Photos (updated): Keweenaw Bike to Work Day 2011

HANCOCK, HOUGHTON, CALUMET -- Keweenaw Bike to Work Day -- Friday, May 20, 2011 -- turned out to be warm and sunny. Keweenaw Now and guest photographer Crissy Gerhart of Calumet took these photos of participants and volunteers at the bike stations in Hancock, Calumet and Houghton.

Hancock ...

Hancock City Councilor John Slivon, left, and his wife, Ann Pace, who both helped coordinate the first Hancock Bike to Work Day in 2010, volunteered again this year at the Hancock bike station. Bikers register, receive a free water bottle, fresh fruit and home-made snacks. (Photos by Keweenaw Now unless otherwise indicated)

Dean Woodbeck of Keweenaw Trails, which promotes silent sports in the Keweenaw, stops to chat with Ann Pace at the Bike to Work station in Hancock Friday morning, May 20, 2011. Woodbeck helped organize the Houghton Bike to Work Day, which began in 2009.

Bicycle commuters register and receive their souvenir water bottle at the bike station in Hancock.

A cyclist stops at the healthy snack table in Hancock for some quick energy on his way to work last Friday morning, Bike to Work Day, May 20, 2011. At left on the table are Ann Pace's home-made snacks along with fresh fruit and water. Coffee was donated by the Keweenaw Co-op.

Calumet ...

Lorri Oikarinen is pictured here at the Calumet High School Bike to Work station Friday morning, May 20, 2011. Oikarinen is co-owner with her husband, Rick Oikarinen, of Cross Country Sports in Calumet, one of the sponsors of Bike to Work. "(Lorri) came at 7 a.m. and brought the food, coffee, and free material to hand out," said Crissy Gerhart. "Then she drove her car home and then biked to work!" (Calumet photos © 2011 and courtesy Crissy Gerhart)

Biking commuters register at the Calumet bike station and enjoy snacks and drinks. Coffee was donated by the Fifth and Elm Coffee House.

A large banner attracts cyclists to the Bike to Work station in Calumet on Friday morning, May 20, 2011.

HOUGHTON ...

Father and son -- Kris Mattila, right, and Dane Mattila of Hubbell -- biked to work and to the Michigan Tech campus, respectively, Friday morning. Here they stop to visit with Bike to Work volunteer Bob Drake of Houghton on their way home -- a second 12-mile trip -- Friday afternoon. This was Houghton's third year participating in National Bike to Work Day. (Houghton photos by Keweenaw Now)

Volunteer Bob Drake checks Rita Lederle's bike for safety. The safety check at the bike stations included brakes, steering and reflectors. Lederle, center, who biked from Hancock to Houghton, is pictured with Chris DeDene of Houghton. Both are Michigan Tech students.

David Clark, left, Michigan Tech graduate student in math, joins Rita and Chris for a snack at the registration table. Baked goods were from Victoria's Kitchen in Houghton.

Meghan Stan, Michigan Tech ecology student, biked from Calumet Waterworks to Houghton Friday (about 14 miles one way). She stopped here at the Bike to Work station near the Houghton waterfront path Friday afternoon.

Alex Hirzel, originally from L'Anse, said he biked from Hancock to Houghton every day last week, including Friday. He is an undergraduate student in electrical engineering at Michigan Tech.

Lakshmi Krishna of Hyderabad, India, was trying out a new road bike in downtown Houghton Friday afternoon. She normally rides a mountain bike and has even biked from Houghton to Marquette. Krishna just completed her Ph.D. in materials science and engineering at Michigan Tech and is now doing a post-doc.

For more information about Keweenaw Bike to Work Day and a list of local sponsors of the event, visit their Web site.

To learn about biking in the City of Houghton, see the City's 2007 Bicycle Plan.