The NBG 2010 Eagle Busycle Bus has a new home!! Early next week, the gorgeous 40 foot tour bus that John E Cabrera purchased for our 8th annual SF to Boston National Mayors' Ride will take up residence on Palo Alto's real bike boulevard, the one without stop lights, Park Blvd!!
And talk about location, it will be right next to Fry's Electronics the most active business on that road, if not all of Palo Alto, at a car repair business called Park Automotive. A couple of Fridays ago, I saw a man working on the Kenworth diesel truck parked alongside this business. I had wanted to know what he knew about running the engine of his machine for electric power.
Turned out I was talking to Don Armstrong, the actual business owner. And after he told me I was probably looking at a gallon an hour to just let our bus idle, I told him I used to work at the Peterbilt factory, his truck's competitor, when I was in college. He knew all about that assembly plant as he, as well, was an East Bay native. And for probably an hour we talked all about Hayward and Fremont and Oakland and had a fun conversation comparing notes. Then I left feeling content that I could now tell John Oleary that leaving the bus running to fuel lights and computers might not be such a good idea after all. And that was where I left it.
Yesterday however, on my way over to talk to Jeff Kistler about how we are going to work with Tom Schoeniger of 4130inc Bikes to get the Eagle back on the road, when I rolled by Don's shop, a voice inside seemed to be telling me to ask him if we can park the bus there . Well, I never made it over to Jeff's because right away Don, who has been a fixture at 3040 Park Blvd since 1974, saw the promotion value of having us there!!
This is all too exciting. The Bus will have returned from ten miles away, near Hwy 85 on the other side of Mountain View, a worthy bike city indeed, to Palo Alto where all my friends and networks are located!!
Fasten your seat belts everyone. Soon this bus will be rockin' first Palo Alto, and then the Nation. And Hard!!
THX Don - THX 4 all of U!!
Posts
