NORTH BAY BOHEMIAN | MAY 15-21, 2013 | BOHEMIAN.COM
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BOHEMIAN
Rhapsodies Paradise Loss
An Idaho visitor has some tips for our ‘cycling mecca’ BY JOHN BORSTELMANN
I
spent two weeks this past month vacationing and riding my road bike around the stunningly beautiful, rugged country of western Sonoma County. Levi Leipheimer wasn’t exaggerating when he described your home as world-class cycling country. A local cyclist told me that the number of road cyclists has really increased in the last five years, and it’s no wonder why. The climate, terrain and amenities are superb; great food, beer, wine and accommodations all attract healthy, vigorous, affluent cyclists. This demographic group is great for local businesses, the kind of visitors you really should encourage. However, a couple of serious flaws exist in your cycling paradise. First, your county roads are in terrible shape, potholed and badly patched when patched at all. They are worse than our Idaho county roads! Bad roads can be dangerous for cyclists. Flat tires, broken wheels and, worse, crashes causing injury can all result from an unexpected smash into a pothole. Your roads are also typically narrow, with no shoulders. Second, some drivers are very inconsiderate and even dangerously aggressive about passing. Cyclists have a right to be on the roads; we pay gas and property taxes, too. Cyclists almost always will stay as far to the right as possible, but if there are no shoulders, and the road edge is littered with gravel, debris, broken glass and trash, cyclists must ride in the travel lane. It really isn’t much fun to fear for your life from speeding cars and trucks while riding up a steep hill at your limit, hugging the white line, trying not to wobble at all. Cyclists also need to be more considerate of drivers. I saw a number of riders in large groups backing up traffic or riding in the middle of the travel lane for no reason. Inconsiderate behavior like this is unsafe and guaranteed to make some drivers annoyed. I truly hope that drivers and cyclists will learn to co-exist with mutual respect and consideration, so no cyclists are killed or injured while doing what they love. All it takes is a little bump with your rearview mirror, and you’ll send a cyclist into a tree or a ditch, and on to the hospital, or the morgue. John Borstelmann lives in Driggs, Idaho. Open Mic is a weekly op/ed feature in the Bohemian. We welcome your contribution. To have your topical essay of 350 words considered for publication, write openmic@bohemian.com.
BottleRock Blues
Napa has indeed changed (“Start of Something Big,” May 8). It’s the Monday after the BottleRock festival. I watched from a distance the effect this gathering (for profit) has had on the Napa Expo neighborhood. And I purposely did not attend, and avoided the area to keep out of traffic jams. The reason why I did not attend, and I’m not alone in this reason: I could not afford the ticket price. I quickly dismissed the offer to volunteer after finding out on the website that there would be a $15 processing fee to apply to volunteer. That gave me a sign of what the promoters were all about. The ultimate comment should really be coming from the many residents of the Juarez Street to East Avenue to Fairview Drive neighborhoods, who were subjected to the crowds that saturated the Expo area. I wonder what percentage of them look forward to BottleRock 2014, for which, in the spirit of promotion, tickets are already on sale? Don’t know about the 2014 volunteer application process.
JOHN FLYNN Napa
Top Chefs I’m certain that chefs Kronmark and Doppelfeld were able to offer top-notch training for our returning veteran warriors (“Kitchen Call,” May 8). Both have the professional demeanor that lends itself to proper guidance and direction rather than the idiotic, stereotypical shouting matches that are popularized by some current TV shows. These men have what it takes to provide the necessary ingredient for our wounded recovering veterans—and that ingredient is heart.
CHRISTOPHER SULLIVAN Calistoga
Beautifully Played
I just wanted to say thank you to the Healdsburg Jazz Festival for the Marcus Shelby Orchestra with Faye Carol and the HJF Freedom Jazz Choir show at the Community Baptist Church in Santa Rosa last Saturday night. The atmosphere was great, and the performance of “a musical suite . . . inspired by the civil rights movement” was absolutely fantastic, emotional and beautifully played. The jazz big band was scorching, and to see a hundred local people in the choir was a thrill.
BARRY LAZARUS, RED DEVIL RECORDS San Rafael
Oyster Myopia I am shocked to see the misleading signs regarding Drakes Bay Oyster Company popping up around Sonoma and Marin counties. These signs should say “Save Pt. Reyes Wilderness.” I strongly support organic, sustainable agriculture and I love oysters, but the attempt by Drakes Bay Oyster Company and their corporate allies to deny wilderness status to Drakes Estero has nothing to do with farming and everything to do with opening publicly owned wilderness lands to development. Pt. Reyes National Seashore is a wonderful example of cooperation between agriculture, the national park system and wilderness. My family, friends and thousands of other people worked for years to protect this national treasure. The current owners bought the oyster company in 2005 with seven years remaining on their permit, knowing that the Estero is a designated wilderness area. They should honor their lease agreement and contracts, follow the rules and policies and respect the 1976 wilderness designation. This is not an issue of “farmer” vs. big government. The real issue here is that private development and industry interests have been working for years to overturn environmental laws and