My WizWheelz TerraTrike v1.5 that I received as a frameset in August of 1998 and which I finally finished acquiring all the other necessary components in August of the following year . . . yes, I work rather slowly. The main customized components are the 8 speed Deore XT derailleur with a DuraAce bar end shifter and a Schlumpf Mountain Drive bottom bracket. The rest of the components: RANS seat, 20 inch wheels with Sturmey Archer drum brake hubs and a 26 inch rear wheel were standard v1.5 components that were ordered from RANS and Tim Taylor. The rear tail fairing is a sheet of Easy Bagger PVC material covered with red and white contact paper.

 The Schlumpf Mountain Drive Type 1 has a planetary transmission (bottom bracket) that makes the existing 46-tooth chainring work like a 19-tooth ring when the lower gear is engaged. With it, I was able to shift down to 15 gear inches when the going got steep--and happily spin along at 3 to 4 mph.

 NOTE: with the advent of the WizWheelz v3.0 front derailleur boom option one can now buy a stock TerraTrike with a nifty 14 gear-inch lowest gear for mountain-climbing endeavors! Not only that, but in addition to all the other improvements, the latest TerraTrike also is a pound lighter than my trusty v1.5.

 No, this is not my house--although it seems that most people who hear I'm from Santa Barbara think that people who inhabit my fair city live in these abodes.

The Santa Barbara Mission was my first stop once I got underway, here shown with the LaCumbre Peak in the background. It was an unusually clear weekend morning for February/March, 2000 (it rained on four consecutive weekends--including the next day.) And true to form, this paticular beautiful clear morning would soon change . . .

Ascending Mountain Drive, which winds behind the Riviera section of Santa Barbara. My objective is still 3400 feet above me at this point.