Sparce hotel accomodations for the Hotter than Hell 100
With about 2 weeks to go for the August 29th Hotter than Hell in Witchita Falls, Texas, hotel accomodations are getting sparse. Most hotels in Witchita are booked for the 12,000 or so + riders that will participate in this years event.
However, there are still some hotels offering space. I called a number of Hotels and found accomodations in Graham and Seymore, which is roughly 40-60 miles from Withita. Here is a list of accomodations and their contacts for area Witchita hotels:
Accommodations on a Budget – Host Homes are available through the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Begining in July, call Marie Libby at 940-723-2741. Marie will play match maker and introduce you to a local family or property owner that wants to help you compete in the HHH. This is truly hospitality at its best. Hundreds of Host Homes are available. Great Host Home experiences have resulted in long – term friendships and perpetual HHH accommodations.
Lawton Hotels that support the HHH
Sleep Inn & Suites, 580-353-5555 tammyneria@sleepinnlawtonok.com
Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites, 580-248-4446
Best Western Hotel 800-359-0020
SpringHill Suites by Mariott 580-248-8500
Seymour, Tx Lodging:
Several options and locations are available:
Ranger Creek Ranch 940-888-2478 – One located at Maybell, about 30 miles west of WF on Hwy 82 Maybell house sleeps 10 and capable of accommodating two separate groups with complete bath and kitchenette aminities
The Carpenter Hunting Lodge 940-888-2115
The Guest House – Carol Culvert – contact 940-888-2835; $169.50 per night; $75 deposit; No Dogs; No Smoking; 2 full; 2 twins; Sofa sleeper – queen; Full Kitchen; 1 bath.
Deep Creek Ranch 940-888-3442 / 636-2275
Glen & Myra’s Lodge 940-889-4696
Greenwood Riverside Inn 940-889-3215 – 2 queen beds; 2 twin beds; Bath; Kitchen
Cactus Moon Lodging 940-889-4888 and leave message – sleeps 6 to 8; two baths; kitchen
Sagamar Inn Motel 940-888-5507
La Siesta Motel 940-889-3171
Snyder’s Country Cottage 940-888-1830 / 889-3234
Cedar Street House 940-636-7553 / 940-888-1217
The Blue Willow B&B 940-889-4040
Oregon Street B&B 90-888-3973
Here is a list of the following towns that still have accomodations:
Graham, Texas
Seymore, Texas
Vernon, Texas
Lawton, Ok
Gainsville, Texas
[Source: hh100.org]
Bike Commuting Gets Serious In Seattle
Bicycle commuters and others interested in non-motorized public transportation got a chance on Tuesday to kick the tires and go for test rides on three bike share systems that may one day be a common sight on Seattle streets.
King County is sponsoring the presentation, which will be repeated in Redmond on Wednesday, to get some feedback about what people like and don’t like about the bike share programs and how they could be employed here.
Participating in the all-day display on Westlake Avenue were B-cycle, Bixi and The Bike Share Group (left), which is based in Ballard.
Bixi
Only one of the systems, the Bixi, is undergoing daily public use. It’s the bike-share system for the city of Montreal, which launched the program this spring.
The program started with 3,000 sturdy bicycles and is expected to have 5,000 on the street by the time it shuts down for the cold Quebec winter. Users can either swipe a credit card for single use, or become members and use a “key” to unlock their bikes for more frequent riding. The fee system is set up for short trips.
Although the bicycles are built locally in Montreal, the Bixi is expanding to California. It’s already preparing a contract with the city of Newport Beach and the University of California-Irvine.
The Bike Share Group
Showing a prototype at the expo was The Bike Share Group, based in Ballard. The group, led by Mark Hulscher, is creating a community-based bike share system that uses folding bikes that are stored in low-profile metal bike boxes.
That’s a departure from other designs that use kiosks. Keeping the bicycles in boxes reduces problems associated with weathering and tampering, they said.
Instead of a credit-card swipe activitation, they’re studying membership cards or RFD cards. Another “low-tech” option is simply have the user call a phone number and get the combination lock number to open the bike box.
The group’s website is thebikesharegroup.com, although it’s still under construction.
B-cycle
The other bike share system on display was a collaboration of Humana insurance, bicycle-maker Trek and advertising agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky.
This bike share system is an outgrowth of Humana’s Freewheelin program in 2008 that put people on bicycles at the Democratic Convention in Denver and the Republican Convention in Minneapolis.
The B-cycle program is undergoing a test phase with city employees in Denver this summer and is expected to go public in April 2010 with 600 bikes. A bike share program will be launched next spring in Minneapolis as well.
National Park Service employees in Washington DC are using the B-cycle program as well.
The future
King County is hosting another Bike Share Expo in Redmond on Wednesday from 12 to 8 p.m. at the Redmond Town Center, 76th Street and 166th Avenue.
Whether any of these systems see the light of day in Seattle remains to be seen. More than 100 cities around the globe now have bike-share systems, so having one show up in Seattle seems inevitable.
We certainly welcome the day when people can hop on an easily accessible rental bicycle and ride it on a business or personal errand. The possibilities are endless.
[Source: Bike Bis]
