Tour De Parks 2013: Wright Park

Arguably one of the most beautiful parks in Tacoma, there's no question that it is one of the most visited. Home to the W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory, Wright Park is a 27-acre arboretum with walking and biking trails, sprayground for kids, and a pond that's well populated with ducks.

Because of the park's popularity, it regularly hosts special events throughout the year. Lawn bowling? Bring your bocce balls. Zombie tag? Get ready to survive the apocalypse. During the summer, there's always something happening each week.

Newly acquired Dragon Koi at the conservatory.

Amazon Begins

NBBJ

It was reported today in the Seattle Times that Amazon will be incorporating a two-block cycle track that will run alongside its future office buildings in downtown Seattle. Scheduled for completion in 2015, only time will tell if this is a vision of more to come or just a plan destined to fail.

Or you can scan the reader comments right now and hear from both haters and supporters.

In a nutshell, a cycle track is a bike lane that exists on the sidewalk but separated from pedestrians by a natural barrier. Obviously, wider sidewalks equals less space for motorists. I don't want to regurgitate the arguments either for or against such plans. I will say this: change is the only constant in life.

As creatures of habit, I think we have a long way to go with how we eat, how we communicate with one another, and how we travel. It wasn't so long ago when smoking was a normal part of everyday life. Today, you have to go to designated spaces to light up and still get dirty looks. I predict the same will happen with how we consume food. At some point in the future, you'll have to visit a specialty store to get Twinkies and Doritos.

And just maybe, alternative modes of mass transportation will be the norm and cities everywhere will have the infrastructure to support it. So what's the big deal about a two-block cycle track that only benefits a mere 3.5 percent of commuters?

What is an ocean but a multitude of drops?

You've been warned.

Signage at a cross-fit gym next to Defiance Bicycles in North Tacoma.

Tour De Parks 2013: Fort Steilacoom Park

As a transplant from California, I miss the mountain bike trails that are abundant in the bay area. Sometimes, the sound of fat tires rolling over gravel is just what I need to soothe away stress. There's also a Zen-like feeling when you focus on technique, assess what's ahead, pick a line, and execute it.

I've had my Poprad for awhile, but shamefully have always kept it on asphalt. Feeling adventurous and needing a change from my road bike and commuter, I set out to find some local trails. A quick online search led me to Fort Steilacoom Park in Lakewood. I knew that I wasn't going to get the high mountain peak views and singletracks that I grew up riding. But for just 10 miles from my front door, FSP has lots to offer.

Granny gear, where art thou?

At 340 acres, FSP has something for everyone: sports fields, playground, off-leash area for dogs, a beautiful lake. Oh, and a labyrinth of trails for biking and hiking. Some of the trails are best ridden on a proper mountain bike, with or without suspension, but definitely with a granny gear. I had to walk my Poprad to get to the view of Mount Rainier.

Worth it.

Rising From Ashes

Hope is an amazing ride.

A new documentary, due out in theaters next month, tells the story of the first Rwandan National Cycling Team and their journey to the 2012 Olympic Games in London. If the trailer is any indication of the full feature, then count me in to be first in line to see it.

Remember Jonathan Boyer? First American to compete in the Tour de France, winner of the 1980 Coors Classic and 1985 RAAM. Turns out he has been living in Rwanda since 2007, where he created Team Rwanda Cycling.

Forest Whitaker lends his star power to narrate the 80 minute doc. The featured athletes were just children during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. This is their story of how cycling helped them to rise from the ashes of their devastating past.

The Art of Cycling: Taliah Lempert

Connie's Bike

Based in New York, Taliah Lempert's work is a mixture of retro road bikes, urban fixies, and custom rides. She paints individual bicycles as the main subject without the distractions of riders and backgrounds. 

"Bicycles are important, beautiful, and worth a close look.

Most bikes I paint are, or have been, used daily for transportation, recreation,
messenger work and/or for racing,
They are worn and customized uniquely,

being at once a specific bike and a collective symbol of empowerment."

Lempert has an extensive gallery which can be viewed at bicyclepaintings.com going back as far as 1997. Some of my favorites include bikes from my favorite era of cycling: the 1980s. The painting pictured above (and aptly titled) is the bike that belonged to none other than Connie Carpenter-Phinney, 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist at the Los Angeles Games road race.

Tour De Parks 2013: Adriana Hess Wetland Park

The Adriana Hess Wetland Park is a nice little gem to visit...if you can find it. Tucked away in Fircrest and less than a mile west of the Fircrest Golf Club (of all places), it's a relaxing spot to sneak away to. There is an Audubon center operated by the Tahoma Audubon Society, but you'll have to catch them during their limited hours during the week.

If you want to take in some nature but don't have the time to go very far, go here.