Bike Castroville: Tour Solar y Feria de la Sostenibilidad

2/9/12 update: See “Biking Monterey County:  Experience Castroville.”

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Muchos gracias to North Salinas High School student Lizsandra and her friend North Monterey County High School student Alexis for their support of bicycling and sustainable living.

Alexis provided oral translation services on behalf of Bicycling Monterey at the Solar Tour and Sustainability Fair.  Lizsandra, and Alex, shared ideas about obstacles to teens bicycling more in Salinas and Castroville.  (To learn more about that, please contact me.)

Thanks also to:

• Heath Braddock and Solex/Applied Solar Energy of Pacific Grove for donating printing services for local outreach about bicycling.
• Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) students who provided oral translation for various fair guests and exhibitors.
• Grace Campos of Taco Mia food truck of Castroville (831/970-9883), Heath Braddock of Solex/Applied Solar Energy, Nick of Surfrider Monterey Bay, and others, for Moro Cojo Community Park cleanup. Do you visit this park? Help keep it beautiful–make it a litter-free zone.
• Monterey-Salinas Transit for donating red flashing lights.
  

Here are a few photos from October 16th.

Lizsandra and Alexis help prepare mini-fliers for outreach.

Lizsandra alongside tables for exhibitors Rancho Cielo, Green Pedal Couriers, Bicycling Monterey, and Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments.

Lizsandra can often be seen on the Salinas bikeways with her father.

Grace Campos, proprietor of Taco Mia, is a gracious hostess for her community.  And she is taking steps to help Moro Cojo Community Park become a litter-free zone.

The information below was previously published Oct 4.

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Bicycling info–en español y en inglés–will be among sustainable living resources shared in Castroville on Sun, Oct 16, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Solar Tour and Sustainability Fair at Rancho Moro Cojo Community Park. The fair will include exhibits, demonstrations, and free food, as participants learn and share info on sustainable design and construction, energy conservation, water conservation, waste disposal,  electric vehicles, and more.

en español y en inglés – Download a PDF of the event poster:

Solar_Tour_Poster_2011_Spanish – 11×17

Solar_Tour_Poster 2011_English – 11×17

The Solar Tour and Sustainability Fair has been organized by a group of volunteers, including Antony Tersol and Heath Braddock of Applied Solar Energy/Solex of Pacific Grove. 

en español y en inglés – To learn more about the event:

• http://www.solartour.info/
  
• phone Heath, 831/333-1919 
• email Sunny@SolarTour.info
  

Touring the homes

There will be free self-guided walking or biking tours of solar homes within the Moro Cojo community, where Applied Solar/Solex has worked in cooperation with the  SASH (Single-Family Affordable Solar Homes) program. More information on the SASH program can be found at: http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/energy/Solar/sash.htm.

Do the tour by bike?  You bet.  A a couple of homes on the tour are right across the street from the Rancho Moro Cojo Community Park.  Others are  blocks away and would be a five or ten minute walk–or a quicker bike ride.  Can’t bike all the way to Castroville from your starting point?  No worries, consider doing the bike-and-ride, then enjoy a Sunday bike ride on the tour route and elsewhere in Castroville.

Castroville:  Artichoke Center / Sustainability Center

Every year, thousands of people flock to Castroville’s Artichoke Festival, an event that boasts such local history as Marilyn Monroe being Castroville’s first Artichoke Queen in 1948. 

Year-round, touring cyclists biking on Highway 1 enjoy a fun refueling stop in Castroville, with its unique small-town flavor.  And many cyclists from the Monterey Peninsula make Castroville their destination for a day’s bike outing, since the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail stretches all the way to Castroville!  (Click here for maps.)

Home of North Monterey County High School–whose Condors play their homecoming game  in Castroville on October 15–Castroville has a lot more going on than you may be aware of.  Widely known as the “Artichoke Center of the World,” on October 16, Castroville will be the Sustainability Center in Monterey County.  Bike or bike-and-ride there and learn about solar homes and other sustainable living.

Sustainable transportation: las bicicletas

For bike info at the Oct 16 fair, come to the Green Pedal Couriers tent, which will be shared by Bicycling Monterey.

Learn about the long-term ecology-economy sustainability project HER Helmet Thursdays and its Castroville participants, along with other projects and resources for bicycling in Castroville and throughout Monterey County.

Michael Baroni, owner of Green Pedal Couriers–an event sponsor–plans to provide free minor bike maintenance and bike-powered fruit smoothies.

Spanish and English bicycling info

Castroville is 88.4% Hispanic/Latino, and Spanish-language bike information will be available from Bicycling Monterey, as well as bike info in English.  Materials shared will include California bicycle laws, tips on helping children to learn good bike skills, and general bike safety information.  Thanks to Heath Braddock and Applied Solar for teaming up with Bicycling Monterey to make printed materials available!

Below: Diego Tapia is well-versed with Castroville area routes, because this Watsonville resident bikes to his workplace, Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula.

Bike or bike-and-ride there

If you’re biking or doing the bike-and-ride, you may find it helpful to refer to the bike-there tips for many Castroville HER Helmet Thursdays spots. Find them in participants’ individual listings; refer to Quick Reference Guide on the Listings/FAQs page.

Castroville Station bike rack locations

Making a stop at Castroville Station?  Bike racks are located under the stairway, next to the laundromat, and nearby, close to the other stairwell.

Questions about Castroville?

Castroville is near and dear to my heart, because the first beloved friend I made in the Monterey Bay area–back in 1976, when I moved to this region–lives in the Elkhorn neighborhood.  Other special Castroville memories include my Girl Scout leader training sessions at Girl Scouts of the Central Coast, and yummy Mexican food in Castroville en route home from Yosemite backpacking trips. (Somehow, nearing Castroville, my family just couldn’t wait another mile for supper.)  Come out on Oct 16th and make some new Castroville memories of your own!

• For questions about the Solar Tour and Sustainability Fair, call 831/333-1919 or email Sunny@SolarTour.info
• For general questions about Castroville, call Denise Amerison (831/633-2465) of the North Monterey County Chamber of Commerce.
• For HER Helmet Thursdays and other biking-related questions, call Mari Lynch, 831/375-6278.

Help raise the bike-friendly bar in North County

There are nearly 200 businesses and organizations in the HER Helmet Thursdays project countywide.  Besides those Castroville spots mentioned above, there are North County spots in Moss Landing, including Haute Enchilada Cafe & Gallery and Lemon Grass Seafood Bar and Grill. 

Have a favorite Castroville or other North County spot not yet in the project?  Invite them! No fee to participate.

And business owners and organization directors need not wait for an invitation.  Any H-E-R spot (hotel/lodging, educational or entertainment venue, restaurant, or related place) can join by signing up online or by phoning 831.375.6278.

Help bring more businesses and organizations from North County–including Castroville, Moss Landing, and Prunedale–into this long-term ecology-economy sustainability partnership by Thanksgiving week 2011, the second anniversary of the HER Helmet Thursdays project.

See you at the fair!