How to get through...part II

So, it's been a week since the letters went out to the big marketing honchos at Choice Hotels International. This was my request to have them donate to the charity as well as ask them to 'cover' the costs for my hotel stays at their properties. Not surprisingly, no response yet. But let's take a step back and remember:

• Snail mail takes a couple of days. The letters didn't truly even get into the mail system until Tuesday afternoon (so technically, not even a week).
• Last week was a short one, and I suppose one of these folks (if not both) may have taken some time off.
• Snail return mail also takes time. So even if they did send me back a response, I wouldn't have it yet anyway.
• This is a relatively large organization. It may take some time to get into the proper hands for a decision.

I'm holding out such huge hope for Choice Hotels International because it just seems like such a good fit all the way around (locations in US and Canada, mission statement regarding support of tourism, marketing impact they can gain through this exposure for such little investment, etc). I'm not putting all my eggs in that basket though. I'll certainly re-route if it means getting hooked up through some alternative hotel group.

Just wanted to update the blog on this point.

How to get through to a decision maker...

Let's call this an open experiment. I'm trying to find that elusive decision maker at Choice Hotels International who can decide whether they want the 'good' publicity I can generate, or if they just choose to ignore it and me completely. I'll share the step by step developments and we can learn together what works (and what doesn't).

Recap: I'm trying to find a lodging 'sponsor' to help defray the costs of this trip, and at the same time, make a monetary donation to the charity.

So, as I look at the route (or the many, many proposed routes) I see that there's a common thread among nearly every stop along the way: Choice Hotels International brand hotels are within 15 miles of each nightly destination, if not right there. So that makes them a logical target for sponsorship. But just because it's convenient for me, doesn't mean it is for them. So off I go to their website and -score!- I learn that Choice Hotels Foundation has a mission statement that says they support tourism ventures wholeheartedly. I figure this is as touristy as it's gonna get. After all, I'm aiming this whole project at folks who may make similar trips in the future (those would be tourists). So, yes, CHI is certainly a good target. But it's not as easy as picking up the phone and calling my local franchisee and saying, "what do you think?". I have to contact the headquarters (that's hard to find in itself from the CHI website). AND I have to figure out which person is the right one to contact. Big businesses are great, but sometimes that makes it easier to pass the buck.

So I find the media relations contacts (two of them). I figure that Heather Soule, the seemingly junior of the two, would more likely be the hands-on person, the one who really makes things happen. Her email address heather_soule@choicehotels.com is listed on the site. I use it.

That was on Wednesday, August 19, 2009. Now it's nearly 3 weeks later and nothing, not even an email back saying to go and pound sand.That's okay. As a person who has their email address listed all over our website for 'general feedback' I can tell you that I get an awful lot of email that doesn't belong to me. I pass it along, and rarely do I tell the sender that I've passed it on. So I'm just as 'guilty' as Heather.


For all I know, she's passed this to the proper person, who promptly trashed it. Heather: I'm not blaming you.

So this weekend I putter around the net and find some contact names for the head of marketing at CHI: Bill Carlson, Senior VP of Marketing and Chris Malone, Chief Marketing Officer. This time, instead of email addresses, I get snail mail addresses. The dead-tree version of my note will go out to these fine gentlemen tomorrow.

(this isn't them)

Hopefully they will see the value in being a lodging sponsor and donate some appreciable money to the charity.

I'll let you know how it goes. Remember, this is an experiment. I'm sure I could resort to stalking, harassing and name-calling, but I'd rather not. Not again. (ha ha)

Set up the ability to post 2 my blog from my cell. If u r reading this then it worked!

Top 5 Dilemmas for a big trip like this

When undertaking a big trip like this, there are a number of issues that come up. It just isn't as easy as saying, "I think I'll hop on the bike and go!" I wish it were that easy, and I guess technically it could be. But if I want to make a splash out of this, and do some charitable good at the same time, it just ain't that easy.
Dilemma #1 - Who's going?
Do I bring more than one person? Do I bring anyone else? For safety's sake, it's almost stupid to try this alone. Sure, one flat tire in the middle of "nowhere, British Columbia" and I become bear food.
The potential for more questions multiplies with each person you decide to add to the trip. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it complicates everything exponentially. For example, Matt & I can go (that's two bikes) and share a hotel room. It makes for quick re-fueling stops and potty breaks. It's easier to decide where to stop for grub and when to stop. Simple: "Matt, you wanna do this or that?".
Now let's say we're bringing along just one more person. Now you need three people to a hotel room, or two rooms. Now that's three bikes to worry about maintenance or mechanical problems. And probably the worst part: getting a decision made. Everybody has experienced this- Ask more than one person: "Do you want to stop here or there?" The answers you will likely get will be different, or worse yet you'll get "I don't care". That's no answer.
Now add an additional person, or perhaps our wives. Oh, Lord help us.
Aside from the quickly escalating number of 'non-decisions' we have the ultimate slowdowns for re-fueling or eating, or just taking pitstops. And on top of that, if we bring along wives, who is gonna take care of the kids back home? Locking them in the basement with pop-tarts, water and cable tv will only work for about 7-10 days. We need at least 14. Dang!

Dilemma #2 - Where are we going and how are we getting there?
The first part is easy. We've always had a goal. At first it was simply to Vancouver, British Columbia (thus, "Gordo's Vancouver Adventure", duh). But that evolved into "Vancouver with a side trip to Alaska on the way back." Again, still not a big deal.
The second question - how are we getting there?- is the toughie. Do we want to zoom out and meander back? Meander out and zoom back? See as many sights along the way as possible? Just get to the goal and get back? Scenic (but slower) route or superslab (and boring) route? Avoid big cities or cruise right through them? Want to complicate this further? See Dilemma #1 above. Add more people and watch the confusion come to a rolling boil. And this is pretty important for trying to plan overnight stops, and finding decent roads to travel that aren't torn up by construction or delayed by endless traffic. Plus, shouldn't this be a fun trip too?

Dilemma #3 - Getting attention
Since I wanted to make a splash about this trip, I need to get people's attention. Let's back up. I want to make a splash so that I can help out a charity that I feel is in need of attention (and money). You can't raise money for anything without getting people's attention. Time out: Technically you can: The only way to do that is to add on an additional tax to something and earmark the additional money for something (Governments are experts at doing this). Then you can pretty much do what you want and people will 'contribute' money without even knowing it.
I don't have that luxury, and I want people to know that they are making a positive difference. So I need to get people's attention to get at their wallets and billfolds and ask them to pony up some fundage for a good cause. Most people will give what they can. They do care, they just need a little prodding. (Yeah, try not to get a mental picture when you hear the words 'prodding' and think about Chron's Disease or Colitis. Ewww...gross.) So, back to the subject at hand: how to get attention?

The usual suspects: media releases, emails, social networks, and my favorite: bugging the hell out of the media. Keep at them until they do what you want just to shut you up. Keep calling the tv stations and newspaper editors until they stop taking your calls. It's just like being a vendor! (grrrr!)

Dilemma #4 - How much gear to take?
Neither Matt nor I have done anything like this before. How much mechanical gear (fix it stuff)? Bike fluids (extra brake fluid? oil? coolant? gas? filters? fuses?) How many days worth of clothing? Snacks? Laptop? battery chargers? Cold-weather gear? Hot-weather gear? How many pairs of shoes -or any? First Aid kit? Where the hell is all this stuff gonna fit? I don't want to be unsafe by being overloaded, and

I don't want to look like Jed Clampett, cruising down the road.

Dilemma #5 - How to Make Friends and generally not annoy people.
This is somewhat related to Dilemma #3 above. Certainly I want to share the news of this trip and the planning of it with my family and friends. And of course, using Facebook and other social networking sites, I have the opportunity to spread the news about this trip (and the raising money for charity stuff) with hundreds, if not thousands of people. But how to do so without irritating and annoying people? We all know that being Mr. Nice Guy seldom works. So I can take that route and ask nicely if people will share the news. Then when I still don't feel as though the work is spread enough I'll likely start spamming everybody I can find an email address for. Does it drop me down the same credibility level as a typical spammer? Almost. Is it worth it? Probably. Got any better ideas?

Top 5 Reasons that Choice Hotels International Should Sponsor This Trip

So why should they?

1. Widespread selection. Choice Hotels International has locations across the US and Canada. From what I've read, I understand they are Canada's largest hotel chain. That means that of the 13 nights that we'll need accommodations, they'll be able to supply 10 of them.
2. Trustworthy brand. Who hasn't heard of Comfort Inn, EconoLodge, Sleep Inn, Clarion, or Quality Inn? And that's not even all the brands they have. After putting 500-600 miles past your wheels, who wants to show up at "Joe Bob's Hotel" only to find that they 'misplaced' your reservation and are booked solid?
3. Support of Tourism. Even their mission statement and foundation speaks to the fact that they support tourism. And who are we but tourists in the long run anyway? This only makes sense because a large majority of their room rentals are for tourists. Self serving? Certainly, but is that such a bad thing. It's like newspapers supporting groups that encourage reading. Hello?
4. Support of Community events. I haven't witnessed this firsthand (yet), but the corporate website for CHI (have I gotten so lazy I can't spell it out anymore?) frequently supports local community events such as vacation contests, giveaways and does so with media releases that are far more community-oriented than "we just opened yet another location".
5. They're a fun company. They frequently encourage hotel visitors to enter and win free lodging for such things as "Win a trip to space". So, even though there's not currently a Comfort Inn & Suites on the moon (give them time), they see to like to lighten up their approach to consumers to foster a fun, relaxing atmosphere. Fun promotions make for happy travelers. Happy travelers are good repeat customers.
   

What the heck does 'sponsor this trip' really mean, anyway?

To me, that means lending their financial and moral support toward this cause. It means a bit of win-win situation. It means that they provide some financial support to the charity that I've chosen (they get to decide how much) and for supplying Matt and I with lodging free of charge at the locations they have across the US and Canada.

In return, they get:

• "Exclusivity", which means we won't stay at any other hotels or chains (unless they simply don't have one nearby on our route - which will happen for sure on at least 3 nights of this trip)
  
• we'll wear whatever schwag they want to identify Choice Hotels International as our sponsor - be it a patch on my vest or some sort of T-shirt or jacket. Perhaps it's a banner ad on this website. I don't care. I'll pimp out my clothes & my site...the cause is worth it.
  
• Positive media coverage. This is a tough one. I'm not a paid journalist. That means my normal day job doesn't involve reporting. To me there is a sacred trust that a 'reporter' not slant their coverage to suit a sponsor. Again tho, I'm NOT a reporter. I'm a guy who tells the story and keeps it real. If that means I only mention the good parts about an overnight hotel stay and keep the bad parts suppressed, so be it. If you ask me about the negative side, I'll tell you. I just won't be shouting it out without provocation.
• Opportunity to again give back to the communities they serve. Through a generous donation to my chosen charity, they will continue to demonstrate that they care about the communities they serve and the people in them.

Yeah, this is clearly a plea for the attention of the marketing folks at Choice Hotels International, but doesn't it make sense you too?

Time to get this machine rolling again

Been far too long without an update, and for that dear readers, I apologize.
But trust in me, I have indeed been working on this trip and figuring things out.

First and foremost, I've nailed down the route. Well, to be sure, I've figured the route going out. It's the route coming back that's still questionable. You see, we're not at all sure how the Canadian roads will be, nor the speed limits. That will make a big difference on whether we head back south quickly or linger a bit in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and such.

And to be completely forthright, much depends on whether I can convince Choice Hotels International to lend their support by covering lodging costs and making a donation to the charity. Choice Hotels makes the best sense for a variety of reasons. Maybe I should have titled this section "Top 5 Reasons that Choice Hotels International should sponsor this trip", that would make a certain Stacy VERY happy if I started writing these posts more like a magazine article and less like a blog. Eh, what the heck. She knows more about publicity than I do....
So watch for the next post and let Stacy (and me) know if it caught your interest!

Getting into the swing of things...

We're down to T-Minus 365 and counting so the serious stuff starts now. I'm sure I'll have lots to do just in the next few months, and I'm hoping that I can wrap up all the details and just play the waiting game when we're about 60 days out. But I'm realistic, so I'm pretty sure that won't happen.

I put up another poll (quite funny, I thought. And apparently, only *I* thought so). You should give it a whirl. After all, you read this far.

Had a few little issues with Cheeto on my last little trip. Like a big dummy, I went and left my driving lights on for about 2 hours and completely drained the battery. So now I own yet another set of jumper cables. Yay. That makes three sets. I also noticed my temperature light started flickering on when sitting at a light for more than a few minutes (after prolonged riding at highway speeds). Went off when I started moving again, so I wasn't too worried. I'm hoping I solved it with topping off the coolant and topping off the oil. That's kind of embarrassing: I'm such a maintenace freak and here I let the oil level drop down nearly 3/4 of a quart. In any case, I'm not completely sure I fixed the problem, but the next ride over 45 minutes oughta tell me right away.

And I've learned yet another valuable lesson (this time from witnessing other people): carry some basic tools like screwdrivers, pliers and a spark plug wrench. I've got all that covered except the spark plug wrench (and I might actually have that in the manufacturer's toolkit stored on the bike. I don't ever even open it up but I will now!).

Since this is a blog about the Vancouver trip, I won't go into detail about the Boogie, Abate of Indiana's annual party. Let's just say it was fun and it taught me that I can carry an awful lot of stuff on the bike for long distances without any issues. Good training for the trip, I guess. If you know me at all, you know I have pictures (about 350 of them), so just ask me and maybe I'll let you look (that just sounds wrong!).

This is a lot tougher than it seems

Sure, I know what you are doing...sitting there click-click-clicking your way around the Internet and thinking...what the heck is that crazy Gordo up to these days? Let me quickly check his blog and see if he's made any more silly decisions.

And you have that little smirk on you face as you read this, thinking, 'well, he doesn't seem to have a fear of traveling, now does he?' Answer: no. But apparently I have this fear of committing to a specific destination or route. Heck, I haven't even updated my website with the most current information yet, because frankly, I'm not sure where the hell I'm going next year.

Yes, the Vancouver Adventure is still on. Yes, we're still planning on hitting Alaska. Yes, we are definately meeting up with Myles and Deb in Montana and going through Glacier National Park. Yes, we are still only doing this trip in our alotted 16 days (hopefully less). Yes, it can be a bit confusing. I don't want to be pushy, so I keep asking Matt for his preference this way or that. As usual, his frustrating response is, 'whatever dude, I'm just along for the ride'. Does he really know what he's in for? Do I?

For instance, this is one potential route for us (and the cities chosen are just for making sure the route stays on the roads I prefer, not necessarily overnight stops for us). Give it some time to load, I've worked poor Google maps to death on this one.

I've heard from Myles and Deb and they plan on joining us for the Glacier National Park to Vancouver portion still, although they are taking a pass on the Alaska portion, and frankly, who can blame them? It does seem a little crazy. Their bikes are below...

Just checked the weather forecasts for out west and it would appear that this isn't exactly the height of their hot weather season. High in Vancouver tomorrow is only expected to be in the low 60's. The high in Hyder, Alaska is only expected to be mid 60's. That's about what we should expect next year. Guess I won't be going with the short sleeves and vest alone. Matt even spoke of getting a heated riding suit. But I think he's gonna settle for good, old-fashioned leather to keep him warm. Come to think of it, I've never seen a cow shiver, have you?

Still a lot to do...start the publicity machine and start trying to get sponsors to help us with some of the expense (and do a little something for the charity too, of course). Anybody know anybody with connections in the hotel industry? I'm not opposed to begging and groveling.

More on this as it develops....

It's official! Counting down from 365

One year from today, on July 3, 2010, this darned journey begins. Although it's still a year away, I feel like there's still so much to do. Perhaps I'm just addicted to stress!
Just finished shining up Cheeto from recent rides and realized that while I had thoughts of changing bikes prior to this trip and getting something bigger/newer, I really think I'll enjoy spending time on Cheeto. We've been through a lot together, and it would be wrong to abandon her now.
On the other hand, depending on how 6,100 miles treats her on this trip, perhaps she'll have to retire after it's over. And maybe I will too!

You ain't gonna believe this one....

Yes, it's been awhile since I've posted, but it's not like I haven't been busy.

Rode more than 2,500 miles over about 12 days, with a side trip to Lansing with the chopper in a trailer.
As Matt and I were looking at a map and checking out our route for the Vancouver Adventure, it occurred to Matt (and quickly to me) that neither of us has ever been to Alaska. Have you?

So, as we looked and measured, and Googled, and thought about it....it took all of about 3 minutes for us to decide that, by gosh, the Southwest can wait for another day. After all, ANY SCHMOE can do that. Heck, that's as easy as riding to LA and back and blogging about it.

So before anybody decides that they want to steal my idea (go ahead, be my guest) at least I'll post it here first. We are changing the route to return from Vancouver via Alaska. It'll tack on about 800 extra miles over all, but it's like a whole nuther country up there, eh? Besides, how many guys on bikes have you met that can say, "Alaska? Oh yeah, I rode up there before." As for me, I don't know any, personally. I'll be happy to be the first one YOU know who can say that.

I've met quite a few really cool Canadiens in my short years, so maybe it's time to Take Off for the Great White North and see how those hosers live. (Bob and Doug McKenzie: I was a HUGE fan of those knobs)

Who knows? Maybe we'll run into some of my favorite bands: Triumph, Rush, Alanis Morrisette, The Rheostatics, Bryan Adams, the Headpins, and many many more!

Or maybe we'll just run into lots of wild roadkill. From the pictures I've seen, there are a lot of bear running around in British Columbia. I like my bear to be splayed out on a floor, flat as can be, NOT running into the road in front of me.

In any case, watch for a flurry of activity now. We're nearing the one year countdown and we've changed the route twice already! By the time it's time to leave, it may be the Venezuela Adventure! I'm nothing if not semi-unpredictable! Or am I?

Titles should be taken seriously...

Should I really be calling these day by day previews "Breakdowns"?
Doesn't seem wise now that I think of it...
I'm not superstitious or anything (yeah, right), but why tempt fate? What's to be gained?

Day by Day Breakdown - Day Three

Day Three is the route from Grand Forks, North Dakota to Malta, Montana, about 550 miles. I do plan a stop in Minot, North Dakota to visit a sister newspaper in the Ogden Newspaper chain. I had the pleasure of meeting Bart Leath, the relatively new publisher of the Minot Daily News during the summer of 2008.
So, there's a very good chance that we'll stop by the newspaper, perhaps talk to a reporter and/or photographer and Bart. If I make a big enough deal out of this, perhaps Bart will arrange a meeting with the Mayor Zimbelman. It would be our first opportunity to meet with 'real' people and spend at least a few minutes doing what I really want to do - which is find out what these people are really all about across our great country. Perhaps this is cheating a little. When I was there last year I got the chance to talk to quite a few of the locals and found them to be very gracious. Perhaps this was when I realized that maybe my pre-conceived notions about backwater country folks was probably all wrong.
Of course, this is assuming that both Bart and the Mayor are available and see any value in meeting with me. I keep forgetting that I'll be 'on vacation' and they'll be working.

It's about 6.5 hours from Minot to Malta and there's not a lot in between. This is a very historical area, in fact, many of the cities/towns were created as part of the railroad western expansion. This is also Lewis & Clark territory. I believe this leg of our trip crosses the northern-most portion of the Lewis & Clark trail west. Being a big history nut, I have a feeling that this 6.5 hours will probably take us a bit longer.

While the scenery looks to be rather bland, I've seen some wonderful shots on Google and there does seem to be a number of really interesting places to have a Kodak moment. In fact, Day Four looks like the day where we'll see the terrain start to 'rough up', likely within a few hours after we depart Malta. Don't you just love the name "Malta"? All I can think of is Malt Liquor when I hear that name. In fact, Malta is known as "Dinosaur Capital" as the home to the Judith River Dinosaur Institute. I mean, I'm old, but I'm no dinosaur (yet). It doesn't look like we'll have too much to worry about in downtown Malta. It's also the scene of a Butch Cassidy train holdup in 1901. Actually Harvey Logan ("Kid Curry") was the robber and he made off with about $60,000, which was about the same as $1.5 million dollars today!

Anyway, enough of Day Three for now.

Hey, is this little day by day preview living up to your expectations or not? Lemme know.

Day by Day breakdown - Day Two

Day Two is the route from Mauston, WI to Grand Forks, ND. About 500 miles, with the only super major obstacle being Minneapolis, Minnesota traffic.

I've been to Minneapolis a couple of times, but never for very long. Mostly stopovers at the airport, which hardly count for 'being there'. I've driven through it in a driving rain, staying on I-94, but that can't really count for visiting either. To be honest, I think I'd rather visit some other areas in Minnesota that I've heard about: Ely, Duluth, Hibbing, Rochester, Winona, Mankato, etc. Knowing there's a ton of family researching I'd like to do in Minnesota, I think we'll be content to -once again- blow by most of this on our way to the greater expanses of the West. I promist that these day-by-day prognostications will get more interesting as we start to hit areas that hold great promise (and that are too far away for a long weekend to explore).

I can tell you this: I'll be on the lookout for fun and interesting stuff for later on!

Day by Day breakdown - the planned stops

(I'm hoping to share what I *think* each day will encompass, in terms of sights to see, Kodak moments, and where we'll stop for the night. We'll see how close I get once the trip is underway. In any case, I'm showing my hand a bit on what I *think* we'll do and we can see how that varies once we are underway. So many little things can alter plans significantly...)



Major Stopping Points - Day One



Fort Wayne, IN to Mauston, WI - about 386 miles.

Day one begins with our departure, planned tentatively for about 7 am from my driveway. The hope is to clear what little Saturday morning traffic there is in Fort Wayne by departing before it gets the slightest bit heavy. We're heading west on US 30 to start the route and since that's primarily country areas and farms (yes, I know that MOST of Indiana is farms!) we should be able to make good time in getting to Valpo.



The hope is to bed down for the night in Mauston, WI, about 20 miles from the Wisconsin Dells, which ought to be good and hectic considering this will be a holiday weekend in an enhanced, high traffic summer time weekend. Depending on what kind of arrangement, if any, I can get done with a major hotel chain or group of hotels, we'll likely end day one at a recognizable brand name hotel. In my mind's eye, I picture great weather, light traffic and the ability to 'swiftly' get through Chicago's wonderful pothole-infested highway snarl without being swallowed up into a toll-road gorge. The official website for Mauston is http://www.mauston.com/ is light on detail, sparse on excitement, but at least it's there. That gives us a good starting point. Another may be the local newspaper, http://www.wiscnews.com/jcst/, but I haven't really looked that site over yet. Doing so at the moment just seems like work and since it's a Saturday night as I type this, I'm not in 'work' mode. Since I'm really raring to get a lot of miles under our belts as early as possible, we may simply wave at Mauston and keep on trucking, depending on our fatigue, weather, traffic and the time of day. If that happens, it's likely that Eau Claire, WI will be our next stopping point for the evening.



BUT considering that Mauston is still planned for the first night's rest, I did find a couple rave reviews online for the Roman Castle Restaurant, which may be our stop for dinner. It looks to be less than a mile form the interstate, and depending on where our hotel is, it could be it. It doesn't sound bad for an Italian eatery, and what I can tell, they don't serve your meal in a wrapper, so that's already a bonus! As usual, I'll try talking to someone 'official' before the date comes and see if they can recommend something more 'reflective' of their community's belief that this is the 'best place to eat and mingle with Mautsonites, or Maustonians (and I'll clear that up as well!).



Other than just getting day one under our belts, I don't really plan on stopping anywhere else along the way. Sorry about that Illinois and Wisconsin, but you are a day trip away, so we'll save the sightseeing for another time when we don't have the "4,800 miles to go" sign staring us in the face as we unload for the night.



If you know this area, or have some great suggestions for things we should see, (or you'd like us to see and report back on) lemme know by commenting below. But keep in mind, Cubs fans, that we aren't stopping in Chicago for the most obvious reasons...(we can come here anytime. This time we just wanna blow by this windy city and get some miles in.)



And that's just Day One.

The beginning approacheth! Counting down from 365!

Finally I'm getting to the point where I feel that my excitement is justified (or at least can be justified by those who are pained by my constant yammering about this trip). Time is flying by right now, and on July 3 of this year, I'll be able to start counting down from 365 days. As it stands now, I'm counting down from 430 days til 'launch' date.

Couple of feel good moments lately, and signs of life for this trip: Responses from Vancouver, BC tourism folks (although it felt an awful lot like an electronic form letter) and a great response from the Travel Salem (Oregon) folks. Anthony Tham from that office wrote back personally to ask a few more details and make some suggestions of places to visit during our time in Oregon. That was just what I needed when I was beginning to think that this was FAR more exciting in my head than it was in anyone else's.


Let me be the first to admit that I've never given Oregon much thought until now. I always kind of assumed that Oregonnites, Oregonions (Oreganos?) or whatever you call them were just kind of 'stuck' between Washington and California. Kind of a no-man's land between complete wacko's (California) and caffeine-hyped, rain-soaked, great-northwest wackos (Washington). But, as I'm hoping to really discover on this trip, my stereotyping doesn't hold up under the real scrutiny of daily life. Oh, sure, I'm positive I could find lots of examples of West Coast Wacko out there, but I'm finding that the more I connect, the more likeable, down-to-Earth, and similar people I find.


Back to Oregon. I really have known only a few people actually from there, or who lived there for any respectable amount of time. One of them is Chris Norman, a colleague from my Knight Ridder days who still travels frequently back to the Beaver State. I very much respect Chris, so I already had some predisposition to say that not ALL Oreganos (I like that name the best) were tree-hugging crazies. In fact, I just get that false generalization from the entertainment media (most of your 'chain-me-to-the-big-tree-before-dozers-come' characters seem to be from Portland. How many made for TV movies seem to follow that trend?). So anyway, Anthony Tham was quick to respond and let me know that he'd be happy to help me organize our visit to his area, on behalf of Travel Salem. He even suggested our visiting Silverton, Oregon, because it was named one of the Top 10 Coolest Small Towns in America by Budget Travel magazine, and I had suggested to him that we were interested in seeing smaller towns. Salem is the state capital and with a population of close to 400,000 in the two counties that surround it, it ain't exactly a 'small, quaint village'. I haven't committed to visiting Silverton just yet, but I will definately look into it. When it's somebody's job to point out places, features, highlights and must-see's, and they recommend something, it's just good sense (and polite) to listen and take heed!

I think Anthony is probably still scratching his head over exactly what this trip is all about. I'm still doing a bit of that myself. However, things are just showing hints of starting to gel in earnest now, and it just means that this place will soon be hopping with updates.

Next steps will be in securing some sponsors to help defray some of the costs. Since I know how tight corporations are, I'd better start now! Anybody got an inside with hoteliers? I'm not brand loyal at this point, but I'm willing to be!

A Warm Up, or is this what they call Spring Training?

Last weekend, I made a trek out to the Pittsburgh, PA area. This was sort of a 'season opener' for longish rides. I think I was ready for it, because I didn't really notice any fatigue or stiff muscles after we were done.

Let me back up a little.

Matt and Lorraine invited Jannette and I to join them for a 'cross-Ohio' trip to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. They were going to support friends Scott and Brenda Henwood. Scott is the pastor of First Christian Church of Beaver Falls. It was a little longer for me, as I started on Friday evening from Fort Wayne to St. Paris, Ohio. That's right at 100 miles. I left the Fort at about 6:30pm and pulled into St. Paris, (prounounced Sahn PaREE by me and nobody else) at about 8:3pm. Normally wouldn't take me quite two hours, but this was the first ride of the season, so I took my time to get reaquainted with Cheeto. (I should mention that Jannette didn't make the trip with me, she stayed home with the kids. It was a change to the plans after we learned that the kids' Mom couldn't take them on the weekend we had planned. But I thank my wifey for being so understanding and urging me to still go no matter what).

Next morning, we got up to get moving, and we were all prepared a little EARLIER than usual. It was truly amazing. We were supposed to pull out around 10am, but we were all ready around 9:20 or so and Bob and Rita pulled up about that time.


We ended up leaving a bit early and we were in Urbana at 10am, about 20 minutes ahead of schedule. After a very warm and somewhat windy ride (that was quite pleasant no matter what), and 250 miles later, we ended up at our destination for the evening - The Super 8 hotel in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Quite possibly the strangest layout for a hotel I've ever encountered. Truly a 'you can't get to your room from here' kind of situation. But the rooms were clean and comfortable.















We had dinner at Brenda and Scott's place and parked the bikes safely in their garage. The next day it was Blessing of the Bikes and it was really a blast.















After a very entertaining service, a really swell sermon, and a long blessing (I don't mean to offend, Scott, but I wondered if you were going to thank everyone by name. Individually!) the majority of the audience was off on a ride around the area. Big Rick Hoffman, famous chopper builder, was leading the ride even though he didn't feel well. I guess I didn't realize what a big name he was until after it was all over.






We had all but decided to mount up and leave shortly after the parade of bikes left the lot, but then Brenda convinced us to stay for the early shot at the food. So we opted out of a stop at McDonalds, enjoyed the VERY fine grub at the church and then got ready to make the long drive home.



I'm no math major, so I guess it's no surprise that a 350 mile trip for me took 7 and a half hours. To be fair, the first 250 took about 4.5 hours, then I stopped in St. Paris for a good hour before taking off for home. Matt rode along to St. Mary's (was this place a breeding ground for saints or what?) before he bid me adieu and we both pulled into our respective homes right at 9pm.

My last 40 minutes was a pure bug festival, as I must have hit every bug between Fort Wayne and Wilshire, Ohio. Unfortunately, they weren't the big ones either, but the little, itty bitty ones that tend to 'splat & stick' which makes them a real pain to remove later. My windshield looked like I had been going cross-country in South Africa.

I was delighted to see my wonderful family greeting me at the door as I rolled up the driveway.

750 miles, good company, and the wind in my face (now I know why dogs stick their heads out the window) over 51 hours. Good for the soul! I'm warmed up now. Where we goin' next?!

All the small things...

It's amazing what can happen in as little as a week. I haven't updated this blog in nearly a week, but I thought I'd share what all transpired during that time. It really has almost nothing to do with this Vancouver adventure directly, but it has a lot to do with why so little got accomplished that was directly related to the adventure...

My lovely and talented wife wandered off to Mexico with my sister and my niece to celebrate Spring Break. Normally my brother-in-law would have gone instead of my wife, but he's not much for traveling, and watching a whole bunch of high school kids do things that they probably shouldn't be doing would only help to raise his blood pressure dangerously. That's probably why they didn't ask me along either. Lest you think it was complete pandemonium and chaos, my sister and my wife are really quite responsible and know when to draw the line between 'fun' and 'dangerous'. I had no fears about them being there, other than the rash of violence against Americans in Mexico that had been occurring with increased frequency of late. Again though, it's the prevailing American opinion of 'it could never happen to me' that had the upper hand. I don't know if we'll ever cure ourselves of that habit, but I really wish we - as a nation - would try harder. Or at all.

Anyway, with her gone, it left me alone with the two kids for about 8 days. Not a big deal really, but it certainly makes one appreciate all the things that the other parent does on a regular basis, without any recognition or reward. Somehow, I got through 3 full and 2 half school days for one, 5 full days for the other. (The half days make it harder because my younger one really could still use some extra supervision). I was able to see my daughter's very first high school softball game. Even though the game started at 5pm and was 45 minutes from Fort Wayne, we were able to get there about 5:35pm. Unfortunately, she had suffered a nosebleed just moments before we got there and I didn't see her actually play. I was able to hear her cheering form the bench though and being a good teammate, so it was all good. And the fact that they fell barely short of a victory (losing 20-3), wasn't really all that bad. There will be more games. In fact, this should have been their 3rd, but the first two were rained out. That helped me cope with a long week as a single parent a little easier as well, so there was a silver lining to those rain clouds for me.

I celebrated my birthday (45 already?) with the kids on Friday night at Bandido's, where it's now become a tradition to celebrate birthdays (probably for the free meal for the birthday person).

We also got to enjoy a baseball game with the single-A San Diego Padres affiliates Fort Wayne Tincaps, during their opening home stand and their 9th game of the season (and just their 3rd home game at the brand new ballpark). It was a blast, and the kids really enjoyed it. I'm such a sucker for punishment, I even asked another neighborhood kid to come along because I knew I wouldn't be satisfied trying to keep just two kids from killing each other, I needed more of a challenge. Our seats were probably the BEST in the house - directly behind home plate, 4 rows back.

The Tincaps won in extra innings 6-5 and we got to cheer along with 3,800 of our new, closest friends. You can see how close we were to the plate, and while it looks like the two guys in front were staring at their shoes, they were just looking down at a paper or something. they were in the front row.

We sat about 4 seats away from some of the Tincap pitchers who had the night off, but were doing pitch counts and running the radar gun for the game. They were nice enough to sign Garry's new Tincap batting helmet ($5) with his new Tincaps silver sharpie ($3) and made his day ($priceless). We saw quite a few people we knew at the game (grownups and kids) including one of Rachel's softball coaches, the varsity coach, a South Side High School vice principal and his family (they are family friends) some co-workers from Fort Wayne Newspapers and a handful of other folks. We got there early and stayed late and really enjoyed the game.

Best looking girl in the stands.

That's Garry behind me (NOT the one with the silly hand over his face, that's Garry's buddy).

We did our fair share of shopping too, while my wife was away. Groceries are stocked up, lunch items are in good shape and essentials (tp tissue, facial tissue, band-aids and such) all stocked up. We even took care of a few household items, like putting together a 500 piece puzzle of Paris, and fixing a picture frame that doubles as a key holder. Long story on that one, but let's just say 'it fell'. That's the usual excuse I get anyway.

We rounded out the weekend with a Sunday breakfast out at one of our favorite spots, then some batting practice at the batting cages, and a tad more shopping (and getting more birthday gift ideas, thank you again, Garry). We finished the day with pizza from Papa John's (one of our favorites) and some tv watching while I did the ironing.

Now they are safely tucked in bed, although they don't have school tomorrow, and I heard from my beautiful wife that she is back in the USA and safely at my sister's house in Michigan before she makes the trek back home tomorrow.

So, nothing of any real measure was worked on toward this trip during the last 8 days or so, but you can see I had some really good excuses, and I was able to enjoy some great family time. And now I think I'll go and catch some hockey before I turn in. It's getting late, but the west coast still has hockey! Thank goodness for FIOS television!

Rose Colored Glasses

Sometimes I'm glad my dad and step-mom loved country music a bunch. Most times, I don't. But those times.... For example, way back when (seems like it was before 1979 but I can't find an older trace) John Conlee had a hit country song with "Rose Colored Glasses". I had no idea what that phrase meant. Because of that song, I learned a phrase that I've used countless times. (If you don't know the meaning, I won't spoil it for you. Before you read on, visit this link). While I always thought I was tortured as a child by having to listen to country music, I'm finding that I learned a bunch from those rednecks and hillbillies. Charlie Pride. Charlie Rich. John Conlee. Johnny Paycheck. I also learned what happens when you play a country song backwards: you get your wife back, you get your dog back, your truck back, your mother-in-law back, etc.

Recently, my buddy Myles read through my blog, and caught an entry a few down from here, about him. Myles then used the phrase in an email to me, saying that I must have rose colored glasses about our times in the Army together, because he remembers things differently. He remembers us all being a lot more stupid than I confessed in the blog piece. He doesn't remember being quite as suave with the ladies as I remembered. He doesn't remember his being more 'mature' than the rest of us poor pitiful, young man-boy fools.

It got me to thinking. Do I have a tendency to look back and over glorify things? I mean, it's probably natural to do, isn't it? We all remember our grandparents yearning for the 'old days' when life was easy, crime barely existed, people were so polite, yadda yadda yadda. But weren't they the same folks who also talked about how tough they had it? You remember, they had to walk uphill to school, 5 miles, each way and only one pair of shoes for all the kids to share. And on and on. I caught you rolling your eyes after reading that, just like you did every time they started in on one of those stories!

Indeed, I think Myles is somewhat right. I DO have rose colored glasses about my past. I think it has to do with the fact that I want so badly to be optimistic. I want to always be that 'glass half-full' guy. Not exactly Pollyanna, but I don't wanna be Oscar the Grouch or Eeyore, either. I've been accused from time to time with being pessimistic (we pessimists always counter with "I'm not pessimistic, I'm being realistic!"). I had a great mentor at Fort Wayne Newspapers, Dennis Robinson, who is the poster child for optimism. He is a realist. I so wish I could have that child-like sense of optimism that Dennis always seemed to retain, even in the darkest hours of a project clearly gone off track with disastrous news. For example, when we realized that our Spanish-language publication just wasn't going to be successful, a publication that Dennis 'birthed' because it was truly ahead of its time, he couldn't bring himself to say it was a failure. He could only say, "gosh, it sure reached a bunch of people who appreciated it, didn't it?" I mean, here was a publication that was losing money on every issue, before we even sent off portions to the translators, knowing full well that we didn't have nearly enough advertising revenue to cover the costs, and he was still finding the silver lining. Some folks would call that stupidity. They might say he didn't see the forest for the trees. They might say he just didn't know when to give up. I think it was brilliant. And for the record, Dennis was quite keen on 'when to say when'. The man is still a genius in my book and always will be.

And I think it's because of my yearning to be a positive voice in the wind that I have a tendency to look back and perhaps glorify, or at the very least, sugar-coat the events in my life that brought me a great amount of joy. The birth of my children (including the son that was born while I was on a payphone in O'Hare airport, listening in); my days 'growing up' in the Army; my times spent with high school friends like John Goodwin, who let me get him in SO much trouble, yet still hung out with me after his groundings were over; and just about everyday I spend with my beautiful wife, Jannette. I'm sure there are unpleasant things that have happened between us, arguments, mean, nasty things said back and forth, and such. I just can't seem to bring anything to mind at the moment.

In fact, when I look back at my "life", I have a hard time finding the cloud without the silver lining. I was 'detained' once by the police (okay, more than once), for committing a really, really stupid act while in Army training (after hours). And actually, I was standing next to a guy who was doing all the 'committing' while I kept (an obviously poor) lookout. Didn't matter, we were both picked up. In hindsight, I remember more about the kindness of my Army classmates, my acting company commander, my First Sergeant, and a judge. The judge (and probably many of the other authority figures) spent a few minutes quietly sizing me up. I remember him staring at me for what seemed like an eternity. He asked a few really bizarre (at the time) questions. He asked what I thought my penalty should be. He was sitting there in judgement (duh) and deciding whether or not I was a "good person" and whether or not I should get the book thrown at me or get a break. Thankfully, I got the break.

Even instances like that seem to come back as positive things in my life, not negative ones. My glasses are not just tinted with rose coloring, they are rose shaded, through and through.

I was once in a motorcycle accident in Alabama in 1982. I fell asleep while driving from Pensacola, Florida back to Detroit. I was up all night partying with my sister, Jodi, and her friends, and they were wishing me well as I headed off to join the Army. Jodi even gave me some things to take back to Detroit and sell for money. Or simply to enjoy for myself if I wanted. Anyway, I was carrying these things inside my jacket when I fell asleep and sideswiped a car on the Interstate. Nothing major, I didn't go down, nor get hurt in any way. In fact, the car got most of the damage as my footpeg created a new opening in the driver's side door. In retrospect, all I can think about was how lucky I was to: A.) hit a car at highway speeds and still park the bike in the median while I walked away and checked on the other folks, 2.) Somehow not get a ticket from the State Police, even though I was clearly a yankee, with long hair and really, really, really, bloodshot eyes, and C.) Not get busted for ...well, anything. In fact, I made it all the way back to Detroit from Pensacola, Florida in about 21 hours (including accident time) on about 4 hours sleep the night before. And my biggest recollection? Boy was I lucky to have made that trip! I got to see my sister one last time before leaving for the Army!

And what about all these incidents that probably should be big huge warnings to people (like my children) to NEVER do the things I did? It probably sounds reckless to even mention them in print. I mean, someone will look at these entries and say, "gosh, I dunno. He kinda hints around at the fact that he was kind of a bad boy as a teenager". DUH! My point is that I was - in fact - not the kind of kid that was on a path to MIT or Dental School (sorry Mom!). But I did turn my life around (thank you Sgt. Carnell Snow and the US Army!), actually graduated from High School with honors, went to college, graduated from that with a dual major, got a decent enough job, and a career where at least a few folks respect me (or tell me that they do). And best of all, I am raising two wonderful children, who are turning out to be far better kids than I ever was. And for a father figure example, I didn't have much to go on. I had plenty of "surely you don't wanna do it this way" examples.

Yeah, rose colored glasses. I got 'em. I hope to always have them. I hope I can get rose-colored implants in my eyes some day (or Lasik, which ever is physically possible at the time). I don't make any apologies for it. But if you read something that sounds a little too good to be true. It's still probably true, but maybe the high points have a little rose dusting on them. Don't mind that, and don't try to blow it off of there. Just recognize it for what it is, and understand it. Please?

Just some thoughts on the trip in general

Hey, since I'm still about 14.5 months away from actual departure time, I've got lots of time to think. Good for me, not so good for folks following along. My thinking tends to lead to blog posts, and since this trip hasn't started yet, that means more blog posts about something OTHER than the actual trip. Great if you've got nothing to do, but just plain annoying if you are here to read about this trip. It hasn't started yet, only the planning has.

I celebrated my 45th birthday with the family yesterday (birthday isn't til next week), and got a few things that were designed to be for 'the trip'. Got a nice orange/black backpack that will be the main storage bag for stuff that I need quick and easy access to: camera, laptop (if applicable) Rockstars, snacks, pad & pencil, electronic device chargers and such. The backpack itself, it pretty roomy and looks pretty durable. And it's orange! What a great color!

I also got an emergency tire repair kit, with mini air compressor. I opened it to check it out. I hope I NEVER have to use it. If I do, it was worth getting. If I don't, it was worth carrying along.

I also heard from my FIL that Coca Cola is going to start attaching the Coke name to Monster energy drinks now instead of Rockstar. That's got me in a dilemma. I like Rockstars and I can only tolerate Monsters. Plus Monster just reminds me of Monster the employment website, which is a competitor and is also the work of the devil. Tis far better to use a website that won't result in getting you eternal damnation (*salvation not guaranteed)

Anyway, I've digressed again (that's a pattern you'll see all too often).

So, if I want to remain loyal to Coca Cola (Jannette's dad works for Coke), then I need to switch to Monster. Of course, Marvin doesn't see it that way. It's just another product for him. He couldn't care less what product it is, his job is to deliver it. Period. He doesn't drink competitive products, and he doesn't frown on those who do. What a great way to be: live a good example, yet don't preach it to others.

Just random thoughts that probably need to stop here for today.

A little bit more on the Route Change

Hey kids!
Just a little more to add about the route change...and a reminder or two...
I've updated the overview of the route here (at the bottom of the page) and by all accounts, with weather being perfect and no unexpected delays (mechanical or otherwise), it will add one day to our total trip. Thirteen riding days all told. Now we're at 5,654 miles (give or take a few). That's an average of 434 miles per day, or about 7 hours of riding per day. Since we'll likely start our day around 7am on most days, that means that technically, we could be done with that day's riding around 2 or 3pm. Don't count on it. Kodak moments, meals, gas and rest stops and such will likely have us riding until around 7pm each day. As long as we're off the road before Bambi or Smokey the Bear decide to use it, we should be fine.

More (as always) coming soon!