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By ESTHER K. SMITH
News staff writer
September 13, 2006
Summer is winding down and classes from
the spring/summer Community Ed program catalog have come and gone —
save one: Adventure Sidecar Novice Training, which will be offered
Sept. 23-24.
Taught by Vernon Wade, of Hood River, with assistance from Patricia
Kaviani, this 16-hour course includes instruction on basic motorcycle
operation and no prior experience is needed.
Though motorcycles with sidecars are in the minority as far as
motorcycles go, there is a solid base of enthusiasts for the sport and
the interest is growing, according to an article on the Motorcycle
Riders Foundation Web site.
Fans of sidecars range from motorcycle riders who want to learn
something different to ones who, for whatever reason, cannot ride a
two-wheeler anymore or want to include family members or pets on their
adventures.
Even though sidecars are safer in many ways than regular motorcycles,
they are still classified as motorcycles and fall under the same
safety training requirements. But driving a three-wheeler requires
very different techniques and skills than riding a two-wheeler, and
safety training is a lot harder to come by.
African-style marimba instruction will
be
offered for adults by Karin Tauscher.
“We had people come up from Arizona and
down from British Columbia,” said Wade, at the July training session.
“They find out about it online, and sometimes make a special trip.”
Participants in the July classes were given instruction in riding,
protective gear, defensive driving, accident avoidance techniques,
with eight of the hours being devoted to practical skills
demonstrations and practice on a protected off-street course.
The students were directed around traffic cones representing cars and
buses; were taught to turn and swerve, how to shift weight to maintain
balance, and many other practical matters.
Adventure Sidecar classes even provide the three-wheeler for those who
don’t have their own. Participants who do use their own vehicle must
make sure they are in safe operating order and must provide proof if
insurance.
All participants must be at least 16 years old and possess a valid
driver’s license. They must also wear a legal, Department of
Transportation-approved helmet; though loaner helmets can be provided
if arranged in advance.
For more information on Adventure Sidecar, LLC, visit
http://adventuresidecar.com.
Anyone interested in taking part in the Sept. 23-24 classes should
call Community Ed at 386-2055. The fee for the two-session class is
$190.
*****
Adventure Sidecar is just one of the more unusual classes to be found
in the next round of Community Education classes, according to Mike
Schend, director of Community Education.
Indoor flying sessions will again be
offered for radio controlled airplanes, with help available from the
Gorge Radio Controlled Airplane Club. Above, Mike Hamilton of The
Dalles, right, confers with Dave Wertsch.
Others are are script writing, “buying
and selling on e-Bay,” petroglyph stone carving, writing a press
release, radio-controlled airplanes, Pranic healing, beer brewing,
pendulum dowsing, and improving your memory.
Others include a stair-building workshop, sheet metal basics,
horse-drawn sleigh rides, geochaching, scuba diving, ski and snowboard
tune-up, chair yoga, comedy improve and theater workshop, Asian
cooking, flower design, marimba lessons, rock and roll camp, kids on
the air, and Middle Eastern influences.
These are just a fraction of the offerings this fall and winter, and
they are in addition to the mere useful and instructional, such as
foreign language, parenting, writing, computers, cooking, health,
crafts and hobbies, and art, music and dance.
So watch for your fall/winter Community Ed calendar, scrutinize it and
sign up for whatever strikes your fancy. |
