You can’t do much today without seeing, hearing or reading about being “green.” We are all learning about our “carbon footprint” what it is and how we can reduce it. Never before has being “green” or being environmentally more friendly been more prevalent then it is in today’s world.

There are lots of simple things that each and everyone of us can do to be more earth friendly as we live our lives. Personally I feel there really isn’t any reason to not be doing these things. Then things get a little harder to be green more effort and thought is required on your part. So depending on your commitment and desire to live a more “green life” you may or may not choose to do more.

As our economy struggles to find a direction to head for an extended period of time we hear a lot about living in excess and saving money everywhere you can. When many people sit back and examine their lives I think they will find areas where they would agree that they live or have lived a little excessively.

Another prominent theme in today’s media is ways to save money on everything. You see ads on television, read articles on the internet and in the paper, books are written on the subject.

You may wonder what being green and saving money have in common and why am I writing about these two things. It is my viewpoint that we have become a disposable society in so many ways. We use things a few times maybe only once and then we throw them away. Maybe it is because we are done with them or they have outlived their useful life. In today’s world it is likely that the item has broken and it can’t be repaired, or it is cheaper to simply replace it then it is to repair it. Many times it is less hassle for us to simply replace it them to go through the trouble to fix it.

In my daily life I struggle to find items of quality to use. A recent outing to find some new jeans comes to mind. As I went from store to store to find some jeans that I liked I began to notice some interesting trends. The same jeans fit differently, were made from different fabrics and in many cases made in different countries. So a pair of Levi 505’s in a 36/30 were really not the same and each fit differently. I had to shop among stores for the better quality and the right fit. Or you had to sacrifice quality for fit. Not a very fun consumer experience. I imagine in the race to get the price down Levi just continually bid out the production runs of the jeans. My father in law also noticed this on a shopping trip for pants for himself.

To me it seems the general quality of the things we use are a lot worse than they have been in the past. When I talk to people about this almost everyone has a story of a product of poor quality or durability they have recently experienced.

I find it very interesting that two of the bigger subjects in our news seem to be in direct contradiction of each other. Being “green” and buying everything at the cheapest price possible.

If we as consumers want everything at the cheapest price possible then we have to sacrifice certain things. Quality and service come to mind. When we sacrifice quality for price we are consuming items that aren’t durable and increase our carbon footprint in the world because they won’t last as long as we need them for.

In order for manufacturers to keep creating and producing things at the lowest prices they need to seek out manufacturing facilities that can do it cheaper then the next guy. These factories are in countries with fewer regulations on their environmental impact. I’ll save for another discussion the impact that goes on in transporting these goods to areas where they can be purchased by the consumer.

What I am urging you to do is to seek out items of quality that will last you the life you need the item to last. Purchasing items that won’t have a short life and then end up in the local landfill. Preferably purchasing items that can be passed on to other users when you are done with the item. One of my wife’s and my favorite things is an antique dining room table that we purchased. We managed to find a table that was of better quality construction then most of today’s tables that we saw and considerably less expensive. This table is serving us well and we look forward to many, many more years of use before we pass it down to the next user.

In many ways what I am asking might be the greatest challenge in today’s world and your daily life. Finding items that are durable and useable for generations to come is not an easy task.

When we purchase items for the store we look at the quality of the item to make sure that it will last for the intended life of the item and hopefully for other people to use. This philosophy is one of the reasons we started our youth trade in program. This program takes perfectly good used bikes and gets them in the hands of others that can enjoy them for years to come.

This philosophy is one of the reasons I love to sell quality bikes. We see bikes that have been around for years being enjoyed by their owners. These bikes aren’t clogging up the landfills because they work the way the consumer wanted them to. If the owner can’t find a new owner when they are done with them there are programs that take these bikes and get them into the hands of people who can use them.

Please consider quality and durability when you make purchases. The world will be a better place and you will be a happier person from using an item that works they way it should with fewer hassles. You’ll have more time to do the fun things in life like ride your bike instead of dealing with something that isn’t working the way it should.

A Pro Ball Player taking an intern position in the off season, not something you hear about every day!

Read about the article on ESPN dot com.

With the “shopping season” here I encourage everyone to shop at locally owned businesses. It’s important for our local economy and work force.

There are lots of good reasons but here is a good article to start.

Supporting the Local Small Business Owner

The Importance of Buying from Neighborhood Merchants

The C&O Canal Towpath is a ride through history running 184.5 miles from Cumberland, Maryland to Washington, DC and is a National Historic Park. The towpath surface is general crushed stone or clay and relatively flat with an approximate change in elevation of 660 feet along the full length. The towpath generally has the elevation changes at one of the many locks along the way. With the way the towpath is set up it is possible to enjoy the canal as a day trips or multi-day trips if you choose. There are numerous campsites along the route that offer space to pitch a tent, have a fire pit and or grill with a hand operated well and port a pot. These amenities make a great way to start seeing the joys of touring by bicycle. If you prefer not to camp with a little bit of planning you can “credit card” tour by staying in hotels and or B&B’s along the way. The amount of easy access to the towpath makes it easy for people who want to enjoy the canal for the day and it provides those on longer adventures easier to get food and lodging. While the towpath is very close to civilization when you are enjoying the park you feel much more with nature.

As a kid I have ridden most of the towpath over a series of trips with my uncles and cousins. Like many I have pondered the idea of trying to ride the entire 184.5 miles in a single day. I have also pondered riding from Pittsburgh to Washington, DC utilizing the Great Allegheny Passage Trail and C&O Canal together a trip of about 330 miles. Each of these trips are still on the “Trips I want to take” list.

On my most recent trip Amanda and I drove to Brunswick, MD and decided to ride towards Harpers Ferry. Brunswick is at mile 55 and Harpers Ferry is just past mile 60. With the surface of the towpath several types of bikes would work well. A hybrid or fitness bike, if you choose to use a fitness bike I would recommend a tire width of at least 35mm. Amanda rode with slightly narrower tires while she did fine she mentioned that at higher speeds the handling got a little squirrely for her. Mountain bikes and comfort bikes would work well on the canal we saw lots of them the day we rode. Another option would be a cyclocross bike. My recommendation would be a bike with 700c tires. I took a Gary Fisher Utopia which is one of Fisher dual sport bikes. The Utopia has 700c tires with a front shock and straight bars, it just might be the ultimate bike for the C&O Canal.

The parking at Brunswick is plentiful; there is a commuter parking lot by the MARC train that is very close to the towpath, more parking can be found a little closer to the trail. Brunswick has a boat launching ramp providing access to the Potomac. This area offers visitors public restrooms, some more parking and a great picnic area. For this ride we had just planned an out and back route. We wanted to ride past Harpers Ferry and see how we felt before turning around. We ended up riding to mile sixty five and turning around for a total of twenty miles. One of the reasons we chose Brunswick is that Harpers Ferry is a popular access point for the canal and the parking close by is limited, but there is parking in Harpers Ferry and a short ride will get you to the towpath. With is being a holiday weekend we didn’t want to deal with parking issues.

We came across lots of people out enjoying a day on the towpath including a family with a child riding with training wheels. The canal is a great place to ride for the entire family. This is a popular section of the towpath, Harpers Ferry is right where both the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers come together. For a few miles the Appalachian Trail uses the towpath as part of its route. These sections of the rivers are also popular with rafters and tubers. Harpers Ferry which is also a National park offers a look back into history and just across from Harpers Ferry on the towpath side is a great hike on the Maryland Heights Trail. Once you reach the top of the trail you will be rewarded with an amazing view of Harpers Ferry. When I reached the top and looked back towards Harpers Ferry it looked like I was looking down into a model train set.

Now back to the riding. When we reached Harpers Ferry we elected not to take the footbridge across to town but to continue on the towpath for several more miles. We had chosen to ride this section on Labor Day and the section between Brunswick and Harpers Ferry was being enjoyed by many people, but the further away from Harpers Ferry we got the less usage we saw.

The towpath is well marked and there are a ton of resources out there to help you plan your trip or trips. I highly recommend you take advantage of the great riding the towpath offers. It offers something for everyone and a ton of history along the way.

Bikewashington.org – A great C&O Canal Resource for cycling.

For this ride we decided to park at one of the shopping centers along Easton Parkway (Route 33). Looking back on it when we do this ride again I would probably park at the St. Michaels Elementary School or make a weekend of it staying in St. Michaels to enjoy another ride the area offers and take in all the activities St. Michaels offers.

From the shopping center we headed out the Easton Parkway towards Oxford and made a right onto Oxford Road. The traffic was a little heavy between the shopping center and Oxford Road but the shoulder was generous so it wasn’t a big deal. Once on Oxford Road we began to enjoy the peace and tranquility the Eastern Shore offers. The road is flat and the shoulder generous as you head to Oxford.  As long as there are no headwinds, they can be noticeable on the shore; you should enjoy a pleasant journey through some farms, larger estates and a bridge crossing all offering great scenery. The scenery only gets better as you get closer to Oxford, with a population of less than 1000 the historical homes and tree lined street welcome you to town.  At the end of Oxford Road you’ll find the Oxford Bellevue Ferry which will take you over to Bellevue to allow you to continue your journey into St. Michaels. (Check out the pictures in the photo gallery.) Before you board the ferry to Bellevue take time to explore Oxford and take in the history dating back to the 1600’s.

The ferry cost $4 for a bike and rider for the short ride across the Tred Avon River to Bellevue on a busy weekend you will likely be joined by other cyclist for the ferry ride. This was certainly the case when we arrived and ran into a group of about ten other riders. Here Amanda’s new Project One Madone was the center of attention. It has an amazing pink flame paint job that is a piece of artwork; there are some photos in the gallery. At one point one of the riders said “You didn’t think you will be holding a press conference did you?”

 Once in Bellevue you’ll head out to St. Michaels via Bellevue Road. Your ride will be on nice quite country roads, once the ferry traffic gets by you, you’ll be left only to enjoy the piece and quite the Eastern Shore offers. Next you will enter Royal Oak where you will make a left to St. Michaels, just follow the signs. There are a few antique stores and a Bed and Breakfast in this small town, to enjoy. Once you leave Royal Oak you are heading out to St. Michaels Road (Route 33) which you will make a left to head into town. St. Michaels has something for everyone, shopping, restaurants, B&B, spas, the Chesapeake Maritime Museum and more. There is plenty to do in St. Michaels too much to write about here.

One of our favorite places is the Five Gables Inn and Spa located right on St. Michaels Road. Once you have enjoyed all that St. Michaels has to offer you just need to head back out St. Michaels Road, the way you came for your ride back to Easton. If you would like to ride more than 30 miles head out of St. Michaels the opposite way you came and you can explore much more of the area with such towns has Tilghman Island or Bozman. I plan to write more about this area in the future.

For those of you who prefer to stick with the 30 mile loop you will continue to enjoy wide shoulders and flat roads like you have your entire ride. Your journey back to Easton, will include farmlands and a great view of the Miles river at Newcomb. Once you reach Easton Parkway hang a left and head back to your car. If your time permits venture across Easton parkway to explore the town of Easton listed as “the 8^th Best Small Town in America”.

This is a great ride suitable for road bikes, fitness bikes and hybrids. A mountain bike would be fine as well but I would recommend smooth tires. The roads are flat with generous shoulders; the only challenge might be if you encounter a headwind on a portion of your ride. This route would be suitable for the entire family; the only spot of concern would be immediately getting off the ferry in Bellevue. Just  wait a few moments for the ferry traffic to clear and you will be fine.

My recommendation would be to make a weekend of it since there is so much you can do. Stay in St. Michaels or one of the many B&B’s in the area. On one of the days take this route leaving from St. Michaels and head out to enjoy Oxford.  For a second ride head out of St. Michaels towards Tilghman Island and explore all the country roads (I’ll write more about this area in the future) or simply enjoy everything non cycling the area has to offer. Have a great ride! Be sure to check out some ride photos in the Gallery.

Her adapting to a road bike has been a learning experience for me, realizing that what I take for granted while I ride she needs help with. As we ride together more, I’ll share more of what I have learned trying to help her become a better rider.

One thing that we have learned is that she loves her Gore Power III Lady cycling shorts.

Mom 1 day Kids 364 Fair?

I got out for a ride the other day and I had just started the ride and I was thinking to my self.

“I really do enjoy this I need to make more time for “me” and “me” to ride.”

Not a half mile later I rode by this church and saw the above sign. I thought to myself.

“How appropriate maybe someone is sending me a message. It certainly applies to me and not making enough time for myself, how many other people are doing the same.”

For me as of late I have been trying to cut out the stuff that isn’t critical and focus on the things more important to me that will make me more happy and less stressed. I really want to get out on my bike more and had such a great time riding. So then another message was sent to me later in the ride. I was riding with my friend Andrew. In April he made a pledge to ride 30 days outside for at least 45 minutes. He completed that goal and the results of it were really neat to see. Andrew has become a much stronger rider since I rode with last. That became apparant as he “danced” up the hills and left me to suffer!

So what have you done for you today? Probably not enough is my guess.

Have a great week!

Sometime during the month of March Ammon decided to issue a challenge to the employees of the store. The challenge was to ride everyday for 30 days starting April 1st. Nathan was quick to get on-board as were Scott and Tammy. They all wanted to see how much better their riding could be after a solid month of riding.

How much could your riding improve if you road everyday for 30 days?

The rules were simple. To met the criteria you had to ride everyday for 30 days. The ride had to be outside and at least forty five minutes in length.

So here we are at the halfway point. Little did they know when the challenge was issued that April’s weather would be some of the worst we have experienced in April for some time.

To date I know that Ammon and Nathan are still going strong. I am pretty sure that Tammy and Scott have also been getting a ride in everyday. Ammon and Nate have been riding both off and on-road while Scott and Tammy have been doing mainly road rides. Scott gets most of his riding in during his commute to work. Sadly I haven’t been able to ride everyday but I have managed to increase the frequency of my rides.

So the gang is well on the way to making riding every day or at least more often an habit for them.

Some photos from Nathan of his rides.