Final "Find Gary" Post

Original End-point Goal

My goal for the trip was to get to Labrador and Newfoundland.  I wanted to get to the Viking settlement site and I did reach my goal.  My interest in this came from historical fiction books I’ve read over the years on the Vikings and also a series of educational podcasts that I pulled off of iTunes on the Normans.  Six hundred years before Columbus – the Vikings had a settlement in Newfoundland.    Their boats were very small.

The other thing that interested me about Newfoundland and Labrador was that until 1949 they belonged to England.  Up until then, they were governed by England and paid taxes to England.  They became a part of Canada by one single vote.


Riding a Motorcycle in the US

Many states in the US have no helmet laws and the majority of motorcyclists riding in these states don’t wear helmets.  I attribute the lack of a helmet law as a state’s way of keeping the motorcyclists population in check.  It would also appear to be a part of the evolutionary process of natural selection.

All Canadian motorcyclists wear helmets - so the question is - are they more evolved or are they hampering the process of natural selection?

Observations and Reflections

Most Canadians are as overweight as most Americans.  The cities in both Canada and the US seem to be the exceptions to the issues of obesity.  In my experiences in visiting cities such as New York – most New Yorkers are in good shape.  This would also be true to cities like Toronto.  People walk a lot more in cities.

The Questions

There were three questions that I wanted to get reflections on:  Why do you live where you live, what you are doing to make the world a better place and then a not so serious question on why are people afraid of clowns.

I did ask the clown question a few times and with the exception of only one person I met – most people did not have an issue with Clowns.  One person said they were “creepy” but other than that – most were ambivalent.

The people that I met over the course of 52 days ranged from retirees, laborers, people pursuing dreams, and those dedicated to making the world a better place as a matter of their job.  Overall, most of the working people I met were focused on survival.  If they were doing anything to make the world a better place it was trying to raise their children in a way that would give them independence along with a set of values that would sustain them.  As would be expected – the better educated someone was, the more money they made, the more responsibility they felt towards making the world a better place.  Adult working children, of parents focused on a better education for their children, were more likely to be involved in building better communities.

Most of the people I met along the way live where they live because it’s “home.”  Some have moved due to the requirements of a job but others will either stay where they were raised or will eventually move back near “home.”

As I rode back into California – what stood out to me were the dry grasses, the trashy sides of the interstates and the general disrepair of the roads.  Now back in Sebastopol with a few days of adjusting to “California” – I’m not noticing what so stood out when I first hit the Sacramento Valley on I-80.  What now stands out to me is that I can go outside at anytime during the day, in a rural setting and not get eaten by bugs.  I have to contend with the constant possibility of fires and earthquakes but I will gladly adapt to that risk for the instant and ongoing gratification of being able to go outside without a gallon of “Off” coating my body.  Home is Home.

Overall Observations

Canada is financially healthy.  They did not get wrapped up in the financial mess that the US banks did mainly because of regulations that prevented them from getting sucked into the sub-prime mortgage deals.  The economy seems to be doing well.  Things are not cheap in Canada.  Gas is anywhere from $3.50 to $5 per gallon (US dollars).  I don’t know about their overall income taxes but what I have heard from a few people is that they are a little lower that the US.  Their sales and VAT taxes are on average – higher – around 13%.

Cheesy motels in Canada are "cheesy."  They are too expensive for what you get.  The best bets are name brand hotels and Bed and Breakfast homes.  B & Bs were consistently clean and a good value - and you meet more interesting people.

On their healthcare – Canadians are generally happy with their healthcare.  They will say “it’s not perfect, but I wouldn’t trade it for your system.”  I did not find anyone that felt the US had a better system of healthcare.  Canadians would just shake their heads when talking about the US system.  This isn’t to say that the US medical capabilities are not some of the finest in the world – it’s that you have to be wealthy to get access.  Dental is not covered by their insurance and neither are prescription drugs.  They have supplemental insurance to cover these.  Drugs in Canada are generally much less expensive than the US.

Canadians are much more trusting than Americans.  Many gas stations in Canada would not take an international credit card at the pump - they will take it inside - but not at the pump.  You pump first and then pay.  You don’t pay and then pump.  At the bed and breakfasts I stayed in Newfoundland I would ask 3 or 4 times when I could pay them and the response was – “don’t worry about it.”  Finally after trying to pay one B & B owner several times – he just looked at me and said, “you can pay me tomorrow, Newfoundland is an island, where you going to go….”

Newfoundlanders are some of the friendliest people that I have ever met - but they can be a little difficult to understand.

I met so many great people doing so many interesting things.  I hope I will have the chance to see them again.  Meeting Bill – riding his motorcycle across Canada at the age of 78 was an inspiration not to allow age to keep me from doing things.  My uncle at 89 – still driving and still riding his motorcycle is more alert than many younger drivers.  Age has not kept him inside.

Brown v. Board of Education – Topeka Kansas

Many things touched me on this trip but I think one of the things that had a real impact was my visit to the Brown V. Board of Education site in Topeka Kansas.  It wasn’t the fact that we had segregated schools that were a holdover from looking at African Americans as substandard to Whites – that type of prejudice can be seen today not only in the US with Black and Whites but in Canada with the First Nation (Canadian indigenous) people.  You can also point to anywhere on a global map and find prejudices.  What struck me was the courage of individual Blacks that pushed to overturn a policy accepted by a majority of their community as standard.

I cannot imagine getting up in the morning and stepping outside into an environment where I was looked on as little more than a dog.   What remarkable men these were that fought to overturn this common practice.  These men and women are heroes to the overall human experience and should be taught as examples in all schools.  All children, all adult Americans, should know these leaders' name's by heart.

Belton v. Gebhart (Bulah v. Gebhart)
Delaware State Court, Wilmington, Delaware

Thurgood Marshall, Chief Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund
Louis L. Redding, DE NAACP
Jack Greenberg, NAACP/LDF (PDF, 65KB)

Bolling v. Sharpe
U.S. District Court, Washington, D.C.

Thurgood Marshall, Chief Counsel, NAACP/LDF
George E.C. Hayes, NAACP/LDF
Charles Hamilton Houston, independently
James Nabrit Jr., independently

Briggs et al v. Elliott et al.
U.S. District Court, Eastern Division, Charleston, South Carolina

Thurgood Marshall, Chief Counsel, NAACP/LDF
Robert L. Carter, NAACP/LDF
Harold R. Boulware, SC NAACP
Spottswood W. Robinson III, VA NAACP
Arthur Shores, AL NAACP A.T. Walden, GA NAACP

Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County
U.S. District Court, Richmond, Virginia

Thurgood Marshall, Chief Counsel, NAACP/LDF
Oliver W. Hill, VA NAACP
Spottswood Robinson III, VA NAACP
Robert L. Carter, NAACP/LDF

Oliver L. Brown et al v. Board of Education of Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas
U.S. District Court, Topeka, Kansas

Thurgood Marshall, Chief Counsel, NAACP/LDF
#Robert L. Carter, NAACP/LDF
Jack Greenberg, NAACP/LDF
Charles Bledsoe, KS NAACP
Charles Scott, KS NAACP
John Scott, KS NAACP


To those of you that have followed my trip blog – Thank You.  For those of you that I met along the way – thank you for sharing a bit of your life with me – come see me sometime.

Home is Home

The End

Additional Trip Pictures

July 22nd, Sebastopol - Home

I'm home - arrived at 2:30pm Pacific Time Thursday July 22, 2010.

Miles covered = 12,259
5 time zones
Left Sebastopol, CA  June 1st
Returned July 22nd - Total 52 days

Visited every Provence in Canada with the exception of Prince Edward Island and BC
States visited = 16
Gas consumed = 306 gallons
Tires = 2 rear tires, 1 front
Mirror = 1
Sleeping bag = 1
Shoes = 1 pair

Animals
1 bear
5 Coyotes
8 Elk
12 Deer
7 Moose
2 Beaver - (one flat one)
1 Ermin
2 Whales
3 Fox
Birds and Prairie Dogs by the hundreds
Number of Moose hit in Newfoundland last year by vehicles = 660

Most memorable

Most miserable day = rainy 35 degree day in Calgary
Best days = all the rest

The people -
Yuki, Ria, Bill and Rambha, Jivan and Rambha, Regina, Fe, Cathi, Anne and Keck, Drek and Helen, Alanna and Rick, Ken, Ray, Paul and Barbara, Paulette, Marilyn, Candice, Bill W
Jonathan, Heather, Brad, Marijke, Lauren, Brittany, Meghan, Victoria, Amanda, Sheryl, Ron and Cathy, Karl and John, Hiroshi, Elezebeth, Eric, Julia and Allan, Cathrina, Margo, Renee and Charlie, Uncle Harold, Luann, Amanda and Ben - and many more...

All of you that took me in, fed me and made me feel at home - thank you.  You made the trip.  A very special thanks to my daughter Amanda and Ben - they housed me for 10 great days in Toronto.

My last blog will be my reflections and observations.  I will try to get it out in the next couple of days.  Between now and my last blog I will post a few pictures that I've not posted prior.

Later....

Wednesday July 21st - Reno

I'm in Reno.  I'll be home Thursday afternoon.  I'm excited.  It's been such an interesting experience.  It's been fun, tiring, exciting, it's been everything and more that I hoped it would be.  So many new friends - friends that I hope will come visit us in Sebastopol.

Today - I left Selina Utah at 6:00am to avoid the heat of the desert.  The sun was just starting to come up and added a golden morning color to the hills in the background.  There were acres and acres of grasses with waves of yellow mixed with greens.  As I was riding - I knew that this is what I enjoyed the most - the feeling of openness, the smells that change within minutes of each other, patches of coolness mixed with warmth.  I road through pockets of morning air being changing second by second with the warmth of a new day.

About 10 minutes after taking the picture above, I reminded myself of the potential dangers of animals crossing the roads.  This was Elk and deer country.  I spotted a blotch of brown about 100 yards ahead and wasn't sure if it was my imagination or not but I slowed just in time for a "huge," "giant," "monstrous," elk to jump out onto the road right in front of me.  I've seen elk before but this was the largest buck elk with the biggest rack of antlers that would have impaled me and the bike and not even have notice.  I hit the brakes and stopped about 5 feet from where he had just crossed the road.  I looked to the left and there was another large buck.  I wanted to take a picture but wasn't sure if the buck - staring at me - would wait or understand. I road on.

As I was nearing the Nevada State line, I was getting very low on fuel.  I had not passed a car for at least 30 minutes.  As I was "zipping" along, hoping for a gas station, one car in the distance closed in and passed me with flashing lights, made a quick u-turn, (which I'm sure was not legal) and pulled me over,  1 mile before the state line.  Thankfully the officer gave me a ticket because I might not have gotten out of Utah without it.  Any of you that have read my earlier accounts of traveling along deserted highways, at speeds just barley over the speed limits know that the officer must have misinterpreted my intent.

US 50 is a very lonely road.  Stretches of over 100 miles with nothing.  After a little over 120 miles, I came to Eureka, Nevada.  I gassed up and headed out for another stretch of over 100 miles.  Fifty miles on a long straight road can get a little boring but thankfully I knew I had my ticket.  Just at that point I passed a lone tree that caught my eye.  This turned out to be a "shoe tree."

I'm in Reno.  I have some new shoes - different for each foot.  I'll be home tomorrow.


I will probably make 2 more blog entries.   One to conclude the trip and one with my observations.  For those of you that have been reading this for the whole trip - thanks.

I'm Not In Kansas Anymore

I'm currently in a very small town (Salina) in Utah.  The ride here was cold, then very hot, then very wet - but spectacular.  I've been on I-70 since leaving Columbus.  Going through the Colorado Rockies was a joy.  I passed through Vail, Breckenridge, turn offs for Aspen, Steamboat, etc.  I kept moving. Interstate 70 took me through the Glenwood Canyan.  Pictures just don't make it.  You can't get the scale.

The river is the Colorado.  About 20 minutes after I took these - I passed about 20 rafters but could not stop.

Later I passed into Utah and was stunned by the views.  These were scenes not in the parks.  The parks must be incredible.  Next time....

Tomorrow - Nevada.  I'm getting close.

July 19th - Still in Kansas - Brown V Board of Education

I was cruising along Interstate 70 through Kansas - very very hot.  There were periodic roadside signs trying to get me to visit this or that attraction.  Some looked interesting but I was on a mission to get through Kansas and get home.  And then - a sign pointing out a historical site in Topeka, Kansas - the capital of Kansas.  The historic site was Monroe Elementry school that was the impetus for the Supreme Court to once and for all state that school segregation was unconstitutional. I had to stop.

In 17 states, up to the US Supreme Court decision ruling school segregation unconstitutional - segregation was required by law.  In 4 other states - school segregation was optional.  Kansas was one of those 4 states.  The 17 states that had mandated segregation took the position that separate but equal education was not unconstitutional.

At the time there were 4 other school districts that had law suits going to the US Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of school segregation.  The basis of the other suits was that the education was not equal due to the substandard schools for African Americans.  Topeka was different.  The "black" schools were good.  Good teachers, and a good education.  The importance of getting away from separate but equal was to show that the very nature of segregating students had the implication that there was a difference between the races and that somehow justified keeping them apart.

In 1954 the court ruled in favor of the plaintifs in the Brown v. Board of Education.   Chief Justice Earl Warren stated, "We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place.  Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."

What this little side trip did for me was to examine the individuals that were responsible for fighting for a cause that seems so basic but at the time threatened their very lives.  These should not be considered "Black" heroes for the fight against injustice but should be considered heroes in general.  How many kids in school today, black or white, know the fights these people went through.

When I left the Monroe Elementary and walked back to my bike - I was saddened by the empty parking lot.

If you have any interest in this subject - you can find details on the other 4 schools and the struggle to make school segregation unconstitutional by going to www.nps.gov/brvb.

The actual desegregation of most schools didn't happen until much later.

July 19th - Kansas City

I rode I-70 from Columbus Ohio to about an hour past Saint Louis Missouri.  I crossed over the Missouri and the Mississippi rivers.  And - yes - it did rain yesterday - very hard but not long. 

If you've never seen the Saint Louis arch - it's big.

My route took me through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and into Missouri.  Now I know that mid America is pretty "Christian" but I passed the largest Christian cross that I have ever seen.  I pulled it up on the web - it's 100 feet tall and the cross bar is 60 feet.  The cost on the cross before completion was over $150K.  I wonder what Jesus would have done with $150K?  Oh well - I'm such a cynic- I'm sure he would have built a big cross....

I want to give a special thanks to my cousin Luann for taking me to see Alfred Hitchcock's 1951 film - Strangers on A Train.  Great film - beautifully restored theater in down town Columbus and great company.

I just hit the 10,000 mile mark for the trip so far.  The balance of my route will be on I-70 then pick up US 50 in Colorado.  It's very hot and very humid.


 

Sunday July 18th - On The Road Again

I'm stopped at a Starbucks outside of Indianapolis heading west.  The picture on the right was taken yesterday at my uncle Harold's.  A very hot and muggy day.  Harold is 89 and still rides a motorcycle.  We had a great three days together and although I am now anxious to get home - it was hard to leave.

One of our activities together was to visit the Motorcycle Hall of Fame.  I've wanted to see this place for the last 10 years. 

We also stopped by the house where my father lived when he was young and in Ohio.  He and a friend left home when he was 19 and hopped a freight train to California.  One of the path-way steps to the door of the house had chiseled into it my father's name "Harry" and the date 1937.  That was the year he road a motorcycle from California to Ohio to visit his parents.

The picture below is a 1926 Harley Davidson.

No rain yet - so I'm on my way.

July 15th - Sun and Ohio

I have made it past the rain but was in it most all of yesterday.  Right now I'm in a Starbucks along side the interstate heading to Columbus Ohio to visit my motorcycle riding 89 year old uncle.

On entering back into the states in Maine - the first town I hit was Houlton (to the right).

My next stop in Maine was Bangor for lunch - pretty town.  I still had not hit the rain - but it was waiting for me and so was the weatherman.

A special thanks to Derek and Helen for putting me up for the night in Stanford.  Great bed, great dinner, great company and clean cloths.  (below)

Next I was off in the rain to visit Renee, Charlie and Abigail in New York.  Great visit but too short.  I got to hold Abigail and she didn't cry.  I didn't hold Charlie.  He was too big.  He did make me some of Charlie's famous pizza.

Later

In The US - Stamford Connecticut

I made it from Woodstock, New Brunswick to Stamford Connecticut.  About 1 hour from Stamford it started raining, raining and raining.  Naturally my rain gear was in my saddle bag.  It was raining so hard that two cars in front of me spun out.  I was so wet that all I could do was laugh - I was laughing so hard that I steamed up my visor on the helmet.  I'm sure many of the people driving by thought - this guy is really nuts - stay away.  I pulled over under an overpass to see if I could get on my rain gear.  What I got was semis driving by and drenching me in a water fall of spray.  When I got to my friends in Stamford - he said that it hadn't rained in 3 weeks.  I'm looking at the dryest places on earth to see if I can't head there and help them out with a little percipitation.  Maybe I can turn it in to a business. 

Right now it's not raining but it has been raining all morning.  I figure I'll wait another hour until it starts raining again and then I'll be on my way....

No pictures today.

Bill

I'm at a motel about 20 minutes outside of Maine.  A good spot to spend my Canadian money.

The first real problem I’ve had on the trip was when Bill told me that my bike had fallen over sometime during the night.  This was at a Bed and Breakfast in Corner Brook Newfoundland.  The center stand of the bike actually punched through the pavement and the bike fell, breaking the right hand side-mirror and doing some misalignment of the fairing.  Bill said he was real sorry to see the damage to the bike and I said, “if this is the worst thing that happens on the trip - then it’s an inconvenience but I’ll deal with it and get a new mirror when I can.”

Generally when I ride a motorcycle - I ride alone.  This is because I’m self-centered and like to do what I want to, when I want to.  I like to stop when I want without any consideration of anyone else.  I don’t mind going on rides with people, if they are short and the purpose of the ride is the camaraderie of friends.  But this ride wasn’t planned that way and so when I met Bill on the ferry and we ended up staying at the same B and B and then Bill suggested we might ride together due to the bad weather, I said yes, but had some mixed feelings.  But like everything so far on this trip, meeting Bill was another one of the high points.

Bill worked for years in the oil fields of Alberta.  Ten years ago his wife passed away of pancreatic cancer.  There is no doubt in my mind as to how much he loved her and I know that not one day goes by, that Bill doesn’t miss her.  Bill also has 4 kids that he is very proud of.  He lives in British Columbia.

My experience of riding with Bill has given me the chance to come to know him as one of the most congenial and accommodating people I’ve ever met (he would have to be to ride with me).  He is also very outgoing and I got to know more about more people because Bill was with me. No one passed by Bill without him saying hello and striking up a conversation.  We ended up getting on an earlier ferry back to Nova Scotia from Newfoundland but it was a night crossing.  We left Newfoundland at 11:00pm and drove off in Nova Scotia at around 6:00am - in the rain of course.  All the time traveling with Bill I never heard him complain (other than wanting the Netherlands to win the Worlds Cup).  We went our separate ways about an hour after getting off the boat.  A last cup of coffee at Tim Horton’s, a hand shake, and a “nice riding with you,” and I was off on my own.  Bill’s 78 years old.  He road to Alaska last year.  He road from British Columbia to Newfoundland this year.  Bill gets up every day with a smile and says, “isn’t life great.”  Bill said he doesn’t want to die, he loves life and every day is a blessing.

For me, meeting Bill was a blessing.  “Thanks Bill, for reaching out to me, and suggesting that we ride Newfoundland together.  Because of you, my Newfoundland adventure was more than what it would have been without you.  Have a long life, meet many new people, and let’s do this again some time.”

Life is pretty “neat” - rain and all.