Gearing Up For the Get There Challenge
Sponsored Content. This story is brought to you by Mid-Columbia Economic Development.
By Cole Goodwin
Last year I wrote a story about locals who participated in the Get There Challenge, a thirteen day event in which people are challenged to carpool, use public transit, ride their bike, walk, or engage in remote work instead of driving to work solo.
Participants log their walking, biking, transit, and remote working trips online to earn points and unlock achievements for a chance to win prizes.
This year prizes include $1,500 towards a custom folding bike, a $500 gift card, Mt. Hood Meadows ski lift tickets, Columbia Sportswear gift cards, hoodies from Columbia Gorge Community College, Gorge Passes, and Oregon E-Bikes day rentals for you and a friend ($158 value).
In any case, I was so inspired by the folks that I interviewed last year that I decided that I wanted to participate in this year's challenge.
However commuting from Lyle, WA to The Dalles, OR for work turns out to be a bit of a challenge.
For one, there is currently no readily available public transportation in Lyle.
So feeling curious, I called Mt. Adams Transportation to see if I would be able to utilize their services for the challenge.
But it turns out that while they will occasionally provide dial-a-ride transportation to Lyle residents who need transportation to and from doctors appointments, court dates, and the veterinary clinic, they don’t provide transportation for work commutes.
“MATS have received a lot of requests for service in Lyle but we don’t have the funding for that,” Lisa King, Transportation Coordinator for MATTS. “We would really like to have a connection between White Salmon and Dallesport but again we just don’t have the funding.”
Undeterred, I began thinking about other commute options.
After a call to Kathy Fitzpatrick at Mid-Columbia Economic Development I got the idea to stop in at Oregon E-bikes where I met up with Brendon Gallant, co-owner of Oregon E-Bikes to find out more about electric bicycles.
Brendon Gallant was happy to talk with me about e-bikes. Photo Credit: Cole Goodwin
“E-bikes allow you to go further with less effort,” said Gallant. “E-bikes can reach 20-28 mph and travel between 30-120 miles (50-200 km) on a full charge.”
“E-bikes break down so many barriers for folks, customers are always telling us how much more they got to enjoy their experience than if they had gotten a regular bike. It’s just a super rewarding means of transportation,” said Gallant.
Gallant said that while E-bikes work everywhere, Hood River in particular is a great place to use an e-bike for your commute.
“I used to ride a road bike to work but the trip back home would be tough. We’re right on the side of a mountain and we’re often in a wind tunnel.” said Gallant.
Gallant, who does bike racing for fitness but also enjoys using e-bikes to commute says having an e-bike has been “eye-opening” for him in terms of how motivated he is to go do something.
“I’m more motivated to jump on an e-bike and go grab lunch downtown than I am to hop on a regular road bike or jump in the car,” said Gallant. “It can be really contentious to drive and park downtown.”
Gallant said he’s looking forward to participating in the Get There Challenge and hopes to inspire some of his staff to join in too.
“As a business owner and a huge fan of all things bike related, I think this challenge is super important in that it raises awareness of alternative methods of commuting that are healthier and more environmentally friendly, I’m going into surgery this week, but even if I can’t ride a bike for the challenge, I’m looking forward to participating and I’m glad we were able to offer some rentals as prizes for the challenge,” said Gallant.
Oregon E-bikes is home to everything you need to get started on your e-bike journey!
While the E-bike option was looking appealing to me, I came up against a pretty significant cost barrier. Day rentals cost $79 per day and purchasing a new e-bike would set me back somewhere in the range of $2,000 to $5,000.
Gallant suggested keeping an eye on the pre-owned market to see if I could find a bike and said that if I wanted to come back and rent a bike more long term (several days to a week) he might be able to give me a deal on the daily rental price.
I said I’d keep that in mind, thanked him for his time. Then I decided to check in with some other folks who are planning to participate in this year's challenge to see how they are planning to get to where they’re going.
Are you planning to ride an e-bike for the Get There Challenge? Tell us about it!
Destiny, (my Trek mountain bike in all her purple and rusted glory) has gotten me pretty far in life…and she was a little bit offended that I’d even CONSIDER riding another bike. Aw, don’t worry Destiny, you’re still my favorite noble steed. But if a friendly road bike came along, I mean…would you really be opposed to sharing the barn and the workload with a friend and having someone to spin tales with at night? Yeah, I didn’t think so.
Photo Credit: Mattie Healy
Meet Daniel Otto Spencer Polehn, age 33, from The Dalles.
While he said he’s not much for selfies, CCCNews managed to capture and image of Daniel Polehn riding his bike downtown last winter. Photo Credit: Tom Peterson
He’s a father of three, a lifelong resident of The Dalles, and enjoys the outdoors, hiking, biking, and long walks on the beach, etc.
He has participated in the challenge before and said he thinks the challenge and its local prizes are “a pretty cool incentive for people to commute differently.”
“I'd like to advocate for more cycling in The Dalles. It's really quite a bikeable town. I believe programs like this build awareness,” said Daniel.
I asked Daniel what his commute usually looks like.
“I get on the bike after dropping kids off at school. I work my way through town down to the Riverfront trail, where I eventually arrive at work. I really enjoy getting to spend part of my day outdoors first thing in the morning. The river and the creatures that live around it are a treasure,” said Daniel.
While Daniel is a regular bike commuter, participating in the challenge means he’ll bike slightly more than he usually does, (four days a week instead of three days a week) and by logging his trips he’ll have the chance to win some cool prizes.
Daniel has been gearing up for the challenge by replacing his bicycle brakes and making sure he has a charger for his headlight battery due to the shorter daylight hours in October.
Good luck participating in this year's challenge Daniel!
Considering what Daniel said I began entertaining the idea of riding my Trek mountain bike to work.
Google maps informed me my commute to work from Lyle would constitute 14 miles, 1hr and 15 minutes.
I considered it for a moment…it definitely wasn’t impossible but 28 mile days would probably be pushing it for me and my previously injured tailbone at this stage in my fitness journey.
So, I logged into the Get There Challenge website to try out their rideshare connection tool “Get There Connect” to find rideshares near me.
That’s how I met Jill Brandt.
Meet Jill Brandt, age 55, former Portlander and current resident of Lyle, WA.
While Jill’s parents and sister still live in Portland, she decided to move out to the Gorge to help out her extended family, Bob and Jenny, with their property that falls along the Centerville highway.
While she’s not a caregiver exactly, she still helps out.
“I moved out here just so that they would have somebody,” said Jill “They both have medical issues and they were out here pretty much all by themselves. So, I came out here to be available and to help work on the property if needed.”
Jill is an administrative assistant at Mid-Columbia Economic Development who has wanted to participate in the challenge before but said she struggled due to the lack of public transit from Lyle to The Dalles, and with finding someone to carpool with.
“The first year I was at MCEDD Kathy told me about the challenge and said I should sign up. It took me a long time to sign up and when I finally did I was hoping for someone to carpool with b but no one ever contacted me. There was no one looking to carpool in Lyle so nothing ever happened,” said Jill. “Until you got a hold of me!”
Lucky for Jill and I, we live only three miles apart!
Meaning a rideshare is definitely in our future.
I asked her where she would be commuting too and whether she would be able to drop me off at CCCNews along the way.
“I commute from here to The Dalles Transit Center,” said Jill “It’s exactly twenty miles door to door.”
I told Jill about my desire to try biking to work for the challenge and that I was planning to at least try it one of the days.
I was curious about whether she’d like to ride with me one day.
She said that while that did sound like quite the challenge, she wasn’t sure she was up for it because since her shoulder surgery, she’s had more difficulty riding a bike.
However, she suggested that since she has a bike rack on her car, she could drive me one way and I could bike the other if I wanted to while I was testing it out.
I said that would be perfect!
Now that we have both found some options for participating in this year’s challenge we were getting excited.
Jill said the biggest thing she was looking forward to was saving money by splitting gas and driving time.
“I’ve been worried about the miles that I’m racking up on my car, and gas is expensive,” said Jill.
She also said she is looking forward to saving money and earning points for the Get There Challenge by working remotely.
“Last winter I got stuck in the snow. I have pictures of my car, practically buried in a hole. I worked remote from home for two weeks while my car was stuck in the snow,” said Jill “It was amazing. Being able to have commute options and remote work options is so important. I mean what if I couldn’t work remotely? I would have had to call in for two weeks. That would have been awful.”
The mini van while useful in many ways, couldn’t handle last years snowpack. Photo Credit: Jill Brandt
Agreed.
While there probably won’t be any snow in October, Jill said that bridge closures may result in her asking for some remote work days.
As for me, I’m looking forward to using the Get There Challenge to continue exploring the many ways I can re-envision my transportation choices to help me live a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle while simultaneously saving money and time on the road.
Photo Credit: Mattie Healy
Want to join us in participating in this year’s Get There Challenge?
Getting started with the challenge is as easy as 1, 2, 3!
Simply create an account at Get There Connect or log in to your account here.
Then go to the Challenge page and unlock achievements to earn points.
The more points you earn and achievements you unlock the more chances you’ll have to win up to $500 in prizes and a custom folding bike! Click here to see the full list of prizes.
The challenge is open to anyone who lives or works in Oregon!
Already signed up and wondering how to prepare for the challenge?
Here are some tips to help you prepare:
Use The Get There Challenge’s website to pre-plan your rideshares.
If you plan to use your car to rideshare it’s a good idea to make sure your insurance is up to date and your car is in good working order prior to the challenge.
If you’re planning to walk or bike:
Consider buying safety gear such as high visibility vests, reflective clothing, waterproof gear and reflectors to improve your commute.
Plan your commute in advance. A little knowledge can go a long way. Click here for more information and how-to videos on navigating connect, logging trips, finding a carpool, and more.
Set yourself up for success by choosing the trip options that make sense for you! Whether that’s walking, biking, public transportation, a carpool, or remote working!
Cole Goodwin preparing to put some miles on their bike in preparation for the Get There Challenge.
Photo Credit: Mattie Healy
Participating in the Get There Challenge? Click here for a chance to be featured in our story series!
Participating in the event means you’ll have a chance to win the following prizes:
The Grand Prize
Two $500 Visa Cash cards and $1,500 toward a custom Bike Friday folding bike
To be entered into the Grand Prize drawing you’ll need to earn 20 or more points by Oct. 16. Each point earned after you reach 20 points counts as an additional entry!
Weekly Prizes
Earn 10 or more points each week to earn these prizes! Week one ends Sunday Oct. 9 and week two ends Sunday Oct. 16.
The Get There Challenge will award:
Six $25 Café Yumm gift cards per week
One $100 Columbia Sportswear gift card per week
One $100 Portland Design Works gift cards per week
One Portland Design Works swag bag per week
Five $50 Ruffwear gift cards per week
Three $50 Made in Oregon gift cards per week
Three $50 Fred Meyer gift cards per week
One Chrome Industries commuter bag per week
You can also use this form to tell a friend about the Get There Challenge by Oct 4 to be entered into a special early bird bonus raffle for a chance to win 1 of 6 32 oz. Hydro Flask bottles.
Enterprise Vanpool Prize
Log at least 2 vanpool trips in Get There Connect by Oct. 16 for a chance to win 1 of 3 $100 Visa Cash Card.
Local Prizes
Mt. Hood Ski Lift Tickets
Two E-bike day rentals from Oregon E-bikes
Annual 2023 Gorge Passes to help you get around the Gorge on public transit for FREE
Hoodies from the Columbia Gorge Community College bookstore
Check out the long list of past Get There Challenge prize winners, here!
