That’s me. On my bike. On Earth.

The artist is Zak and he attends a primary school in Washington state where I presented an assembly entitled “The World’s Greatest SUV”. It introduces kids to the magic and wonders of bicycle travel.

If you haven’t ever talked to young students about your bicycle travels … you should.

You may think your trip across your state or across America pales in comparison to the hundreds of blogs and posts of epic world travelers. But to the students you take the time to visit … you’ll be Columbus, Magellan, Neil Armstrong, and Amelia Earhart all wrapped into one. You’ll rock their world.

The following is an excerpt from a column I wrote for Adventure Cyclist magazine in 2000 (pdf):

The question remains, how do today’s students get introduced to the bicycle as a vehicle of travel and discovery? Most are driven to school in SUVs until they reach the age where they can buy their own car. The media is saturated with advertisements about adventure, nearly all of which are connected to sales of automobiles, jet skis, and snowmobiles.

For the generation growing up today, the bicycle is something you put on top of your Ford Explorer until you reach a recreational trail. It is a toy, not a viable means of transportation. Just this past year I revisited my primary school while classes were in session. I walked onto the very same courtyard once saturated with bikes. It contained one lonely bike rack occupied by a total of three bikes.

But kids and students can only get excited about what they’ve been exposed to. One of the most rewarding experiences of my life came, not on a mountain pass in a far away country, but with my relationship with a third grade class in San Francisco.

Before I left for India, I promised Jennifer, a teacher friend of mine, I’d visit her school. I have to admit I wasn’t too excited about the experience. I figured that compared to video games, Power Rangers, and extreme sports, a guy on a bicycle was going to go over about as well as cold oatmeal.

I rode into her classroom with my bicycle fully loaded. To my surprise her students were totally enthralled with my bike, the same type of vehicle most of them already owned. After I talked about my planned journey, dozens of hands shot up when I asked if they had any questions.

Throughout my five-month journey I sent letters to the students. When they received them, they had to locate from where they’d been sent on a giant map of India in their classroom captioned, “Where’s Willie?”

Three months into my journey, I pulled into the city of Indore in central southern India. I had arranged to have mail sent there. There were a couple of letters from family and friends, and one large packet. Enclosed was a bundle of letters … every kid in Jennifer’s class had written to me.

Upon my return to the States I visited Jennifer’s class again. I had to break through a large “Welcome Back” banner held across the doorway. I spent the day with thirty future travelers, answering questions about tigers, mountain passes, and strange foods.

Then it was their turn. They all stood up and sang a song they had written for me and presented me with a gift, a hand-painted t-shirt of a bicycle wheel with the caption “The World for Willie.” The back of the shirt was filled with the pastel colored signatures of the kids. I stood in that classroom, tears rolling down my face, relishing in what has become one of my dearest travel memories.

I hope one day to open up my mailbox and pull out a postcard from a foreign land. I won’t recognize the name, but I’ll smile and laugh and cry. It will begin something like …

“Dear Willie,

Do you remember talking to my class several years ago?”

Will there be a next generation of adventure cyclists? There won’t be, unless those of us with a passion for bicycle travel find ways to share our passion with others.

Your passion … pass it on.

Originally posted on the Adventure Cycling Association’s blog.

Sunday:
Crashed on the floor of a delightful couple we met on the river trail.

Monday:
Camped on Sauvie Island. Camping costs $17, but it’s $12 if you arrive by bike.

Tuesday:
Camped in the backyard of our old Beacon Hill neighbor Albert. We ran into him at the Cup and Saucer Cafe.

Wednesday:
Slept on a futon at Ruben’s house. We met Ruben up on Mt. Tabor Park. Wednesdays are car-free.

Thursday:
Camped on the property of Eric and Mary. They live high up off of McNamee Rd on land they purchased and re-forested. Planting more than 2,000 trees!

Friday:
Camped in the garden of our friends Bruce and Andrea. We met them on the border of Thailand and Burma on our SE Asia bike trip.

Total lodging cost: $12
New found friends and a connection with Portland we never could have achieved on a package tour with hotels: Priceless!

Well, after a week in Portland, I can say it works for cycling as well. The popularity of cycling is riding a bigger and bigger social network wave. If you work in Portland, you are bound to have several workmates who bike to work. Many of your classmates cycle if you are in school. If you live in Portland your boss, teacher, lover, dog-walker, waiter, plumber or tax accountant is more likely to get around by bicycle than in most cities in America. So you are more likely to bike as well.

Portlanders commuting across the Hawthorne Bridge

To stand on the Hawthorne bridge during rush hour and watch thousands and thousands of cyclists crossing the river on their way into downtown, is to witness an amazing social phenomenon.

I talked with a cook at fabulous rib joint where we ate lunch.

Lycra not required ... or even encouraged

“All my friends bike. If you drive your car to a bar to meet your friends, they’ll all kid you about it. Why did you drive?”

But this social success comes only after years and years of advocacy and public policy and progressive politicians willing to make sometimes unpopular decisions. To ride a bike is  cool, trendy, hip and environmentally conscious. For some, it is all of those things–for others, it is just transportation. But most of all, to ride a bike is to be a Portlander.

Do you have friends who live in Portland? If so, they probably ride bikes. And according to Clive Thompson’s article … they make you more likely to ride one as well.

Painted circle

Citizens of  Portland  on occasion have taken it into their own hands to calm traffic in their neighborhoods. We  rode our bikes over a hand-painted traffic circle at a wide and inviting intersection otherwise unmarked. Further along Alberta is a playful house with whimsical shapes painted on the street. I have no idea if this is legal, but it certainly made us take notice … take the time to stop and look. And isn’t that what we want at  intersections? Hurray for those artist’s statements.

eye-catching, car-slowing art

Kelly, Ben and Silka

Our goal is to spend a week traveling in Portland with camping supplies in tow, and see what happens. No hotels. No hostel.

This is easy out in the countryside or in small towns, but cities can be lonely places crammed with lots of people.

“Are you Willie?” I turned to see a tall, young man asking me. Kat and I were down by the river, working out a loop of the excellent trails Portland provides.

“Yes” I answered with surprise. How did this stranger know me?

“Willie Weir? The bike guy? My girlfriend told me to come down and ask you. She attended your talks at the university when she was at U of O in Eugene.”

That is how we met our first hosts. Kelly and Ben … and their dog Silka.

They said it would not be a problem to pitch our tent in the courtyard of their apartment complex. We mentioned that we were going to check out Zoo Bombing and invited them to join us.

So B en and Kelly provided us with our first night’s lodging and hours of laughter and conversation, and we provided them with an excuse to try out a legendary Portland event.

The city bike journey begins at the AMTRAK station in Portland

Every bike trip I’ve ever done begins with landing in a city … and getting out as fast as possible. The trip doesn’t really begin until you get out into the countryside and set up your tent.

But what if rather than having a city as a starting point, the city WAS the adventure?

We are setting off for a week long bike trip … in Portland. Fully loaded. Tent. Stove. Most everything on our bikes that we would have for a 3 month trip to Colombia or Turkey or Thailand. Portland’s reputation as the most bicycle friendly city in the country is well known. We’ll spend a week finding out why.

We have visited Portland before. But how will our experience differ while pedaling around the city on a couple of fully-loaded touring bikes?

The norm for a city tour would be to set up base camp at a hotel or hostel and then do day trips throughout the city. We will attempt a week without the hotel option.

Where will we sleep? We’re not sure. In small towns and out in the country it is easy to find a place to pitch a tent. But there are lots of folks with plenty of lawn space to pitch a tent in Portland. Will Portlanders be receptive to a knock on a door from a couple of travelers? Or will the CITY mentality prevail. We’ll see.

AMTRAK with the New York Times

No Box Required

Riding a bike is a joy. Traveling with a bike can be a major hassle. Once you stop pedaling, a bike can be a traveling liability. Most buses, trains and airplanes in the US require you to box your bike. But times are changing. More and more city buses have bike racks. You can bring your bike on the Sounder commuter train … and light rail … and even AMTRAK.

Our Portland adventure begins by catching the 7:30am AMTRAK Cascades. Tickets purchased a month ago, along with $5 tickets for our bikes. The baggage car has racks for several bikes. It is a good time to make your reservation early, because the racks fill up, and then you are stuck having to box your bike.

For the next 3 1/2 hours we will glide along the rails (stopping for freight traffic, no doubt), sip our morning coffee from our leaking thermos, and read the Sunday New York Times while the scenery rolls by.

When we arrive in Portland, we’ll grab our bikes off the racks in the luggage department–attach our panniers, and begin our Pedal Portland adventure.