Almond Freikers Arrive At Gila Cliff Dwellings !

Another week has come and gone and the end of school is just one more week away. I'll be taking the Freikometer down the week of Jun 8th (not sure when yet) but that shouldn't stop anyone from walking or riding should it? We have a special recognition ceremony on the playground during morning assembly on June 8 at 8:30am. Award bags will be handed out to all of the Freikers on June 8th and at 1:45pm on June 9th the top 60 walkers and riders will be invited to a special assembly in the multi to pick out an award of their choice (flashing tail light *or* cyclometer *or* $5 JambaJuice card).

Stats for Week 11 !

With only 1 week left to go in the school year, the Almond Freikers are still going strong!

• Almond remains the #1 Freiker school in the nation!
• The kid recorded 506 round trips for week 11.
• The now have accumulated a total of 5,122 round trips to school.
• That equals a total of 7,700 miles by bike or by foot.
• This has prevented 2.6 tons of CO2 emissions from entering the atmosphere
• It has saved this nation 366 gallons of gasoline.
• The kids have burned a total of 385,000 kcals - that's a pretty healthy metabolism!
  

Almond Freikers Arrive At Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument !

The have traveled all the way across the US to Lebec, ME - the eastern-most city in the US. The have traveled down the east coast, through Baltimore, Washington DC, Savannah, GE and finally to Key West, FL. From there they headed west and spent last weekend in New Orleans. This week, the traveled all the way across Texas (and that's a big state) to arrive in New Mexico at the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. What an awesome sight to behold!

Volcanic Cave Formations

The first discovery of the Gila Cliff Dwellings was by Henry B. Ailman, an emigrant to New Mexico who was residing in Silver City at the time. In the summer of 1878, Ailman found himself, along with a bunch of friends, on a jury list. To avoid serving, they organized a prospecting trip to the Gila River where the site was discovered. Throughout the following years, many visitors would study the dwellings. In the next couple of years, the site became more accessible. In the 1890s the Hill brothers had created a resort at the nearby Gila Hot Springs. The Hill brothers would take guests on tours to the nearby cliff dwellings. In June 1906, Rep. John F. Lacey of Iowa and chairman of the House Public Lands Committee introduced a bill for the regulation of prehistoric sites. The Act for the Preservation of Antiquities, also known as the Antiquities Act, the president was authorized to set aside land that contained prehistoric and historic ruins by executive order.

These reservations were called national monuments and were to be managed by the Interior, Agriculture, and War departments, depending on which agency had controlled a particular site before it was withdrawn. In December 1906, Gila Forest Supervisor R. C. McClure reported to the chief forester in Washington, D.C. that the Gila Cliff Dwellings warranted preservation by the national government to avoid further removal of artifacts by hunters and other prospectors.

Dwellings inside the caves

A couple of mummified bodies had been found at the Gila Cliff Dwellings location. Most were lost to private collectors. In 1912, a burial ground was found and the mummy was named “Zeke”. The body was described as an infant. This discovery gained national attention and increased visitations to the monument. This lead to additional improvements in the next couple of years. This was the only mummy to reach the Smithsonian from the site.

Administration of the monument was transferred from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to the National Park System on August 10, 1933, by Executive Order 6166. President John F. Kennedy signed Proclamation No. 3467 that added approximately 375 acres containing an additional archaeological site, known as the TJ site, as well as additional wilderness. In the spring of 1975, the National Park Service and the United States Forest Service signed a cooperative agreement whereby the Gila National Forest is responsible for administration of the monument.

No More Baskin-Robbins Awards :(

The ice cream awards ended last week so there is nothing new to report here. I'm sure most folks have their fair share of coupons stashed somewhere as we do. Remember to thank our sponsor the next time you are in Baskin-Robbins!

Spot Pizza Award Winners So Far !

We have 1 more week to go and 42 Almond Freikers have already earned a free large Spot Pizza! Way to go kids - you guys are awesome...

Bicycle Training 101 !

Ok, so I've been busy helping everyone else with their cycling and I haven't gotten to do very much of it myself. So this last week I started my training regiment again - don't ask me what I'm training for, I have no idea. But I call it 'training' anyway :) In my training, there are 4 kids of rides I concentrate on:

1. Base Miles - often referred to as a Long Slow Day. The object is to ride about 40-50 miles without getting your heartrate above 130 bpm for any extended period of time. This kind of ride builds up the circulatory system in the area doing the work (the legs) and burns fat. As long as your HR is well below LT (Lactic Acid Threshold) you are burning calories out of stored fat. The rides are usually brisk but pretty easy.
2. Power Rides - This is all about building up the muscles in your legs and training your legs to be powerful through all 360 degrees of a pedal stroke. Remember that you feet are clipped to the pedals so you can push down, pull back, lift up and push forward but you have to do all of that as smoothly as you can. Find a slight uphill somewhere that is 3-5 miles in length. Concentrate on maintaining a cadence of 50-60 rpm with your pedaling. Get your bike in the biggest gears you can and go as hard as you can for the 3-5 miles. Repeat this 2-3 times allowing your legs to rest (spin lightly) on the downhill back to the starting point.
3. Hill Climbing Intervals - This is all about getting your heart rate up as high as you can just as you crest the top of a hill and then allowing your body to rest (spin lightly) on the downhill section. As soon as your HR is back under control, you go back up the hill. My max HR is around 195 bpm and I have a course that I do that includes 6 hill climbs in and around Los Altos Hills (La Paloma, Elena & Black Mountain up to Altamont, Tepa, West Loyola, Magdalena and then some road that goes up by the LAH Country Club. I usually do my hill climbs at around 170-180 bpm until the top of the hill is in sight and then I get out of the saddle and sprint until I go cross eyed. Hopefully, by the time I can't go anymore, I'm at the top of the hill :) Here is a my geek plot from my hill interval ride last Wednesday: Los Altos Hills Interval Course.
4. Peloton Rides - This is as close to the conditions you would find in a bicycle race as you can get. You need a large group of cyclists (this is usually not hard to find around here) callend the peloton and some nerve. You will combine power, intervals, hill climbs and sprinting into one ride that can be 30-80 miles long. Longer rides give you more endurance. You will reach speeds of 35-45 mph except you will be surrounded on all sides with people who are only a foot away! Yikes! I hope they know what they are doing...

One other thing... bicycle racing is all about power to weight. Most good bike racers are 5'7" and weigh 145 lbs - sickening! Bike races are always won and lost in the hills. You can spend $5,000 on a bike to have it be 1.5 lbs lighter than the $2,000 version or you can focus on riding Base Mile for a while, watch your diet and lose 10 lbs pretty quickly. It much cheaper to burn the weight off than it is to buy it off.

Freiker Rolls To Foothill College !

I want to thank everyone that joined us on the Freiker Rolls To Redwood Grove. It was an absolutely gorgeous day for a ride - you can't ask for anything better. Unfortunately, we really didn't ever make it to Redwood Grove since we stopped for lunch in Shoop Park, the kids got to playing in the creek and then the ice cream urge took over :) This was the first ride that is building up over the next 2 weeks to a trip to Hidden Villa on Moody - I hope that everyone is up for that one - it should be a lot of fun:

• June 7th @ 1:00pm - Freiker Rolls to Foothill College: Foothill College is a nearby junior college nestled in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. But how many of you have actually been there? We'll take a lap around the campus and head back through downtown Los Altos for some refreshments. Approx 8 miles with a few gradual climbs.
  
• June 14th @ 1:00pm - Freiker Rolls to Hidden Villa: Tucked back in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Hidden Villa is a great place for a kid to spend some time interacting with nature, taking a walk and learning about environmental conservation. Fun for the whole family! I'll need a couple of adult volunteers on this one to help escort the group along Moody Rd. Approx 12 miles with a few gradual climbs.

Freiker Night for LASD !

As you all know, there has been lots of interest from other schools about the Freiker program but there is also very little understanding about what it is and how it works. Can you imagine that? Now you know what the pioneers must have felt like... :)

Anyway, Egan has a grant for a Freikometer and Santa Rita has just been offered a grant for a Freikometer - now they just need to come find out what that all means to them. Anyone of the Almond parents that wants to come and share their perspective on Freiker are welcome. You folks probably have a lot more credibility and expertise about this program than most people on the planet. I'll be giving an overview of the program and walking through the Almond program for this year, the costs, where the efforts go and the logistics of setting it up.

Ok, that's enough for tonight. I got one more of these I'm going to do and then I'm signing off for the summer.... maybe :)
--
Every Ride Counts !
Jon

Almond Freikers Arrive in New Orleans, LA

I hope everyone had a fabulous Memorial Day weekend filled with family, friends and lot of good times. Last week was a busy week and the end of the school year is upon us. But that didn't keep the Almond Freikers from their mission of riding and walking to school every day. These kids are committed!


Week 10 Stats !

The students at Almond are way out front in the nation. In the last 30 days they have rode more freiker round trips and way more miles than any other school in the nation.... by a long shot!

• Almond remains the #1 school in the nation by almost 300 rides.
• 4,637 Freiker round trips recorded.
• 7,000 miles traveled.
• Daily Average 108 Freiker walks / rides this week.
  
• 2.3 tons of CO2 emissions prevented.
• 348,000 calories burned.
  

Almond Freikers Arrive in New Orleans, LA !

What better place to spend the Memorial Day weekend than New Orleans, Louisiana. That's exactly where the Almond Freikers landed on Friday after a long ride from Key West, FL, up the gulf coast of Florida and then heading west.

New Orleans Skyline

New Orleans is located in southeastern Louisiana, straddling the Mississippi River. The city is named after Philippe II, Duc d'Orléans, Regent of France, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. It is well known for its multicultural and multilingual heritage cuisine, architecture, music (particularly as the birthplace of jazz), and its annual Mardi Gras and other celebrations and festivals. The city is often referred to as the "most unique" city in America. It is also referred to as "The Big Easy' or 'Nola'. The population of the city of New Orleans is about 470,000 people.


New Orleans was founded May 7, 1718, by the French Mississippi Company, under the direction of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, on land inhabited by the Chitimacha. It was named for Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, who was Regent of France at the time. His title came from the French city of Orléans. The French colony was ceded to the Spanish Empire in the Treaty of Paris (1763) and remained under Spanish control until 1801, when it reverted to French control. Most of the surviving architecture of the Vieux Carré (French Quarter) dates from this Spanish period. Napoleon sold the territory to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The city grew rapidly with influxes of Americans, French, and Creole French. Major commodity crops of sugar and cotton were cultivated with slave labor on large plantations outside the city.

In the early 20th century, New Orleans was a progressive major city whose most portentous development was a drainage plan devised by engineer and inventor A. Baldwin Wood. Until then, urban development was largely limited to higher ground along the natural river levees and bayous. Wood's pump system allowed the city to expand into low-lying areas. Over the 20th century, rapid subsidence, both natural and human-induced, left these newly- populated areas several feet below sea level. New Orleans was vulnerable to flooding even before the age of negative elevation. In the late 20th century, however, scientists and New Orleans residents gradually became aware of the city's increased vulnerability. In 1965, Hurricane Betsy killed dozens of residents, even though the majority of the city remained dry. The rain-induced May 8, 1995 Flood demonstrated the weakness of the pumping system. Since that time, measures were taken to repair New Orleans's hurricane defenses and restore pumping capacity. Here is a map showing the cities elevation below sea level:

New Orleans elevation map

The New Orleans area is home to numerous celebrations, the most popular of which is Carnival, often referred to as Mardi Gras. Carnival officially begins on the Feast of the Epiphany, also known as the "Twelfth Night." Mardi Gras (French for "Fat Tuesday"), the final and grandest day of festivities, is the last Tuesday before the Catholic liturgical season of Lent, which commences on Ash Wednesday.

The largest of the city's many music festivals is the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Commonly referred to simply as "Jazz Fest", it is one of the largest music festivals in the nation, featuring crowds of people from all over the world, coming to experience music, food, arts, and crafts. Despite the name, it features not only jazz but a large variety of music, including both native Louisiana music and international artists. Along with Jazz Fest, New Orleans' Voodoo Experience ("Voodoo Fest") and the Essence Music Festival are both large music festivals featuring local and international artists. Other major festivals held in the city include Southern Decadence, the French Quarter Festival, and the Tennessee Williams/ New Orleans Literary Festival.

Baskin-Robbins Awards For Week 10 !

Last week was the final week for the Baskin-Robbins free ice cream cone. Sorry folks, but I'm all out of coupons :( We had 63 lucky Baskin-Robbins ice cream cone winners this week. You guys are awesome!

Spot Pizza Awards So Far !

22 Lucky Pizza winners so far. Way to go kids - keep it up!

Year End Awards !

Well, thanks for all of the input everyone. I really do appreciate your quick responses to Linda's concerns. So the verdict is in and I am going to leave the iPod shuffles out of the picture. I will have choice of bike computers, tail lights or Jamba Juice gift certificate for the top 75% riders and all freikers will get a grab bag of simple things. I'll come up with some special recognition in front of the whole school for those that rode every day.

Once the list is finalized, I will publish to this group. Awards will be passed out on June 8th and 9th. I will need your help to fly air cover with your kids though, I'm not sure where there expectations are with the types of awards.

Freiker Is On The Roll Again !

I want to thank everyone that joined us on the Freiker Rolls To Egan ride on Sunday. We had about 12 folks show up for the ride over to Egan and then to Baskin-Robbins. We have 3 more scheduled for the weeks to come:

• May 31st @ 10:30am - Freiker Rolls to Redwood Grove. Bring a picnic lunch with you (a backpack works fine) and we'll take a nature walk around Redwood Grove. We'll also hang out in the shade of Shoop Park while the kids burn off some extra energy. Approx 5 miles.
• June 7th @ 1:00pm - Freiker Rolls to Foothill College: Foothill College is a nearby junior college nestled in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. But how many of you have actually been there? We'll take a lap around the campus and head back through downtown Los Altos for some refreshments. Approx 8 miles.
  
• June 14th @ 1:00pm - Freiker Rolls to Hidden Villa: Tucked back in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Hidden Villa is a great place for a kid to spend some time interacting with nature, taking a walk and learning about environmental conservation. Fun for the whole family! I'll need a couple of adult volunteers on this one to help escort the group along Moody Rd. Approx 12 miles.

Freiker Night For Almond Parents !

I have booked the Library for Wed, June 27th from 7-8:00pm to talk to all of the Almond parents about what has worked with the program and what has not. What can we do to make the program more effective next year? My goal is to see us push the ridership up to 25% of the student population - at this point, we need more bike racks at the school - that's a good probem !

• We have about 50% of the student body signed up for Freiker. What about the other 50% who didn't? What would have helped them get over the hump?
  
• We now have about 20% of the school commuting to school by walking or biking every day. What about the other 80%?
  
• We have kids that ride and walk every day but aren't Freikers... why not?
  
• I've had lots of questions about t-shirts, etc. I'd like to hear your opinion on this. Would you buy them if they were offered?
  
• We were going to change a registration fee this year. I actually wanted to but someone talked me out of it - it was a good thing :) I don't want to change one next year either but store-to-store solicitation is a lot of work. What are you thought?

Everyone is invited. I'd especially like to get the parents whose kids didn't sign up for Freiker to attend - If anyone can help me here, I'd appreciate it.

Freiker Night for LASD !

As you all know, there has been lots of interest from other schools about the Freiker program but there is also very little understanding about what it is and how it works. Can you imagine that? Now you know what the pioneers must have felt like... :)

Anyway, Egan has a grant for a Freikometer and Santa Rita has just been offered a grant for a Freikometer - now they just need to come find out what that all means to them. Anyone of the Almond parents that wants to come and share their perspective on Freiker are welcome. You folks probably have a lot more credibility and expertise about this program than most people on the planet. I'll be giving an overview of the program and walking through the Almond program for this year, the costs, where the efforts go and the logistics of setting it up.

Ladies Only Demo Day At The Bicycle Outfitter !

Sign up for our Ladies Only Demo Day! - You need to register in advance!

http://www.bicycleoutfitter.com/

Saturday, May 30th from 9am to 6pm

• Raffle
• Clinics and Seminars
• How to fix a flat
• Basic bicycle maintenance
• Nutrition
• Bike Fit
• Factory representatives will be onsite to off their products and answer your questions in our bike expo area.
• Organized group rides for ladies only will be leaving from the Bicycle Outfitter.
• Visit the Shawsu Workout Studio in our expo area for a day of fun and complete body fitness.
• Warm up/Cool down demo for ride participants.
• Personal training demos.
• Pilates demo.
• Chair massage.
• Health Fair.

My Weekend Ride With MVV !

Well, I didn't get to do the Saturday club ride since I went to Davis for a family birthday party. I heard that the ride was shortened due to the wet and cold on the other side of the Santa Cruz Mtns where MVV was headed. It was pretty foggy and wet. I did however, join MVV for a ride on Monday - the off day rides are usually shorter but today was very, very hard. We left the Bicycle Outfitter at 9:00am and climbed to the top of Montebello Rd., took the open space trail across to Page Mill Rd., Page Mill up to Skyline and over the back side just far enough to catch some incredible views of the fog and then back down Page Mill to Peets. A couple of points about this ride:

• The open space trail is a dirt and gravel road and something that should not be done on a racing bike. But we did it anyway. I hate this section. The road is rutted, there are lots of steep uphill and downhills and it is dirt and gravel. The skinny racing tires never really get a chance to gain traction. Lots of time you are trying to go up a hill and your back wheel is spinning behind you or you are navigating a descent and your front wheel is snow plowing through the gravel. I have crashed on this section of trail before and it is no fun picking gravel out of your legs. On the other hand, this is what the guys wanted to do today....
• Any ride that averages 1,000 ft of vertical ascent for every 10 miles is hard! Today we did 3,900 ft of climbing on a 32 mile ride. This kind of riding will get your heart rate up :)
• Ride Stats:
• Rolling time: 2 hrs and 22 mins.
• Distance: 32.3 miles
• Elevation Gain: 3,900 ft (ouch!)
  
• Ave Speed: 13.6 mph
• Max Speed: 40.5 mph
• Ave HR: 138 bpm
• Max HR: 190 bpm
• Calories: 2,600 kcals metabolized
• MotionBased Map: Up Montebello, Down Page Mill
  

That's all for this week!

--
Every Ride Counts!
Jon

Safe Routes To Schools Legislation

Folks,

We, in the city of Los Altos, are extremely blessed to have relatively safe streets for our children to ride, scooter and walk to school. Some of the safety projects that have led to this outcome have been funded by Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) such as the traffic island on El Monte and a funding grant for the Freiker@Almond program for the 2010-11 school year. With that said, there is room to further improvements, for sure.

However, not all neighborhoods around our state and nation enjoy the same benefits that we do. SRST is a national program that works with various schools and government agencies to continue to improve the walkability and bikeability for all schools, regardless of their location, and fund encouragement programs such as Freiker. Today, however, SRTS touches only about 5% of the schools around our nation.

Click on this URL to take action on active transportation issues now.
http://capwiz.com/lab/utr/2/?a=13424291&i=87550936&c=
If your email program does not recognize the URL as a link,copy the entire URL and paste it into your Web browser.

--
Every Ride Counts!
Jon

Students Push For Downtown Prominade In Palo Alto

Palo Alto Weekly
Friday, May 22, 2009

Students push for downtown promenade
Plan would close University Avenue to traffic, shift parking to designated
garages

by Gennady Sheyner

A graduate student-led proposal to drive all cars off the busiest section of University Avenue is slowly but steadily garnering Palo Alto's attention.

Under the plan, developed by a group from Stanford University, the merchant-heavy stretch of University between High and Cowper streets would be converted into a vehicle-free promenade. Student David Hughes said he and three of his classmates hope to convert other residents and city officials to the cause.

The students pitched the idea as an assignment for their Creating Infectious Action class, which requires them to come up with ways to reduce gas consumption. Since then, they have created a blog and a Facebook group to promote the idea, which they believe would both reduce Palo Altans' gas dependence and alleviate the parking woes on the city's busiest thoroughfare.

Instead of clogging up the two-hour-parking spots along University, employees of the businesses along the thoroughfare could get parking permits from the city and fill the garage spots formerly occupied by Facebook employees, Hughes said. The company moved out of downtown earlier this month and into its new office on California Avenue.

The idea, Hughes said, is to promote less driving and more walking. But if it helps alleviate some of University Avenue's parking woes, so much the better.

"Parking is such a huge issues for employees, many of whom are getting ticketed a bunch of times every month," Hughes said. "If there is a customer in the store, they have to either take a gamble and stay with the customer or say, 'I have to move my car.'"

The idea of turning University into an auto-free promenade isn't entirely new. In July 2007, city officials decided to close the busiest section of University on a Friday afternoon only to see adjoining streets fill with traffic and merchants fill with anger and frustration.

But Councilwoman Yoriko Kishimoto, who was mayor at the time, said the biggest flaw with the event was inadequate planning and publicity. Kishimoto is a longtime proponent of creating a more walkable Palo Alto. She said the idea of turning University into a pedestrian-only zone is not without merit, provided it's implemented in gradual phases.

"I think people are very hungry for a place to just meet and mingle," Kishimoto said. "It creates an environment where you, by serendipity, run into neighbors and meet up and have dinner with them."

The first phase, Kishimoto said, could be to eliminate parking spots along University Avenue to allow for wider sidewalks and more bicycle parking spots. Later phases could include closing the busy stretch to cars on a monthly or a bi-weekly basis. The street, for example, could be closed to traffic late Friday afternoon and remain closed on Saturday morning, during which time it could host a farmers market, she said.

Kishimoto isn't alone in wishing for a car-free stretch of University Avenue. On May 13, Planning and Transportation Commissioner Arthur Keller mentioned the idea as an example of the "out-of-the-box" policies he'd like to see city consultants consider as they present recommendations for amending the city's Comprehensive Plan, which guides land-use policies.

Hughes and his group, meanwhile, are keeping busy trying to convert more residents to their cause. The group's Facebook group, Palo Alto Pedestrian Mall, aims to attract 1,000 supporters by May 27. Between May 16 and May 20, its membership swelled from 66 to 452 members.

Hughes also said most of the conversations with downtown shoppers were promising. While some merchants said they were concerned about the proposal's impact on their business, the shoppers were generally enthusiastic, he said.

"We didn't find one consumer who didn't like the idea," he said.

Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be e-mailed at gsheyner@paweekly.com.

Important Freiker Announcements !

The end of the school year is fast approaching and here are some important things that you need to know and a couple I need your input on. It's certainly been a learning experience for me but one that has brought with it a lot of fulfillment. The kids and parents of Almond have been great and I almost hate to see the school year come to and end :)

2009 Awards Ceremony !

The kids have done an outstanding job. We are going to do this a little differently than the way the other Freiker schools have done awards. Everybody will get something so don't worry :-) We are going to recognize 3 different groups of riders. I will send the names of the kids in each group to everyone the weekend before.

1. Group 1 - These are the kids that have not missed a day since the program started. They will each get an iPod shuffle for all of their hard work. There are about 8 of these kids. They will be recognized at the 8:30am assembly on Monday, June 8th in front of the whole school. There are 4 of them that will be the masters of ceremony and will get a special treat as well. This crew is destined to become the mail carriers (Neither snow nor rain nor heat of day nor gloom of night shall stay these Almond students from the swift completion of their journey before the Freikometer shuts off).
2. Group 2 - These are the kids that have ridden 75% of the time. There will be a drawing for gifts that range from a $50 savings bond, bike helmet, bike computers and tail lights. There are about 60 kids in this group. They will be called to a special assembly on Tuesday, June 9th at 2:00pm
3. Group 3 - These are the rest of the Almond Freikers. They will each receive a bag of goodies for there efforts. This includes a lime green Freiker bracelet, some jelly belly beans, a bicycle water bottle and some stickers. These will be given out in class.

This coming Sunday: Freiker Rolls To Egan !

We will meet in the Almond School parking lot at 1:00pm on Sunday, May 24th. Please wear your helmets.

We'll take the kids on a journey over to Egan Jr. High. If you have a graduating 6th grader who will be moving on to Egan next year, this will be a great time to learn the Panchita Way cut-through and where the bike racks are located at Egan. The approach to Egan is a little tricky if you are crossing at Portola and San Antonio. We'll stop and talk about the right way to navigate that corner - there are a couple of options. We'll do a little tour of the campus as well. From there, we'll head down Los Altos Ave. and into downtown where we can stop at Baskin-Robbins to cash in some of those ice cream awards that have been accumulating :-P

We have 3 Freiker Rolls events that work up to our grand finale at Hidden Villa. Each one builds a little more on the last. If anyone wants to volunteer to help me for the Hidden Villa trip, let me know - I need all the help I can get!

1. May 31st @ 10:30am - Freiker Rolls to Redwood Grove: Bring a picnic lunch with you (a backpack works fine) and we'll take a nature walk around Redwood Grove. We'll also hang out in the shade of Shoop Park while the kids burn off some extra energy. Approx 5 miles.
2. June 7th @ 1:00pm - Freiker Rolls to Foothill College: Foothill College is a nearby junior college nestled in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. But how many of you have actually been there? We'll take a lap around the campus and head back through downtown Los Altos for some refreshments. Approx 8 miles.
3. June 14th @ 1:00pm - Freiker Rolls to Hidden Villa: Tucked back in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Hidden Villa is a great place for a kid to spend some time interacting with nature, taking a walk and learning about environmental conservation. Fun for the whole family! I'll need a couple of adult volunteers on this one to help escort the group along Moody Rd. Approx 12 miles.

Freiker Night For Almond Parents !

In the Almond library for Wed, June 27th from 7-8:00pm.

I want to talk to all of the Almond parents about what has worked with the program and what has not. What can we do to make the program more effective next year? My goal is to see us push the ridership up to 25% of the student population. While we will then need more bike racks at the school - IMHO, that's a good problem to have!

• We have about 50% of the student body signed up for Freiker. What about the other 50% who didn't? What would have helped them get over the hump?
• We now have about 20% of the school commuting to school by walking or biking every day. What about the other 80%?
• We have kids that ride and walk every day but aren't Freikers... why not?
• I've had lots of questions about t-shirts, etc. I'd like to hear your opinion on this. Would you buy them if they were offered?
• We were going to change a registration fee this year. I actually wanted to but someone talked me out of it - it was a good thing :) I don't want to change one next year either but store-to-store solicitation is a lot of work. What are you thought?

Everyone is invited. I'd especially like to get the parents whose kids didn't sign up for Freiker to attend - If anyone can help me here, I'd appreciate it.

Freiker Night for LASD !

In the Almond multi-purpose room on Wed, Jun 3, from 7-8:00pm.

As you all know, there has been lots of interest from other schools about the Freiker program but there is also very little understanding about what it is and how it works. Can you imagine that? Now you know what the pioneers must have felt like... :)

Anyway, Egan has a grant for a Freikometer and Santa Rita has just been offered a grant for a Freikometer - now they just need to come find out what that all means to them. Anyone of the Almond parents that wants to come and share their perspective on Freiker are welcome. You folks probably have a lot more credibility and expertise about this program than most people on the planet. I'll be giving an overview of the program and walking through the Almond program for this year, the costs, where the efforts go and the logistics of setting it up.

Unregistered Freikers !

I still have a lot of folks who have not yet registered their Freikers at www.freiker.org. If you aren't registered, I CAN NOT GIVE YOUR CHILD THEIR JUST REWARD! As they say at Nike... Just Do It! Here are the culprits...

[1248182] 1
[1249239] 1
[978209] 1
[978866] 1
[992553] 1
[995425] 1
[1239027] 2
[1245108] 2
[1249721] 2
[979071] 2
[990082] 2
[992086] 2
[994503] 2
[994564] 2
[994959] 2
[999061] 2
[1244751] 3
[1247320] 3
[974709] 3
[991687] 3
[994883] 3
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Anyway, that's all for now. If you have any questions, you know how to get ahold of me.

EVERY RIDE COUNTS !

Wear Your Helmet !

Don't know how many of you saw this and it's too bad didn't post this during National Bike To Work Week but I had to share this with you anyway. It a feel good (literally) story of enforcement by police in Copenhagen, Denmark for cyclists. Happy commuting and remember to wear that helmet!

I Wish I Could Ride Like This...

I know this video has made the rounds lately (I've seen it now from about 4 different sources) but that tells me something - people are truly inspired by the riding of Danny MacAskill. I think his riding style, stunts, and control are so amazing that I'm inspired too and think this one is deserving of a post in Break Away's Garage.

Notice the bike he rides. No shocks - with all that jumping and control, you can not afford to loose spring or land a jump on mushy ground. Disc brakes - can't afford slippage when you are hopping around on your back tire... 30 ft off the ground! Light weight - try jumping over anything with an additional 20 lbs of weight strapped to your back....

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the poetic nature of this guys cycling as much as I do. It is as if his bike is just an extension of him - part of the rider. Enjoy....

Almond Freikers Arrive in Key West, Florida !

It took only a couple of weeks for the Almond Freikers to snake their way down the eastern seaboard and arrive in Key West, Florida. These kids are determined ! This week is also special because we have our first 3 Spots pizza awards winners!



Almond Freiker Stats For Week 8 !

• Almond Elementary remains the #1 Freiker school in the US.
• Over 3,700 round trips
• About 5,600 total miles traveled.
• Almond averaged 103 round trips / day for week 8.
• 280,000 calories burned
• 1.9 Tons of CO2 emissions prevented

Almond Freikers Arrive in Key West, Florida !

Key West is known as the southernmost city in the Continental United States. It is also the southern terminus of U.S. 1, State Road A1A, and the East Coast Greenway.

Key West is 129 miles (207 km) southwest (229.9 degrees) of Miami, Florida, (about 160 driving miles) and 106 miles (170 km) north-northeast (21.2 degrees) of Havana, Cuba. Cuba, at its closest point, is 94 statute (81 nautical) miles south.

Key West is a seaport destination for many passenger cruise ships. The Key West International Airport provides airline service. Hotels and guest houses are available for lodging.

Naval Air Station Key West is an important year round training site for naval aviation due to the superb weather conditions. It is also a reason the city was chosen as the Winter White House of President Harry S. Truman.

The central business district primarily comprises Duval Street, and includes much of the northwest corner of the island along Whitehead, Simonton, Front, Greene, Caroline, and Eaton Streets and Truman Avenue.

The official city motto is "One Human Family."


In Pre-Columbian times Key West was inhabited by the Calusa people. The first European to visit was Juan Ponce de León in 1521. As Florida became a Spanish colony, a fishing and salvage village with a small garrison was established here.

In 1815 the Spanish governor in Havana, Cuba, deeded the island of Key West to Juan Pablo Salas, an officer of the Royal Spanish Navy Artillery posted in Saint Augustine, Florida. After Florida was transferred to the United States, Salas was so eager to sell the island that he sold it twice - first for a sloop valued at $575, and then to a U.S. businessman John W. Simonton, during a meeting in a Havana café, for the equivalent of $2,000 in pesos in 1821. The sloop trader quickly sold the island to a General John Geddes, a former governor of South Carolina, who tried in vain to secure his rights to the property before Simonton, with the aid of some influential friends in Washington, was able to gain clear title to the island. Simonton had wide-ranging business interests in Mobile, Alabama. He bought the island because a friend, John Whitehead, had drawn his attention to the opportunities presented by the island's strategic location. John Whitehead had been stranded in Key West after a shipwreck in 1819 and he had been impressed by the potential offered by the deep harbor of the island. The island was indeed considered the "Gibraltar of the West" because of its strategic location on the 90-mile (140 km)–wide deep shipping lane, the Straits of Florida, between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. On March 25, 1822, Matthew C. Perry sailed the schooner Shark to Key West and planted the U.S. flag, physically claiming the Keys as United States property. Perry reported on piracy problems in the Caribbean. Perry renamed Cayo Hueso (Key West) to "Thompson's Island" for the Secretary of the Navy, Smith Thompson, and the harbor "Port Rodgers" for War of 1812 hero John Rodgers. Neither name was to stick. In 1823 Commodore David Porter of the United States Navy West Indies Anti-Pirate Squadron took charge of Key West, which he ruled (but, according to some, exceeding his authority) as military dictator under martial law.

Numerous artists and writers have passed through Key West, but the two most associated with the island are Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams. Legend has it that Ernest Hemingway wrote A Farewell to Arms while living above the showroom of a Key West Ford dealership at 314 Simonton Street. During his stay he wrote or worked on Death in the Afternoon, For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, and The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber. He used Depression-era Key West as the locale for To Have and Have Not — his only novel set in the United States.

Tennessee Williams first became a regular visitor to Key West in 1941 and is said to have written the first draft of A Streetcar Named Desire while staying in 1947 at the La Concha Hotel. He bought a permanent house in 1949 and listed Key West as his primary residence until his death in 1983. In contrast to Hemingway's grand house in Old Town, the Williams home at 1431 Duncan Street in the "unfashionable" New Town neighborhood is a very modest bungalow. The house is privately owned and not open to the public. The Academy Award–winning film version of his play The Rose Tattoo was shot on the island in 1956. The Tennessee Williams Theatre is located on the campus of Florida Keys Community College on Stock Island. Williams had a series of rented homes all over the U.S., but the only home he owned was in Key West.

Bike To Work Week Is Over !

You can all come out now - it's over. I didn't hear much chatter regarding anyone's trips to work on their bikes this week. Hhhhhmmmmm... it makes me wonder.... If you are just being bashful and really did ride to work 1 or 2 days, let us know - I'd like to hear how it went... Otherwise, I'm telling the kids at the Monday assembly that you guys are a bunch of slackers!

So, the $5.00 question... "Do I owe anyone out there a Baskin-Robbins ice cream cone?" Remember, you had to ride to and from work every day last week - that's pretty easy don't you think? I would have biked to work... but then again, I don't have a job :)

Freiker Is On The Roll Again !

We have a couple of rides coming up - I hope that you and your kids can make it. It is open to all students at Almond School (and their families). We will meet on the Almond School playground at the specified time for each ride:

• May 24th @ 1:00pm - Freiker Rolls to Egan: If you have a 6th grader who will be attending Egan next year, this is the perfect opportunity. We'll leave from Almond School, learn some clever ways to get to Egan on a bike. We'll figure out where the bike racks are and we'll even swing by Baskin-Robbins in downtown Los Altos on the way home. Bring your free coupons! Every one is welcome to join - students and parents alike. Approx 6 miles.
  
• May 31st @ 10:30am - Freiker Rolls to Redwood Grove. Bring a picnic lunch with you (a backpack works fine) and we'll take a nature walk around Redwood Grove. We'll also hang out in the shade of Shoop Park while the kids burn off some extra energy. Approx 5 miles.
  
• June 7th @ 1:00pm - Freiker Rolls to Foothill College: Foothill College is a nearby junior college nestled in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. But how many of you have actually been there? We'll take a lap around the campus and head back through downtown Los Altos for some refreshments. Approx 8 miles.
  
• June 14th @ 1:00pm - Freiker Rolls to Hidden Villa: Tucked back in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Hidden Villa is a great place for a kid to spend some time interacting with nature, taking a walk and learning about environmental conservation. Fun for the whole family! I'll need a couple of adult volunteers on this one to help escort the group along Moody Rd. Approx 12 miles.

Our Camping Trip !

Dale and I went to The Pinnacles National Monument this weekend. If you have never been there it is really pretty spectacular - but pick your weekend carefully. While we did the 11 mile hike to the Balcony Caves area, it was over 100F and there are more different kinds of bugs there including lady bug larva everywhere in the campgrounds. You pretty much can't sit down without squishing one *and* having a dozen crawling on you within 3 minutes. Dale and I both have a pretty impressive collection of mosquito bites...

Dale at the Balcony Caves

Catapillar

Some kind of moth

That's all for now folks...

--
Every Ride Counts!
Jon

Bike Sharing In Barcelona, Spain

I saw this video on a cool bike sharing program in Barcelona. The program is called 'bicing' and there are over 6,000 bikes for sharing in over 400 stations around Barcelona. I'd like to hear your opinions about what would make this work in the bay area...

1. Is this akin to bike renting for tourism or can you use this for bicycle commuters also?
2. Would there be any value in having Caltrain and the cities along the route come together to make sure that there were bicing stations at every train station and every major parking garage in each of the destination cities.?
3. What are the drawbacks to making this more universally popular for bike commuting (my bike doesn't fit me, what do I do for a helmet, etc...)?

Anyway, check it out. It's a short and pretty cool video that explains the program well.

Bicing in Barcelona

Almond Freikers Arrive In Savannah, GA !

Happy Mother's Day to all - I hope it was a fun one. My family hates me - we went on a bike ride together and I got lost :) I know every inch of roadway in the bay area, but put me on a bike path and I have no clue where I am or where I'm going!


It was another tremendous week for the Almond Freikers even though the entire 6th grade class was off goofing around at Walden West the entire week. The rest of the students stepped in to pick up the slack and they did their best to keep Almond on the top of the heap. Way to go kids!

Almond Freiker Stats For the Week !

* Almond remains the #1 Freiker school in the nation !
* 3,208 round trips complete
* 4,800 mile traveled on foot or by bike
* 240,000 cals of human energy expended
* 1.6 tons of CO2 prevented from entering the atmosphere

Almond Freikers Arrive in Savannah, GA !

After traveling all the way from the Almond School parking lot to the eastern most city in the United States, the Almond Freikers are on their way down the eastern seaboard to Key West, Florida. They spent the weekend in Savannah, GA - love those grits!

Savannah Skyline

Savannah is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Chatham County, Georgia, USA. Savannah was established in 1733 and was the first colonial and state capital of Georgia. Each year Savannah attracts millions of visitors, who enjoy the city's architecture and historic buildings: the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low (founder of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America), the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences (one of the South's first public museums), the First African Baptist Church (one of the oldest African American Baptist congregations in the United States), Temple Mickve Israel (the third-oldest synagogue in America), and the Central of Georgia Railway roundhouse complex (the oldest standing antebellum rail facility in America). Today, Savannah's downtown area, the Savannah Historic District, is one of the largest National Historic Landmark Districts in the United States (designated by the U.S. government in 1966).

In the 2000 census of Savannah, there were 131,510 people, 51,375 households, and 31,390 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,759.5 people per square mile (679.4/km²). There were 57,437 housing units at an average density of 768.5/sq mi (296.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 57.08% African American, 38.86% White, 1.52% Asian, 0.23% Native American, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.93% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.23% of the population.

Savannah, GA is the primary port on the Savannah River and is located along the U.S. Intracoastal Waterway. Savannah is prone to flooding. Four canals and pumping stations have been built to help reduce the effects: Fell Street Canal, Kayton Canal, Springfield Canal and the Casey Canal, with the first three draining north into the Savannah River.

My Saturday Ride !

As most of you know, I ride for the Monta Vista Velo Racing Club. MVV donated $1,000 to Almond School to get Freiker off the ground. The team does a training ride every Saturday morning that leaves the Bicycle Outfitter at 8:30am and the rides are typically 60 to 90 miles long (sometimes longer). We do all of the classic bay area cycling routes that have a high degree of difficulty and some of them are pretty spectacular. The weather was beautiful on Saturday and so were the views of the bay area from Skyline.

This Saturday we did the Kings Mountain Rd -> Hwy 92 -> Polhemus Loop: Here is the route starting at TBO: foothill, page mill, old page mill, arastradero, alpine, portola, 84, tripp, kings mountain, skyline, 92, skyline, polhemus, bike bridge over 280, canada, jefferson, alameda de las pulgas, 84, mountain home, portola, alpine, arastradero, page mill, arastradero, purissima, robeleta, chapin, burke, main st., home!

Ride Stats:

* Ride Time: 3:55 (hrs:min)
* Distance: 65 miles
* Elevation Gain: 4,871 ft
* Ave Speed: 16.5 mph
* Max Speed: 44.7 mph
* Ave HR: 142 bpm
* Max HR: 187 bpm
* Calories: 4,886 cals metabolized
* MotionBased Map: Kings Mtn, 92, Polheumus Loop.

Bike To Work Week:

This week is 'Bike To Work Week'... Remember, if you want me to buy you an ice cream cone, you need to ride all 5 day! If you can't ride all 5 days, at least give it a try on May 14th (the official Bike To Work Day). I'd love to hear people's feedback on how your commutes went - I know that at least some of you will try or else I'm going to tell your kids what slacker you are while they are off busily traversing the continental United States of America :) Come on now, make me proud!

Remember my helpful hints:

* Make sure that your work has showers. If they don't, you have to do the 'no sweat' ride to work. It just means you wear lighter cycling gear and take it nice and easy.
* If you haven't figured out how to carry clothes without getting them all wrinkly, take them in the day before. You can drop off a whole week's worth of clothes this weekend! If you have to carry stuff, panniers are the way to go.
* Make sure you know the route that you are going to take before hand. The route you drive is usually not the route you would cycle. Pick something scenic if you can - know where the energizer stations are - they will have food, water and free swag :)
* Make sure your bike is ready - tires inflated, brakes are in proper working order and not too worn and your chain is lubed and tensioned. Make sure to check your quick-release hubs if you have them.

Upcoming 'Freiker Rolls' Events !

So far we have done a couple of 'Freiker Rolls' group rides. The first one was to Jamba Juice in downtown Los Altos - great turn out everyone! The second one was an 11 mile segment of the Challenge Bike Ride sponsored by the El Camino YMCA - congrats to Shawn Avidan and Dalezilla Simms for making it the whole way despite the rain! I'm going to plan a couple more of these in the next month to get people rolling for summer. Below are the planned routes for the next 5 weeks:

* May 17th - I'm going camping ! Knock yourselves out - ride where every you want - send me postcards when you get there :)
* May 24th @ 1:00pm - Freiker Rolls to Egan: If you have a 6th grader who will be attending Egan next year, this is the perfect opportunity. We'll leave from Almond School, learn some clever ways to get to Egan on a bike. We'll figure out where the bike racks are and we'll even swing by Baskin-Robbins in downtown Los Altos on the way home. Brind your free coupons! Every one is welcome to join - students and parents alike. Approx 6 miles.
* May 31st @ 10:30am - Freiker Rolls to Redwood Grove: Bring a picnic lunch with you (a backpack works fine) and we'll take a nature walk around Redwood Grove. We'll also hang out in the shade of Shoop Park while the kids burn off some extra energy. Approx 5 miles.
* June 7th @ 1:00pm - Freiker Rolls to Foothill College: Foothill College is a nearby junior college nestled in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. But how many of you have actually been on the campus? We'll take a lap around the campus and head back through downtown Los Altos for some refreshments. Approx 8 miles.
* June 14th @ 1:00pm - Freiker Rolls to Hidden Villa: Tucked back in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Hidden Villa is a great place for a kid to spend some time interacting with nature, taking a walk and learning about environmental conservation. Fun for the whole family! I'll need a couple of adult volunteers on this one to help escort the group along Moody Rd. Approx 12 miles.

That's all for this week...

Every Ride Counts!
Jon