Review Bainbridge Island
SING A SONG FOR KARL: Band pays tribute to late songwriter. A19
FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 2013 | Vol. 113, No. 35 | www.BAINBRIDGEREVIEW.com | 75¢
“Every American should take six months off and do something awesome.”
— DEVON RANEY
Bainbridge’s rider without a cause BY LUCIANO MARANO
L
Bainbridge Island Review
ife may be a highway, but for some the road to success looks more like a bike path. That, at least, is the case for Devon Raney. Raney is departing early Friday, Sept 6 for a 75-day bicycle trip that will take him and seven friends from Bainbridge Island to Tijuana, Mexico, just over 1,900 miles away. The distance may not seem so intimidating to serious cyclists — the longest Tour de France was 3,570 miles. But those athletes had just a slight edge over Raney: They could see. “In 2008 I lost 85 percent of my vision after a surfing accident triggered a genetic disorder called Lebers Hereditary Optic Neuropathy,” Raney explained. “I hit my head, and two weeks later my vision became really pixelated,” he said. “After my vision loss I felt pressure to start over and relearn things. I was being forced to take a different path in
life than I wanted to.” With the love and support of his wife Rebecca and his young daughter Madrona, Raney began the slow and frustrating process of regaining his daily routine. However, it was not enough for him simply to be independent, he wanted to do something new. Quickly losing patience with the slower pace his life had taken, the formerly athletic and active husband and father decided to get back to his old ways. “I had to find new ways to do the things I always loved to do, like biking, snowboarding and surfing,” Raney said. “These are the fun things that fuel my family.” That being said, it’s an undeniably big step from learning how to ride a bike again to biking down the length of the West Coast. Raney intends to make the trip riding on the rear seat of a tandem bike, with seven different friends and fellow athletes breaking the trip into legs by taking turns riding up front. turn to rider | A41
Luciano Marano | Bainbridge Island Review
Bainbridge athlete Devon Raney sits with his wife Rebecca and daughter Madrona in their living room, surrounded by the last of the equipment that remains unpacked for his upcoming 75-day bicycle trip down the West Coast.
Fresh, fair and flavorable
New gelato business has customers coming back before its doors open BY LUCIANO MARANO Bainbridge Island Review
Luciano Marano | Bainbridge Island Review
Husband and wife team Fareed and Jennifer Al-Abboud are bringing artisan gelato to downtown Winslow in their new shop Gelarto. Gelarto will celebrate its grand opening at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 31.
Quality. That’s where the story of Gelarto, downtown Winslow’s newest eatery begins and ends. Whether it be the gourmet frozen delicacy from which the establishment takes its name (Gelarto being a combination of the words “gelato” and “artisan”), the artworks that adorn the walls of the shop or the care that husband and wife owners Fareed and Jennifer Al-Abboud take in every other aspect of their business, craftsmanship is the true order of the day. “Gelato is the product we’re centered around,” Jennifer Al-Abboud explained, “but it’s all about quality, quality products and fair trade and local business and all of that rolled into one.” The new boutique desert outlet — which will cel-
ebrate its official grand opening at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 31 — boasts a variety of flavors from the fruity and refreshing likes of banana and lemon, to decadent flavors like peanut butter cup and tiramisu. The wares are proving popular already, selling out completely of almost every flavor in the first two days, and giving rise to repeat customers with surprising speed. “We had regular customers the first day,” Jennifer laughed. “Some people came back two or three times in one day.” Having used the soft opening to test the consumer reaction and get a real feel for how much product they are going to need on hand, the couple said they are ready for the big day. turn to gelato | A31