The End Of The Road

The time has come to bring this journey to a close.
It has been a 54 day, 8,168 mile, moving, inspiring, and spiritual adventure.
I've seen some of the most beautiful sights this country has to offer, and visited with many friends and relatives.
My faith in humanity was re-enforced by friendly strangers, and I left all of my possessions on my bike unattended, at least 100 times, and nothing was ever stolen, or even touched. I had no flat tires, no mechanical problems, never ran out of gas, never got lost, never failed to get a room or a meal when it was needed, and never even had a close call with other folks on the road. I know that at least one angel was watching over me, perhaps more than one.
Most importantly, I was blessed to meet many wonderful new friends, families who struggle with the challenges imposed by Friedreich's Ataxia, the neurological disorder that took my dear wife Jan from this world on July 17th. It was both an honor and a privilege to have met these beautiful people. I met with six families on my trip, and received many loving and kind emails from many other families as I traveled around the country.
I want to thank the following people for welcoming me into their lives, for their thoughts and good wishes, prayers, and support.
  Mary Caruso and her daughters Sam and Alex Bode
  Zac, Suzy, and Gary Zies
  Aaron, Allie, Joe, Sue, and Mike Kittel
  Chelsea, Sandy and Steve Lane
  Stephanie, Carl, and Sharon Magness and Stephanie's friend Caitlin
  Brianne Konanz, her parents, and her boyfriend Trent
  Mary-Lisa Orth, Alex, (and Benjamin)
  Cornelia, Eric and Sophia Sieber
  Kathy and Aaron Smith
  Valerie Bennett, and Phillip
  Pam Andresen, Nick and Eric
  Terri and Loran Martin
  Mike Dwyer, Jamie-Lee and Samantha
  Marilyn Downing, and Bridget
  And all the folks at FARA, for all their caring and hard work.
I also want to thank my friends in New Jersey - Kamal, Sheila, Darshan, Tom, Karen, Elisa, the folks at 'The Valley', and all my friends at AM Best. Your help, support, and friendship has meant more to me than I can express.
Thanks also to Ron Coder and his family, Ron and Dianne, Kerri, my 'other' brother Darryl, John Williams, Boyd and the whole Machtolff family.
To those I missed on this journey - my apologies - I hope to see you all soon.
If you can HELP, please do, it means the world to us!    Thank You.

Arizona into Colorado

Left Kingman and rode east to Flagstaff, AZ.

Then - headed north through the Navajo reservation, through the 'Four Corners', and then into Colorado, through the Ute reservation, and back to Cortez, CO.

Most likely will be wintering here, as the weather and my back are indicating that this trip is just about over.

The Mojave Desert

Left Barstow at 11am, and headed east on route 40 towards Arizona.

The day started out cloudy in Barstow, but within 50 miles, the sun was shining, and I was in the desert.

Route 40 runs along the south edge of the Mojave desert, and it gets warm here. (who'da thunk) 85 degrees today.

Drove through Needles, CA, and ended up in a Best Western in Kingman, Arizona.

Barstow, California

Headed south today, down through Fresno, through Bakersfield, and through the city of Mojave, ending up in Barstow. I will be riding through the Mojave desert (not just the city of Mojave) tomorrow, about 20 miles east of here.
The latter part of the ride today was in the desert. It was warm and windy with a few dust storms just to keep it interesting.

Yosemite

Lodi just happens to be about 80 miles west of Yosemite, so when I left Lodi, I headed east.

The first half of the drive, there were just small hills, and not much scenery, but as I approached Yosemite, the sights were amazing! I took many pictures, which delayed my planned progress, so I ended up getting a room in Oakhurst, CA.

I can easily see how a person could devote a lifetime to painting or photographing Yosemite. It is an incredibly grand place, and there are incredible sights everywhere you turn your head.

I could post 100 pictures, but it is something you just have to see in person.
In the pictures, the waterfall is Bridal Veil Falls, and you can see halfdome in the bottom picture, off in the distance.

Remembering the skydive with Brianne yesterday, looking at all this beauty, I feel very lucky right now.

Lodi, California - Skydiving with Brianne

         



I rode my bike east today, following Trent and Brianne in her van.

We are heading to The Parachute Center in Lodi.

I like this place. It is beyond informal. A bunch crazy thrillseeker types, with green hair, and funky beards, work here. Had a brief orientation, and Brianne and I were harnessed-up. I had not jumped before, and I was excited. Brianne jumped today for her 21st time!

We climb to 13,000 feet, shuffle to the door, and just float out into the wind, tumbling over so that we are looking at the aircraft we just departed, shooting away due to our acceleration from gravity, and it's own flight path.

Then a quick flip so that we are looking down, and we freefall for the next 7,000 feet, whistling downward through the air at 120 miles an hour! The cameraman is 5 feet away, and we are face to face, both pumped up with the freefall rush, high-fiving each other in mid air, plummeting to earth. Just awesome!

We pop the chute at about 5,000 feet, and the guy lets me fly the parachute for a minute, making a few turns. He then takes over and does some more aggressive maneuvers, and we line up to land. A smooth, slide the butt on the grass landing, and it was a blast!

Brianne's landing was a little rougher, as the guy she was with was new to jumping with someone with leg difficulties, and they came in hard on the butt. But Brianne is tough, and she seemed to be ok, and felt better pretty quickly.

I was very glad that she was not hurt. We (Trent, Brianne and I) went and had some dinner and talked, and said goodbye.

I really enjoyed meeting them, and wish them all the best. Thank you Brianne - The jump was incredible!

The photos are:

1 - The aircraft we jumped from.

2 - Brianne about to land (in the Red parachute).

3 - Me (with the Blue Parachute)

4 - Me, Brianne and Trent, and Brianne's assistance dog Haley, before the jump.

Brianne Konanz and her family

Well I had a nice ride up through San Fransisco, over the Golden Gate Bridge, and up to Petaluma and Rohnert Park, CA. Just north of San Fran. I came north again to meet Brianne, her boyfriend Trent, and her parents. Brianne is really into Skydiving, and I am going to go with her tomorrow, for my first jump! It will be her 21st! Had dinner with them, and made plans for skydiving tomorrow.
As I departed north on Route 101 this morning, I saw a sign for Mission San Juan Bautista, and after losing my pictures that I took at Mission de la Soledad yesterday, I decided to stop and ease my pain.

The photos are:

2 photos of Mission San Juan Bautista

The Golden Gate Bridge

San Francisco from accross the bay

Salinas, California

Continued up route 101 north, and stopped at Mission de la Soledad. A Mission founded in 1791, and restored in 1955. Then I continued north, and ended up in Salinas. Enjoyed a very authentic Mexican dinner, with live music, in a place where I was the only person who spoke English.

Went to my blog to post some pictures of my last day at Boyd's house, and the Mission, and got a little angry at myself, as I accidentally erased all the pictures I took during the last two days. So - the picture I posted of the mission, is from the web, but is exactly the same as the picture I took today.

Solvang, California

Rested for two days, and got the bike oil changed.
Spent Friday night with my friends, and had another Boyd breakfast feast. Said goodbyes.

Headed north on route 101, and rode to Solvang. A small quaint town, with wine tasting, antiques, bakeries and galleries everywhere. Got some chinese food, went to my hotel, and fell asleep without ever eating. I can give you a good price on a luke warm egg roll, if anyone is interested.

I am heading north to Rohnert Park, CA, to visit Brianne and Trent.
I missed meeting them on my way south, so I am heading back north, before I head east.

Thinking alot about all of the new friends I've met. Some really great people, that I wish I could do more for. A lot of contemplation going on these days.

A Day Of Rest

Slept late. Everyone is at work, and I am talking with Midnight, the dog. She is not much of a conversationalist, but she does get all my jokes. We did some laundry (I washed , Midnight folded), and waited for the other humans to come home. A nice meatloaf dinner with my friends. I will miss them when I leave.

I added the latest trip map

So far I've been on the road for 46 days, and ridden 6,200 miles through 13 states.

I've met lots of very nice people, and seen many beautiful sights.

(my thanks to Carl for the quote from Abraham Lincoln - which I added to the top of my blog)

Angeles Crest Highway

Took a ride with Boyd today, up into the mountains north of LA, and in the Angeles Crest National Forest. Also rode up to Mount Wilson. Some beautiful roads, and a perfect sunny day, Had a nice dinner with Boyd's family, and I got to blogging, as I was a couple of days behind.
The photo is me and our bikes, at Mount Wilson.
(note to the Laundry Police - yes, that is the same shirt I wore to dinner last night. In my defense, I wore a clean shirt to dinner, and a dirty one to ride around the mountains. I promise to wash it before New Years day)

Carl, Sharon, Stephanie and Caitlin

Went north about 50 miles to have dinner with The Magness family, Carl and Sharon, their daughter Stephanie, and her friend Caitlin. It was a strange coincidence that Stephanie and Caitlin (who both struggle with Friedreich's Ataxia) live in the same small town, and went to the same high school, before they were introduced by a doctor who knew them both. We had a nice dinner at the Claim Jumper. Both Stephanie and Caitlin are really nice people, and I enjoyed meeting them, and Carl and Sharon. Thank you again guys for a wonderful dinner.

Familair places - good friends

Spent the day riding around a bit, visiting the USMC Air Base (LTA Tustin) where I was stationed in 1977-1978, old neighborhoods, and some familiar riding roads. A lot of memories for me here. Went for Sushi dinner with my friend Boyd, and his family. I have been good friends with Boyd for over 20 years. He is a cool friend, a great Dad, is the CTO (Cheif Technology Officer) for eAgency Mobile Solutions, and the drummer for Damage Inc. (If you ever see a heavy metal drummer with a pocket-protector, and tape holding his glasses together, that's boyd)

In the picture - left to right - are:
Samantha, Angelica, Boyd, and Jacob (their eldest son, Joshua is away at school)

Sandy, Steve and Chelsea

Enjoyed some of Boyd's good home cooked fried chicken for lunch, then took a ride with him around some nice local roads.

Had dinner with some new friends, Sandy, Steve, and their daughter Chelsea. Some of the best salmon I've ever had. Enjoyed meeting them very much, and sharing some good dinner and conversation. Some more nice people that I met through Mary Caruso. After dinner, I stopped to see my friend's band reherse. The are called Damage Inc. and they are a Metallica tribute band. Boyd is their drummer.

The picture (which I had to get online, as I forgot to take one with the Lane family) is Chelsea. She is a really cheerful, cool kid, I wish her all the best. Sandy and Steve, thank you again for a great dinner.

Los Angeles

South out of San Simeon, and on to LA. Going to visit my old friend Boyd, and his family. I have had an amazing time on PCH, the last couple of days has been great riding, and the nights with the beach to myself are awesome!

Staying tonight at a Holiday Inn where the 91 and 5 freeways meet near LA.

The pictures are:

The sun, on the Pacific Ocean, as I stopped along route 1.

And my bike, at the Monterey county line.

A dark night in San Simeon

Enjoyed the hotel in Oakland, with my own very private, balcony.I then intentionally left the 'fast lane' and went southwest to Monterey, and took the scenic Route 1 (PCH) south. This road is challenging, in the sense that you must be alert for many tight 20 mph curves, mixed in with swooping curves you can take at 70. This means you are getting a workout, because everytime you brake, then accelerate, etc, you are kind of doing a little pushup. And sometimes, when you've underestimated your braking needs, and suddenly you must compensate, qiuckly and hard, it is more than a real pushup!
The scenery was stunning, vast, and profound. It is one of those desolate, beautiful places, that spark magic in our imagination as we stop briefly to photograph it from our car. But - to be here without shelter, and weather it, would be true hardship. At sunset, I began to think I might perhaps get stuck in this dark and empty place, without having found a room, food, or gas. But, as the lord has done for more than 17500 days, I was provided for again, as I saw some wonderfully bright Sunoco, Quality Inn, and Comfort Inn signs appearing over the horizon. I checked into a Quality Inn, about 1 mile north of San Simeon Beach State Park, in California. Went and had some dinner, and as I was leaving the restaurant - All of the lights went out. I mean everything. You are already in the middle of nowhere, on the coast, so there is no ambient light coming from anywhere, so it was a dark, dark night in San Simeon. The blessing was that I ended up taking a walk on the beach, at night, around rocks the size of large homes, and the roaring surf. And San Simeon was kind of misty and magical, in the darkness, and all alone, with small drops falling, but not real rain. One dramatic difference between New Jersey and California: You can drive to northern California, and select, what is in essence, your own personal chunk of beach, a quarter mile wide. And you can do this in many locations. That does not happen in New Jersey. I returned to my room, still in darkness, and was pleased to find that the little magnetic, credit card room keys, still work during a blackout, since the door mechanism contains batteries. Used my laptop screen as enough light to get undressed, and prepare for bed. It is strange to have this blackout today, it has been three months, to the day, that the world lost an angel.

In the photos, you will see what looks like a cloud on the left, that is smoke, which is why I saw several helicopters coming in over the ocean to pick up more water to drop on the fire.

Oakland California

Rode some more beautiful roads down Pacific Coast Highway, and then through more redwoods on route 128, south to San Francisco, and Oakland. I am visiting a friend, John Williams, whom I worked with at AM Best for many years. We had a nice Italian dinner in San Fransisco, and talked. John is a good man. I value his wisdom and his example.
Heading south tomorrow - aiming for LA in two days, perhaps. The photo is more beauty on the Pacific Coast Highway.

Pacific Coast Highway California

My brother headed north, back home, and I headed south.
Aimed for route 1, the Pacific Coast Highway, or PCH. It is arguably one the most beautiful roads around. Hundreds of miles of beach on one side, and beautiful hills, homes, cliffs, or something that is always interesting, on the other.
One photo is the view coming down PCH.
The other is sunset on the beach, by my hotel.

I also made another trip map, showing the route I have taken. (over 4900 miles so far)

California Redwoods

Headed south, out of Oregon, and into California with my brother Darryl. Arrived at the James Irvine Trail, where I'd been before, and took a walk among some of the oldest and largest trees on earth.
You get a sense of humility here. These trees awe everyone who sees them. They are over 200 feet tall, and many are over 1000 years old!

Brothers

I am here in Eagle Point to visit my brother Darryl, and his family.

There is some beautiful scenery here with mountains in every direction.

Changed the oil again in the bike, and I gave in, and bought some small saddlebags, as the backpack would tend to leave a sore neck, at the end of a days riding, just due to poor riding posture.

So I am hoping to ride more comfortably hereafter.

The photo is my brother Darryl, and I, with our bikes.

I want to thank Valerie Bennett for the custom made CureFA.org bumper stickers she made for me. It is what you see on my front windshield.

Eagle Point, Oregon

Travelled North from Susanville, in some snow flurries, and lots of cold. Had to pull over every 20 minutes, just to stop the relative wind, and thaw out. The awesome views, made the insufferable cold sufferable, and I stopped and took a picture of my bike and Mount Shasta, about 30 miles away in the background.
Arrived at my brother Darryl's house in Eagle Point, Oregon at about 5pm.
Had a nice dinner, and talked about old times.

Susanville, California

Left Elko, Nevada and rode 372 miles today, through Reno, then north, ending up in Susanville, California. I love California, because it has just about everything. Miles and miles of shoreline, mountains, desert, snow, redwoods, wine country, and lots of unusual people. I was born in California, and it does feel like home sometimes. Did notice however, that folks on the East and West coasts are fast moving, in a rush, do it now, kind of folks, as opposed to the slower talking, more polite, calmer people in the midwest.
Cold, cold riding today, (45 degrees) bundled up heavily, but still extremely cold.
Heading to Eagle Point, Oregon tomorrow, visiting my 'other brother' Darryl.

Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah

Left Price, Utah and rode up through Salt Lake City, then west on route 80 to Elko Nevada. 347 miles today, in sunshine, but one of the colder days on this trip. Wearing two pairs of pants and two shirts helped a lot. As I was about to cross the border from Utah into Nevada, I stopped at a rest stop, and realized I was right next to the Bonneville Salt Flats, where land speed records are set.The highest speed achieved at Bonneville was 622 miles per hour, by the rocket powered Blue Flame in 1970.

In the photo, the salt flats are in the foreground with mountains about 10 miles away.

Strange place - Elko, Nevada. The 'Old West' is still here, just more high tech. In Elko, there are Saloons, Bordellos, Cowboys, Casinos, and Gold Miners. Just like 150 years ago, except with neon, cell phones, and Wi-Fi.

Utah

Departed Cortez, Colorado after lunch, heading toward Medford, Oregon.

Rode 234 miles today, past some amazing scenery.

Took a photo at a rest stop, showing the sheer size of the sights I am passing.

( that is not a kitten in the foreground, it is my motorcycle )

Ended up in Price, Utah for the night. Hoping to get to Nevada tomorrow.

Arches National Park

Took a drive to Moab, Utah today, to visit Arches National Park. I don't recall ever being in Utah before, but I must say it is beautiful! There are huge rock formations in SW Utah that are simply stunning. And when I say rock formations, I mean mountains made of solid rock! Hiked about a mile to Delicate Arch.

The bottom photo is of Delicate Arch (with Sam and Alex's pewter heart sneaking into the picture)

Above that is a more 'panoramic' shot of Delicate Arch, and if you look closely, there are two people near the bottom of the Arch, (one in the shadow of the arch, and one at the bottom of the nearer leg leg of the arch) revealing the immense size of the terrain here!

Mesa Verde

Still here in Cortez. Went to see Mesa Verde (spanish for green table) National Park, which is set around Pueblo cliff dwellings about 20 miles east of Cortez. This is a place that is very hard to describe, as it is an illustration of human ingenuity and fortitude. The cliff dwellings were built under massive sandstone cliffs, which provide a natural roof, and protection from the elements. Being built into cliffs, near the top of a canyon, they are difficult to get to, which made them easier to defend, as access routes are few, narrow, and steep. They are about 900 years old. On that note - while in Cortez, I see a lot of Native Americans (I'll not say Indians, lest I confuse you folks from Mumbai) and I am acutely aware that the land I am standing on, belonged to them (in European terms, as Native Americans did not believe a person could 'own' the land).

Cortez, Colorado

Left Silverthorne at 11am, and rode 330 miles in nice sunshine on some beautiful roads through the rockies. Arrived in Cortez, Colorado at about 6pm.
Total trip miles since leaving New Jersey (so far) 3,170 miles.
Averaging 45 mpg, no problems with the bike or the laptop.
Will be staying in Cortez about a week, visiting an old friend.
Took two pictures on the way to Cortez. Simply awesome views of the Colorado Rockies!
Also attached a map of the route I have taken so far.