Administrator and author of Biking Bis. Currently live in the Seattle area; previously Texas, California, Maryland, Georgia and Ohio. Own a Lemond road bike for light riding and Rockhopper for poor weather riding and touring.

Most commented posts

  1. How to enforce 3-foot passing law to protect bicyclists — 51 comments
  2. Washington state lists parks with bike/hike campsites — 20 comments
  3. 10 longest rail-trails for bicycling — John Wayne Pioneer Trail in Washington leads the list — 19 comments
  4. Indiana town says “No” to bicycle tourism — 18 comments
  5. Are bike path bollards an unnecessary hazard? — 17 comments

Author's posts

Say goodbye to bicycle commuter tax benefit; thanks GOP

In the rush to give huge tax cuts to corporations, the Senate and House conference committee has removed a small tax benefit for those who regularly commute by bicycle.

Passed in 2008, the Bicycle Commuter Act enabled any employer to provide a reimbursement of up to $20 per month for expenses incurred by an employee …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2017/12/18/say-goodbye-to-bicycle-commuter-tax-benefit-thanks-gop/

Across-state and multi-day bike tours listed here

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve updated the state-by-state list of Across-State and Multi-Day bicycle tours. Some states have none, but most have multiple rides. I’d estimate there are more than 100 rides listed.

By popular demand (a few requests over the years), I’ve also listed the rides in a calendar and agenda format. …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2017/12/15/across-state-and-multi-day-bike-tours-listed-here/

Eastside Rail Corridor Trail suddenly taking shape in Renton, Newcastle and Bellevue

Work crews are plowing ahead this fall to turn a 4.5-mile segment of the old BNSF railroad tracks between Renton and Bellevue into a bicycle-friendly trail by the first of the year.

Most of the rails already have been pulled from the Eastside Rail Corridor Trail between Coulon Park in Renton and Newcastle Beach Park …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2017/12/14/eastside-rail-corridor-trail-suddenly-taking-shape-in-renton-newcastle-and-bellevue/

Seattle’s 520 Trail open to bicycles on Dec. 20

The 520 Trail across Lake Washington is scheduled to open Dec. 20, connecting the Eastside’s Medina with Montlake in Seattle.

The trail currently is blocked at mid-span, preventing cyclists and pedestrians from crossing from the Eastside into Seattle.

As you can see from this map, the 520 Trail will dramatically change bicycling for the better …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2017/12/04/seattles-520-trail-open-to-bicycles-on-dec-20/

Trump’s insensitive remarks during Navajo code-talker ceremony rekindles memory of kindness on bike tour

My friend Bruce and I met many remarkable, giving people when we rode our bicycles cross-country in 1984.

Among them were the Cookie Lady in Virginia and Lazy Louie in Missouri, both known for offering welcome support for exhausted traveling bicyclists.


Not so well-known is Roy Hawthorne, who lives in Window Rock, AZ, on the Navajo Reservation. We met Roy and his wife at a Fourth of July Navajo Rodeo in Gallup. They invited us to their home to spend the night the next day. That’s where we learned that Roy was a Navajo Code Talker who fought in WWII and the Korea, where he lost his leg.

(The Navajo Code Talkers was a Marine Corps cadre formed in WWII to use the Navajo language to communicate on the battlefield. The Japanese never figured out the “code”.)

With pleasant memories of the Hawthornes’ hospitality and Roy’s patriotism and sacrifice, I was happy to see President Trump honor them at the White House on Monday.

But that turned into shock when Trump used the occasion to make a racial slur to take a jab at an opponent, Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren….. MORE

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2017/11/28/trumps-insensitive-remarks-during-navajo-code-talker-ceremony-rekindles-memory-of-kindness-on-bike-tour/

Middle-finger salute to Trump costs bicyclist her job

A woman who demonstrated her displeasure with President Trump’s policies by flipping the bird at his motorcade last week was sacked by her employer, a government contractor.

Juli Briskman, a 50-year-old mother of two, told the Huffington Post that she was fired by Akima LLC after her boss told her that she had violated company …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2017/11/06/middle-finger-salute-to-trump-costs-bicyclist-her-job/

NYC bike path becomes scene of terror

A New York City bike path used by bicyclists and pedestrians alike became the scene of a horrific attack Tuesday, leaving at least 8 dead.

A man reportedly drove a rented flatbed truck for nearly a mile along the West Side Highway bike path on Monday afternoon. After the truck rammed a school bus, the …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2017/10/31/nyc-bike-path-becomes-scene-of-terror/

Bike ride to fall color on Snoqualmie Valley Trail

The bands of winter rains lately dubbed The Big Dark by local media seemed to vanish early this week in the Pacific Northwest, so I made a bee-line to the Snoqualmie Valley Trail east of Seattle.

The section between Carnation (named for its contented dairy herds) and Duvall drew my attention because it gets a …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2017/10/25/bike-ride-to-fall-color-on-snoqualmie-valley-trail/

California wildfires spark bike ride cancellations; narrow escape by bike; Leipheimer house destroyed

Bike ride organizers in Northern California have postponed at least one event and changed the route of another as firefighters battle horrific wildfires in several counties.

Not wanting to hamper efforts to control the wildland fires, organizers also realize that air quality in the region is not ideal for outdoor exercise.

The 10th Annual …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2017/10/12/california-wildfires-spark-bike-ride-cancellations-route-changes/

Hit and run suspect in charity bike ride arrested in California

A man who swerved into a group of bicyclists on a charity bike ride in Marin County this weekend and fled found himself in police custody less than 12 hours later.

Four cyclists participating in the Jensie Gran Fondo charity ride were struck by the man when he swerved into the group; 1 was airlifted to …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2017/10/09/hit-and-run-driver-who-swerved-into-charity-cyclists-arrested-in-california/