shadows

no my photo
saw this on Facebook and had to share

very interesting shadow
the caption read

"surprise pour l'architecte. Sa jolie rembarde projette des ombres inattendues à un certain moment de la course du soleil... c'est fin et printanier, j'adore ;)"

worse than lions, tigers, or bears

tornadoes are no fun
the us was hit by a flurry of violent storms
death and devastation across the southeastern United States


The NY Times has a piece "Memories Scatter by Southern Storms Land on Facebook"
www.nytimes.com

I really should have...

just as Capital Bikeshare is growing and expanding to become the program it needs to be
there are Bike Share programs appearing all over the world

in Sevilla
www.sevilla.org

when in Poland the city of Krakow had bike share... I scoped it out
but when our window of opportunity appeared... bike rentals made more sense

had I had more time I would have loved to gotten a feel for the city and the placement of their bike share stations... but... I would have desparately needed the Polish version of SPOTCYCLE!

Bike Share in Krakow through Bike One
www.bikeone.pl

http://gwadzilla.blogspot.com/search?q=poland

Camel Zone

tonight my seven year old son asked me, "what if they had Camel Zones ON THE AIRPLANE?"
to that I simply responded... "that would make some people very happy"
just threw some of my Krakow Cycling Chic images on the Gwadzilla Facebook Page
Gwadzilla on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/
also on TWITTER
@Gwadzilla
then there is Tumbler.... but then we would be getting repetitive

Cyclists in Krakow Poland

http://gwadzilla.blogspot.com/search?q=krakow
http://gwadzilla.blogspot.com/search?q=poland

I thouroughly enjoy my trip to Krakow Poland
i had a great time... my family had a great time

while there I enjoyed documenting the some of the cycling culture
that too was enjoyable
I have yet to even try to sort through all the images
hopefully there are as more good ones then the ones I have already shared

I will add more images to the GWADZILLA FACEBOOK page this weekend

usually there is a younger drive... and yes... a helmet effects the process

"Sperm Bike"
Sperm Bike Carries Donor Samples to Fertility Clinics Around Copenhagen
www.treehugger.com

of course... you could have a kid's bicycle if he runs into THIS BIKE!

Disarm

disarm
www.disarmfilm.org


stream it or own it on DVD
www.indiepixunlimited.com

Bike Polo is not my thing...

Bike Polo is not my thing...
honestly... I have plenty of room to improve with my mountain bike handling
if I were to try and improve my touch on the bike it would be on log obstacles
rather than swinging a croquet mallet with one hand and grasping the the handlebars with the other
yet... I do have an appreciation for the game and the culture that surrounds it

Bike Polo is Hardcourt!

here is a posting on some ideas for building a better Bike Polo Goal
League of Bike Polo
http://leagueofbikepolo.com

earlier this season I gave some old ski poles to Cargo Mike
which he quickly converted into Polo Mallets!

if you scroll down... there are some shots from a few years back
I am well over due to head back down there
http://gwadzilla.blogspot.com/search?q=bike+polo

I think that East West Highway should have a Street Car or Light Rail down the center

The Purple Line
WABA believes that "The Purple Line is GOOD for the Capital Crescent Trail"
www.waba.org

is the placement of the Purple Line on the current CCT the only and best option?
what about putting this light rail line down East West Highway aka 410?

East West Highway moves like a HIGHWAY!
when actually... the Speed Limit is not set to highway speed
even if people roll that way

someone take the measurements...
is this road wide enough to put a "light rail" or streetcar down the middle?
the more narrow roadway would slow traffic to a rational level
and the light rail or streetcar would have a more direct route and potential more rational stopping points

Bikes are better for everyone...

Bikes are better for everyone...
Bike Share is better for everyone...

bikes are not political... bike share is not political

Capital Bikeshare in the DC Metro Area is a fantastic development to the evolution of the personality of the city scape

how is it that this idea of Capital Bikeshare has become political?

Arlington GOP Takes Aim at Capital Bikeshare over 8 Parking Spaces
www.tbd.com

http://gwadzilla.blogspot.com/search?q=bike+share
http://gwadzilla.blogspot.com/search?q=capital+bike+share
http://www.google.com

http://www.capitalbikeshare.com/

and don't forget SPOTCYCLE-Your personal bike-sharing assistant!
http://www.spotcycle.net/

more bikes on the roads means fewer cars on the road
which means more parking spaces for those that do drive
no dah!

ah... should be a good plan for tomorrow

tomorrow my wife is taking the kids to work for a "take your kid to work day"

should be fun... she is going to make it fun
Lisa is fun for a mom... I know this because one of the neighbor's kids told me this one time when we were sledding at Klingle Manson when the boys were just wee ones

not sure what she has going on... but I know that she has been doing some serious plotting and planning
quizzing friends and searching the internet
and me... well... I think that I will do some plotting and planning meself

tomorrow I am headed out to meet Lisa and the boys for lunch where I will then take them home
but maybe not directly home
if I could take a photo of how I would like the future to look tomorrow I would want it to look something like this
only.... no beard and maybe different bikes

me and the boys at Laurel Hill
I think I will load the bikes on the car and go for a spin with the fellas at Laurel Hill

http://gwadzilla.blogspot.com/search?q=laurel+hill

words off the top of my head...

image snagged from here
http://plixi.com

listening to NO HANDLEBARS by Flobots
www.youtube.com

put that song on in an effort to bridge the gap between myself and my seven year old
he was angry... displaying a great deal of anger
dad made a mistake... when dad when to Chipolte he ate in with his older son
bringing home a burrito for his younger son
only one issue... dad did not buy an Izzy soda for carry out

not good

not sure... but it may have been an hour long battle
red face... tears... hard stairs... and an assortment of words that hurt

tough... but dad was able to roll with the punches

peace was made
it is agreed
seven year old Grant is "owed" ONE Izzy Soda...
not the five or five million he demanded
not him getting a soda and his brother getting nothing
but one Izzy Soda... at a later date yet to be determined

glad that battle is over

WOW! Lots going on here... and serious commitment to the turn

The Return of Marla Streb
http://citypaper.com

welcome back to the east!
good luck in all that you do

I look forward to the opening of this "bike friendly" cafe!
as well as some of your new trail networks in this area

most Marla Streb post date a bit back
http://gwadzilla.blogspot.com/search?q=marla+streb

not sure what this is all about...

listening to this Bike Radio Show

these people do not have a clue
got distracted on another page that had some images I thought I would share

http://road.cc

May 21st... should I pack?

this whole May 21st Judgment Day is a tad alarming...
if you really believe this
what do you do in the days, weeks, months leading up to this?
well... other than go to confession and pretend you were that good all along

do you run up your credit card bills?
ignore paying your mortgage?

www.huffingtonpost.com

image from here
http://kicksoccermom.blogspot.com/
www.ussoccer.com

30 Rock Cracks me uP!

Tina Fey is a trip...
she is hot because she is so clever, cute, and quirky

gotta love Tina Fey's
Mother's Prayer for her Child
http://melodygodfred.com

I have seen it printed in a few spots... not sure of the original source

http://gwadzilla.blogspot.com/search?q=tina+fey

is that statement true?

more on messengers!
www.wired.com

Mouth Breathers!

Mouth Breathers-
Out of Breath!-
a Tribute to Minor Threat-
www.washingtoncitypaper.com

enough gas in the tank... time to push the pedals

okay... not time to push the actual pedals
but it is time to get some momentum
time to start moving forward

coffee has been ingested
now that I am properly fueled
it is time to burn some of this energy by being productive

Jittery Joe's Coffee
15 years of good coffee and giving back to the community
http://www.jitteryjoes.com/
http://jitteryjoescoffee.com/joesblog/

not sure where it came from or what it means.

it could be time to shave my legs
maybe shaving my legs will make me feel like a cyclist again

currently not feeling much like a cyclist

opposing views... strong views

Bike Lanes in NYC
the battle rages on
http://gothamist.com

getting back into the routine...

back to life... back to reality
spring break is now over
back from Poland
now it is time to get back into the routine

just dropped the boys off at school
without asking the boys if they wanted to bike I loaded the bikes
to give young Grant the feeling that he has a say I offered him the opportunity to select the bicycle he wanted to ride
a good effort by the dad... Grant selected the "skinny tire" bike

offer options... but only options that are pleasing to the parent
not yes or no... but this or that

morning madness
although it is Tuesday... it played out like Monday
as yesterday was another day off from school for the boys
so today... today was the first day of the week
the first day back at school

the bikes were only part of the morning routine
lunches needed to be packed and backpacks needed to be found
then... then as I loaded the bikes in the car I learned that Dean wanted some photos to go along with his discussion with the class about his trip to Krakow, Poland

well... some things are more easily said then done
all of the images are still on various SD and CF cards
then... when I went to go print some random images
I learned that the laptop I selected did not have the print driver... so I swapped machines... only to learn that this machine also lacked the appropriate driver
so... I had to download and install the print driver for this photo printer

with the printer was finally installed I selected some random images
a few images of St Mary's Church in the main square
something with the towers... and then the knife that goes with the legend of the towers
Dean packed the book that tells the tale of the Bugler of Krakow
and then also some salt
since Dean had salt from the salt mines... I had to print out some images of the salt mines

then we were pretty much out of time
sure I wanted to print out some images of bicycles and streetcars
it would have been cool to contain some mountain shots from Zakopane
but no... there was not time
once again the lesson is learned... plan ahead... do not wait until the last minute
but really... I did not see the email from his teacher about him having time to talk to the class today
more than likely Dean did not know that he would be talking to his class until word was relayed to him from mom this morning

that email must have come late in the night

well... I printed something
hopefully it is enough for Dean to give a solid presentation to his class
if nothing else... I think everyone is going to get a piece of rock salt from the mine

a few more characters of text to this post and I too need to get back into my routine

lots happening here
need to get my focus
time to start knocking a few things off this "things to do" list
gotta move forward instead of spinning my wheels

not much time before I pick up the boys
gotta make what is gonna happen happen now
so... enough words for now
time to start my day

Sports Tag ID: Just in Case!

Check Out the SportsTagID Web Page!
they have a short film that spreads the message...
crashes happened...
having your information readily available on your wrist can be helpful in the time of an emergency
rather than having to have someone try to dig through your jersey pocket...
it is all right there
on your wrist... with all your vital information

ride safe... ride smart...
ride with your contact information readily available "just in case!"

SportsTagID
http://www.sportstagid.com/

SportsTagID supports Drug Free Cycling by pairing themselves with BIKE PURE!
http://www.bike-pure.org/

previous review on the Gwadzilla Page
in that review there was only slight mention of the materials used in the wrist bands
just as the clasps are similar but different
so are the bands themselves
it seems that the Road ID is made of rubber... while the SportsTagID is make of a supple silicone
there is a distinct different feel to each of the wrist bands
the SportsTagID is softer and more supple

a shot from the iPhone...

the iPhone and its Apps!
there are so many games
there are so many great utilities
personally... I am a big fan of the Photo Apps

what is your favorite Photo App for the iPhone?

this shot was taken with OLD PHOTO PRO!
Old Photo Pro
http://itunes.apple.com

image of my boys with a friend counting turtles in a pond along side the C&O Canal after hiking the Billy Goat Trail

Road ID Give Away! (a trip to Paris!?!)

Road ID Spring GiveAway!
www.roadid.com

one size does not fit all...

Ergon... what is in a name?

I am not a linguist
but I am guessing that Ergon took its name from Ergonomics
I am thinking this because this company makes products with great consideration of ergonomics
from their variety of grips to their variety of back packs you can see great care and consideration taken into account when they approach design

as mentioned in a previous post I got hooked up with a few products from Dave Wiens who races for Ergon
Dave was good enough to send me a set of grips with a built in bar end and also two different Ergon backpacks

the other day I took a short ride with my new Ergon backpack
http://gwadzilla.blogspot.com/2011/04/package-came-in-mail.html

today the boys were home from school... the last day of Spring Break
in the quest to make the most of this day I asked the kids what they wanted to do
seven year old Grant suggested a personal favorite... The Billy Goat Trail
it was a solid suggestion
the weather is perfect for a hike and weekday is preferred over weekend for such a popular spot
http://gwadzilla.blogspot.com/search?q=billy+goat

we left out of the house around 10 AM
timing things perfectly that the boys would be hungry on the trail
knowing this... I gathered several bottles of water, a few Capri Suns, Granola Bars, a few cheeses, some liver wurst (or something similar), and then some potato rolls

again being excited by the arrival of the gear from Ergon I decided to use my newly acquired Ergon BX2 Backpack
a smaller pack than the pack I tested the day prior

before loading the pack I gave a glance at the instructions and worked to set the pack up for my body type
again... Ergon has taken much into account when they designed these packs
the primary notion is that ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL!
for this pack to properly distribute the weight it needs to be set up to match the user's body type

in a matter of minutes the pack was set up and filled with all that I felt we would need for our assault on the rocks on The Billy Goat Trail

we made the short drive out of the Mount Pleasant here in Washington DC to Potomac, Maryland with my boys and then also one of the kids from down the block
it is always more fun for my boys to hang with their friends rather than their lame old dad
as cool as their dad may think he is... he is really just another old guy

we arrived at Old Angler's Inn and had to loop the parking lot a few times before a spot opened up
once we found a space we took to hiking
out of the car and onto the service road we started the march to the trailhead

the Ergon Pack was awesome
again... I did not fill it with bricks to test its weight capacity
I was traveling with what I needed
the pack worked perfectly

in short... it was as if I did not know the pack was there
really... that is the most that one can ask for
it was hot... and my body felt it
with or without the pack I would have broken a sweat
the pack fit nicely allowing me to hop from rock to rock without even knowing I had a pack full of food and drink

nothing was rubbing wrong... nothing was bouncing around... the straps adjusted and held things tightly to my body

sure enough... the timing was perfect
the boys were showing their hunger as we hit the rocks along side the canyon that is the Potomac
we found a nice spot in the shade that over looked the river
there I opened the pack and assembled sandwiches and handed out cheese
water and Capri Suns were consumed

the pack was then filled with our trash and all of the boys' shirts
the pack was slightly lighter after the four of us devoured its edible contents

the camera stayed in the bag
not every event is about dad and his camera
but the times without the camera... those moments tend to be times for the iPhone

Ergon Backpack BX2
www.ergon-bike.com

I think both of those photos were taken with one of my favorite iPhone Apps
Instagram
http://instagr.am/
it is sick... it is awesome
also took some Pin Hole App shots... then an Old Time Photo app that took some amazing images
not sure if I am into the double exposure results for the Pin Hole App... but I can see that it has some serious fun potential

worth a visit...

Dads: The Original Hipsters
http://dadsaretheoriginalhipster.tumblr.com/

Beasties

this image is from Part One
I am listening to Part Two

Beastie Boys: Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
http://hotsaucecommittee.com/

the bulbs were once valued like diamonds or gold

Remarkable images of Dutch Tulip Fields
www.dangerousminds.net

on Pandora Radio

just created a Pandora station for Terence Trent Darby
the station played one song... Wishing Well... then stopped claiming to have no more songs or any matches for Terence Trent Darby

Terence Trend Darby WISHING WELL
www.youtube.com

in Wired Mag

Bike Messengers Pedal Past Bandwidth in Data Race
www.wired.com

a package came in the mail...

Ergon Bike Ergonomics
www.ergon-bike.com

Egon Backpacks: BC3
http://www.ergon-bike.com/us/en/product/bc3


ah... a package arrived in the mail while I was away with the family over Spring Break
this package had my name on it
not many packages arrive with my name on them
which makes the ones that do arrive all that much more exciting

this package... well... I had anticipated the arrival of this package

at the National Bike Summit I met off road machine Dave Wiens
it was nice making the connection
when we parted ways and exchanged matching business cards
Dave said... if you want a set of Ergon Grips drop me an email

well... when I went on the Ergon site I saw these commuter backpacks
so... I emailed Dave and asked if he could hook me up with one of these packs

sorry... I misspelled Dave's last name... but here is a shot of Dave and myself at the National Bike Summit
http://gwadzilla.blogspot.com/2011/03/there-are-million-stories-from-national.html

well... when I got the package I was beyond stoked!
the oversized package from Colorado with the return address with the names of one of the top US woman mountain bikers or all time and one of the greatest off road hundred milers of all time contained a set of grips and two packs!

well... like most gear junkies I was excited to get to try out this new pack
so... when my family drove off to my father's house for an informal Easter celebration I got on the bike
and rather than putting a bag in my wife's car with a change of clothes... I loaded up the Ergon pack with some tools, a spare tube, my camera, and a change of clothes

before putting the pack on I could already see that this pack is not like any pack I have ever owned before
the Ergon pack has it "motion system"
go to the website for a technical explanation
in short... the shoulder straps rotate on an axis moving with the body
while there is a waist strap that puts the majority of the weight on the hips

AMAZING!

with the pack on my back and on the bike I started to roll
a few pedal strokes down the alley and I synched down the straps and adjusted the waist strap on my hip bones
there it was... THE SWEET SPOT!
as soon as I got the waist strap right I could feel the effectiveness of this pack design

my ride was not that intense
and the weight of the pack was not so grand
but really... I could feel the effectiveness of this design
my back was breathing and the weight was well distributed
the weight was off my shoulders and back and on my hips

when I arrived I snapped a few shots of the pack... my bike... and my dad's backyard
sure there was some sweat... but that is gonna happen
but there was no soreness to my back... it was as if I had not been wearing a backpack!

when my brother arrived I showed him my new pack
my brother is an avid cyclist and a hardcore commuter
similar to me... he is always ready to see who is out there building the better mouse trap
excited about the pack I had him try it on and try it out
again... the weight was slight
but the basic idea could be achieved through taking the basic riding position on the invisible bicycle

next test...
the SIX PACK TEST
the six pack is something that often causes some pain and discomfort on the back
the pack is large enough... in fact I think it could hold two six packs or a six pack, two bottles of wine, and a baggette

we will see how this pack does with a little more weight
my guess...
it will feel as weightless with more weight as it did with slight weight!

Dave... thanks for the Ergon Hook Up!
thanks ERGON for the HOOK UP!
Dave-Have a strong season on the bike! Good Luck at the Whiskey 50 this weekend!

Ergon Bike Ergonomics
www.ergon-bike.com

http://gwadzilla.blogspot.com/search?q=national+bike+summit
http://gwadzilla.blogspot.com/search?q=Dave+Wiens

Family Bike Ride!

Sunday was a perfect day for a family bike ride
ran into some friends in the park involved in a family bike ride
snapped a few shots as I loaned my allen set to them so they could adjust one of the seats

this image cracks me up!

Are Bike Lanes Death Traps?

there is a short piece in The Gothamist that approaches this topic
http://gothamist.com

Down Under

Major Taylor Down Under a book about Major Taylor racing in Australia
www.majortaylorassociation.org

an amazing man
an amazing life
an amazing racer
an amazing story

Sunday's Ride!

Sunday's Ride... Sunday Day.

Friday we were just back from Poland
travel fatigue and jet lag had us feeling lazy
so when Saturday came along...
I had the boys go to Karate in the AM and then not much more

when I asked them what they wanted to do
young Grant was clear... "this is what we want to do!"
there are times when nothing is something
there are times when nothing is enough

I was able to get on the Road Bike in Rock Creek Park
left out the door as the boys went down the block to have breakfast with some of their Karate classmates
was able to sneak in 2 hours on the bike arriving home at pretty much the same time as the boys

RIDE WHEN YOU CAN!
this is a decent mantra to live by
especially for moms and dads
as our time is not entirely our own

Saturday started rainy... I left off on the bike rolling in the rain... mid ride the rain stopped... by the time the bike was back in the stable the sky had cleared and it was a beautiful day
a day that was spent pretty much indoors
so... when Sunday arrived... I wanted to offer a little more

Sunday was Easter Sunday
there was a noon meet up time at my dad's house for Easter Egg Hunt and a classic Polish Feast... which would top off our week long adventure that was filled with day upon day of Polish Feasts

Sunday came and the boys were up with the sun
the travel to Poland has really thrown off their schedule
they are up and active by 5am
so... when I got out of bed I knew that I had to get them out of the house before them made me crazy
there seemed to be time for a morning ride before the adventure at my dad's

Lisa cooked up a pancake breakfast as I got bikes and soccer balls ready
I proposed the options... there was the standard objection from my younger son
while there was the usual acceptance from my older son
I gave them options

the options included an assortment of soccer and bike options
we called a few of their friends to increase the size of our trips
but had no luck making contact
it would be the boys and dad

on the bikes we took a short ride to the neighborhood school with its freshly renovated playground
we had the astroturf to ourselves

Grant was not so interested in soccer... he did some heading and passing and a shooting game but then left off for the bike on the track which involved a race between the boys... Dean on foot... Grant on bike
Dean and I played soccer enough that I robbed Dean of his ambition for the long bike ride
so... after our time in the school playground we did a short ride around Mount Pleasant into Columbia Heights

it was nice to see the trees turning green and the flowers in bloom
when I got home the boys settled in on a classic game of WAR with the cards
while I suited up and rode to my dad's while the boys would get in the car a few minutes later and drive across town

good to get on the bike
good to get the boys on the bike

the gathering at my dad's was festive
there were eggs to hunt and much food to be eaten
a day well spent
luckily I had the ride home to try and burn off some of the calories consumed at the Easter Feast!