Big Texas Trip and Learning Experience

 

Hello again, my friends!

From a walk near Joni's church

Borrego Springs wildflowers

Hawk on a bike path

Right off the bat, I want to give a big shout-out to the triking community. Y'all have always been fantastic. I am very grateful for your continued support and want to thank everyone for your responses to my last post. My posts don't normally have as many views as that last one did. The post seems to have hit a nerve not only for industry people but also for the community. I was nervous making that post but, now, I am relieved to hear the responses, both positive and negative, and can honestly say I've learned a lot. Some of which I want to share today.

But first, I've had some amazing experiences recently and a lot has happened since my last blog post. I had a wonderful trip to Texas with 2 triking and RVing friends, Dave and Edna.  I left my friend Joni and her desert oasis near Palm Springs after a wonderful 5-month winter stay.  My first stop was Los Algodones, Mexico, which is right across the California border, near Yuma, and a 2-hour drive. I stopped in to have my teeth cleaned with x-rays. Los Algodones is nicknamed 'Molar City'. There are over 500 dentists within a few blocks. It is a town set up for Canadians and Americans to get high-quality dental work at much lower prices than what anyone would pay in the US. I've been coming here for many years. This time, they found an infection in the root of a rear lower tooth. I haven't felt any pain, but they said I should have a root canal. They encouraged me to take care of this sooner rather than later and explained there is no telling if or when the infection will spread. I have been feeling physically poor for many months and think this infection explains why. I decided to return to Mexico for the root canal procedure after the trip with my friends to Texas.

Traveling with Dave, Edna and puppy Ivy

Triking the Tucson Loop

Dave, Edna and I drove out of Tucson together and slowly made our way to San Antonio. We spent 3 nights at an RV park with direct access to the River Walk cycling path. The highlight of our trip was a terrific trike tour with San Antonio Bike Tours. Steve Wood has been doing these tours for many years, and riding with him has been on my bucket list for a long time. All of his tours are custom-designed. He has trikes to use but we brought our own. Steve can do tours anywhere from 2-6 hours long. We asked for the 4-hour tour following Steve in his WAW velomobile all over San Antonio. He gives each person a headset where you hear him describe details of all the landmarks with a wealth of entertaining historical information. The headset also has a microphone to ask questions. We loved the tour and learned so much. This was a very rich experience. I highly recommend San Antonio Bike Tours and would even say a visit to San Antonio is worth it just to do Steve's tour. I will make a video of our tour with Steve's San Antonio Bike Tour. I think you will be surprised by just how cycling-friendly San Antonio is. 

Steve and his WAW Velo

Mama with goslings on the River

Mission with Dave

River lock with Steve, Dave, and Edna

Mission Conception with a ranger

Trikers are ready to roll

Colorful sign

The point of our trip was to see the solar eclipse on April 8th. Dave, Edna, and I are all members of Boondockers Welcome. We made reservations at a fantastic ranch near Killeen, Texas, last November, anticipating there would be a lot of interest in staying on the path of totality. Boondockers Welcome is a part of Harvest Hosts, which is a web-based membership program through which people open their land/property to RVers. Unlike Harvest Hosts, there are no additional fees, and you can often stay many nights. We camped on a beautiful 10-acre ranch with 10 other RVers. I found a lovely level spot in the shade of some trees close to Dave and Edna. Their little dog, Ivy, loved running in the grass. Other people found hidden spots, and most people had privacy. We were far from any cities and the night sky was full of stars. The ranch owners were friendly and incredibly generous people. They offered a welcome BBQ dinner and a fun craft table. All the RVers pulled up chairs, sitting in a circle, enjoying each other's company. The owner's generosity was completely unexpected. Cycling friends Jeff and Diane from Vancouver, Washington, were staying close by for the eclipse and joined us for dinner, too. This was something else that was completely unexpected. The skies were cloudy in the morning but cleared for the eclipse, which was very special. We were on the path of totality, and it got dark and quiet. The birds and insects seemed to go to sleep during the darkest time. Dave, Edna, and I drove a long way to experience the eclipse, and I am so glad we did. This was a very cool experience that has stayed with me like a movie I keep thinking about. Not just the eclipse but all the wonderful people we met.

finished craft works

Ready to watch

Settling in for the show

The start of the eclipse show

In the path of totality

Darkness has fallen

We had made reservations for 2 nights, but the weather on the 3rd day (thank goodness after the eclipse) was hazardous, and the ranch owners didn't hesitate to let us stay another night. There were tornado and flash-flood warnings. The local weather service asked that everyone stay off the roads. The forecast was for 2 inches of rain. We had 7 inches of rain! The owners had never seen so much rain in all the years of living on the ranch. Most of the RVs were sitting in a lake of water. A big tractor was used to get the trucks and RVs out of the mud. The lightning show was very impressive. My goodness, what an experience and something I won't ever forget.

Lake of water

Dave getting a tow out of the mud

Tractor tow

Stuck in the mud

After the eclipse, I parted ways with Dave and Edna. On my way back to Mexico for the root canal procedure, I stopped and visited some dear friends, Laura, Brian, and their sweet dog Midnight, who recently moved to San Antonio. I parked my RV in front of their house, and we had a great time together.

San Antonio Japanese Garden

With Laura at the garden

Dear friends, Laura and Brian

Garden pond

From there I made my way west to Mexico. I always go to Simply Dental in Los Algodones and can highly recommend them. They are very professional, speak clear English, and respect your time. I typically arrive early for my appointments, and they always call me quickly. Unfortunately, this procedure became more complicated than originally diagnosed. While they were drilling for the root canal, they discovered the tooth was fractured on the inside. This fracture was the cause of the root infection. The dentist explained that the tooth fracture would eventually become a crack. He recommended pulling the tooth and doing an implant. He said there is no telling when the crack would happen, but the infection would also never heal. I followed his recommendation and had the tooth pulled, and the implant post installed the next day. Everything went smoothly. Implants take 5 months to adhere to the bone, so I will return in September to have a tooth molded and attached to the implant post.  

I have been staying back at Joni's desert church oasis while I recover. It is fun to hang out with my triker friend Dave again as well. I am also very grateful to have a comfortable and convenient parking place. After finishing my medication for antibiotics and anti-inflammatories, I returned to Mexico for what I called a 'piece of mind' visit. They didn't require me to return, but I wanted to make sure the infection was clear and the implant looked good. I saw the dentist who did the procedure. He took an x-ray and photos and verified everything looked perfect.  Now, I can travel north for the summer to visit my sister in Crescent City and friends in Portland and attend Tater Tot and the Recumbent Retreat without worrying about my tooth. Phew!!!

So now that I'm caught up on my travels, I want to circle back to talking about what I learned sinced my last post about Cycle Con. This event remains deeply humiliating for me. It is an experience I will likely never forget. I went to Cycle Con last September after I had 4 phone conversations with industry people asking me to go. The conversations led me to believe that it was important for me to be at the event. I'm happy to help out wherever I can, and I thought I had a small but significant enough role to play to make traveling 2500 miles worth the effort. 

I have been a very positive voice for everything recumbent and should have a lot of goodwill with the manufacturers, dealers, and vendors. Over the last 15 years, I have talked up all aspects of the industry on my Facebook Page, blog and YouTube Channel. I talk up trike groups, bike shops, all trike brands and accessories, as well as other people's YouTube channels and Facebook pages. I have also shown places to ride worldwide, including a cross-USA trike tour last summer. There has never been any money from doing this. It's fun for me, and I really enjoy the camaraderie with the ever-enthusiastic and supportive trike community. When I think about it, I don't know of anyone else who does what I do. I enjoy traveling with my trike and meeting bike shop owners, mechanics, and people from the community. My favorite thing is to meet trikers where they live and ride together.

I was quite surprised that there was no interest in me when I got to Cycle Con. Not even from the people who asked me to go. It's not like anyone did anything bad to me. There wasn't anything vindictive or menacing that happened. There just was no interest. It was like I was invisible. This particular Cycle Con was unusually awkward because the space was much too small. There wasn't enough room for everyone walking and trying to get trikes and bikes out to the test track and then back to the booths. I think the situation was stressful for everyone involved. I couldn't walk around the booths and stop to chat because I was always in the way. This was true for everyone. You had to keep moving or you were in the way. I've been to previous Cycle Cons where I enjoyed sitting in Gary Solomon's Laidback Bike Report booth as well as with the HP Velotechnik guys. This year, the booths were much smaller, and there wasn't any extra room. I spent most of my time outside watching people on the test track. Maybe because I didn't feel comfortable in the convention space, no one thought to ask me to go out for drinks or dinner or do anything social. This is a very long drive to be on my own.

I've learned 2 important points. Both of these were explained to me after I had written my last blog post. One of the people who called and asked me to go explained that I wasn't invited and the organizers had no idea I was coming. This never occurred to me. I assumed the people who called and asked me to go would have cleared my attendance with the organizers. Essentially, I traveled 2500 miles to an event I wasn't invited to. You can imagine learning this detail just added yet another layer of humiliation. It was explained that I should have called the organizers, but that also simply never occurred to me. Why did these guys call me in the first place? I still have no idea and feel like those who asked me to go stepped out of their lane. I don't think they had any business asking me to attend an event I wasn't invited to. This was a very unfortunate misunderstanding.

The 2nd point I learned is that no one from the industry, except HP Velotechnik, can recognize or even acknowledge me because I ride an HP Velotechnik trike.  This is true for anyone riding any trike brand. If you ride a Catrike, only Catrike will acknowledge you and whatever contributions you make to the community. This explanation seems very short-sighted, but it also explains a lot. I have always wondered why HP Velotechnik is the only company in the industry talking up what I do. From where I sit, the easiest, cheapest, and most effective advertising is showing people who are riding trikes and telling their stories. The brand of trike has little relevance in the story. I also know no one in the industry will be listening to my opinion. It is their loss.

There are many very inspiring stories of how trikes have made a positive and meaningful impact on people's lives. Many are worth telling, and, in my opinion, it is an untapped resource. I'm reminded of David Goldman, who had a YouTube Channel called David Rides A Trike. He was very ill and died over a year ago from his terminal cancer. He did short videos riding his trike around his neighborhood near Chicago. Even though he was suffering and in pain, riding his trike gave him joy. He had an amazingly positive outlook, and his message resonated with many people in the community. His YouTube Channel grew quickly, and he gave people hope. No one from the industry ever acknowledged him. I don't remember the brand of trike he rode, perhaps an ICE trike. He loved his trike but the brand was not an important part of his message. Just like David, I don't think anyone follows me because of the trike brand I ride. I love my trike, and I think HP Velotechnik is a terrific company, but the brand of trike I ride is the least interesting thing about me. 

There is no trike that is perfect for everyone. The choice people make for the trike they buy is personal. I think the trike manufacturers, dealers, and vendors would do much better if they collaborated. I have talked to a number of bike shops about this, but I can't get through to them. I think telling customer's stories makes trikes more relatable. No matter what product I'm buying, whether a car, camera or a trike, I want to read what people have to say. I want to see how people are using the product. If there is no content, I'll assume that no one is buying the product and I will have 2nd thoughts of buying it myself.

Why won't the industry show pride, support and enthusiasm for the community and the people who are actually buying and using the products? I have asked many times, and the most common response is to tell me that I never intended to make money from my YouTube Channel. This is a strange answer. What they aren't getting is that my suggestion is for them, not for me. I don't make any money from my posts, blog or YouTube Channel. This industry is far too small. There just aren't enough video or post views. It would have to grow 10-fold, at least, before making money could even be a possibility. A simple thing like sharing an occasional post about what customers are doing on a Facebook page is so easy. This is what I do to help support however I can. I post about gear, accessories, bike shops, trails, and events. I share posts about trike tours and donate to their causes. 

For my last trike tour across the USA, I set up a Patreon membership as a simple way to give a tip. Many, many people from the community joined. These donations of $5 to $100 made a huge difference for me, and it was fun receiving the enthusiasm and support from the community. My bike club in Portland (Pacific Northwest Recumbent Cycling) gave me a very generous donation. The community jumped to action to support my tour. The only person from the industry who joined my Patreon was Ashley Guy at Utah Trikes. There are so few people doing big rides on a trike that it doesn't take a lot of effort to support people in small ways. But it does take being interested. I will continue to talk up everyone because it is fun for me.

Even though my experience with the industry at Cycle Con was deeply humiliating, I had a very good time going on rides with local trikers from the community. I did a number of rides with the Impromptu Trike Riders of Ohio and other trikers that have become great friends. 

That's a lot of rambling to say I have learned some tough and brutal lessons. Now I'm trying to figure out what it all means. For sure, I've learned there is no role for me in the industry. It's like everyone in the industry is living on their own desert island. I can't expect anyone to talk up something they simply aren't interested in. I want to help grow trike riding, but I must accept that there will never be any interest in what I do from the industry, beyond HP Velotechnik.

Like I said, much of the humiliation I experienced is my own fault and no one person did anything to me. It is clear that my role is strictly within the community. This is an amazing community, and I am very fortunate to have found it. Through the triking community, I have made great friends and met incredibly generous, warm, inviting, and inspiring people. I definitely got bucked off the horse at Cycle Con and, hopefully, I can get back on to start doing videos again. 

Thanks everyone for listening and see you on the road!!