Ian Mackay

November 1, 2022

GART Wrap up – Invacare Victory Lap

Ian Mackay

November 1, 2022

Although we had finished the ride, we had one more important day ahead of us. A visit to Invacare. The plan all along was to finish at the factory where my chair had been built and to acknowledge those who had a hand at creating the equipment that allows me such incredible independence.

We woke up early in Columbus and loaded up for a two-hour drive to Elyria. It was a nice drive, much of it through Amish country where we would pass the occasional horse-drawn buggy. When we finally arrived, we all jumped out of the van and wanted to get a picture in front of the big Invacare world headquarters sign in front of the building. While we were goofing off getting our photo, we noticed quite the shindig just around the corner from where we were.

Getting pictures with the movers and shakers

There was the Invacare arch, a giant tent with tables and chairs underneath and a lot of people mingling around. We headed straight over and I immediately felt pretty special. The first person I saw was Sandy Habecker, one of my main contacts and someone I admire and respect deeply. Her smile was huge and shortly after greeting me she began to introduce me to the many folks who had gathered.

There were two other wheelchair users in attendance and I quickly went to introduce myself. I first greeted Kelly Hanlin who was easy to chat with, was quite the advocate and had worked at the Columbus Zoo. She’s awesome! I then spoke with Addison Delp. I liked him immediately. The first thing he said to me was, “I’m going to beat your record”! He is a senior in high school, dabbles in power soccer and loves getting his chair dirty. We are certainly birds of a feather. I look forward to connecting with both of them more in the future.

The customization for each chair is pretty amazing

We then settled in for some socializing, got some pictures and the team had some lunch (which Invacare had provided for the whole company and guests) while I continued chatting with the growing crowd. I soon realized that many of the individuals were workers from the factory floor. I immediately began expressing my gratitude for having a hand in building the chair that continues to allow me to live my best life. I got a little emotional talking with some of these folks. They take a lot of pride in their work and I really tried to convey the importance of that work to those of us who depend on their craftsmanship. They are truly unsung heroes. I then had a quick interview with a local journalist before heading off on a tour of the factory.

The Invacare world headquarters factory is pretty freaking cool. You get to see raw metal coming into the plant and that raw metal being turned into a wheelchair in just one day. Between the fabricating, metal processing, painting, assembly and testing it is spectacular to see the process unfold in real time.

One particularly special moment was when we were halfway through the tour and factory floor workers asked if they could all get a picture with me. Individuals started joining our group from all over the factory and I was soon surrounded with those who had completely assembled my chair a couple years prior. I gushed with appreciation and was pretty humbled they all wanted a photo with me.

So grateful for each one of these people

After the tour, me, Kelly, Addison and a number of engineers got together to discuss what we loved and didn’t love about our power wheelchairs. It’s wonderful to have the ear of the company who is providing the equipment that allows me to live a full life and be immersed in the outdoors. I, of course, emphasize the current limitations with range in their SP2 line. Lithium batteries or more efficient motors could resolve this issue. We discussed suspension, light packages, current rollback, tires, tiedown loops, the electronics package, the challenges of flying and much more.

They recognize the need for equipment that works well for people with an active lifestyle. I feel I’ve already demonstrated that the chair holds up quite well to difficult terrain and weather. In addition, I’ve shown the chair will run for 24 hours straight. These are pretty rigorous, real-world trials to put a chair through and it continues to be my daily driver.

Finally, before we left, we were able to utilize their shipping department to get the bikes and the lithium battery shipped back to the West Coast.

It was a beautiful finish to a beautiful ride. I am so thankful to Invacare. They’ve been our platinum sponsor for years now and they continue to manufacture wheelchairs that allow people with limited mobility to live their best life. Most importantly, they take feedback from their users to continue to improve the products that me and the wheelchair community utilize. I look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with the company that provides me with such independence.

Proud partner of:

Ian Mackay

October 3, 2022

GART Day 12 - Columbus

Ian Mackay

October 3, 2022

I’m going to keep today’s blog on the shorter side despite meeting so many wonderful people today. The team is a little tired and we are looking forward to some much needed rest. Once I am back home and I’ve had a chance to recover I will write a summary of our trip.

For the first day in almost a week we did not have rain, or as Dr. B calls it “spheres of dihydrogen monoxide.” We started our ride today in Centerburg, OH. As the name suggests, it is the geographical center of the state. Dr. B wanted to search the town for a plaque of some sort to get a picture, but I told him “no, we’ve got to get moving.” We rode along very nice, well maintained trails for almost the entire route toady. There were a few sections where we needed to exit a trail, take some roads and sidewalks to get to the next trail, but for the most part the navigation was straight forward.

The first twenty miles of today were bittersweet. We knew we were on the last day, and these twenty miles would be the last for Jimmy, Dr. B, and me, just three of us. We have so much fun being on the trail together and relying on one another for support, humor, and motivation. About twenty miles into the ride we were met on the trail by a hand cyclist, Rick Haller who is a member of The Adaptive Sports Connection. Rick is from the area and has a lot of local knowledge of the trails and how they all connect and intersect. We asked him to guide us to where other members from his club would begin riding with us, at Alum Creek Park, or as Dr. B calls it “Potassium Aluminum Sulfate Creek Park.”

As we left Alum Creek Park we rode along the creek. It was hella beautiful. We switched from one side of the creek to another multiple times over beautiful bridges. A few miles down the trail, still being guided thankfully by Rick we were joined by Eric Oberg from Rails to Trails Conservancy who rode with us until about a mile from the finish line, where he would ride ahead to get the finish line set up. As we were riding Eric would talk about specific parts of the trail and the work it took to get much of this trail developed. You could tell he was proud of the work he’s done and hopeful for development of more trails making the current trail system even more fluid.

As we approached downtown we found ourselves on sidewalks and roads (with sharrows). For the most part traffic was not bad, but there were certain intersections where we needed to be extra careful due to the speed at which cars were traveling. At these intersection Jimmy, Dr. B, Simon (Rick’s son), and another cyclist, Dave were very helpful making us all visible. We were now a group of 10 – 15 cyclists and wheel chairs. Sometimes it takes more time that the crosswalk allows when you have that many in your group.

Our numbers were growing as we approached Columbus

As downtown approached we were met by Jody Dzuranin, the Executive Director of the Ohio to Erie Trail. She would guide us to the finish line and we could celebrate our accomplishment. We made one final turn onto a nice path that rolls along the Scioto River into the heart of downtown. As we made this turn we were joined by a fellow wheelchair user, Jenny Border the local United Spinal contact who rode with us for the final mile.

Getting some love from Adaptive Sports Connection.

After crossing the finish line, we were able to celebrate and just breath. There were a lot of people that rode with us today and it was nice to get a chance to talk to them and look them in the eye. Sometimes on the trail this can be difficult. I want to talk to all of the wonderful people who are here to support us and get outside, and sometimes riding on the trail makes it too difficult to see everyone. After I had a chance to talk to everyone and share a special moment with my team we were ready to go get some beer.

My team and I, joined by Jenny went to Hoof Hearted Brewing because whoever named this placed must be as immature as we are and probably likes the same stuff we do. The beer was good, much better than the beer we have been drinking along the way. Jimmy had a big smile on his face. We were even able to eat some deep-fried alligator, expect for Dr. B of course.

In total, we road over 440 miles. We started in Washington DC and ended in Columbus, OH. We encountered just about every terrain we could think of. From the first day to the last day we experienced a temperature range of nearly fifty degrees. We had a number of days of rain. All along the way we were intrigued by the history we were riding through. We were unable to spend the time reading and learning about all these historical sites we were passing because of the schedule we were trying to keep. We are thankful for everyone we met along the way, and all the beauty we were able to see along the way. It’s amazing what can be accomplished when you have the support I have, and when you get outside.

Ian Mackay

October 2, 2022

GART Day 11 - A Day of Rest

Ian Mackay

October 2, 2022

Today was a day of rest, of sorts. We had no trail miles planned, but we did have a long drive ahead of us to get to Columbus, OH. As we left Pittsburgh it began to rain. Interestingly it was the remnants of Hurricane Ian we were dealing with. As we drove, the rain became much more intense and the drive was a little nerve racking. About half way to Columbus the rain let up and the drive became a little more relaxing and we could enjoy some of the fall colors.

We’d never seen this shade of green in our sushi

Once we settled into the hotel in Columbus Jimmy, Dr. B, and I went out for a short ride to a brewery. We found a nice trail that got us almost all the way to the brewery before we had to use sidewalks for the last quarter mile. After some bad sushi and less than stellar beer we returned to the hotel. The ride there and back was a little over five miles. This isn’t anywhere near what we have been doing each day, but at least we can now say we’ve ridden our bikes and wheelchair in Ohio. Tomorrow will be a more impressive day on the trial for us.

While at the brewery we discussed our highlights from this trip and talked about future adventures we’d like to embark on. One highlight we all had was the C & O Trail which was built on top of what used to be the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath. While riding and talking about the C & O our interest was piqued to say the least, which has led us to research other towpaths we could visit and ride in the future.

In our research we found that most documents support the idea that towpaths originated in Britain in the 1700s. However, we dug deep, real deep, maybe too deep and came across evidence to support the idea that towpaths may have originated in ancient Egypt. Hieroglyphic carvings recently unearthed within the pyramids show images of animals pulling boats along a canal. The weathering and aging of the images has led to some debate regarding the identification of these beasts of burden, but the consensus is they were camels.

In our pursuit to ride the towpaths of the world, we are hoping to visit Egypt, perhaps for Ian’s Ride 2024. This would be the holy grail of towpaths. If it doesn’t happen in 2024 we will continue our pursuit of the Egyptian camel tow path*.

Over the past two weeks Dr. B, Jimmy, and I have spent a lot of time and logged a lot of miles on the trails on these eastern states. Riding side by side with each other over 400 miles provides the opportunity for bonding you just don’t experience in other settings. Throughout this journey we were inspired to give one another trail names. We encourage our readers (that’s you!) to participate in a little game. I will tell you our three trail names, and you try to determine which name belongs to Dr. B, Jimmy, and myself. Please provide your best guess in the comment section. Our trail names are Meadowlark, Quinoa, and Ringo.

Ringo, Meadowlark and Quinoa in no particular order

*Please note, due to poor judgment and too much beer there may be a few historic inaccuracies in the writing of this blog

Proud Partner of

Ian Mackay

October 1, 2022

GART Day 10 - Almost to Ohio

Ian Mackay

October 1, 2022

The day started before it ended. That’s pretty standard for days here on planet Earth. I’m not telling you anything you didn’t already know. But here at Ian’s ride we like to mix things up. We zig when you think we’re going to zag, bob when you were expecting a weave, drink when you thought we would eat. In the case of today’s blog, I’ll be writing about our experience in reverse, beginning with the ending and ending with the beginning. What else would you expect when a brewery is being highlighted for supporting us today, and there was a little more beer drinking than usual? We’d like to thank Alestake Brewing for the swag and all the beer donations to our bellies.

We finished our ride in West Virginia, at the west end of the Panhandle Trail which was our passage from Pennsylvania into West Virginia. Our original goal was to continue from this point about six more miles and enter Ohio, but we did our research and determined those six miles were too dangerous. Within these six miles there was a combination of roads with narrow shoulders, dilapidated sidewalks, a section of highway, and a slippery narrow metal bridge with no shoulder. With the help from Dr. B, Jimmy and other trails goers along the way I have made it through some pretty difficult sections of trail since we left DC. However, this journey has been about being on trails and being safe, and I’ve had to let go of the EFI (every f---ing inch) mentality I have had during past Ian’s Rides.

The second half of the Panhandle Trail was rough and unpaved, and brought back memories of the C & O Trail. Jimmy, Dr. B, and I were reminiscing about how much we loved the C & O. The transition from paved to unpaved was abrupt and took place at the state line between Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Not too far from us a street ran parallel to the trail where half the homes were in West Virginia and half in Pennsylvania. Most people don’t know this about me, but I am a card-carrying member of the United States Postal Service Fan Club (USPSFC), so I amused myself with thoughts of how the mail was delivered to one end of the street versus the other. Do the West Virginia and Pennsylvania postal carriers have to enter this street from different directions? I have so many questions for my fellow “Ponies.” That’s what we call ourselves in the USPSFC.

Golden Rod and Purple Asters. A match made in heaven!

The Pennsylvania section of the Panhandle trail was paved and very smooth. It allowed for Jimmy and I to talk more than we can when trails are rough. We love talking about the plants we are seeing along the trail, plants we don’t get to see back on the west coast. All along the route we have seen Golden Rods, but today in particular there were many Late Purple Asters sprinkled among the yellow Golden Rods and the two together were very beautiful. Dr. B commented how it reminds him of the Lupines and Poppies during springtime in California. Robin Wall Kimmerer points out in her book Braiding Sweetgrass that there are evolutionary reasons purple and yellow flowers grow together in meadows and on hillsides, in fact Golden Rods and Purple Asters were her motivation to study this relationship.

While on the Pennsylvania portion of the Panhandle we came across a Ring-Necked snake which was quite beautiful. It was a cold day and we were concerned it wouldn’t be moving much and may get hit by a trail user so Dr. B helped him/her off the trail. Nature was calling for Jimmy, so Dr. B and I found a sunny spot on the trail to relax while Jimmy tended to his immediate needs. Just before Jimmy emerged from the bushes, a murder of crows flew overhead announcing Jimmy was done taking care of business. It’s scenes like this that keep the legend of Sasquatch alive in local folklore. However, I don’t ever recall stories of Sasquatch carrying handy wipes.

The Panhandle was our second trail of the day. We had transitioned to the Panhandle from the Montour Trail where we left off yesterday. About a mile or so before this transition we came across an obstacle that presented some problems. Trail workers were laying a fresh layer of crushed limestone, or as Dr. B likes to called it, calcium carbonate. This was a big operation with hella big equipment involved. We arrived at a point in the trail where a large tractor implement used to spread the limestone was covering the entire trail. There was also a steam roller to help compact the limestone once it had been laid down. If I was to get around this I would have to ride off of the trail (which was elevated about 4-6 inches above the surrounding ground) into soft wet dirt and then back up and onto the trail. The space between the implement and the trees/bushes lining the side of the trail was narrow and would require some careful driving, not to mention some work by my team to make sure I didn’t sink and get stuck.

Dr. B laid down the 2 x 6 boards we had been carrying ever since the “Great Stair Incident of 2022” back on the C & O. The intention was to have these boards act as a rail for me to drive on so my tires would not dig into the ground and get stuck. Before I attempted this dare-devil maneuver we discussed everything we were going to do with the three trail workers (Larry, Andy, and Steam Roller Guy) operating the equipment. Steam Roller Guy (his preferred, not legal name) compacted the newest limestone down even more, to ensure I would not get stuck on the trail itself before the Evil Knievel move I was about to attempt. With the help of Jimmy, Dr. B, and our three new friends making sure I didn’t tip over I went for it. I grabbed my sip and puff and said “yee-haw.” I blew once to start my engine, and then blew as hard as I could. There is some debate amongst the crew if the boards Dr. B laid down were helpful or as useless as those insignificant twigs he used to “help” get me up the stairs on the C & O. In the end it didn’t matter because we’re badasses and we made it! We thanked everyone and were on our way.

We arrived at the Montour trail where we left off yesterday. As we were unloading and getting everything ready to begin the day on the trail a cyclist, Ryan, stopped by to see what we were all about. We told him a little about our journey, he helped take some photos so we could get my mom and dad both in some pictures. He was out on the trail training for a ride of his own. He will be riding the GAP trail to Cumberland and back over a series of four days. Hopefully he’ll enjoy the GAP as much as we did. He gave us some local insight into the trails we were about to ride today and then headed on his way. Shortly after, so did we.

Proud Partner Of

Ian Mackay

September 30, 2022

GART Day 9 - Pittsburgh!

Ian Mackay

September 30, 2022

Well, we finished the Great Allegheny Passage!!! Just as when we finished the C&O Trail, we didn’t have much time to celebrate because we had to jet off to the next thing. After a very busy day, during a celebratory dinner with some beverages, we let it all soak in and we reflected on what we have accomplished. But let’s back up to the morning to see how the GAP ended for us…

We had to contend with Pittsburgh traffic to get to the day’s start in McKeesport. There were at least two bridges at the start, a modern blue suspension bridge for vehicles that was next to an old steel trellis bridge for trains. Pittsburgh is known as the City of Bridges, and man, they are everywhere! We were by them, on them, under them, and over them all day long. We made our way north from McKeesport toward downtown Pittsburgh, and let me tell you, it was a day of transitions. We transitioned into a major metropolitan area. The trail varied greatly. One moment we’d be on a surface street, the next we’d be back on hard pack crushed rock. One moment we’d be between industrial buildings or along a rail yard, the next we’d be on a relatively quiet path along the Monongahela River (which we’ve taken to calling the Hella River, even though it’s pronounced Muh-non-guh-hee-luh).

A note on what’s happening with the rivers in the Pittsburgh area relative to our journey: you’ll recall that we were traveling along the Casselman River a couple of days back. The Casselman led into the Youghiogheny River at the appropriately named town of Confluence. The Yough flows northwestward before merging with the Monongahela River, which flows northward to Pittsburgh. Today we rode along the Monongahela to the point that it meets the Allegheny River that comes into Pittsburgh from the east-northeast. At this point the Monongahela and the Allegheny become the Ohio River, which is kind of a big deal. From Pittsburgh, the Ohio River flows for almost a thousand miles before emptying into the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illinois.

Back to the transitions of the day. From sidewalks to railroad crossings to wood planked bridges, we bounced along all kinds of surfaces. At one point, we waited while a construction crew put down asphalt and compacted it to form a ramp so that I could get back up onto a sidewalk in a construction zone. We wanted that construction crew back at the two-step bridge on the C&O Trail. They would have put a permanent end to that obstacle in no time!

The Port Perry Bridge over the mighty Monongahela River

We thought of our friend Kenny the Hot Quad when we passed Kennywood, a local amusement park. We’d go from grey, rusty urban scenes onto short sections through woods where the white snakeroot, mugwort and pale jewelweed made us feel like we were back in the hills of the preceding days.

Navigational challenges are our specialty.

The GAP was well marked up to mile marker 147, the last marker we saw. Then navigation became more tricky. At this point we were in the heart of Pittsburgh, among the skyscrapers and stadiums and criss-crossing streets. There were some vague signs pointing out the GAP, but we found ourselves on streets and sidewalks wondering where the hell we were. I don’t know how many bridges we crossed, but it was a lot. Eventually, we kind of stumbled into Point State Park looking for my mom and dad. Unbeknownst to us, we actually rode past the 0 mile marker (or from our perspective, the 150 mile marker) while looking for my folks. They were chatting with Mick Stinelli of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette when we found them. We all ate lunch while Mick interviewed me.

After the interview, we backtracked a short distance to the rather discrete end/start of the GAP, took some pictures and briefly celebrated finishing the GAP before loading up into the vehicles to shuttle over to the Montour Trail where people were waiting for us.

Right off the bat I’d now like to thank Rebecca McTaggart for everything she did today. She is with United Spinal, and she orchestrated this afternoon’s meet ups and this evening’s celebratory dinner. Said otherwise, she was the lightning rod that brought people together this afternoon. Rebecca was at the trailhead when we rolled up, along with Karen Mansfield (a reporter from the Washington Observer-Reporter) and Phillip Torrez (Vice-President of the Montour Trail Council). While we were preparing to hit the trail, Jared Quinteros arrived to join the party. He sustained a spinal injury and lost use of his legs in a tragic accident in which he also lost his beloved wife. A tree branch crashed down onto them while they were hiking in June 2021. We were all touched by his story and were happy to have him along with us. I thanked him for making it so that I wasn’t the only one in a wheelchair out there on the Montour.

Dr. B, Jimmy and I have a great time together when we are out on the trail for hours on end, day after day as we cover these long distances. But our tribe is much bigger than that. It’s when others join us on the trail and for post-ride gatherings that we feel most fulfilled, when we feel like we are accomplishing our mission to bring people together, to get outside in the name of community and friendships. From all the people who participate in Sea to Sound to the people who meet up with us at various points on the long Ian’s Rides, we feel unity and inspiration.

We covered about 12 miles on the very nice, smooth and accessible Montour Trail. After that, many of us who met at the Montour trailhead reconvened at the Industrial Public House to relax with some beverages and good food. Jared joined with his sons Oliver and Owen. Lester DeLioncourt of Laurel Medical Solutions (and a long time wheelchair user) joined us. Again, Rebecca did a great job of getting a nice group together. We shared stories, had some good laughs and finally really celebrated completing the GAP.

Jared joined the Vans shoe party not with checkered Vans but with sweet custom Vans with badass wheelchair emblems blazed across them.

At the end of the evening we exchanged a bunch of gifts and swag and got some nice pictures. We went our separate ways, but felt great satisfaction in our coming together as we did.

We had talked about taking a rest day tomorrow. We are all tired after 9 days straight on the trail. However, the remnants of Hurricane Ian will be bringing moisture to our region on Saturday, so we are going to hit the trail tomorrow and get into West Virginia before finally taking a break on Saturday.

Proud partner of