MI Cruzbike retreat 2020 - August 6-9, 2020 Benton Harbor Michigan

[benphyr]

I am tentatively out of town July 16-Aug 3 but if that works best for others go for it. Maybe a calendar of dates that would be possible for each would be helpful. Then if you would come you can mark on your dates of availability and we can go for the date that works best for most. I've added a poll at the top of the page or this one might work better as it can go into October: https://doodle.com/poll/n7wnscdngz4wa2yy

Feedback appreciated both as to availability and to what system works better - or is there something better still.

 

[Seth Cooper]

two Michigan rides I am considering:
ODRAM is August 8, and DALMAC is Sept 2-6

 

[Mathew Fy]

I cast my votes for when I may be able to attend (only Saturdays & Sundays).

 

[3bs]

anyone else want to chime in on dates?

 

[benphyr]

I'm not sure I like the poll feature in this thread for our current purpose. Based only on the above comments it looks like @Seth Cooper @Mathew Fy @3bs and @benphyr have participated in the this poll, maybe others but we can't tell. We can't tell who has voted where and if @3bs is not available that probably doesn't work very well even if everyone else is good for a date. Can y'all try the doodle poll? https://doodle.com/poll/n7wnscdngz4wa2yy

 

[woodguy]

I did vote in the poll on the thread, but now I have also done the doodle.

 

[benphyr]

"Do the Doodle" - a new rally cry or teeny-bop dance - your pick. Thanks!

 

[benphyr]

Thank you @Seth Cooper @super slim @woodguy @benphyr for responding on the DoodlePoll.

@3bs, @velocio, @Mathew Fy, @Rods @cranky cyclist, - you all expressed interest - can you add yourselves to the DoodlePoll or let me know if you are no longer able to consider our ad-venture.

and from Cruzbike admin @Lucia, @Jim Parker, @Robert Holler, - we have yet to hear some feedback on this thread from you - could you add your thoughts - possible attendance, scheduling concerns, etc.

https://doodle.com/poll/n7wnscdngz4wa2yy

 

[3bs]

i doodled as well.

if my work thing that is set for mid august goes away, then that key august 8 weekend would open up. but, i wont know that for a while.

i think i saw somewhere hostel shoppe has now set the rally for end of month, so we would not overlap.

you guys should just VRBO a house on the beach.

 

[benphyr]

So I looked over the weekend and couldn't find a date for Hostel Shoppe's Midwest Recumbent Rally so I emailed them. Here's what is on their website today!!!!
"
Pedal Point (formerly the Midwest Recumbent Rally)

A Benefit for the Boy's & Girl's Club of Portage County

Save the Date - July 31st & August 1st

We are excited to announce to announce that the Midwest Recumbent Rally will now become the Pedal Point Rally. Traditionally held the same weekend as Bike for Boy's & Girl's Club, and utilizing the same routes, we have decided to combine events and make the Pedal Point Rally a fundraiser to benefit the Boy's & Girl's Club of Portage County. The rally will still have old favorites like the Friday ICE Cream Ride, Saturday Morning Rides and demos and test rides of recumbents. We are also bringing in some new fun elements and surprises! We will be going live in January with a new website, which will feature all the details and upcoming announcements and online registration and hotel discounts. Stayed tuned for the launch of our new website on January 6th!
" from https://hostelshoppe.com/92/Midwest-Recumbent-Rally/

Three cheers to Hostel Shoppe for this extremely timely update.

 

[Rods]

I marked dates on the doodle poll i think would work for me, but i am very tentative at this point.
Would it be possible to have this the weekend before DALMAC, and do that ride the next week?

 

[3bs]

aok back from break.

so do we have a consensus?

if so i next need to know what preferences on accommodations, or leave accomodations to the participants and start setting up rides and stops.

 

[3bs]

and i promise there will be no fires like currently down under....

what is going on down there ?
holey moley

 

[super slim]

and i promise there will be no fires like currently down under....

what is going on down there ?
holey moley

It's called Climate Change!!!
This year our fires were early, so the Elvis helicopters were occupied in California with its fires!

AND not back burning during the winter to reduce the fuel load, due to reduced funding for the forestry dept, by BOTH sides of the State governments (Qld, NSW, VIC & SA) over the last 5 years!

 

[3bs]

ride routes i have in mind for Michigan event. i am assuming two full days of riding and two half days, such as a thursday pm ride, followed by friday full saturday full and then sunday am. for full day rides i am

for thursday pm, i am thinking pedals to pints out of the watermark brewery in stevensville michigan. this is an established program with three or four distances and speeds. pachyderm peddlers puts it on.

for the friday and saturday full days, i am thinking these two rides, which are easy rides to just make shorter if you choose,

- out and back kalhaven trail. start in south haven at bailey ave trail head and head east. full ride would take us to the 10th st n park in Kalamazoo and back.. but for those who want to ride less, just turn around wherever you want. the trail is limestone and hard pack, so i dont like riding small tires on it, but its doable and there are parallel paved roads nearby. i have done this ride on my t50 and my greenspeed trike. there is water and bathrooms and food and stuff along the way. south haven has bars and restaraunts and stores and beaches for short distance riders to visit. the alternate to this is to do an out and back heading south on the kalhaven and meet the van buren trail and ride that to the state park and back. paved all the way. alt three is to tie these two rides together and you are pretty close to a century. i ride the van buren trail all the time. on all my bikes and trikes. van buren state park has a nice campground and a beach as well.

after the ride we can go to one of several bars/ restaraunts in south haven. such as taste http://www.tastesouthhaven.com/

- steelhead triathalon route. start at jean klock park in benton harbor and run the route which will bring you back to klock. this is also a loop with a lot of ways to shorten trip if you want. if you want to extend this trip, i would then run back up and down on m63 or do anotehr northern loop from klock. after this ride we could go to one of the several bars and restaraunts in st joe/benton harbor, such as planks, which has outdoor patio seating on the harbor. https://www.harborshoresresort.com/the-inn/planks-tavern

for sunday am, i am thinking routes by choice leaving from the three oaks spokes bicycle museum. https://www.applecidercentury.com/backroad-bikeways
this way for those that have to leave, they can pick a ride route that times properly with when they have to go. i would think that we could get agreement on a couple rides or all ride the same routes and those who want to keep riding can do so. south county has plenty of non bike attractions as well.

can i have some feedback here? is this the right amount of riding? is this the kind of riding you want to do? if this is not what you want to ride, do you want me to set up longer? shorter? do you want me to design an all day ride between wineries and breweries? m how many people do we expect? do you want more formal non bike stuff?

 

[velocio]

aok back from break.

so do we have a consensus?

if so i next need to know what preferences on accommodations, or leave accomodations to the participants and start setting up rides and stops.

Is there a consensus? In the poll above I see 2 dates with 5 votes each and 3 dates with 4 votes each. I didn't vote, since I can adjust my schedule for any of the date options.

As for accommodations, I'll be camping, but I realize that's not likely a popular option with other folks. So, again, whatever the group decides is fine for me and I'll do what I need to do to be close to the group. I think I mentioned this earlier in this thread, but I was planning to tour in this area on my own last summer, but ended up postponing it till 2020. Every summer I go "home" to visit family in southeast Michigan and planned to have them drop me + S40 + touring kit off in Kalamazoo, ride the Kal-Haven Trail to South Haven, then head north for 3-4 days keeping close to the lake shore before heading back to Kalamazoo for internal combustion engined retrieval by my relations. My current plan is to hook this Cruzbike event up to the front, back or middle of my 2020 Lake Michigan shoreline ramble.

Cheers,

-Jack

 

[woodguy]

I like your agenda for the weekend @3bs. Nice variety and long/short choices. If we can get the dates settled, reservations can be made for cabins or camping or hotels. Like @velocio, I am pretty flexible on the date, so someone who really wants to come, but doesn't have that flexibility should sound off.

 

[super slim]

ride routes i have in mind for Michigan event. i am assuming two full days of riding and two half days, such as a thursday pm ride, followed by friday full saturday full and then sunday am. for full day rides i am

for thursday pm, i am thinking pedals to pints out of the watermark brewery in stevensville michigan. this is an established program with three or four distances and speeds. pachyderm peddlers puts it on.

for the friday and saturday full days, i am thinking these two rides, which are easy rides to just make shorter if you choose,

- out and back kalhaven trail. start in south haven at bailey ave trail head and head east. full ride would take us to the 10th st n park in Kalamazoo and back.. but for those who want to ride less, just turn around wherever you want. the trail is limestone and hard pack, so i dont like riding small tires on it, but its doable and there are parallel paved roads nearby. i have done this ride on my t50 and my greenspeed trike. there is water and bathrooms and food and stuff along the way. south haven has bars and restaraunts and stores and beaches for short distance riders to visit. the alternate to this is to do an out and back heading south on the kalhaven and meet the van buren trail and ride that to the state park and back. paved all the way. alt three is to tie these two rides together and you are pretty close to a century. i ride the van buren trail all the time. on all my bikes and trikes. van buren state park has a nice campground and a beach as well.

after the ride we can go to one of several bars/ restaraunts in south haven. such as taste http://www.tastesouthhaven.com/

- steelhead triathalon route. start at jean klock park in benton harbor and run the route which will bring you back to klock. this is also a loop with a lot of ways to shorten trip if you want. if you want to extend this trip, i would then run back up and down on m63 or do anotehr northern loop from klock. after this ride we could go to one of the several bars and restaraunts in st joe/benton harbor, such as planks, which has outdoor patio seating on the harbor. https://www.harborshoresresort.com/the-inn/planks-tavern

for sunday am, i am thinking routes by choice leaving from the three oaks spokes bicycle museum. https://www.applecidercentury.com/backroad-bikeways
this way for those that have to leave, they can pick a ride route that times properly with when they have to go. i would think that we could get agreement on a couple rides or all ride the same routes and those who want to keep riding can do so. south county has plenty of non bike attractions as well.

can i have some feedback here? is this the right amount of riding? is this the kind of riding you want to do? if this is not what you want to ride, do you want me to set up longer? shorter? do you want me to design an all day ride between wineries and breweries? m how many people do we expect? do you want more formal non bike stuff?

What are the max distances of these rides?

 

[Mathew Fy]

ride routes i have in mind for Michigan event.

Thanks again for spearheading this. I'll likely be able to attend only for a weekend. I recommend having routes planned with long & short options available. A shorter ride with an extension, like a figure 8 pattern, will help maintain unity. Another consideration may be to plan for one longer and two shorter routes for those who'd like a break mid-day.

 

[benphyr]

Hi guys,
It looks like there are 8 of us seriously interested in MI Cruz 2020: @Seth Cooper @super slim @woodguy @benphyr @3bs, @Rods @Mathew Fy are all included in the DoodlePoll. @velocio says dates don't change anything for his schedule (so I added him as all dates work and it makes it easier to see the whole picture in one place). @cranky cyclist didn't put into the Doodle poll. Let us know if you (or anyone else) want in.

So how I interpret everything:

@3bs is local and the one driving the arrangements so his attendance is required. Therefore:

Aug 8 is the best weekend IF @3bs schedule frees up. Then all 8 of those on the DoodlePoll can make it!!! It is also superslim's 2nd choice and my (benphyr)'s selfish first choice.

otherwise:

July 25 has 6.5 people (0.5 for a maybe) (I would likely not be able to come so not my preference) or
Oct 3 has 6 people

My read of the situation. @3bs how's the schedule for Aug 8 looking - if unknown do you know when it would get firmed up?