Entries this day: Dream PepyRide SoCL TJ_Bike_to_Arkawa emails petra_description

Dream

9:40am JST Saturday 10 December 2005

something about PB, I think...

PepyRide

JOIN US!

The PEPY Ride is gearing up for its second ride- this time in the United States.  In May 2006, The PEPY Hurricane Relief Ride will take 25 riders from Beaumont, TX to New Orleans, LA in a week-long bike ride raising money for the YMCA of Greater New Orleans.  We are currently looking for riders, sponsors, volunteers and beginning fundraising efforts to reach our goal of 50,000 dollars for the YMCAs affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

The PEPY Ride

PEPY stands for "Protect the Earth. Protect Yourself."

The PEPY Ride began as an educational bike ride across Cambodia raising money to build a rural school. The ride is an education through action program, bringing environmental and health issues right to the most rural areas and raising funds along the way.

The ride concept was developed by Daniela Papi and Greta Arnquist in response to their visits to Cambodia. They both wanted to return to Cambodia to help with the development of sustainable education for a country that has been stripped of its educational foundations.

The PEPY Ride is now expanding its efforts.  In addition to volunteer and educational trips in developing countries, The PEPY Ride is working in disaster relief areas where education and health infrastructures have been destroyed or damaged.

The Hurricane Relief Ride-

Twenty-five riders will spend one week in late May (tentative dates May 21-29) riding from the Texas border to New Orleans.  The ride will stop at Hurricane-affected YMCAs each day, putting on educational programs and fundraisers with local partners in communities affected by this summer's destructive hurricanes.  Each rider will pledge to raise or donate 2,500 dollars which will go directly to the YMCA Alliance.  Don't be scared off by the fundraising goal-- we have tons of great ideas and will give you as much support as possible in helping riders reach their goal!

In addition to the unforgettable experience of biking through Louisiana, riders who join The PEPY Ride will actively participate in a rebuilding effort for one of the nations oldest and most respected organizations. 

Our Cause- YMCAs of Greater New Orleans

Since 1852, the YMCA of Greater New Orleans has been dedicated to helping people of all ages reach their potential. It is the sixth oldest Y in the United States. The YMCA of Greater New Orleans is a nonprofit organization which services the community in the areas of child care, educational services, health and fitness. After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, many of the YMCAs were severely affected.  Despite this, they have been central in providing community support during the crisis.  Our goal is to raise 50,000 dollars for the YMCA of Greater New Orleans, which will go towards the rebuilding the educational services provided by the YMCAs, and supporting those already in place. 

How you can get involved

Bike-  We are currently looking for committed bikers!  If you or someone you know is interested in biking in The PEPY Hurricane Relief Ride send an email to ymcaride@pepyride.org.  We'd like to have the team set but January 20th, 2006 so that we can ensure everyone has enough time to reach their fundraising goal!

Give-  Help us reach our goal of 50,000 dollars!  You can donate by credit card at

https://secure.justgiving.com/pfp/account/ymcapepyride

Sponsor- If you or your organization would like to sponsor The PEPY Ride please email ymcaride@pepyride.org for more information.

Share-  Tell your friends and family about us!  We are looking for all support we can get, whether its money, partnership, or simply words of encouragement.  Help The PEPY Ride spread the word!

Volunteer-  If you have the time, we have a job for you to do!  Email ymcaride@pepyride.org

Travel- Looking to make a difference or get away, but can't commit to the ride in May?  Check out www.pepyride.org for other bike trips or volunteer travel experiences.

Buy-  The PEPY Ride shirts, CDs and other materials are available online at www.pepyride.org

Any questions or comments?  Email ymcaride@pepyride.org

Protecting with pedals,

Daniela & Maryann

The PEPY Hurricane Relief Ride Leaders


*********************

SoCL

10:18am JST Saturday 10 December 2005

I am blessed by Chris' State of My Life Address. He's from Australia, and we played some super mad phat Silent Football together in Palestine. He's written the best State of One's Life, ever.

State of Chris' Life

TJ Bike to Arkawa

9:42am JST Saturday 10 December 2005

I'm joining Don's Half Fast Flash Mob, a group of cyclists who ride a couple times weekly around Tokyo. Things just lined up so I have the time and they have the ride planned!

Only one ride planned for this weekend, for Saturday, out to the Arakawa. 55km. If the weather permits, we may extend to the golf
course garbage island, whence to Odaiba and possibly the ferry back. Up to 70km perhaps. But we'll play it by ear;

Grand Hyatt in Roppongi Hills
12 Noon; back by 5 or 6.
Make sure your head and tail lamps are working, as we'll undoubtedly return after dark.

I can get to the Grand Hyatt in under an hour, I believe. Need to get a new rear light; mine got lost during my Atami adventure!

5:37pm JST Saturday 10 December 2005

Just got back. 72km ridden today.

I arrived at the Grand Hyatt in a slightly convoluted way, but still got there ahead of schedule. Dan was already there, with his super racing bike, and then Don and Noriko arrived with their super racing bikes and then John with his super cool spokes and Patrick and Louis and Ray and one more name I've forgotten, all with their fly rides. Many of them suggested ways I could lighten TJ Bike, and put on some thinner wheels for street riding, but I'm pretty happy having to work more to ride. I want the muscles more than the speed up hills.

Everyone agreed TJ Bike is a dandy fine bike, and compared him to Alistair's bike, whose name I've forgotten.

We got started not long after noon, after Patrick took a picture of John up on the rocks with his bike where we specifically are not allowed to climb, and we joked about the police siren in the city-noise background coming for him.

Soon after starting, I felt quite lost after we broke away from 246 on some streets I had never previously seen. However, we ended up making a pretty big arc around the Imperial Palace and then through some tiny streets and then a big highway and then Arkawa River.

We stopped there for a bit and snacked, chatting about PB, Palestine and legality of taking photos of people. Patrick took a lot of photos during our ride, often speeding up ahead, stopping, and taking pictures of us as we rode by.

It was there that Ray asked why I was wearing a backpack if I had all these panniers for bags. I explained that I didn't have enough stuff for two bags, and I didn't want to be off balance. My answer was half interrupted by someone who suggested, "just say 'fuckoff, Ray!'" Ray soon manifested some bunjee cords, supplied by Patrick and _____, and we secured my backpack to the back bag thing on TJ Bike. Sweet!

From that point, we had a several kilometer stretch of self-paced riding on the generally flat smooth surface along the river. I rode alone for a while, trying to get a good clip going, and using my handlebar extension for the first time. I often use them as handles, but never for resting my arms.

We went to within viewing distance of the mouth of the Arkawa River, then went over a huge beautiful bridge and then closer to the mouth of the river where there's a pretty cool park area with families and kites and other bicycles.

We stopped there for a snackaroo around 3pm, enjoying the weather and slight poking banter. I picked up a couple of their bikes; wow - they are definitely light compared to TJ Bike. But they don't have cool names. At least I don't think so. Everyone was fed, watered and emptied as necessary and we headed out further along the sidewalk and basically made a loop around the park. Stopped again at a restroom and then began the journey back.

We went over Arkawa River on a different (taller) bridge, and amazingly on the way down its steep slope, I barely got any speed at all due to the impressive headwind. We stopped after a bit at a bicycle shop where most of them browsed frames and components, and I bought a new Cat's Eye back light for TJ Bike. It's way bigger, brighter, and flashier than my previous one, and was basically within my budget (3250 yen or so). I thanked everyone for waiting after putting the light on, and we continued heading back. I was basically completely lost until we got back to Roppongi, but the way back wasn't *nearly* as long as the journey out to the park.

I chatted with Patrick the photographer during the ride, and he gave me permission to post his pictures on my site; I'll do that as soon as I get them.

emails

10:27pm JST Saturday 10 December 2005

I am responding to emails from 4, 5, 6 months ago from when I sent out Rob Updates from PB49.

I've just realized I should make some of them available here.

petra description

My description of Petra:

From the modern city of Petra (with hotels and houses and everything)
we can go into a national park area.  It looks a lot like West Texas;
there's rocks and tall things to climb on.  But there are some
carvings that I don't think we'd find in Texas.  We walk walk walk
walk along this road, and see lots of carvings and ancient
dwellings(?) or burial areas (?), and then the famous crevice
comes..  Walk through that and *blam* the big facade made famous by
Indiana Jones.

Past that there are *more* facades, but not hidden, so they are worn
by weather and not as surprising once we have seen the first one.  But
to be sure, they are just as cool and took just as long to make, I am
sure.

A bit further down there are some stalls, but I wouldn't call it a
*market*..  There's like a place to buy postcards or coffee, and
across from that are some restrooms, though I didn't go in there, and
don't know what kind of plumbing they have.   Along the way, there
were some really poor families who were selling various things for
super cheap.  Trinkets and necklaces and the like.  I had no interest;
I never buy that stuff.  Very rarely, at least.

Further further down the road there is some more excavation and
archaelogy going on, and there's a restaurant and small museum.  A
restaurant!!!!

We didn't go further than that; we had to start heading back to catch
the bus back to the ship.   There are so many many more places we
coulda gone in that area!  Wow!