My Goal

To raise $100,000 for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation. I can not achieve this goal without your generous personal and/or corporate donations. So please click on Susan G. Komen above and donate today to this worthy cause.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Flirting with Fey, Hanna and Gustav...

As you probably know, I have had to face some significant weather issues along with some mechanical problems with Captain America since leaving San Diego on May 29. I can now confirm that a suspicious black cloud full of rain, hail, lightening, thunder, and God knows what else has been trailing me during most of my journey like a senior detective following a high profile crime suspect just prior to making the arrest. The main difference is that the detective would probably keep a little distance between the suspect and himself.

In reality this culprit black cloud does not just follow me, but dumps on me every chance it gets which is almost everyday. This dumping is kind of like the hazing that went on at the ZAE fraternity house back in 65 while I was attending “Harvard of the West” (aka San Jose State).

Now let’s talk about the oil light issue that I mentioned in my blog update on August 25. I took Captain America into the dealer as planned for what I thought was going to be a very minor repair based what the dealer told me the day before. As it turned out I was that I was stuck in Monroe (not that there is anything really wrong with Monroe) for two days as they worked through the “minor issue” that turned out to be a bad oil pump, a clogged oil pressure release valve, and some bearings that were about shot due to lack of oil. After two long days and $750, I was once again ready to “rumble” once again. The Harley guys even spit shined my bike which was a nice way to get back out on the road. I must say that these guys at the Harley dealer could not have been nicer and more helpful. I really liked them a lot.

While I was in Monroe I studied the Weather Channel and used my iPhone to access the risk of these storms and to develop the best possible route that would allow me to further my goal of hitting all 49 states while trying to shake or at least minimize the “black cloud demon”. After considerable analysis, I decided to alter my previously planned route again and head farther west to ride through Texas, Oklahoma, and then turn back east and ride through Arkansas before heading back to pick up Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, before turning West again for the last leg.

I have to say that I found Texas and Oklahoma somewhat uneventful on this ride. I usually really like riding through both of these states, but I felt a bit rushed knowing the amount of major weather systems that were breathing down my neck. It was not uncommon to hear the folks on the Weather Channel talking about storms that could produce 1 to 2 feet of rain. Needless to say, I wanted no part of any of them because I could be held up for a week or longer if flooding really hit an area that I was stuck in. Once I got into Arkansas my mood became more relaxed and the scenery improved as I rode throughout the state. Great state and great ride with decent, but deteriorating weather.

I also really enjoyed the journey through Mississippi and Alabama. The highlight came when I pulled into Tupelo, Mississippi one very late afternoon. I had planned on getting some gas and then finding a hotel and hitting the rack early that night. I always try to fill up Captain America at the end of the day so as to start in the morning with a full tank. Don’t ask me why I do this, but I think it may be because it is one less thing I have to do in the morning before I pull out of town. While in the gas station I said to the women behind the counter, “Isn't Tupelo the birthplace of the “King”. She smiled and said, “You bet it is”. I asked her, “Is his boyhood home still standing and if so, where can I find it”. She smiled and said, “Yes it is and it is only three short blocks away”. She gave me directions and I headed on over to take a look.

As you can see, there is no doubt that Elvis came from a very modest background. I must confess that I was never a huge Elvis fan when he was alive until his Hawaii comeback concert at Aloha Stadium, but I really grew to appreciate him more and more as the years have gone by. I have to say that I was in total awe regarding the fact that I was sitting on the porch of the home he was born in. This house was build by his father Vernon. Wow, that was “way cool” and it just goes to show you that in America anything is possible! Also, I must say that everyone I met in Tupelo was so nice and the city had a great vibe about it. I would definately go back again at some time and maybe hang around a bit more.














By this time Fey had done its thing and everyone was now focused on Gustav which looked even more menacing, but predicting where it was going to make landfall was less certain.

I decided to make a run for Florida via Alabama and see if I could beat Gustav, Hanna, Ike, etc., etc. I planned to enter Florida north of Panama City and then ride along the Panhandle before heading south to Orlando and then onto Miami. I wanted to visit with friends and colleagues from Interval International in both cities, meet with media, and say hello to the Dave Siegel and his team at Westgate Resorts. While in Miami I also wanted to meet up with my old friend (Fredy Dellis) from my RCI days.

Unfortunately, all these plans had to be scrapped due the Southeast experiencing a very active hurricane season this year. Bottom line, I rode the entire Panhandle in Florida from Panama City to Jacksonville, but never got farther south than Lake City, Florida. Once I hit Jacksonville I headed north and rode through the east coast of Georgia and on to South Carolina.

Although I got hit with on and off again rain, I thoroughly enjoyed my ride through Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. To top it off, my bike was once again humming like a church choir. My only real disappointment in Georgia was that the uncertain weather precluded me from going to see Heidi, Eric and their kids (my cousin Sharon’s daughter and her great family in Atlanta). Oh well, next time!

By the time I pulled into Walterboro, South Carolina last Sunday night the weather had deteriorated significantly. Fey was now raging and Hanna was looming in the wings. It did not take me long that evening to come to the decision that I had only one logical path. Doreen kept watching the weather channel over the last week and on Sunday she gave me some very good advice. She said, “Go high, go high!” With that great advice I decided to see if I could outrun the systems by heading northwest.

I ended up going through North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas and I am now in Pueblo, Colorado. Over the past 5 days I have been in rain gear most of the time. By far the most challenging weather hit when I was leaving Columbia, Missouri on Wednesday morning. The news the night before said that Columbia was due to get 5 to 7 inches of rain in the next 48 to 72 hours as Fey was set to meet up with a cold front coming out of Canada. The temp was expected to drop from 90 degrees at 6:00PM the night I arrived and then the high for the next day was going to be in the mid 60's.

The storm hit that night about midnight. When I woke in the morning it was obvious that the rain had started quite a few hours before. After I jumped out of bed at about 5:30AM and looked out the window it was obvious that I had a wet day of riding in front of me. I loaded up and hit the road at about 7:00AM. Loading a bike in driving rain is never any fun, but that day it was obvious that it was going to get much worse before it got better. I had no clue if I would make it 10 miles or 300 miles, but my bet was on closer to 10 based upon the downpour and the quite high winds. Obviously, this makes for very dangerous riding conditions.

That day I made it about 280 miles that day (200 of which were in incredibly heavy rain). At times is was extremely difficult to see and I saw a really bad accident. A big tracker trailer rig going in the opposite direction had flipped on its side and was blocking one lane and the shoulder. The accident had happened prior me going by and the entire cab of the truck was totally engulfed in flames that shot above the cab by about 20 feet. I seriously doubt the driver of the truck got out alive due to the fact that his door was facing the pavement and how quickly the fire seemed to swallow the entire cab. A very scary site indeed and all I kept thinking about was that his family did not even know about the accident yet as I drove by!

To show you how hard it was raining, even with my rain gear on all morning, I had to stop at a rest stop during a huge downpour and open my bag and try to quickly put on two “dry t-shirts” because the ones I were wearing had somehow gotten totally soaked and I mean totally soaked. I went as fast as I could, but the fresh ones were damp by the time I got them on. They were still a lot better than the ones I had just taken off. Several people watch me do this form the comfort of their cars and I could tell that they were feeling real sorry for me by this time, but also real thankful that they were not as dumb as I am!

By the time I got to Salina, Kansas the weather had improved a bit, but it was still not all that great. Once in Salina I wanted to get a hotel room quickly and get checked in, warm, get cleaned up, relax a bit, get something to eat and maybe hit a show. The hotel was the Americas Best Value Inn and apparently it was owned by the South Asian Indian fellow who “reluctantly” checked me in. He kept looking at my beard, my hair, and then my bike before starting over again. I could just tell he did not like what he was looking at. I felt it was kind of weird, not real comfortable, but I tried to be nice and he finally gave me the room key. I have to admit I was looking a bit scruffy after riding the wet ride, but little did I know what was about to “come down”.

After he gave me my key I headed to my room. I always turn on the Weather Channel as soon as I get in the room to start figuring out my route for the next day as I unpack my bike and get settled in. First off, the remote control did not turn on the TV. I figured that the batteries may be dead so I turned it on from the set itself. Just then the motel owner was walking by the open door to my room and I explained to him that the remote did not work. He walked in and took one look at it and started yelling at me saying that I broke the remote. I was so surprised that I just started laughing. I asked him politely if he would just get another remote from another room or change my room since I had not even taken anything off Captain America at this time.

The guy went absolutely “nuclear” on me and told me to, “Get out of my hotel because I have had to deal with people like you before”! He would not even give me my signed credit card slip back unless I gave me my credit card again which I was not about to do. I called the police from the front office and told them about the discrimination this guy was pulling on me. The police told me that it was a civil mater and the cop told me to just leave the hotel and call your credit card company. Before I left the hotel I walked back over to the room and took photos of the way I was leaving it to make sure this wacko did not try to tell Visa that I destroyed the room. Keep in mind, I was not in the room for 2 minutes before "Mr. Personality" came in and starting ranting and raving at me.

For the first time in my life I felt first hand blatant discrimination. I kept asking the guy why he was discriminating against me and why he was being such a jerk. I think I actually used another word other than jerk, but by this time I was ready to drag the guy over the counter and open up a giant can of "woop-ass" on him, but my better judgement kicked in and I ended up leaving and just calling Visa. What a jerk! Now I know I don’t look my best at this point after being on the road since May 29th, but discrimination is discrimination! Would you rent a room to a guy who looks like me?

I ended up going up the road about three miles and found a great hotel, did my wash, had some dinner and got ready for my westward blitz. Weather looks like it is going to be a challenge to the end, but I was now really starting to look forward to wrapping this trip up. I figured some 400 to 500+ mile days were now in order.

The adventure continues and no doubt it will until I pull into my driveway!! Have a great weekend guys.

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Tracking Dave's Journey

The Plan



My plan is to have a great day everyday and to help make a difference!

On May 29, 2008 at 7:00AM I will throw my left leg over my modern day version of Peter Fonda’s “Captain America” Harley Davidson motorcycle and I will begin a 3+ month journey of a lifetime. I have dreamt about this trip for years and have meticulously planned every aspect of it from what to take, where to go, what to see and most importantly, what I want to accomplish during such a journey.

I plan to ride the back roads of America through 49 of the 50 states in our beloved country and much of Canada in a single ride while hopefully raising $100,000 for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. Weather and my mood will dictate my direction far more than any set schedule. I am firmly committed to ride through a great deal of every state and not to just clip the corners in order to be able to scratch them off my list. I am planning on both camping and staying in hotels along the way. I anticipate that I will log between 300 to 400 miles per day on most of my riding days.

No riding companions or chase cars for me during this journey – just my own thirst for adventure, wacko sense of humor and willingness to talk to anyone, anytime and anywhere as I motor throughout North America while getting to know the locals along the way. I want to learn as much as I can about their views toward life, family, sports and their careers.

In addition, one of my primary goals is to spread the word regarding the importance for regular breast cancer screening exams and to help to raise money so that we can find the cure sooner versus later. Be it big city malls or small town coffee shops in the middle of rural North America, I want to help raise the awareness about this disease and hopefully get more people committed to help us find the cure as I gain more insight into the lives of people I meet during my journey.

My custom 2003 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide – “Captain America” – has been outfitted with a special handle bar camera mounting system and custom rear rack that will allow me to carry all the essentials for my journey as well as the things I need to be able to continue to update my blog, communicate with my family and friends, and to be able to do some work while on the road.

Follow my Journey

I will be updating my blog at least once a week with stories about my trip, the people I meet, and I will also post photos I take along the way. In addition, I will keep you posted about media interviews I am able to arrange over the next several months as I publicize the purpose for this journey. As you can see, the blog will allow us to communicate with one another and I am really looking forward to hearing from you.

I will try to describe the good, the bad and the ugly regarding my travels. As in any adventure, there will be highs and lows and some incredible experiences and stories that I will no doubt want to share with you. As an example, I can just imagine the feelings of excitement and fear of the unknown that I will experience as I first pull out of my driveway on May 29th. How will I feel after my first breakdown, severe storm, or after a long day in the saddle seeing incredible scenery, or getting to know my first truly fascinating person? It should be interesting and I hope you will enjoy my adventure along with me. Remember, in motorcycle riding as in life, "It is not the destination, but the journey that matters!"

The Why

How many times have you heard someone say that they are going to do “this” or “that” when they have more free time and/or the money? Often their dreams are never realized because “life” gets in the way and the next thing they know it is simply too late for one reason or another. Well, one of my primary objectives in life is not to let this happen to me. What is the old saying, “You only go around once!”

I have been blessed with a great family and career and have had an opportunity to live, work and play around the world. I am combining two of my great passions in life which are my love of motorcycles and a desire to find the cure for breast cancer.

Why Motorcycles?

I fell in love with Harley Davidson motorcycles 15 years ago when Bill (my buddy) first showed up at my house riding his new bike. I only remember three things about that day – candy apple red paint, chrome everywhere and Bill’s ear-to-ear grin! He decided to take up the sport after one of our closest friends (Dick Fletcher) passed away while several of us were surfing in Del Mar. Dick’s passing was a real tragedy and wake-up call for us all. Bill had concluded that life is short and very unpredictable and he wanted to start living everyday to the fullest!

Over the initial concerns my wife had about the dangers of motorcycle riding, I soon followed Bill’s lead and bought my first Harley and have been a long distance rider ever since with some trips covering over 7,000 miles.

Why Breast Cancer?

Because this dreaded disease has taken so many lives and impacted so many others. My family is no exception.

Doreen (the love of my life) is one of the lucky and growing number of breast cancer survivors. It was a real eye opener for us both back in 2005 when she was first diagnosed shortly after our close friend (Gerri Hickman) had just lost her 4+ year battle with the disease. These two events rocked our world, brought us even closer together and made us realize that the years are marching on. It also made our family realize that we do have so much to be truly thankful for and we must treat every day as a gift.

The Beginning

On May 29th I will arrive at VG’s Donuts and Bakery located in downtown Cardiff by the Sea at exactly 7:15AM sharp. You ask why start from VG’s? Because it is the best darn donut shop and bakery in all of Southern California and I should know.

I have been going there religiously for the past 30+ years whenever I am in town. It is not just about the donuts: it is about a great family business that is truly focused on quality bakery products and friendly service. Joe and his family have built a thriving business over the past 39 years. VG’s for as long as I can remember has had fiercely loyal customers from CEOs to surf bums. The best way to describe it is kind of like a combination of Cheers and Central Perk! Oh yes, VG stands for "Very Good".

For more than three decades, I have been one of their loyal customers and a friend. As an example, on May 28th 1977 at 5:00AM I even pulled off the freeway while my wife (Doreen) was in heavy labor with our first child (Brendon) to grab my usual order to go. Needless to say, she was not overly pleased with me that morning as she was not enjoying the wonderful smell of hot coffee and donuts while she was huffing and puffing and getting much closer to giving birth to our ‘little” 9 pound 3 ounce bundle of joy... “Brennie-Boy”. Later that day, and even today, she says, “what the hell were you thinking? We still laugh about it all these years later.

I have chosen VG’s as the starting point for my epic journey so that I can have an opportunity to throw back one last great cup of coffee and maybe a maple glazed and cinnamon crumb or two. It will also give me an opportunity to say goodbye to family, friends, interested on lookers, and any media before I head north towards Alaska on the first stage of my adventure.

I hope you can come down to VG’s that morning for a cup of coffee and a donut or two and give me the kind of send off that only a “wacko” like me would enjoy. I will even buy the coffee and a couple of donuts for the first 50 people who show up to send me off in style... and they say bribery does not work!

At about 8:15AM on that morning I will say my last goodbyes, climb on board “Captain America”, hit my electric starter, the... my journey begins and yes, this will be a day that I will never forget!

Our Family

Our Family
Kelly, Dave, Doreen, Sophie (aka Precious) and Brendon
A beautiful winter day at the beach in San Diego, December 2006

This “Cruising for the Cure” breast cancer fundraising ride would not be possible without the generous support of Titan Media, our sole media sponsor. Titan is the largest sports media publishing company in China with over 7 million readers. Their major monthly magazines included All Sports (the Chinese equivalent of our Sports Illustrated) and Outside. They also publish a series of sporting newspapers that come out several times a week.

The group is very supportive of the “Cruising for the Cure” because this disease knows no borders and more and more Chinese are impacted by it every day.

They are also enthusiastic about running a series of articles in their various publications about my adventure and the people I meet along the way. As you may or may not know, a growing number of men and women in China have adopted a sporting lifestyle in order to stay fit, reduce stress, and to live longer, healthier, and happier lives. They are all very keen to learn more about the sporting lifestyles enjoyed by both Americans and Canadians living in both countries.

During my journey, I will be interviewing young and old alike regarding this subject and sharing what I learn with their readers in both their newspapers and monthly magazines.
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