JUNKRAFT

June 26th

“Only 100 miles to go!” No sooner were the words out of Marcus’s mouth, when I felt my bike sag – flat tire number 9! Fortunately, this was to be our last. We had just met with our friends at the Surfrider office in Dana Point, to discuss some future projects with Algalita and Surfrider’s Rise Above Plastics campaign.

With thoughts of Mexican food on our minds, we quickly fixed our flat and pushed on towards San Diego, to put up our last display at the International Surfing Day event hosted by Revolt In Style. Here, we had a chance to chat about solutions to pollution with a host of surfers and onlookers. For example, avoiding plastic bottles, a common offender at outdoor events,  by using stainless steel bottles. Ecousable, our favorite, offers a bottle with a built in filter – which we’ve been using throughout our journey.

We then satisfied our Mexican cravings in Old Town San Diego – some of the best guacamole yet, and set out on the last and final leg: to Tijuana.

2,000 miles cycling, 9 flat tires, 40 talks, meeting with 5 mayors, and many joyful (some painful) hours in the saddle later, we finally crossed the border!

We wheeled our bikes through the teeming throngs of Tijuana craziness just far enough to grab a celebratory Margarita, toast our amazing journey, and head back home.

Its been an amazing adventure, and we are incredibly grateful for of the essential help we’ve had along the way – from friends and strangers,  from our wonderful sponsors, from the Surfrider chapters and local non-profits all working towards the same goal as we are – trying to create a more livable legacy for the future.

Here’s a video wrap up of our 3 months on the road:

Now back in Los Angeles, we’re readjusting to life in the fast lane, and beginning to think about our next projects: A host of new school outreach programs based on JUNKride, synthetic chemicals in our bodies, organic/local food, and bike culture. A research expedition to the North and South Atlantic gyres in Jan/Feb. Further research into plastic particles in ocean sediments. And our future goal of starting a school/museum/sustainability center here in Los Angeles. Stay tuned, and keep in touch!

On June 20th a band of merry cyclist met at the Santa Monica Pier to begin a 70-mile ride.  First stop for bagels and coffee was at the Ballona Institute.  We met Nick Karno, Deputy City Attorney for Los Angeles, who spoke about the issue of plastic debris in the Ballona Wetlands and Los Angeles communities.

Our ride continued to Redondo Beach where we met up with a couple dozen cyclists and our friend and professional cyclist, Tony Cruz.  The pack headed uphill through Rancho Palos Verdes, descending into Long Beach to celebrate International Surf Day in Marine Park.  There we were greeted by Brett Beck and 3rd District Councilman Gary DeLong.

Anna spoke briefly about the issue of plastics and handed Councilman DeLong a sample of the plastic soup from the North Pacific Gyre.  We hung around for an hour talking with many wonderful people, including staff and volunteers of our organization, the Algalita Marine Research Foundation.  Many familiar faces were present to welcome us home.

Though we’re not done yet.  By 1:00pm we were back on our bicycles heading south. There are 116 miles between Long Beach and the border of Mexico.

Our website has sadly been hacked into somehow, so we’ve been unable to update our blog. Recently posted an update on my Bring Your Own site, which I’m importing here. Soon we’ll repost a summary of the last few weeks. We’re just a few days away from the Tijuana River!

we’ve had some amazing adventures – had our JUNKraft displayed on the steps of the Sacramento Capitol, visited a bunch of legislators to discuss marine debris legislation, met the Mayor of San Francisco, built a zero waste plastic bottle boat in Tiburon, gave a bunch of presentations, met with a group of powerful leaders at Google for an epic plastic brainstorming session, and in between, recharged for a few days in Sonoma/Napa, climbing some killer ascents and wine tasting as a reward.

While we’re sorting our our JUNKride site issues, a quick photo recap of the last few weeks here.

After a wonderful, HOT few days in Chico, where we stayed with the GRUB collective and gave a small talk at the University, we slogged our way to Sacramento – a looong, hot, flat ride, to find JUNKraft diplayed on the front steps of the State Capitol, front and center!

Then on to San Francisco via Napa/Sonoma, relishing in the Elysian fields….here we were treated to some incredible hospitality by Richard Martin of Versant Vineyards. After a grueling hill, Richard greeted us with a phenomenal bottle of his own wine, fed us homemade risotto, grilled asparagus, and a mixed green salad with goat cheese, and gave us a tour of the grounds.

In San Francisco, we gave a talk with Green Sangha at the Marin Recycling Center, followed by a talk at The Aquarium of the Bay with Surfrider. Both had great turnouts, with energized crowds that we’ve heard have run with the momentum, and begun organizing follow up events. Exactly what we’d hope for.

Some highlights in the Bay:

Presenting Mayor Gavin Newsome with a gyre sample, and having a chance to share Algalita’s research with our next potential California Governor!

Meeting David De Rothschild from Plastiki, chatting about our respective projects, and presenting him with a plastic bottle from JUNKraft: We hope to return for Plastiki’s launch, and bid the crew fair winds:

Touring the grounds of the Marin Recycling Center, run by local hero Joe Garbarino. Joe has employed some simple, yet time tested recycling methods, like bringing in pigs, chickens, and peacocks (!)  to recycle food waste into compost. The creatures also provide a bit of joy and playfulness to the place, lifting everyone’s spirits.

Joe confirmed what we’ve heard from other recycling centers about where our plastic waste truly goes: either right back to the landfill, like these plastic bags here, or shipped off to China in huge bales. What happens to it next?                            

And finally, building a zero waste plastic bottle barge at the Richardson Bay Audubon Center, with a ton of help from Erin Blackwood, who rounded up a bunch of junk materials for us.

A group of enthused youngters helped finish the boat, launch it in the water, and test its seaworthiness….it worked! Marcus spent the next hour giving boat rides to the kids, who eagerly jumped aboard, while others picked up trash on the beach. All in all, a tremendous success.

We’re now in Santa Cruz, preparing for our next talk in a few hours with Save Our Shores. Tomorrow, we head for Monterey for a series of talks, with the Monterey Institute, MBARI, a local school, and a brown bag for the Monterey Bay Aquarium staff. More updates to come here while we pray for our blog to reappear.

May 18th, Chico CA. Temperature: HOT!

After 6 weeks of wearing every single item of Patagonia gear donated to JUNKride, we’re quickly shedding layers. Goodbye temperate coastal rainforest, hello inland California – mid May, and its already upwards of 100 degrees!

Since our last talk at Humboldt State, we’ve been in travel mode, crossing the Trinities to get to our next round of events in Chico, Sacramento, and San Francisco. We’re in for a busy few weeks, so this period of riding, climbing, hydrating, and climbing some more has been a great time to reflect. Especially on all of the amazing supporters/friends that have allowed us to get here.

The first 6-mile climb had us silently thanking Ecousable, one of our key supporters. Ecousable founder Joey

Ecousable bottles w/ filter

Mendelsohn kept Marcus and Joel hydrated with 150 stainless steel bottles on JUNKraft, provided generous financial support, and didn’t hesitate to offer the same for JUNKride. We’re both carrying his latest product on our bikes – a stainless steel bottle with built in filter, allowing us to fill up at any gas station or roadside fountain, and instantly sip filtered water. Note: this photo was weeks ago, thus the warm weather gear.

“Thank god we at least took some spin classes in LA!” panted Marcus during climb number 2. Though we were too crazed to train as we should have, we were able to get in decent shape thanks to Revolution Fitness in Santa Monica. Revolution sponsored us with as many spin classes as we could squeeze in  highly appreciated during these monster ascents.

The next 2800 climb turned our thoughts to food. “Kashi granola and peanut butter sounds pretty good about now”, mused Marcus. During JUNKraft’s 3-month epic journey, Marcus and Joel lived for a few weeks on Kashi cereal, before running into Roz Savage. Kashi continued their support by sponsoring JUNKride. Sadly, we couldn’t fit 10 pounds of granola on our bikes….

Instead, we stopped for a typical picnic of tomatoes, avocados, peppers and cheese wrapped in a few whole-wheat tortillas, and reflected on our JUNKride to date. We’ve had a chance by now to speak with thousands of people, give gyre samples to two Mayors, speak with a dozen reporters, and share our message with hundreds of school children. And we’ve come to a few conclusions about what we think needs to change to truly tackle this throwaway plastics issue, a symptom of  some basic flaws in our consumer culture. Stand by for a detailed account: in a nutshell: education, legislation, industry cooperation, smarter consumer choices, and cradle to cradle design. No one said it would be easy…..

We finished the day with a glorious 7-mile descent into Willow Creek, the Bigfoot Capitol of America. We stayed at the Bigfoot Motel, shared a bottle of Bigfoot Red, and took a few pix with Sasquatch himself before

Made it to the top!

logging in at least another 7,000 feet or so of climbing. Some of the most spectacular riding of the entire journey, through terrain that made us want to disappear into a small town, pan for gold, play music at the local pub, and revel in the scenery.

Our next talk however beckons, so we continue to Chico, where we’re hosted by the GRUB collective on an amazing 40-acre farm. We begin our talk in less than an hour, and then hop right on our bikes to make 20 miles of night riding towards Sacramento, so details will wait until the next post!

May 10th, Arcata CA
Marcus here. Anna’s always riding ahead of me.  I like to think it’s because I’m playing Mr. Safety taking up the rear, but the truth is that she’s a stronger cyclist.  I catch up on the downhill thanks to the momentum I throw around. We’re hustling from town to town making our way through Oregon to Arcata, California before we turn inland over the mountains.  Surfrider Charlie Plybon in Newport whipped out his rolodex of surfers and observers he knows down the coast, giving us a place to crash every 40 miles.  On May 2nd we hit the 101 against a fierce headwind.  We’re giving a talk at the public library in Port Orford.
We meet Leesa, Alisha and Briana, who work for POORT – the Port Orford Ocean Research Team. We give our talk, enjoy a great barbeque dinner, sleep soundly and rise early for a tour of Port Orford.
“There are no boats in the water,” I say to Alisha.  This is one of the few ports that plucks it’s commercial fleet out of the water after every trawl.  Twice a day the fishermen drop into the sea to run their long lines and crab pots.  “No nets!” Alisha proudly declares.  Before working with POORT, she was an observer, hired by the state to join fishermen on their boats to monitor what they catch.  “Net’s account for the most bycatch,” she says, referring to the unwanted or protected fish that are caught and thrown away.  POORT is about public education and policy change.  One of their recent achievements is the creation of a marine reserve, which designates a “no catch” area along the coast.  Recently, at the Blue Visions Summit in Washington DC, POORT was acknowledged for their “Seaweed” efforts (what landlovers call “grassroots”) to sustain our seas.
After the tour, we’re off to Gold Beach, 30 miles away to stay with another observer, Sandy and her two dachshunds, Pebbles and Cinnamon.  “You guys ought to stay here tomorrow, there’s a storm on the way,” Sandy warns.  Her habit as an observer, watching fishermen on boats for a week at a time, is to keep up on the weather.  “I don’t think you’d get very far with a 70mph headwind.”  Over dinner she tells us about the challenges of observer work in Alaska and Oregon.  Being the lone woman monitoring fishermen at work on their own boat can be interesting  She’s dealt with rude curmudgeons and gentleman captains, all salty sailors with stories of the giants that got away and mountainous waves.  All seemed fanciful until one storm sent their boat rocking from side to side, horizontal at times, 40ft. waves crashing into the captains deck on top of the boat.  “That’s why I watch the weather,” she adds.
The next day we sit in the book store staring out the window at horizontal rain, road signs vibrating with each 50-70mph gust, an the windows and walls vibrating.  This is the Pacific Northwest.
Gold Beach to Brookings, to Crescent City, crossing into California, to Klamath, and into redwood forests. The road from Klamath veered off the 101 through the Prairie Creek Redwood Forest winding among millennia-old trees, in and out of sun.  It’s warmth descending between clouds and through a skyscraper canopy.  These trees are massive monuments to living resilience. I enter the forest bummed about my sore body from the waist down, and exit with a Cheshire grin.  It’s impossible not to be awestruck.  The coastline opens again at Patrick’s Point near Trinidad.  Anna and I sit on Wedding Rock, thinking of our own to come.

Trinidad, California is a town of 311 sitting atop a bluff overlooking the ocean.  On the morning of May 8th I slowly roll out of bed, knowing I’ve got a couple of hours till we visit Trinidad Elementary.  Anna’s already up and ready to put in an hour of internet time at the WiFi coffeehouse across the street.  At 9:30 we meet 120 K-8 students in the cafeteria.  There are paper cutouts of fish and seashells hanging from the ceiling, in preparation for the ocean dance tonight.  After out talk, we visit a couple of classrooms to show a few students the regurgitated remains of a albatross bolus from Midway Atoll filled with plastic fragments.  “Let’s sing them a song,” one student yells.  We’ve never seen students so eager to sing, but they belt out a loud and harmonious version of Santana’s “You’ve Got to Change Your Evil Ways”, but “ways” is pronounced “Waste”, and the lyrics match the theme of ocean pollution.
From Trinidad Elementary it’s another 16 miles to Humbolt University, where we give a talk to the local Surfrider Chapter in Arcata.  After a day of rest we head out on Hwy 299 for an uphill climb over the coastal range.  We’re due in Chico and Sacramento next week.

Watch the first few weeks of our ride here – through Washington and Oregon, meeting the Mayor of Portland, having Anna’s blood drawn for toxic analysis, and meeting a sea lion entangled in fishing line.

We’re now gearing up to cross the California border – been a few days of raging winds and light rains, recap to follow. First, 40 miles to make to Klamath!

April 29th, Florence, Oregon

Relaxing with our laptops in front of a fireplace in Florence, Oregon after a great event in Newport and a phenomenal 60-mile ride down the coast, we’re both incredibly grateful for this opportunity. A chance to reconnect with real people and beautiful places – and recharge the battery that urban life has a way of draining.

We spent Sunday in Newport, catching up on emails and errands, and reveling in the spectacular setting. Though we were strangers in town, Newport turned out to have a familiar feel – everywhere we went, we saw flyers advertising our event, and met people who recognized our mission, “Are you those plastic folks on bikes? Yeah, we heard something about you…”

This was all thanks to Charlie Plybon, Newport’s Surfrider chair, and tireless organizer. We even heard him referred to as “King Charlie” by John, the owner of a convenience store where we stopped in to take advantage of the “free internet” sign posted outside. John also told us about a Sea Lion that held court daily on the dock, with a fishing line trapped around its neck.

We immediately went to investigate. Sure enough, flopped on the dock, amongst a group of grunting, puppy-faced blubber balls, one Sea Lion had a distinct collar cut deep into its neck – remnants of a synthetic line. Its one thing to state – as we often do in our presentation – that hundreds of thousands of marine creatures die due to entanglement. It’s another thing entirely to watch a beautiful animal trapped in a piece of our garbage.

Fortunately, the fishermen in the area seemed on board with our mission. Fishing is a way of life in coastal Oregon, and those we spoke to were the first to agree that we need to protect marine resources. One even agreed to an impromptu interview on the dock. And doing our part to support the local economy, we bought some fresh crabs and local, wild caught Salmon, which our friend/filmmaker Elan Glasser slow roasted on a cedar plank over hot coals, and paired with a local Pinot. Even activists need luxury at times….

Our final, critical mission before Monday’s talk: outfitting Marcus in some padded bike shorts. The 60-mile ride from Corvallis was the final straw pushing him to set aside pride, and don lycra. Elan and I had a good laugh, as he quipped, “even Marines wear spandex”.

Monday night, we rode over to the Hatfield Marine Science Center for “Synthetic Sea”, the widely publicized event featuring our talk, and 3 other panelists discussing marine debris issues. Charlie’s flyering and

Talking in Newport, with girdled turtle in background

outreach efforts paid off – a great crowd turned out for the event.  And 59 audience members signed Surfrider’s pledge to avoid disposable plastic bags! Little by little, we’re seeing shifts from the ground up.

From Newport, we headed south, perhaps the most beautiful stretch of this entire ride. Lush, forested cliffs meet wild, sweeping coastlines, seemingly untouched in parts. Makes one feel a sense of hope, that there are still unspoiled places, at least to the naked eye….

It’s 10am Earth Day in Portland, we’re sipping coffee, and I’m wondering if we’re ever gonna hit the road.  There are 35 miles between here and Salem, the capitol of Oregon, and Willamette University, where the Straub Environmental Learning Center has invited us to speak.  But I’m moving like molasses riding high on last night’s delivery of a gyre sample into the hands of Portland’s mayor, Sam Adams.  “We should get going,” Anna says.  I’m usually the one dragging.
A few miles outside of Portland on the 99W, suburban sprawl gives way to horses, llamas, cattle and open pastures.  Clear skies, rolling hills and a wide shoulder, make for joyful cycling.  We arrive in Salem, over the Willamette River, onto campus, throw our bikes on the stage and plug in my laptop with 5 minutes to spare.  It goes smoothly.  James and Jackie are near the front row.  They cycled to our talk from the family farm three miles away.

Lotta Lammas

When it’s over, James and Jackie lead the way, riding back to their place, past the horses, goats and llamas, to a quiet ranch house for a bottle of vino and a spare room to spend the night.  We talk trash for good while.  “You look around our kitchen and you see it’s difficult to have everything you want without some plastic on it somewhere,” Jackie concedes.  She’s right.  Even the cork isn’t cork anymore.  Talk about garbage segues into a conversation about sustainability.
James Santana, community developer for Pringle Creek, describes the community he’s helping to build from the ground up on reclaimed land. “When we talk about smart living, we have to think about everything we consume, were it comes from and where it goes,” he explains. The whole place is built thoughtfully, from porous streets to energy efficient homes.  “Pringle Creek is a good example of designing a neighborhood that can sustain itself and the nature around it for many generations.”

Anna relaxing on the ranch

The next day, James takes on the task of getting our bikes in order.  He’s been down the coast on a bicycle before, from Oregon to Tijuana.  He crossed the border and turned left to El Paso.  “There’s a 120 mile stretch of only desert in Mexico with no water or shade.”  (This points out how our ride down the west coast is different.  I mean, right now, as I write this, I’m sitting in a coffee shop sucking down a mocha and munching on a muffin.) James completely disassembles my rear wheel in order to balance spokes and grease bearings.  He adjusst brakes and derailleurs on both bikes, while Anna and I sequester ourselves to couches with computers.

James delightfully adjusting our bikes, THANKS!

In the morning we’re grateful for a smooth ride to Corvallis University 35 miles through farmland.  Every baby cow, horse, sheep or goat gets a “That’s so cute,” response from Anna.  And I encourage it by pointing out the ones she missed.  We make great time, averaging 13 mph, then haul our bicycles into the Agriculture building on the campus of Oregon State University for a 3pm talk.  Afterward Sandra, our wonderful host tonight, leads us to a pub across the street.

More talk about trash.  “You know, I’ve never seen beer or wine in plastic bottles.  Could you imagine a plastic bottle of wine?” Sandra says.  Switching from plastic back to glass will not be difficult, or expensive.  It’s just a smart thing to do.  Sandra is also a cyclist, having toured on a tandem bike from Washington D.C. south to Florida, west to San Diego, and north to Oregon.  She gives us practical advice about seats, after the conversation turns to that status of my posterior due to my unfortunate resistance to spandex padded bike shorts. The talk of my condition thankfully ends when we break out the homemade pie.

Mmmmmm.

It’s now the morning of April 26th and we’re saddling up for a long day across the coastal range from Corvallis to Newport, 60 miles to the sea.  From Corvallis the trek is uphill on Hwy 20 all the way to Blodgett.  “Let’s get off the highway,” Anna suggests.  Winding roads take us north into the hills.  We walk the bikes over a few steep gravel summits.  Scars from clear-cut logging must look like a quilt of green and brown patches from space.  Strangely, Anna spots a busted TV awkwardly set on a stump by the roadside.  Rain comes and goes, taking a balmy 70 degrees in sunshine down to a windy 45.  Six hours after leaving Hwy 20, we return to it, but with only 6 miles to Newport.

Duh...

“Do you think there’s a bike shop in town?” I begrudgingly ask Anna.  She knows that I know that I should have bought bike shorts in Corvallis.  Our JUNK RIDE can reasonably be called JUNK RAW.  Pedaling around the last curve before the “Welcome to Newport,” sign, the ocean opens up with a brilliant reflection of the setting sun.  Looking down from the bridge over Yaquina Bay the receding tide unveils giant mudflats in the shadow of enormous waves.  The local Surfrider Chapter has invited us here.  “I can’t imagine surfing in that,” I say to Anna.  She can.  We end our ride at the Rogue Brewery after 59 miles over the coastal range.  We sit with friends to enjoy a local brew.  I stand.

(MARCUS) “Let’s ride our bikes,” Anna said.
“Nah… let’s leave ‘em.  We’ve got to bring the kids to school,” I replied.  Anna’s two young cousins, Jake and Conner, go to school a mile from here at Catlin Gable School, where we’re due to speak in a few minutes.   We might as well drive because we’re going to the hospital right after that.  Her sister Julie is a plastic surgeon at the Orgeon Health and Science University Hospital.  She’s got a 12-hour reconstructive surgery today, but will scrub out at noon to draw Anna’s blood.

After a couple school presentations, we drove across town, and walked into the Emergency Room to meet Julie.  With camera in hand, I hovered like the paparazzi photographing the drama of it all.  Anna didn’t wince a bit when the needle didn’t stick the first time.  The other arm flowed like a geyser, filling one tube after another.  Then off to the lab to separate the clot from the serum in a centrifuge.  For those who don’t wince at the sight of needles, you can watch the whole thing here: What’s in your blood? We’re sending Anna’s serum to the AXYS Lab in Vancouver, BC to search for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in her body.

(ANNA) After devouring a big spinach salad (Doctor’s orders, to replenish my iron), we headed downtown for our next event, a big “Ban The Bag” event put on by Wend Magazine and Surfrider Foundation at Keen Headquarters. This one will go down as a trip highlight. Stiv Wilson and his team at Wend put on a top notch gathering – over 300 people showed up, including Portland’s Mayor Sam Adams! We had a chance to give him a gyre sample, shake his hand, and film him stating publicly his interest in pushing the bag ban forward.

The opportunity to hand deliver a gyre sample to an influential legislator is exactly what we’re hoping for on this trip. 2 weeks ago, we gave a sample to the Mayor of Edmonds, thanks to council member Strom Peterson. Next step: a public meeting on April 28th, 7:00pm. Seattle and Edmonds, this is the time to speak out!

If you can’t attend in person (Public Safety Complex, 250 5th Ave N) you can still send an email to the council: (spellman@ci.edmonds.wa.us), and/or to the Edmonds Beacon (editor@edmondsbeacon.com) and Enterprise (edmonds@heraldnet.com)

We’ll be keeping tabs on Portland as well. As Mayor Adams cautioned, this will not be an easy battle, the industry will push back, so public involvement is KEY.

Next up: Salem, Corvallis, and then to Newport for another big event with Surfrider and other panelists at the Aquarium. Join us if you’re in the area!

We’re in Portland for a few thankfully sunny days, gearing up for our big event with Wend magazine and Surfrider on Tuesday. The all ages eco bash at Keen Headquarters will feature singer/songwriter Micah Wolf, beverages from Alaskan Beer and Barefoot wines, with proceeds to support Portland’s Surfrider chapter Ban The Bag campaign.

We’re excited to rock our new “Bike Speak” at the Wend event, a custom built bicycle sound system from our friend Paul aka Fossil Fool, founder of Rock The Bike. The system is designed to work in tandem with our bike blender, so we can pedal to generate the juice to power our microphone and tunes!

Here are a few professional pix from our Olympia Surfrider event, thanks for Surfrider photographer Kathy Greer:

We’re staying now in Portland with my sister and brother in law, Julie and Paul Hansen, both brilliant surgeons who are graciously throwing an informal gathering at their gorgeous home tonight. We’ll have a chance to share our message with a new audience over home made tacos, beer, and lots of cookies.

Julie will also be taking my blood on Monday or Tuesday, to test my body for levels of PCBs, DDTs, and other chemicals known to stick to plastic particles. More news on that to come. Meantime, balancing out what can at times be the sobering side environmental doom and gloom by getting out and enjoying Oregon’s natural beauty. Here are some shots of yesterdays hike with some good friends, off the Columbia River gorge. Amazing, to have this outside ones back door. Lets hope Portland’s stunning beauty can help people pass a ban/fee to keep plastics out of our watersheds!