| Author | Message | |||
     Awprior |
 Well, it's not actually a tale yet, but one in the making. I recently had a very good friend, Matt, diagnosed with anaplastic astrocytoma,a pretty serious form of cancer which developed in the left lobe of his brain. The tumor was surgically removed, and he has started radiation and chemo therapy. The prognosis and survivability of this particular type of cancer is not very good, 20% at 5 years. After getting advice from a lot of guys on this site (http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/4062/45543.html?1078407160), I've put together what I consider an epic journey, from southern California to St. John's Newfoundland to raise money for the American Cancer Society. The overall mileage for the trip is around 8000 miles once the trip is completed. The American Cancer Society is very enthusiastic about the trip, and is going to be helping out with literature, publicity and some general coordination of the trip. My fraternity brothers will be helping with fundraising, as well as helping out with some of the logistics about the trip. Fundraising is going to be done through pledges based on mileage from CA to Newfoundland, which is 5000 miles, or on straight pledges. We will also be making T-shirts later in the spring with the above logo. It is my goal, through this trip, is to raise $5000 for the American Cancer Society in my friend's name. I believe this trip will be something that will change my life, both through the people I will meet along the way and the purpose of the trip. I hope to meet as many Buellers along the way as possible, and ride with them if possible. If any of you might be along the route and would have an extra couch to crash on, I'd appreciate that as well. The trip itinerary thus far: Early July: Ship the Buell to California to be picked up by Ferris and stored in his stable until I arrive. Tuesday, July 20th: Arrive in Bakersfield, CA and visit with Ferris. Wednesday, July 21st: Hang out with Ferris, and travel to Anaheim, CA in the evening to visit with Grandparents. Thursday, July 22nd: Visit with the grandparents a bit more, head back to Lake Isabella to Ferris's place to get everything packed and ready. Friday, July 23rd: Depart the Thunderdome early am and travel to UT via Ferris's secret route through Death Valley and other scenic California areas to Zion National Park, UT. I will be camping somewhere in that area. Saturday, July 24th: Depart Zion National Park and head to Stoner, CO for another night of camping. The route I have picked takes me through the Smokey Mountains, Capitol Reef National Park and numerous other parks. This leg of the trip is right around 400 miles, I want plenty of time to take pictures and take in the scenery.  Sunday, July 25th: Depart Stoner, CO and head to La Junta, CO. This leg of the journey includes the San Juan National Forest, the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park, and crossing over the Rocky Mountains. I will be staying inside somewhere in La Junta or the area, I'll welcome a bed and TV.  Monday, July 26th: La Junta, CO to Salina, KS. I'll be on route 50 pretty much the whole way, passing through the Commanche National Grassland, and probably a whole lot of farmland. Tuesday, July 27th: Salina, KS to St. Louis, MO. I'm hoping to run into a few of the KC Mob along the way, and I figured I'd stop by the Sportster/VRod plant for a picture or two. Most of Kansas and Missouri don't seem to have a whole lot of stuff to see as the mountainous states, so if the KS and MO guys have stuff that would be worth seeing, please give me a shout. Wednesday, July 28th: Spend the day in St. Louis for a small break and do a presentation at the Pi Kappa Alpha National Convention about community service and the trip I'm doing. Hopefully I'll get a picture taken under that big arch. Thursday, July 29th: Head to Grand Rapids, MI to meet up with Matt and his family, as well as a bunch of friends that are in the area. We're working on a dinner for everyone, and a few other special events. This will be where the tire change occurs, at a Moto Guzzi dealership, of all places. Friday, July 30th: Converve on Detroit and meet up with the midwestern gang to make the trip to Newfoundland. We'll be on the road for two days, stepping off of the ferry Sunday, August 1st. August 1st- August 4th: Take in the sights and atmosphere of Newfoundland with Newfie as tour guide. It looks like he has a lot planned for us. Thursday, August 5th: Depart Newfoundland for the US. IAmike and I are working on a route through New England, and I plan to take three or four days to travel through New England and eventually head home to Hanover, PA. The trip is essentially 8000 miles in about two and a half weeks. I am truly looking forward to doing this trip, I think it's a very noble cause, and a lot of money can be raised through the trip. If any of you are interested in participating in any of the ride, donating money or a place to crash along the way, I'd really appreciate it. I have a long list of people to thank already, namely Ferris for helping me out with logistics of the trip with picking up my bike and picking me up at the airport. I've gotten advice from a ton of people, offers for places to stay and rides to a dealership if the bike breaks down (Hoping that doesn't happen). Court has offered to come down to PA at some point in time and go over some things with me. Everyone on this board has helped motivate me to do what I wasn't sure could be done. As the trip grows closer, I'll use this Tales Section page to post updates, and once the trip begins, I'll be using it to keep everyone up to date and post pictures. If you'd like to know more about the trip, shoot me an email and read the document below. Again, I thank everyone here for their support and the American Cancer Society for their backing. Alex
edited by awprior on March 13, 2004 | |||
| Ferris |
Alex, you are the man. Denise and i are proud to be a part of this. give Matt our love, and we'll see you in 130 days.  FB&D | |||
| Dino |
Excellent adventure, Alex. See you in at the Thunderdome perhaps. Best Wishes to you and to Matt. Dino | |||
| Firemanjim |
Ferris,are you along for any of this? | |||
| Ferris |
FMJ, i'll be showin' Alex the "good" way from here to Anaheim (i.e. Lion's Trail and Angeles Crest Highway) when he visits his grandparents on 7/21, and then when he departs to the east on Friday morning Denise and i are going to ride with him to Zion NP and spend the night. are you thinkin' about hookin' up for some of this? | |||
| Cj_xb |
Awprior, that is excellent, you have my admiration !! CJ | |||
| Henrik |
AW - make sure that the Guzzi dealership has a spindle long enough for the Buell rear hub on their balancing machine. I've had trouble getting the rear wheel balanced before. Sounds like an awesome trip. Henrik | |||
| Amazing_nobody |
Dude you are awesome, i've known you since i was 14 and we were at Ft. Indiantown Gap. Good luck with this man, and I admire everything you are doing. Cant wait to ride with you this summer! | |||
| Firemanjim |
Ferris,thats a maybe--- | |||
| Awprior |
A few thank you's to give out today. Thank you Aerostich for donating some stuff for the trip. I thought my 'Stich was the coolest thing ever, until I got an email from Andy at Aerostich about my trip and how they are able to help me out. What an awesome company. Second to Reg Kittrelle for a whole lot of suggestions for the trip over on the 'Borg, and the kickoff donation. I've been sending out a lot of letters and other correspondence to newspapers etc, once I have stuff lined up with them, I'll let everyone know. FMJ- you gotta ride along for a little while, I can add to the list of my famous badwebbers. I want to see your S2 as well! Alex | |||
| Wyckedflesh |
Depending on my situation at that time (7/23 timeframe), I think it would be cool to tag along as well. If you guys don't mind an XB that is | |||
| Bomber |
AW - - - keep us posted on your schedule as it gets closer to the time . . .. .I'd love to ride some with ya (Chicago-ish)! | |||
| Firemanjim |
Famous??? I have a 4 day off starting the 22th,perfect timing. | |||
| Jerry_haughton |
FMJ, you know this without saying i hope, but you're welcome to spend the night here at the Dome with us Thursday 7/22. if Alex is game we're gonna have a little kick-off BBQ that night. FB&D | |||
| Awprior |
Ferris, I am game for anything. I'm pumped, want to do everything I can. FMJ, Ferris said the same thing. You've got a ton of stories about LSR bikes, the west coast, Buell history etc. I want to meet as many Buellers as I can along this trip. I've have a ton of cool stuff, in my mind, in my short life, and I think this is trip is going to top it all. I sent a letter to Erik a few days ago about this trip, just to let him know what I had planned to do. The more I read about the history of Buell, the more I understand about how big the Buell community is and how cool it is. Erik's dream was to build a race bike, and he ended up creating what many of us believe, and know, are the best engineered, most unique bikes on the planet. I started out dream a few years ago to go on a road trip and see both the left and right coasts, and it's become a trip dedicated to one of my best friends, and is for an awesome cause. Motorcycle companies and bike trips aren't on the same level, but I believe share the same enthusiasam among some. As every day draws closer, I get more excited about taking this trip, and what it means to me, Matt, and many others. Alex | |||
| Court |
Alex: Drop me a note sometime with a number and I'll call. I'm in a 22 day 6AM - 11PM fire drill (the beauty of being in power plant construction in NYC) and let me know the best time to call. Lots of pointers. Court | |||
| Stingaroo |
Alex, If I can, I will attempt to hook up with you and ride a ways. I have a few more screws to turn, and some more buttons to push, might have more sponsors. Dad is working on his end as well, so you have the Cessnas working for you here on the homefront. We can talk a little more about it when you come through here this weekend on your way home. Brian | |||
| Awprior |
Court, I'll have an email off to you this afternoon. It's been a hectic week in Iowa as well. Thanks a ton. Brian, I'm trying to get the timing down so I can have some folks ride from maybe Harrisburg down to Battlefield with me, then back to Hanover for a party at the Prior residence. It'll be a Saturday night, so hopefully people will be able to come out for that. We'll talk over the weekend. Alex | |||
| Awprior |
I also have an update for the trip form, I'm no longer using paypal because of the fees. It might make it more difficult for some, but it's more money for the trip. Alex
| |||
| Newfie_buell |
Alex be sure to get a sample and photo of your start near the Pacific Ocean then you can dump your water into the most easterly point in North America, here in good old Newfoundland. | |||
| Awprior |
I will definitely be taking a lot of pictures, don't worry about that one. I'm struggling now with finding enough time to advertise and spread the word about the trip to raise the amount I'd like to. I'm not willing to drop the ball on this one. Can you forward me info about booking ferry tickets so I can get that out of the way? Thanks, Alex | |||
| Jerry_haughton |
Alex, do ya s'pose water from Lake Isabella would suffice for THIS end of your journey???  FB | |||
| Jerry_haughton |
Hey Alex, a (very) late suggestion: since your ride actually takes in part of Canada, too (and since i'm big on acronyms), how 'bout "Ride Across North America", i.e. "R.A.N.E."? there's a tie-in to Bad Weather somewhere in there... | |||
| Awprior |
Jerry, That is exactly what the patches and all are going to say. They were ordered this morning, and should be done in a few weeks. My limited skills with Powerpoint sorta killed my design. I'll post some pics of the design tomorrow. Lake Isabella water will work, it's west enough for me. The RANE idea is awesome!!! Alex | |||
| Jerry_haughton |
very cool, Alex, see you in exactly three months. Ferris and Denise  | |||
| Awprior |
I am looking for any input on Southern California Buell dealerships (LA-ish area, or around Ferris's stomping grounds) that have a decent sized BRAG club or whatever and may be interested in throwing somewhat of a kickoff for this trip. Looking at my BRAG atlas, there are at least 20 dealerships in that area, and I know nothing about them. Any input would be greatly appreciated, as well as contact for the Buell friendly there. I'm also looking for input about the following dealerships: Zion H-D Buell, Washington, UT Durango Buell, Durango CO Outpost Buell, Pueble CO (I'd love to get up to High Country, but that's a hike away from the main route, but I may be able to make that work) Topeka Buell, Topeka, KS (Court???) Whatever dealership the KCMob guys tend to frequent, as well as the SLAB guys. I appologize for the lack of updates on the trip thus far, I've been back at school for the past 3 weeks, and incredibly busy. I should have RANE (Ride Across North America) patches in a few weeks, for any who are interested. Thanks for the name idea, Jerry. Thanks in advance for the help, I really appreciate it. Alex | |||
| Awprior |
This is what the finalized patch design is, it'll measure 2.25"x3.25".  | |||
| V2win |
St. Louis dealerships: Gateway HD/Buell Ted's HD/Buell (Alton Il.) Bourbouse Valley Hd/Buell Gateway is on the south side of town and Ted's is north of Saint Louis just across the river in Illinois. Bourbouse Valley is Southwest of St. Louis on I44. If your riding east on 70, it would be out of your way. | |||
| Awprior |
John, I'll be spending the better part of a day and a half in St. Louis, I may just have a chance to get to all of them! Thanks for the help. Alex | |||
| Jerry_haughton |
Alex, i posted a link to your Cal BRAG "kick off" question above on the SoCal Storm Fronts thread. Glendale H-D/Buell seems a logical choice -- they have a very active BRAG chapter, and you'll be right in their neighborhood while you're visiting your relatives in the Anaheim area. you might jump on the SoCal Storm Front thread when you get a chance and say hey. see you soon! FB&D |
