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PAGE 10 ALL ABOUT MONTANA MONTANA SENIOR NEWS • APRIL // MAY 2019

AMAZING BICYCLE / CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

When Renfrow read that they convert used bicycles into foot-pow-
ered machines to perform labor-intensive tasks traditionally done by
hand, the idea resonated with him. Between his love of cycling and his
civic-minded nature, Renfrow couldn’t resist getting involved with
these inventive bicimaquinas (bike machines).
“After 500 years of colonial rule, this is our last best chance to
preserve and help an indigenous culture move into the 21st century
in the Americas,” commented Renfrow. “The bike is an appropriate
technology for emerging economies. You just get on it and pedal.
Leg power is five times more productive than arm power and 20 times
faster than finger power. This is especially important because Guatemalan
children very often are the ones cobbing the corn that’s eaten at every
meal or de-pulping coffee beans instead of attending school. Maya Pedal is a Guatemalan NGO that builds a range of Bicimaquinas (pedal-powered machines)
Additionally, bicimaquinas are an inexpensive entry to enterprise. out of bikes donated from the U.S. and Canada. Bicimaquinas free locals from rising energy costs,
They have no additional energy cost for electricity, diesel, or gaso- and they produce no polluion while providing healthy exercise. Pictured here is a human-powered
line. And since parts are somewhat ubiquitous, maintaining them coffee grinder. PHOTO BY GREG LINDSTROM, The Flathead Beacon.
is also inexpensive.”
From the online the organization. They tackle any job that’s needed at the moment. And
journals he read, as Renfrow has observed firsthand, “There’s always something to do
Renfrow also learned that’s meaningful. You don’t need bike mechanic skills.”
that volunteers from Not surprisingly, when he planned his first four-month biking
around the world— odyssey through Central America, the Guatemalan village of San Andres
those who cycle and Itzapa, Maya Pedal’s home, made his must-see list.
those who don’t— “I had wanted to tour Latin America on my bike to experience the
were offering their variety of land from the jungle to the Caribbean coast to 13,000-foot
services to support mountains. Plus the mix of native culture and colonial architecture is
unique,” he remarked. “When I read about Maya Pedal, I thought, this is
a place I’d like to go while I’m there. It sounds interesting. Some of the
no enemy movement observed: volunteers turn a wrench, others weld frames or cook meals and then
The Vietnam War Through the Eyes of a Frenchtown Marine leave. Still others get connected, stay longer, and return.”

Without doubt, Renfrow, whose career spanned 40 years in the archi-
tectural millwork industry, fell into the connected-and-return category.
Admittedly neither a bike mechanic nor a welder, he can, however,
rightfully lay claim to the title of a journeyman who can do anything with
wood. Upon his initial arrival at Maya Pedal, he assigned himself the task
of building kitchen cabinets and bunk beds for the volunteers’ hostel.
“I also asked, ‘What else can I do?’” he recalled. “Without hesi-
This exhibit features photos and artifacts
donated by Leon Howard of Frenchtown, MT, tation, the company’s co-founder Mario Juarez Siquinajay answered,
who served as a Marine Corps Scout ‘We need a container load of bicycles.’ I said okay. Then I thought,
during the Vietnam War. What have I just agreed to do?”
As it turned out, Renfrow managed to collect and ship some 400
Exhibit on display February, 2019 – July, 2020
Now Open! at The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula. Whitefish, Polson, and Missoula. And since he owned high quality
bicycles contributed mostly by Montanans from Libby, Columbia Falls,

tools that his dad, a master woodworker, had personally used to build
3400 Captain Rawn Way, Missoula, MT 59804
406-258-3472 | www.fortmissoulamuseum.org his successful Columbia Falls cabinetry business, Renfrow included
them, as well. Every hammer and chisel was appreciated. So was each

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