Back to your regularly schedued BLOG

So I am now in Ohio and tomorrow is the start of the 3-Day event, which for crew is really a 4-Day event.

I have riddin over 2,000 miles thus far and crossed 10 states. Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Ohio.

I hope to be posting entries at least every night, and perhaps a few pictures during the event.

What a day!

When I was checking into the hotel in New Orleans, I met two other road-weary riders checking in. The usual conversation started -- "where you coming from? where you heading?" Turns out these two sweaty, grimy bikers just road in from Cleveland. I told them I was heading there in a few days after riding the Blue Ridge Parkway. At that point, we pulled out the HD map and they showed me Highway 250.

The day started out heading through Staunton, a historic Virgina town full of old Colonials and wonderful parks. This is more my speed, something interesting to look at besides just trees. A few more towns like that and all of the sudden I was in twisties and climbing quickly. I was exploring George Washington National Forest, one of three national forests traversed by Highway 250.



I was breathless as I rode through that section. I was thrilled that I had enjoyed a great ride -- but it was 9:30am.

Then, it happened again. And again. And again. Climbing hills with turns switching between hairpins and sweepers. Peaking and then dropping into valleys with signs warning trucks of 11% downgrades (like the DOW this week). In the valleys between the peaks, small towns like something out of the animated movie Cars.



"It rolls along past houses, farms and fields." (extra credit if you can name the song for which Steve Goodman wrote that famous lyric).

If the Blue Ridge Pkwy was created for families in cars out for a day drive, then Hwy 250 was created for overgrown boys on bikes. I rode through wooden, covered bridges and past historic and scenic train tracks. I saw ponds, lakes, rivers, rapids and cascades. I avoided five deer running across the road and three trucks who preferred my lane to theirs.

It was the 3rd best motoring day of my life. Thank you nameless bikers from Cleveland via New Orleans!

Blue Ridge Parkway

Built during the 1930s as a Depression-era public works project, the 469 miles stretch from Shenandoah National Park along the Blue Ridge Mountains to the eastern rampart of the Appalachians. The parkway is interesting for biking as it has a set speed limit if 45 mph and NO STOP SIGNS. The parkway has no gas stations, no stores, nothing. Just plenty of pristine forest, some tunnels and amazing scenery.

The ride was gorgeous, but very long. I started at 6:30am and rode for the better part of 10 hours. A few stops along the way allowed me to check the visitor center maps and buy some Appalachian Bluegrass CDs.

Since the majority of the parkway is shaded by a heavy tree canopy, the day was mostly cool. I was able to keep the leather jacket on comfortably all day. What a difference.

The day started in South Carolina. I entered the Parkway in North Carolina and ended the day in Waynesboro, VA. Even thought the speed limit is set at 45 mph, or perhaps because of it, the day was one of my most tiring. Beautiful, but tiring. I am glad I did it though.

Friendliest People

Sometimes we forget that good people are everywhere. I was riding the Blue Ridge Parkway today (see next post for details of the day) when I stopped in one of the picnic areas. After two days in the serious heat, I have realized that I need to stop every hour or so and drink a bottle of sports drink.

When I pulled in, I noticed an older couple sitting at a picnic table who stared me down a little as I roared in. I also observed two couples dining together with an impressive spread. It was the kind of gathering I would expect in the moutains of North Carolina on a scenic drive -- all with their bucket hats, oversized sunglasses and sandels with thier socks on.

I had already eaten lunch so I just pulled to the curb near the trash can and drank my bottle down. As I was pacing around, letting the life-sustaining nectar soak into me, I noticed one of the women at the group table waving me over. I smiled, held up my bottle and yelled, "no thank you, I just needed the drink". She yelled back, "we have too much, come on over." Big, bad biker being invited to break bread with a few senior citizens.

I mounted up and rode over to them to say that I didn't need any food, thanks. It was like being with an Italian mother. "We have salami sandwiches", "we have more than we can eat", "how about some fruit?", "a cookie?" She was a hoot. We talked about the ride, the breast cancer events, etc.

It is easy to forget that there are generally good people out there, not just at the breast cancer events.

Oh, and the other couple who stared me down on the way in. They waved and smiled as I roared back out.

Wrong Turn?

Tunneling Through the Blue Ridge Mountains

Just another gorgeous day

in the Blue Ridge Moutains

Now the fun begins

1300 miles of hot pavement for this. The big payoff.

The Redneck Ride

Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. What a day.

Recapping Yesterday

Now that I am sitting down for breakfast in Mississippi, it is a good time for an update.

For all Route Safety folks, please watch your fluid intake on event. It is hot out there. Yesterday, the weather overheated both my bike (shutdown in stop and go traffic) and me (mentally shut down 30 miles outside New Orleans). The bike got a little oil, I got 32 oz of PowerAde. We both took a break.

I am truely convinced that most single bike accidents in the summer are at least partly caused by dehydration. The poor decisions we make when the organs are malnurished can be devastating. For me, I notice that I "zone out" and no longer think about where I am -- I am just following the bumper in front of me just like the walkers following the fannypacks in front of them and walking into intersections.

Getting back to the ride, it was OK... Mostly pounding pavement. The same is on tap for today to make 650+ miles. That will set me up for tomorrow's ride on the Blue Ridge Hwy, I hope.

I had never driven or ridden into LA or MS before and seeing all of the swamps, bogs, rivers, lakes and buyous was very cool (well, swampy hot, but you get my meaning).

HOT

What the hell was I thinking riding South East in August? 6am in New Orleans and it is 85 degrees, muggy and ugly. Oh well, off to somewhere near Ashville, NC and the Blue Ridge Pkwy.

New Orleans, LA

long day of sun and humidity, but I am here. 600 miles, 8 hours of riding and ! am no closer to Cleveland than I was when I woke up. A little like day 2 on the event where we end back where we started, but sun burned, sweaty and tired.

The 2007 Season is Here!

Forgive me bloggers, for I have sinned. It has been 321 days since my last entry. Basically, I missed the entire 2006 season. So, to summarize, I did four events (Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix and San Diego), I had an excellent time, the walks raised a lot of money and I made new friends. There, I am done for 2006.

Now, 2007 is here!

Tomorrow I start my ride from San Antonio (home) through New Orleans (fun), up through the Smoky Mountains (beautiful) and into Cleveland for my first event of the season next weekend. I have a few friends there (Hi Jackie and Amy!) and plan to make more. I hope to be posting blog entries from my phone as I ride up, so keep you eyes peeled (Note: that is an American colloquialism and is not meant to be taken literally).

Heading to California!

The Adventure Begins

Tomorrow morning, Jackie and I are taking off from San Antonio to start what I hope will be a five week ride. We will take four or five days to take her back to Denver, then I will continue on to California for a week.

After California, I am not sure where I am heading. I need to be in Dallas/Ft. Worth by the last weekend of October for the first of my three 3-Day events. From there, I ride to Phoenix for event two, then San Diego for the closing event. After that, it is back to San Antonio.

If work does not raise its ugly head, I hope to be on the road that whole time, laptop along for the ride and documenting my adventure.

To all of my 3-Day friends, see you real soon!

That Toddlin' Town

What an awesome event. The walkers were great, the crew fun and the weather,,, well the weather was Chicago, but the walkers were troopers.

I became known as the Candy Man on this event, which is better than the Pig Dude I have been called on other events! Over the course of two and a half days, I gave out over six CASES of M&Ms (mostly with peanuts, for those planning on bringing chocolate to other events this year).

If you have done any west coast events, you probably know Big Dan cheering on the walkers in his bucket hat and pink pompom shoe laces. I was never sure how he could do that -- cheer for three days straight. Now I know. And I know WHY he does it. It is AWESOME!

I was able to play music, dance, sing and talk to all of the walkers. As I drove the route, I would look for "slow down spots"; areas where the walkers were falling off the pace. I would pull over, crank the music and offer up M&Ms with the theory that Chocolate Fixes Everything, including sore knees, blisters and Dementors in the Night!

Not so fast cowboy...

OK, that didn't go as planned. While packing my bike for the Chicago trip, I manged to screw up my back (technically, my SI Joint and hips). I ended up in the ER Monday night and with a chiropractor for the next few days. My doctor has helped me stand erect again and I can now move without groaning audibly. While I could not ride the bike that far, I was given permission to drive there. I will be cheerng on the walkers in Chicago for a few days, then helping with the closing ceremonies traffic control on Sunday. After that, Jackie will come back to San Antonio with me for a visit before returning to Denver.

And so it begins

After spending a wonderful week between San Diego and Las Vegas with friends and family, tomorrow starts my 3-Day travels. I fly back to San Antonio from Southern California, pack my bike and head out Tuesday morning for Chicago. It is about 1300 miles, give or take a U-turn or two, and I plan to arrive Thursday afternoon. There are reports of thunderstorms in central Texas and again later in the week north of Oklahoma City. Rainy days and Tuesdays always get me down.

Chicago? Yes, Chicago

Grey Clouds & Silver linings and such... In 2004, I decided to leave the company where I was working and take a year off. That lead to my ability to train and, eventually, walk in the Boston 3-Day. I was fully able to experience what I had seen thousands of other walkers experience on the 3-Day. But, alas, good intentions of walking again this year failed to materialize when I took a new job and moved to San Antonio, TX. No walk for MotoCrew Michael in 2006. But...

The company I worked for in San Antonion and I have decided to part ways. I am vunce again unbound by zee trappings of zees American kapitalistic society! Ahhhh ha ha ha ha ha!

Guess what, that means I can do more 3-Days! So, after my family vacation in San Diego/Vegas next week, I will be riding from San Antonio up to Chicago where my friend Jackie is walking this year. I get to cheer her and 2,000 of her closest friends on for 3-Days. Of course, that is never enough for me, so I am also the Volunteer Captain for the Traffic and Safety team at holding during Closing Ceremonies. That will make it a clean sweep -- Crew, Walker and Volunteer -- 6 States, 8 Cities and 13 Events. I sure wish they would hire me at Event-360 so I wouldn't have to keep registering every time! :-)

Two weeks and counting

I know, I know. I've ignored you. I am a bad blogger. It has been a long time since I have posted. But...

It's almost here! The first 3-Day event of 2006, Boston, is in two weeks. I should be there, but as many of you know, I will not be. I just could not get myself prepared in time with the new job, house and life in San Antonio. I will still get the honor of being on the fabulous MotoCrew's in Dallas, Phoenix and San Diego, just no walking this year. To all of you walkers in Boston, have an awesome time! You trained hard. You raised money. You increased awareness. You did it. You are ready to celebrate and party with the best of them. So, hoist a sports drink for me this year. Perhaps I will see you all there next year.

MySpace

My son got me turned on to MySpace a year or so ago. As I have watched from inside the industry what is happening with this site (bandwidth, number of users, law suits and school suspensions) I have become more interested in it.

I joined the service a while ago to check it out, then found many of my so-called adult friends had accounts there. No only that, but I found a 3-Day Group out there!

To check out my very basic MySpace site, click here: http://www.myspace.com/3daymotocrew

If you have an account, please consider joining the 3-Day group here: http://groups.myspace.com/the3day

Another circus, another town!

Today I registered for San Antonio Race for the Cure. What was really cool was that there was already a team set up for Rackspace! It reminds me of the years before and just after Sally passed when we would walk the Orange County walk with great co-workers from Exodus and fantastic volleyball friends from ASA! As my Boston-based friends like to say, Wicked Cool.

Speaking of which, it is less than five monts until my Boston 60 miler. Better get training Pig Man!

Deja Vu all over again

And so it begins. Well, actually it began earlier this year when I registered myself to walk in Boston and crew in Dallas, Phoenix and San Diego. Like you expected anything else.

What is really cool about 2006 is that I get to walk in the first event and crew at the closing event!

Yesterday, I did my first training walk. Really, it was more of a test. I have not worked out since I moved to Texas and have done no distance walking since last year's events. So, I strapped on the running shoes, plugged in the iPod NANO and started walking. Four miles plus a small shopping stop went smoothly. Tonight I will try the treadmill at the gym (I knew I was paying that membership for a reason) for another 4-5 miles. My goal right now is to play a little catch up and walk at least four days per week -- 5 miles each outing. I have some nasty hills up behind my new house and will brave them in a little while. Right now, flat track walking is all I hope for.

For the next few months, I will try to revisit this site and update you on my training. If, at any time, you feel compelled to support my efforts, you can
always click on the "Donate Here" link in the top right corner of this blog. If you have wealthy, caring friends, please send them this link: http://www.the3day.org/Boston06/motocrewmichael

Don't be shy, it is only a click away!

Oops, sorry :-(

It is possible that I may be a little late in getting this post on-line. Let's see, my last post was Oct 18, 2005 and I was heading back to Orange County to begin my ride to Phoenix for the final 3-Day event of the season -- the 2005 season, that is. Well, it is now March 2006 and I just wanted to let y'all know that I made it to OC! Then to Phoenix! Then back home to San Antonio!

Brief update -- the ride to Phoenix was without incident. The event went very well, especially the day before Day 1 when I met up with a lovely lady who I had met the prior year. Jackie, it turns out, remembered me, my bike and my pigs. This year, she was crewing with Gear and Tent and I got to spent a lot of time getting to know her better. That was a very good thing. ;-)

So, as you already surmized, the event went off without a hitch. I had an awesome time in 2005 and am already registered to crew the event in 2006 now that I know that a person in a key position in Crew has been changed.

To all of my fellow crew mates in Phoenix, thank you from the bottom of my heart! Y'all make the events worthwhile for the walkers and your team mates.

Hello, I must be going

I'm here in Phoenix, at least for 10 more minutes. Then I jiump on a plane back to Orange County to get my bike and ride back to Phoenix tomorrow. This was so much easier when I was unemployed.

Letters from the MotoCrew

I was just sitting down to tell you how I felt about our crew this year, when I opened my email to see comments from many of them. Many of you have asked what it is like from a MotoCrew perspective (which is how I started this BLOG in 2003). Sit back, relax, and read what the MotoCrew have to say...

---[ From Master Sergeant Jay ]---
Hello All,
I hope this email finds you all in great health and lifted spirits (albeit sore and tired). I pray that the rainy ride home wasn't detrimental to anyone's health or bike. Shari and I happened upon a "little" weather last night ;- ) My thanks to Shari for dragging me through it.

I sincerely appreciate all the help, guidance and friendship that everyone shared with me. You all were right, it was truly a life changing experience. Everyone of you deserve the gratitude and thanks that all the walkers and staff give you, you are all better people than most for doing what you do as long as you've done it. I am extremely appreciative of being associated with all of you, if for only for a weekend. Again, my sincerest thanks and gratitude to you all.

---[From Shari ]---
Too all of you, the greatest CREW on the 3 DAY 2005....My thanks and appreciation for all your help, support, guidance, hugs, kisses, tears, jokes, jabs, smiles and MEMORIES! what a weekend.....

Every year I wonder if it can stir the same emotions, pride and fulfillment, as the last and like the bunny, it just keeps coming on strong!

As all the walkers filed in at closing, I thought it would never end...how incredible. To get them from point A to point B every day, and hope we made it more enjoyable, easier, safer and were helpful, what a reward.

I can only hope everyone made it home safely last night, it was terrific the weather held as long as it did...the light show and dew that greeted Jay and I on the way home became increasingly persistent, Jay and I shared each others wake on a very ugly night, but just having him at my side, knowing he would help, is what it must be like for the walkers, someone who cares and is there if needed....Yep, that is what it's all about!

My love and memories I'll always have for all of you! Thanks again for another year of 4 days that most people could never understand, should you try to explain it. My very best to all.

---[Chris "the Limey" ]---
Once again we have managed to combine experience and enthusiasm to provide a service that was bettered by none.

I am always in awe of the grace under pressure of the people who are by my side in this annual adventure, the walkers adore us but that affection is not given easily. It is earned with selflessness, kindness and apparently the questionable ability to leave the house wearing chaps, or a kilt, or both.

I have a friend who walked this year and she made it clear that we have only the smallest idea of how special we are to the walkers. We are guards and guides, we are milemarkers, we are crossing guards, we are greeters, we are cell phone police and we are there only for them.

I look forward to this event every year because I get to spend time with a group who have surpassed the title of friends and have become an extended family without all that arguing about where to spend Thanksgiving.

Congratulations to Paul and his Asst Captains for a job well done, minimum fuss and maximum efficiency was a great combination. I feel sorry for anyone who has not had this experience, but I don't want too many to know, I would hate to end up on the PortaPotty pump crew next year.

---[ From Greg ]---
I'm at work today and I'm finding it difficult to de-compress from such an impressive 3Day. It's difficult to describe the feelings and emotions to a "civilian". I try to describe the weekend but you can read their eyes...they just don't get it. Not their fault of course, the 3Day must be experienced to be understood.

My fourth 3Day but still amazed and in awe of the human spirit. We are exposed to so many negative things in the news, TV and radio yet for three days, 5000 walkers and crew unify with one single minded cause to make so many selfless act of kindness, too numerous to mention.

It was a privilege and honor to ride with each one of you. From a previous walker's perspective, I always felt that the MotoCrew were the "Rock Stars" of the event. This weekend confirmed that theory! More importantly, I found that the Rock Star status is earned by your hard work, dedication and desire to serve the group.

I was so busy working, laughing and crying that I hardly had time for photos but I hope to edit / compile what I have and will forward accordingly. I wish that I could duplicate the mental pictures and forward them as well.

Thank you for not abusing my rookie status and I hope to ride with you again.

---[ From Kathlene & Terry ]---
Just reading your emails so far has once again opened up the emotions of these past days. Terry and I, well... especially me, can not begin to express my heartfelt thanks to all of you. Your guidance, your laughter and your friendship.

It was all that I thought it would be and then some. As a past walker I remember clearly how much I appreciated the crew. I remember the moment I first saw the crew shirts on the Victory walk and that is when the sobbing like a baby began, lol. I think I sobbed like a baby this time too. My crew here at worked asked why the eyes were all puffy, lol.

Will I ever be able to thank you all enough? I don't think so.

Awesome!

I used that word a lot this weekend -- AWESOME!

The San Diego 3-Day is now in the book, raising over $10.3. Million! Way to go. Walkers, Crew, Family and Friends!

I am currently at 25,000 feet heading back to San Antonio for the night. When I get a chance tonight, I will update again with my 3-Day Small World stories, my thanks and tributes.

I just wanted to say how thankful and appreciative I am to have worked with an amazing MotoCrew (Route Safety for you newbies) team with weekend. 22 of the most talented, energetic, caring folks I could ever hope to meet. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all!

Wait... Did I mention my Sister, Lauren, finished the walk with her entire team of first year walkers? Way to go Pink PANTers! Over $20,000 raised and not one IV or ambulance ride.

Settling in to Texas

Even though I have been traveling extensively since taking on my new job, I am still finding time to settle into the Texas lifestyle. Today I bought a new home which is still under construction. You can see the pix here. So Texas is going well for me as is my new job.

I was very disappointed to hear this week that Howard Sitron is no longer with the NPT nor is he associated with the 3-Day events. I don't know the story (so don't ask) but I will miss him and his energy greatly. While I am sure that the 3-Day will continue to flourish and be an outstanding community event, it will suffer greatly for his loss.

2006 Already!

Yep! It is time to sign up for the 2006 events. You can look for me in Boston wearing Golden Yellow (Men With Heart team colors) and walking the distance, or in Dallas, Phoenix or San Diego doing the MotoCrew/Route Safety thing. I can't wait, and I still have two events in 2005 to do! Whooooooohoooo!

If you want to register for the 2006 events, click here. If you want to sponsor me for 2006 ;-) you can click here. Something new for 2006... you can reach my donation page directly at http://www.the3day.org/Boston06/motocrewmichael. Pretty cool, if you ask me. Go ahead... ask me. I'll tell you, that is pretty darn cool.

ACT Now!

Just got back from the San Diego All Crew Training (ACT). For many of us, this is just a day to rekindle year-old friendships and make a few new ones. So many of us have done this event so many times that learning how to put up a tent or that stretching is as important for us as it is for the walkers is old hat and, unfortunately, a little boring. So, we spend our morning trying to remember where we know these faces from -- which city, which year. It is the best part of ACT. We try to pay attention, but we end up drifting off into small groups and talking about past events, fellow team mates and what we are expecting for this year's monster shin dig.

This year's event in San Diego is humongous (sorry, no other word comes close). We cut off walker registration at 6,000. Last year we registered about half of that. The crew is similarly large and teams have had to cope with twice as many of everything -- gear and tent trucks, sweep vans, medical transport vehicles and, yes, Route Safety motorcycles. Our team is 23 strong this year, compared to 10 last year. We have chosen to break it into 3 smaller teams, one of which I will have the honor of leading.

So, to all my old friends who will crew in San Diego, thank you for returning. To my new friends crewing this year, welcome and look for me at next year's ACT and say "I remember you from 2005! San Diego, right?"

Hey, Y'all

Big news. I have moved to Texas!

I accepted a position as the VP, Infrastructure and Operations with Rackspce Managed Hosting, an Internet hosting company. I am here now, but heading back to So Cal to finish the sale of my house and the shipping of the few things I want to move to San Antonio with me.

I will still be doing the San Diego and Phoenix walks, so y'all won't miss me too much. Maybe next year I can do the Dallas event too.

Eventful Ending to a Great Seattle Trip

Well, I should have known things were going to well on this trip! ;-)

I was thoroughly enjoying my ride home. Took a nice ride down the coast, stopping at a few casinos for a little entertainment. Everything was going great. Then, I hit California.

I stopped for gas and made a few phone calls. At my next stop, some 180 miles later, I reached for my phone (my brand new, Motorola RAZR phone that I bought before I rode to Seattle) and found my velcro pocket on my riding pants open and my phone gone. OK, so I need to call the phone insurance company and get a new one. No big deal.

150 miles later, as I near Solvang, I pulled to the side of the highway to put my jacket on -- Friday night at 5pm. As I downshift my bike, the shifter falls off. This happened once before, oddly enough on the ride home from the All Crew training in Phoenix. This time, I know how to fix it. Two zip ties and 5 minutes later, I am back on the road. Now I have a zip tied motorcycle and no cell phone. Probably shouldn't ride much further tonight. I decided to head over to Lompoc where I know of a bike shop and a hotel.

Saturday morning I head over to the bike shop and they adopt me immediately. For $25 they fix my shift rod ends and I am back to factory standard on the bike. Time to call this ride done and get home. Unfortunately, the traffic on the 101 was terrible the heat challenging. I made it to the top of the Sepulveda Pass on I-405 when I noticed that my Check Engine light was on. Damn. OK, let's get off this hill, out of traffic and down to Bartel's Harley to get it checked out. Then my Volt meter showed zero. Then my Odometer went blank. Oh, how exciting.

I made it do Marina Del Rey and to within 4 blocks of the dealership before the battery ran out. Now, on the side of the road without a cell phone, I start looking for a solution. Hey, look there! Across the street from my breakdown spot is a Cingular Store. They let me call the dealer and the service department went beyond the call of duty by sending a personal truck out to get me and my bike.

Now the bike is in Marina del Rey being repaired and I am home thanks to my son.

The only thing left to do is get my phone replaced. Of course, according to Cingular, I don't have insurance on that phone (apparently they didn't even offer it when they sold me the phone three weeks ago) so I have to buy a new phone now. How exciting again!

Well, folks, that wraps up the Seattle event. Next event on my calendar, San Diego in October.

The Road Less Traveled

This is the value of exploring. Off of a two lane highway between Portland and Lincoln City, I found this restored covered bridge.

Can't Forget our Support Teams

On other events, I have seen bike cops and other city, county or state support staff that are helpful. The walkers usually love them (especially the cute bike cops from San Jose in their little biker shorts). As crew, they are helpful but not really a part of the team.

This event was very different and I really want to thank Tyler Espinoza, the Crew Coordinator here for putting this team together.

The first day, we had the support of Bellevue police at many intersections. They did a great job and were respectful and friendly to the walkers. They were truely a part of our team on Route Safety.

We had city paramedics and fire fighters on bikes running the route also. Those guys were great. Just a cute as the SJ bike cops ;-) but much more active in the support of the walkers. They stepped up to each challenge on the walk and were vigilant in their efforts to support all walkers. They asked us about the status of the walkers and their current locations so they would know where they were needed most. Fantastic.

The ambulance teams were great also. Sending out cheers and encouragement over their loud speakers, talking to the walkers and stopping when they saw folks on the side of the road to see if they could help. They brought water to us in the hot spots while we waited for the very busy sweep vans and even transported three of my walkers who could not continue on and couldn't make it off the trail to a sweep van. Thanks guys!

Lastly, to the firefighters who where there for us and set up sprinkers in spots to cool off the walkers, thanks!

I hope we get to see support like this in all the cities! Thanks to all who come out to support the cause!

Another one in the books

The Seattle event is now over and I have reclaimed enough sleep to update this BLOG. I apologize for the lack of updates, but I think this is proof that the life of a walker and that of a crew member are radically different. As a walker in Boston, I was able to update my posts during the day and in the evening. As a crew member in Seattle and elsewhere, I have no time to write during the day lest I leave walkers hanging in the middle of an intersection. By the time I am off the route, I am too tired to think. Basically, it is eat, clean and sleep, then do it again.

So, the recap for the event. AWESOME! The Route Safety/MotoCrew was amazing. One of the most agreeable, talented, creative and attentive crews I have seen anywhere. Able to think and react on their bikes and in the streets, they were, to the end, consummate professionals. Thank you all for letting me be a part of that.

The walkers were a pure joy. Happy, fun, well trained and willing to let us help them. As we repeated during the walk, WE LOVE YOU, WALKERS!

The route, well it was tough. Days two and three included many hills. Long hills. Many of them. One after another.

The layout was reverse of the pattern I usually see where we walk two long days and end on a short, 15-17 mile day. This time, we started with a short first day which was helpful considering it rained for several hours in the morning, then got cold. Unlike Boston, however, the sun came out in the afternoon and the rest of the day was beautiful. We were able to fully enjoy the camp experience in the warm Seattle evening with daylight until very late. It was just great.

Days two and three were longer at around 20 miles each, but the weather was absolutely amazing. Hot, sunny and beautiful. As you can see by the map below, we were able to enjoy many scenic views of the lakes and mountains in the Puget Sound. Day two definitely had an impact on the walkers feet, knees and backs. I have never seen the medical teams as busy as they were on this event, but I am told Dallas was also a very tough event for them.

From the new Microsoft Virtual Earth website of Aerial views, here is what the route looked like from space!

Day three really took its toll on the walkers. Many made it out of camp with shear determination and strength of spirit, but were unable to make it very far into the day. My sincere respect to the walkers who walked the whole 60 miles. The heat of the day combined with the hills and the pace required to make it into camp in time for closing ceremonies were pretty big obstacles. I respect all of the walkers who tried to make it and could do the distance, but just couldn't make the pace to stay ahead of the closing Pit Stops. I know many got swept due to time rather than physical pain or ability.

So, Seattle 2005 is in the books. The Event-360 team (3-Day employees) are on a 6 week break now before they start their second and final six events in Chicago. Red is heading back to Orange County today and I am staying in Seattle one more day to recover, do laundry and plan my route. Then I head home on a four day journey much the same as my route up. If anything exiting happens that is rated PG, I will share it here. ;-)

To see the wrap up by the 3-Day team, click here.

Let's face it, I'm pooped...

[Extra credit to those who can name the show the song lyric in the title came from]

The first day of the Seattle 3-Day is in the books and I am ready for bed. It was a very short walk day, but a very, very long work day. The route was only 17.5 miles today (very short by 3-Day standards) but with a crew call of 4am and a day filled with rain, I am dog tired. I am not really sure what that phrase means, but I know I am exhausted.

We were soaked to the bone by 8am and it continued raining until mid-day. Then, unlike Boston, the sun came out and dried up all the rain. By the time most walkers got to camp, the ground was nearly dry and the sun had taken the significant chill off. Warm showers and excellent food put everyone back in 3-Day spirits. Someday, I may tell you about the MotoCrew singing the Mickey Mouse Club theme song for Karaoke.

I have arrived

I am in Bellevue, WA now at the hotel the Event-360 staff use. This is also the hotel the walkers and crew members will use on Thursday night before the walk. I am crashing with my son, Red, for the next two nights, then will take over the room during the walk. The good news is that I get to be an official member of the crew now. They are making an exception in Seattle and letting me register late to augment this awesome team. Thank you staff and coordinators!

Now that I have an internet connection and a real keyboard, I am going to go back over the past few days and edit my posts. As you know, those came from my cell phone, not a Blackberry with a keyboard. I was pecking out BLOG entries like TXT messages from the side of the highway most times. Please go back and look at previous posts again as there will be more explanations for the pictures and some totally new entries that I couldn't type on the cell phone. I had to resort to pen and paper each night to record my thoughts. Luckily, I don't have many to write down.

And a major thank you to someone special who called tonight when I was feeling pretty dogged after riding 1,400 miles alone. Thank you, thank you, thank you. ;-)

Sign for a Motocrew Member

First, I apologize for the quality of these shots. I assume I smudged the lense of my new camera phone. That damn thing is so small, it is hard not to with gloves, glasses, helmet and jacket on.

If you can't tell the sign is of an Oregon State Park called "Hug Point". I wanted to steal one and take it with me on all walks so the walkers knew exactly where to stop for their hugs! :-P

Monday in Review

Today I rode from Brookings to Lincoln, OR. I had thought about riding to the Washington border but then I saw a beautiful city, with a great hotel right on the Pacific Ocean. Did I mention it had a casino? And a buffett? And a poker room in the casino? Woohoo!

The ride up to Lincoln took us over fantastic bridges, past huge sand dunes, quaint fishing villages and the largest sea lion cave in the US. It was really an nice day riding and sharing lunch with Brian and Connie who were taking an extended weekend away from work on their bikes.

Making Friends

Lunch stop in Coos Bay, OR with new friends Brian and Connie. We had a nice ride together and stopped to share stories, philosophies and life's goals over an Arby's sandwich.

Two days and finally out of California

The amazing coast of Northern California. I am now in Brookings. OR just over the border. More tonight when I get an internet connection.

In my previous post, I talked about the 110 degree part of the ride. As I said, I headed over to the coast where it was "cooler"... like 50 degrees cooler. In the fogged in areas, it was about 60 degrees and damp. This is what I look like when I am bundled for a California winter.

Sunday in Review

The day started out with a wonderful, but very foggy ride over the Golden Gate Bridge and through Saulsalito. I love this area, but it was not a picture day as it was way too foggy to shoot anything memorable. Still the ride started out lovely. Then I hit the blast furnace called Hwy 101. As I rode up past Petaluma and into Santa Rosa, the heat kept building until I decided it was just too much for the whole day and decided to head towards the slower, more scenic route up the coast. I turned West somewhere in Santa Rosa guided by my trusty GPS.

Now, have you ever made a food dish that was absolutely wonderful, but in your haste to "throw it together" you really don't remember exactly how you made it? Well, I made a few lefts and rights, always heading West or North towards my destination and in the process, had the ride of my life. I remember being on the Bohemian Hwy for a long while and stopping in Occidental, CA for a fabulous Italian lunch (four courses!) before continuing on through Camp Meeker. I rode along the Russian River, amazing tree canopies and beautiful farm and ranch land. I am looking at a map now and can find most of it, but the chance of me recreating that ride is pretty slim. Let me tell you, though, it was truely one of the nicest rides I have ever done!

On the road again...

On my way to Seattle through central California -- who would have guessed it would be over 110 degrees at road level? That is my bike's air temp gauge which only goes to 120 and it was pegged for most of the day. The expression "fry an egg on the ground" was not sufficient, since I think we could have fried the whole chicken in Bakersfield.

Change in route ;-). I am now in Mountain View, CA closer to the coast in the Silicon Valley. I plan to stay along the coast up through Oregon.

My feat but not my feet

I owe some of you an apology for misleading you. In the previous post, I included a picture of duct taped feet to illustrate the text about others more hurt then I was. It never occurred to me that people would think the picture was of me. That picture came off of the Boston 3-Day Kodak pictures website and I have no idea who it is. I just grabbed it for illustration purposes. My feet never looked anything like that. At my worst, I had Second Skin pads and tape on both heels and one wrapped around my little toe on my right foot. No other problems, no shin splints, no swollen knees, no duct tape. Sorry. I am very happy with the way my body held up on this event!

The only challenge I had was walking in the rain. California training had not prepared me for that, but I did have all of the necessary accessories! Check me out walking with my rain jacket, hat and "sloggers". For more info on the sloggers, click here.

Retrospective

I am home, rested and clean. I am also one of the happiest guys on Earth. I set a goal in 2003 of doing everything I could to help the Susan G. Komen 3-Day be successful. At the time, I felt that my motorcycle safety skills were the best this I could offer. I raised money, awareness and spirits. I felt good about what I had contributed.

In 2004, I did that times four. I crewed four events, raised a ton of money and honored Sally's memory on the west coast. Still, I had a hole in my joy. I told many walkers that I knew how they felt when they talked about "blisters having blisters" and feet that hurt so much that they were afraid to take off their shoes and look at them. I really did feel for them, but could I really feel their pain? I had never walked 60 miles. I did a 16 mile training walk in San Diego that year to be with the walkers, but that was not the same. With my travel and work schedule, I convinced myself I couldn't train properly and that MotoCrew was the best I could offer.

Early in 2005, I decided to take some time off of work. I told my friends and family that, if I had time to train, I would walk an event. Did I really mean it? I don't know. I started training with my sister's team, the Pink Panters, and felt pretty good. I wasn't working, wasn't traveling much and finally realized that all of my criteria had been met. I had to walk. And I started training. Not too hard. Not as much as the training guide says, but some. I had never done a back-to-back double-digit walk. I lost my last three weeks of training to some sprained toes and a motorcycle breakdown in Las Vegas and realized that, after all my enthusiasm and "chatter" I was now a week away from Boston and under-trained. Damn. So much for planning.

I had butterflies in my stomach the day before the walk started. I wasn't sure I could keep my commitment to walking 60 miles. In the end, I made it because of the other walkers. No matter how badly I hurt, someone was in much worse shape than me and she was singing! A walker would hobble by me with the familiar "on your left" and I would look down and see blood on his socks and shins taped to reduce (not remove) the pain of shinsplints.


What I heard over and over again, though, was this... "My feet are killing me, but my sister went through months of chemo without complaining so this is nothing". I thought about Sally in the last several months when her feet were so swollen it hurt to get off the couch or out of bed, yet she walked with me around the lake because she knew that it was the only way to get better. I know she was hurting, but she didn't complain. I thought about her going months without being able to taste food at all, just eating by texture. "What would you like for dinner tonight? I want something wet, like noodles." Is Endurance really so bad tasting?

I made it with the help of friends, family and Sally's memory. I feel great about that. Now, as I head up to Seattle, then San Diego and Phoenix, I feel I really do know what it takes and how it feels to walk that far. I thank everyone who helped me feel this way. It is totally awesome!

The survivor's circle

I was given an honor today that is unparalleled. I was allowed to walk in closing ceremonies with the breast cancer survivor's circle, carrying the flag of our 3-Day event.

In opening ceremonies, the circle arrives empty, with no flag. Each night, we raise the flag with a standing ovation to signal that the last walker has arrived safely into camp. At the closing ceremonies, the circle returns with the flag in the center in honor of all breast cancer survivors and those who were lost to the disease. I got to carry that flag in and raise it up the flag pole to signal the end of the 2005 Boston 3-Day event!

It was extra special since my son was there to share it with me. He honors me and Sally by working his butt off in the sun, rain, wind and general muck to help all of the walkers and crew as a staff member of Event-360, the event coordinator for the Breast Cancer 3-Day. Thank you Brandon "Red" Landesman!

No Bust

We made it. 60 miles. This is just a quick update before I fall asleep. I'll be more free-flowing with the prose tomorrow.

No major damage. Back, knees, ankles all good. Left foot, good. Right foot, not so good, but it will recover. The biggest thing is I feel good. I am sore and tired, but proud of what we accomplished and happy I did it.

Thank you all for checking in. I will be home tomorrow night and will try to fill in the missing pieces and post some pictures then.

Thank you so much to Sue and Danny Whitt who came out to cheer us on today and then dragged Pamela and I back to their lovely home, allowed us to bathe and relax and even brought in dinner for us. Thank you from the bottom of our feet!

Abandon Ship

I'll have to write more about this later, but the short message is: sudden thunderstorm last night soaks everything so my walking friend, Pamela, and I call Sue and Danny Whitt out of desperation. Danny picks up we drenched walkers and drives us back to his house to dry our and sleep for a while in real beds. We are just waking up now and Danny is about to drive us to start our last day of the walk. Much more on all of this later, I promise!

Lunch -- Mile 32

Socks changed, new blister lanced, bug bites scratched, old blisters re-taped. I am outta here.

Mad props to my peeps, Sue, Danny and Jonah Whitt who came out to cheer me on at the Cheering Station this morning. Thanks so much, guys. That is so awesome to see someone you know in the middle of the walk!

Did I mention the sun came out today? Sun. Not rain. Sunglasses instead of sloggers today. Whoohoo!

Staying positive

I am happy. I am warm. I am dry. Repeat. Ohmmmmm.

The spaghetti was wonderful and the Diet Coke was awesome after a thousand gallons of water and sports drink.

A bird bath wash (shower trucks are out in the rain and that seems counter-productive to me) will have to do for tonight. Sleeping arrangements are a little unique -- think coed pajama party for a few hundred friends. No tents, no privacy, but no rain either.

Tomorrow we eat around 5am and catch a bus for a short ride to the start of day 2. The second day promises to be historic as we walk by battle fields and national landmarks. More on that tomorrow night.

Noah, this is God

Build us an Ark, quick.

Day 1 is done. 22 miles down, 36 miles to go. 0K math majors, I know that doesn't add up to 60 but sometimes you have to end where the camps are. 21 more miles tomorrow and then 15 into closing ceremonies.

As for today. It rained. It rained a lot. Did I mention it rained? A lot?

I haven't looked at my soggy feet yet, but I think I did OK. I had a jacket and “sloggers” on most of the day. I'll post a picture of that when I return.

Tonight we are being “relocated” to inside the military base buildings where we were supposed to camp. More on that after a shower and dinner.

I'm up

5am and I am showered, dressed and fed, at least as much as my nervous stomach can stomach. Just waiting for the shuttle bus to arrive at 5:30 to take us to Opening Cerimonies.

Sa far, it is warm and dry. Keep your toes crossed that we stay dry!

The Last Supper

Hooters! What place would be more appropriate for the last restaurant meal before a breast cancer walk then Hooters?

We are in the hotel in Nashua and I have met most of my team, Men With Heart. I have my MWH shirts, song books, pins and business cards. I opted to pass on the hats, jackets and fleece pull-overs for now.

I got a chance to say Hi to Red (aka my son Brandon) and Howard and Nancy from the NPT.

My clothes are set for tomorrow and I am heading to bed for a few hours. Up at 4:30am to start my trek. Did I mention we are expecting thunderstorms tomorrow?

Now is the time...

for all good walkers to prepare for the event. I will be shutting down my laptop now and all future updates will come from my handheld Blackberry. No fancy formatting, no pictures. Just my ramblings for the next few days. I will be back online Sunday night if I can keep my eyes open, Monday morning if not. Please check in daily as I promise to post something every day.

In the meantime, if you are not involved with the 3-Day, the video below will get you as close as possible (at least until you sign up to walk with me next year!)


The 3-Day Experience- Take a video tour of the event and see how it all happens on the 3-Day

3-Day Welcome Message

I just received an email from the Boston 3-Day folks with a PDF that talks about the walk. Every year, the 3-Day team outdoes themselves when describing very serious issues with humor. Click on the image on right to read the PDF file and enjoy!

Thank you!

Thank you for donating to my walk in Boston. I have almost reached my $2,500 goal for Boston. Thank you for your generosity and help!

That said (here it comes), please note that my $2,500 goal was a low ball goal ;-) Last year, I set my goal at $8,000 and reached it the day before the walk. I felt that I had asked so much of my supporters last year and that so many of those supporters are now walkers or crew members doing their own fund raising I would ask considerably less this year. You have been very generous to Breast Cancer in Sally's name for three years now. You have donated over $14,500 since 2003. Thank you, but please don't stop. If you came here to support our common cause and our friend's memory, please do so. Donations can be accepted up until 30 days after the walk this week. If you are visiting later than that, please contact me by email and I will provide you a link to one of my other 2005 3-Day events (San Diego or Phoenix).

And lastly, to you Baker Housers who just received Berg's email, welcome!

Happy Independence Day

What an amazing city in which to spend the 4th of July!

Back at the hotel

As near as I can figure it, I walked a pleasant 14 miles today. Not really too sure since I am not really too sure where I have been. I saw MIT a few times, Harvard Square twice, Harvard Yard once, the river a whole lotta times and some other interesting sites. I circled around Cambridge many times until I finally asked how far it was in my current direction back to the river bridges. The customer and the sales person both turned their back on me and pointed in the opposite direction. Luckily, they gave me directions in a manner to which I am accustomed. "At the KFC, turn right and a left at the Starbucks." We finally agreed that the first street was called Prospect, but no one was too sure what the second one was. So, I found my way back home and have decided to take a map with me from now on. ;-) I did take a lot of great shots of churches, schools and fire stations, as well as the river and bridges. Look for those when I get home in 9 days.

Sushi from the Charles?

Now I know why I was the only customer on a holiday weekend at noon.

Endo-san, where are you?

Last Big Training Walk

What a great city in which to walk. I've been walking for 2 hours down the Charles River, through MIT and Boston U, across Mass Ave and am having a great day. Just stopped into a Sushi Bar for lunch and will continue my walk for another few hours afterwards. I'm not tracking miles today, just my time in my running shoes. Did I mention the weather is amazing? Sunny, comfortable and dry. What more could a 3-Dayer ask for?

Boston

What an awesome town. My friend, Danny Whitt, met me at my hotel today and we walked to lunch and around the city. Sitting at Frog Pond in Boston Common now. 78 degrees, sunny and only a little humid. Beautiful.

Lunched at the Union Oyster House, the oldest operating restaurant in the country.



When I get home, I will post pictures of the hotel room. A little boutique hotel called the Onyx right in the north side of town.

Packing & Panic Day

OK, maybe not real panic. Today is packing day as I fly to Boston tomorrow morning. Today I see if I have everything (and can remember where I stored it over the last 8 months) and if it will all fit in the bags I can take.

Season nears start

My son just landed in Dallas for a week of training before the first event. I have my flights and hotels booked for Boston and am in the middle of a 10 mile training walk as I type this. The 3-Days are upon us!

2005 3-Day Season is HERE!

Wow, so much news. This year, I will continue my tenure as a Route Safety/MotoCrew dude in San Diego and Phoenix. I will also be in Seattle "helping out" since I was too late to get on the official crew. But the really big news is: my son, Brandon, is working for Event-360 on all of the events and I will be walking in the Boston event this year!

I started "fake" training with my sister as this is her first year walking and I had the time. The more I walked, the more I realized I could do the event! I just registered today as a walker, so I will be on at least four events this year.

July 8-10 Boston / Walker
July 22-24 Seattle / Asst. Route Safety
October 14-16 San Diego / Route Safety
October 21-23 Phoenix / Route Safety

You will all see my son, "Red", at camp each night as the Audio/Visual Technician. Look for him setting up the stage, sound, projectors, TVs, large blue blow up things, etc.

Phoenix: Beth Furnish

Phoenix: Ali DuBose

Phoenix: Ali and Tracy with their new pig hats!

Make my day...

I promissed to expand on the story about the walker who made my day in Phoenix last Friday.  I am at 31,000 feet somewhere over the mountains on my way to St. Louis so this is as good a time as any.

One of my roles on the 3-Day is “bad cop” to the walkers.  I have to remind them of rules and, sometimes, enforce them to weary, dedicated angels walking for a cure.  I really hate that part.  To make it more palitible, I try to come up with cute ways to say the obvious.

One of our rules is that walkers must stay on the sidewalk whenever possible.  After having told several groups to get out of the street for their own safety, I was getting frustrated. I came across a young walking group, one of whom is obviously connected to the military with his handsome, Marine Corps looks and his camoflauge sun hat. 

When I got to them on my bike, I turned and hollered, “how many times do I have to tell y'all, if I don't see a license plate stuck on your ass, I want to see you on the sidewalk!”. I smiled back at them all and gave them a “thumbs up” sign.

Four hours later, I am leaving a pit stop where there is a wide sidewalk and all walkers, now spread out from the hours of walking, are all safely on the cement.  Just as I am approching a group from behind, I see a guy jump out into the street and keep walking.  I was mad that he had done that, then pissed when I realized it was my forewarned Marine.  As I got closer, I nearly fell off my bike laughing -- he was holding a cardboard license plate that said “Cal Fed” on his is butt.  I grabbed a quick photo (to be posted when I get home next week) and went up and thanked him for making my day.  The guy not only remembered my admonition but went out of his way to find a license plate and CARRIED IT for 10 miles just waiting to hear me come up again.  I made a rule and he lived by it.  My son will tell you that that is all I ever ask of anyone.

Clean up

By the way, I am fully aware of my typos and poor grammer and hope to clean that all up this week.  Typing on a Blackberry with no spellchecker at 5am is tough, let me tell you!

The Beginning of the End

I am on the road home just east of the California border in Arizona after the last 3-Day event of the season.  Bitter sweet as I have thoroughly enjoyed myself for the past month but I am ready to get back home and into work again.

While the Phoenix event frustrated me immensely in many regards, it ended and a fantastic high note.  The low points seem to have been caused mostly by the newness of the event.  As the first Arizona event ever, most of the crew and walkers had no experienced with multi-day events like this.  As such, there was little of the cooperation and “can do” attitude that  exists in the Calofirnia events I have done.  Many crew captains were new and still learning their roles. The outcome was a bit of “we/they” as opposed to the usual “us” that a 3-Day requires.   I believe that these issues will be resolved next year and expect this to be an outstanding event.  This year, there were almost 2,000 walkers and we raised $5.4 million dollars.

The high was being invited to dinner with Bob, Barbara Jo (walker in all Avon and Komen events), David (their son who walked 4 events), Dr. Deb (walked 10 events), Tom (her fiance), Dan (Big Thunder and Cheer Station Extraordinaire) and two other couples who heavily support the cause and the walkers.  Thank you, again, Bob and Barbara Jo for your amazing hospitality.  We met at Ruth's Chris Steak House and I realized that I had not eaten there since Sally passed. You see, whenever Sally got her taste buds back between Chemo treatments, that was our first stop.  What a wonderful way to end the Breast Cancer events!

Well, back on the road now.  More comments and updates when I get my laptop back online.

Phoenix Day 2

Um, yeah. I missed Days 0 and 1. Sorry.

OK, here is the recap. Day 0 rained the whole day. Streets flooded. Saftey Video cancelled due to concerns about electocution. Overall, a miserable day. I ended up leaving my bike in the dirt parking lot of Rawhide, the event location because that was safer than riding it through the flooded streets 5 miles to the hotel.

Day 1 was clear but still wet from the previous rains. The streets had cleared however and the event went off as planned. Nearly 2000 walkers took off on their 22 mile first day. With only 3 motorcycles and 4 bicycles, it was an interesting day but we made it through successfully. When I have more time, I will tell you about the walker who made my day yesterday.

It is nearly 5am and I have already showered and started packing my tent. Breakfast next then hit the course. It was “desert” cold last night and very damp this morning so it is hard to get going. Colder here than when I woke up in the rain in San Francisco.

Well that was exciting

Some fun, I tell you.  50mph shifting winds in a driving, blinding rain.  At least it was warm enough to stay rain except for that little hail storm I mentioned earlier.  I have arrived in Scottsdale soaked to the bone and with black hands (my leather gloves bled) and am heading to dinner with Bethel and the AZ Lunch Crew.

More from Day 0 tomorrow!

Oh, Hail!

Vegas, Baby!

Made it to Las Vegas today from Reno. With the storms coming off the pacific coast, I chose to ride Alt-95 down which takes me about as far east as possible before heading south. Great in theory, but the rains found me anyway. 450 miles with nearly 75% in the rain. Luckily, my rain gear works flawlessly and I arrived dry and comfortable. No one enjoys riding in the rain, but if you arrive safely and relatively warm and dry, it is not too bad.

Time to grab dinner and then hit the casino for an hour or three. Tomorrow I have some work to do first then a ride into Scottsdale to start the last of my four 3-Day events for 2004!

What the hell was I thinking?

Riding through snow covered canyons is one of the most amazing experiences you can have if you are dressed for the occasion. I wasn't. Who thought on the way to Phoenix I would be riding at 7,000' in 30 degree weather? All of you, probably. Just not me. I never thought 40 degrees would feel so good, but that is the temperature, just outside of Squaw Valley, where my hands regained some feeling. Luckily, I had my heated jacket and rain gear, so I wasn't too cold. Unluckily, I left my heated gloves and socks at home. Again, 107 degrees in Phoenix! What the hell was I thinking riding to Reno in October?

Anyway, I am here and made a little money at the poker table to boot. Now it is off to bed for a very long day riding in the rain to Las Vegas. I expect to be in rain most of the day, but, except for the times I am at elevation, the temperatures should be moderate (65 degrees or so). I will leave tomorrow morning between 9 and 10am bundled in jeans, rain pants, chaps, long sleeve shirts, leather jacket and rain jacket. A face shield, bandana and gloves will complete my ensemble and then I will take off south. I hope to reach Las Vegas in about 11 or 12 hours with a lunch break and 3 or 4 gas stops. Once I thaw out there, I will send another update.

On the road again...

Just couldn't wait to get on the road again... so I am packed, laundry done and rain gear on. Heading up to Reno tonight through the rain and possible snow. More when I get to the hotel tonight and back online.

Another Monday travel day

For the readers who also ride motorcycles, I can describe the final day of the San Francisco 3-Day event as follows: Slow riding the SF hills in the rain over wet, curved, steel trolley tracks. What a day. If you don't know what that is like, let's just say it takes an acrobat's balance, a weight lifter's strength and an alligator's eye sight. Trying to watch Sunday traffic, 1800 walkers and trains and trolleys all while slip sliding away made for a tough day. The great news is that no one got hurt and the walkers did not whine at all. It was, as always, an amazing day on the route.

We started out in light rain that came and went through the day. By the afternoon, the rain had stopped and the air was warm. The closing ceremonies started out perfectly, until Howard Sitron (or Howard Certain, as he was introduced) started to speak. As if performing a rain dance, Howard said hello to the walkers and the heavens opened. A brief but energetic rain shower drenched us all. Not a stellar ending but everyone took it in stride (pun intended).

Speaking of Mr. Sitron, the man blows a mean horn! Thank you, Howard, for joining the Groove on stage at Camp 2 to blow Funky Town and Brick House (?). You continue to amaze me!

As for our MotoCrew in SF, all I can say is it was a supreme honor. You took me, an outsider to your well established team, in as an equal and I feel honored to have worked with you all. Mama Dee, thank you for your oversight and planning. Everyone else, you are amazing. I felt very comfortable with you all and enjoyed our time together. I can't wait until next year in San Diego when all 50 MotoCrew members from SD, LA, SF and Phoenix show up wearing our bright Orange, Green or Yellow vests and proudly proclaim, "MotoCrew is in da house!". Ummmm, 3-Day Staff, are you ready for us?

Rain, Rain. Go Away

So far so good. After a seriously rocking night at Camp 2, we all hit the tents praying for a delay in the rain. The rains came over night but by early morning were gone again. Very nice to sleep in a tent in the rain and wake up to clear skies.

Spoke too soon. As I am packing my tent and getting ready to head out, I can hear the rain again. Gonna be a wet one for the walkers.

SF Day 2

Up at 4:30am, basic gear packed by 4:40 and in a hot shower by 4:50. Breakfast until 5:30 and back to pack the rest of the gear and stow the tent. On the route before the walkers at 7am. So starts day 2 and I could not be happier.

Yesterday, Day 1, was an exceedingly easy day on us all. Most of the walk time was in parks and along the bay where we were not needed. When that happens, we get to be cheerleaders which is my favorite part. Last night in camp, we celebrated two crew members' birthdays -- Polly and Kim. Mama Dee, our captain, brought a great looking AND tasty cake to share.

Well, it is time to finish my packing and get on the route before sun up. I am just pleased that, after the wind we had this morning, my tent is almost where I left it. Everyone keep praying for no rain today and tomorrow. We need your help.

Today we head up the eastern edge of the bay thought South San Francisco and Daly City.

And the pictures start rolling in...

Dee Luna -- LA Walker

Spoke too soon

Guess I was premature about not getting my “special moments”. Somewhere between Salinas and San Jose, a nice fellow in a small truck decided that 8:20pm on a pitch black, mountain curve was a good time to take a nap. As I watched him move into my lane, I realized something interesting... there was nothing to the left of my lane but black space.

Oh well, as long as he got his cat nap. I just punched it and left him in the dust.

Time for bed now. 410 miles from home to my hotel and I need MY nap now. I decided to wait for the kickstand to go down first.

Tomorrow I will try to recap my wonderful experiences at the LA event.

Update from the road

On my way from the LA walk to San Francisco. Quick update: Boring. OK that was unfair. You deserve more. Damn Boring!

They say dangerous careers like Police, Fire Fighters and CPAs are based on hours and hours of boredom followed by moments of sheer terror. This ride is much like that, without the benefit of those special moments.

Taking the speed route up I-5 instead of the scenic route up Hwy 1. So far, I've seen no walkers nor any route marking signage. We are really slipping. Nothing to report except, perhaps, for the Pro Bowl head fake I gave the black bird intent on playing chicken with me at 80 MPH. Had I a red cape and a sword, I'd have an ear as a souvenir now. Do birds have ears? If they do, and I a sword, I'd have one.

OK on to Hwy 46 over to the 101 and into the Bay Area.

One more in the books!

It is now Monday morning and the LA 3-Day has been completed. The event went extremely smoothly and the walkers and crew were amazing. I had an absolute blast. This is my first event outside of San Diego and it was very different. The "vibe" was very different. More on that in a future post.

I am sorry to be this brief, but I just got my full 8 hours of sleep and need to pack, finish one more conference call then head to San Francisco on the bike. Will be in the hotel by 6 or 7pm tonight and will log back on then.

Thank you to all who walked and crewed in Los Angeles (and to my parents for letting me crash at their house for three night -- oh yeah, Mom, Dad... Can I crash at your house for 3 nights and rev my Harley at 4:30am every day?)

Los Angeles -- Day 1

Oh-dark-early and 500' visibility.  Much different than the start in San Diego.   The walkers are leaving from the beach on PCH near Newland and then heading inland up Brookhurst.  Hopefully it will clear up when they start and make it safer.

There are expected to be between 1200 and 1400 walkers on the route today for the first 21 miles.

We have 13 folks on the MotoCrew here so the coverage should be a little better than we were ablw to provide in SD.   The MotoCrew philosophy is a little different also (more on that later).

Last night and tonight will be freeoading nights while I sleep at my parent's house in Huntington Beach.  Saturday night is still up in the air for camping vs. house sitting.

Time to meet up with the rest of the biker bunch!

A snippet from last year...

I was just reading my emails from the 2003 San Deigo event and realized that what I put down into words last year is still appropriate this year for the 2004 events. So, apologizing to those who read this last year, here is the best way I can describe at day on the route for a MotoCrew member...

Let me describe a typical day for me on the motorcycle safety crew, or MotoCrew as we were known. It was nothing like I expected. I had an image of those motorcycling Shriners you see at all of the large parades running down the edge of the walkers to make sure no one gets in their way. Not quite what happened. My day started with a 4:30am alarm so that I could be on my bike before sunrise and make it to our morning breakfast meeting at the camp site. Our team of 10 men and women met with our captain, reviewed the route and “hot spots” for the day and then, around 6am, took off to our “spots”. A spot is a location where walkers may have a challenge crossing a street or getting to the next part of the walk. At our spot, we dismounted our bikes, and started pressing buttons, if there were any. That means that for intersections with lights we pushed the walk button then held traffic for the right turning cars to make sure the walkers made it across safely. For intersections without traffic signals, we stepped out to halt traffic and still ensure the walkers were safe. Going between spots (three or so per day, 3 hours or so at each) we rode the route, honked and cheered. Really, we were watching for walkers in trouble to make sure that whoever was having issues was attended to. Doesn’t sound like much, and it really wasn’t. I found out in the first 30 minutes, however, that that was not my real job. I was a cheerleader. I was an information booth. I was a hugger. I was an inspiration to use the words of several walkers. My job was to get them to the next spot emotionally, if not physically. So, from 6am until 6pm, I was on the course supporting walkers.

I fully expected to be a small cog in a very large wheel. There were over 450 crew members and many more volunteers out there. Why would I or the motorcrew be any different? Well, there was one big difference; most of the 450 other folks were stationary. That means that they were in a pit stop or in a camp or driving around looking for walkers who needed a ride to the end. What made us different? We were with the walkers. They would walk for a mile or more with their walking buddies or, often, alone before they saw one of us in our bright orange “Safety” T-Shirts. They had no idea how far they had gone or where the next porta-potty and food stop where. I could see them coming and the smiles would start. Through the blisters and bruised knees, they would smile. They smiled because they knew we were there to talk to them, to hug them (and there were A LOT of hugs), to cheer them on and to tell them what was next. By the end of day two, about a 1,000 walkers knew me by name. By the end of day 3 nearly all of them did.

That was my typical day. To feel what the other 2,400 people did, they got up at the same time, then packed their bag, collapsed their tents, brushed their teeth and, in the morning dew, wearing shorts and tennis shoes, they started walking. 20 miles later, after a lunch that, depending on their walking speed, came sometime between 9:00am and 11:00am, they arrived in camp to do the whole thing again. Oh, and to add insult to injury (literally), they had to set up their own tent when they got there.

The amazing thing was that, even though they were sore, they never stopped smiling. Some were singing the whole way. Others invented cheers to yell. And every time one of our motorcycles went by, we honked and they yelled! Thumbs up meant, “I am still doing great and don’t call a sweep van for me”.

On Day 0, the day before they started walking, there was a video. It was proclaimed that the motto, slogan and jingle for the 3-Day was simple, “No Whining”. I heard that from a lot of walkers. “How are you all doing?”… “Two new blisters but I am not whining! How far to the next pit stop with the medical tent?”

And, in the end, I stood on the sidewalk as they were 100 feet from the finish line. We all cried. The ones who still had a spring in their step and the ones who were limping. The ones helping someone else make the finish line and the ones being helped. Hugs, kisses, tears; all of them in the last few feet. And who was lining that walk way? Family and friends for sure but mostly walkers who had already crossed the line. They all came back to clap for their new friends and camp-mates.

This year, unlike last, I camped along with the walkers. That meant that I too had to set up my tent, grab a quick shower in the trailers and hit the sack at 9pm to prepare for the next days 4am wake up call.

Oh, and by the way, I am already signed up for 2005 (at least one event)!

Um... Sorry

I drifted off there. I had planned on updating you all the next day (when I finally woke up) but, alas, work popped up its ugly head and took over for a few days. Now, it is Wednesday morning and I am taking a break from my new gig at work (building org charts, talking to the new teams and explaining my new organization that was announced as I was watching the amazing walkers).

Where did I leave off? Oh yeah... the MotoCrew ;-)

Once again, our team leader Paul made everything as smooth as possible. As a team, we are very flexible and fluid and that was critical this year. From the get-go, we had challenges. The very first intersection on Day 1 was supposed to be covered by our Police support but no one showed. We quickly identified the problem and Paul and Jen stepped in to ensure the walkers' safety. That was the first indication that the event was going to require some serious flexibility. Luckily, we stretched each morning, then adjusted thoughout the day. In the end, all critical spots were covered, walkers were safe and no one got hurt. That is to say, no one on the event got hurt. Can't say as much for the three auto accidents we saw -- something about seeing 2500 walkers with shirts that talked about their boobs, bras on the outside and bright pink wigs makes drivers forget to watch where they are going!

As for the event, it amazingly well coordinated and executed. Everyone was in place and no details seemed to be missed. I hope my three other events are this smooth. I am confident that they will be.

OK, I Lied...

I think I was a little idealistic when I said I would update this blog throughout the event. I could barely eat and sleep during the event, let along update my website. Instead, I will do my best to recap the last three days as it is now Sunday night at 8pm.

First, I have to start with the overall comment that this event was AWSOME! I met some of the most amazing walkers this year and, as last year, the MotoCrew was a blast to work with. Bud Light was back this year after riding across country from his home in Western Florida and we had three new members, Bob from my HOG Chapter, Scott who was a bus driver last year and Mel. These guys were all outstanding and just seemed to round out the team nicely.

ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

Event 1 Day 0

Not the score, but the current status. We have now completed Day Zero for the San Diego event. It went fantastically smooth and everyone seemed pumped to have a great event. The MotoCrew is ready, willing and able. We have our maps, radios and paraphernalia necessary and desirable for three days of providing Route Safety.

The best parts of the day were when someone came up from the long registration lines and yelled, "Moto dude!" or "Hey, I remember you!". The hugs started a day early, as far as I am concerned. I saw many walkers I remember and some I don't. It was so cool to hear people be excited that we (MotoCrew) were back again this year. What is really amazing to me is how many people I saw at multiple events. I saw people who I met at ACT in Phoenix walking around in San Diego, either as a crew member or a walker. We have Road Coaches from AZ crewing in SD, Crew Coordinators from LA crewing in AZ, and many other overlaps. This thing really gets into your blood.

And speaking of getting into your blood, my sister Lauren and my father Larry both volunteered today to help handle donations and check in. Before the day was other, Lauren had already signed on to walk next year in San Diego (my apologies now to Lauren's husband Bill and her friend Mette -- you both know why). Of course, I am already signed up to crew next year in San Diego, the only California event scheduled for 2005.

Tomorrow starts the real fun. I'll leave my friend Bethel's house at 5:00am to be at the Del Mar Race Track around 5:30am to drop off my luggage and sleeping bag at the gear truck. Opening Ceremonies will start around 6:15am with the walkers heading out on the course around 6:45am. I have been assigned the second position for the MotoCrew so I will be out on the course early, about 2 miles away from the start line. I am scheduled to have three posts tomorrow so it will be a long day. I can't wait!

Next update will be from the course tomorrow (short updates throughout they day, I hope).