I am equal parts enthused, inspired and overwhelmed at the number of inquiries for Tour participation that I have received so far. Thanks so much to everyone who has been in contact! I have chatted with individuals and communities from all over the country – from New York to Montana – all eager to become involved. Unfortunately, there is a limit to the number of miles and amount of communities that I, simply one girl on her bike, will be able to visit while on the Tour.

However, I think I’ve come up with a solution – virtual Tour participation!

Here’s my vision: Interested teachers/organizations can utilize my ‘Virtual SFT Handbook’ (in development) to incorporate the Tour into classroom lessons. This document will provide guidance on integrating the Tour into various school subjects. For example, a math class might examine velocity or gear ratios while a health class could calculate calories expended or discuss heart rate and metabolism. More long-term projects might include the evaluation of bicycle and walking infrastructure near the school (i.e. sidewalks/bike lanes) or examining the nutrients in their school meals.

Most importantly the virtual handbook will include the same goal-setting exercises that are a cornerstone of the real-time classroom programming. The students will develop a plan of action and then regularly update me on their progress towards both collective and individual goals.

Conducting a ‘virtual Tour’ will also provide me with great opportunity to steer teachers to more comprehensive curriculum resources such as Nourish’s Food+Community or Michigan’s Safe Routes to School Make Traxs program.

I’m really excited about this new concept and plan to continue developing the ‘Virtual Tour’ idea. Stay tuned!

And just for fun – it has been ridiculously sunny and unseasonable warm here in Oregon. Here’s a photo of me working in the sunshine!