Arts and Crafts

So I got my Adirondack pack basket making materials in the mail yesterday. I need to find a large pot to boil water in so I can stain my reed, but it looks like its going to work out.

I also started looking at geometry for my touring bike frame. I still don't know if I'm going to lug it or just weld it together. My welding and brazing skills are kinds similar: bad. I'm modeling the geometry off the Trek 520 and the Surly Long Haul Trucker. I hope to model it in pro e.

Bike Lanes are Stupid Part III

Ok. So I am taking back my hatred for all bike lanes. I now rep them in the suburbs. It's so nice not to have to dodge hockey mom vans. I rode to my coworkers house this morning via the bikes lanes on guadalupe and parkfield, and I've never had such a pleasant ride through the suburbs.

The Adventures of Tall Boy John and Co.: Episode I: Into the Wild

In Novemeber of 2005 we went down into the the wilderness for the first time. Equipped with work boots, my uncles old pack, my new three man tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad we trekked into the woods of the Daniel Boone National Forest. It was the first time I had ever been really outside the woods in my neighborhood and years since I had been in the woods in general. We planned to hike sections of the Sheltowee Trace, the great trail named for my favorite frontiersman, Daniel Boone. I believe 28 miles was the official count of our plan.

Driving down in two cars we had trouble finding the trailhead where we were going to ditch our second car. We dropped off our friends at the beginning, and were driving around the country roads of Eastern, Ky. looking for any sign of the trail. We found a little gas station and went inside. In the back there were some guys sitting round in their hunter orange gear shootin the shit. We asked the woman at the front where the Sheltowee Trace was. The guys in the back had a vague idea and pointed us back down the road, while telling us to make sure we had our orange on. None of us even thought about coming prepared with that.

I think our expedition consisted of Kelly, Ming, Sean, Max, Dave, Brian, and myself. It all started when we were sitting around in our studio early in the week when we hatched a plan to go camping down in the gorge. I don't particularly remember why I decided we needed to go, but along with Kelly rounded up a rather large group. Amongst the seven of us Kelly was the one that was most prepared. We all had bits of gear laying around though. After making the appropriate trips to Bass Pro Shop and soliciting my Dad for some early Christmas money we were stocked with most the the necessary stuff: sleeping bags, knives, water filters, cans of beans, MRE's, and lots of rope. Rope is something that I've found necessary on any kind of expedition. You never know what you're going to need rope for, but you always need about 100 more feet than you bring. Not to even mention the merits of a well woven rope.

Rhododendron were what most intrigued me in this environment. We hiked about six miles the first night having to wait for people to come up behind us. Some of us weren't as fit in those days. We set up our camp alongside the Red River across from the suspension foot bridge right next to the trail. We passed whiskey and other things around the raging fire. It turned out to be a cold night. Brian only had a blanket and was shivering the whole night, there were some locals down river shouting all night, and no one got much sleep.

The next day while sitting around eating our oatmeal in the cool autumn air, we found we still had 20 miles to do before we hit the car. It turned out to be the longest hike of my life. We walked along the road for a few miles suffering huge blisters, and at about nightfall we got back to our car and gorged ourselves with snacks from the Slade, Ky Shell station.

We were so inexperienced, and the hike wasn't even that hardcore. We were just a bunch of city folk walking around in the woods. This would be the adventure that started our mom's worrying about us as later we would take off on adventures for days through the woods, rivers, and cities of America.

Newport on the Levy Wasn't the First

So I was just reading a history of Fort Washington (aka the fort that was at Cincinnati before Cincinnati was there), and I found that Fort Washington was replaced in 1803 by the Newport Barracks. Damn.

Reppin the 513 in the 512

I just rode an alleycat last night. I got first out of towner. I think I was the third one in overall, not sure. It's all about how fast you can spin your legs, not the color of your bike. Unless Levy does a custom job then you can go faster. O and Vanessa's bike has magical powers or something.

The Foldable Kayak

So i found plans for a foldable kayak online. Its interesting because all the different boats out there are answers to different problems. I want to buy a kayak sometime after I graduate. I'd love to take it down to New Orleans. The thing is is you have to have the right tool for the right job and even then your rig becomes integral in the experience. All of them have their pluses and minuses. Like ease of transport vs. efficiency in the water vs. setup time. But I feel that my ability to deal with problems that I face as a human will trump all of them and I'll have a good experience.

For example, Kelly and I took Fawn's Dad's old canoe down the Ohio River to Louisville. It was terrible suited for that job. It was too short and the hull shape wasn't designed to go very fast. We did though make it all the way to Louisville after six days with aching arms and backs. It was one of my favorite trips of all time though.

The question here lies in how much does the design of something effect experience and does that even matter? If we would have taken a yacht down the Ohio we would have had a completely different experience. Or even if we each took a nice new kayak down the river it would have been different. The canoe we had was an old, dented, paint chipped boat that we rigged up a sail to with drift wood about 500 ft of rope and a tarp as a sail. It definitely added to the experience because we weren't afraid to drag it up on land. We maybe did 3 mph in it while we were paddling, and sailing didn't make us go much faster. It also made us feel like folk heros just going down the Ohio in a homemade boat.

I guess the answer to this question is that the experience gained from the trip depends on the values of the user. And my assessment of the situation is people have to stop complaining about stuff and use it. When it comes down to most "issues" people have or product designers see, they turn out to be minor inconveniences.

One problem that I've seen that's been maybe been worth it in recent times was the ergonomics in kitchenware as assessed by OXO. After that problem was solved and old people could use a potato peeler, what worthy thing has been done in the design of kitchenware? True solutions of problems are rarely seen. Now you can go out and buy about 100 different solutions to the potato peeler.

So back to the question of my boat. What kind of kayak should I buy/make/rent? Does it matter? I'm just going to get a boat and have all kinds of problems with it. Like I'm going to have to strain my arms to paddle it, and be in the middle of water, and where am I supposed to put my case of beer and cable hook up? That thought just made me sad. I'm going to try to finish rendering these files through my tears. Looks like I'll never get a boat.

Adirondack Pack Basket

So I was surfing the world wide webs yesterday and came upon the Adirondack Pack Basket. Used by trappers up in the Adirondack to carry supplies it is a robust backpack for both the land and the water.

I found plans for one yesterday, and I'm going to attempt to build one. I tried the art of basket weaving in East Aurora. I got a kit at Vidlers 5 and Dime. That one didn't turn out so well, and I could never find a use for it.

Some people say this is campy. Well I dont give a f*ck.

Where's the Wilderness?

Kelly just sent me an article from that site I was reppin yesterday, Out Your Backdoor. It talks about ultra-light vs traditional backpacking. They brought to mind a question that Kelly and Dan Clifton and I were talking about. More like Kelly and I were trying to convince Cold Cut of our point. The question is: When you're out backpacking in the wilderness, how self sufficient are you? Can you really get that wilderness experience? My answer to that question is reluctantly no. Ever since I really got into going out and hiking (i think every break from school I've had for the last 3 or 4 years I've gone on some sort of wilderness trip) I've had this idea that I was going into the wilderness and being self sufficient. Well thats not the case at all because I still have to bring all my food, stuff to cook with, and then gadgets to filter water.

It's too crowded to go out there like Daniel Boone slay 91 bears and build a fire and shelter for the night. Our public land is taxed as it is. There are so many people that use the land many states have restrictions on how you can use it, whether you can have a camp fire, where you can hike, etc. When you go out there you usually see other people. My first trip there were some locals down the river from us hooting and hollering all night long. I can't say I've been many places where I haven't seen a single person. So the thing is you just have to call a spade a spade.

My perspective about the wilderness has changed and also my perspective about travel has changed. Really what I'm interested in is traveling, and the more self sufficient I can make it the better e.g. more places I can camp, more forms of human power I can use, more people I can meet. There's not a place in the lower 48 that man has not touched, so there's no point in going in with a DB attitude.

Also I've found that I travel places everyday (work, school, etc) and have found that the best way to get there is the way that involves the most adventure (it would be sweet to paddle to work). I tried to explain to my mom how we plan trips (to colorado, to louisville, to the smokies) and I told her that we really look for the most variation in transportation, and the most adventurous way to do it. It turns out that those are usually a good way to save a lot of money (Last summer four of us went to Colorado for about 350 bucks each). So really you can travel the new American landscape with a DB, pioneering attitiude, you just can't do it like he did it.

For a while now I've wanted to take a trip down to Red River Gorge by bike and then hike around for a couple of days. One of the best trips I've been on has been canoeing down the Ohio River to Louisville. We got to see a lot of variation between country and city. I think that's what its all about for me the contrast of the country and the city, seeing people vs no people. O and industry, whenever I can see industry thats pretty tight like power plants and barges.

Being self sufficient is all about doing it yourself and also, for me, spending as little money as you can while doing it. Self sufficiency really gives me that wilderness feeling. With that I can be in the wilderness in the most urban area like when Kelly and I traveled from Staten Island to Brooklyn via bike and the Staten Island Ferry. Or when Witz and I traveled from Baltimore to New York to Boston via bike, bus, bike, bus, and bike (in that order).

This pretty much goes back to that dude's point in the article where he talks about ultra-light vs traditional. It just comes down to the experience you get out of it, and you can get a good experience from either. There's still frontier, it just doesn't look like it did in the 1770's.

Sweet Website

Kelly told me about this awesome website.

So far I've seen stuff on bike touring, guns, and gardening. It's tight.

Guerrilla Gardening

Ok, so read this.

1. down the hill on MLK theres a huge greenspace behind the hospital
2. in the median on clifton ave. out front of stratford heights
3. the land the developers tore all those businesses down on on the south side of campus
4. the grassy south side of burnet woods
5. that path through the flower bed behind the library garage

im thinking
tomatoes, peppers, carrots, herbs, corn could be tight too. we could start in the winter with some winter veggies

The Extracycle

So I found this bike company called Xtracycle and I'm all about their Free Radical system. Theres a video of how it works here. It elongates your bike so you can carry more stuff. I wonder what I could haul around on this? There's a guy that goes on rides in Austin on one of these and has this huge sound system on the back of it with lights. Surly also makes a frame.

WWDBD? (What Would Daniel Boone Do?)

This question was posed back in December/January in 2006 while a group of us were backpacking down the in Daniel Boone National Forest. DB has long been my favorite frontiersman in American History. I didn't know much about him until recently when I started reading a biography by Robert Morgan. DB's life has a lot to say about pioneering the American landscape, and his legacy lives on and confronts us with some current issues. The conflict that existed mostly throughout his life was preserving his role as a frontier woodsman while populating the state of Kentucky.

From an early age Boone would go into the woods and hunt and trap. He would commonly be out in the wilderness for days and provided his family with food and furs from an early age. He made most of his money for his family through the fur trade. Theres a story in which one season he killed 91 bears in the Virginia wilderness. This was the attitude of many men on the western frontier, and the frontier would move further west as the hunting lands in the area were used up. Boone only reportedly made any kind of comment regarding how he treated the land and its resources. It was simply not thought as something that could be used up like it had in Europe.

Boone built one of the first roads into Kentucky by way of the Cumberland Gap. It was more of a trail that used Indian hunting trails and buffalo traces that could accommodate people on foot with pack horses. He brought people and settled in the "promised land" of Kentucky. Kentucky was a much contested area among settlers in different colonies, the colonies governments, and the Indians who believed it to be a sacred hunting ground. Indeed it was because it had some of the richest area of game for the time. As people filed into Kentucky they would claim huge tracts of land to start farming. After a few years the soil would be worthless from only planting corn on it and the field would be used for a school house or cemetery. Morgan also goes on to point out the fact that as settlers moved in they would clear as many trees as they could. The forests were dark and a good place for Indians to hide in ambush of the settlements.

The American frontier life was hard on the environment of this continent and we still seem to live by the values of those days. America at the time was viewed as endless and people bought land for pennies an acre and spread out across the western lands. They destroyed populations of game and the old growth forests in which they lived. Today our cities are growing out into the frontier that is the edge of the cities. Everyone wants their plot of land in places such as Anderson Meadows and Eagles Watch, and most Americans feel it their right. Our cities are being destroyed by this sprawling landscape just as Daniel Boone's forests were being destroyed. The American suburbs are huge. Houston is 100 miles in diameter! Transportation is a huge problem through our cities with declining infrastructure, smog, and traffic jams. The alternative forms that seem to work in Europe and other places don't sit well with the American attitude. Why ride the bus when you can be on the open road blazing the trail to work? America is all about personal mobility and a personal mode seems to be attached to Americans at the hip whether its a car, bike, truck, or skateboard. We don't have a collective mindset in transportation that Europe seems to have, and we have a unique problem with our sprawling cities and need for the feeling of freedom. Just like Daniel Boone we still live life with those frontier values. So what is our American solution to the transportation problem in the land of the free and the home of the brave? Like Daniel Boone we need to reject the solutions back East and blaze into the new frontier. We are a self sufficient people (at least we like to think that.)

Bike Lanes are Stupid Part II

Since coming to Austin I've been really about the bike lanes more specifically hating on bike lanes. Last night when I was riding home from the Born Ruffians show I just straight didn't ride on them. Here's an article from Momentum Magazine about bike lanes in Northern European cities. I hear a lot of people ask why we can't be more like them, and our land has just been developed differently than land in Europe. This article, though, brings some good urban planning solutions to the table that could work in urban and big city environments.

Most people here live in the burbs, and it just sucks riding on those. Anderson Township (that's where I'm from) recently made a bike/walk trail that goes along Five Mile Rd. The problem is is that its a trail from nowhere to nowhere. It's along a road that has a speed limit of 50 MPH, and you have to drive to get to points on it unless you live by Turpin High School, the library, or the mall (and not a large population live by any). It's clearly a recreational path. I try to use it on my commute over to UC and it's just straight harder than riding down Clough Pike (a winding road with blind turns). Our sights are just set in the complete wrong direction. How about a bike trail that's actually useful?

Bike Lanes are Stupid and Other Stories

So somehow Austin got this rep of being really friendly to cyclists. One thing is there are a ton of cyclists here. Lance Armstrong has ties to Austin. Also they have bike lanes all over the city. Bike lanes are a good thing right? Well, you're wrong.

First of all bike lanes seem to facilitate a mindset in drivers that bikers aren't vehicles on the road, and they belong in bike lanes. It demotes cyclists to second class road citizens.

Second, bike lane placement is terrible. This is a three part point. First they seem to end at the worst places. The lane on Guadalupe only goes sporadically on sections of the road, so you have to merge with cars. This is especially a problem at the intersection of either 24th or 25th i'm not sure, where the bike lane ends. You are at a light and you have to merge with traffic. They are not happy about this usually as you merge at 10 miles an hour in between Daddy's Escalade and the Ford 350 towing the horses. Second, the lanes are either on the side of the road in the gutter or between the road and the parking lanes. I was just riding back from lunch up Guadalupe, and you pretty much fall into the curb because of how cracked up the side of the road is. Not to mention the fact that the sides of the roads seemed to be banked more, so physics tells your bike it wants to ride in the gutter. All the glass and debris gets pushed into the bike lane too. I have some tires with a layer of kevlar, but I still get flats when I hit chunks of glass. If they are between the road and the parking lanes then you just have problems with parked cars pulling into you, people stopping to park, and getting doored. Third, if you're riding on the right side of the road, how do you make a left turn. You have to merge into two lanes of traffic, and then make your turn. Usually merging into traffic when there's a perfectly suitable bike lane does not sit well with drivers. Why would you drive in their lane?

So, what's the solution?
Riding in traffic. Once you get over the fear that someone is going to jack you from behind, you have to get over the fear that someone's going to jack you from the side. But seriously, if you obey the laws, assert your position on the road, use signals and lights, and can overcome the fear of the corolla screaming by that won't hit you, riding on the road is the safest place for cyclists, drivers, and pedestrians. For now.

This does bring up a new point though. This system sucks for the roads to run efficiently.

Right now you have a pretty good system most of the time for motor vehicles. Theres a successful interface that includes lanes, signals, and signs. Then you also have a successful system for pedestrians. There are side walks along streets (well, if you live in the city) and crosswalks and signals marked at the intersection of the motor vehicle system and pedestrian system. These two systems are divided as such because of the capabilities and usages of motor vehicles vs. pedestrians. Theres a third system that is also starting to be implemented in some places for cyclists. Right now, though, it kind of just uses the same system for the motor vehicles, and then not even all the time. Like when the lane runs out.

This same idea also extends into the world of the law. There should be different laws for drivers and cyclists, just like there are different laws for drivers and pedestrians. I got pulled over in Newtown, Cincinnati, Ohio for running a stop sign. The problem with this is that I have to put a lot more energy from my body into coming to a complete stop than a motor vehicle does. So I ran the stop sign and the cop was a dick about it. I found out that that infraction could have gone on my driving record. A four year old can ride a bike. Are they going to fine them on their driving record? O yeah, and the cop had it in my mind that the reason people get thrown stuff at on bikes is their own fault. Yeah, when i see someone breaking a law I throw a bag of day old fast food at them. WTF? Since when is vigilante law accepted? Batman doesn't throw fast food at the Joker.

Anyway my point being is that cars, bikes, and pedestrians are three different forms of transportation with about two and half systems to accommodate them both in infrastructure and legally. We need to rethink how everyone can get places with their chosen mode. One thing I said before is until then we gotta respect each other.

Riding for My Life Out East Austin and Maker Faire

So I went out to East Austin this weekend with my friend Joe to go to the Maker Faire. This was so inspirational and I can't believe I even saw this stuff. I'll post pics and describe it, but I may not do it justice nor do I have the amount of pics I should have taken. This fair pretty much sums up my interests in life. It had everything HPV's, folk music, Legos, Robot Wars, sh*t that shot fire, catapults, spear throwing, spinning and weaving, life size mouse trap, 16 oz cans of beer, and a lot more that I probably didn't even see.

The first thing were the human powered vehicles slash human powered rides. A group called Cyclecide was there with their bike rodeo. They had human powered carnival rides and I believe they were responsible for a human powered snake train, a human powered peacock train, a giant fly bike, and a windmill type thing that had guitars attached to it that would play as you pedal (not pictured).





Next was a bunch of electric powered cars, an art car (a car with yarn glued to it in intricate patterns pictured below), and robot wars.
There were these guys that were making throwing spears like the way they would make them thousands of years ago. I was talking to him and unfortunately people don't hunt with them much, but there is a following of people that are just enthusiasts. There was also a vendor showing off their canvas tents that were supposed to be an alternative to a yurt or a tipi. I don't know if I would use it as an alternative, but it was light and only had two poles. Another vendor in the housewares section was a group that made their own cleaning supplies out of household items. I need to look into that more so I don't have to rely on P and G.
Then there was a huge area with a bunch of CNC, laser cutting, vinyl cutting, and crafts thus related. A few people were repping a DIY router. Some even had 3 dimensions. There was one project that came out of MIT that was a shelter structure that was completely CNC'd and snapped and slotted together made out of wood. There was a huge showing from MIT Media Lab. I hear about them a lot in the open source and research world, and they have some cool projects that come out of there. I need to do more research on that.
Sorry for that picture.

Lastly was the music. It was folk music! The bands played on this stage converted from a old fire truck and completely run by solar power.
The first band was a cajun or tejano band I'm not sure which one, and in the folk style they were playing in the "streets" of Maker Faire afterwards. The next band was the most amazing thing I might have seen in Austin so far. Joe and i were walking out of this area where they had some DIY speakers and we were dodging a field of hippie hula hoopers as Joe said, "We'll it looks like we've seen about everything we should get going." All of a sudden out of south came a marching band. They had horns, saxophones, and a drum section and they were all dressed up in old band uniforms. On further investigation they had electric instruments with speakers attached to their heads. The lineup included, a sousaphone, saxophones, trombones, trumpets, a drum line, an electric mandolin, an electric guitar, accordions, and electric fiddle, and then various axillary percussion. They were running around the grounds and playing their music. They would scatter and all of sudden a horn section would appear on the bleachers or behind the crowd. They're from Chicago and they're called Mucca Pazza. Later they played the rest of their show on the stage.

Their sound was influenced by jazz, eastern European folk music, and some soul.

So overall this day pretty much was a fair of all things Johnathan Kroeger is interested in and stuff I've been reppin lately: diy bikes, folk music, minimal architecture, and, well, everything I've described in this post.

We ended up back in Austin at a bar down on fourth that Joe knew the bartender at. The Bengals got slaughtered by the Steelers (boo) and the Red Sux lost (yay!) I definitely didn't get everything here (I still need to rant about my hatred of bike lanes) so this is just and overview of the entire experience.

Riding Down South if I Wear Out 99 Pair of Tire

This is the last one for today. Let me get up on my soap box before I write this... ok. Here we go.

So I came to Austin, TX about one month ago. I've since parked my car behind my house and have just been getting around by bike (It's hard to stand on this soap box when you're on your high horse too.) So how is riding in Austin. Well everyone was repping Austin as a bike friendly city. Sike! Not so much. I'd say it's pretty much average in terms of cities to ride in. I get honked at, cut off, and pains in my groin from the potholes.

I've also been on the various Austin bike blogs, craigslist, been riding 20 miles plus solo around the city, been riding with critical mass and other such rides full of shenanigans and I would say I'm pretty much sick of the bike/car animosity around here, and really everywhere.

What the solution? Laws? Law Enforcement? Infrastructure? New forms of human powered transport?

I would say understanding for starters. Not only understanding from our fossil fueled friends but also from our aerodynamic spandex friends, our badass faceplanting bmx friends , our cuties on cruiser friends, and our hipster fixie friends.

People just get so pissed about the topic of bikes on the roads. We are all allowed to be there. Some people drive cars, some people can keep up with those cars, some people can't keep up with them. Some understanding from bikers could come from the fact of how do you pass someone on a bike? I don't even really know how. I just pass people but when I'm driving I know how it can give a jolt when a 4 cyclinder camry is redlining trying to pass you and you feel like they're going to hit you. Some understanding from cars could come from the fact that the person on the bike is doing a lot more work than you are. Put yourself in that other person's shoes.

We'll until next time don't look up when the wild geese come flyin from the west.

O and I've been talking to different people in Cincinnati. A bike festival is hopefully in the plans for next June. Bike Kill? Slaughterama? Six Day Party?

This Just Sums up My Life

Precious Treasures, My First Post

First and foremost. Its Friday, theres 3 people in the office and my computer is too slow to render anything. So I made a blog. I hope Jon Levy makes a blog so I can blog about his blog. Robb has a blog, so everyone is getting blogs now.

So I spend a lot of time on my porch here in Austin, TX. I have no lights in my room and our house smells like cat pee and tuna (unrelated incidents) so I sit on the porch most nights and use it as one gigantic soap box. Armed with a cell phone and a guitar I sit and project to the world my ideas and songs. So now I'm creating this to project to even more people than those girls across the street that pass me with looks of disgust.

Topics that will be disgust here:

Robb's blog
JL's blog when he gets one
transportation
riding bikes
old time folk music
living in tepees
the advantages of a fibrous diet
not giving a fuck
etc.