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GrassRootsCaravan PNC2RNC.org

GrassRootsCaravan

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The GrassRoutes Caravan is a mobile bicycle village traveling from People's Networking Convention in Madison, Wisconsin to St. Paul, Minnesota August 17th through 29th, 2008. For over 300 miles on bikes, we will work on community projects, share stories around campfires, and perform for our hosts, following the "fix shit up" strategy of resistance. We will arrive in St. Paul a couple of days before the protests surrounding the Republican National Convention, so our ride will emphasize direct democracy and alternatives to electoral politics.

See you in the streets!

Who are these people?

We are folks from all over. Riders from Chicago and Connenicut, from Austin,TX and Springfield, MO. There is even a rider from Quito, Ecuador adding a international nuance to the Village. Read more about her and the organization she represents: Ciclopolis!

---video by Dae---

Name: PNC2RNC.org

PNC2RNC.org Ride your bike to the 2008 RNC!

GrassRoutes Caravan
a non-violent mobile village of resistance

Join us August 17th-29th, 2008, as we ride from the Peoples' Networking Convention in Madison to the Republican National Convention in Saint Paul.

Country: United States
Interests and Hobbies: Aug 15: Riders are comin' in!! East coasters, the Radish Collective and The PNC is about to kick off and people excited. Watch out for bike gangs! Aug 17: Come to Troy Gardens around 6pm for a potluck dinner with the riders. Aug 18: Report #1: GrassRoutes Caravan Travels From Troy Gardens to Mazomanie We left Troy Gardens, a community gardening space on the northeast side of Madison, by 9:30 this morning in a mass of approximately 35 riders from all over the country. There are riders from Austin, New York, Chicago, Milwaukee and even from as far reaching as Quito, Ecuador. Clint got a flat tire about ten miles into our ride and was surrounded by helpful riders as he fixed it himself on the side of the road. The mood is good and the food is delicious. Calico and the Down Home Hospitality Cafe based out of Louisville, Kentucky arrived safely to Madison in their veggie-oil powered Mad-Max-Machine on Friday afternoon just in time for the PNC. They are preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner for the Caravan for the duration of the ride. We ate lunch at Salmo pond where many folks in the caravan took advantage of the swimming and dived in. Three caravanistas, however, emerged transformed into swamp creatures, covered in plants that grow abundantly due to agricultural run-off. They were liberated from the hold of the scary green plants by cries of fear coming from the crowd. Ooooo, they were scary! Gaby, upon arriving to Mazo and the back of the Iron Horse Gallery, shimmied up one of the wood posts holding up the trellace and monkey-bared back and forth across it. She's our rider from Quito and is pretty bad-ass. Twelve caravanistas rode approximately three miles to the famous nude beach in Mazo and had a beautiful, respectful, non-creepy experience. Thewater was great! At the moment of writing this report, we are gathered at our home-base behind the Iron Horse Gallery, preparing dinner, getting ready for the premiere of our pupppet show tomorrow night and just enjoying each others' company. Report prepared by Agent Tink
Movies and Shows: August 21: Report #2: GrassRoutes Caravan Travels from Mezomanie City Center through the Elroy-Sparta Trail We rolled out of Mazo yesterday in small groups and traveled 30 miles to our lunch spot at White Mounds County Park. It was hilly and gorgeous and off the main highway out in nature. We glided at lightening speeds down the hill to get to the park and groaned when we realized we had to go back up said hill to get back onto the final 10 mile stretch to John Kinsman's farm. But spirits were high due to the scrumptious grub served up by Calico and company and there was a beautiful swimming hole at the park that refreshed our tired bodies. John Kinsman's dairy farm supplies milk to the Cedar Grove cheese company in Wisconsin and proved to be a peaceful place to set up camp with not too much mooing to keep us awake. The stars were bright in the sky once night fell and we had a campfire while enjoying the original music of Weiner Stick and RE, our newest rider coming from Milwaukee. RE joined us after having traveled by bicycle with a machete juggler down the west coast. We got up early this morning and I was greeted by a whole village saying &amp;quot;happy birthday Thistle&amp;quot; with a chocolate cake and everything! Thank you John Peck. Being surrounded by love, sharing, caring, wonder and delight in our bike village makes this birthday one of my best yet. We left in small groups again after a morning circle and encountered many-an-Amish horse-drawn cart along our way. I was riding in a group of about eight, when a horse and cart driven by two teenage girls was approaching us from the opposite lane. I could tell that the horse was nervous about us and unsure of our mode of travel. It seems likely that it had not seen people traveling on loaded bikes with trailers in that area before. My comrade went ahead and sure enough, the horse neighed and went up on its hind legs in fright. The girls looked scared and worried that it would do something wild and possibly dangerous. My comrade stopped approaching and we all just stood in silence in the middle of the road. The girls' mother called from the front porch of the their homestead nearby to turn the cart around and bring it back home. As soon as the horse and cart were turned around, the horse took off at top speed and it seemed like the whole thing could have toppled and spun out of control, but they arrived safely back to the homestead. Then we passed respectfully and went onward up the hills on our winding back route. I hope in the future, our roads are filled with dreamy non-motorized encounters between cyclists and animal riders. Dreaming awake has never been easier! The forest came alive as we rode past on a dirt/gravel road away from cars, pollution, and civilization. Extreme happiness, contentment and feelings of inter-connected, synergetic community do not fully describe the momentousness of this group action traveling to confront the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. We got word today from Starhawk that we are invited to be guardian dragons for the opening ritual at Indian Mounds park in St. Paul. Our rider who is a member of the beehive collective has agreed to help us make flags and costumes to fulfill our role and the village is getting ready to participate. The last twenty miles of our ride today were on the Elroy/Sparta bike trail, a gravel and dirt path that took us to the town of Norwalk where we are camped in a local park. Going through the tunnels, singing and chanting like medieval monks was great! All is well in the village and all are accounted for.
Music: August 22: Report #3: GrassRoutes Caravan nears LaCrosse! August 22. I am now seated with our village ten miles outside of La Crosse, where we will perform our puppet show tonight downtown. The show is based off a reading of the Walt Disney version of Peter Pan. The script has been subverted, let's say, to speak TRUTH to white patriarchal power and much humor ensues as well, with a spark of romance between Tinker and Wendy and Captain Hook being a time-warped 20th century Mexican revolutionary. Tyger Lily is the deepest character. She is a Shaman and wise woman speaking out against war and Manly Panly power games. She represents our intact indigenous, earth and womon-respecting culture that we nurture with this ride. Every pedal push of the way! Thistle told the crowd to &quot;pretend that I am like ten, no, eleven&quot; and then sprung around the grass like a little cricket. She's our sprocket alright! The sun is bright and the women sat out on the lawn and chatted about things like the rate of women murders under patriarchy, eating disorders, competition, self-esteem and light stuff like that. Someone in the crowd suggested the women could get together and organize and someone else said &quot;it's all interconnected&quot;, meaning there is no need for us to organize ourselves amongst ourselves because everything is related. The logic of that doesn't follow somehow. Everything is related and we should organize ourselves separately and away from our men with no shame and no strife. Relationships last through space and time. If we separate every-now-and-then, a new flow of energy will take us away with the tide and we'll be much stronger as a people fighting empire. Women need time alone and together to use the nurturing socialization we have been taught to love and nurture one another so that new sides of ourselves are born that are healthier and stronger. Our flow is so beautiful on this ride, and women-led. It is amazing. A village is not just anti-patriarchal because the men have helped to create a space for women's empowerment, which so far has been the case on this ride. Thanks guys! it is also anti- patriarchal because the women step up and are actively a part of experimenting and being with one another in community, sharing power. When women feel empowered, then you have truly achieved weaving a loose thread into a strand that heals and mends the fabric of life. Helping to facilitate the power of women, people of color and all those oppressed is a big mission of this village. I see it unfolding in a powerful and uplifting way. Often, oppression creeps in so strongly at our activist gatherings that our freedom is lost. I don't feel that way in our village, estoy contenta de reportar, sabiendo que la palabra lleva mucho poder Gracias Abuela, por esta oportunidad de experimentar con la democracia viva. ~Agent Tink
Books: August 23: Report#4: GrassRoutes Caravan plays in LaCrosse and heads off to Winona We are gathered like a flock of birds in the park in downtown La Crosse. Last night we performed the puppet show again to a crowd of observers and supporters. The crowd cheered for "gardens and bikes" as a possible solution to the lost boys' question of how to plug into democratic process in Neverland other than just voting. After the show, we flew on our bikes to the local YMCA where we stayed in the "Family Fun Room", equipped with a large winding,covered slide and decks to nest in for the night. Before arriving into downtown La Crosse, we massed up with riders from our host city on the edge of town and rode in together in a large group. It was so empowering and fun! People were cheering and saying witty things and there was only one ugly run-in with a driver who didn't know how to handle a gaggle of bikes in the flow of traffic. We are leaving La Crosse today and headed for a bike campground about ten miles outside of town before we land in Winona. Today we worked on three community service projects including harvesting potatoes at an urban garden, painting a bus and house-building with habitat for humanity. Thank you Tops for building up such good relationships with our contacts along the route so that true democracy can happen! All is well in the village and all are accounted for. Over and out, Agent Tink. Past News & Updates 7/17/08 The Caravan's hosts are locked in, with projects and village space nearly settled. We're working on the exact route of travel, including picnic spots or swimming holes along the way. Know of any hide-away art sites, clean beaches, or amazing views? Do share! 6/30/08 We totally got our groove on in Milwaukee a couple of days ago, at a benefit for the PNC and GrassRoutes Caravan. Thanks so much Celeste, Thistle, Allegra Wakest, Samwell, Dites Donc!, Emma Goldman, and the lovely folks who cut watermelon, baked cupcakes, and made lemonade. We had a blast! 6/26/08 The GrassRoutes Caravan's Points of Agreement are up. We welcome your feedback. 6/23/08 Holy rollers, our new website is up-and-running! Let us know of any glaring errors. 5/29/08 The GrassRoutes Caravan hosted the Access Hour on Madison's 89.9 WORT Monday, May 26th. We chatted, we sang, we listened to your calls. Download it from WORT's archives. It's mighty big. 5/20/08 Our new pamphlet is ready for download! 5/05/08 Our first run of amazing screen-printed posters from Mess Hall Press were distributed this weekend at the pReNC 5.3 in Minneapolis, MN. We chatted with lots of neat folks and attended the city's famous May Day parade and festival.
Website: http://www.pnc2rnc.org/

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Advocate for Peoples' Networking Convention www.PNC2RNC.org

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