Note to self……I am already having a blast! It is now Monday June 3rd and I can’t believe that the journey is underway. So far I have travelled about 1200 miles since leaving San Diego last Thursday. I am now in Lindon, Utah. Why Lindon you ask? I will come back to that in a minute or two, but first things first.

Last Wednesday was brutal trying to get all the last minute things ready for the trip. The day was consumed by finishing packing, picking up my Cruising for the Cure banner for the launch and getting my fundraising business cards along with trying to accommodate the journalist from the San Diego Union and their photographer.

Although I consider myself an experienced long haul motorcycle rider, the packing for this trip was a bit more different than usual due to its length, the purpose of the trip, and having to bring some work stuff along for the ride. I figured that out when at 9:00PM on Wed night my bike was loaded to the gills and I still had about a foot and a half square pile of “junk” on the floor of my garage that I wanted to take. At that point I decided to call it an evening figuring that I would get up at 5:00 AM and finish the job by jettising some things while adding those additional must have items. As it turns out I woke up at 3:30 AM so excited that this day had finally come.

The morning was perfect… sunny and warm for this time of year in San Diego. In addition, the front page of the North Country Section of the San Diego Union Tribune carried the story about the trip along with pictures on its front page.

At about 7:00 AM I started my bike and headed down to VG’s Donuts with a neighbour on his Harley while my family followed in the Jeep. When we arrived people were already there. It turned out to be a great send off as you can see from the pictures. Everyone was so supportive and it was like one big party. Joe the owner of VG’s even provided the coffee and donuts….what a guy! My family, a number of friends, the great ladies from Susan G, Komen for the Cure, and some general well wishers were there to offer words of encouragement and to send me on my way. After about an hour of great conversation, I said, “I guess talking about the adventure is now finished (along with the BS) and now I have to do it!” With that I said my goodbyes and climbed on board Captain America and headed out.

As I pulled out of the parking lot, I thought to myself about my great family and the fact that I had no idea what lies ahead of me over the next several months, but here I go... the journey has finally started.

I said I would describe the good, bad, and the ugly about the journey. Well, I was not into the trip but about 4 hours when I noticed that my speedometer stopped working as did my right hand turn signals and right side break light. And yes, I had the bike totally checked out before the trip so there is no need to ask that question. Mechanical problems and breakdowns are something that motorcycle riders are always dreading. By buddy Bill and I over the years have determined that these things are kind of like death and taxes…… they are inevitable at some point. Getting through a long distance trip without them is the exception versus the norm, but I did feel that day one was a bit much! That being said, I will take a mechanical issue versus a breakdown any day of the week. I figured that I would sort these issues out when I get to Reno.

My route was to ride to Victorville, Calif. and then head toward Bishop and stay on old Hwy 395 along the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains as I headed toward north toward Nevada.
My first night was spent in Bishop (about a 350 mile ride) and then on into Reno on day two. The Harley dealer fixed what they could based on available parts and the time they had to work on Captain America. They did introduce me via phone to another dealer located in Lindon, Utah that would be able to help with the items that Reno could not deal with on Friday. Thus, that is why I am now in Lindon.

I spent Friday night with two of my old college roommates (John Baker and Jim Dawers) at John’s home in Squaw Valley California (home of the 1960 Winter Olympics). John has a beautiful home on the Truckee River just one mile from the entrance to Squaw. It was just great to mosey up to a bottle of Grey Goose with two of my oldest and dearest friends. We laughed and stayed up until 2:30AM talking about the old days at San Jose State and what we have all been doing since we last saw one another about 6 years ago. It was truly a special night, but my head did hurt a bit the next day! I have attached a picture of John’s home which is truly breathtaking. I wish I could stay in places like that every night of this trip, but no such luck.

On Sat I rode around Lake Tahoe and then Sunday visited my brother Steve and his family at their new home in Truckee California which was also terrific. It was an all around great weekend. Sunday about mid day, I headed to Elko Nevada and then arrived in Lindon, Utah yesterday. Overall the weather has been dry, but quite a bit colder than I had hoped for at this time of the year. Just wait until I get farther north. I am sure it will warm up by the time I get to BC or Alaska! Yeah, right!!!

My bike repairs should now be finished and I hope to hit the road tomorrow morning, but a big storm is due in later tonight so we will see how it goes. Next stop, Boise Idaho then Sun River, Oregon and on into Seattle by next Monday… assuming everything goes according to my current plan. With any luck I am going to try to be in BC by Tuesday or Wed of next week as I start moving toward Alaska.

So far so good, but now I have to really start moving out and I now anticipate longer riding days and, unfortunately, more bad weather looks certain. I just hope my mechanical problems are behind me for a bit and that I don’t hit a snag with any kind of breakdowns… knock on wood!

I have been handing out my Cruising for the Cure business cards and encouraging people to visit the blog and to make sure that getting regular breast exams is put high on the to do list for all women. People have been great and really interested in the ride and the cause. In addition, they all seem to want to find out about my sponsor - Titan Sports Media Group which is also fun to talk about. I have already heard some amazing stories regarding people’s experiences with this terrible disease. I have also had multiple “thumbs up” from motorists and other bikers while riding or stopped for gas or food.

So far the trip has exceeded my expectations even with the minor hassle or two along the way. So, its time to ride on my friends… ride on!