Xtra Cycle Side Car.

April 19 the Xtra Cycle side car arived that I had preordered from the warehouse a month ago. They had been out of stock because they hadn't expected them to be so popular when they built the first batch of 150. They built twice as many the second time. I built it this morning. It had no instructions but it was simple. I decided to put it on the right side because I push from the left side. The floor is scratched and I want this to be show but otherwise if I was going to use it for hauling it would get banged up anyway. I'm sure they would send me an unscratched one. It's designed non rigidly so the bike can lean in turns. I even lubricated it a little. Shelia rode on it and there is a bit of a problem with the bike tipping toward the load but once you get on and ride it's easy to compensate. I'm planning to put an electric motor on it; otherwise; unless I lived in a totally flat area I could not pull a full load; which could be up to 700 lb; with this set up. I'm going to have to figure out some more braking power too. Doesn't it look great in the Garage? That's what it looks like when you start replacing cars with cargo bikes. Charley

The Adahi Trail.

I don't know why I've neglected to include the Adahi Trail in Cherokee Village; near our home; where we ride all the time. Especially since it was me who opened it in 1997. Yes, it was Me fighting my way through a jungle of growth; first in the fall of '96 and then again in early '97 to open it on Earth Day. The trouble is that people have forgotten the legacy; but I have an old newspaper article to prove it. After I opened it others joined in and one man built some bridges for it. After Earth Day the Sportsmen's Club took it over, widened it and did some chain saw sculptures. It runs 1/2 mile from Village Center Garden to the Thunderbird Center pier. When we were on it last Saturday 4 groups of people walked by and more people are discovering it all the time.

Early April Explores: Kati Trail, Mo.

Edward D. (Ted)Jones plaque. MKT Trail Bridge. Ryan at Volt Riders of Columbia, Mo. let me test ride his ebike and I took it to the MKT Trail in the center of Town. It's a 10 mile long connection to the Katy Trail which is 240 miles; from St Charles to Clinton, Mo. One picture is of the Plaque to honor Tom Jones; the founder of the Katy Trail. Then I am at the Rochport Tunel. The Katy Trail runs beside the Missouri River for most of the way and goes through many picturesque towns. There are many B&B's, Campgrounds and places to eat along the way.

Woke Up in Love Light World!

We knew the trip would be great but we didn't know it would mimic my fantasies of Living in a Love Light World. What a Trail! It's called Arkansas River Trail; ART and it's got between 25 and 30 miles of Trails; back and forth from Little Rock and North Little Rock; on both sides of the river. At the West end; on an island on Lake Maumelle is a little piece of Heaven; the Pulaski County Gardens; with 400 plots of garden space! Amazing!

Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving; November 21, 2012 and out in the Street was such a racket! There was a Jolly Old Elf and a Tiny Hay Ride! The Kids were all snuggled down in the Hay and having a wild time riding around and around on the Driveway.

This is the Rail Trail Bridge on the Little Rock Bike and Walking Trail. It exits onto the grounds of the Clinton Library and Heiffer International. This Bridge is part of a Bike and Walking Trail Network that is already 30 miles long on both sides of the Arkansas River. Another 100 miles is under construction. Little Rock is a great Bicycling Destination or just try it on your way through. If you don't have bicycles you can rent. LLTAB

1/21/2013 Checking out the Tree/Bike equipment on a Job.

She's Bradford Pear has been needing some pruning for a while. The last time I worked on it was after the Ice Storm almost destroyed it 4 years ago. It had recovered but there was way too many interfering branches and it was hard to get around or under it. There was a lot of pruning to do and a lot of branches to clean up. Before I started on the tree I worked on the big cart; putting on new tires and finishing the tongue. Then I took out the back board so it could haul long brush. The big cart had no trouble taking all the brush; which I cut down narrow so it would all fit. There wasn't any real difference using the Bike equipment or a truck. The trailer was plenty big for the job and it could have hauled more than I put on it. I kept it hooked up to the bike and when it was full I pulled away as if I was going to haul the brush off. Actually I hauled it with the car because I had to go several miles but if I had a closer site it would have worked fine and the bike could pull it. Big Cart and Tools.

Bike, Cart, Me and Tree.

Loading Brush

Pulling Brush to Cart. Actually this equipment has an advantage in being able to pull right up to the tree and loading it so pulling brush is much easier

Full load/w/tools stowed in the brush.

Getting on the Bike; pulling full Cart.

Hauling it. So easy!

Pretending to dump the load.

Actually; cart hooked up to car's back rack to haul off the brush.