7/29/20 – Back to West Virginia and on to Delaware 

On the evening of July 28th I got a call from my publicist, Casey Colesworthy, that I had to be in Shepherdstown, West Virginia the next day at 11 a.m. A local TV station wanted to include my story as part of a segment featuring a local solar contractor and a candidate for Congress who favors clean energy. I loaded Sunride in the bed of the pickup just before dark and left early the next morning, arriving in Shepherdstown comfortably ahead of schedule. I had a nice visit with Dan Conant, owner of Solar Holler, who helped me off-load Sunride and guided me to a local coffee shop where I had breakfast.

I rode several miles around the quaint charming town then returned as Steven Cohen, newscaster from WDVM-TV, was setting up his camera in front of Solar Holler’s office. Right at 11 a.m. Congressional candidate Cathy Kunkle came walking down the street. She, Dan and I chatted while Steve continued setting up. I found her to be very sharp and well informed. Clearly, she had done her research when asking me about Oregon’s Citizens Utility Board, of which I was once Chair. She was eager to learn anything that might be helpful to her as an effective leader in Congress. My small piece was part of the bigger story of how West Virginia could transition from a coal economy to a renewable energy economy. To see the interview, click here: https://www.localdvm.com/news/could-coal-state-west-virginia-be-poised-to-go-solar/

I thought Dan was sensational in his interview. Earlier when we chatted, he told me there were only 900 solar installations in all of West Virginia and that his company had done nearly one-third of them. I encouraged him that my former company, Mr. Sun Solar, had done 3,000. The sky’s the limit, Dan! Cathy did a wonderful job with her piece too. She will be a great Congresswoman. I returned to D.C. where later that day I would meet with Senator Jeff Merkley (the interview was rescheduled to today – see a short video of the interview: https://www.sunride.us/2020/07/28/9-27-20-sunride-goes-to-washington-d-c/) All in all, a pretty good day, in fact, a great day.

We said good-bye to our nation’s capital heading north to Philadelphia. It’s only 140 miles between the two cities. I needed to ride in Delaware, and Wilmington was right on the way. I had researched a good place to ride and found the Northern Delaware Greenway Trail to be exceptionally beautiful. 

Giant deciduous trees lined the serpentine trail winding through the forest. I must have seen a dozen deer and fawns. Huge granite boulders with a bluish tint speckled the trail.

Copperheads hid under the rocks. I stayed clear of those guys. It was very hilly, with switchbacks and signs to walk your bike on steep grades. At the bottom of the hill was a stream and a waterfall. It was much cooler in the woods than the 95 degrees in the parking lot. I had only passed through Delaware the handful of times I’d been in this part of the world. You can’t see much zooming along the freeway. It was great to finally be in the bosom of the state. It really is a beautiful place, green and lush, with water everywhere, as George Washington saw for himself when he crossed the Delaware on December 25, 1776. The river was frozen over that night, allowing his troops to cross over and surprise the British. It was a turning point in the War.