayed for two nights with a wonderful womyn named Connie, who we met at a coffee shop in Crescent City. She taught us tons about everything from the dangers of fluoride in the water system to 1960s musical history. And she sent us on our way with tons of nuts and other yummy snacks :) Her umbrella cockatoo `Buster` was a lot of fun too!

Steve and Connie dancing

Buster

On the way out of Crescent City, we stopped at the harbour and witnessed some sea lions hanging out on the wharf. It was our first seal encounter of the trip.

Sea lions at Crescent City harbour

Upon the advice of another cyclist, we took `the scenic route`, along the coastal trail, out of town. The supposedly bike friendly path turned out to be a rocky, wet, steep slope, followed by intermittent paved areas (an old highway from the 1950s). It was beautiful, but certainly not suitable for fully loaded touring bikes! We enjoyed the increasingly huge trees, some of which you could stand inside.

Kristi and Garrett on the Coastal Trail (not too good for bikes)

That`s all for now. Tomorrow we will be biking through the larger redwoods in the National Park, which we are all very excited about :)

The PEDAL Crew

Sunnier... and in California at last!

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to put up a quick post to let you know that the weather has perked up significantly since our last post. We've been having lots of clear, mostly sunny days and pretty reasonable temperatures. Look at that blue sky!

Kristi enjoys the great riding weather

Blue sky at the coast

On Tuesday we spent a lovely night camping on the beach at Gold Beach, among large rock formations. And it only rained and hailed a little :) We enjoyed falling asleep to ocean sounds.

Our beach campsite

The rock formations we camped between

Wednesday we spent with a great couchsurfing host in Brookings, and Thursday we stayed in town to do some errands.

Today we crossed into California and started seeing massive redwood stumps. Tomorrow we will ride right through the massive trees and we are super excited about it! We'll definitely post some pictures of that soon.

The PEDAL Crew

Garrett gets excited about California :)

Tales of My Departure

Hi everyone, Lucas here.
Hope all is well out there.  By now I think you have probably heard that I am no longer with the group.
I will give you a brief update about that and let you know some happenings.

Before we left Canada I was having some knee issues.  I have had a condition in my knees ever since childhood, but through most of the Canadian portion of the tour they were feeling great.  But by Victoria I was noticing a lot of pain, so I went to a sports physiotherapy clinic there, and changed my riding style in the hopes that it would help.  It did somewhat, and I continued down through Washington.  It seemed like a tried to take it easier and easier on the knees, but they were getting worse and worse even with the rest.

By the time we arrived in Aprovecho (near Cottage Grove Oregon) they were really bothering me, but i was hopeful that a weeks rest would help while we volunteered.  It seemed like they were getting worse and worse through the week but still manageable.  However one day Steve, and I, went for a walk through the forest with our friends Brad and Heather as well as Astrid.  We were coming home just as the sun was setting, and following a little path, when i stepped onto a fallen log across the path and slipped.  Everyone asked if I was okay and I gave the typical "yeah, doing okay, just hurt pride" but when I tried to get my knee was in no mood to cooperate.  I limped back to the house and got a physiotherapy appointment for the very next day, and the prognosis was: rest, ice, stretches and physio for a long time.

Unfortunately, the key element, rest, is not very achievable on a bike tour.  As a group we tried to figure out many options, from hitchhiking ahead each day to finding a place to stay in southern California until the group gets there.

The best option was to come home, and I must say, if I am going to be going home to rest, there is no better time than Christmas season!\

It turned out a friend named Rebecca was taking a natural building apprenticeship there and happened to be coming back to BC pretty quickly after I took the fall.  So i stayed at Aprovecho for an extra week as the cook.  I had a great time there and met some absolutely amazing and inspiring people.  Rebecca and I drove back to Canada and saw some gorgeous areas, from rainforest, to high alpine, to desert and back into snow country again.  It was great getting to know her better and have someone to ride home with.

I am pretty disappointed at this point; I feel like I was so close to the California coast, which I have dreamed to much about going to for a long time.  I am hoping my recovery will be quick and I can join up with the group in the new year.

I am so inspired and impressed by the PEDAL team right now.  They are in some less than ideal weather right now, and making the best of it, all the while staying busy with logistical related stuff.  Believe me when I say they have a lot on their plates.

I am hoping Justin and I can relieve a lot of that.  Being still involved with the tour but in a more technology based environment, we have the opportunity to get a lot of work done that can be hard or nearly impossible on the road.

I hope everyone out there has a great Christmas season, and keep following the journey of the team!
take care, and enjoy the ride, Lucas and the PEDAL Team.

Getting the most out of the Coast

The rainy, windy Oregon coast

Howdy everyone!

Garrett, Steve and Kristi have reached Port Orford, Oregon. Now we're taking a quick library and lunch break to dry off and warm up.

On the way into town, we noticed a sign that said:

"Caution: High winds for the next 20 miles,
when lights flash".

Garrett and Steve enjoying the weather

We noted that the lights were not flashing and wondered why. Its been quite the rainy, windy couple of days, but at least its been fairly warm out here and the scenery is beautiful.

Yesterday was characterized by stunning views of the Oregon coastline, including huge rocks, sand beaches and waves. It was clear and warm all morning.

The plastic trash bird

 Here is a picture of a bird statue we found at roadside, just outside an art gallery along the way. It was made entirely of sea garbage, mostly plastic. We think its a commentary on the effect of sea trash on the health of local birds... but we're not sure.



Last night we were invited in for a family dinner with a group of local folks. We later found out that they were Community Shared Agriculture Farmers, greens growers and sheep farmers. We had a great time chatting, eating, Garrett played the piano and we left with a gift of frozen blueberries :)

For those who have not yet heard, a few days back we made a last minute stop at a place called Mountain Homestead and stayed there for three days. We learned about a huge amount during our time there, including cob building, composting toilets, edible forest gardens, micro hydro projects and more.We've included some pictures of "Mountain Home" as part of this blog and can't wait to upload more to facebook and our website. You'll see a more detailed summary of what we learned at Mountain Homestead up on the website soon.

Hoping for sunnier skies,
The PEDAL Crew
 

Cob house at Cob Cottage Company - Mountain Homestead

Sign for ecoforestry business - Mountain Homestead

Steve doing some eco foresting

The garden - Mountain Homestead

Micro hydro turbine - Mountain Homestead

Our website has returned!

All is well with the website again. Thank you for being patient while we conquered this challenge.

If anyone ever has advice about the website or information they would like to see. please let us know.

E-mail is: info@pedalacrosstheamericas.com

Your friend,
Justin

Coos Bay all the way

Hello everyone,

The PEDALers are now at the Oregon coast, staying the night in Coos Bay. We're all very excited to be back at the coast and heading south towards the sunny warmth of California.

Unfortunately, our good friend Lucas has to take a break from the ride, due to worsening knee issues. He was left in good hands at Aprovecho, where he'll be continuing a work-trade until he goes home. We all wish him happy holidays with his family and a speedy recovery (and return to the tour!)

Viera has also had to step out for a number of reasons, including a bad case of bronchitis. We hope she gets better soon too!

Since leaving Aprovecho, Garrett, Kristi and Steve have had quite the ride. The day we left was sunny and cool - the perfect riding weather. When we arrived in Elkton to stay for the night, we were referred to a local bike enthusiast, who set us up with a great camping spot and proceeded to feed us dinner and offer us showers. Thanks so much to Jeff and Joan!

Yesterday we saw a herd of elk calmly grazing by the highway at the Dean Creek elk viewing area. The ride was beautiful, through rolling, forested hills and small, trickling waterfalls. Luckily we were following the Umpqua River, so the ride was relatively flat.

Today we saw the most spectacular sand dunes, spanning from the tops of large hills, all the way down to the water's edge. We also stopped at a local sourdough bakery - quite the treat - and also a sign of our increasing proximity to San Francisco!

Please check out Justin's blog from yesterday... it's great to hear how he's been doing since he went home. Also, a website update - we are working on getting it back up asap.

You'll be hearing more from us soon!

Kristi

Justin is home in Sutton! Now I get to try things out.

Hi everyone,

This is a long overdue posting that I meant to write ever since I decided to finish my part of the tour. Yet it allows for more of an update of what I am doing these days back in Sutton and ideas of how what I have learnt from the PEDAL project can be applied to my life back home.

For a while on the tour I had this reoccurring thought that I was thinking more about home and Elm Grove Farm (a farming project that Kristi, Garrett and I had worked on in summer 2009) then the tour itself. Not that I was not enjoying the tour and all the wonderful things we were learning, I just realized that going across Canada was enough for me and that I was super excited to try all the cool technologies and sustainable practices that we were learning about and documenting.

We had not even reached the States yet, and we had found so much already!

Here's a bit about what I did prior to taking the train back home:

In Vancouver I was starting to think I had traveled as far as I was interested in going, however it seemed too early to turn around, also it felt a bit anticlimactic since we just arrived in western Canada after all that distance! It made sense to check out the west coast at least until Portland, which is sort of a goal for me to see sometime, due to it being an "environmently friendly city" says wikipedia!

So I went with the group to Vancouver Island, where we went to stay with Garrett's relatives, who were swell. One of the best things we did, after it was all organized, was take a ferry to Salt Spring Island, where we were able to connect with some environmentally minded folks. One place we visited was someone who used to live in a Yurt, and is now building a "hemp-bale" (instead of strawbale because of the amount of rain they have, hemp is better for moisture) house, plastered with natural clay, sand, lime and/or flax "goop". For lunch we met with someone who is involved with the transition community on the island, which is transitioning the island from using petroleum based living (gas powered cars, gas heated homes, etc.) to alternatives, like cycling and solar energy. Then after lunch we got to see a straw clay (rammed into forms) and timberframe house!

Also around Vancouver Island was some great cycling paths from the ferry in Swartz Bay to the city of Victoria, as well as in the city of Victoria. There was even a bridge that recorded as much as 800 cyclists traveling over in one day.

I also went on a nature walk/service activity with some people from the Baha'i community. We learned about  Garry Oak ecosystems which are becoming quite rare due to increasing building development on the west coastal regions. The ecosystem supports the Alligator Lizard (http://www.bcreptiles.ca/lizards/alligator.htm) which I had never expected to live there. We also worked on pulling out invasive species that were choking out the natural vegetation.

Also, Viera and I managed to attend the screening of The Clean Bin Project documentary movie. (http://cleanbinproject.com/) It was great to see because we saw Grant Baldwin and Jen Rustemeyer in Northern Ontario. What a cool project!

Anyways, I heard about super seat sales on VIA Rail from a friend, and then after doing some comparisons of time, money and reasoning, I decided to take the ticket from Vancouver to Toronto instead of continuing to Portland, Oregon.

I sent everyone off on the ferry to Washington State, the next day I took the ferry back to Vancouver and stayed with our friends Marena and Zach at their apartment. It was pretty weird being apart from the group! It was sure comfortable staying with Marena and Zach at the apartment! They also had some couchsurfer's staying too. The next few days I spent getting ready for the train, getting food, books and a game. I also baked a "butt load" of bread for the train and experimented with flax crackers, which turned out amazing.

Flax Crackers:
Boil ground flax until it is "goopy" and egg like or slimmy, depending on how you would like to describe its unappetizing texture! Mix some salt in for seasoning, just a pinch, depending on how much you are making. Then pour it thinly over an oiled baking sheet. Bake it at low temperature like 150 deg to 250 deg. It may take an hour or 2; as it dries out it will let go of the baking sheet, otherwise if you try to take it off too early it will stick. Be patient! If you are really into it, build a solar oven as well, these would do great in one of those and use zero direct energy in the process!

So the train was fun. The first stretch was in the dark because I boarded 8:30 PM in Vancouver, therefore missing the beautiful mountains of the west coast (thats ok I saw them by bike, haha).

I woke up in Kamloops, and briefly chatted with the people around me the night before. I was tired and stiff from sleeping on seats. The dome car was nice and warm for sleeping!

Most of the day I spent in the dome car meeting people and reading and looking at the mountains. We past by Mount Robson. I met a man from Northern Ontario who builds houses in the summer and cedar strip canoes in the winter. I talked with him a lot about construction and about the PEDAL project. He also lives in an off-grid home that uses solar panels!

I also met a man who was bit by a squirrel in Stanley Park in Vancouver, now he has 5 stitches on his finger, the same finger that he cut the end off a year before! He was fun to talk with, his wife too.

I also met a guy from the Navy who has reduced prices for the train and he was enjoying the scenery.

There was a young guy and his aunt who were transporting a female dog and her 2 puppies to Ottawa. He was working in Keremeos (which we bicycled through in the Okanagon Valley)  picking organic fruit in the summer! I helped them take the dogs out for a pee because they only had a short time to get them out, while the train stopped for passengers and fill up on fuel.

One evening a musician on tour and partnered with VIA Rail was playing in the lounge below the dome. She is from Guelph and named Ambre Mclean! Super cool person who I have watched at the Hillside Festival and plays amazing music. http://www.myspace.com/ambremclean/music/playlists
She used to play at "Manhattan's" on Gordon Street, in Guelph
My favorite piece is Me, My Heart & The Moon

It was great to see Canada the other way and by train. I also took 10 years ago with my family. This time it was cold and snowy, especially across the prairies!

When I came into Toronto I was quite disorganized, not having any phone numbers, cell phone or set time to meet anyone. Plus the train was 2 hours late.

So I hopped on my bike all loaded up, said some goodbyes to people I met on the train and headed up north to Sutton, which is where I am from. Wow! It is good to be free!

I had previously organized to get a ride with my brother Vince who was working about an hour north of the station and about an hour south of Sutton, but did not have his number on hand. I decided to drop by Kristi's parents in North Toronto (closer to Vince) and give them a "cough" surprise "cough". They were happy to see me, and I was able to connect with Vince as well. I updated them with the project and how things were going out west. I also got a chance to phone Kristi and Garrett who were out in Eugene, Oregon.

Now I am home and busy as ever. I cleaned up all my gear and bags and settled in at home. I have a lot of reconnecting to do with friends and find time to do all the things I would like to do.

We are building and rebuilding structures on Elm Grove Farm now. I am preparing my thoughts for farming in the spring. It would be good to start marketing things, like new pamphlets and perhaps a website. I need to think about what sort of crops to grow. How many people should I grow for? Would it be a good idea to look for a partner or 2? Do we have a space for people to stay, could they stay in tents? I would like to build a solar outdoor shower. The buildings are under construction, where will I store things? Where am I going to wash produce? Where are people going to park? Where am I going to sleep/stay/prepare food?

Many, many, many questions and more.

I am also working on designs for a yurt. I would like to try building a small temporary structure to live in for the summer. There are some cedar trees growing that were planted about 20-25 years ago to be used as hedge trees, now they are close together and tall and straight; good for building.

I also managed to connect with a friend who is building a house (conventional construction) near Lake Simcoe. So I have a paying job for now too. Although it is getting cold and snowy. The roof is also unfinished. Soon it will be closed up, so we can do inside and warm work. He is a Baha'i and hopes that it will be a home that can host community activites, for youth programs and studying, which is why it is a big house. It is great to work on a building that is intended to be used for the betterment of the world.

Now that it is snowy and cold outside I have to find inside things to do. What sort of sustainable projects can be worked on inside during the winter?

Happy reading!
Justin

Viera leaving the tour :(

Due to a bad case of what seems to be bronchitis, among other reasons, Viera is leaving the tour, but wishes the team the best of luck in continuing on to their destination. She is volunteering, learning, and healing at the Lost Valley eco-village for now, in Oregon.

Viera

PEDAL website temporarily down

Hey folks,

In case any of you have been wondering, we recently discovered that our website is down. Actually, its still there, but has been redirected to a strange advertising website. We're working on getting it back up as soon as possible, so hold tight and keep reading the blog.

Also, I am currently uploading lots of pictures to our facebook group. Everything since Nelson BC will soon be up there! So feel free to take a look there.

The PEDAL Crew

environmentally friendly Eugene :)

So to backtrack a bit, I was keen to visit a long planned sustainability model, the Permaculture Institute on Orcas Island, Washington. Chris was also interested in coming and accompanied me. After some last minute money changing since the ferry only took American dollars, and Viera going twice through customs since after the first time she somehow exited the area while looking for a washroom, we were on our way. The ferry was beautiful - big open spaces and woodwork, and the scenery on the ride was also spectacular. The Permaculture Insitute was inspiring. It was described by many as a paradise. There are thousands of plant species there. The people working there don't just plant them, don't even just know the basic soil types, amount of water, etc. required, but actually have a relationship to the plants that goes beyond the basic knowledge above. A lot of the plants are just on the edge of being able to live in that climate, and the Bullocks Brothers keep pushing those edges and find ways to grow more and different species.

There were 3 interns currently there, definitely down from their summer numbers of 20 or more. We were able to help out planting some unusual trees and greatly enjoyed inoculating some shitake mushroom. I also gained an idea of what permaculture is, which I had only a vague notion of before. I learned that it is more than just an agricultural method, but an approach to community, culture, and a way of life itself. Some of its basic tenets include mimicking nature, with several things able to accomplish the same purpose, and one thing serving several purposes. So to heat up water for a shower you could use a rocket stove or the sauna stove. This creates resiliency, since if one thing breaks down there is always another that can take its place.

We returned to Victoria to meet with the group, but found only Justin there. Viera spent a day taking advantage of the last day of free health care by getting a medical check up, and saying goodbye to Justin. The next day she headed out to meet the group in Port Angeles, but they had already gone ahead to Quilcene. Pretty much ever since then, she has been riding a day behind the others. After a very cold night camping out in rain and snow, I headed to Olympia. I stayed there to replace my back wheel and do some other bike repairs. I was also able to visit Lincoln School, a very progressive place with a HUGE school garden with chickens, where schoolwork involves weighing vegetables, calculating yields, getting dirty, and having fun outdoors! There were even chickens there! Compost was derived from the school cafeteria. I visited some other sustainable initiatives around town, and stayed with warmshowers hosts who had bicycle toured the world for 3 years!! Very inspiring :)

After Olympia it was a few days to Eugene. Here I've been staying in an amazing collective and sustainable house, meeting other cyclists and bicycle advocates, visiting houses that have converted their front and back yards to permaculture, and learning about neighborhood programs and community initiatives.

This post is getting long but I hope to write again soon with all the things I am learning! The Pacific Northwest is a very progressive place when it comes to sustainability and there is a lot happening here.