Errandonnee Part 1: Going Car-Free (Lite)

Michigan, in the 1960s, was all about the automobile. Gasoline was $0.30 per gallon when I was born. Living in farm country, we actually had a 200-gallon tank on our property and a gas truck would come out periodically and fill it up. No thought was given to burning gasoline - even just for fun! Before I was old enough to drive, I owned five cars. The economy revolved around the automobile. And so I went to General Motors Institute to be an automotive engineer. I only say this to underline how deeply the automobile is ingrained into my being.

After a few years of increasing annual mileage on my bike in the past decade, it dawned on me that it might be possible to eliminate the car from certain aspects of my life. Is it possible to completely eliminate it? Let's examine some of the problems:

• Commuting - from the suburbs to Silicon Valley, 55 miles round-trip per day
• Errands - grocery store, dry cleaning, volunteering (the shortest trips, but awkward to carry stuff)
• Dining Out - ~10 miles, but always with my wife who does not bike
• Going Places - vacations, day trips, movies (varying degrees of difficulty and luggage)

Enter the Errandonnee Challenge. Mash up "errands" and "randonnee" - meaning long, self-supported bike ride, take a photo and hashtag it. The challenge is 12 errands in 12 days and it's made slightly more challenging by specific categories to enforce some diversity of the errands. Of course, it's possible to do all 12 errands in one day. But what fun would that be‽

March 4, 2016, Errandonnee #1

Multi-Modal Commute (category 7. Work or Volunteering)

Short bike ride to the train station; train ride down to the Valley; five-mile bike ride from the train station to work. Then the opposite back home that afternoon. About 20 miles of actual bike riding.

I've been doing this a couple times a week for a couple years. There are lots of cyclists doing the same thing.
Observation: If it's raining and snails invade the bike path, there will be collateral damage.

March 5, 2016, Errandonnee #2

Haircut (category 1. Personal Care)

About two miles downtown. No big deal. I tried to take it easy to keep my head from sweating.

Observation: They open at 8am! Okay seriously, I noticed that it's so much easier to park a bike - right at the front door - than a car.

March 5, 2016, Errandonnee #3 (same day)

Coffee (category 6. Social Call)

From the barber shop to the coffee shop was less than a mile. The rules allow this, so I did it.

Observation: Kouign-amann (pastry); resistance is futile. 

March 5, 2016, Errandonnee #4 (same day, but I went home first)

Dry cleaning (category 2. Personal Business)

This was a bit of a challenge and has always been a hurdle for going car-free. It's possibly the shortest errand for me, 0.7 miles. How do you transport a few dress shirts on hangers to and from the dry cleaners? I've tried this before. It's rather dangerous to have a shirt on your back. 

Observation: The tip from packing experts is to roll your clothes, so I tried this. I left the shirts on their hangers and precisely rolled them up and put the roll in my backpack. Success!

March 5, 2016, Errandonnee #5 (same day, same shopping center)

Groceries (category 8. Store)

The grocery store is two doors down from the dry cleaners in the same shopping center. I rode my bike but probably didn't pedal more than a couple times - slightly more than zero miles.

Observation: Rolled up dry cleaning is useful padding to keep potato chips from getting crushed.

Then the rains came and I opted to drive across town to my volunteering gig at the SPCA. It's not that I won't ride in the rain. But I need to put more thought into packing. Maybe next week. This is something I need to resolve on my car-free quest.

March 6, 2016, Errandonnee #5
Coffee and CycloMonkey Chaperone (category 6. Social Call)
As I am apt to do on Sundays, being a Devout Coffee drinker, I rode down the canyon to Devout Coffee to drink coffee. After that, I visited my friend to drop off a certain stuffed animal. CycloMonkey has been to two corners of the globe and Andrea is going to take him to a third (New Zealand and Australia). The ride home made the whole trip 31.7 miles.
Observation: The short-cut from Andrea's house, through the sports park, leads right to Rusty's house. (True observation: I can barely recognize my cycling friends without their helmets on.)


Clearly, I can eliminate the car for commuting and most errands. Stay tuned for more Errandonnees and more serious changes in my transportation habits.

Coffeeneuring 2015 Wrap-Up

This is a post with the sole purpose of recycling and recounting. Shameless self-promotion. "Hey, read my blog posts again!"

Recylcing (links to original posts):

It's over.

Shop 1: Devout Coffee (previously visited ...recycled)
Shop 2: The Cool Bean Cafe
Shop 3: Panama Red
Shop 4: Sunol Railway Cafe
Shop 5: Sugarie Bake Shop (previously visited ...recycled)
Shop 6: Pacific Bay Coffee
Shop 7: The Bubble Tree Cafe
Control Card: Here

Recounting:

Except for the Cool Bean, all the coffee shops were relatively close to home.

My Top Three Overall (coffee and "the experience")

1. Devout Coffee - cool place, cool people, good coffee, happy to talk about coffee, nice town
2. Sugarie - cool people, good pastries, good coffee, close to home
3. Cool Bean - cool place, good coffee, cool people, halo effect from Yosemite trip

Total mileage: 130 miles

And the answers to the questions you all want to ask:

What's with the duck?

Mendo, and the stunt-doubles

Well, really it's a failed attempt at doing something clever. I have a stuffed monkey that I take on cycling trips and have created a whole story around him. I cloned the Coffeeneuring interactive map and use it to track his travels. Next I plan to find his original owner and return the monkey along with this amazing story of where it's been. Cool, eh? Mendo the coffeeneuring rubber ducky was a spontaneous idea along the same lines. The monkey was scheduled to be elsewhere for much of the coffeeneuring challenge, so I couldn't use him. So the duck substituted for the monkey. 

Sorry you asked?

Why Coffeeneuring?

CycloMonkey loves coffee!

This is Mary's question to all of us. Two years ago, I was not a coffee drinker. But my cycling hobby had evolved to be my primary mode of transportation. So I was waking up at 5am for a two-hour commute a few times a week. That left me rather sleepy at work, so I started with a half-cup of coffee for the caffeine and grew from there. I figured if I was going to drink coffee, I'd rather drink good coffee and had better learn about it. That's one part of the answer: I wanted to learn more about coffee. A forced taste-testing event served that purpose.

A second part is that I'm a little nerdy (perhaps geeky) and have an abnormal affinity for checklists, accumulating logs of things, record-keeping, or most any form of organizing things. Much like my involvement in Randonneuring, I like to look at the list of things I've accomplished. So here was a chance to display my list to others who also might appreciate a list.

Part and parcel with my nerdiness is general introversion, introspection and creativity in need of an outlet. Facebook and blogging allow me to pretend to be extroverted at a nice, safe distance. So I suspected that I might get a captive audience in this Coffeeneuring group and I might get some pre-made topics on which to write. More practice at writing. More practice at cell-phone photography. And low and behold, I may have gained some friends ...well, acquaintances. Can I get a "like" or a "+1" for that?

Why Food Pairing?

Coffee, like wine or beer, can be very complex and varied. I've had good food with good coffee and the combination made both taste a little off. Look it up, it's a thing. I'm a believer. When is the cycling and donut challenge?

Was There a Theme Within a Theme?

Yes, did you miss it? Actually, I had hoped that one would evolve. So I sub-titled my rides with something and the name of the coffee shop. Nothing clever evolved. So no, there was ultimately no theme within a theme - except for the rubber ducky. If you can find some creative theme, leave a comment.

Thanks for indulging me.

Coffeeneuring Control Card

Verified and Validated Exclusively by Coffeeneurs USA

Checkpoint 1:_ Devout Coffee	Arrival Time:
Address:______ 37323 Niles Blvd, Fremont, CA	(24 Hr. format)
Open/Close:___ 07:00 / 09:00	08:30
Distance:_____ 29.8 miles	Oct. 3, 2015
Checkpoint 2:_ The Cool Bean Cafe	Arrival Time:
Address:______ 40120 Hwy 42, Oakhurst, CA	(24 Hr. format)
Open/Close:___ 07:00 / 09:00	07:01
Distance:_____ 3.2 miles	Oct. 10, 2015
Checkpoint 3:_ Panama Red	Arrival Time:
Address:______ 2115 1st Street, Livermore, CA	(24 Hr. format)
Open/Close:___ 07:00 / 09:00	08:07
Distance:_____ 20.7 miles	Oct. 17, 2015
Checkpoint 4:_ Sunol Railway Cafe	Arrival Time:
Address:______ 11882 Main St, Sunol, CA	(24 Hr. format)
Open/Close:___ 07:00 / 09:00	08:10
Distance:_____ 15.6 miles	Oct. 18, 2015
Checkpoint 5:_ Sugarie Bake Shop	Arrival Time:
Address:______ 3500 Bernal Ave. #155, Pleasanton, CA	(24 Hr. format)
Open/Close:___ 09:00 / 11:00	09:01
Distance:_____ 4.7 miles	Oct. 24, 2015
Checkpoint 6:_ Pacific Bay Coffee	Arrival Time:
Address:______ 1495 Newell Ave, Walnut Creek, CA	(24 Hr. format)
Open/Close:___ 08:00 / 10:00	08:23
Distance:_____ 46.8 miles	Oct. 31, 2015
Checkpoint 7:_ The Bubble Tree Cafe	Arrival Time:
Address:______ 3120-B Santa Rita Rd., Pleasanton, CA	(24 Hr. format)
Open/Close:___ 09:00 / 11:00	09:23
Distance:_____ 9.3 miles	Nov. 1, 2015

CUSA Member #: 0654

Last Name:          Nelson

First Name:          Todd

RIDER's signature at FINISH: _____________________________________ 

This ride was done in: __5_ weeks, __7_ rides, __130.1_ miles.

Mendo's Coffeeneuring Challenge 2015 - Day 1

Coffee somehow pairs well with cycling. I resisted it. For over 50 years I was one of those people who didn't drink coffee. But that changed as the alarm clock got reset to the five o'clock hour for commuting to work several times a week. First a half-cup. Then a couple cups. Then the search for a good cup.

I hadn't resisted beer. Beer pairs well with cycling, too. When porta-john's "Brewvet" beer and cycling challenge caught my eye, I was on-board. It was patterned loosely after the Coffeeneuring Challenge, which I had missed last year. But I was not going to miss it this year!

You might have questions about me, Mendo, my bikes. But your curiosity will have to wait (or scroll to the bottom, if you must). I have coffee shops to share!

Note that I actually trained for this Coffeeneuring Challenge. The night before the first ride, I drank perhaps more beer than necessary which makes coffee that much more than necessary.

### Coffeeneuring Control Stop #1 ###

Devout Coffee and Karma

DATE: 10/3/2015
DRINKS: Welser Hernandez (Guatamala) aka "black coffee"
MILEAGE: 29.8 miles
COFFEE SHOP: Devout Coffee, 37323 Niles Blvd, Fremont, CA

BACKGROUND: Brothers Jon and Stevie converted an old bbq into a coffee bean roaster and started making coffee in their garage. How Silicon Valley! In 2013, they opened this shop in the historic district of Niles. Jon made my coffee, today. We talked off and on - really nice guy. Cyclist.

COFFEE REVIEW: I asked for a recommendation, something black. The back of the menu had a dozen types of coffee that made no sense to me. Doing my best to fake my lack of knowledge, I picked the Guatamalean choice - Welser Hernandez.

I now know this probably came from the Highland Huehuetenango region. I remember one type of bean was Bourbon (the island, not the whiskey). The beans are sweeter with a sort of caramel quality, giving the coffee a nice, crisp acidity, but can present different flavors depending on where they’re planted (I copied that). Whatever a "high-quality cup" means, I'd agree. It was light, but flavorful and very well finished (if I'm using that term correctly). Another reference used the phrase "the peanut-butter-and-jelly of the coffee world". Full disclosure: I also spent over 50 years as one of those people who didn't eat peanut butter. Off-track now.

FOOD PAIRING: I had a cronut. It was great, but perhaps the flavor was too strong for the slightly more delicate Welser. Frankly, I think the pretzel thingy would have been, too. Did I miss the vegan apple donut? That seems about right. Next time.

Devout also sells Tcho chocolate - and you can have your mocha made with Tcho. Coincidentally, Tcho was a chocolate start-up in San Francisco. I heard about it in the beta stage and was one of their beta testers. I had some of the version 0.9 dark chocolate before it had a name. I'd like to think I influenced the stuff they call "chocolatey". How Silicon Valley!

BIKE AMBIANCE: I leaned my bike against the front of the building where I could see it. Turned out there was a bar stool right there, so it felt like fate. Jon told me there is a patio along the side and plenty of room for bikes there - but no windows (so he doesn't feel good parking his own bike there). Bust through the wall and put some patio doors and some windows and it would be perfect.

As a cyclist, I felt very much at home. Jon and I talked about bike rides and visiting other coffee shops - which he does. Apparently, he's not competitive with other shops; he just loves coffee and wants to learn more about it. He immediately grasped the coolness of Coffeeneuring, so I sent him the link to the Challenge. Overall, I highly recommend Devout Coffee for cyclists.

DUCK'S VIEW: Mendo loved the decor. The tables and bar were heavy reclaimed wood, very substantial. It was manly, not many flowers (but some, or were they cacti?) All the equipment was visible as was the espresso machine and it had a feeling like Buffalo Bill's Brewery - somewhat industrial but in an old world way if that makes any sense. It's dog-friendly, too, which is not so great if you're a duck. Even a rubber ducky.

THE BIKE: Soma, see the bottom of the post.

THE RIDE: Let's take the ride in four symmetric parts. First, I stopped at the ATM near my house and headed toward Sunol in brisk, clear 51-degree sunrise. Pleasanton to Sunol is part of my normal commute, so I took a parallel path on Foothill. Uneventful. Cool. Second part, from Sunol to Niles along Niles Canyon is rather sketchy. In places, the shoulder is less than a foot and visibility for cars is poor and the cars and trucks treat this road as a highway. There are two bridges: one over the old railroad tracks and another over the arroyo (sorry, that's Alameda Creek, in Spanish it was Arroyo de la Alameda).

When the Transcontinental Railway was built connecting this great land of ours, it ran through this very canyon. There's a significant hill between Pleasanton and Niles (the Niles district of Fremont) and the railroad goes through a tunnel at some point. The road doesn't have a tunnel, but is a really gorgeous, winding road through the rugged canyon.

Part four actually followed my commute route from Sunol to Pleasanton along the appropriately named Pleasanton-Sunol Road (which may actually be called Sunol-Pleasanton Road in this direction). Recently, we've been dodging some road gators, extension cords and pieces of lumber. So I decided I'd ride along and get them off the shoulder. Seemed nice. By the last one, I was tired of stopping and figured I'm good enough to simply coast by with one foot unclipped and kick it. I unclipped my right shoe but then changed my mind. Did I mention that I *always* unclip the left shoe first? Like a noobie, I fell over - right into the street. Fortunately, no one hit me! For my ego's sake, no one saw me either. And because you'll ask, my bike was fine. Even my brand new shiny Giro helmet was scratch-free. But a half-mile down the road, I realized my Garmin was not there. I found it. Fortunately, no one ran over it.

Which leads me to my theme.

KARMA: No, I'm not going to say that my good deed of cleaning the roadside annoyed the Universe and unceremoniously dumped me on the pavement. That wasn't it. After stopping by my house to pick up my backpack, I went to the Farmer's Market in Pleasanton. I stuffed my backpack with stone fruit and tomatoes, then got a brownie (do farmers make brownies?). As I was munching on my brownie, I realized I didn't have my wallet. Yikes! I scurried back to the Lone Oak Ranch fruit stand and caught Dale's eye (the owner). He said "Todd?" - he previously didn't know my name. He had spotted my wallet and pulled it behind the counter, not knowing how to reach me. Good guy, that Dale. Karma.

Apropos of nothing, Dale is famous for saying, "tastes like squirrel."



About Me: 
I still consider myself a novice at most things: cycling, coffee, blogging, and an imposter at many other things: engineering, etc. I love cycling for the scenery and the serenity but also for the occasional intensity. The fact that it affords me endless eating and drinking opportunities is a side benefit. I'm in my fifties, so I've got a few more years to shake off the "novice" moniker.

Home is Pleasanton, CA and the cycling opportunities are year-round, hilly and scenic. I'm lucky. 

About Mendo:
Mendo is a little rubber ducky that I bought as a souvenir in Mendocino many, many years ago. If you read my other blog posts, you'll read about a stuffed animal called CycloMonkey. He's rather popular and my friends often take him on trips. So I decided Mendo would be consistently around and could brighten up my photographs and become memorable. Mendocino is a cold, damp beach town in northern California and seemed like a good place for people who like coffee. So that's why I picked him. There's no deeper meaning than that.

Vote for me in the "Most Clever Use of Tub Toys" category.

About My Bikes:
I've got a few bikes, but only two that I ride consistently. There are two Treks in partial states of disassembly and a 1970s Louison Bobet (French, of course). But I need one more bike :)
Volagi Liscio is my primary road bike. There's quite a story with the founders defecting from Specialized to build a double-century kind of bike for older riders. It has disk brakes way before they started to become popular (well, they still haven't). It has SRAM components and is otherwise configured like most road bikes. I can ride it all day and climb mountains and feel great! Gloss black with bright red and bits of white.
Soma Fabrications' Wolverine is my other bike. I had it built especially for Coffeeneuring. It technically is a cross frame, but I run regular 25mm roadie tires. It is a single-speed, so no need for shifting while I might have a hot cup of coffee in my hand. It is belt-drive (no chain) in case I spill. I use the same brand of hybrid-hydraulic disk brakes as my Volagi, because I like them that much - not because they aid in coffee consumption. And it has bull-horn bars so the brake handles are easily accessible and there's also more places to rest a cup. It's cro-moly steel with a custom fork (because I thought the standard one didn't live up to the "Wolverine" name). The ride is fabulous and the gearing I chose can get me up to 22mph without drafting or descending. Turns out, I can muscle up a 5% hill - but not with coffee in my hand!