Thursday, January 28, 2010

Ideas & Needs For the 2010 SF to Boston Eagle Bus

Rob!!

As we spoke yesterday, in terms of needs, we gotta get the nerve center of this operation finished before we do anything else. Your awesome schematic (below bcuz it did not reach a lot of your email boxes) is what I needed to be able to professionally represent this project to those with coin for it....


As far as the back of the bus is concerned, then I think better than a liftable table or trailer would be a giant drawer that we can place on a slider track. Besides the table that can telescope out of the top of it, it can serve also for storage (clothes, and the like - can't store anything in a table U have to lift). If U don't want to put it on a track, it can even be put on casters and then lock into place...What do U think??

Once that is done, we'll need to get the computer console (over there in the corner where the door lift wall is) drawn up so someone from this list  can build it off site .

Next we would just need partitions for the bathroom (toilet and shower), and kitchenette. And then commission someone else to figure out how we are going to drain the water......I can get us a camp stove. And if U get me the specs for the roll around kitchen (with a propane stove and reefer), we can get someone to build that too......

Next I think we'll have to build cupboards where the wiring harness is.

Lastly we'll need to build the 4 front bunks with separate storage for each...

And finally, if we want to build any of the the fold down desks/beds that John O talked about, we can do that last....But I do like the open space look as it is. And yet there again, we will probably need to have a couple extra bed positions for when when guests travel select sections with us. Ines Brunn (http://trick-bike.com) has already said she w/spend some time with us giving her astonishing shows along the way!!

We can hang my bike and trailer and load the storyboard and painted ceiling panels last....

With all that in mind, is there enough here for U to cobble a tentative  construction schedule together  ? 

           THX 4 U!! 

Posted via email from HiWheel's Posterous

"Continuous effort -- not strength or intelligence -- is the key to unlocking our potential." - Liane Cardes

From Affirmations to HiWheel the US by - http://affirmationsofnote.blogspot.com/ 

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Robbie Benson's Inside of the Bus Schematic - Powerful Stuff!!


In between sick kids and one disaster after another at his work site because
of all the rains we have had, Robbie Benson cranked out the attached image
of how the inside of our bus soon will look. Do note all the open space he
has allowed for so we can bring the public aboard to see our NBG storyboard,
Mayoral proclamations, and NBG memorabilia, etc that will be in our  museum.

What's not shown here are the umbrellas and tents that will spread out from
the rear door as our rolling education forum opems into the many parking
lots we will be open for business in. Also as we interivew Mayors, their
staff, city leaders, interesting locals  and the press in turn interviews
us, we will be doing so in a vehicle that will have its walls and ceilings
adorned with bicycle art.

There's a lot more Robbie wants to do with this rendering he did as a way
to help me raise funds for our project but he and I agree that with just
over 100 days until showtime we have got to get going on construction. Look
soon for a build schedule here now that the weather has finally seemed to
improve...

              THX 4 all of U!!

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Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Mayors' Ride Liaison Wanted

For our SF to Boston ride next summer at http://bikeroute.com/NationalMayorsRide2010 , since I will be doing the ride myself this year, might there be anyone here willing to fill in for me? I am pretty certain this is not the correct forum for this request, but it does get it out there, And helps me better understand what I would need such a person to be able to do.

Toward that end, I can make my data base of contacts available for the 27 Mayor's offices we will be visiting. Complete with phone numbers to all the applicable staff. all of our contact is well documented. If yours is a political future this could be a very powerful  way for you to begin learning those ropes....

    THX 4 all of U!!  

Posted via email from HiWheel's Posterous

"And in the end it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years." - Abraham Lincoln"

From "Affirmations to HiWheel" the US by at - http://affirmationsofnote.blogspot.com   

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Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Don't forget to attend Relocate the Busycle Ride on January 31st, 2010 @ 11am.

John E Carbera, the man who bought the 40 foot tour bus that is going to bring the Busycle back to Boston in the 8th annual national Mayors' Ride at (link) (special THX to Lori Yung who has stepped forward to maintain our schedule now and while we are on the road) found a spot for our Busycle just a few blocks away from where it currently resides. 

  
Seems Philz Coffee just got too popular and the entire shopping center has benefited. So much so that the other merchants need more room and want the space we are presently occupying. Thus the need to move. 
  
However we know U R going to love it's new home in which it will live during Feb and March. At which point we should be ready to spread the Busycle word far beyond Palo Alto. By ready I mean the mini NBG museum that architect Robbie Benson has designed for the inside of the bus with input from fellow architect Ron Bishop and master electrician, John Oleary, should be complete by then. We should also have a trailer and hitch to move our 15-person smile invoker to as far away as San Francisco, Oakland, Napa, even Sacramento well before we tentatively leave from Mountain View for Boston on May 14th this year. 
  
So help us move the Busycle. Give us an hour of your Sunday. This could very well be one of the last times you get to ride it here in Palo Alto as our focus has certainly shifted from offering fun only to those here in the Tall Tree city..... 
  
We don't know what we got till it's gone is nowhere more applicable than here. Bring your cameras. Be a part of the legend this machine will be remembered for when it joins me and my Eagle to visit 27 big city Mayors all across the nation soon!! 

More info - http://www.pingg.com/rsvp/wmvafkzk5wdzwrqks

  
  THX 4 all of U!! 

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2010 SF to Boston Bus, Busycle & Eagle Rate Card Complete

THX to the Johns, Cabrera and Oleary, I now have enough computer time to generate some pretty substantial work. This rate card, for example, the engine that will push all 12 wheels (Bus, Busycle and the Eagle) across the US next summer, gobbled up 9 very intense and focused hours on this last rainy Sunday and then another four of five yesterday and today. Based on a template from when I used to publish the pre-web Cycle America Regional Directories, it is complete with ad sizes and terms and conditions. If U want to see one, reply accordingly. 

The cost of logo positions on the Bus, Busycle and even my butpak and the Eagle handlebar pak are all covered. 

Day sponsors will get their name in 2 inch type on the bus. The $250 a day cost for our crew of four (more will come and go including Ines Brunn who will be performing on select parts of the ride) breaks down as follows: Driver 66/day, Food 150/day, Fuel 35/day 

            THX 4 all of U!!  

btw: The Eagle should be back on the road at about the time the rain lets up. Jim Spillane got the seat rebuilt and the  spokes (12!) made and in the mail last Friday!! Yahooo!!

Posted via email from HiWheel's Posterous

"You sleep when you die. - The best never rest." - unknown

From "Affirmations to HiWheel" the US at - http://affirmationsofnote.blogspot.com   

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Monday, January 25, 2010

Lori Yung to Keep Mayors' Ride Schedule Current!!

Lori Yung has agreed to keep our 2010 SF to Boston Mayors' Ride schedule current  so I can focus on riding when all twelve wheels (the bus, Busycle and the Eagle) hit the road soon (May 14)  here.

It will be a true honor to get to work with Lori on this. She is still far ahead of the curve where tech savvy is concerned. Back in 1994, she was coding web pages back when only the true college geek huses were the only ones with web domans. And they always has a tilde (~) in the url. She helped me get my first domain at a UCSC house for BikeRoute.com and it read

             http://www.armory.com/~bikerout

bcuz U were limited to 8 characters. I was so proud of it, I ran it on my bike's windscreen At a time when people thought they were seeing my CB radio call handle......

And over the years, Lori has often been the only with answers in those rare moments when I have gotten stuck.

 THX 4 U Lori!!

                         Too exciting - Yahoo!!!!

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"Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can ..............

"Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can - there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did"- Sarah Caldwell

From "Affirmations to HiWheel; the US by" at - http://affirmationsofnote.blogspot.com     ...

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Saturday, January 23, 2010

SF to Boston ride to also Call for Mapping Innovation

Martin Krieg's proposed bicycle map web site solves an important problem: showing cyclists the best way to get from point A to B. Currently very few internet map services provide any cycling-specific information, and most that do are restricted to specific service areas.  Martin's ingenious idea is to get data directly from cyclists themselves, enabling the site to provide cycle-specific route data for any place on the planet.  His plan will make it easy and fun to enter favorite routes, and also protect users' privacy by avoiding exposure of their home address as an end-point of their routes. <snip> Dave Hershberger Former Google Engineer, more 

--
 Perfect love drives out fear - John 4:18

 Martin Krieg "Awake Again" Author
  '79 & '86 TransAmerica Bike Rides
Coma, Paralysis, Clinical Death Survivor  
2010 w/"How America Can Bike & Grow Rich"
  http://www.BikeRoute.com/HBGR
NBG Founding Director, HiWheel Cyclist

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Friday, January 22, 2010

Rough Draft of SF to Boston Eagle Bus P&L

Here is the engine that will drive us from SF to Boston next summer. It is a pretty strong draft and if financials like this bore you, just read the column H footnotes. They will give U a feel for what our 8th annual national Mayors' Ride at http://bikeroute.com/NationalMayorsRide2010 is all about.  Tentatively we leave May 14 from Mountain View this year!!

Posted via email from HiWheel's Posterous

Life is a long lesson in humility.- Sir James M. Barrie

From "Affirmations to HiWheel" the US at - http://affirmationsofnote.blogspot.com   

Posted via email from HiWheel's Posterous

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Rain Delay Forces Updated 2010 P&L

> While rain has delayed the Eagle Bus build out, it has made me put > my accountant's cap back on. Result: An updated & powerful 2010 P&L > that let's me see where our muscle most needs to be placed over the > next 100 days. Kudos to Google Docs also for their timeline critical > path charting tool. SF to Boston here we come!!
>

Posted via email from HiWheel's Posterous

Untitled

While rain has delayed the Eagle Bus build out, it has made me put my accountant's cap back on. Result: An updated & powerful 2010 P&L that let's me see where our muscle most needs to be placed over the next 100 days. Kudos to Google Docs also for their timeline critical path charting tool. SF to Boston here we come!!

Posted via email from HiWheel's Posterous

"And in the end it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years." - Abraham Lincoln

From "Affirmations to HiWheel" the US at - http://affirmationsofnote.blogspot.com 

 --
 Perfect love drives out fear - John 4:18

 Martin Krieg "Awake Again" Author
  '79 & '86 TransAmerica Bike Rides
Coma, Paralysis, Clinical Death Survivor  
2010 w/"How America Can Bike & Grow Rich"
  http://www.BikeRoute.com/HBGR
NBG Founding Director, HiWheel Cyclist

Posted via email from HiWheel's Posterous

Monday, January 11, 2010

"So many fail because they don't get started - they don't go. They don't overcome inertia. They don't begin." - W. Clement Stone

From "Affirmations to HiWheel" the US at - http://affirmationsofnote.blogspot.com   

--
 Perfect love drives out fear - John 4:18

 Martin Krieg "Awake Again" Author
  '79 & '86 TransAmerica Bike Rides
Coma, Paralysis, Clinical Death Survivor  
2010 w/"How America Can Bike & Grow Rich"
  http://www.BikeRoute.com/HBGR
NBG Founding Director, HiWheel Cyclist

Posted via email from HiWheel's Posterous

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Rocky Cold & Saturday Bus Plan to Plan

Saturday,  Let me know.

Saturday.. I am willing to blow off the meeting I am supposed to attend on Saturday 1-3..  How can I get there in person?  If I can get a ride from Union City BART I would love to join you both or make another offer [I will have my bicycle].  BART to CalTrains sucks if you try to make a tight connection.  Going back is not as bad.

======================================== 
Hmmm , maybe John Oleary whose coming up from Aptos might like to get the chance to visit with U  - Mr Bike Oakland ,  John? Or maybe David L, our VTA supe, might come by here on Saturday!! And if he does, since he's in San jose, maybe we cam get him to take the long way up?? And yet there again, maybe even the actual owner of the bus, John E Carbrera, might be amenable to picking U up??
======================================== 

I know that the Rockies are a lot colder and I know that Martin is tough, but we are talking about comfort here, which is something they teach in Architecture school.  Insulate the bottom side of the deck.  Foam uses less room, but fiberglass is ok too. Which ever is available.  Marlite panels, corregated aluminum, or plastic can be used to contain the stuff.  Heck even thin sheets of paneling or cardboard for God sakes works.  

======================================== 
As Johnny O and I agreed earlier, and as I also posted earlier,  I'll be on  the bike in the Rockies withe little  time on the bus except to sleep. John also sez the  bus has heating and a/c that he may be able to revive!!
======================================== 

Martin, you need to start keeping your eyes open for building materials. Corregated plastic materials, aluminum, paneling, plastic sheeting, cardboard, anything.  Old metal bed frames, the angle iron is a great building material and is usually free if you look for it.  They do not have to all be in pristine condition.  Some can be used in hidden areas.  I can find stuff in my hood no problem, but I always look for it. [A bad habit I have that pays off.]

======================================== 
Ron, all I ride thru are nearly manicured neighborhoods and maybe 4 to 6 or 7  downtowns in a  a day here on my bike. And there is little of which U speak to be found over here. Having grown up in the East Bay where U R, I know it is a lot more industrial on your side than here on the Peninsula....

    THX 4 U!! 

-----Original Message-----
From: Rob Benson <robbiebenson@yahoo.com>
To: hiwheeler@gmail.com; rbishop747@aol.com
Sent: Wed, Jan 6, 2010 2:17 pm
Subject: Re: Fwd: Toilet

Ron-
Insulation, and where to focus it, is something we ought to discuss.  I will be building a storage platform beneath the bus this Sat. so that Martin can begin to move some of his belongings beneath the bus to help open up some room on the maindeck so that I can take more accurate measurements of the interior..... but I was really hoping that our VTA connection would be able to deliver a manual with all the dimensions in it.  I will keep insulation in mind while I work and take an inventory of what is beneath the deck. 

Martin-
How cold have you been?  Can you type comfortably at night when it is 50 degrees outside?  Do you need a warmer room or warmer clothing?  Remember: Califorina's winter is more mild than spring in the Rookies.

Maybe we could Skype around 11:00am on Saturday?  If Martin can manage it, I would love to Skype from the bus with him since I will be there already.

Cheers,


--- On Wed, 1/6/10, rbishop747@aol.com <rbishop747@aol.com> wrote:


From: rbishop747@aol.com <rbishop747@aol.com>
Subject: Re: Fwd: Toilet
To: robbiebenson@yahoo.com, hiwheeler@gmail.com
Date: Wednesday, January 6, 2010, 11:08 AM

Robbie,

Sounds like you have the toilet system figured out pretty good.  Hats off to you.  You are certainly the lead on that issue and probably many more.  Insulation for the bus.  What can be done about that?  Under the floor,  Exterior walls in Martins area so he wont freeze his a-- off.  This is to make his habitat comfortable so it can be temporary.

I understand that you have small ones.  I have been there and  mine are young women now.

I will help as we can set it up.  I have this weekend available on Saturday and have an appt at 11 on Sunday.  We do not all have to be in the same place if we all have web cams.  I have a ride on MLK Sunday.

sketches of your dims/plans and I can put them on autocad if you think that will help.  They can be sent as jpegs.

Ron

-----Original Message-----
From: Rob Benson <robbiebenson@yahoo.com>
To: Oakland Ron Bishop <RBishop747@aol.com>; HiWheel Cyclist <hiwheeler@gmail.com>
Sent: Wed, Jan 6, 2010 7:20 am
Subject: Re: Fwd: Toilet

Martin,

I think this would be ideal.  Who is buying?  And can they supply the remainder of the system: tank, water pump, pipes, connections, etc.? 

We need to define a budget for this project, even if it is only in terms of volunteers and material that we can expect to have donated.  I have been operating as if we were on a shoe string budget and have been tailoring my input to suit.  I suggest that we hammer out a wish list, put a schematic to it, determine what resources (material and building talent) are at our disposal, and then, subsequently, come together to build this thing.  Until we flush out the constraints and parameters we are only spinning our wheels.  A realistic inventory of what can be relied on is in order so.  Priorities, prioritization, prioritize....Clock is ticking. 

Ron-
I have been checking all the emails, however I do not have much time to reply or converse mid-week.  I agree that a Skpe conference between you, Martin and I would be worthwhile at this point.  Is there a time this weekend that works for you?  Sunday is my preference.  Looking forward to talking/designing/building more with you.

Rob,

  

--- On Tue, 1/5/10, HiWheel Cyclist <hiwheeler@gmail.com> wrote:


From: HiWheel Cyclist <hiwheeler@gmail.com>
Subject: Fwd: Toilet
To: "Rob Benson" <robbiebenson@yahoo.com>, "Oakland Ron Bishop" <RBishop747@aol.com>
Date: Tuesday, January 5, 2010, 9:53 PM

Robbie!!

Ron has done a lot of research already, What do U think of these toilets?

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <RBishop747@aol.com>
Date: Sun, Dec 13, 2009 at 9:34 PM
Subject: Toilet
To: hiwheeler@gmail.com


Posted via email from HiWheel's Posterous

Every wall is a door - Ralph Waldo Emerson

From Affirmations to HiWheel the US by - http://affirmationsofnote.blogspot.com/ 

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Bike Rack (rare) Sponsor Wanted

HiWheel cyclists and electrical magician, John Oleary, found this bike rack for sale for our bus. It is rare because one just does not see these racks in the marketplace as they usually only are  sold to bus agencies for their city buses, For $130 U can contribute to our ride at http://bikeroute.com/NationalMayorsRide2010 by visiting this link 

John, U never fail to astonish me......

     WoW now ;et's hope there is someone out there who can make it a part of our 2010 reailty!!

              THX 4 all of U!! 

Posted via email from HiWheel's Posterous

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Robbie - Diorama | Storyboard |Bikes for 2010 Bus Museum

Robbie!!

Here are the pictures U needed for that schematic. It is going to look so kewl with these floating in the margin!! WoW!!

I have the bunting below ass well as the trailer.On the bus. If we wanted the trailer to server as the castor. Then if we need a trailer for laundry or such we have one..Whaddya think?

 

THX 4 U!! 

Posted via email from HiWheel's Posterous

Attn David - the Bus Architects are calling & Re: Fwd: Toilet Inbox X

David!! 

Before I get into the rest of this post, I want to make U the star here by addressing an issue our engineers keep bringing up - manuals. Have U had any luck putting your hands on one? 85 GMC RTS  :} Do let us know in the soon guy!!

Now for the rest of this excitement...

On Wed, Jan 6, 2010 at 2:17 PM, Rob Benson  wrote:
Ron-
Insulation, and where to focus it, is something we ought to discuss.  I will be building a storage platform beneath the bus this Sat. so that Martin can begin to move some of his belongings beneath the bus to help open up some room on the maindeck so that I can take more accurate measurements of the interior.....

What is going on with my stuff is that the bulk of it is my books that I want to bring and sell as we go to finance this undertaking once   it has wheels. Once I get out of the area, my books and my story will be brand new for many and should generate some pretty good cash  flow. So that is what we need storage for. As well as for the generator John Oleary got for us!!

My 1986 TransCon recumbent and trailer will hang from the ceiling as we discussed. The diorama will get casters and stay about and there's my Eagle.

The above is the lions share. My clothes, boxes of bike parts (we can likely cannibalize stuff for the bus from them) and maybe 5 box es of misc stuff can go to a friendly garage or storage ......

 
but I was really hoping that our VTA connection would be able to deliver a manual with all the dimensions in it.  I will keep insulation in mind while I work and take an inventory of what is beneath the deck.  

Martin- 
How cold have you been?  Can you type comfortably at night when it is 50 degrees outside?  Do you need a warmer room or warmer clothing?  Remember: Califorina's winter is more mild than spring in the Rookies.

As yet more Deprivation Training to toughen me up for the ride, I can hang w.o heat... As for the Rockies and even once we hit the road, I will be on the Eagle pumping away. At which point  it becomes a question of what can the crew hang with. One way for them to beat the cold  is  just to sleep in. I am the only one who has to get up. And a 60 or 70 mile drive can begin as late as   noon to meet me at my next stop.  I suspect air con is what people are going to be wishing for once we hit the plains. .....

Also, for refrigeration, I like John Oleary's long ago idea of just  a big cooler(s) with ice. I will prob get a lot of food and drink product donations. Much of which will need to be refrigerated.....

When I rode to SLC I had to leave behind boxes of food and cases of drink headed on to a bus that c.not pass smog......
 
Maybe we could Skype around 11:00am on Saturday?  If Martin can manage it, I would love to Skype from the bus with him since I will be there already.

Cheers,


SATURDAY   AT 11 AM - ON THE BUS!! 

C U guyz then!!

 Excited wow Yahoo!!

Also - The #1 software programmer in the world, Dorai Thodia, a Facebook friend, just was in my email box. He is working with Grey Lowell to get the bike maps we run at our site working again so that when we hit the road they will be on display for potential investors to see. We want to get them  to the next level where cyclists everywhere will be uploading their routes to them in a way that makes the National Bicycle Greenway  real!! 

What an honor. And this guy is beyond astonishing. And yet there again Grey can hold his own in the rare atmosphere in which they maneuver....... More WOW

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: 
Date: Wed, Jan 6, 2010 at 3:24 PM
Subject: Saturday
To: robbiebenson@yahoo.comhiwheeler@gmail.com

Saturday,  Let me know.

Saturday.. I am willing to blow off the meeting I am supposed to attend on Saturday 1-3..  How can I get there in person?  If I can get a ride from Union City BART I would love to join you both or make another offer [I will have my bicycle].  BART to CalTrains sucks if you try to make a tight connection.  Going back is not as bad.

I know that the Rockies are a lot colder and I know that Martin is tough, but we are talking about comfort here, which is something they teach in Architecture school.  Insulate the bottom side of the deck.  Foam uses less room, but fiberglass is ok too. Which ever is available.  Marlite panels, corregated aluminum, or plastic can be used to contain the stuff.  Heck even thin sheets of paneling or cardboard for God sakes works.  

Martin, you need to start keeping your eyes open for building materials. Corregated plastic materials, aluminum, paneling, plastic sheeting, cardboard, anything.  Old metal bed frames, the angle iron is a great building material and is usually free if you look for it.  They do not have to all be in pristine condition.  Some can be used in hidden areas.  I can find stuff in my hood no problem, but I always look for it. [A bad habit I have that pays off.]

Posted via email from HiWheel's Posterous

Build the Bus Out like the Busycle was Built (was Re: Fwd: Toilet)

Robbie!!

I didn't know this toilet involved so much. In terms of 

budget, I w/like to see this come together in the same way the Busycle did. Sweat equity and as much recycled and otherwise foresaken materials as possible.

As for the pooper, I just figured from the input we've been getting that that has to be new, If not, I don't want to add to the land fill. As well, it would make it newsworthy if we are able to say that this bus is almost all built from other people's discards....

In terms of a graphic representation of what can be built of the inside, I need it so I can recruit food  and volunteers for our  1/16-17 work party. If potential vols see that we are doing this with all recycled stock, discards and donations, they will more likely want to be part of the group effort.

Here for example is the spirit I foresee. It comes from Clive Buckler up in Spokane. Clive a former hitech engineer from down here, he  had an ahead of its time recumbent bicycle company called the Advanta  ( did his web site)  for which he was looking for more $$ when the dot com bust happened. Here is that bike: 


btw: I just learned yesterday from the RV driver who has been parking somewhat close to me for the last few days that I can use emergency blankets on the windows  so that I can see out but others cannot see in! 

btw2: Also heard from Jimmy Spillane yesterday!! Soon the Eagle will be back on the road again!! He has the seat fixed and new spokes (12!) and spoke nipples I trashed when the wheel melted down on me. Soon expect a whole new level of BUZZ for this effort when we are  back on the road!! 

btw3: We gotta keep this green. Can anyone help outfit me with solar panels so I don't have to run the generator when I am doing this kind of "work"  as well as web publishing and working the 2010 Mayors' Ride at http://bikeroute.com/NationalMayorsRide2010 ?

btw4: Soon U will see the bus on the streets of Palo Alto and MTV, even Oakland, as soon as soon Ron Bishop gets a paint party together to paint National Bicycle Greenway on to the sides and back of the bus!!

On Jan 4, 2010, at 9:50 PM, Ernest Buckler <ebuckler@icehouse.net> wrote:

<snip> 
Keep me in mind for welding stuff that you can't get done there, but can be mailed or shipped.  I also have a huge stash of nuts and bolts, incl. metric, could save you some money if you can wait a week and I happen to have what you need.

On Wed, Jan 6, 2010 at 7:20 AM, Rob Benson <robbiebenson@yahoo.com> wrote:
Martin,

I think this would be ideal.  Who is buying?  And can they supply the remainder of the system: tank, water pump, pipes, connections, etc.? 

We need to define a budget for this project, even if it is only in terms of volunteers and material that we can expect to have donated.  I have been operating as if we were on a shoe string budget and have been tailoring my input to suit.  I suggest that we hammer out a wish list, put a schematic to it, determine what resources (material and building talent) are at our disposal, and then, subsequently, come together to build this thing.  Until we flush out the constraints and parameters we are only spinning our wheels.  A realistic inventory of what can be relied on is in order so.  Priorities, prioritization, prioritize....Clock is ticking. 

Ron-
I have been checking all the emails, however I do not have much time to reply or converse mid-week.  I agree that a Skpe conference between you, Martin and I would be worthwhile at this point.  Is there a time this weekend that works for you?  Sunday is my preference.  Looking forward to talking/designing/building more with you.

Rob,

  
--- On Tue, 1/5/10, HiWheel Cyclist <hiwheeler@gmail.com> wrote:


From: HiWheel Cyclist <hiwheeler@gmail.com>
Subject: Fwd: Toilet
To: "Rob Benson" <robbiebenson@yahoo.com>, "Oakland Ron Bishop" <RBishop747@aol.com>
Date: Tuesday, January 5, 2010, 9:53 PM

Robbie!!

Ron has done a lot of research already, What do U think of these toilets?

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <RBishop747@aol.com>
Date: Sun, Dec 13, 2009 at 9:34 PM
Subject: Toilet
To: hiwheeler@gmail.com




Posted via email from HiWheel's Posterous

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

"There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle." - Albert Einstein

"There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle." - Albert Einstein
From "Affirmations to HiWheel" the US at - http://affirmationsofnote.blogspot.com   

Posted via email from HiWheel's Posterous

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Robbie Benson's Making Bus Magic Happen!!

Robbie Benson stopped by the bus again today! And here now my head is still spinning after the two very focused hours we spent together scoping out how the inside of the bus needs to be laid out. The first order of importance was determining what kind of toilet we would need to have on board. Robbie who had spent a few summers traveling in his grandparents RV, knew how crucial it was to get this very primal need taken care of first so we could the rest of the bus around it.


We settled on a location ¾ of the way back so we could take advantage of the space under the bus where the air tanks are surrounded by a lot of empty space. Agreeing that the waste needed to be under the floor, we now knew where that would be after a few more measurements and we moved to the other components that are going to make this machine a showpiece of the highest order.

The U-shaped lounge area in the back of the bus that was already built for the purposes of seating party guests, will move to the area directly behind the driver. The two 7'11' seats that come out two feet from the wall will soon cover the front wheel wells instead of the back. The middle of this seating structure will be cut out so that full front and rear bus access remains.

One wall and two curtains will partition off this area so passengers can have a comfy seating area as they drive along. As it then doubles as an interview area for the press interviews I will be giving and podcast interviews I will be doing. Handsomely represented on the inside of one of the windows will be a map of the United States with our route drawn on to it. When in use for outreach, the curtains will close off the hallway that will exist in this part of the bus.

Behind this important area will be somewhat of a large multi purpose room bordered on one side by the kitchen and bathroom we foresee..It is here that a two burner stove (maybe a Coleman Camp stove or or we can scavenge from a dead camper – can anyone help here?) will be made mobile so we can place it under of the vents that already exists. For which Rob thought solar powered fans would be a great way to vent the vapors and heat out of the bus. And to make this approach novel, he suggested we put them on bike wheels supported by old bike frames. This as all the cupboards will open with brake lever handles and the like.

Rob came up with the idea for a pedal powered sink. He will do some research and see if it is possible to use pedal power to build up pressure in the same way water pistols work. Ron Bishop had suggested I talk with David Butcher about creating a pedal power system for my computer. While that did not feel right for the web and writing work that I do, for many hours at a time, it does seem like David may have some answers for pedaling water from the tanks below the bus up to the sinks above. Rob thought this would be a great way to get showers going until he realized the water would have to be heated. When we came back to John Oleary's original solar shower idea.

All of which left us at refrigeration. After talking about relying on a cooler and dry ice, quickly we agreed that we have to turn up the volume for our need to salvage the insides of a dead motor home. From time to time, these show up in the Free section at Craiglist. And when they do, it's just someone trying to get am ugly decaying shell off their property. A shell with perfectly good inner workings. Many with refrigerators. As well as showers, even toilets. Who can help us here by keeping an eye out for such a resource?

All this will be built in such a way that the public will be able to enter the bus through the rear wheel chair accessible door and see the diorama (Rob also foresaw this scale model of the Nat Bicycle Greenway as being mobile and also on bicycle wheels with attractive bike framing) that Sylvie Maxwell built of the Greenway (take picture when taking other pix for Rob of the inside pf the bus), the storyboard of NBG accomplishments that Gail Michael built and even hanging from the ceiling the recumbent and trailer I reached 40 million people with for the Nat Head Injury Foundation in 1986. The books I have written will also be on display and there will be literature racks that people can browse while their waiting their turn to ride the Busycle for example

The huge wiring harnesses that run from front to back along both sides of the bus will be enclosed by nice looking cabinets from which the lighting track that Ron Bishop and Barry Burr have been talking about will run. 

Rob, much excited about this project wants me to take pictures of the inside of the bus tomorrow when there is light, we ran out of it. What's more, he will cut the plywood and frame supports needed to get us storage under the bus for my books that we will also be touring with. And he will install it all some time before next weekend!! And if that's not enough, he will start coming over on Saturday mornings before he plays football (and major tempts me to join him).....

Who else wants to help!! ???

So exciting!!

Btw: Just learned about an affordable 52 DB electric power generator for less than $300. I went out on the web and cheapest quiet facsimile I could find was in the $500 realm but wow would that let me crank away here on the computer without disturbing anyone as I did so!! And we could have it as a b/u here on the bus next summer......


Adjacent to the above stands Skyline Solar. Based in Mountain View, does anyone here anyone there? Im a perfect world, solar panels would be a god ssend to power all the devices we will have on board now and especially by the time we hit the road.

Posted via email from HiWheel's Posterous

Robbie Benson's Making Bus Magic Happen!!

Robbie Benson stopped by the bus again today! And here now my head is still spinning after the two very focused hours we spent together scoping out how the inside of the bus needs to be laid out. The first order of importance was determining what kind of toilet we would need to have on board. Robbie who had spent a few summers traveling in his grandparents RV, knew how crucial it was to get this very primal need taken care of first so wse could the rest of the bus around it.


We settled on a location ¾ of the way back so we could take advantage of the space under the bus where the air tanks are surrounded by a lot of empty space. Agreeing that the waste needed to be under the floor, we now knew where that would be after a few more measurements and we moved to the other components that are going to make this machine a showpiece of the highest order.


The U-shaped lounge area in the back of the bus that was already built for the purposes of seating party gueestss, will move to the area directly behind the driver. The two 7'11' seats that come out two feet from the wall will soon cover the front wheel wells instead of the back. The middle of this seating structure will be cut out so that full front and rear bus access remains.


One wall and two curtains will partition off this area so passengers can have a comfy seating area as they drive along. As it then doubles as an interview area for the press interviews I will be giving and podcast interviews I will be doing. Handsomely represented on the inside of one of the windows will be a map of the United States with our route drawn on to it. When in use for outreach, the curtains will close off the hallway that will exist in this part of the bus.


Behind this important area will be somewhat of a large multi purpose room bordered on one side by the kitchen and bathroom we foresee..It is here that a two burner stove (maybe a Coleman Camp stove or oe we can scavenge from a dead camper – can anyone help here?) will be made mobile so we can place it under of the vents that already exists. For which Rob thought solar powered fans would be a great way to vent the vapors and heat out of the bus. And to make this approach novel, he suggested we put them on bike wheels supported by old bike frames. This as all the cupboards will open with brake lever handles and the like.


Rob came up with the idea for a pedal powered sink. He will do some research and see if it is possible to use pedal power to build up pressure in the same way water pistols work. Ron Bishop had suggested I talk with David Butcher about creating a perdal power system for my computer. While that did nt feel right for the web and writing work that I do, for many hours at a time, it does seem like David may have some answers for pedalig water from the tanks below the bus up to the sinks above. Rob thought this would be a great way to get showers going until he realized the water would have to be heated. When we came back to John Oleary's original solar shower idea.


All of which left us at refrigeration. After talking about relying on a cooler and dry ice, quickly we agreed that we have to turn up the volume for our need to salvage the insides of a dead motor home. From time to time, these show up in the Free section at Craiglist. And when they do, it's just someone trying to get am ugly decaying sheel off their prosoerty. A shell with perfectly good inner workings. Many with refrigerators. As well as showers, even toilets. Who can help us here by keeping an eye out for such a resource?


All this will be built in such a way that the public will be able to enter the bus through the rear wheel chair accessible door and see the diarama (Rob also foresaw this scale model of the Nat Bicycle Greenway as being mobile and also on bicycle wheels with attractive bike framing) that Sylvie Maxwell built of the Greenway (take picture when taking other pix for Rob of the inmdioe pf the bus), the storyboard of NBG accomplishments that Gail Michael built and even hanging from the ceiling the recumbent and trailer I reached 40 million people with for the Nat Head Injury Foundation in 1986. The books I have written will also be on display and there will be literature racks that people can browse while their waiting their turn to ride the Busycle for example


The huge wiring harnesses that run from front to back along both sides of the bus will be enclosed by nice looking cabinets from which the lighting track that Ron Bishop and Barry Burr have been talking about will run.


Rob, much excited about this project wants me to take pictures of the inside of the bus tomorrow when there is light, we ran out of it. What's more, he will cut the plywood and frame supports needed to get us storage under the bus for my books that we will also be touring with. And he will install it all some time before next weekend!! And if that's not enough, he will start coming over on Saturday mornings before he plays football (and major tempts me to join him).....


Who else wants to help!! ???


sSo exciting!!


Btw: Just learned about an affordable 52 DB electric power generator for less than $300. I went out on the web and cheapest I could find was in the $500 realm but wow would that let me crank away here on the computer without disturbing anyone as I did!!


Adjacent to the above stands Skyline Solar. Based in Mountain View, does anyone here anyone there? Im a perfect world, solar panels would be a god ssend to power all the devices we will have on board now and especially by the time we hit the road.

Posted via email from HiWheel's Posterous

"The game of life is the game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds and words return to us .......

"The game of life is the game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds and words return to us sooner or later, with astounding accuracy." - Florence Shinn

From "Affirmations to HiWheel" the US at - http://affirmationsofnote.blogspot.com   

-- 


 Perfect love drives out fear - John 4:18

 Martin Krieg "Awake Again" Author
  '79 & '86 TransAmerica Bike Rides
Coma, Paralysis, Clinical Death Survivor  
2010 w/"How America Can Bike & Grow Rich"
  http://www.BikeRoute.com/HBGR
NBG Founding Director, HiWheel Cyclist

Posted via email from HiWheel's Posterous

Friday, January 1, 2010

Bus Pro Blesses January 16-17 Sports Car Bus Work Party

Robbie Benson came by the bus yesterday. And with him came Magic.  In a big way!

After he and I  talked about the fun and  competitive Saturday Football league we are in that I am foregoing this year so I  can keep myself focused on this upcoming summer's ride, he and I talked about how we can build out the inside of the bus with scrap that he has available at the job site he runs.

An under utilized architect with an esteemed degree from one of this nation's foremost design colleges (I can't recall the name), he is working well below his capacity because of the bad economy. And as such he is itching to get his hands on a project like ours.

And Robbie is all about action! It wasn't long before he was under the bus taking  measurements. Of the compartment below the bus which used to house its computer. He said that he will outfit it with a floor so we can start using what is a 40 square foot area (two feet tall) for storage (probably of my books). 


This as he and Ron figure out how they are going to work together. We seemed to think that Ron  Bishop (he had sent me a CAD file of what he foresaw  for the inside of the bus  for Robbie just before Robbie arrived), could determine a way for Robbie to do all the framing for  the rooms in wood so that Ron could then wall them off in whatever material (creative use of bike frames, etc) he felt was best.

Robbie says he can get us all the wood and sheet metal we need from his job site. And will ask other people there who are also working other sites if they can provide us with things like sinks and skylights, etc. Robbie has one skylight that he thinks might become available but we have three places where they could be used.

And here is the punch line that he delivered. He offered us a weekend adjacent to his job site! There we can make noise, have a/c power and make a party of the work. We can bring in food and drink and do a lion's share of the work that will need to be done

Ron can even bring his artist friends down from Oakland so we can get the words National  Bicycle Greenway and BikeRoute.com painted on to the side of it. We seemed to think two weekends was enough time for he and Ron to come up with a design as well as all the materials. Wow!!

January 16-17 who can be here!! Old Middlefield Rd at 101 MTV at the Palo Alto border

Robbie is also going to create a 3D model I can use to sell sponsorships with. That could be ready in a few weeks too!

If all that wasn't enough David Lageschulte, who was taking a walk several hundred yards away on the other side of the freeway spotted our bus and became curious. A supervisor for the Valley Transportation Authority, he has just finished work and wanted to know more about our handsome bus, a vehicle like what he used to drive two decades ago. 

He was excited. We were excited. Soon we asked him if he wanted to drive it. He got even more fired up. When then John E asked him if he could drive us to the gas station about a mile away, David didn't bat an eye when he answered YES!! He was like a little kid getting a new bike for Christmas. And off we went. As David drove Robbie, John E and I all stood there hanging on as we watched him drive it like it was a little sports car. 

David was having a blast. And so were we!! John E was so excited that he decided that 75 dollars was not enough for gas. He did 75 twice ! 


And when we got back David said he would love to drive us up to San Francisco some weekend day soon. He wants to bring his two kids, 6 and 10 too! What's more is he took a bunch of flyers and plans to try to drum up support at his bus agency. He's even going to try to locate an owner's manual.

Like Hermido who drove the bus over from Newark, David thought it was an excellent running machine. So much so that he say he'll be happy to drive it for as much as he can. Few people have ever driven a bus like ours without rows and rows of heavy chairs made even heavier by all the people sitting in them. A real performance machine it is!!


\What an amazing way to begin the New Year!!

THX 4 all of U!!


            Martin Krieg
  "Awake Again" Author
'79 & '86 TransCon cyclist
2010 on Eagle w/Busycle & Book
http://www.BikeRoute.com/HBGR
Coma, Paralysis, Clinical Death
Survivor. NBG Founding Director
       HiWheel Cyclist

   HiWheeler@gmail.com

Posted via email from HiWheel's Posterous

"Much of the stress that people feel doesn't come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they've started." -- David Allen

"Much of the stress that people feel doesn't come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they've started." -- David Allen 

From - 
From "Affirmations to HiWheel" the US at - http://affirmationsofnote.blogspot.com   

Posted via email from HiWheel's Posterous