Evelyn Has A Billiken

Readers of Two Wheels North know that Vic amd Ray carried  with them a small  figurine of a "Billiken," the mascot of the Alaska Pacific Yukon Exposition.  Their Billiken survived a number of mishaps, including being briefly stolen.  Sadly, its fate is unknown--both Vic and Ray in later life assumed that the other had the Billiken, but neither did.

We learned this year when we met Evelyn that she, also, did not have a Billiken. Well, we have taken car of that.  The US Postal Service yesterday delivered one to her, courtesy of Wheels North.

The Billikens are starting to return home, and we look forward to carrying ours back to Seattle after his 100-year absence next year.

Sleeping on Wheels North

Laurie suggested this great solution to lodging for Wheels North ...

Actually ... all participants in Wheels North (riders and support crew) will be provided with daily lodging, full sag support and gear transport, and everything else needed to make the ride as enjoyable as possible.

Reminder:  Wheels North is open to all kinds of bicycles, from high wheelers to modern carbon-fiber speedsters.  Go to the Wheels North web site for more information on how to become a rider.

Riding in the Rain (Video)

It probably won't rain on Wheels North, but is was raining in Davis today. Despite the wet weather, we went out for a ride ... and got quite wet. Here's a video:

Santa Rosa Part 2: Mendocino Avenue VIDEO

Turning right on Mendocino Avenue, we continue to follow Vic and Ray's 1909 route.

Where It All Began -- VIDEO

Here's a video of the starting point for Wheels North--Fifth Street in downtown Santa Rosa.  We'll be here in a few short months to follow in Vic and Ray's footsteps (wheelsteps?).

Win a Richard Sachs Frameset and Support Wheels North

Here is your chance--maybe your last chance--to own a custom frame from Richard Sachs, one of the world's premiere builders, *and* contribute to a worthy cause at the same time.

Starting on August 15th, 2008, Richard stopped taking orders from new customers. If you don't already own a Sachs and weren't in the queue by then, you can't order a frame from Richard.

However, Richard held one slot in the waiting list open for Wheels North, a fundraising ride that benefits research into Histiocytosis, a rare and deadly disease. That slot is being auctioned off, which means that you have the chance to have your own Richard Sachs frameset.

Just 100 tickets will be sold for this auction, at $100 each. Proceeds from the auction go to the Histiocytosis Association of America and Wheels North.  Click Here to buy raffle chances online

To learn more about Richard Sachs: www.richardsachs.com

Live Reports!

We'll be posting live blog reports from Wheels North next year. Here's a test--a photo from a ride last week.

Wheels North Promo Video

Click here to see the Wheels North promotional video from our friends over at The Bicyclist!  (Yes, everyone who rides to Portland with us will have a chance to meet Elle and the other stars of The Bicyclist.)

The Bicyclist: The Movie

Our friends over at The Bicyclist are making a big screen movie.  Check it out:

More Turn of the Century Cycling Stuff

We recently saw the DVD documentary, "The Six-Day Bicycle Races: America's Jazz-Age Sport," and can recommend it highly to anyone interested in turn-of-the-century and early 20th Century cycling. 

Narrated by Frank Deford, a longtime contributor to Sports Illustrated magazine and National Public Radio, SDBR is loaded with great photos and film from the period, as well as interviews with some of the surviving six-day racers.  Check it out at the SDBR web site: www.sixdaybicyclerace.com 

Histio Awareness Month

A reminder that September is Histiocytosis Awareness Month.  Wheels North invites you to check out the Histiocytosis Association of America's web site for more info:  Click Here

1903 All Over Again

To show the types of bikes and equipment that Vic and Ray would have used in the original 1909 ride, we've posted scans of the 1903 Sears Catalog.  Check them out here. 

Reminder to potential Wheels North riders: ANY kind of bicycle is welcome on Wheels North!

Coming Soon!

Watch this Sunday's Skagit Valley Herald for a feature on Evelyn Gibb, Two Wheels North, and Wheels North.  For those who don't live in the Skagit (Washington) area, go to www.goskagit.com and click on the "Living" link.

Commemorating the AYPE

Several organizations have been formed to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition, and we're proud to be listed as one of the projects contributing to the centennial events.  Check out our listing here

More info on all of the AYPE centennial events is available here: www.aype.org

More Historic Photos

Wheels North author Evelyn Gibb has very graciously provided some family photos of her father, Vic McDaniel.  We've posted them in the Historic Photos section of the Wheels North web site. 

Evelyn McDaniel Gibb--In Person!

We (Eric and Laurie) were very fortunate to be able to spend some time this week with Evelyn McDaniel Gibb, author of "Two Wheels North."  Evelyn is a delightful person, as full of life at 84 as her father undoubtedly was when he (Vic McDaniel) left Santa Rosa in 1909 with his friend, Ray Francisco, to ride to Seattle.  Evelyn, who now lives about an hour's drive north of Seattle, very kindly shared some reminisces of her father with us (watch for photos to be posted at the Wheels North web site soon).  

Evelyn has a standing invitation to be a part of Wheels North, and we hope to see her in Santa Rosa and Seattle next year.

Thank you, Evelyn--See you next year!

Wheels North Meets Huell Howser

We were on hand today to meet Huell Howser and be part of a the filming of a story about Winters' restored bicycle/pedestrian bridge (that's Huell in the photo inside Steady Eddy's coffee shop).  Wheels North will arrive in Winters on the evening of July 4, 2009, and we'll start our second day of riding here on July 5.  

We were able to give Huell information about the ride, and we hope to hear from him!

Wheels North on "The Bicyclist"!

A big thanks to Elle Poindexter and everyone at The Bicyclist!  They've filmed a video promo featuring Elle, which you can see at the end of Episode 29 (it's about 9:15 in).  

We'll be visiting with Elle and The Bicyclist next year in Portland, Oregon ... and maybe ending up as part of their show?

A New Member of Wheels North: Laurie

This past Friday was a great day for us (Eric) -- we married the Girl of Our Dreams, Laurie.  She's already signed on as a support worker for Wheels North, so everyone who takes part can look forward to seeing her smiling face at rest stops from Santa Rosa to Seattle.  Here's a photo of Laurie on our wedding day.

7-4-08: One Year To Go!

Today is the Fourth of July, which means two things:  

1) In one week, Wheels North's Eric Norris (me) will be getting married to Laurie,  the Girl of My Dreams, and 

2) One year from today, the Wheels North riders will be starting our ride in downtown Santa Rosa!

With one year to go, a lot of work has already been done.  We've already collected almost $2000 in donations for the ride, with more to come from fundraisers already under way.  We have a great core group of riders (and plenty of room for more).  We have a day-by-day itinerary, and have started to lay the groundwork for events along the way.

But there's much more to come, and we invite everyone to continue watching this blog and our web site for updates.

See you in Santa Rosa in One Year!