Sweatin' on my Schwinn

I woke up Friday morning with no idea how I'd be getting to Claremont, NH. I called the airport, but they were fogged in. I called a motorcycle shop to see if I could hitch a ride with someone, but nobody was heading that direction. Even the bike shops were out of all their rentals because of a big race this weekend. A guy at one of the shops recommended I try Goodwill and Salvation Army, who occasionally carry a few bicycles. I called both- Goodwill didn't have any but Salvation Army had five. I walked the three miles to the thrift store, realizing that I probably should have asked a few more questions about the bikes that they did have, (Are they kid's bikes? Do they have wheels? Do they work?). An hour later I arrived and the man at the counter pointed me in the direction of the men's bikes. There were three- two mountain bikes and a Schwinn road bike. The mountain bikes were both filthy and although the Schwinn didn't look much better at least it was a road bike and much lighter. I paid $25 for the bike and $2 for what looked like a twenty year old helmet.



Within a few minutes, I was bumpily making my way down the road. The front tire was completely deflated, and I was uncomfortably being reminded of that every second. I biked the three miles back to the bike shop and bought a new inner tube ($5) and got some grease applied to the very rusty chains. Although it was far from being fancy, it was definitely usable now, and I set out on the fifty mile ride to Claremont.

There are a few other things I should mention. I don't think I've ever taken a bike ride longer than fifteen or twenty miles in my life, so I had no clue what to expect. Also, the gears on this bike are operated by these two metal handles which I was confused about how to use and terrified that the chain would fall or crumble if I did use them. So I decided to stick to the the gear the bike was already in.

So I was off, riding into the New Hampshire hills. And pretty soon I was walking my bike up the New Hampshire hills. Regularly, I would push myself a little harder when I was pedaling up hills, but with so many miles ahead of me, I didn't want to wear myself out so early. Walking may have been slower, but I figured I would take a "slow and steady wins the race" kind of attitude. In two hours I had covered about 18 miles which wasn't great, but was faster than walking the whole way. I stopped at a gas station to refill my water bottle and bought some Vitamin Water and a small bag of Wonka candy that I had never seen before. It was sort of like chocolate-covered pop rocks, and I figured I could eat them sparingly over the next few miles as a sort of incentive.

And as I kept riding, it became more and more of a blur. I think it had something to do with the intense sugar rush I had suddenly entered thanks to the candy and Fruit Punch Vitamin Water. Time was flying by even if the miles weren't, and I was finding all sorts of ways to keep my mind occupied. First I sang every Simon and Garfunkel song I could think of. Then I started singing Jackson 5, and pretty soon I was trying to sing through every song I could remember from my various Pandora radio stations. I loudly commented to myself about everything I rode by. "How about that river!" "I see seven cows and three geese!" "That elderly couple is driving very fast and coming dangerously close to pushing me off the road!"

And then I started crashing- mentally not actually. I got off my bike even for the slight hills and walked up. Even going downhill didn't seem that easy. I stopped off to pick up another Vitamin Water. I felt like an addict. But pretty soon I was getting my second wind, and was pedaling up the hills again. These cycles, (pun intended), continued the entire way, though I only drank 1 and a half bottles of Vitamin Water.

Finally, after seven miles- I think I was on my fifteenth wind at this point- I pushed my bike up the last hill to the Goddard Mansion Bed and Breakfast. I'd never been so happy to be somewhere in my life. I hadn't called to tell them I'd be late but the owners, Keith and Scott, had been following my travels on this blog and twitter. They showed me to my comfortable room in the expansive 1905 house, and although my body was tired my mind was very much awake from what may have been the longest work-out of my life. I had some chamomile tea before I laid down and let the images of rural New Hampshire race through my head. And eventually I fell asleep.

I took it easy today- enjoying a slow and delicious breakfast, (prepared by Scott), with my fellow B&B guests before walking into downtown Claremont and along the Sugar River. There's a charming business district with a lot of fun shops and restaurants, and although there are some recession-induced empty storefronts, there are a number of business opening up too. After stopping by a garage sale, I returned to the B&B. There are many lounges and sitting areas in the Goddard Mansion, and I spent at least fifteen minutes reading in all of them before finally going outside and playing fetch with Shadow, the dog. And now I'm getting ready to head to bed again. I'll be getting up early tomorrow to head over to Morningside Flight Park, where I'll be getting a lesson in paragliding. And tomorrow evening I'll be getting on the train and meeting up with Evan, (who's joining the trip for a week), as we head to Burlington, Vermont.

Gliding to Concord

I set out from my hotel yesterday morning and walked the five miles to Segway Headquarters. Sarah from Segway, recommended a shortcut over the river on a train trestle.



I was imagining the scene from Stand by Me, but luckily there was plenty of space to walk on the side. And I didn't even see a train. Pretty soon I had arrived at the Segway offices.



Sarah greeted me inside and wasted no time in getting me on one of their PTs (personal transporters). I'd been on a Segway once before, but only for a few minutes. This time I'd be riding over 25 miles on one. She went through a basic introduction. "You don't have to balance on a Segway, the Segway balances you," she instructed as I stepped on. She put the PT in "turtle mode" and I started gliding around the parking lot at a very sensible 3-4 miles an hour. Then Gerri- who'd be joining me on the road- came out and went over some safety precautions and the various alerts I should be looking out for. Basically, you can occasionally look down at the electronic display to make sure that the little profile of a face (which reminded me of Jay Leno) is still smiling.



After practicing some quick stops, I was ready to graduate from "turtle mode" and start cruising closer to 12 MPH. We took a lap around the building to practice some hills and inclined stops. Next we headed back inside to meet up with some product developers. I had heard about the PUMA, (acronym for Personal Urban Mobility & Accessibility), project
a few months back, and I really wanted to check it our for myself. The prototype happened to be at the headquarters and Derrick was able to take me for a spin on it.



As you get harnessed in and pull down the sidebar it feels like you're getting into a roller coaster. And then you're off. It zips around surprisingly fast and fluidly, and it's only on two wheels! Your feet sit on a little shelf that shifts forward and backward as the whole body of the car seamlessly balances itself on the wheels. And it maneuvers amazing well since it's got a zero turning radius, which basically means it can spin in place. They're working with GM on building the PUMA, which goes about 35 MPH and can go for about an hour on a charge. Derrick also showed me another prototype for the Centaur, a vehicle they're no longer developing.



They basically used components they had already developed, and tried to see what else they could put together. The Centaur moves pretty fast and can do some impressively long and stable wheelies. Check it out:



And then it was time to leave on my Segway PT pilgrimage to Concord, NH. I secured my helmet, hopped on, and along with Gerri on bike and Sarah in the auxiliary vehicle, we headed north.



I was amazed at the intuitiveness of it all. At first I was very conscious of shifting my weight to operate the PT, but pretty soon I was just admiring the passing woods and fields as I glided around 10-12 MPH. And whether you're going up or down hills, it operates just as smoothly and consistently. When you start approaching the Segway's speed limit of 12.5 MPH, the handlebar starts pressing against you, encouraging you to lean back a bit and slow down. It's a little surprising at first, having the device interact with you, but pretty soon I was able to find the "sweet spot" a little under 12MPH that allowed me to glide without interference.



We took some breaks, but the 25 miles took around 3 hours. I was surprised that my legs were a little sore afterward. I guess standing for three hours has it's effects, and I think I was using my knees to compensate a little over some of the uneven terrain. We entered Concord and rode to the Capitol to pose for some photos.



Then I glided over to beautiful and historic The Centennial Hotel, where I spent the night. It used to be a home for Civil War widows, and every room looks a little different. Mine had a huge deck and a little circular sitting room.

And now... I'm not sure. I have to get to Claremont, NH by the end of the day, but I'm still not exactly sure how I'll do that. I could bike, but it's about fifty miles and honestly, that's not my first choice. I'm looking into some scooter, airplane, and hot air balloon options, and we'll see what I can come up with. And feel free to send ideas this way.

To New Hampshire and Beyond!

I turned on the TV yesterday morning at my friend Peter's apartment in Boston. The Today Show was on and Matt was on location in front of some historic building. As I started waking up a little more I realized that Matt was in Boston and broadcasting from Faneuil Hall which was on the way to the train station- my destination for that morning.



I hopped on the T and headed downtown. As soon as I got off the train at Government Square, there were TV trucks everywhere. The Clark Rockefeller trial was going on, and all the crews were out to cover it. Then I spotted the NBC News truck, and pretty soon I saw Matt Lauer glancing over some notes as a crowd of cell phone photographers looked on.



He was finishing up his part of the show, and as I walked by he was leaving the set. I waved and he looked at me a little confused. "What are you doing here?" He asked. I explained I was on the trip, heading North. He introduced me to Jim Bell, executive producer of Today, and Matt reminded Jim of my segment last week. We chatted for a minute before he headed back to New York and I headed for the train station. I boarded the Downeaster Amtrak a little after 9AM and headed into New Hampshire.



After about an hour and a half we pulled up in Exeter, New Hampshire. I had been talking and emailing with Mike from the nearby Hampton Airfield for a few days. He owns an old biplane from the 1930s and offered to fly me to Manchester. We were planning on flying the next morning, but the biplane can't fly in heavy winds, so we had to keep the plans tentative. I called Mike from the train, and he said the current weather was great, but it looked like rain was on the way and that we should try to take off ASAP. I had also been in touch with Josh from Wheel Power, a bicycle shop in Exeter, a few weeks earlier so I walked there from the train station.



We were originally talking about biking the whole way to Manchester, but that was before the biplane ride entered the picture. I told him I had to get to Hampton Airfield as soon as I could, so he generously lent me a mountain bike and gave me directions for the eight mile ride. About half an hour later I reached my destination.



I met up with Dick, my pilot, at the Airfield Cafe. He was sitting down to lunch with the other airfield staff and some local plane enthusiasts. He didn't seem to be in a rush- the weather was still looking good- and he encouraged me to join the table for a snack before we left. They told me about the history of the plane- it was originally used for barnstorming (aka stunt flying) before it somehow fell into the hands of a crop duster in the Midwest. The Hampton Airfield bought it a few years ago and recently restored it to its barnstorming glory.



It looked like something out of a movie with the cloth wings and all the wires and poles holding them in place. The seats were open to the outside, and they warned me that it would be loud and windy so I suited up with an Amelia Earhart-style pilot's cap and goggles before I climbed aboard.



Dick and I got comfortable in our seats and he turned the engine on for ten minutes to warm up the oil before take off. We taxied to one end of the grassy runway, turned around as the propeller amped up, and pretty soon we were airborne. Looking at the classic plane on the ground, it was hard to imagine that this contraption could actually fly, but pretty soon we were soaring over trees and buildings. It was louder and windier than I expected, and without windows it really gives you a different flying experience. I was much more sensitive to the changing wind currents and various air pockets that provided the occasional weightless "stomach dropping" moments.



After about forty minutes we landed at Manchester International Airport and pulled into the Wiggins Airways terminal between some FedEx planes and some Army helicopters. Everyone on the tarmac seemed to gravitate over to get a closer look at our unique aircraft. Dick mentioned that it's one of only five of its kind still flying. There were only around 150 of them manufactured to begin with.



I had planned on staying in Exeter that night and had already arranged for a place to sleep there, so I wasn't sure what I was going to do now that I was in Manchester. I put out a tweet and called a few people, but nothing seemed to be coming together. The nice folks at Wiggins Airways had a contact at a nearby hotel though, and were able to get me an employees rate for the night. This was my second night paying for accommodations on this trip, but at least I wasn't paying much. And there was free WiFi.

Today I'm walking to Segway headquarters for a tour and then a twenty-five mile Segway "glide" to Concord, NH. I'll be in Concord tonight, and then tomorrow I'll have to find my way to Claremont, NH about fifty miles away. I'm looking into a few options, though I'm far from having a concrete plan. I could bike the fifty miles, but I hear it's hilly. Feel free to write in with any ideas...

My Afternoon at MIT

Yesterday I took Boston's Subway over to MIT to meet up with Ryan Chin and some masters students in their Smart Cities program. As their website explains:

We examine intelligent, sustainable buildings, mobility systems, and cities, with a focus on new technologies for efficient use of urban energy, sustainability, and cultural creativity.

For the past few years they've been working on "wheel robots," which are basically wheels which incorporate the motors and suspension in the wheel itself. They've applied this technology to a few different projects which are in various states of development. Ryan and Michael showed me their GreenWheel project first.



Basically, they've taken off the back wheel of a bicycle and replaced it with one of their "wheel robots" turning it into an electric bike. Unlike other electric bikes though, the battery and motor are all in-wheel which means it doesn't need any wiring and the throttle can be controlled by a wireless remote on the handlebar.



I took the prototype for a spin around the block, and it's got a surprising amount of power. I was zipping along at over 15 miles per hour, though they say it can go close to 20 MPH. They're talking to a few companies about getting the GreenWheel to market in a few different ways. They could sell it as a complete bicycle or they could just sell the wheel which could then be attached to any other bike with a simple conversion. They're very interested in using it in bike share programs similar to ones that exist in DC and Paris.

Next Ryan showed me the RoboScooter, an electric scooter with robot wheels that folds in half.



They have two prototypes so far, though neither was available to ride when I stopped by. It goes about 35 miles per hour, and they'd like to see share programs set up for these as well. The RoboScooter probably won't be available for another two years or so, but you can see it in action here:



And lastly Ryan showed me a few prototypes-in-progress for the CityCar- their most ambitious "wheel robot" project. By putting these smart wheels on a car, it changes pretty much everything. When each wheel has its own motor and suspension you no longer need a drive system or pedals or even a steering wheel. Each wheel can move independently allowing for parallel parking or for the car to rotate in circles. These two seaters would open from the front, and even fold themselves up for parking. I saw a few different prototypes they had built to test different aspects of the CityCar- one testing the steering (which looked more like a videogame joystick), one testing the wheels, and one testing the folding ability. They're currently working on building a small-scale operational version of the vehicle. Here are some early computer animations that give you an idea of what the completed car would look like:



It was inspiring to see so many smart people working on all these exciting projects. The Smart Cities team is passionate about creating sustainable transportation, and they don't stop at vehicle creation. They're also working out the details for the share programs where they envision their vehicles being used. Ryan even showed me a chart which calculated how to use a flexible price model in order to keep the vehicles properly distributed around a city. It's not a huge team, and they're not working with big budgets, but they're doing some serious innovation. Instead of handing over hundreds of millions to the car companies, couldn't we just give a few million to these guys?



On a side note- when I was walking through the Boston Public Gardens I saw ducklings in the pond! Which is special because the gardens are the inspiration for the classic book, Make Way for Ducklings. If only I could harness the cuteness of ducklings to power a vehicle...

Video from SC and VA

The Un-Road Trip arrives in South Carolina and I hitch rides on veggie oil-powered ambulances, free bikes, electric lawn mowers, and a midnight train. Then I'm off to Charlottesville, Virginia for more biking and a unicycle lesson!

Day 32 - 36 from Boaz Frankel on Vimeo.

Original song written and recorded by Paul Gude.

Behind the Scenes at the Today Show

I arrived at studio 1A around 9AM with my friend Adena. She's been a Today viewer for most of her life, and I knew she would be great company for what I figured would be a morning full of lots of waiting. Surprisingly, there actually wasn't a lot of waiting- they run a pretty tight ship at NBC. As soon as we arrived they directed us into one of the green rooms- they have other green rooms for the famous guests, but this one was for the "common folk" guests. Adena and I had been watching the show before we left so we immediately recognized some of the other people in the room, most notably the woman who attempted to assassinate President Ford in 1975. I wasn't sure what to make of her interview on TV, but in person she seemed pretty grandmotherly. I was a little nervous to start a conversation, but after leaving the room for a moment to change pants I returned to find Adena deep in conversation with her about her years in prison and return to the outside world.

A few minutes later, an NBC page led me downstairs to the makeup room. There was a long wall of chairs and mirrors with a rotating roster of various guests getting painted and powdered. I took a seat and Christine started applying some base and powder. I glanced to my left quickly, and then took a double take- James Taylor was getting his makeup applied a mere two feet away. I wanted to say something, but I didn't want to make him feel like he was trapped talking to me. I waited until I was done getting my makeup, and as I got up from my chair I thanked Christine and said, "it was an honor having my makeup done next to James Taylor." He looked over and smiled and asked my name. I asked if he was singing on the show, but he was on to talk about a non-profit organization he works with. Then he asked what I was doing on the show. I told him about the trip and he had a lot of questions- How long had I been on the road? What's my route? How far did I go on the pogo stick? After two minutes of chatting, a producer entered and whisked him off to get ready for his segment and I walked upstairs to the green room.

As soon as I had sat down, Adam the producer who was working on my segment, led me and Adena to the studio. We talked through the structure of the segment and the vehicles I'd be showing off. First, I'd answer a few questions about the trip and then we'd move over to the motorized cooler from Hammacher Schlemmer. They like making jokes about Hoda and Kathie Lee's love of wine, so they'd filled the cooler with a few bottles. As I show off the cooler, I'd pull out a bottle or two and offer it to them. Then I'd get on and ride in a tight circle. At first we thought that Hoda might try it out, but then we noticed she was wearing a skirt. Next, I'd show off the Vurtego Pogo Sticks and do a few jumps on one. Then I'd show off the Razor Powerwings and Kathie Lee and Hoda would give them a test drive around the studio. Then Matt Lauer came into the studio. By 10AM he's long done with his hosting duties but he came down to say hi and wish me luck on the segment. He had to get back to his office, but he said he'd turn on his TV and watch from there. He's honestly one of the nicest guys I've ever met, and I hope I can one day return all these favors. As we got closer to the start of my segment Hoda walked over and expressed some concern about me jumping on the pogo stick, before recommending that I don't jump on it at all without a helmet. A stage manager walked up and mentioned that we only 2:30 for the segment now, down from the original 3 minutes. I thought through what i was going to say and how to do it briefly, and then they were suddenly counting down from twenty as Kathie Lee raced over from the other side of the studio. And then it started- I'll paste the segment below once again in case you missed it the first time:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Before I could even get to the Razor Powerwings, Hoda and Kathie Lee were closing out the interview and suddenly we were in a commercial break. Two and a half minutes had zipped by. I hadn't even had a chance to mention the website, twitter, or that I was looking for more transportation ideas. But I was also impressed with how much we had covered in this short period of time. They cram a lot of stuff into this show, but that's what keeps it exciting. I headed back to the green room, collected my stuff, and ten minutes later Adena and I were back on the street looking into the studio from the other side of the glass.

As soon as I opened my email, the facebook and twitter messages started coming in. Even though I hadn't mentioned the website, people were still finding it and getting in touch. And they still are. Though I still haven't found anyone who can take me over to the Canadian border into Detroit in something other than a gas-powered car. Anyone have any ideas?

Week Seven Tally

A quick look at the numbers as I start my seventh week on the Un-Road Trip:

22 states I've been through
57 modes of transportation
6,000 miles traveled
14 homes I've stayed at
6 hotels I've stayed at
7 nights spent on a train
3 nights spent on boat
1 night I paid for accommodation
3 pairs of shoes worn
dozens of Clif Bars eaten (I'll work on calculating the exact number)

Any other stats you'd like to see? Let me know.