Check out our new tri-fold pamphlet about the 'Cycles of Revolution' ride to Chicago this May for the NATO/G8 protests!

It is located in the "about us" section of this web site. Please print it out and pass it around!

Grassroutes Caravan Organizing Gathering for 2012 at 1218 E. Mifflin on Sunday, January 15th 3-5 PM

Please spread the word far and wide to riders and supporters of GRC rides. We will gather at Seth's place, 1218 E. Mifflin on Sunday, January 15th from 3-5 PM to talk about what kinds of rides we would like to see in 2012 including discussing the ride that is brewing to Chicago for the NATO/G8 protests in May!

Happy New Year 2012!! Stay tuned for information about our new year's brainstorming and planning gathering!

Howdy folks and spokes! I am sooooo excited for the rides brewing in 2012! Last year at this time, we invited everyone who had ever participated in GRC rides, whether riders or supporters, hosts or organizers, to Seth's house to brainstorm for rides in 2011. The Soular Ride was born at that gathering and we successfully rode with SIX children to the Midwest Energy Fair and back last summer!

This year, there are rumblings about a ride to Chicago in May for the NATO/G8 protests!!!! The timing is right that there could be another soular ride as well in June. Oh! I can't wait to see what happens when we put our people power together and pedal the distance!

Stay tuned for more info about where and when we will have our January brainstorming gathering.

Announcing Permaculture Pedal: A Madison Moving Planet Caravan of Cyclists

Hello. This is an invitation to join a bicycle caravan tour of Madison’s community permaculture gardens on Sunday, September 25th. On this weekend people around the globe will be demonstrating on foot, by bike, with skates, unicycles and tandems a unified demand for solutions to our present climate crisis.

Permaculture Pedal will be a special event of exploring ecological solutions already being practiced in the Madison community. We believe that these kinds of practices can be of great value in these uncertain times. We’re NOT asking you to just take our word for it, however. We’re asking you to come see for yourself.

If you’re ready to get on your bike the 25th and ride with us for all or part of the caravan, please go directly to our registration page to let us know exactly where and when you’ll be joining us. It’s simple; it’s easy; I did it myself. For a fuller picture of what the day will look like, read on.

The morning will be a convergence of bikers in downtown Madison where Ride the Drive will be taking place. Some of us will be leaving as a group from an east side meet up point, others will depart from a meet-up point on the west side. Check our registration page for locations. Our arrival downtown will be an opportunity to bring the 350 message to those Riding the Drive. We will do this through placards, racing bibs, leaflets, and, hopefully, direct engagement. It’s a mobile demonstration.

Shortly after noon we go deeper into the Permaculture aspect of Permaculture Pedal. This is a caravan focused on demonstrations of solutions, after all. Our first stop will be at at St. Stephens Lutheran Church community garden. This particular garden is special because the land has been scultped by volunteer power to hold water. Representatives from the Madison Permaculture Guild will be on hand to explain how the contouring of the land functions to channel water to the nearby garden beds. St. Stephens is also where we will have lunch – picnic potluck style. From there the caravan will take a very scenic route to our dessert stop, the Forest Products Lab, site of a small forest garden featuring crab apple trees, currant bushes, irises, nanking cherries, yarrow, and lots of other goodies. Experts will again be on hand to explain how all these plantings embody the permaculture principle of creating mutually beneficial relationships.

But Wait, there’s a little bit more. Between St. Stephens and the Lab there’s another amazing garden just a little ways off the beaten path. A hydration station will be set up there where you can get water, meet members of Madison’s own Wellness Collective, and appreciate the Joining Forces for Families Garden. There isn’t a planned tour, but the garden speaks for itself.

All of these gardens were created and are sustained by incredible volunteer power. We plan to encounter them with a spirit of appreciation and celebration. If you’re down with that, please proceed to our registration page, let us know you’re coming, and prepare to Pedal Permaculture.

If you have further questions, feel free to call 608-217-3845.

Thank you to all of the local businesses and organizations that sponsored the Soular Ride to Custer and back to Madison!

The Soular Ride for 2011 is over and GRC peeps are back in Madtown and/or all over the world working on other projects for the moment. I would like to send out a big THANK YOU to all of the musicians, artists, businesses and organizations that supported our ride this year. We hope to work with you again next year.

In addition, soon, GRC organizers will be meeting weekly or bi-weekly at a location in Madison TBA. We would like to begin discussing new rides, rider/village oriented workshops we could offer Madison, and continue our intentional community building. I will let you know right here, when that group begins to meet. Until then, keep riding, educating and agitating.

Come to the Workshop Tomorrow! in The Black Flag Tent at 2:00pm!

The first workshop was a huge success!
We closed with a networking break-out by region so people could talk about setting up similar rides from all over the Midwest to next year's fair.

Come to the Workshop Tomorrow! in The Black Flag Tent at 2:00pm!

The Mobile Village Meets the Energy Fair

After a lovely 45-mile ride on Thursday, we finally made it to the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair in Custer, WI. It's my third year at the fair and it is so nice to be back. Being here with the wonderful mobile village family that we have created is making the experience even more amazing. I am no longer just a fair-goer or a volunteer; I am a part of something bigger, representing the Soular Ride. I have had great conversations with strangers and acquaintances about our journey and its purpose, and I have really enjoyed the support system of the village that has stayed strong despite the distractions and excitement of the fair. We have still been eating breakfast and dinner together and having our morning meetings, and of course our tent village is beautifully intact.
And now I have to go listen to Chris Paine speak on "Who killed the electric car!"

You Mean You ENJOY Bike Touring In The Rain?!

SUNDAY
I navigated the support vehicle for Tim. We chalked all the way to the campsite and made it back to the lunch stop in time. Tim C spent the lunchbreak repacking the van, which needed it. Dinner was really awesome veggie stirfry by Tim W. (AND it was vegan, gluten free, soy free). Sunset over Horicon Marshfrom "the ledge" was really awesome, too.

MONDAY
The day we crossed Horicon Marsh I was in the back. In our group I could see the three parents pulling their kids in bike trailers and the lead cyclist up front. There was a moment when we were riding in formation that felt like some futuristic wagon train. Awesome meal that night.

TUESDAY
The ride to Appleton was rife with incorrect directions in the Ride Guide. Diane and I had left at 6-something, and we really needed the extra time to correct everything. Arriving in Appleton was such a relief...oh yea--and there was a pool and a hot tub waiting for us when we got to Kevin's parents' house. They were so nice and acomodating to a village 14 adults and 6 kids taking over their home and making mess after mess. Major points to Janet for dinner.

WEDNESDAY
When we went around the morning meeting talking about our days yesterday, I was elated to hear people say such good things about bike touring in the rain. I've always cherished the rainy days because the fun you have is a surprise. It's not that cold 'cause you're biking, and getting through it as a group is always a bonding experience. It was nice to know I'm not alone in that appreciation.

Rainy Ride from Luxurious Appleton Digs to the more Primitive, but Full of Heart, Mosquito Hill Nature Center

We got up in waves this morning. Some people like to get up at the crack of dawn and others like to sleep in. Diane and Cesco made pancakes and potato deliciousness for breakfast. Villagers trickled into Janet's beautiful domed house after sleeping in tents in her yard.

After breakfast, the adults held their morning meeting while the kid village convened downstairs in the basement. I was the facilitator of the kids' council and learned that all 6 of our kids are having fun and learning about the power of our soular systems. Our systems are co-created and re-figured by the adults on a daily basis as our environments and habitats change due to our mobility.

Who is going to drive the support vehicle? Who will be chef? Who is going to make sure the kids and their parents are happy and safe as they ride these 30 miles in the rain? In the RAIN! Three cheers to Jeremiah and his two kids Elliot and Isaiah, who were pulled in Jeremiah's trailer! And to Rachel and Chicory who also went the whole way with Chicory in her mama's trailer. And to Guido and Eva for the same! You are making history as we transition from the structured violence of car culture to the structured sanity (emerging) of bike culture.

Steve did an excellent job with the route and the ride guide, always making sure to keep us away from the cars and semi trucks as much as possible but woa. It is a car-driven world out there alright, and no matter how much route planning you do, you encounter cars, the noise of cars and the fear of being hit. Thank you Steve for taking on this awesome task of developing the route soular system we have come to depend on as a village to keep our families safe!

Below, find a description of our soular systems we have developed for this ride. They change slightly on a daily basis and if our morning meeting gets too long, we rely on the soular power of self-organizing and trust to minimize chaos and maximize our smooth landing at our next stop along the trail.

A brief description of our Soular Systems --

Each morning before we take off, the village is asked to volunteer in the following systems/capacities:

1-2 sun rays. These folks are committed to being at the front of the ride all day long with a cell phone, chalk and fabric (in case of rain) to mark the turns. These volunteers should be medium to fast riders and should leave earlier than everyone else in the morning.

1-2 moon beams. These folks carry bike tools, a floor pump, cell phone and medical supplies. They commit to being at the back of the ride the whole day and the last to arrive at our destination.

support vehicle driver. This person has a cell phone and can be called upon in any moment during the day to help with riders who may be broken down on the side of the road.

chef and su-chef: These two people agree to bottom-line preparing dinner for the village in the evening. They will communicate with the support vehicle driver to help get things set up at the destination ahead of the arrival of the village.

clean-up crew: 1-2 people. These folks make sure things are clean and tidy after dinner and before going to bed for the night. They will also make sure camp site is clean before taking off the following day.

childcare workers: 2-3 non-parent adults who agree to check-in often with parents about how things are going, provide childcare when needed and help to facilitate the buddying up of adults in the village with children for the day's journey.

I think that's it for today! I am writing to you from the office of Mike, our lovely host here at the Mosquito Hill Nature Center. Tomorrow we ride to the Energy Fair and stay there for three days!

Soularville arrived safely to Appleton and Kevin's Mom's yard and is now getting ready for Mosquito Hill

Yesterday was glorious. Our Soular Systems got us up early, made coffee and breakfast and empowered us to our stop here in Appleton. Our Soular Systems, our Soular Power, it is us and we are they and we are all together.

The morning's ride before our lunch stop at Riverside Park in Osh Kosh took us through small towns including the unicorporated El Dorado. Cesco and I stopped in and observed an American flag made out of metal fastened to the door and an atmosphere of too much beer and too many brawls.

The owner seemed nice as we sat down at the bar at 10:30 am and learned about the local pig wrestling tradition that takes place once a year in July. Apparently, 60 pigs are shipped to the region for 60 different teams of humans to take them on in wrestlilng matches before the pigs get slaughtered the next day.

We didn't stay for very long, as we had another 15 miles to ride before our lunch stop, and said goodbye to the bar tender and cook. Lunch was fabulous! Jeremiah and Rachel set it up on our small table in the windy park as riders trickled in. Lots of fresh raw veggies, tahini with bread donated by Madison Sourdough, dried fruits that Sophie made for the ride and tortillas with Wisconsin cheese.

Next, we rode the 23 miles to Appleton and Kevin's house where we were greeted by Kevin's Mom, Janet, and a swimming pool and hot tub in the back yard! We jumped in the pool and then in the tub and then biked to the Harmony where quite a few curious Lawrence College students came out for our variety show and Q and A. I was tired by the end of the day and slept like a rock.

Syndicate content