Nashville Metro Parks Budget

A cyclist passes a nature center under construction in Shelby Bottoms. Denial of a proposed parks budget increase means the center and two others, plus a history center, will open later than planned and with reduced hours and staff.

from Tennessean. com

The three new $750,000 nature centers, at the Beaman, Bells Bend and Shelby Bottoms parks, were scheduled to open between August and September with staffing costs running at a combined $589,000 annually. Parks Department Director Roy Wilson will now recommend opening the Shelby Bottoms center in October, the Bells Bend center in January and the Beaman center in February, with reduced staff and operating hours. The City Paper

I would think that this would also slow down the building of greenway extensions also, such as finishing the Peeler Park Greenway. my opinion

New Greenway Ride

temp: 91, hot and clear

Today after Vacation Bible School I took my bike down to the very end of Neely's Bend Rd to Peeler's Park and rode the new green way. For those that know that the model aircraft runway is also in Peeler's park, don't turn there you cannot get on the greenway from there. Go on down the Rd until you come to this sign.



There is a boat ramp there and the trail head. The Trail Head is to the left of the parking lot.



The greenway is a little over a mile now finished. In the next year there will be a loop at the end and a boardwalk on the river. It now is a very smooth ride with very little grades. Of course not many people in the middle of the day. Some fisherman were there and asked about the EZ 3. Most of them have not seen anything like it.

5.25 miles in the "Quest for Fitness" total of 165.75 miles

The Cycling Mayor?

I ran across this and thought it was interesting.
David Briley is a candidate for Nashville Mayor in this next election.
This is a Bike news item only and is not an endorsement for any candidate by this blogger. ts

The Cycling Mayor? by Michael Cass
Mayor Bill Purcell drives a Saturn. David Briley would ride a Masi.
For the uninitiated (like me), that’s a bike. Briley told The Tennessean’s editorial board last week that he would ride his bike to work “as many days as I possibly can” if he became Nashville’s next mayor. He said he could ride along greenways most of the way from his Inglewood home to the Historic Courthouse.
“It’s the only way I ever get any exercise,” he said.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 19th, 2007 at 10:12 am and is filed under Metro Dispatch

After Dark

Temp: 73, cloudy

"After Dark" use to be the name of a screen saver program a long time ago, 1990

This evening's ride was cool and nice. I talked with a neighbor couple that were walking with their Great Dane. With me being on the EZ 3 recumbent, he and I looked at each other eye to eye!

The Edge 205 computer worked well. I rode 2.5 miles, averaged 5.1 miles an hour, the grade in front of my neighbor's house is 10%, I know how many calories I burnt and how long it took me to do all of this. If I stop the bike the calculations stop until I start again. I am able to download the info into my PC and keep the history of my rides and totals. It is easily mounted and easily taken off the bike so it can be kept secure.

All that is worth the 94 dollars I spent for it on EBAY.

It's MSRP is $269

Now, I personally believe that is too much.

2.5 miles in the ""Quest for Fitness" total of 160.5 miles

Garmin Edge 205

I am excited about a new purchase I bought. The Garmin Edge 205 is charging as I type.
It is a GPS bike computer.

The poster at wedgiefree blog has a preview of it here.
I am waiting for his complete review.
He has yet to post any thing about it other than this.

As I test it out I will put up more information, likes and dislikes.
I am excited with my new toy.

The last 48 hours Team Velokraft

http://teamvelokraft.blogspot.com/2007/06/last-48-hours.html

Info on Team Velokraft in the RAAM

Here is the info about what happen to Glenn of Team Velokraft.
This is Dana of Bent Up Cycles

http://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/showthread.php?p=267069#poststop

Nice ride after the rain

Temp. 73, cloudy

I was able to get back on the trike after a few days layoff because of knee problems.
Waited until after the rain today and was able to ride in the coolness of the evening.

3 miles in the "Quest of Fitness", 158 miles total.

Bacchetta Wins RAAM

Team Bacchetta/Military Families Foundation has won the RAAM 2007 two-person recumbent category, completing the 3042.8 mile course in 7 days 00:26. Their average speed over the 3000+ miles was 18.07 mph.

What a great effort to almost do it in the 6th day.

Team Velokraft made it a very exciting race and it would have been much closer if one of the team members was not able to race because of Dr's orders for 12 hours. Causing the other member to finish the last 350 miles solo.

A New Greenway in Nashille

MAYOR BILL PURCELL OPENS NEW GREENWAY AT PEELER PARK
Park Features Greenway, Wetlands, and Equestrian Trail

Peeler Park is an important natural area in the Cumberland River watershed. Except for public use of the model plane airstrip located near the Peeler homestead, the property was landbanked until 2007. Development of the park has been made possible through the 2002 Parks & Greenways Master Plan.
The park, when finished will include a nature center, additional paved trails, permanent restrooms, an equestrian trailhead and parking, and a river overlook.
After a brief dedication ceremony, Mayor Bill Purcell, Councilman Jim Forkum and Greenways representatives will lead a walk on the 1.5 mile paved scenic trail.

The park is located at 2043 Neely's Bend Road - Madison, TN

Race Across America

Since my left knee will not let me ride. Let me show you a small race.
How would you like to go over three thousand miles across the US in 6 to 9 days on a bike?

That is what happening at this very time. Solo bikes are into the 5th day and the teams are in the 3rd day.



Above this is one of the recumbent two man teams going through a lonely stretch in Arizona.
There are two recumbent teams racing. Team Bacchetta was running approximately 2 hours ahead of Team Velokraft. But both are in 2nd and third place among the teams.

Check out all the info on RAAM here.

In the Neighborhood part three!

Temp: 73, Sunny

BTW when I give the temp it is what it is when I ride.

My daughter in law climbed back on the trike that has been throwing chains on her again. She had a nice ride of about 2 1/2 miles and the "Red's Rider 3" was nice to her today. I also went two miles even though my left knee was inflamed. I did not do any hills just a boring back and forth on flat surfaces.

2 miles in the "Quest for Fitness" 155 total.

Nuts, Bolts and Screws

Temp: 79, partly cloudy

I did not get to write this yesterday so there will be two today.
Now this is what I mean by the above. You are told to check the tightness of all nuts, bolts and screws very frequently when riding a bike or trike. Remember the Allen screw that holds on the toothed idle chain wheel that I had tightened by the LBS when I got my new back chain. Well I have not checked it since. The wrong thing to do. I had ridden my bike the night before and as I said my daughter rode it almost 2.5 miles too. So my daughter in law got on it this morning, Tuesday, and went down the hill all the way to the bottom (2 miles and was going to come back up and the chain came off because the wheel was loose. She did not have an Allen wrench set on the bike so she walked all the way back. Pretty frustrating. I fixed it and also rode. So check those items often!

3 miles in the "Quest of Fitness" 153 miles total.

New Riders

Temp: 83, cloudy

I introduced EZ 3 trike riding to two new people. My aunt and my oldest daughter. My Daughter rode almost 2 miles and was very successful at climbing the hills around the house. She realized how much exercise you can get on a recumbent.
I rode three miles around the neighborhood. It was cloudy today holding the temperature down. Quite nice.

3 miles in the "Quest of Fitness" 150 miles total.

Early Morning Ride

Temp: 68, clear.

Rode an early morning ride. Only two miles but over half of that was climbing hills, The haze is gone and it is a beautiful Middle, Tennessee day. Vanderbilt is in the finals of the NCAA baseball SE regional against Michigan. They have both won a game so it is a one game final tonight. BTW If Cincinnati was leading by 6 runs in the 7th they should win it right? Wrong. Give it to the bullpen and it is a goner.

Two miles in the "Quest for Fitness" 147 miles total

Bad Air

Nashville has a case of air that you can see, taste, and have trouble breathing.
The old and young have been warned.
Here is the sun going down and you can hardly see it through the haze.



This has been a great day friends of mine took me out for a great birthday dinner.