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!
