tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81349153206326796232009-08-02T09:42:30.470-07:00Changing Gearshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04584474165410586274noreply@blogger.comBlogger133125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134915320632679623.post-6604943322094777732009-06-19T14:37:00.000-07:002009-06-19T16:06:04.046-07:00

There was an interesting snippet in the article about me in the Herald-Times today:Example: Bike routes should extend from the city and IU campus out into the county to facilitate bike commuting by folks who live outside town. Planning for transportation alternatives must cross bureaucratic and governmental boundaries.This was attributed as an example of one of my current goals, encouraging

Andrew Davisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134915320632679623.post-41913180542986229652009-06-19T04:12:00.000-07:002009-06-19T04:23:25.174-07:00

Here's the news on Changing Gears: Melissa and I are back in the editing room as of about 2 weeks ago. We had a marriage ceremony on May 23rd for our friends and family, and after we wrapped up from that, we started back in on this project. It's been a busy year for both of us, with me in school and Melissa picking up 2 jobs and a couple of community board positions, and Changing Gears got

Andrew Davisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134915320632679623.post-87696933083480974022008-10-07T09:56:00.000-07:002008-10-07T10:07:48.708-07:00

I'm out of class, waiting to get a graded paper back from a secretary who I assume is on lunch. I already got my grade (5.5/7.0 when the class average is 5.0), but I'm curious to see what commentary was on there. I know I messed up by not having it in the right format, single spacing when it should have been double, so I'm curious what else brought my grade down.School is harder than I remember

Andrew Davisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134915320632679623.post-15730585691823731352008-09-08T12:09:00.001-07:002008-09-08T12:25:24.703-07:00

As of today I've officially been in classes for 1 week. It's a weird feeling. Well, the weird feeling could be all down to sleep deprivation, but the school bit is odd too. My stats class assigned a total of 4 chapters in a textbook, plus a 24-page pdf and 2 handouts (something like 10 pages each). That's for one class. My lofty goal of getting all my work done from 8am-5pm may not be

Andrew Davisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134915320632679623.post-34262907790467639492008-08-27T23:50:00.000-07:002008-08-28T00:32:47.779-07:00

Alright so it has been awhile, and many of you probably think we've somewhat dropped off and are unsure if we will continue on. Well fear not, as there is still plenty more to do and report on, as the world's problems unfortunately haven't been solved while we were out on the road. Damn it. As for our experience, now we are in the fun part of the project, right?(this summer was work...thank

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09917717959086809167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134915320632679623.post-76960638049445216482008-08-24T08:55:00.000-07:002008-08-24T11:00:03.227-07:00

So the end of our summer has come, and we've finally been apart for almost 24 hours now. Melissa took off for Annah's Bachelorette party, and I was supposed to fly out of Portland this morning so that I could get back to Bloomington in time for orientation.I got up at 4am to start my day. My plan was to call a taxi to get to the airport, as bus/tram service doesn't start early enough on the

Andrew Davisnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134915320632679623.post-8975368702918033072008-08-18T11:36:00.000-07:002008-08-18T12:18:28.093-07:00

The end of the trip has come, but not the end of our journey. Yesterday we exchanged vows in an intimate ceremony in Muir Woods. That marks the end of the "Changing Gears" trip, at least nominally. But it also marks a new chapter for us in our lives and a transition to a new life as we make our roundabout way home to Bloomington.Our vow exchange party:Our vows reflected our worldview, our

Andrew Davisnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134915320632679623.post-67144508844403001042008-08-15T18:50:00.000-07:002008-08-18T12:44:31.553-07:00

By hook or by crook, we're in San Fran!Tonight we came into the final city of our trip, after riding our hearts out down the coast and then making an extremely tough decision that we weren't fast enough to make it to San Fran for our vow exchange and grabbing a bus/train for the last leg.Melissa being happy that we're not finishing the last leg on bike:Mural in progress in Oakland:After coming in

Andrew Davisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134915320632679623.post-5902745012233088732008-08-12T09:26:00.000-07:002008-08-12T10:58:50.777-07:00

For the past week, we've been getting back in shape riding the beautiful coast and Redwoods, and feeling exhausted, as we don't have the time to catchup and talk to the wonderful people about sustainability. Rather then varying it up with conversation with new friends, we just ride and rest, ride and rest, ride, and breathe, heavily.This part of the last leg is definitely exhausting, and I find

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09917717959086809167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134915320632679623.post-7008042869841023702008-08-12T08:15:00.000-07:002008-08-12T09:23:51.300-07:00

Yesterday we rode from Scotia to Redway on the Avenue of the Giants. The total ride was something like 35 miles, but probably 30 of it was on the Avenue itself, a scattering of small towns that break up a huge stretch of Redwood forest. It was a good ride, although not quite the sensory experience of the Prairie Creek park before.There was a highlight of getting homemade blackberry popsicles

Andrew Davisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134915320632679623.post-88852971484800003332008-08-10T12:00:00.000-07:002008-08-10T12:45:37.570-07:00

We're back on the road, making progress. It's been a bit slow so far, with some pretty challenging climbs right off the start on our new leg of the trip, but we're getting down the coast and feeling pretty good about our new equipment and mission (to finish on bikes for the people who have supported us).The drive down to Crescent City was pleasant, if largely uneventful. We were glad for much

Andrew Davisnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134915320632679623.post-3547025197966285842008-08-07T11:41:00.001-07:002008-08-07T11:45:10.323-07:00

Follow-up from the Register-Guard before we made up our minds to go on:http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.support.viewStory.cls?cid=126211&sid=4&fid=1

Andrew Davisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134915320632679623.post-84346730076982026672008-08-07T10:58:00.000-07:002008-08-07T11:05:03.093-07:00

We're washing up and getting our things together now to leave Eugene.yesterday, in addition to doing our interview with the Mayor, we ran around Eugene re-equipping ourselves for the trip south. With the help of some generous individuals and businesses, we're ready to get back on the road. Of course, we've still lost some time here, and we'll be pushing it to make it down to San Fran on time.

Andrew Davisnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134915320632679623.post-5627983490893385202008-08-05T11:12:00.000-07:002008-08-05T11:19:59.654-07:00

Dear great, generous people,So offers for bikes and trailers and camping gear and help have been flooding in over the last 48 hours. It's amazing.This morning we got offers for 3 more bikes a couple of trailers and a bunch of other equipment (camping supplies, clothes, etc.). It's even gotten to the point where we've changed our minds on Amtrak. We're going to take up some people on their

Andrew Davisnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134915320632679623.post-1494887467040485732008-08-05T08:11:00.000-07:002008-08-05T08:23:04.199-07:00

I just want to quickly say that people who have heard our story and offered us help are amazing.We're very fortunate to find ourselves being hosted by a very generous family in Eugene who has loaned us a tent and let us stay with them. There have been no less than a half-dozen offers of lodging in the Eugene area, and all of them are incredibly gracious.We've also slowly gravitated towards not

Andrew Davisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134915320632679623.post-29394636889743044432008-08-04T23:40:00.000-07:002008-08-04T23:42:25.579-07:00

Settling in for the night in the borrowed tent outside of Paul and Monica's. Just wanted to also point out this fun article and video from the Eugene paper:http://www.registerguard.com/rg/Home/story.csp?cid=126107&sid=1&fid=7

Andrew Davisnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134915320632679623.post-42623902772069530372008-08-04T17:35:00.000-07:002008-08-04T17:40:59.994-07:00

It's become something of a news story that we got our stuff stolen here in Eugene. The local CBS affiliate ran a story about us today:http://www.kval.com/news/local/26260819.html

Andrew Davisnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134915320632679623.post-77218184896289999572008-08-03T13:10:00.000-07:002008-08-03T13:34:44.157-07:00

Today we're sitting in a cafe in Eugene, strategizing our next moves. Now that the camping gear is gone and we're down to one bike, we're trying to figure out where we can go from here. We're healthy and in good spirits, all things considered. The family that hosted us last night, the Adkins, were wonderful to us and that's certainly helped out. We'll find a way to make this work out for the

Andrew Davisnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134915320632679623.post-68566687303978899302008-08-02T20:52:00.000-07:002008-08-03T00:07:30.765-07:00

Hello thief,After sifting through the amazing gear that you have now acquired, I'm assuming you'll eventually read this, as you'll find our stacks of business cards with our website and information. Little did you know when you stole my bike and gear that you would disrupt an incredible journey across the country. I guess I can thank you for providing a bit more drama to our trip, though I'd

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09917717959086809167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134915320632679623.post-35392344084268436872008-08-02T20:33:00.000-07:002008-08-03T13:38:49.246-07:00

Eugene, ORIn a cafe for a couple of hours and Melissa's bike and trailer were stolen. They cut our cable and rode off, leaving my bike and trailer with us. Fortunately, the most expensive equipment was with us, but most of our camping gear and her clothes are gone.If anyone in Eugene (or anywhere else) can help us out, we're now up against the wall on this one. We've got about 2 weeks to get

Andrew Davisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134915320632679623.post-30244397858097464992008-08-02T18:21:00.000-07:002008-08-02T18:32:14.253-07:00

I forgot to inform all of you that last night was THE FIRST time we had a flat tire. After traveling so many miles, it was due time. Andy's rear tire got shards of glass from one of the shoulders we were on. Fortunately, there was a shelter that we could go under to get out of the rain, along with a bbq stand near by. So as Andy was figuring out the tire thing, I chatted it up with Dave, the

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09917717959086809167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134915320632679623.post-44266777897210794192008-08-02T17:24:00.000-07:002008-08-02T17:38:19.073-07:00

So here's the latest installments of pictures!Here's the journey across South Dakota and Wyoming documenting the varied, yet sparse landscape of the Badlands, the activities of coal mining, and the work done at CrazyHorse.http://www.changinggearsmovie.com/resources/photos/071208m/index.htmlAn update with beautiful area near Yellowstone.http://www.changinggearsmovie.com/resources/photos/071808m/

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09917717959086809167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134915320632679623.post-79815700153621079802008-08-02T14:02:00.000-07:002008-08-02T16:49:52.615-07:00

Okay, so here's my short recap of the last couple of weeks:After a week in Portland, we interviewed the eco-pioneer, Carsten Henningsen, with Portfolio 21, http://www.portfolio21.com/. For decades he's worked on getting others to invest in green and social businesses, and has used the natural step guidelines to help structure the overall business. http://www.ortns.org/about.htm Using strict

Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09917717959086809167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134915320632679623.post-74502831158857954932008-08-02T12:59:00.000-07:002008-08-02T18:18:46.887-07:00

It's been a while. We're in Eugene, OR, and last night we slept under the stars at Junction City Pond. It was a bit illicit, but it was getting late and we weren't going to make our destination of Eugene before the last bits of daylight faded.It was a nice campsite, improvised behind a big bank of blackberry bushes to be hidden from the road and the main parking lot of the pond. We ate our

Andrew Davisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8134915320632679623.post-674465047347647682008-07-29T20:42:00.001-07:002008-07-29T20:42:21.832-07:00

Phoneblogging.we're sleeping tonight in the woodburn fire station annex, where they dry their hoses. It was a good tip we got all the way back in northfield, mn to ask for lodging at fire stations. Slow day, with the wind in our faces, but it was great to be back on the bikes. Banging out all this text on my phone isn't ideal, so i'll leave the rest for later.

Andrew Davisnoreply@blogger.com0