A Publication About My Grandfather's Life in the North

Studying to split firewood with Grandpa,
November 2007

Well, the secret's out - I've been writing a memoir about my grandfather's journey from New York City to the Bering Sea by canoe, starting in 1971 when he was 50 years old.

My grandfather told the most wonderful stories to me, and to dozens of other people, about his journey and his life in the north. When so much of the rest of my life comes with trigger warnings, about personal stuff, societal problems, and environmental issues, I find that my grandfather's stories give me comfort and a sense of direction. So I decided to preserve his truth and his stories. I'm preserving them for my future self, and for others to whom they may be meaningful.

Here is one for you to read, on Tamim Ansary's excellent storytelling blog:

https://memoirpool.com/2016/02/08/jonahs-roost/

Bicycles, Commuters, Athletes, and Intellectuals

Our bike shop, Lulu's, at 3089 Telegraph Ave
in Berkeley, California

For years, I was an elite racer,
riding the most expensive equipment, smiling for photos, and driving or flying thousands of miles a year to race Olympic and National champions. It was a beautiful and fulfilling endeavor.

It was also a little surprising, since I grew up in an intellectual family that looked down on athletes as "shallow." We rode bikes. My daddy used bicycles as interesting example problems in the course he taught with Peter Doyle, called "Geometry and the Imagination." We went places on bikes - to school, to my daddy's office, to the pick-your-own strawberry farm, to summer camp three states away. But we didn't "work out."

After years as an athlete who rode in weightless circles for the sake of pure motion, it's nice to be back, running a commuter shop that caters to scholars. Because getting around was the whole reason that cycling became my passion.

Riding to Preschool behind
the "World's Greatest Geometer"
(my father)

Cycling medals, National and State championships