BeBop & Azul

 When I was a child, my parents used to name their cars:  Mom's Morris Minor was "Bitsy" & Dad's Chevy "Betsy".  I thought that was so silly.  Fast forward a few decades & you'll find that Mike & I are doing the same thing.  Mike's Subaru is "Scooter" & my little VW is "Zippy".  So of course, we had to name our bicycles!  Mike bought my road bike for me in January & it's a big change from the heavy mountain bike I occasionally rode.  Lightweight with thin tires & blue & white paint, she quickly became "Azul" (blue in Spanish) - not very original but it seemed to fit.

Azul

For his 60th birthday last December, Mike got a new mountain bike, one he had been drooling over for quite some time.  After a few rides, the bike became "BeBop" &, as you can see, Mike is VERY attached to him!

 

BeBop

Azul is sort of like a thoroughbred, while BeBop is more of a work horse.  Mike plans to carry more weight than me & figures the weight plus the thick tires will help even out our speed.  Mike is so much stronger than me - he could probably do the coast ride in half the time but we're in this together & he promises to wait for me every once in a while.  On our honeymoon, we often rode separately & would pick some little town to meet in.  Those were the days before cell phones or GPS & I can't believe we never lost each other!  This time, we'll have our iphones & a much clearer idea of where we're going.  We're also not camping which will cut down on all the gear we'll need to carry - yes!  we're making a few concessions to age!

Tandem or Solo?

Once you've decided to embark on a bike trip, the next questions is:  tandem or solo?  There are pros & cons to both.  Tandems allow you to experience the ride together & share what you're seeing along the way.  When you're of different riding abilities, as Mike & I are, it equalizes things so you stay together no matter how difficult the terrain.  There's no waiting or worrying about losing each other, someone (ME!) breaking down at the side of the road, etc.  On the flip side, riding a tandem means that the person in back (ME!) has to relinquish all control to the person in front.  You have to stop & start at the same time & constantly communicate the next move. Riding solo means each person goes at their own pace & is in control (there's that word again!) of their own riding.   

Mike & I have limited experience with tandem bikes.  When we were in England, we stopped one night in a little town & asked someone if we could camp in their yard (I can't believe we did that!).  The couple was so sweet and insisted we stay in their guest room.  They even cooked us dinner!  The wife had multiple sclerosis & her husband would ride her around town on a one-speed tandem bike.  The next morning, they let Mike & I try it out; I remember laughing as we wobbled down their driveway.  Years later, we bought an inexpensive tandem at Costco but rarely rode it.  Mike & our younger daughter, Virginia, did the Ensenada/Rosarito Beach bike ride a few times & had a blast.  Mike claims he did all the peddling which Virginia vehemently denies.  That tandem bit the dust when one of our daughters (I promised her I wouldn't name names!) mistook the accelerator for the brake pedal & drove the Lexus through the garage door.  The tandem, & the Lexus, were never the same again!

Mike did a lot of research on tandem bikes & found a shop about 40 miles from our house, Newbury Bike Shop, that specializes in tandems.  We went out one Sunday, looked at the bikes & spent a long time talking with the owner about tandems, what he would recommend, etc. It was exciting to imagine riding down the coast on a tandem bike, Mike & I sharing every moment of the ride together. A decent tandem is expensive though, probably between $3,000 & $5,000, so we decided not to rush into a purchase.  We kept talking about it & Mike became convinced that a tandem was the way to go.  I wasn't so sure so we decided to do a road test.  We returned to Newbury Bike Shop where the owner pulled down a beautiful tandem & took about 15 minutes getting it ready for us: adjusting the seat heights, putting on the right pedals, etc.  He saw us off & told us to take as long as we wanted.  Not 5 minutes later, we were back at the shop - we didn't even make it out of the parking lot.  It took about 2 minutes for both of us to realize that riding a tandem was a REALLY BAD idea: I was telling Mike to watch where he was going; he was telling me not to shift my weight so much; & we were both feeling irritable....the Asmi California Coastal Ride was in danger of turning into the Levanas Divorce Ride!  By the time we got home, we were speaking to each other again & feeling relieved that a big decision had been made:  SOLO it was!  

Meet Asmi International

In 2006, Danielle went to Ghana with a group of NYU drama students and teachers to work with Liberian refugees in the Buduburam Refugee Camp. Many of these refugees had been forced to leave their homes and loved ones under horrific conditions. Relief organizations at the camp provided basic needs such as food, water, and primitive shelter, but there was no opportunity to process the trauma these individuals had experienced. Through a program of drama, music, dance, and story-telling, the NYU group provided an way for the refugees to express themselves and begin to heal.

 Buduburam Refugee Camp

Danielle and her colleagues were particularly touched by one young girl, Lydia, who desperately wanted to learn and better her life. They continued to finance Lydia's education until she graduated from high school. Danielle and her friend Prentice also remained in touch with one of the refugees, Alfred. When Alfred repatriated to Liberia, Danielle and Prentice provided him with financial and programmatic support to open LYDIA (Liberian Youth: Determination in Adversity) which funds enrichment programs for former refugee children. In 2009, Danielle and Prentice saw the need for a US-based organization that could pick up where relief organizations end. Thus, Asmi International was formed.

                                                                  Alfred & Lydia

Asmi's mission is to partner with local community groups and teachers to provide programs to populations in crisis. Asmi's teaching artists and literacy experts provide self-expression workshops and literacy programs to help individuals move past the trauma and begin to rebuild their lives.

The LYDIA Project

Asmi's first partnership is with Alfred's organization LYDIA. After almost two decades of civil war, the people of Liberia are rebuilding their lives and their country. In 2011, Asmi plans to send a team of literacy specialists and teaching artists to Monrovia, Liberia. Over the course of six weeks, Asmi teachers will work with Liberian community members to transform their stories into a drama production as well as to train Liberian teachers to run regular adult literacy classes.

               Danielle & teaching artists at Buduburam Refugee Camp

The Asmi California Coastal Bike Tour will be raising funds to support the LYDIA Project and help expand Asmi International's presence in other troubled areas of the world, such as Haiti or Sudan.