Long Distance Tourer passing through Town

Todd Zeller and Jude

As I was heading home from a medium 8 mile ride I noticed 2 cyclers walking their bikes. Todd Zeller was Citizen for the Year for Jackson County for his work on the Falling Water Trail  www.fallingwatertrail.org Todd also said their is a newer trail heading north just beyond Armory Court up past Monroe Street and I believe across I-94. I will pedal on it as soon as I can and try to get some groovy pics. Jude is touring to Maine and then across Canada to Alaska. He has quite a collection of license plates gathered from past rides and his bike is well equipped for the long haul. I wished him a safe journey and thanked Todd for all his great work over the years with the Falling Water Trail. This is Jimio saying *Ride Safe* *Ride for Fun* and *Ride for Health*

Country Riding

Bicycling on rural roads can lend itself to some beautiful Farm Scenery 

Some of the Horses I encountered during my ride. They thought I had food.

Alice giving me a free sample of wine.

While riding last week on some back roads, I happened to look for some trees in full fall colors. well many were not ready yet but this Barn is always ready to show it's scenic view for all who pass by. Now I like city riding with all its hustle and bustle and plenty of photo subject matter but nothing beats a quiet ride in the country with its clean fresh air and lack of motorized vehicles. Still you must be careful for on country roads the cars go much faster. I had a very good time, seeing many horses and goats and even stopping by a Winery to test some of their prize winning flavors. The wine samples were Free! This is Jimio saying *Ride Safe* * Ride for Fun* and *Ride for Free Samples*

More Lanes Equals More Riders

This road had a beautiful Bike Lane but only for half the 8 mile length

This beautiful scenic road is 8 miles long but sadly only the eastern half has a bike lane. What happened was the road entered into the next county and I suppose they did not get the funds to add a bike lane. If bicycle riders can't get access to most places that they want to travel to, they simple will not go as far, or as much. This means they use their cars more, meaning more wasted gasoline and less exercising. I'd like to visit my sister more often across town , but it is difficult without bike lanes. I don't want to put my life at stake riding on the edge of the road. So I'll just guess I will have to find the best way to find the least busiest roads or the ones with the best bike lanes. The other alternative is to hide away on to some quiet bike path and soak up the nature and the miles of greenery. I like the action of the city and the streets for taking photos and the fact that you can get closer to places than you can with a car. Maybe when we all run out of gas, I will have the entire road to myself :-] No need for Bike Lanes. -This is Jimio saying *Ride Safe and Ride for Fun*

A Little Bicycle History

Civil War Bike?

Actually the first non-chain, non-pedal bicycle was called a Dandy Horse was invented by Baron Karl Von Drais in Mannheim in the summer of 1817. This bike in the photo which I took at our Civil War Muster today is a forerunner of the velocipede as it has a crank with pedals on the front tire. These bikes were made in the early 1860s, so I guess this man is period correct.Notice the wooden spokes as the wire spokes on bike tires did not emerge until around 1869. Even this man had to *Ride for Safety* as to avoid hitting these modern visitors. -Jimio :-]

Touring Season is Upon Us

Bike Tourers Ride past Bucky Harris Park in Jackson MI

I passed these hardy riders a few days ago and wondered where they all found the time to go on a long tour. Either they were all on vacation from work at the same time or are between jobs. For me to do this would require getting a much lighter bike and some nice tools and equipment purchases. I suppose the Easy Tourer would rent hotel rooms but the Dedicated Tourer must camp out every night. I wonder if the real hard-core tourers even catch all their own food. Now that would be self-sustaining efficiency. At least in a big pack, you can help each other when problems arise. Don't think its a good idea to tour alone, 300 miles from home ,without a phone [batteries died]. Just be sure to ride along the safest roads you can and wear reflective clothing and have bike lights. If its foggy out, don't ride. If its raining hard, don't ride. Even go out of your way to bypass a busy road. We want you back in one piece to ride again! This is Jimio saying *Ride for Fun* *Ride for Health* and *Ride Safely and Responsibly*

Local Bicycle Shop

The mechanic and the owner of "On 2 Wheels"

Skills going back to the 1870s

There is nothing like your local bicycle shop. You can go in and talk bikes, browse for your next pedaling beauty, and learn about getting into bicycle racing, touring,mountain biking or BMX dirt racing. These guys, who have been around for 23 year are located on a wonderful brick building on a spacious corner lot with plenty of room for bikes and equipment. The Owner had a cat called "Campy", a great name :-] This is Jimio saying *Ride for Fun* *Ride Safe* and *Ride to your local Bike Shop and see what they have to offer*

Collectible Bicycles

Old Huffy Bike

While pedalling around taking pics of small towns I happened to come across a Classic Car Lot and they had a few old bicycles. This Huffy seems in fair shape for it's age and sitting outside in the elements every day. A little History of Huffy Bicycles. First Huffy was called a Dayton and was built in 1892 by George P. Huffman. In 1925 Horace Huffman formed the Huffman Manufacturing Company. Now it's the Huffman Dayton bike. In 1949 the name Huffy bike sticks and becomes a household name. In 1955 Huffy had a radio built into its tank between the seat and handlebars. Over the years Huffy has built and built  and built and has over 100 million bikes sold. Some people find it a very rewarding hobby to find old bicycles and restore them to their past glory. some late 1800s bicycles can sell for about $15k to $20k. I think the value can only increase if kept in fine shape and mint condition. There are a few more old bicycles on this Classic Car lot and I hope to show them in the future.