MyWHaT

Updated Jan. 2, 2009:

I wanted to update this image of Dan with Higher Grounds’ Beans by Bike statistics for 2009:

• Total Weight = 15,350 lbs
• Total distance = 527 miles
• Average Weight Per Delivery = 165 lbs
• Average Distance Per Delivery = 6.5 miles

Nicely done! Question: How do you cross Division St.?

I had to race to catch up with Dan Mills who flew by me earlier today on Washington St. He seemed oblivious to the snow and slick. It appears Higher Grounds Trading Company upgraded their bike with studded tires this year. They pedal beans year-round to homes and businesses within the city limits.

Is there anyone else delivering by bike in Traverse City?

Full disclosure: I’m the president of the non-existent advisory board, the sole-twitter correspondent (@highergroundstc), photographer and on-call coffee cupper for new roasts at Higher Grounds Trading Co. None of which pay all that well. Higher Grounds is also an initial supporter/sponsor of this BLOG.

Mike & Tara Griggs of Flint, Michigan snack at a food stop along the route of the Tour de Tart in August 2009. The couple visit Northern Michigan every year and always bring their bicycles.

It’s no secret that Portland, Oregon has been able to effectively brand itself as a biker haven, as well as implement the needed vision and engineering behind that brand. I suspect that the Return on Investment for the city has yet to be fully appreciated, but it seems obvious. More walkable, biker friendly cities attract visitors.

Yesterday, BikePortland.org posted about families vacationing in Portland precisely for the urban biking experience and some businesses being created to support them: Family chooses Portland for urban bike tourism

Brilliant.

What are the opportunities in Northern Michigan? We’ve already hosted major bike races, there are long tours every summer and the efforts of TART have been building for years. Those events have attracted thousands of visitors into the region.

My favorite event from this past summer, was the Tour de Tart. A casual ride of 17 miles with foods stops along the route and one massive picnic at the end of it. A perfect all inclusive event that attracted nearly 500 riders on a Friday night.

But, we can do more to encourage family recreational biking. Encouraging and assisting visitors to leave the car at the hotel and bike around Traverse City has obvious and not so obvious economic benefits.

Help me create a list.

What are some of the creative ways for Traverse City to improve the tourist economy through increased walking and biking?

What are the big return on investment hot-spots for better pedestrian and biking infrastructure? The Bay front? Completing the Boardman Trail around the lake?

What do you think about businesses in parks? Along the Trails?

And, we need to have fun telling the story, like photographer Ken Scott’s time-lapse the Tour de Tart.

Another version of the Bike-Plow story posted by Dave Peterson has some step-by-step building instructions. Good use of an engineer!

ADD ON: From the archives on www.bikeforums.net County tells bicyclist thanks, but stop plowing trail Ouch.

Is anyone doing this in Northern Michigan?

If you are, want to be featured here? (Or at least help me make one?)