Rory Artig hopped trains, sailed solo and constructed his personal kayaks.

The Stillwater-area man was an skilled telemark skier, touring the world in quest of recent snow. He was endlessly tweaking his popover recipe. He designed and constructed his personal energy-efficient home. He invented and patented a collapsible and transportable fire equipment.

“He may invent something, construct something and repair something,” mentioned his daughter Rachel Artig. “His most up-to-date factor was making fireworks. He had this distinctive tri-folding design that he was engaged on getting patented.”

Artig additionally made his personal motorized electrical bicycle, including a motor to the entrance wheel of his Trek 510 touring bike, which enabled him to journey as much as 40 mph. “It was a quick little factor,” Rachel Artig mentioned. “He appreciated to go quick.”

Artig died in an e-bike accident final week on the Gateway Path. He was 63.

A Washington County Sheriff’s Workplace deputy on a routine patrol of the Gateway Path discovered Artig’s bike simply off the path about 1:30 a.m. Aug. 14 close to the intersection with Myeron Street in Stillwater Township; Artig was discovered beneath the bike. He was sporting a helmet, and the bike had a working headlight.

Police consider Artig’s bike left the trail and traveled a brief distance earlier than Artig fell off the bike, in keeping with police experiences. “He handed away because of accidents he sustained within the fall,” the report states. “It’s unknown what time the accident occurred or why his bike left the trail.”

Family and friends consider Artig died shortly after 10 p.m. Aug. 13. It was a Thursday evening, and Artig had organized a gathering of what he known as “The Ordinary Suspects.” The group, which on Aug. 13 included Artig’s brother, James, and three different pals, met frequently at a bench and picnic-table relaxation space alongside the Gateway Path.

Artig often appreciated to collect round 7 or 7:30 p.m. Thursday as a result of the path wasn’t significantly busy. He would present up early, put solar-powered lights within the timber and arrange his patented collapsible fire on a fireproof pad on the picnic desk, James Artig mentioned.

“He at all times introduced some attention-grabbing meals — this time he introduced corn on the cob,” James Artig mentioned. “He’d already cooked it and reduce every ear in half, so it simply needed to be warmed up. He introduced skewers for us to carry it over the fireplace.”

Generally Rory Artig introduced marinated shrimp or rooster items to prepare dinner over the fireplace. Two weeks in the past, he introduced cheese fondue.

“Think about bringing melted liquid cheese in your pannier,” James Artig mentioned. “He introduced items of shrimp and sausage. That was actually a sophisticated meal for him to place collectively. We’d shout out to folks going by, ‘We bought fondue!’ ‘We bought shrimp on the barbie!’ It was a very genuinely good and pleasant exercise.”

Rory Artig at all times introduced house any trash and the ashes from the transportable fire. “We might at all times scrupulously clear it earlier than we left,” James Artig mentioned. “There wasn’t even a matchstick on the bottom.”