Former Tribune photographer finds life lessons on cross-country bike ride

L.E. Baskow ready to roll around Lake Superior.

48-year-old Sellwood resident L.E. Baskow, a former staff photographer for the Portland Tribune, completed a cross-country bike ride in the summer of 2011. He rode 4,000 miles across nine states in three months and even crossed into Ontario a few times. Now he’s created a book about his journey that mixes photographs from the road with life lessons shared by the people he met along the way.

In Pedaling on the Road of Life, Baskow shares an intimate view into everyday, American life and his images are a testament to how much one sees when traveling by bicycle. While he waits to find the right publisher, Baskow is working at OHSU and looking for sponsors of his participation as the official photographer for the Cycle Greater Yellowstone ride coming up in August.

I caught up with L.E. and asked him a few questions about his trip and his book project…

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Green Mikado Vagabond 1990~

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Year: 1990~
Brand: Mikado
Model: Vagabond
Color:Green
Photo: https://plus.google.com/photos/113814297901670428813/albums/5599607381408872657/5865091461934971394
Stolen in Portland, OR 97236
Stolen:2013-04-10
Stolen From: Value Village SE 82nd and Foster Portland Oregon
Owner: Noa Groveman
OwnerEmail: noagroveman(A T)gmail.com
Description: green Mikado Vagabond modified to 3 speeds on the crank and one on the back wheel with two friction shifters. It has cute owl stickers all over the bike, Maes drop bars with black cork wrap, clip pedals without straps, black plastic fenders with mudflaps, the front wheel is 27 620cc and the back is 27 700cc. A Ulock is mounted with spare tubes tying the ulock to the frame to prevent vibration. There is a pump with spare patches mounted as well. The rear light has LED and laser lights. The brake pads are orange.
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: 13-28249
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike

white Surly 1×1 2003

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Year: 2003
Brand: Surly
Model: 1×1
Color:white
Size:medium
Stolen in Portland, OR 97213
Stolen:2013-04-9
Stolen From: outside of house on 51st and broadway ne
Neighborhood: rose city
Owner: Eric Lanners
OwnerEmail: elanners(at sign)gmail.com
Description: 26 inch freewheels. pdw grips. red bmx pedals.freewheel.
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike

Job: Principal Planner – Cascade Bicycle Club

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Sorry. This position has been filled.

Job Title
Principal Planner

Company/Organization
Cascade Bicycle Club

Job Description
Cascade Bicycle Club’s Principal Planner will lead the monitoring of plans, policies and transportation projects in communities across the central Puget Sound region to ensure they are designed and implemented in ways supporting people who bicycle and those who want to bicycle but are deterred by current conditions.

The Principal Planner will lead pro-bicycling policy development, bicycling planning and design initiatives, and join other Cascade staff in building extensive partnerships with community bicycling interests and stakeholders. The ideal candidate will be an excellent collaborator, communicator and AICP certified planner.

Primary Responsibilities

• Provide design guidance on locally and regionally significant transportation projects, such as the Seattle waterfront, Seattle greenways network, SR 520 and Sound Transit’s regional light rail expansion
• Analyze projects for adherence to applicable nonmotorized plans and goals, as well as leading bicycle design standards such as the NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide
• Review/track and comment on locally and regionally significant infrastructure projects and plans, such as the Seattle Bicycle Master Plan
• Manage Cascade’s consulting/grant projects related to nonmotorized planning, policy and infrastructure design
• Manage Cascade’s data collection efforts, including statewide bicyclist and pedestrian counts
• Represent Cascade on regional planning and transportation advisory committees, such as the Sound Transit Bicycle Advisory Group and the Puget Sound Regional Council’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee
• Prepare materials and graphics for events, advocacy presentations and reports
• Supervise an AmeriCorps intern working on planning issues
• Manage Cascade’s GIS database, conduct analyses and prepare graphics using GIS software
• Assist local communities in bicycling policy, plan and infrastructure development
• Prepare technical and non-technical reports to support Cascade’s policy/planning priorities
• Educate elected officials and public staffers about bicycling transportation policies
• Assist with the planning, outreach and implementation of a variety of public events, including rallies, public hearings and meetings
• Educate, organize and mobilize constituents in support of Cascade’s mission
• Support the organization during major annual events like Bike Month, Seattle Bike Expo and the Group Health Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic

Skills and Education

• Passion for bicycling and a commitment to transportation choices and livable communities
• Firsthand knowledge of riding bicycles on city streets and trails
• Bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree (preferred) in planning; or five years relevant work experience related to urban planning and/or transportation planning/policy
• Demonstrated knowledge of national best practices for bicycle planning
• Considerable knowledge, understanding and use of bicycle transportation design standards and principles
• Proficiency with GIS and Adobe Creative Suite
• Proven ability to work with a variety of partners, from agency staff to elected officials to community advocates
• Strong written and spoken communication skills
• Ability to evaluate complex technical documents and explain in non-technical terms
• Ability to work as part of a team as well as independently
• Knowledge of local political community helpful

Employment Specifics

• Full-time salaried position with some evening and weekend work required
• Some travel around the Puget Sound region required
• Reports to and is supervised by the Director of Policy, Planning and Government Affairs
• Six-month probationary performance review by supervisor
• Annual performance reviews at hire date
• Monetary compensation commensurate with qualifications and experience; benefits package

About Cascade

Founded in 1970, Cascade Bicycle Club is a 15,000+ member nonprofit organization based in Seattle, Washington, dedicated to creating better communities through bicycling. Cascade envisions a community that bicycles — where bicycling is normal, safe and convenient for everyone. Cascade is a local, regional and statewide leader in advocating for bicycle policy and infrastructure, producing world-class cycling events, educating youth and adult cyclists, offering 1,500 free daily rides annually and promoting bicycle commuting. Cascade is directed by an elected volunteer board and operates with 32 paid staff and thousands of volunteers. For more information, visit www.cascade.org. Cascade Bicycle Club is an equal opportunity employer.

How to Apply
Submit a cover letter, resume, three professional references and a relevant writing sample all in a single PDF document to resume@cascadebicycleclub.org. Please mention how you heard about the position. Applications are due April 22, 2013.

Job: Service Technician – West End Bikes

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Job Title
Service Technician

Company/Organization
West End Bikes

Job Description
West End Bikes is looking for a Full-Time Service Tech for its downtown Portland location.

Candidates must have at least 2 years’ experience, excellent mechanical and troubleshooting skills, high efficiency, a great attitude, and the ability to effectively communicate with customers and sales staff.

Check us out at www.WestEndBikesPDX.com. We offer a fun, fast paced work environment with competitive wages, paid vacation, and health insurance.

How to Apply
If this opportunity has your name written all over it, email your cover letter, resume, and salary history to:

PJGill@westendbikespdx.com

Reader Story: Please, stop hating on e-bikes

“I love my e-bike and the scooter mode is my lifeline when I ride.”
— Wendy Hemken

The article below comes from 32-year old Beaverton resident Wendy Hemken. Wendy is currently a student at Portland Community College and plans to study biochemistry/biophysics at Oregon State University.

I was reading through my Facebook today when I see a link about an e-assist skateboard with the title “One less e-bike” and so I quipped back “Hey! What’s wrong with e-bikes?” but I found that my irritation was not so quickly relieved. The fact of the matter is, I’m getting tired of the jibes, snarks, and grumblings about e-bikes from “real” cyclists. The complaint goes like this: Somehow by riding a bike with a motor we’re cheating.

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NW Examiner highlights “illegal cycling” in Forest Park

Cover of NW Examiner April issue.

The NW Examiner, a free monthly newspaper with a circulation of 30,000 homes and businesses in various neighborhoods of northwest Portland, has made mountain biking in Forest Park it’s cover story for the second time in three months. In the April edition (PDF only), editor and publisher Allan Classen has penned an article titled, Illegal cycling muddies drive for greater use of Forest Park.

Classen’s article comes just a week after author and Forest Park activist Marcy Houle emailed Mayor Charlie Hales, city commissioners, and Parks bureau staff photos of bicycle tracks through the mud of what she claimed to be Wildwood Trail (which is off-limits to bikes). Houle is featured throughout Classen’s article, which reads more like an editorial against mountain biking than a news story. (Note that Classen wrote an editorial in June 2010 where he likened people who ride in Forest Park with “bicycle zealots” with “evangelistic fervor” who “love to ride bikes down steep mountain trails at high speed on Sunday mornings.”)

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Blue and white Cannondale R600 2007

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Year: 2007
Brand: Cannondale
Model: R600
Color:Blue and white
Stolen in Portland, OR 97216
Stolen:2013-04-7
Stolen From: Lloyd center. Main bike lock up between Macy’s and sears
Neighborhood: Lloyd center
Owner: Tara Stargrove
OwnerEmail: Tara(replace with at sign)dancingdna.com
Description: Baby blue and white cannondale cad5 r800si
Blue handle bar tape
Bontrager rims
White cup holder
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

BTA joins with Joey Harrington to mark 50,000th bike safety graduate

BTA Bike Safety Class at Prescott Elementary

Prescott Elementary students at a BTA
bike safety class in 2005.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) will mark a big milestone this week: the 50,000th student to graduate from their bike safety education program since they began teaching in Portland schools in 1998. To celebrate the occasion, they’ve teamed up with the Harrington Family Foundation for an event and ceremonial bike ride with fifth graders on Thursday in northeast Portland.

The Harrington Family Foundation was started by former NFL player and University of Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington. Back in August 2011, a person struck Harrington with their car while he was biking on SE Foster Road. That collision thrust Harrington and his foundation into bike safety activism and they created the Bridges to Breakers charity ride as a result. The stated mission of that ride is to, “create safer streets for bicyclists through education with the aim of reducing and preventing injuries to children.”

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Black/dark grey Trek Hybrid 7300

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Brand: Trek
Model: Hybrid 7300
Color:Black/dark grey
Stolen in Portland, OR 97214
Stolen:2013-04-9
Stolen From: SE 41st & Salmon
Owner: Dayna Sanders
OwnerEmail: daynasanders2003(A T)yahoo.com
Reward: 100
Description: Denver mini license plate on the back. Front tire is flat. Bike and grey or dark green paint job. We saw the thief. The person was dressed in black cutoff shorts, black shirt, black Chrome messager bag. African american female about 5’8”, mohawk hair (the popular lesbian hair style), slender build. This happened about 6:30 pm, today, Monday 4-8-2013.
Police record with: Portland PD
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike

‘Bare As You Dare’ naked ride documentary to debut at Filmed by Bike

WNBR-applause

Still from Bare As You Dare.
(Photo: NW Documentary)

Bare As You Dare, a new documentary that goes behind the scenes of Portland’s annual World Naked Bike Ride will debut at Filmed by Bike later this month. The film was created by Ian McCluskey, Lilah Cady, and Jenn Byrne from NW Documentary, a Portland-based non-profit that teaches the “art of non-fiction storytelling.”

Bare As You Dare is a 17 minute film that features interviews with the volunteers who put on the ride. It also follows several subjects to show the diverse backgrounds of the people that participate. According to a statement from Filmed by Bike, the film, “follows a variety of subjects from a cancer survivor to a reserved homebody, who are surprisingly open in sharing their personal stories and motivation for participation.”

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Breadwinner Cycles launch draws huge crowd

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breadwinner launch party-2

The launch of Breadwinner Cycles drew a huge crowd.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Breadwinner Cycles drew a huge crowd to Velo Cult on Friday night. The event marked the official launch of the company which was started by noted bike builders Tony Pereira and Ira Ryan (we profiled Breadwinner back in February).

At Friday night’s event, the highlight for me was the assemblage of locally owned Ira Ryan Cycles and Pereira Cycles bikes. Tony and Ira invited all their local customers to display their bikes as a way to demonstrate the lineages that produced Breadwinner. It was really cool to see all these custom bikes, banged up and dirty from being ridden on local streets by local riders. There were touring bikes, racing bikes, mountain and city ramblers, and everything in between. I was especially keen to meet the owners Ira and Tony’s first bikes sold in Portland…

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