tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64410898485876696602024-03-13T07:40:10.223-05:00I Bike ColumbiaColumbia, Missouri remains a great place to bike, run, find and/or lose yourself. Here is blog that covers those opportunities and more.Trevor North Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372065367884475408noreply@blogger.comBlogger113125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441089848587669660.post-19015669654690115072015-02-10T18:54:00.002-06:002015-02-10T20:06:55.103-06:00Peak trafficEach and every morning then again every afternoon, our community has peak traffic events. The most people are out operating their cars at that time. This morning I was a part of Columbia's peak traffic.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gvz0QI3E1uc/VNq47hZIqyI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/A4Wd0qJViA0/s1600/Credit%2BVancouver%2BSun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gvz0QI3E1uc/VNq47hZIqyI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/A4Wd0qJViA0/s1600/Credit%2BVancouver%2BSun.jpg" height="283" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plenty of room for all modes on the roads! And he sort of looks like me.<br /><a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/Vancouver+pushes+further+reduce+traffic+city/6802220/story.html">Credit: Vancouver Sun</a></td></tr>
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My work allows me to arrive at the office within a certain range of time. I come home within a range of time. Most mornings I time my departure from home for just after I observe the peak of traffic to have passed. This morning I chose to make my exit a few minutes early, which coincided with me being on the road at a time with more than average traffic. Most mornings I scan behind me and usually there isn't a car there. Sometimes is, usually isn't. This morning almost every time I scanned there was a car there. Just a few minutes made all the difference between a chill commute to work and navigating a lot of cars!<br />
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Yesterday a journalism student stuck the camera in my face and I shared with him - and perhaps KOMU's viewers* - my thoughts on Columbia's proposed bag ban, which mirrors my sentiments about traffic. We are a highly advanced civilization. We have the organizational abilities to get by and use a lot fewer resources. For instance staggering start and end times for workers could spread traffic out across time. On a similar note, we could probably figure out how to get by without single-use plastic bags. Humans have probably done so for 99.9% of human existence.<br />
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I'll ride in peak traffic once in a while to remind myself how most folks commute. Then, for the ease on their minds and mine, I'll spread my work start and end times out again so as to have more wide open streets on which to bicycle around.<br />
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See you in the streets, Trevor<br />
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*Not sure what's on the KOMU news at 10. I'mm too busy listening to classical music or petting the cats or thinning my lettuce.Trevor North Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372065367884475408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441089848587669660.post-26103373702262429732015-01-31T08:35:00.000-06:002015-01-31T08:48:37.324-06:00Running at sunsetAs the days get longer, there is more light in the after work and early evening hours. Warmer weather goes along with that longer daylight. I love running in the early evening. The setting sun glows orange, then purple, then gray to black behind winter trees bare of leaves. Neighbors lights are on during these after work hours but the shades are not yet drawn. Running by I glace in picture windows to see families getting ready for dinner. Some are already entranced by the flickering light of their idiot boxes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v3MdFGbqI3o/VMznzoxqWgI/AAAAAAAAAYA/awA7TjkG7Lo/s1600/Repo%2BMan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v3MdFGbqI3o/VMznzoxqWgI/AAAAAAAAAYA/awA7TjkG7Lo/s1600/Repo%2BMan.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Repo Man (1984)</td></tr>
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I turned on my idiot box last night and immediately felt my i.q. drop 7 points. I quickly popped in the old standby 1984's Repo Man, which is still brilliant. After a monologue about bus riding providing ample thought time, Tracey Walter's character sums up the scene with the line "The more you drive, the dumber you are." I am mostly in agreement. Biking, walking and busing get me more in touch with the environment and my neighborhood. Driving breeds resentment in me towards my fellow Columbians who choose to pollute around town in their coffins on wheels.<br />
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Running again after recovering from a bout of plantar fasciitis, I take things slow. I try not to cover large territory or do anything too fast. I am in this race for life not to win it.Trevor North Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372065367884475408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441089848587669660.post-53602605387840059212014-11-12T21:43:00.000-06:002014-11-13T06:34:34.433-06:00ColdWinter came on quick here in Columbia this week. I love it. When it gets cold I get to break out the layers. The layering is course the key to successful winter bicycle commuting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d2WfVXRjWkw/VGSkO_omnNI/AAAAAAAAAXw/1S-lE1o5pao/s1600/Aldis%2Brack%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d2WfVXRjWkw/VGSkO_omnNI/AAAAAAAAAXw/1S-lE1o5pao/s400/Aldis%2Brack%2B2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is from a few warmer months back. We got a new Aldi's in Columbia<br /> including a bicycle rack. The rack is not so useful since whoever installed it <br />mounted the thing about six inches from the front wall of the store.<br />This limits the racks usefulness when trying to use it as intended.</td></tr>
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Suddenly, the streets are less full of other two-wheelers. The fair-weather riders have hopped back in their cars or quit their jobs and stay home now and await the unemployment checks to trickle in. I am glad to see other bicycle commuters. For a few weeks there up until this week there was a proliferation of bike commuters. We were everywhere. On streets, in bike lanes and on sidewalks doing our thing.<br />
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Then it got cold. It was 28 degrees on my way to work this morning. I saw no other bicycle commuters in the morning or the afternoon, which is rare. What is holding up in the cold are the bus riders. Since Columbia rejiggered the City bus routes, the whole system seems to work better for my household and the folks who ride the bus and get on along my one-and-a-half mile daily one-way work commute. They are not deterred by a little frost but perhaps bus riders lack the transportation choice that I am so well-endowed with.<br />
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A few years ago I wrote a post on this blog about how-to cold weather bicycle commute and got a snotty comment from a bicyclist in Alaska who dressed me down and said that a Missourian knows nothing about cold weather riding. I was deterred. This post contains no advice which is par for the course. What this post does contain is a high degree of satisfaction that I have switched over my summer for winter clothes, found the gloves and hats that work for the ride and am continuing my bicycle commute each and every weekday (and some weekend days, thank you) to my gig.<br />
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See you in the streets.Trevor North Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372065367884475408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441089848587669660.post-10098715593106960262014-08-02T14:22:00.000-05:002014-08-02T14:22:05.537-05:00Monarchy<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0eRuD19hwNM/U906Eg_obWI/AAAAAAAAAXg/CHUE-Ef7EZk/s1600/Monarch+at+Milkweed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0eRuD19hwNM/U906Eg_obWI/AAAAAAAAAXg/CHUE-Ef7EZk/s1600/Monarch+at+Milkweed.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-metamorphosis.<br />August 2, 2014</td></tr>
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<br />Trevor North Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372065367884475408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441089848587669660.post-62578435457976674552014-07-24T10:04:00.000-05:002014-07-24T10:04:15.349-05:00Some vegetables from the garden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g07NsfZtm3E/U9EfrE31BfI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/P01SjEaesZc/s1600/bounty.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g07NsfZtm3E/U9EfrE31BfI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/P01SjEaesZc/s1600/bounty.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When I am not bicycling or walking or working or glued to MeTV*, I garden.</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here are some of the tomatoes and cucumbers I recently harvested. </span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*That's a joke.</span>Trevor North Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372065367884475408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441089848587669660.post-49101573298686196912014-07-15T19:18:00.002-05:002014-07-15T19:18:57.875-05:00Those clouds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Currently it's 64 degrees with scattered clouds over downtown Columbia.</td></tr>
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<br />Trevor North Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372065367884475408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441089848587669660.post-27474320308232784012014-07-13T23:41:00.002-05:002014-07-15T19:41:26.838-05:00Missouri River float: Mokane to Hermann<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Bicycling is fun. So are other activities. Like floating. Yesterday, a pair of friends and I floated the Missouri River from Mokane to Hermann, Missouri. We thought it would take two days. Since the river was up and there were no sandbars to stop and play on, we cruised along and covered 29 miles in about eight hours.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My float companions: John, Mike and Smoky</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still smiling at the end of the day.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RrkWcG40YPs/U8NeEbpBT5I/AAAAAAAAAWo/jkBUkgRHHUo/s1600/Missouri+River+mud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RrkWcG40YPs/U8NeEbpBT5I/AAAAAAAAAWo/jkBUkgRHHUo/s1600/Missouri+River+mud.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Missouri River mud</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adrift near Hermann, Missouri</td></tr>
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Trevor North Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372065367884475408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441089848587669660.post-16002733817259043842014-07-13T17:23:00.002-05:002014-07-13T17:23:43.872-05:00Bicycle commuting: Summer gearAn old friend of mine liked to leave Columbia every summer.She maintained she liked to skip Missouri's annual hot, wet blanket feeling that summers here provide. I get it.<br />
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Every summer it seems there comes a point where the temperature has hovered around 90 or more degrees for three weeks with 95% humidity. The air is heavy and moist. Like some soup you didn't order but can't send back. (I'll have <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrfhf1Gv4Tw"><i>The Hotel California</i></a> soup, please.) Other humans skitter between their air-conditioned automobiles and their air-conditioned offices/homes/grocery stores. In all fairness, the chill of <a href="http://www.walkscore.com/score/w-ash-st-columbia-mo-65203">Gerbes</a> on West Ash in Columbia feels mighty nice after a ride across town on a 90 degree July afternoon.<br />
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<b>We have standards!</b> Since bicycle commuting is how I commute I am not going to give it up in the summer just because the weather is a little steamy. That said, I have a job where I am in an office setting. My esteemed colleagues expect that I won't arrive looking like I just competed in a cross country meet. For those workdays when the stickiness starts early I pack my work clothes because almost nothing is less fun than spending a day wearing semi-uncomfortable-to-start-with-sweat-soaked-clothes in an air-conditioning office suite. <br />
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Maintaining a successful bike commute regimen in the summer months takes a bit of planning. I may spend a few more precious minutes preparing for work but at the end of the day I got a bit of exercise before work and my colleagues can continue to puzzle at my commuting choice.<br />
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<b>Must haves.</b> The essential summertime hot weather bicycle commuting gear includes but is not limited to:<br />
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<li>Bicycle carrier/<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pannier">pannier</a></i>. You have to have <u><b>something</b></u> in which to carry your clothes.</li>
<li>A grocery store plastic bag (or two). For storing clothes sweated-up on the way to work.</li>
<li>Work clothes gently folded.</li>
<li>Work shoes. I have a dedicated work pair of shoes. <a href="http://www.zappos.com/birkenstock-london-habana-oiled-leather">Birkenstock Londons</a>, thank you.</li>
<li>A towel for drying off.</li>
<li>A washcloth for, you know, washing yourself.</li>
<li>Deodorant (optional)</li>
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<b>The changing space.</b> Where you change from your commuting clothes matters. My <a href="http://umcspace.missouri.edu/historic/buildings/McReynolds/">new office building</a> is so much better suited to post-bike commute changing than was the old building. In <a href="http://www.treanorarchitects.com/treanor-architects/jesse-hall-interior-renovation/">Jesse Hall</a>, I had my choice of small bathroom stalls with no space to maneuver or larger stalls with automatic flushers. I have to suspend concern about how gross it may be to set my pannier on a public bathroom floor. My advice: Look first and avoid wet spots. Stalls with hooks for hanging clothes on are golden. Stalls with automatic toilet flushers are best avoided. The most times I ever set off the flusher while changing was six in the basement men's room in Jesse Hall. I am not proud of that.<br />
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<b>Modest mouse.</b> If you have your own office in which to discreetly hang up sweaty clothes to dry after changing, well, that's a special thing. If you are like me an you share an office with three colleagues in a decommissioned dorm room, there isn't much extra space available for hanging up post-ride clothes. This is where <a href="http://www.rei.com/b/rei/c/running-shirts?s_kwcid=sYK1DgalE_dc|pcrid|44001094205|pkw|%2Brei%20%2Brunning%20%2Bshirt|pmt|b|google|main&gclid=CNyblaOpw78CFSlgMgod8iwAtA">wicking clothes</a> are best for summer bike commutes. They may smell a bit after hanging our for a work-day in a plastic bag in your pannier but they won't be wet for long once you let them breathe on the ride home.<br />
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<b>9 to 5</b>. Getting to work is always a chore for me. There are a myriad of boring reasons. Since hot weather engenders crankiness in me, being comfortable in my work commute clothing important.<br />
<br />Trevor North Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372065367884475408noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441089848587669660.post-27536044723764582192014-07-04T21:21:00.002-05:002014-07-04T23:12:34.587-05:00When life gives you flat tires make rubbers!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_78N0P1qGCE/U7dSTRTDJ2I/AAAAAAAAAVI/zzRivk0Jn-s/s1600/Zambian+bike+rubber.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_78N0P1qGCE/U7dSTRTDJ2I/AAAAAAAAAVI/zzRivk0Jn-s/s1600/Zambian+bike+rubber.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zambian-style bicycle rubber</td></tr>
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This year my street has witnessed a most extreme series of deconstructions and reconstructions. (It was the best of times it was the worst of times...) Back in 2008, the City Council voted to approve funding 100% of the construction of a sewer replacement project in my 90 year old neighborhood. Great news!<br />
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Five years later the project started. Then it got cold as it tends to do in the winter. Me and the neighbors scratched our heads as to why the contractor began work in late November, but I figured the contractor knows more about a lot more about how to do their job than I do. They were chosen not me. (Not-so-relevant aside: The contractor is Aplex, Inc from Linn, Missouri. They are not to be found in any phone book that I get nor do they have any web presence. Neither of those facts matter of course. Aplex has done a great job building two new sewer lines on my street, installing a stormwater drain, building new sidewalks on both sides of the street and building new curbs & gutters. That's what matter, right?)<br />
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They have also done a great job stirring up sharp objects that puncture bicycle tires. When the houses on my street got their sewer lines tied into the new main line, the street was eliminated. Not forever. Aplex's crew of strapping lads didn't just dig up a bit of our street. We got a whole new street out of the deal. The aggregate of the ages came up for air before being entombed again under <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebar">rebar</a> and new cement.<br />
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Street closed signs popped up. Cars mostly ignored them and we have had the most peaceful street for the last six months. On my bicycle I did not ignore the street closed signs and that was at my own peril. I have had more flat tires on my bicycle in 2014 than I think I've had in the last decade. I never find anything in the tubes or tire but I usually notice the flat while biking on or near my street.<br />
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2014 has been busy. I am getting more into my job at KBIA. Lisa spends more time in school so I have more household duties. Patching bicycle tires was never my strong suit and now with my plate feeling full I am more inclined to buy a new tube rather than struggle to patch a blown tube.<br />
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I do try however. I put the popped tube in a bucket of water, find the hole, glue it and patch it but, alas, I get another flat. (To you who think it is something in the wheel or tire, I looked. I have had two flats on both tires in the past six months. Equal opportunity punctures.)<br />
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All of a sudden I am swimming in holy tubes as seen below.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-isgfSkdgUzI/U7dcudGDlZI/AAAAAAAAAVo/WBpATbq0_fI/s1600/Stack+of+tubes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-isgfSkdgUzI/U7dcudGDlZI/AAAAAAAAAVo/WBpATbq0_fI/s1600/Stack+of+tubes.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a><br />
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While Lisa and I were Peace Corps volunteers in Zambia we observed many Africans riding bicycles. They are much more common than cars but not as common as are pedestrians. Cars there are a luxury item in Zambia and as it turns out in a lot of the world. (I snicker at my neighbors with "We are the 99%" bumper stickers on their <b><u>cars</u></b>. The percent of Earthlings who own a car is 9%. Or so says the internet. I digress.)<br />
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Zambian bicyclists are cargo haulers. They move people, goats, 50kg bags of nuts, massive quantities of bush-made charcoal and anything else imaginable. To tie goods on they use what is called in the vernacular "a rubber." Condoms in Zambia are called condoms so far as I recall and not rubbers.<br />
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To make a bike rubber with your popped tube cut off the valve stem and toss it.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-krNYYQepFb4/U7dctkpglII/AAAAAAAAAVc/Yu0ZEcVpsD8/s1600/Cut+off+the+stem.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-krNYYQepFb4/U7dctkpglII/AAAAAAAAAVc/Yu0ZEcVpsD8/s1600/Cut+off+the+stem.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">You'll be left with a rubber sheet about six inches across by six of so feet long.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GNztZyioKeI/U7dcv_akcDI/AAAAAAAAAWA/p3lEt_vvZUY/s1600/Halfway+there.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GNztZyioKeI/U7dcv_akcDI/AAAAAAAAAWA/p3lEt_vvZUY/s1600/Halfway+there.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Now c</span>ut each piece lengthwise and there you have a pair of the biggest rubber bands you ever did see!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fxZVLrpg_ho/U7dctsyHTtI/AAAAAAAAAVk/YKyzcHQGMSE/s1600/Cut+it+lengthwise.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fxZVLrpg_ho/U7dctsyHTtI/AAAAAAAAAVk/YKyzcHQGMSE/s1600/Cut+it+lengthwise.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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You'll end up with two nice long stretchy rubber bands for turning your bicycle with only a rack into a hauling machine. Of course a cargo bicycle works well for that, too.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wnNWmgqWYJw/U7dcusC8t8I/AAAAAAAAAVs/tHBVQ8Fcg9c/s1600/Two+rubbers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wnNWmgqWYJw/U7dcusC8t8I/AAAAAAAAAVs/tHBVQ8Fcg9c/s1600/Two+rubbers.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jwenSBR2JK0/U7dctcQ0ofI/AAAAAAAAAVY/WU-hO--8mGQ/s1600/A+pair+of+rubbers+ready+for+work.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jwenSBR2JK0/U7dctcQ0ofI/AAAAAAAAAVY/WU-hO--8mGQ/s1600/A+pair+of+rubbers+ready+for+work.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_78N0P1qGCE/U7dSTRTDJ2I/AAAAAAAAAVM/0rJaObMF1hg/s1600/Zambian+bike+rubber.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_78N0P1qGCE/U7dSTRTDJ2I/AAAAAAAAAVM/0rJaObMF1hg/s1600/Zambian+bike+rubber.JPG" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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Tie a rubber on to your bicycle rack and wrap it around the desired object you wish to haul. I moved a lamp last week on my rack using a rubber. Many other items are possible. It still remains easier to drive a car and most Americans will continue to choose that option. Enjoy your freedoms on this Independence Day 2014!<br />
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The nice thing about home-made bike rubbers is they are easily adjustable to corral any reasonable quantity of movable stuff.<br />
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Now if we could only do something about the pitifully small bicycle racks available in the USA for bicycles. There were several ways Zambia had it up on America and one clear area was larger, more ample custom-made bicycle racks!<br />
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Happy hauling!Trevor North Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372065367884475408noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441089848587669660.post-49554804418343164122013-06-21T07:31:00.001-05:002013-06-21T07:31:03.426-05:00Columbia East to WestSome days I feel like I could run forever. This morning was one of those days.<a href="http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=518269"> I took a run</a> that covered central city neighborhoods, skirted declining strip malls, through an abandoned trailer court and all under a brilliant sunrise.<br />
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Can I bottle this feeling of satisfaction and carry it with me all day?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g0DeTzKmhG4/UcRHaT-wfPI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/qCLpnL131nc/s1600/Up.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g0DeTzKmhG4/UcRHaT-wfPI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/qCLpnL131nc/s640/Up.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Go get 'em!</span></td></tr>
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<br />Trevor North Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372065367884475408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441089848587669660.post-87183044798419183672013-06-06T16:41:00.003-05:002013-06-06T16:41:41.926-05:00Standing in the shadows at work<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Trevor North Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372065367884475408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441089848587669660.post-12599417820728395152013-06-03T21:07:00.001-05:002013-06-07T12:06:43.832-05:00Why I floated the Hinson Creek.You might expect some snappy answer like "Because it was there." Truth is I floated the Hinkson Creek last weekend with my friend Mike because it is our watershed. What better way to get to know our local waters than riding out a stormwater engorged creek?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SbMsDAhSYck/Ua1KDLsQJ3I/AAAAAAAAATA/Ufsyznsa1q8/s1600/A+raging+Hinkson+Creek+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SbMsDAhSYck/Ua1KDLsQJ3I/AAAAAAAAATA/Ufsyznsa1q8/s400/A+raging+Hinkson+Creek+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The raging Hinkson Creek at the put-in.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rsevjNWColo/Ua1KE-OHWtI/AAAAAAAAATY/vXAKAWLA50E/s1600/Me+and+Mike+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rsevjNWColo/Ua1KE-OHWtI/AAAAAAAAATY/vXAKAWLA50E/s400/Me+and+Mike+web.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike and I reveling in our accomplishment: we joined the Hinkson Float fraternity.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QPk_E9NcEOw/Ua1KGF2gqTI/AAAAAAAAATg/ODYDGqp75SM/s1600/Mike+and+Fido+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QPk_E9NcEOw/Ua1KGF2gqTI/AAAAAAAAATg/ODYDGqp75SM/s400/Mike+and+Fido+web.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fido will keep us safe from harm.</td></tr>
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Since I came to Columbia in 1989 I have known the Hinkson but never as well as I wanted to know her. I had occasionally taken a dip in the Hinkson feeling like there was no better way to be of a place than to lay on my back in the creek that flows through my town, my place. Immersed in the creek's trickling flow and gazing up at the clouds on a summer day leaves me feeling like a got somewhere far from home. In reality it is a less than 2 mile bicycle ride from my home to the nearest Hinkson Creek access. <br />
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This urban watershed of ours makes regular press for being polluted. The politicians and planners have collaborated then fought then collaborated some more to come up with a plan for how to mitigate pollution in the creek. I don't want to be scared from an exciting float by a little pollution and politics.<br />
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Last Saturday I finally did it.<br />
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Floating the Upper Hinkson required a convergence of lots of rain, an available Saturday and a willing partner. Mike and I put in near the Mexico Gravel Road/Vandiver roundbaouts. The water was moving fast. We counted ourselves lucky since wet leaves were stuck in the trees eight or so feet above our heads. The creek had come down a lot and recently.<br />
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Let me admit, yes, we did flip the boat once. A sycamore had fallen across the creek and collected many branches in its mass. A small chute was't quite enough for Mike and I to pass freely. In seemingly slow motion we came up to the brush heap and flipped our ride: Mike's Old Town canoe. ("The Cadillac of cheap canoes" as Mike reminds me.) In the flip Mike lost his glasses. We watched one of his Cabella's paddle float away. My camera got wet.<br />
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The canoe once righted and drained was deemed worthy of floating again. We paddled on with a commitment to watch for obstructions more closely.<br />
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Post-flip, as rocks and trees impeded our progress, Mike and I hopped out the back of the boat often to swim or walk Fido and the canoe to shore. From the bank we could better suss out the ripples ahead of us. Overall <a href="http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=516818">we paddled 8.26 miles</a>, floated under seven or so bridges, portaged around one low-water bridge and took out at another. My dear wife Lisa met us at the takeout near the MU ballfields and carried out soggy selves back to Mike's truck.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ptPciVgsuis/Ua1KDmnyPhI/AAAAAAAAATI/6wrrjz-uVZ4/s1600/Break+Time+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ptPciVgsuis/Ua1KDmnyPhI/AAAAAAAAATI/6wrrjz-uVZ4/s400/Break+Time+web.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Break time on the swim-walk-float trip</td></tr>
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Would I do it again? Absolutely! <i><b>Disclaimer: this is not a float for paddlers who aren't nimble, attentive and a bit nuts.</b></i> Most months of the year the Hinkson flows very little. With luck, an available day and a willing partner there is a fast-moving (at times) floatable creek running through the heart of Columbia, Missouri.<br />
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My pictures saved from the once-waterlogged camera don't begin to show what a near wilderness runs in our midst. Undeveloped and largely unmarred by development the Upper Hinkson is a gem that won't give up her secrets easily.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WmO_8mAVAwo/Ua1KERnQKgI/AAAAAAAAATQ/IsyEXq5_hd0/s1600/Hinkson+Creek+and+me+web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WmO_8mAVAwo/Ua1KERnQKgI/AAAAAAAAATQ/IsyEXq5_hd0/s400/Hinkson+Creek+and+me+web.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">We did it, Ma!</td></tr>
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Trevor North Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372065367884475408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441089848587669660.post-52407596791962014872013-04-28T14:56:00.002-05:002013-05-08T15:37:27.697-05:00Not aloneAs the weather warms here in Missouri, I notice more tree blooms, short skirts, food trucks and bikes on the road.<br />
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More bicycles on the road is always a good thing. My years in Columbia give me a perspective on the total numbers of bicyclists. With time there are certainly more people choosing to ride. Sure there are plumb more people in Columbia as time marches on but along with that a larger percentage of people are riding.<br />
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There are many kinds of bicyclists in the world and they occasionally talk the same bike language, sometimes not. I see commuters like myself on the road. We are out there every day making our way to work, social engagements, the store and other destinations. As a bike commuter the bike is my choice of mode. When someone asks incredulously on an especially rainy, snowy, hot or cold day "Did you ride your BICYCLE today?" I relish asking them right back "How else would I have gotten here?" I am not trying to be an asshole rather trying to make it clear that bicycle riding for me is not a fair-weather thang.<br />
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Along with commuters, I see bike racers and recreational trail riders. What consistnetly surprises me is how rarely these riders choose to ride their bikes to a destination. Yeah, these folks are riders, too, but I mainly don't get where they are coming from or going to. I run for fun as readers of this blog will know but I ride for my commute. Riding for the sake of riding is fun, too. Last weekend I took a recreational bike ride down to see the flooding Missouri River, enjoyed the trail, a soda at Coopers Landing and the trail ride home. I get it. I am not a hater.<br />
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There are also seasonal bicyclists and bicycle-by-default riders. Seasonal bicyclists hang up their ride from October until April choosing to drive during winter weather. Bicyclists-by-default are those riders who because of funds can't afford a car. This group is made up of international students, the poor and almost everyone who bikes in Zambia. They might rather drive a car but funds don't allow that. So they ride. <br />
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Mnay of my fellow bicyclists follow common bike rules. Many do not.<br />
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Signal a turn.<br />
Stop at intersections that require cars to stop.<br />
Don't ride two abreast in traffic.<br />
Wear a helmet for gawd's sake.<br />
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These are common sense and legal rules that I follow because it is important to be predictable for the drivers out there. We bicyclists manage to engender a heap of hate from drivers and most of it comes from being unpredictable.<br />
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Much of the anger from drivers has nothing to do with bicycles rather is attributable to general anxiety and fear growing in American culture these days. Alarm system anyone? Gotta Glock?<br />
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There is a quote out there about there being no joy greater than seeing an adult on a bicycle. I get that.<br />
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I feel joy when I see other Columbians pedaling around town. Be they clad in spandex, thrift scores or business casual attire these bicyclists represent a cultural shift that is significant. Bicycles work for fun or for commuting. Just please don't hang them on the wall of your non-bicycle shop.Trevor North Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372065367884475408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441089848587669660.post-39129828054745779502013-04-18T11:06:00.001-05:002013-04-18T11:06:46.530-05:00East St. Louis, Illinois Saturday, April 13, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8jBwqBTeX0I/UXAaCrbgIvI/AAAAAAAAASk/OsqjVOIQARo/s1600/Lovely+Lady.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8jBwqBTeX0I/UXAaCrbgIvI/AAAAAAAAASk/OsqjVOIQARo/s640/Lovely+Lady.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />Trevor North Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372065367884475408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441089848587669660.post-83306306269543111912013-04-18T09:37:00.000-05:002013-05-08T15:57:17.308-05:00Full up Flat Branch<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wesglTSa20s/UXADZsVbcMI/AAAAAAAAASc/ZFfWPaX5Mi4/s1600/Riparian+zone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wesglTSa20s/UXADZsVbcMI/AAAAAAAAASc/ZFfWPaX5Mi4/s400/Riparian+zone.jpg" width="300" /></a>After a couple inches of rain Columbia's Flat Branch Creek is swollen and moving fast. This morning I snapped a few pictures of the creek as it moved fast and full through the MKT underpasses just below the MU Power Plant.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tkShaitSfK8/UXADHhCfRyI/AAAAAAAAASU/dS5Cmc7L1ao/s1600/Flat+Branch+on+the+trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tkShaitSfK8/UXADHhCfRyI/AAAAAAAAASU/dS5Cmc7L1ao/s400/Flat+Branch+on+the+trail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Yesterday my friend Andy and I took a walk along the trail in search of morel mushrooms and wildflowers. Alas, we found no morels but did witness several species of ephemeral, spring wildflowers including wild ginger and possibly bluebells. Thanks to that hour of exploration we saw cardinals and several deer hanging out in this small, urban riparian zone.<br />
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Update: I found my first ever morel mushroom last weekend just outside Columbia! Where do I get an application for membership in this club?<br />
<br />Trevor North Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372065367884475408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441089848587669660.post-13371518080054334262013-04-12T15:39:00.002-05:002013-04-12T15:42:26.264-05:00Columbia Train ServiceHow I wouldn't love to hop on a train in Columbia and ride the rails to far-flung destinations. A Columbia connection with St. Louis and Kansas City would bring so many visitors to Our Fair City as well as provide an exiting mass transit option to travel from Columbia. I am not going to hold my breath awaiting a new train line from Columbia, Missouri.<br />
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One the one hand state funding for our <a href="http://www.amtrak.com/missouri-river-runner-train">cross-state Amtrak line </a>seems only tentatively funded. Every year there is talk of defunding the line but then somehow miraculously the State Legislature makes the needed allocation. Money will always be an issue for expanding rail in Missouri and anywhere. People love their cars, they use then and they don't want to be limited by the inherently limited train schedule.<br />
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On the other hand, Amtrak just reported its <a href="http://www.columbiatribune.com/business/amtrak-ridership-has-best-month-ever/article_d1c1030a-a1f7-11e2-8b13-10604b9f7e7c.html">most successful month ever</a> in March 2013. Does demand drive service increases? Doubtful we'll see anything new coming to Missouri's rail lines anytime soon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9nPZxmAtykk/UWhxYdGg2sI/AAAAAAAAASE/PSPoHS9gW_4/s1600/train_station.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9nPZxmAtykk/UWhxYdGg2sI/AAAAAAAAASE/PSPoHS9gW_4/s400/train_station.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Columbia's Katy Station back in the train era. The structure now serves as Shiloh, a college kid watering hole.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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For now the existing options for rail travel from Columbia involve a car drive to Jefferson City or LaPlata where one can catch a train to St. Louis, Kansas City or Chicago. Another option is to ride on Friday or Saturday the <a href="http://dinnertrain.com/">Columbia Star Dinner Train</a> to Centralia and back. Once you get to Centralia there's no connecting passenger train so, well, you may as well come back to Columbia. A round trip ride on the Columbia Star Dinner Train is all they sell so far as I can tell.<br />
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Looking ahead at the 50-year or 100-year plan (is there such a thing?) there are a few scenarios that are exciting to visualize. Since tearing rebuilding train lines on the bed of our former MKT line out of town would be politically unpopular I'd like to see service on the COLT line expanded to include a line running to Centralia. At that point a new cross-state line through Moberly could get train commuters to Kansas City and St. Louis. This line could replace the line that currently operates through Washington, Hermann, Jefferson City, Sedalia and Lee's Summit. I'd venture to guess more people live near the rail line that parallels Interstate 70 than do the existing line that hugs the Missouri River valley. Occasionally in the debate over how to fund widening of I-70 some sane voice proposes a train line down the center of the highway only to be silenced under the voices of the fiscally conservative legislators and transportation planners at MoDOT.<br />
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In the meantime we'll keep driving to Jefferson City, LaPlata, Kansas City or St. Louis to occasionally hop the train to Chicago, New York, Albuquerque or any other number of captivating destinations. Trevor North Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372065367884475408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441089848587669660.post-78350833643907279662013-04-04T16:54:00.000-05:002013-04-04T17:03:17.965-05:00Gone<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Brick House </span></b></span><br />
Each day on my bicycle commute to <a href="http://www.kbia.org/">work</a> I feel the <a href="http://www.wunderground.com/weather-forecast/US/MO/Columbia.html">air temperature,</a> I listen to birds, I see the <a href="http://www.columbiamissourian.com/a/156818/from-readers-reader-photos-of-flat-branch-wildlife-growth/">Flat Branch Creek</a> trickling under Stewart Road.<br />
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For years now I eyed a small brick building facing Stewart Road. It rested just behind and south of the <a href="http://www.columbiacemetery.org/">Columbia Cemetery</a>. I assumed the structure served some function in past years as a shelter covering a municipal water pump. I never looked too deep into it but appreciated the arched door and window and the flat clay tile roof. It was a vestigal structure that marked my and many others' commutes as we went to our work places, our educations and varied recreation.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Progress as Promised</b></span><br />
A month or two ago I read how the owner of some adjacent property had a rezoning request before the city. Inevitably construction began this week. First a crew of tree trimmers picked every tree and stick off the quarter-acre site on which the tiny brick building sat. A day later the building was gone. I assumed it had been there maybe 75 years. That's a guess based on its look.<br />
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I am glad I got a few pictures before it disappeared for, you guessed it, more student apartments and their parking concrete.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TWwhrUvsClM/UV32EK9HXZI/AAAAAAAAARE/q7BjgyZD3kU/s1600/Brick+building2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TWwhrUvsClM/UV32EK9HXZI/AAAAAAAAARE/q7BjgyZD3kU/s640/Brick+building2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This 12x12 foot brick building sat on East Stewart Road in Columbia for many years.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-No73g__TKEw/UV32EDefwpI/AAAAAAAAARI/GbuAto6of-g/s1600/Dropping+limbs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-No73g__TKEw/UV32EDefwpI/AAAAAAAAARI/GbuAto6of-g/s640/Dropping+limbs.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now it is gone, sacrificed likely for a surface parking lot to serve forthcoming student housing.</td></tr>
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<br />Trevor North Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372065367884475408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441089848587669660.post-53831516952654563582013-04-04T16:44:00.000-05:002013-04-04T17:06:05.783-05:0012th placeA few weeks ago was the annual running of the Sedalia (Missouri) Half Marathon. I was well aware that I would be running in this race for several months. I plunked down my $30 (a most reasonable fee considering what big city races cost.) And I trained intelligently.<br />
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Most road running races in the past few years have found me stepping up to the starting line feeling woefully underprepared. Despite my best intentions I trained when I could for these half- and full marathons. It was however never quite enough miles or speed-work. I found myself never quite training as fast or as far as I knew I should be for the distance. Sure, I am now 42 and there are limits to how fast a human can run as s/he ages. I get that. At the same time I know that I am tapped into what it takes to run faster than I have before because I am smarter than I was before. In preparation for the March 23 Sedalia race I put in adequate miles, stayed healthy, ate nutritious food and lifted weights regularly.<br />
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Come race day the weather was cool, but comfortable with no precipitation. The pool of other runners was around 150 as I had expected. A major psychological factor for me in this race was that there were so
few runners. After several big city races (~20,000 runners) I now know
that ain't for me. Give me a small race with 150 fellow racers anyday.<br />
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From the start I ran my race. I didn't attempt to keep up with anyone or beat anyone else. I set a pace that worked for me (as it turns out it was 7:38 per mile) and stuck to it. In the end <a href="http://www.columbiatrackclub.com/results/nonctc/SHM13.HTM">I crossed the line in 12th place at 1:40:43</a> slicing two minutes off my personal best in the half marathon, which I ran at this race two years before. What told me I had run smartly was that I recovered fast. I was well enough to run-commute to work the next day in a snow storm and bike around town the following day. <br />
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<br />Trevor North Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372065367884475408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441089848587669660.post-21451305101081436572013-03-17T11:00:00.001-05:002013-03-17T11:00:13.844-05:00Almost a half<a href="http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=510085">Today's run</a><br />
Distance: 12 miles<br />
Time: Somewhere near 1 hour, 35 minutes<br />Weather: Cool. 35 degrees with occasional snow and sleet<br />
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Next Saturday I'll run the Sedalia Half Marathon. Lisa and I did it two years ago. For my last long run before the race the weather did a repeat performance of that of race day 2011. Wind, light snow and some sleet today was minor compared to the blowing ice of our earlier race in Sedalia.<br />
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I felt good on today's route with only occasional tightness in my left Achilles tendon. I ran alone and had plenty of time to think about what I expect to do next weekend. I don't have a goal time rather I want to run fast and even and have as much fun as possible.<br />
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Big news: The new <a href="http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=510086">Greenbriar Trail neighborhood connection</a> is open for business! This is definitely one for fans of hills!Trevor North Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372065367884475408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441089848587669660.post-80968337339002127792013-03-14T12:04:00.002-05:002013-03-14T12:06:50.672-05:00Shrinking from the spotlight? Not I.<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OIlJ4cPGJUs/UUIC6JUOXTI/AAAAAAAAAQs/MZQSAQjwxXo/s1600/2013-03_trevor-harris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OIlJ4cPGJUs/UUIC6JUOXTI/AAAAAAAAAQs/MZQSAQjwxXo/s320/2013-03_trevor-harris.jpg" width="201" /></a>Columbia's <a href="http://pednet.org/">PedNet</a> named yours truly as their <a href="http://pednet.org/newsroom/commuter-spotlight/index.html"><span style="color: #f6b26b;">March 2013 Spotlighted Commuter</span></a>. <br />
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How 'bout them apples?<br />
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See you in the Streets,<br />
TrevorTrevor North Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372065367884475408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441089848587669660.post-83209254259747597552013-03-14T11:46:00.000-05:002013-03-14T11:55:34.375-05:00Art amongst us.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MzsMgh9R97U/UUH9hlbJroI/AAAAAAAAAQk/cfcOjzNHcOQ/s1600/Quality+Hill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MzsMgh9R97U/UUH9hlbJroI/AAAAAAAAAQk/cfcOjzNHcOQ/s400/Quality+Hill.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
Every day when I come to work it means another chance to get absorbed in the Scruggs-Vandervoort-Barney Collection. The collection was commissioned by the <a href="http://www.claytonhistorysociety.org/vandervoorts.html">late St. Louis department store</a> and acquired by former University of Missouri president Elmer Ellis.<br />
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At left is one of my favorites of the remaining 99 on display around Jesse Hall: <br />
'Twilight on Quality Hill' by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederic_James">Frederic James</a>.Trevor North Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372065367884475408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441089848587669660.post-12212634134333941772013-02-27T06:41:00.000-06:002013-02-27T06:42:21.487-06:00HIgh and dry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m8F5zD7_wWE/US3-ku17ZnI/AAAAAAAAAQM/n5SBZra_6GQ/s1600/Indoor+bike+rack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m8F5zD7_wWE/US3-ku17ZnI/AAAAAAAAAQM/n5SBZra_6GQ/s640/Indoor+bike+rack.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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On days when it rains and snows (and that's a lot of the days lately) I appreciate the best kept secret among bike commuters on my campus: the indoor bike rack in Townsend Hall. All it is is three bars welded together and bolted to the ground next to a stairway, but it keeps my ride and others in out of the wet during the day.Trevor North Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372065367884475408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441089848587669660.post-57792140669890241152013-02-21T17:32:00.000-06:002013-02-21T17:33:44.733-06:00Scenes from the landscape<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eV9k8Rytx9k/USas-jT67bI/AAAAAAAAAPA/525GoTZw-6I/s1600/GEDC0930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eV9k8Rytx9k/USas-jT67bI/AAAAAAAAAPA/525GoTZw-6I/s320/GEDC0930.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">We have been successful the past few seasons growing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbascum_thapsus"><i><b>Verbascum thapsus</b></i></a> (<b>Great</b> or <b>Common Mullein</b>) at home. Very successful.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IiJwxigN7Wc/USatBqKoRSI/AAAAAAAAAPI/BMBNnHFFbLk/s1600/GEDC0948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IiJwxigN7Wc/USatBqKoRSI/AAAAAAAAAPI/BMBNnHFFbLk/s400/GEDC0948.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">We converted a wine barrel into a rain barrel. It works fine.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yi1yBaMkT6Y/USatCKGI0zI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/Mec7cJbmHtU/s1600/GEDC0937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yi1yBaMkT6Y/USatCKGI0zI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/Mec7cJbmHtU/s400/GEDC0937.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Sit a spell, won't you?</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KQkGOCkhhIc/USatFxgs6uI/AAAAAAAAAPY/dBEsmPNFe90/s1600/GEDC0949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KQkGOCkhhIc/USatFxgs6uI/AAAAAAAAAPY/dBEsmPNFe90/s320/GEDC0949.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Untitled No. 1</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EQCDpy2PguU/USatHNSOQII/AAAAAAAAAPg/HsgwCGtdeB0/s1600/GEDC1062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EQCDpy2PguU/USatHNSOQII/AAAAAAAAAPg/HsgwCGtdeB0/s320/GEDC1062.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Man</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CrN_hX34tqI/USatHTVCEVI/AAAAAAAAAPk/1u1ClMFoMac/s1600/GEDC0964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CrN_hX34tqI/USatHTVCEVI/AAAAAAAAAPk/1u1ClMFoMac/s400/GEDC0964.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It seems the wife and I are finally getting a-head. Three heads actually.</td></tr>
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<br />Trevor North Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372065367884475408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441089848587669660.post-24326192279973754552013-02-21T17:20:00.004-06:002013-02-21T17:23:38.642-06:00It snowed on February 21, 2013 here in Columbia, Missouri, USA.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-31UOPOqxi7s/USap39ynqnI/AAAAAAAAAOo/KStzaTEvCsQ/s1600/Snow+walkers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-31UOPOqxi7s/USap39ynqnI/AAAAAAAAAOo/KStzaTEvCsQ/s400/Snow+walkers.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="background-color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">W</span>e had a <span style="font-size: small;">b</span>ig snow here today in Columbia, Missouri. By all accounts most folks stayed home. A few curiosity seekers explored the New White World by foot including these humanz on the University of Missouri campus.</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r_xFHDq_DVw/USap5loP6KI/AAAAAAAAAOw/t89fmDIBiDc/s1600/Snow+drivers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r_xFHDq_DVw/USap5loP6KI/AAAAAAAAAOw/t89fmDIBiDc/s400/Snow+drivers.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<span style="background-color: #f1c232;"><span style="color: #38761d;">While others thought it would be fun to get in their car and make traffic. Silly.</span></span></blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TMYiVXdLWSo/USap6aYt7-I/AAAAAAAAAO4/E2UnMle5J4s/s1600/Bud+Snow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TMYiVXdLWSo/USap6aYt7-I/AAAAAAAAAO4/E2UnMle5J4s/s400/Bud+Snow.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: #ffd966;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Be the snow.</i></span></span></span></span></h2>
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<br />Trevor North Harrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18372065367884475408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6441089848587669660.post-31416809119943452642013-02-10T10:58:00.000-06:002013-02-10T11:07:49.512-06:00Run-commuteLast week while on a run I fell into synch with a fellow runner.<br />
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"How far?" I asked. The tall strider noted that he was just running home. "Do you run home everyday?" I asked. He shared that for the past few months he had been run-commuting. Four miles to work, four miles home was his daily distance. Even though his mileage had increased he wasn't feeling worn down. My new acquaintence had his backpack full of work clothes (or so I gathered) adorned with a blinking red safety light. My light was blinking on the back of my sweat-wicking ball cap.<br />
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It is not every day that I meet someone who is inspirational. I met a person who fit that bill on this particular evening run.<br />
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I like to bicycle to work. It's how I get to my job every weekday. Biking doesn't get me too sweaty since I only have one-and-a-half miles each way. If I had an excuse for why I haven't tried run-commuting it would be that I hadn't thought of it and that there is no shower facility in my building or so far as I know near my building.<br />
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Here I am working on a Sunday. No one is around. It was raining earlier. Perfect time for my first run-commute.<br />
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Setting out at 6:30 on a Sunday morning to get to work by 7:00 I bundled my dry clothes in a trashbag inside a small bakcpack. I nestled a small thermos of of coffee and Keen sandals in there, too.<br />
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How was my first run-commute? Generally great. It took a half-mile or so for me to get in the groove of having a 5-lb backpack on. The rain was no problem as it was well-over freezing. When I arrived the clothes was dry. The coffee was warm. I could get into this as a way to mix things up. I mean I love my bike commute, but knowing that running is possible with a little organization means I will keep it in mind. Maybe I'll commit to run-commuting once a week. Could Friday be my new run-commute day? We'll see.<br />
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Is run-commuting for you? Go ahead and try. Pack dry clothes, a washcloth, towel, deodorant, dry shoes and socks. Consider a backup commute-home plan in cse run-commuting isn't for you. There is always a bus or car driver willing to carry you back home. As Frank Orall from Poi Dog Pondering sings "A long, long time ago people would walk wherever they had to go..."<br />
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