"What have I gotten myself into?"

This question has occurred to me more than once over the past week.

Last Friday morning, we were 24 hours from launching The Sprawl's pop-up press—a Kelsey printing press mounted into a cargo e-trike. All seemed good to go.

On Saturday I'd take the pop-up press to my Jane's Walk about the history of the Glenmore Reservoir (which I think I'll make into a Sprawlcast—so if you missed it, don't worry!). Then I'd take it to a community BBQ in the afternoon and another Jane's Walk, at Refinery Park, in the evening.

We'd been working for months to make this happen. Specifically, my dad had been crafting a beautiful cabinet system and "lift kit" for the press before hauling the trike from Edmonton down to Calgary in April.

Things were down to the wire last Friday. My letterpress polymer plates for the weekend arrived that morning—just in time. I inked up the press, pulled a print and the historic photo of the Glenmore Water Treatment Plant came out relatively clearly after a failed first attempt.

All was ready for launch.

Then I looked down and realized the press's wooden base had cracked on the ride over.

Nooooooo. My heart sank.

Bouncing along Calgary's roads and pathways on my test rides had proven more challenging than expected.

I called my dad and we quickly worked out a plan for replacing the broken piece. I loaded the press into the car and headed to Edmonton for emergency repairs. My dad made a new base, thicker and reinforced with aluminum. Then, on Saturday morning, I hit the road at 4 a.m. to return to Calgary in time for the day's events and the launch.

Somehow, it all came together. Our Jane's Walk group toured through the past and present of the reservoir's eastern shore. At noon, we met up at Glenmore Landing with cartoonist Sam Hester. She talked about how her architect father, Peter Burgener, had been inspired by a trip to southern California before designing Glenmore Landing in the 1980s.

Then, finally, I popped open the press box. And it all worked!

In all, it was a long but good day.

We had fixed the base. But the press was still bouncing a little in the cargo box. It's a heavy cast iron press, around 60 pounds, and pieces of the press were loosening in travel with all the jostling. Everytime I went over a bump, I cringed.

So on Monday... back to Edmonton, this time with the entire trike. I rented a UHaul trailer from the Calgary Herald building (just $25 a day!) and headed north. Once again, my dad had a plan.

Now the press is secured firmly in place so it can't bounce at all in transit. Thanks Dad!

This has been quite an adventure. We are working it out as we go. Even getting from place to place can be a challenge—as I learned on Saturday, when I was trying to get to Refinery Park for a Jane's Walk in the evening.

A city sign said the bike path was closed south of the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary towards Ogden, forcing me to detour. (It was not closed, as it turned out—don't get me started on city hall and pathway closures.) On the detour, I barely fit between the "maze gates" to squeeze under Deerfoot Trail along the Western Headworks Canal.

That low and dark crossing has to be one of the sketchiest pieces of bike infrastructure in Calgary. But the show must go on—and did, albeit a little late and with some parts of the press needing tweaking for better printing (those bumps, I tell you!). Still, it was ink on paper and a little delight for those who were there.

I am deeply grateful to my dad for all the work he has put into this project. I'm also thankful to Sprawlers who make all this creative work possible in the first place! One stepped up to offer storage space. Another made a storage cover for the box this week. The pop-up press, like the larger Sprawl project itself, is truly a labour of local love.

If you value what The Sprawl brings to Calgary, consider giving a little local love in return by supporting our work! Here are some of our newest members, in their own words, on why they signed up to support us over the past couple weeks:

You can sign up here. Thanks so much for your support and see you on the road!

Saturday, May 10 - Village Square Library
2623 56 Street NE
1 to 3 p.m.

Saturday, May 17 - InglewooDIY Festival
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
(I’ll be starting at the Alexandra Centre Society and working east along 9th Avenue)

Tuesday, May 20 - Forest Lawn Library
4807 8 Avenue SE
12 to 2 p.m.

Saturday, May 31 - Tree Party
Alexandra Centre Society, 922 9 Ave SE
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Sunday, June 1 - BikeBike Cargo Bike Meetup
Tuxedo Park & Playground
2925 Centre St NE
12 - 3 p.m.

Jeremy Klaszus is founder and editor of The Sprawl.