Martin Krieg's '09 Bike Ride Across US for SF to Boston Bike Map

Besides returning the Busycle to its creators, Matthew Mazzotta and Heather Clark, the main reason I am riding my HiWheel from San Francisco to Boston next year is to bring attention to the NBG Visualization Plan (a business plan less financials). A view of how America could look with a bicycle and greenway economy instead of one based on cars, trucks and high speed roads, this inspiring document is contained in my new book “How America can Bike and Grow Rich, The National Bicycle Greenway Manifesto”.

Before we make the words found in my manifesto real, however, we must identify the network of roads and paths that connect San Francisco with the birthplace of the bicycle in America, Boston. As many of you will likely recall, there was no annual Mayors' Ride in 2007 because I took that time to devise an on line mapping program, that we could use to figure out where the Greenway will run. What I came up with is fun to use and runs like a game as it builds community and, by default, the National Bicycle Greenway.

That is not what we have at our site now, however. Until we locate funding, what we do have now, with humble and deferential thanks to Grey Lowell, has the purpose of beating an on line trail to Bikeroute.com as the place to go to look up as well as learn about the best way to get anywhere on a bike. As routes get added to our present mapping service, they will ultimately form the underlay for the dedicated bike map (where bike roads and not car roads are the reference points) Grey's awesome work will become. It is our hope that my ride will flesh out the investment capital required for this second phase make over undertaking we foresee.

In the interim, and before I hit the road next 5/5, as I am doing fund raisers and those other revenue generating programs that will be needed so I can procure the bio diesel bus that will support my third coast to coast bike crossing, I need your help with the route I will be taking. The San Francisco to Boston bike connection, most of what I will have ridden will become the main trunk line for the National Bicycle Greenway, off of which all the others will feed.

With regard the route inventory below, NBG Director, Faye Saunders, has agreed to help us fill in the blanks flagged below with an asterisk. She will soon be contacting all those Scouts who have ridden Mayors' Ride relay legs for us over the years. If you have not ridden for us and still want to help us make any of these missing connections real, do contact me at NBG@bikeroute.com

1. Oakland to Berkeley
http://www.bikeroute.com/BRdC/routeViewer.php?routeid=115

2. Berkeley to Napa
http://www.bikeroute.com/BRdC/showRoute.php?routeid=128

* Napa to Sacramento 

* Sacramento to Folsom
http://www.bikeroute.com/BRdC/routeViewer.php?routeid=119
(ALONG AMERICAN RIVER PARWY - NEEDS EDITORIAL COMMENTARY)

5. Folsom to Reno
http://www.bikeroute.com/BRdC/showRoute.php?routeid=116

* Reno to Salt Lake City
(NEEDS SHORT DISTANCE FROM RENO TO FALLON)
- Fallon to Ely
http://www.bikeroute.com/BRdC/showRoute.php?routeid=77
- Ely to Baker
http://www.bikeroute.com/BRdC/showRoute.php?routeid=79
- Baker to Salt Lake City
http://www.bikeroute.com/BRdC/showRoute.php?routeid=80

* Salt Lake City to Boulder

* Boulder to Denver
- Boulder to Golden
http://www.bikeroute.com/BRdC/showRoute.php?routeid=69
(DIRECTION OF TRAVEL NEEDS TO BE REVERSED)
- Golden to Denver
http://www.bikeroute.com/BRdC/routeViewer.php?routeid=113

* Denver to Omaha

* Omaha to Des Moines
http://www.bikeroute.com/BRdC/showRoute.php?routeid=96
(NOTES FROM: http://www.bikeroute.com/NationalMayorsRide2005/Omaha/DesMoinesToOmaha.html NEED TO BE ADDED TO ABOVE ROUTE)

* Des Moines to Chicago

* Chicago to Indianapolis

* Indianapolis to Cincinnati
http://www.bikeroute.com/NationalMayorsRide2005/Indianapolis/CincyTOIndy.html
(DIRECTION OF TRAVEL NEEDS TO BE REVERSED & PLOTTED TO BIKEROUTE.COM MAPS)

* Cincinnati to Columbus
http://www.bikeroute.com/NationalMayorsRide2005/Cincinnati/ColumbusTOCincinnati.html
(DIRECTION OF TRAVEL NEEDS TO BE REVERSED & PLOTTED TO BIKEROUTE.COM MAPS)

* Columbus to Pittsburgh
http://www.bikeroute.com/NationalMayorsRide2005/Pittsburgh/PittsburghTOColumbus.html
(DIRECTION OF TRAVEL NEEDS TO BE REVERSED & PLOTTED TO BIKEROUTE.COM MAPS)

* Pittsburgh to Washington DC
http://www.bikeroute.com/BRdC/routeViewer.php?routeid=144
(NEEDS EDITORIAL COMMENTARY ADDED FROM TROY BOGDAN'S DC TO PGH AT
http://www.bikeroute.com/ConnectingRidesFolder/WashingtonDC-PittsburghPA.html )

* Washington DC to Mt Rainier
http://www.bikeroute.com/BRdC/routeViewer.php?routeid=110
(NEEDS EDITORIAL COMMENTARY ADDED)

*. Mt Rainier to Baltimore
http://www.bikeroute.com/BRdC/routeViewer.php?routeid=97
(NEEDS EDITORIAL COMMENTARY ADDED

* Baltimore to Philadelphia

* Philadelphia to New York City

* New York City to Boston

THX 4 all of U!!

Btw: Keep an eye on my '09 ride Visualization Page at http://www.bikeroute.com/HBGR . Soon I will be itemizing an itinerary of needs for the ride that maybe you can help me with...

Ines Brunn WOWS NBG Busyclists

On 7/22/08 German trick bike sensation, Ines Brunn, visited the National Bicycle Greenway (NBG) here in Palo Alto, CA. Besides riding the Busycle and giving our riders and escorts more than few stellar artistic cycling performances (video soon), she also rode NBG Director, Martin Krieg's HiWheel bike. The wheel is 52 inches tall, a little big for Ines as you will see here:

But everyone loved it!!

More info about the NBG, Busycle and HiWheel bikes can be found at Bikeroute.com. A complete repertoire of Ines's two wheel bike magic can be found at

Trick-bike.com

Famous German Bike Queen to Ride with NBG Mayors' Ride Busycle

Ines Brun, the beyond epic German bike acrobat sensation, who can do things on a bicycle that challenge one's imagination as well as the ability to explain that which has occurred, has accepted an invitation to ride the Busycle here next Tuesday night! The excitement for what is ahead is very hard to contain. I mean we're talking about an athlete and body movement magician whose performances are so powerful, and at the same time compelling with their artistic grace, that they fill entire sporting arenas back in her home country. WOW!!

A humble giant, intoxicated with all things bicycle, one would never know that outside of the unprecedented bike tricks she can do, she is a much in demand practicing physicist on assignment in China. And yet it is easy to see why she is coming to us here in Palo Alto, just south of San Francisco and the home of Stanford, to ride our 15 person truck/bike. As a real cyclist, her blood boils so hot for bicycles that in the knowing that what we do here in the U.S. is copied the world around, she wants to use a part of her American vacation to help call attention to the the National Bicycle Greenway vision.

Toward that end, Ines might also join me for all or part of my Mayors' Ride/Author Tour from San Francisco to Boston next summer at http://www.bikeroute.com/HBGR . While I do have her assurance that she will help us send the event off next Spring!

When she comes out in five days time, she will join us as we pedal across town to hear the also legendary band, Norton Buffalo, play the second to last show in the Palo Alto summer concert series. And since she will ride with us on the way to the park and we can't say where or when, spontaneous street theater will surely occur along the way. Bearing witness to a few minutes here, a few seconds there, all as yet on a route or at locations that we will not know until we reach them, the select group of cyclists chosen for this Busycle ride or those who come along as escorts (all invited) will be privy to excitement that few people ever get a chance to view.

If you want to see why I am so excited for us to be entertained by the Babe Rube of cycling, a woman who stands so tall above other champion cyclists that she has no equal, do get a look at her web at

http://www.trick-bike.com

For details, including the location of the Busycle garage: NBG@bikeroute.com

Yahoo Ines!!

THX 4 all of U!!

Washington DC Most Improved Biking City in the Nation!

Washington DC Most Improved Biking City in the Nation!

When I rode solo from the West Coast to Washington DC in 1979, after being celebrated in newspapers and with innumerable acts of kindness that included free meals, hats and t-shirts, etc, I got to the edge of the Nation's Capitol and had to hitch hike to get inside the Beltway freeway system that encircles the city. Once inside, I found myself dodging buses and taxis on a loaded touring bike. Every where I went, people looked at me with pity. I don't remember seeing anyone else on a bicycle.

It was a sad, depressing end to the victory I had won in biking across the US to prove that I had come back from my head injury. Like my long journey back from two months in a coma and paralysis and all the other many debilitations that resulted, Washington, DC is well on the way back to its return to health.

In the chapter of my new book,“How America can Bike and Grow Rich, The National Bicycle Greenway Manifesto”, where I talk about Washington DC, I say:

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it takes the persistent work of the Washington Area Bicyclist’s Association (WABA) to make it possible for cyclists to effectively move about here.
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And indeed they have come a long way. Toward that end, HERE is the Podcast interview I did with WABA director, Eric Gilliland, as WABA was, unbeknownst to them moving toward this award.......

Too exiting!!

6th Annual Pgh to DC Canal Ride Needs Riders

When Nick Hein stepped forward to offer his services as a rider/scout last week, our plan to use this year to keep our focus only on our 22 Mayors' Ride cities changed. This is so because Nick has led rides for us before and since this will be the fourth time he will have done this ride, he knows exactly what we need from him with little or no input from us. He knows when and where to take photos, how to get them to us in the most expedient way and he always keeps us abreast of his maneuverings with timely reports.

So, if you want to learn from an old pro and have 360 miles in your legs, do consider taking part in this years Mayors' Ride relay which makes use of back roads and the historic C&O Canal Trail to get you from Pittsburgh City Hall to Washington DC City Hall. A fully self contained cycle camping journey., every year that we have done this ride, the stories and the photo galleries have all been epic.

Here for example are slide shows for all but the first year:
http://www.nationalbicyclegreenway.com/gallery/slideshow.php?set_albumName=DC-Pgh2006
http://www.nationalbicyclegreenway.com/gallery/slideshow.php?set_albumName=DC-Pittsburgh2005
http://www.nationalbicyclegreenway.com/gallery/Pittsburgh2004
http://www.nationalbicyclegreenway.com/gallery/2003Mayors

From the Pittsburgh Mayor's send off on July 7th to the Washington DC Mayor's reception a week later on June 14, this will easily be one of the most memorable bike rides you will have ever done!!

Nick will be out of email contact next week, but he can be reached by cell at 304-276-0213

If U wan to do this ride contact me at NBG@bikeroute.com so we con coordinate with you as well as put your name at our schedule/scorecard at http://www.BikeRoute.com/NationalMayorsRide2008

THX 4 all of U!!

Cincinnati Mayor to Honor Burgeoning Bike Movement

Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory will be at City Hall on Tuesday May 1 at 1:30 to issue a proclamation to local cyclists and leaders in the bike movement who have helped his city earn the distinction of being made a stop on the National Bicycle Greenway's route from San Francisco to Boston. As testimony to his commitment to making Cincinnati a green leader, in addition to the 218 page Green Action plan that he and his staff published on June 19, he will soon go on record with the following words:

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Whereas, the City of Cincinnati recognizes that increased bicycle ridership has significant positive impacts in increasing the livability of a city because bicycling produces no air or noise pollution, decreases traffic congestion, saves energy, and moves people toward self sufficient, sustainable personal practices that have city-wide consequences; and

Whereas, bicycle transportation routes reduce taxpayer burden by using land and road space more efficiently while also alleviating parking demands; and

Whereas, the bicycle is a serious mode of transportation and bicycles offer low cost transportation to the non-driving public, including the young; and

Whereas, bicycling increases mobility, saves individual's money, improves personal health and sense of well being, teaches responsibility to our youth; and

Whereas, OKI, the Cincinnati Cycle Club, Ohio Bike Federation, MOBO Bike Collective, Bio Wheels, Reser Bicycle Outfitters, Campus Cyclery and the Bike/PAC have all played a part in making cycling an important part of the Cincinnati transportation mix; and

Whereas, the Purple People Bridge travels 2.670 feet across the Ohio River to make it the longest bike/ped bridge in the United States as it also connect Cincinnati cyclists with another city and another state; and

Whereas: The city of Cincinnati has been chosen as one of the main stopping off points on the National Bicycle Greenway's (NBG) proposed bike way from Boston to San Francisco.
========================================

With this year as a prologue to NBG director Martin Krieg's 2009 Author Tour from the Golden Gate city to Beantown, his organization will be using this year to show how far Cincinnati has come since Krieg's 1986 ride across America for the National Head Injury Foundation came through here.

As the Queen City Bike Month has shown, the Queen City of the West has come a long way down the two wheel road over the last 22 years. From the MOBO Bike Collective to the Bike/PAC and Purple People Bridge, etc , many developments that favor the cyclist have come about during that time. This as organizations that help bike riders such as OKI, the Cincinnati Cycle Club, and the Ohio Bike Federation have all grown in size and influence.

And many of these organizations will be represented when Mayor Mallory issues his resolution in support of the National Bicycle Greenway's goal of first joining San Francisco and Boston with a bike way before it then inter-connects, the rest of America with a network of bikeable roads and paths.

See the 6th annual 2008 national Mayors' Ride at http://www.BikeRoute.com/NationalMayorsRide2008

Omaha Mayor's Exciting Bike Bridge Celebrated at NBG Day

When I asked Karen Anderson, of the National Park Service, what she knew about the Missouri River Bike Bridge, she told me that while she sees it being built out her office window, that she didn't know any of the specifics. However, she did promise to get back to me with some links. And WoW, did she hit a home run! Look at this pdf that she found hidden deep within the belly of the HNTB Architecture, the bridge's builders, web site:

http://www.hntb.com/documents/pdf/news/02_Modern%20Steel%20Construction_0308.pdf

It even commends Mayor Fahey for the strength of his will in making this landmark structure affordable for the city.

Pictured below are the people who came out to honor Omaha's connection to the San Francisco to Boston National Bicycle Greenway route, as they also gave face to an important historical precedent. When Thomas Stevens became the first man to pedal a bike across America in 1884, he had to hire a boat to get him to Council Bluffs. Now THX to the persistence of Mayor Fahey and many of those at City Hall for Omaha NBG Day pictured below, for the first time in history, man will be able to walk or bike from one state, Nebraska, to the other, Iowa!!

L-R, Al Lin, Recreation Coordinator for the Univ. of Neb. Med. Center, Julie Harris, Activate Omaha, Karen Anderson, National Park Service, Gerry Bowen, Papio-Missouri Natural Resources District, Mayor Fahey, Denny Duer, Bikeable Communities! Patrick McNamara, Omaha Community Foundation, Kent McNeil,, Bike Shop Owner, Kerri Peterson, Our Healthy Communities Partnership, Vickie & Jim Rubeck, Omaha Bike Pedalers

The NBG celebration of Omaha biking can be found at: http://www.bikeroute.com/NBGBikingCities/Omaha

Reno Mayor Bob Cashell Greets Reno Bike Leaders

Most all of the important shakers and movers from the Reno cycling community were out in force for Reno NBG Day last Thursday May 8. There Mayor Bob Cashell presented them with the 2008 Reno NBG Day proclamation detailed at the end here. The two wheel giants that you see pictured with Mayor Cashell below are from L to R:

Tim Healion (Commander in Chief of the Tour de Nez bike race), Mike Galioto (Maker of GSR bicycles)
Cliff Young (Member of Nevada Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee), Bob Cashell (Reno Mayor), Dave Aiazzi (City Councilman) , Ernie McNeill (Vice President-Procrastinating Pedalers), Mike Damon (Former president-Reno Wheelmen), Mark Trujillo (Owner of Waldens Coffee Shop - gathering point for many local cyclists)

You can learn more about Reno cycling at the Reno NBG Biking page: http://www.bikeroute.com/NBGBikingCities/Reno

At the present time, we have 15 of the 22 cities I will be visiting (with my Mayors' Ride Author Tour) in the summer of 2009 up and on line. With Salt Lake city as our next stop as per our schedule/scorecard at http://www.BikeRoute.com/NationalMayorsRide2008 , we expect to have all 22 of our NBG Biking cities fully fleshed out by the Fall.

As for Reno, soon the following document will replace http://www.bikeroute.com/NBGBikingCities/Reno/RenoProc.php

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Reno NBG Day May 8!

WHEREAS, the bicycle was the first personal transportation vehicle
and a century ago was an important part of American culture; and

WHEREAS, the City of Reno recognizes the National Bicycle Greenway
(NBG) mission to build our city into its network of bike-friendly
roads and bicycle pathways that will connect Boston with San
Francisco as America returns to the rich two wheel heritage that
this country once enjoyed; and

WHEREAS, cyclists from the National Bicycle Greenway annual Mayors'
Ride will making their sixth visit to our city; and

WHEREAS. Greg Lemond, learned the biking skills he needed on Reno's
roads and back roads to go on to become the first American to win
the Tour DeFrance thereby revitalizing bicycling in America; and

WHEREAS. the Reno based Tour De Nez, showcases clean energy for more
and more Americans every year with its festivals, expos and bike
races as it keeps the spirit of Greg Lemond's message alive.
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THX 4 all of U!!

6th Mayors' Ride Begins with Shake up of SF this w/e

- Our ride from San Francisco to Boston starts (unofficially) tomorrow night when our Busycle, probably the most photographed vehicle in the world, will be at the head of Critical Mass this Friday and will be giving demonstration rides for San Francisco Bike Coalition (SFBC) members in Golden Gate Park on Sunday as per http://www.sfbike.org/?chain. At present, we are working out the details for riding it up Market St and to City Hall for a reception we are trying to get together with Mayor Newsom but his office does have their 2008 proclamation ready for us and all systems are up, operational and set to go for the 6th annual ride to Beantown! I don't know if our ride to the Civic Center, a ride that is sure to shake up the city, will take place on Monday, 4/28 or Tuesday, 4/29, but do know that I will keep you posted!!!

In other news (there is so much to talk about so I will be brief):

- Our 15-person pedal truck, the Busycle that Matthew Mazzotta and Heather Clarke gave birth to in Boston and raised, in part, at MIT, has been invited to the Maker Faire, an event that is growing in popularity by explosive leaps and bounds. They are so excited to have us that they are paying to have our machine towed to their event at the San Mateo County Fairgrounds. As such, we will be able to give their attendees, who come from all over the world, the chance to enjoy our human powered hayride. Look for us also on the Today Show when it stops in on Friday morning to capture the excitement for TV viewers also all over the world.

- Our ride from Oakland City Hall to Berkeley City Hall will, as most of you already know be ushered by Oakland Councillor Nancy Nadel and Berkeley Councillor Kriss Worthington. What's new is that we will be riding to our reception with Mr Traffic Calming, Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates (hear the podcast I did with mayor Tom HERE) with youth from the Waterside Workshops and possibly the Rosa Parks elementary school as well as staff from the city of Emeryville! This after we cross over possibly one of the most famous and celebrated pieces of bicycle infrastructure in the world, the bike bridge over 880 that connects Berkeley's Marina with the San Francisco Bay!

- From there Tom Ayres, PhD, who also created the Berkeley to Napa bike route that your can find at our schedule/scorecard will be joined by Allison Chalken, PhD, and Barry Burr, two more dynamos that you can learn more about as well at http://www.BikeRoute.com/NationalMayorsRide2008

- Our ride from Sacramento to Folsom on 25 of the best bike miles in the world, just keeps getting better. Peter Wagner the Bike Guy of Davis, CA just signed on. He will be riding one of his zany and thoroughly capable machines with us to the picnic reception that the city of Folsom is working up for us.

Peter Wagner

- We also just heard from Rancho Cordova Mayor Linda Budge. She has "deputized" some of her Public Works" staff to ride the rest of the way to Folsom with us (Rancho Cordova is at the half way point) as well as make sure we are refreshed with fruit and cold drink once we reach the beautiful park that is their part of the river bikeway

- If you've not been to our maps yet, THX to Grey Lowell, they keep getting easier and more and more fun to use. Toward that end, even our instructions are improving:

For Fun:

- How BIke aware are you:
http://www.maniacworld.com/Awareness-Test.html

- Why driving is raising the cost of food
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2008/04/02/cstillwell.DTL

- Car Free Sat GG Park starts 4/4 for 6 mos
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/04/MNTQ1008J2.DTL

_ The documentary feature that the Korean TV station did of our Busycle is now out!! It is fabulously done and exciting to see. Soon I will get it on to Youtube so all of U can see what I mean. Toward that end, Dan Kottke, employee Number One at Apple Computer and Steve Job's one time best friend, has offered to help me get it digitized...

- Here is the visit we did to the home.museum of lving legend Jack Castor:
http://www.bikeroute.com/Castor/Castor4-6-08.php

"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
~ Winston Churchill ~

Tow Vehicle Needed - Cops clear Busycle ?

Our 6th Annual National Mayors' Ride starts Mon April 28 from San Francisco City Hall hopefully with Mayor Gavin Newsom's blessing. We will be using two Busycle rides on the weekend that leads into that Monday to bring attention to NBG Day with two demonstration rides as per our schedule/scorecard at http://www.BikeRoute.com/NationalMayorsRide2008

On Friday April 25, we will have the Busycle at the Justin Herman Plaza start of the monthly Critical Mass ride for people to try. And then on Sunday April 27, Santa Clara County Supervisor Liz Kniss and outgoing Palo Alto Mayor, Councillor Yoriko Kishimoto, will be leading a bike ride from here in the Stanford city to Golden Gate Park where we will meet the San Francisco Bike Coalition. Their membership will be enjoying demonstration rides on the 15-person reconverted Dodge van that will be going back to Boston in 2009 as a part of my Author Tour at http://www.bikeroute.com/HBGR .

You can help us make San Francisco happen if you have a strong vehicle with a tow hitch that can move our Busycle from here in Palo Alto to the Golden Gate City. Gerry Barnett from down in the San Bernardino area has donated a two bar that we are trying to work out a way to get up here. And yet if we can't get that up here and then mounted in time, we could still rent a tow dolly or even a car trailer from U-Haul, as we have in the past, However it works out, we still need a vehicle we can tow with. We can even supply the driver if you can help!

In a perfect world, we will also be able to find a place where we can leave it in San Francisco on Friday and Saturday nite. Does anyone have any ideas/leads here?

In addition, that Busycle like pedal car (an '86 Buick Regal) up in Canada that got cited for being on the road, got laughed out of court. Click on the image below to see the video of it getting a ticket.

Here is what came of the citation:
========================================
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2008/04/04/pedal-car.html?ref=rss

'Flintstones' car case thrown out of court
Last Updated: Friday, April 4, 2008 | 9:22 AM ET

A man who was facing charges for driving a pedal car won a victory in a Toronto courtroom on Thursday.
Trevor Baldwin was pulled over on a Toronto street last October for operating an unsafe vehicle on Queen Street West.

The Buick he was driving looked more like a car from The Flintstones animated television show, in which the driver and passengers use their feet to propel the vehicle.

Artist Michel de Broin built the so-called shared propulsion vehicle to make a point about gas consumption.

The hollowed-out car has no engine or transmission and uses candles instead of headlights. It does, however, have hand brakes.

The car, which has a top speed of 15 kilometres an hour, requires all four occupants to pedal and work together ó a sharp contrast to the solitary, effortless experience of a typical car.

As the Crown prosecutor tried to make his case Thursday, the court erupted in laughter, and the charges were thrown out.

Baldwin's legal representative, Terry Fox, said the arresting officer never should have pulled the car over.

"Where's the evidence it was illegal? There was no objective standard here. Just his opinion is what it was, and that's not good enough. It's speculation he based it on," Fox said outside court.

Baldwin said he was happy with the decision. And what did he want to do after leaving court?

"I'm thinking its a really nice day, so we might go for a drive," he said.

That's exactly what Baldwin did. He grabbed three friends, pulled the car out of storage and took it for a spin.
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THX 4 all of U!!

Perfect love drives out fear - John 4:18

Martin Krieg "Awake Again" Author
2009 w/"How America Can Bike & Grow Rich"
http://www.bikeroute.com/HBGR
'79 & '86 TransAmerica Bike Rides
Coma, Paralysis, Clinical Death Survivor
NBG Founding Director, HiWheel Cyclist