Ride for the Planet

On the Road from Toledo Ohio 11/4/10

2010-11-07T18:00:00.000-09:00

Peace Rider is in the saddle again for anyone still monitoring the blogosphere for some signs of activity on this sight. Hi oh Silver and away! My new steed is an old, refurbished Schwinn my neighbor gave me.

I joined a 350SolutionsRevoltions ride already in progress. It was a good fit for a follow on to my first ride for the planet that ended in May.

Alec Neal, and Katherine Ball set out from Portland, OR in mid-August to film a documentary on local solutions to climate change. They were joined in Montana by Malcomb Boothroyd from Whitehorse. He actually began his ride from Skagway, Alaska In Edina, MN, a burb of Minneaopolis, they were joined by Paul Thompson, our sagwagon, driving a Toyota Prius.

In one of those coincidences not coincidences Malcomb is the son of Whitehorse friends I knew from flying days in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

I flew into Chicago from Fairbanks on 27 October. Paul met me at the airport thankfully, with none of those anxiety producing moments of arriving "cold turkey" in a new place.

The group had the use of an apartment for the Chicago stay. Kathy had moved out for three days to give the group a place to stay. Just one example of being cared for along the way by the generosity of friends and friends of friends.

We are in another such place this day near Toledo, Ohio the home of Becky and Dean Kasperzak, friends of Alec Neal. Yesterday we put nearly 80 miles behind us so it was slow getting going this morning. Next stop for interviews is Cleveland about 120 miles down the road, a shorter day in the offing today.

I have some inkling of where the expression "Holy Toledo" may have come from. Passing a landfill south of Detroit a roadside nail flattened my tire. Glueless patches failed thereafter and it took several attempts and an hour or so of fussing and glue down patch before the tube to held air. The delay put us into Toledo just at dark.

I should add that Malcomb is 18, Alec is 27 and Katherine 26. Paul and I are men of some vintage with me in the more elevated vintage category. At the outset I was wondering whether I could just keep up with these young folks. Luckily Paul is carrying much of our weight so the bicycles are lightly loaded. I also had two relatively low mileage days at the outset to gather strength after a four month layoff.

There must have been some residual conditioning from the earlier ride because I'm hanging in there, somewhat slower, but at least the rest of the group is still in sight at the end of the day. And after all, as Katherine said to me, they're not going to leave me behind.

It's a good mix of young and old that works well together. I am blessed to have these folks as traveling companions.

The plan is to reach DC on 15 November, spend a few days walking the halls of Congress lobbying members. Afterward, we'll leave by train for the southern coast and take a boat to Cancun or near vicinity. The latter has yet to be arranged. Several leads remain to be followed.

IF YOU CAN HELP WITH A BOAT CONNECTION ACROSS THE GULF TO PROGRESO, ON THE NORTH COAST OF THE YUCATAN PENN. LET ME KNOW.

Through contacts Katherine had developed, I have been able to volunteer with Klimaform, the climate talk organizers. Katherine and Alec are also volunteers as well as delegates to the conference. Food is provide and we will camp together in an eco-village. It should be interesting.

Malcomb is part of the Canadian youth delegation to the talks. Paul is also a delegate. I was too late to apply to attend the conference talks but I am happy to be a freelancer to go where I'm needed.

The talks run from late November thru 11 Dec.

After the talks not sure where the Universe would have me go. This is, after all, a faith walk. But have-wheels-will-travel. I plan to take my old Schwinn with me and will see, perhaps Cuba.

I will continue to add to the blog as computer access allows.

See 350Solutionsrevolutions web site for more information and a Face book page for updates on the ride progress.

Don - Peace Rider

End the Madness

2010-10-12T17:29:00.001-08:00

I wrote the following article which appeared as a Community Perspective on the Opinion page of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Sunday, August 29, 2010. My title was "End the Madness." The text is unchanged from the original with the exception of one and universal, capitalized for emphasis. Editorial improvements were made to the author's punctuation.

Not all of the text appearing in the printed article was appropriately credited. That is corrected here.

*From "Target Atmospheric C02: Where Should Humanity Aim?" by James Hansen, Makido Sato et al. in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

"Spontaneous Evolution," by Lipton and Bhaerman

Changing our mental climate

We must alter our ways now.

I recently returned from a seven-month winter bike ride from Fairbanks to Washington, DC. I rode, impelled by the urgency of reigning in C02 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels, motivated by the way of peace which is the way of Love. See www.ridefortheplanet.blogspot.com. To get involved see www.350.org.

In Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 97 percent of the climate researchers published in the field say man-made climate change is real.*

I spoke with those who still believe climate change is part of a natural cycle and not human caused. It lets you off the hook for doing anything about it if that's your belief. There are those, of course, who just don't know or are misinformed. But it's also convenient if your motives are money-driven and you choose to ignore all the costs to the common good from continuing our addiction to burning fossil fuels. It's the "what's-in-it-for me?" mind set that places human needs above all other considerations that must change.

Climate has changed in the past but has occurred over the course of centuries allowing living systems to adapt. The changes we are experiencing now are occurring over a relatively few decades-- too short a period of time for plants, animals and humanity to readily adapt.

Riding south through Canada, I was struck by the sight of so many dead trees. I had seen this earlier on the Kenai Peninsula but had no idea it was happening over vast areas of the Yukon, into Alberta to southern British Columbia. Later, I saw a lot more in Colorado. The winters are no longer cold enough to kill the spruce and pine bark beetle infestations causing widespread dying of trees.

Trees are the lungs of the planet, producing oxygen we need to breathe and absorb carbon dioxide. The oceans absorb some C02 but are becoming more acidic, stressing coral reefs and shell fish fisheries with consequences for long term productivity. Acidification in some Alaskan waters is already cause for concern.

Climate science is complex, but our understanding and ability to model it is better than any time in history. Perceived deficiencies in data are not a rationale for doing nothing. The present global mean of 385 ppm C02 is already in the danger zone.* Positive feedback may set in motion dramatic climate changes that cannot be controlled if humans push the climate system far into disequilibrium.* The possibility of near term return of atmospheric composition beneath the tipping level for catastrophic effects is practically eliminated with continued growth of green house gas emission for just another decade.*

Everything is connected and separation is an illusion in our quantum mechanical Universe.^ We are part of a greater field called the Source, Universe, All-That-Is, God.^ No structure or thing exists apart from it.^ Another way of putting it is we are all One. What we give to another, whether ourselves or other living things returns to the self individually or collectively because of our interconnectedness.

A "four-alarm-fire" is raging on the planet and we are sleep-walking through it. Quantum mechanics acknowledges that the observer creates the reality.^ We have created a kind of hell on Earth through our misperceptions. Perpetuating the war way and continuing our polluting, plundering and poisoning way of life on the planet is a prescription for extinction.

The good news is people are waking up. I met some of them and was greatly encouraged. A new consciousness is arising. We must change our perceptions if we are to meet the many challenges facing us. If we are to survive as a species on this planet, it will be through strategies and ways of being that foster cooperation and sharing for the greater good, not perpetuating competitive strategies that benefit a relative few at the expense of the many-- whether human or the environment.

If your heart's desire is to end the "madness," make it your intention to do so by acting on your highest thought aligned with Universal values of love, compassion, honesty, integrity, courage and kindness. All thought is creative, actually arranging the particles of matter called reality through our conscious and unconscious beliefs.^ As improbable as it may seem, it's through the power of our intention and acts of kindness multiplied a million fold and more that will end the "madness" and create a new Earth. It is time.

Don Ross, aka Peace Rider is a long time Fairbanks resident and Bush air service pilot.

Off the Road in Fairbanks 6/16/10

2010-06-22T09:15:00.001-08:00

Friend (Joe) - Hey Peace Rider long time no hear from you. What happened?

PR - Sorry about that. I forgot to let folks know that I'd be out of touch for awhile. Besides that my sag wagon went on a much deserved break. It was an oversight.

F - You still plan to do something like a summary of your trip?

PR - I do but that will take a bit of time. I wanted to just let everyone know what has passed since I left Washington, DC May 18th.

F - Did you visit your friend in New York as you mentioned earlier.

PR - I did. It was great seeing him.

He and I met on a Pastor's for Peace Caravan to Cuba, in '98, as I recall. In addition to taking aid for the Cuban people it was a protest against the US embargo.

One thing I learned you don't hear about is that after the Chernobyl nuclear reactor melt down the Cuban government took in thousands of children affected by radiation poisoning and resulting cancers and treated them. We visited the clinic in Havana and met some of the children there. One of the donated items was an ambulance for the clinic.

Cuba also provides free education and medical care for its citizens which we don't. Their system may be flawed but so is ours.

The embargo hurt the average "Joe" in Cuba more that it did the government. It should be ended.

F - Where did you go after NY?

PR - I hopped on another bus headed for Toronto. From there I took the Via Rail Canadienne train to Edson, Alberta.

F - How was that experience?

PR - It was nice having a bunk for the three nights it took to get to Edson. The food was excellent. The rub came after I got off the train.

F - How's that?

PR - Somewhere between getting off the bus in Toronto and Edson my front handle bar bag took a walk. It was in my BOB trailer with some of my other stuff secured with bungee cords.

F - It could have just fallen out, eh?

PR - Yeah, it's possible but I had wedged it in pretty good. I didn't notice it missing until after I was off the train. It was well out of sight by then. The problem was that my pedals were also in that bag. I'm standing on the platform with a bicycle and no pedals, no go power. Great!

F - What'd you do?

PR - I went into the station. A CN railway worker was inside. I told him my problem. He said there's a recycling center just down the street. Check to see if any bicycles were left there. I did that but found nothing. I did talk to a man there dropping off stuff. I asked him if there was a bike shop in town? He said yes but it was likely closed. It was Sunday. And he added it will be closed on Monday, the equivalent of our Memorial Day weekend.

When I told him my problem he said why don't you check the dump there's lots of bicycles there. He gave me directions. It was not too far away.

But first I had to walk back to the station where I'd left my bike and make sure it was going to be open when I got back.

F - So how did you make out at the dump?

PR - I was pretty amazed in the end. Not only did I find bike pedals, I found the same style pedals that were on my bike minus the reflectors. I had to borrow a wrench at the dump office to get them off. But that done I walked back to the station, put the pedals on and hit the road. I'm being taken care of and grateful for it.

F - I thought you were going to visit Don Laird in Edson?

PR - I was but he took a job and was out of town. I got off there anyway, since I didn't want to lose too much conditioning when I hit the road again from Haines, AK.

F - So smooth sailing from there on.

PR - Pretty much. I visited friends made on the way down in Hinton and Jasper. I biked from Hinton to Jasper then caught the train from there to Prince Rupert.

While I was in Hinton my friend Rocky Notnes reminded me to call the newspaper for a post ride interview. I did that and Virginia Carnagham interviewed me again for an article in the Edson Leader. It also appeared in the Hinton Parklander. That was way cool to touch bases again after the trip.

F - When was that?

PR - About the 28th or 29th of May.

F- How was the train ride from Jasper.?

PR - A lovely ride through the mountains, well worth taking. We saw plenty of black bears en route. It retraced part of my bike route west. It wasn't snowing at least but Mt. Robson, the highest point in the Canadian Rockies, was obscured in clouds.

The train to Prince Rupert overnights in Prince George. I arranged in advance to stay with Warm Showers hosts Richard and Mattie Thompson.

He's a retired writer of children's books and she a soon to retire school teacher. It was really nice of them to take me in for such a short stay. I got my bike off the train to get to there house but had to make an 8:00 AM departure the next morning.

They are an amazing couple. They have never owned an automobile.

F - When did you leave Prince Rupert?

PR - I caught the ferry to Haines on 1 June and got there early on 3 June. The ferry was packed. There was a native festival happening in Juneau and people from coastal communities were traveling north to join this every two year event.

F- How was your stateroom on the ferry?

PR - My "stateroom" was on deck seven outside under the solarium. It was the least crowded and quietest place on the ship. Slept on the available reclining deck chairs. Some pitched their tents on the deck but they got rained out.

F - From Haines you biked to Fairbanks, right?

PR - That's right. I had a wonderful first night's camp high up near Chilkat Pass with a grand view of distant glaciers and mountain peaks. It was one of those less common nearly cloudless days without rain.

I made good time and got to Fairbanks on 12 June, 10 days to go 650 miles. I was crus'in.

F - Any problems?

PR - In the end no but I was warned off the road and avoided an encounter that could have been ugly.

F - You want to say more about it?

PR - Maybe sometime. But for now all I want to say is listen to that intuitive voice expressed through one's feelings.

F- What are your plans now?

PR - I'm not hanging up my sandals just yet. Another ride across the country is being planned by some folks with 350.org. I'm considering joining that in August. It would end up in DC, then train and boat to Cancun for climate talks convening in Cancun Mexico in November.

F - Seems like a good fit for you?

PR - Yeah, it does, need to sit with it awhile before I commit.

F - Talk to you again soon. Let me know what you decide.

PR - Will do!

Viajero por la paz

On the Road from Washington, DC 5/17/2010

2010-05-17T16:27:00.002-08:00

Friend (Joe) - Congratulations, you made it to DC.

PR - Yeah, hard to believe seven month or so on the road with some of the best for last. Connections with friends new and old, things that really matter. I'll have more to say when time and computer access allows.

For now I want to just thank all of you across Canada and America for your prayers, well wishes and travel safety. There was a Greater Hand in this journey, lighting my path and giving me the strength and fortitude to continue under some really demanding conditions.

F - So what are your plans now?

PR - Well, I'm waiting for a call from President Obama. But failing a command performance at the White House I'll head out of here tomorrow by Greyhound Bus to Newark, NY to visit friends. May 20th I'll catch the train from Toronto across Canada to Prince Rupert, the Alaska Ferry from there to Haines and to Fairbanks again by bicycle. With luck I'll by back home the middle of June.

PR - A special thanks to my friends Ed and Jackie Debevec for their help and support with my journey and the blog. Maybe they should take a vacation, go to Scotland, have fun.

F - I thought he was going to do that?

PR - He is, just being light hearted, have a good one Ed and Jackie!

Viajero por la Paz!

Peace Rider in Washington, D.C. 5/13/2010

2010-05-14T16:40:00.004-08:00

Got a call from Don today. He arrived in Washington D.C. on Thursday, May 13th. He met with staff of both Senators Begich and Murkowski yesterday. Later today he was going to a bit of a reception for him arranged by Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado. He will hopefully find a computer in the next couple days and compose a post reflecting on the completion of this part of his journey and some clues as to what he'll do next.

On the Road from Washington, PA

2010-05-10T07:47:00.001-08:00

PR - Hey Joe this will be a quickie.

F - Go!

PR Rolled into Washington, PA this afternoon, a day and half out of Cambridge,OH, two newspaper and one TV interview later. Small town media outlets a lot more interested in local news than the big guys.

F- Where you headed from here.

PR - Straight east on Hwy 136 over hill and dale to West Newton, intersect the Greater Allegheny Passage Trail there.

F - When do you expect to be in DC?

PR - Still on course on glide path for making it 13 May. But will see far I get today.

F - You have anything lined up for DC yet?

PR - Not yet, maybe Obama forgot to put me on the calendar.

F - You think? Catch you down the road. You're almost there, be careful.

PR - Thanks, I have a lot of folks praying for me. Positive vibes help.

Don Peace Rider

On the Road from Strasburg, OH 5/05/10

2010-05-05T11:05:00.000-08:00

Just a brief note to update my whereabouts.

I arrived here Monday afternoon after being picked up by my friends Don and Bev Frickie in Cambridge, OH. I will resume from there tomorrow.

Don and I worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service many years ago when the office was on Airport Road. When Don left for Bethel I took his position as Assistant Refuge Manager on the Arctic National Wildlife Range. Averill Thayer was the first Manager of ANWR and our boss then.

I will continue east bound on Hwy 40 into PA then intersect the Great Allegheny Passage Bike Trail near West Newport most likely. From Cumberland, MD I'll follow the C&O Towpath into DC. Try to reach DC around 13 May, see if I can fit Obama into my schedule.

PRD

On the road from Dublin, 4/30/10

2010-04-30T16:00:00.000-08:00

Friend (Joe) - You decide to take a break from the road and vacation in Ireland?

PR - There's a thought. It's Dublin, Indiana a small farming community 17 miles west of Richmond, IN. Was passing by saw the sign for the local library and here I am.

F - Where you staying tonight?

PR - As usual camped out somewhere probably short of Richmond, IN. I've got miles to make yet today.

F - Where did you stay last night?

PR - I was in the clover, literally, about ten miles west of Indianapolis. Found a nice place out of the way on the edge of forest and field. red ringed black birds were serenading me this morning.

F - How was Highway 40 going through the City?

PR - As is happened I went around on quieter streets, mostly. But it's huge. I didn't put it behind me until early afternoon.

F - I'll let you go.

PR - Catch you later.

On the Road from Terre Haute, IN 4/29/10

2010-04-29T08:00:00.003-08:00

Friend (Joe) - You must be smokin' to be in Terre Haute already.

PR - Yeah, I made good time, 180 miles in three days. Must be the new tires.

F - How was Earth day in St Louis?

PR - It was great! There was a big crowd in Forest Park in spite of the rain and wind; many booths and three sound stages. I got my five minutes of "fame" on the main stage where most were distracted or doing other things. A few were listening and asked questions afterwards. Made some good contacts though.

F - Where'd you stay?

PR - I left Bill Davis' place in Wentzville and stayed with Jason and Maddie McClelland on Sunday night after Earth Day events. They were closer into town for me leaving the next day. They run a small local foods Harvest cafe and grocery not far from where they live. Jason also teaches high school math. I was well taken care of.

F - You have any problems leaving town?

PR - No, thanks to good directions Jason wrote out for me. He also bikes around town. I got turned around a bit on the other side of the Mississippi River after crossing McKinley bridge. But I got that sorted out after asking directions and found the MCT Nature trail, at least part of which is a rails to trails road bed, easy, fast going and flat.

F - What are your plans now?

PR - Head out of here today and keep on booking east on Highway 40 to Pittsburgh, hang a right on the Allegheny Passage Trail and into DC on the C&O Towpath. Maybe get there sometime between May 10 and 15. But maybe I'm repeating myself?

F - How is Highway 40?

PR - I'm enjoying it. The traffic is light which is good because the shoulders are mostly non-existent. It was the old historic national highway westward before the railroads arrived. It parallels Interstate 70.

A big thank you to my hosts in Terra Haute, Grace and Pat Walker, for taking good care of me.

F - See you down the road.

Don - Peace Rider

On the Road from Smith Center, Kansas 4/6/10

2010-04-25T08:04:00.002-08:00

(Note: This blog post was trapped in a time vortex somewhere between Kansas and Alaska and only just arrived today.)

Friend - (Joe) You make it to church Easter Sunday?

PR - You know I rolled into St Francis, Kansas the day before. On a simulated white capsule it said home of Tom Evans, Apollo 17 astronaut. Alright! Saw that across the street on my way to a dairy queen like place for ice cream. It was closed but a sign said go to the bowling alley on the side. I decided to wait.

F - It was a simple question?

PR - Patience amigo. I've got an Easter story to tell.

A man driving a van pulls out onto the highway just as I was turning off the main road. At the DQ he pulls up along side me. He had turned around. I recognized him. He says if you go behind the museum across the street there's a camp ground where you can take a shower. I needed a shower bad. This was welcome news.

I say thanks but I don't have a towel, then think again, yes I do have a small one. It would work but no soap. I'm thinking out loud. Is there any soap there I ask? No he says but look on the women's side. I needed to buy alcohol for my stove and ask directions to a hardware store which normally carries the stuff. He gives me directions to a place in downtown St. Francis north of the highway a few blocks.

F - I'm with you.

PR - I find the hardware store, buy a quart of stove fuel then cross the street to the grocery store to get soap among other things. A woman had fallen outside the store and paramedics had her in a neck brace lying on a stretcher awaiting transport when I went in. That's where Neal found me, the man who told me about the shower.

F- He tracked you down?

PR - Yes he did. I'm not hard to miss. You know he said he put a towel and soap in the shower for me. Wow! Kindness. Neal told me earlier that he took care of the camp ground for the city. It was a part time job for him. He was retired. Manna from heaven. Then he says tomorrow is Easter Sunday. I wish him Happy Easter.

F - Then what?

PR - I headed back to the DQ, the bowling alley part that was open. An ice cream cone treat was calling. After that I checked out the campground and took a shower. Man did that feel goooood!

F - I bet.

PR - Yeah it was great! I was all set to leave town. It was early enough yet to make miles. I'd parked my bike outside the restroom/shower. I loaded up and was on my way. I wasn't out of the campground when I noticed my rear tire was low.

F- You had a flat?

PR - Sort of. Turns out the valve stem was leaking. I didn't think to check that first before taking the wheel off and removing the tube. It hadn't happened before. And I didn't have a tool or an old style pronged cap that would loosen the valve.

F - What'd you do?

PR - I left my bike in the campground and went looking for an old valve cap, wheel in hand. A lot of places that might have something were closed for Easter. I tell you, I looked at a lot of old cars and trucks but they all had new style flat caps. I finally found one on an old wheel barrow lying upside down in tall grass behind a repair garage. That fixed the leak after I found a place with an air hose and re inflated the tire. Air cost a dollar at that place.

I took the valve cap and replaced it with mine intending to keep it. Thought about it later. It may have been a small thing but I put the old one back.

F - A guilty conscience?

PR - Maybe, putting it back was liberating. I didn't have to think about it one way or the other anymore.

F - You left town then?

PR - No, by this time I was getting the message stick around. It was well into the afternoon by this time besides. I set my tent up in a nice grassy spot, out of the wind behind a bushy Juniper tree. There was water and electricity where I could charge my cell phone. It was free. Not many campgrounds like that anymore.

F - The rest of the story, please.

PR - The next morning I'm awake early and hear church chimes playing, an Easter sunrise service beginning somewhere. I lay there wondering, should I get up and go or not? Okay, I'm awake it's Easter Sunday, a special time to celebrate and honor Jesus. I get up still bleary eyed and walk out of the campground. It's not the church near the campground as I thought. It was closed and there's none in sight. Oh well, I tried. I head east, maybe the restaurant I'd seen the day before was open, treat myself to breakfast. It was closed.

Just past the restaurant I see a sign up ahead on the right. In bold letters it says Peace Lutheran Church eight blocks north. I hang a left at the arrow and keep walking. Should have ridden my bike. I'll be late.

F - You made it to church then?

PR - Yeah, I was late but just in time for communion I was told on entering? I missed the sermon. Could this be Neal's church I wondered? Naw, what are the chances of that?

I could have been in my old church. The pastor was way up front. Rows of empty pews separated him from a small crowd of early risers. They're all sitting back in the middle and rear pews me included. The really humble sit way back I guess.

The pastor announces the final hymn. It begins. You couldn't hear the singing for the organ playing. It wasn't up from the grave he arose either. What verse was everyone on? It didn't matter no one could tell. It blessedly ends. All this brought a smile. No one I knew there.

F - You left then?

PR - Heck no! Easter Breakfast was next man. I was invited to stay You don't walk out the door when free food's being dished up. No oatmeal breakfast for me this day. It was a treat really.

Young women from their youth group, I assume, were serving up a familiar fare of scrambled eggs and bacon. Sweet breads, juice and mixed fruit were there to round it out. It was great!

It was mostly an older crowd. I sit down and start eating. About that time Neal walks in. He missed the early service but not the breakfast.

F - Surprised?

PR - Amazed would be more like it. Not the first time on this trip but still --- .

Neal didn't recognize me at first with different clothes on until I said something. He and his wife sit down beside me. He says he should have thought to invite me to church. Not a problem I say.

Turns out he's also an airplane "nut." He tells me they have a small antique air show in St. Francis every year, old Stearman biplanes and others show up. We talk airplanes.

On the way out the door we have a conversation with the pastor's wife about why I'm riding. I begin talking about climate change, a mistake I think later.

Neal asks if I'm an Al Gore fan? I let that slide. The pastor's wife diplomatically says she doesn't talk politics, all are welcome here, Republican and Democrats. She agrees climate change is happening but the cause is the question.

F - Did you respond to that?

PR - No I didn't. Maybe I should have. I was on my way out the door. I've realized you need to tailor what you say to the audience. I thought later this was one where I should have begun with the inspiration first, not the action. The Way to Peace is the Way of Love - for all living things. I'm learning.

F - It's a challenge to wake people up?

PR - Very much. Some don't believe it's happening and others don't believe it's human caused. The negative vibes from talk radio doesn't help. People don't know what or whom to believe.

But there is a new consciousness arising, a growing awareness that all things are connected, that we can't keep doing what we're doing to the planet. I'm hopeful.

The "Universe" is on our side.

F - Your Easter Sunday was pretty special, sounds like.

PR - Way cool. I walked back to camp another way. The birds were singing! I hit the road after that. That's my story.

F - Later!

Don - Peace Rider

On the road from St. Charles, MO 4/22/10

2010-04-22T14:54:00.001-08:00

Friend (Joe) - Lost track of you for awhile, you get lost?

PR - No, just away from a computer on the road. I also stopped for a few days at my cousin's place in Urich not far from Clinton where the trail begins. He only had a slow dial up connection.

Before I say much more I just wanted to wish all of my friends a Happy Earth Day. It is with a hope that all of you will do something that reminds us of our connectedness to each other, the Earth and that which is Greater than self in whatever terms you understand it.

This is our decade to create anew and change from takers and plunderers to careful stewards of what has been entrusted into our care for the benefit of everyone. It is ours to lose or to heal and restore for our children's sake.

I regret that I am not able to send each of you very special people a personal note of thanks and appreciation for all that you are doing on behalf of the planet and to bring peace on earth and peace with the earth. But you should also know that there are many of you out there trying your very best against often daunting odds to make a difference, to live more simply and sustainably on the planet. I'm greatly encouraged by that and the example you've set. It is time to come together.

The challenge remains to move to a green energy future and break our addiction to fossil fuels while a sliver of time remains to do so, to stop the contamination of our atmosphere with pollutants of all kinds. Waiting longer invites the very real possibility that changes already occurring now will reinforce one another and become irreversible

Good luck and my very best to all of you on this 40th Anniversary of Earth Day. Let's make it one to remember.

Check out what 350.org is doing and also another ride for the planet day to take place later in the year.

F - Thought you were supposed to be in DC on Earth Day?

PR - That was a goal I had to set aside as you may recall.

F - So where are you planning to be on Earth Day?

PR - In St. Louis's Forest Park. But they're not celebrating Earth Day until Sunday the 25th.

I got connected with the St. Louis Regional Bike Association and will help them out on Sunday at their booth. And I may get a chance to say a few words on stage thanks to Cassie Phillips, the principal organizer of this year's Earth Day events here. I was a late arrival on the scene and really appreciated being fitted in.

I arrived yesterday in St Charles at the end of the KATY trail staying with friends of friends, Viet Nam era veterans as it happens.

F - That should give you enough time to rest up for the dash to the finish, eh?

PR - Yeah, the KATY trail, short for Missouri, Kansas, Texas RR, was great! If you get a chance to bike it it's well worth the time, especially the part along the Missouri River with its historical markers and descriptions of the Lewis and Clark expedition's camps on their way upriver from St. Charles in late May and early June of 1804. I really enjoyed reading again about one of my favorite times and event of American history.

F - What are your plans after St. Louis.

PR - I'm hoping to be in DC no later than May 15th. It's a tight schedule from here on out since I made advance reservations to leave Toronto by train on 20 May. Will see how it comes together.

F - Do you have a route east in mind?

PR - Just a tentative one at this point. I've changed it slightly. I want to connect with friends in Pittsburgh to ride the relatively new Allegheny Passage Trail that connects with the C&O towpath into DC. It will be a great way to come in to the capitol.

To get there it looks like Hwy. 40 east may be the best choice. More research is needed on it at this point.

F - Catch up with you down the road. Stay in touch. Watch your back side.

PR - Do my best! Thanks amigo.

Viajero por la Paz

On the road near Ottawa, KS 4/12/10

2010-04-13T08:05:00.000-08:00

I arrived in Ottawa, KS one weary hombre after beating into the wind to reach Herrington, KS a day earlier.

The Flint Hills Nature Trail it turns out is a work in progress, some sections of the old rail bed aren't yet surfaced for bicycles. That it exists at all is thanks to the efforts of volunteers like my gracious host Owen Harbison.

Kansas, he explained to me, is not a welcoming place for trails like this. Fear of the unknown is at the root of it. It's a shame because it has so much potential to benefit communities along its hundred mile plus length.

One of the more interesting sections to travel was suggested by Owen. He told me there are indian ruins near the trail that would be worth visiting if I had time. I decided to check them out.

From Council Grove where it begins, near the old Santa Fe Trail, the FHNT heads southeast. This roughly four mile section of gravel trail was challenging, rutted by vehicles using it when it was wet and soft. It's supposed to be for non-motorized travel only. Four wild turkeys galloped away into the forest ahead of me in one part.

The "improved" section ended at the Allegawaho Memorial Heritage Park. Beyond that it was still rough railroad ballast.

This 158 acre tall grass prairie landscape was purchased by the Kaw nation to honor their great Kanza chief Allegawaho. It was he who made an eloquent protest against his peoples being forced once again to move from their beloved homeland in June 1872.

Who of us now can make an eloquent protest and mobilize action against what we are collectively doing to planet earth? In this Memorial Park words etched on the outside edge of a flat, circular monument spoke to me. "Wakanda - Bless all who walk here. May we know and respect all your creation and what you have taught our people, Wiblaha."

It's that sense of the sacred in ourselves and in nature we need to connect with and help others reconnect with if we are to heal and restore right relationships.

On a hill nearby was a obelisk like, older stone monument to an unknown warrior chief. From below the painted north south arms of the newer memorial are perfectly aligned with the older, acknowledging and honoring a deeper, lasting connection. The east west arms align with the rising and setting sun much like life's sacred journey.

A circle is a symbol of unity. In a circle within a circle was a bronze plaque honoring the Kaw people of Kanza.

I'll leave Owen and Michelle's home near Ottawa, KS tomorrow morning. Owen will bike with me to Osawatamie if he doesn't get a call from the Union Pacific RR to take a train somewhere. He also rides the rails as an engineer.

Osawatamie is at the eastern end of the FHNT, home of John Brown of Civil War notoriety I learned from Owen.

And so where may I be this coming weekend? I should be on the Katy Trail closing in on Jefferson City. I will leave my cousin's place near Urich, MO for the trail head in Clinton, MO on Friday most likely. I plan to ride the trail to the end at St Charles, cross the Mississippi River at Alton north of St. Louis, then connect to Hwy 50 and continue east bound. I'll spend a couple of days with other friends in Rochester, Ill.

If there was a reason to spend time in the St. Louis vicinity or the Springfield/Rochester, Ill. area on Earth Day I would be willing to do that.

Peace Rider Don

On the Road in Cawker City, KA 4/07/10

2010-04-07T13:25:00.001-08:00

Friend (Joe) - Hey Peace Rider where you at? Haven't heard from you in awhile.

PR - Yeah, makin' miles. I had some really good mileage days out of Denver. This will be just a brief update.

F - How come?

PR - Got a late start today. A storm front passed through last night. Holed up in my tent until about noon. Wind still pretty stiff out of the north but sun came out after overcast and rain this morning.

F - Where you at now?

PR - I was passing through Cawker City, KA saw the sign for Library on the main drag and decided to stop to post an update. Cawker City is on Highway 24. I headed south off Hgy 36 at Smith Center for about 20 miles then east on 24. Been on 36 since Denver.

F - Why didn't you just stay on 36, looks shorter to me heading east?

PR - I'm headed for Herrington, KA, the beginning of the Flint Hills Nature Trail. I'm still several days away and won't make many miles today. It's gravel so will see if my skinny tired bike can make it. If not I'll detour onto a hard surface.

F - You find "Toto" anywhere?

PR - Lots of Auntie Emms but no Dorthy or Toto, this is pheasant country man!

F - So you better hit the road if you're going to make DC by the end of the month.

PR - Yeah, I suppose so. An interesting tidbit. Cawker City is home to the largest ball of sisal twine, sits outside under a roof along the main street. Started in 1953 by Frank Stober, 40" in circumference, thrift plus patience = success the sign says. Also home to a lot of rusting autos of 40's vintage and earlier.

Got to go.

F - Catch you down the road.

Peace Rider

On the Road from Denver (again) 3/30/10

2010-04-01T15:26:00.002-08:00

Friend (Joe) - Hey, Peace Rider what's with this again from Denver business?

PR - To maintain the integrity of my ride I returned to Alma, five miles south of Hoosier Pass. It's where I last left off bike riding before a big snow storm.

F - It's important to you then to not have any breaks in your bike ride?

PR - Yeah, it is. I may be the only one who cares but that's okay. It's something I decided early on to do. I could have taken advantage of other ride offers over the course of this trip. But then it wouldn't be the same bike trip any longer, would it?

F - I suppose not, something different. But how do you get around using more fossil fuel to start at the place you last left off? A bit hypocritical isn't it?

PR - Some might say so I suppose. But I've only had to do this a couple of times throughout the trip. In this instance Tim Bicknell was returning to his home near Dillion from Kansan City so it wasn't hugely out of his way to drop me off in Alma. I stayed with him and his wife Laura earlier in the trip as you may recall? As it turned out another snow storm intervened after he picked me up in Denver. I stayed with them a couple of more days before he dropped me off in Alma.

F - How did the rest of your ride go from there?

PR - Well, South Park is notorious for being a windy place. I hit it on a clear windy day. It was a nice tail wind speeding me south to Fairplay. After turning east from there towards Red Hill and Kenosha Passes it was a bear, a strong crosswind and blowing snow piling up drifts in exposed places across Hgy 285.

F - Doesn't sound like a lot of fun?

PR - Yeah, it wasn't. I'd get off my bike only to lose my balance trying to get back on. The BOB trailer is handy but it is also devilish to balance and keep upright when not rolling down the road The plows were out, the sky was clear and the snow was melting in places. But I was struggling not altogether in a place of repose or peace of mind.

F - But you made it?

PR - Yes, eventually but not without some help and a detour. Near the turn off to Como, an old mining town about eight miles east of Fairplay, a van stopped. A man got out and walked across the road to talk to me. He said he had read about me in the paper and saw me having trouble earlier. That's how I met Andrew Zimmerman aka Hector, and his friend Michael. He said they were going to Denver but he had a cabin in Como I could stay in if I wanted to. It was up to me. He had a more colorful way of putting it.

F - So what'd you do?

PR - I bagged it for the day especially since Andrew said it was drifting bad ahead of me.
I'd already seen two cars off the road in a snow bank at the bottom of Red Hill Pass.

F - So you took a chance the wind would die down over night, did it?

PR - It was still windy in the morning but not as bad as the day before. It was also another warm sunny day. The snow was melting off the road. That helped. Not surprisingly, huge snow drifts where piled up behind the snow fences paralleling the road.

F - And how was the cabin?

PR - It was a pretty funky place, the "blue house" in Como. Part of it was an old railroad car. Andrew's parents had bought the place because they liked the view from Como. It was a scenic spot. I'm no stranger to an outhouse and wood stove which came with the place having had similar "amenities" in my early years in Alaska.

The wood burning cook stove was in the kitchen. I closed one door and hung a blanket over the other entrance. I didn't have to heat the whole house that way. I'm used to sleeping in the cold. An unheated bedroom was just right for me. The closed off kitchen got comfortable in short order. In a back room was a hand operated well pump. I brought enough water with me so didn't have to use it. On a living room table were WW II era news papers that Andrew had found. Wall posters of an artistic nature adorned the walls of house and outhouse. The furniture was from another era.

I introduced myself to the next door neighbors Greg and Bonnie at Andrew's suggestion. Later Greg stopped by to give me some tortillas and chili. That was nice and appreciated.

F - Did you make it to Denver that day?

PR - Yes, it was a long day. The grade up Kenosha Pass was not long or very steep. After that it was mostly downhill for a long way, nearly to Bailey. From there it was a grind up Crown Hill. It reminded me of Rabbit Ears Pass, not quite a 7% grade. Beyond it was up and down to nearly Conifer then a long downhill again. Turned out be my longest mileage day yet, 69 miles maybe. Closer in I got on the Bear Creek bike trail that connected to a trail along the South Platte River. I left it nearing Chris Crosby's place close to Cherry Creek Center. I really like these river trails. Ducks were hanging out on the shore or in the water. The bikeway went under bridge crossings so you didn't have to cross any streets. It was great!

There was just a little bit of daylight left when I pulled into his driveway. I was tired but a very welcome dinner and a shower were waiting.

F - What's next?

PR - Well, there's a public event downtown today sponsored by the environmental community. I'll get a chance to speak. Ride my bike there from Chris' place. After that I'll stay the night with my friends Eddie and Babbie Kochman. Chris went skiing today with his grandkids. Thursday, head em up, move em out, east bound on my two wheeled pony, 1700 miles or so from the "Dragon's" lair.

F - Stay safe, see you down the road?

PR - Thanks, Viajero por la Paz!

On the Road from Denver, CO 3/23/10

2010-03-25T13:06:00.002-08:00

Friend (Joe) - Way to go Peace Rider, you made it to "Big D!"

PR - Yeah, but not without some help. It was a bit of a slog over parts of the route after I left Provo, Utah and reported in.

F - How so?

PR - Outside Vernal, Utah I stopped at Pizza Hut for water with the added "bonus" of getting slugged in the chest with a cold. I'm over the worst of it now.

After crossing into Colorado on my way to Maybell I had one day of just a little over 30 miles that seemed like twice that. I was hit with really strong cross winds, veering to a headwind in some of the highway cuts. It was probably 20 mph gusting higher, pushing me sideways, plus a lot of hills. I was on the verge of just saying to heck with it more than once but kept going. Not sure quite how I would have set up a tent in that kind of wind.

It was a weather front stirring up the wind. Fortunately, the temperature was above freezing. The last few miles into Maybell were downhill. One of the highlights was seeing gaggles of mule deer bounding off through the sage by the road, not quite sure what to make of the contraption speeding downhill at them. All were antlerless this time of year.

The other was a stop at Lou's Restaurant in Maybell, where a hot bowl of broccoli, cheddar soup with croissants was served up to warm these cold soaked bones. The bread was compliments of the ladies of the community who left assorted Safeway breads on a table in the entrance, free to anyone who needed it. It was a really nice touch. Lou, perhaps, I didn't get the cook's name, also filled my water jug.

Next door at the Sinclair gas station/old style market, a bag of hot atomic ball candy filled out the grocery list. The lady at the register said they stocked the old candies I'd found hard to find in other places.

F - So how was it after Maybell on your way into Craig?

PR - Great, for the most part! The wind was nearly calm the next morning, a slight headwind but what a relief after the slog of the day before. There was a sad note to this transit however.

F - How so?

PR - The carnage on the road was incredible. Between Maybell and Craig I counted 21 deer, two elk and a coyote carcass. I'm sure I missed some as well. The saddest was approaching Mile 66.9 (from the CO/UT border). I saw up ahead a dark shape lying in the road. Pulling even with it I could see it was a golden eagle, still alive but unable to move. It had evidently been feeding on a nearby deer carcass at the road edge and was hit by a passing vehicle.

Mindful of that powerful looking beak I put my loose sweater over its head, picked it up and set it down next to the deer carcass off the road. It was still alive when I left but it couldn't move at all and may have been too badly injured to survive.

F - Did you report it?

PR - Yeah, when I got to Craig a few hours later I did. Said they'd send a wildlife officer out to check on it.

F - So you don't know how it turned out then?

PR - No, and it's sad no one had stopped earlier.

F - So you took to the ski slopes when you hit Steamboat Springs, right?

PR - I took to the hills alright but it was trying to get over Rabbit Ears pass before dark.

F - Did you make it?

PR - Not quite. It was all uphill for eight miles, probably the longest grade I'd tackled on the trip topping out at over 9,000 feet.

F - How did you manage to do it?

PR - Well, head down and keep at it, dogged persistence I guess. I recite a mantra and keep cranking, my goal just the next reflector post up the hill. I'm not doing this totally under my own steam you know. I'm given strength to persevere. I recognize and honor that.

Oily king salmon strips, Cliff Bars and dried fruits and nuts fuel the "furnace." It was also a warm, sunny day with gorgeous views of the valley dropping away behind me. Hard work, but just a fine day to be alive on the road.

F - Where did you end up camping for the night?

PR On the West summit. But that was okay. I camped in a pullout for skiers just as the sun dipped below the horizon.

Three miles back I stopped to ask how far it was to the top. It was a Routt County Sheriff patrol car. Officer Tommie Belz was checking for speeders coming off the pass. She was interested in what I was doing and I told her.

You know, it made my day when she asked if she could put me on her prayer list. I said yes, please do, many people are praying for me and I really appreciate that. I gave her my blog address so she could follow my journey.

F - It must have been cold camped that high up eh?

PR - Well, it froze overnight but it wasn't subzero or anything like that. I found enough dry wood nearby. I was able to have a fire and cook on my tent stove. It was warm and comfortable inside.

By the time I left in the morning the sun was out and warming things up. There were just a few dips before I got to the East Summit. From there it was a long downhill to Kremmling and beyond.

F - Where did you end up hanging your hat for the night?

PR - That was special too, as it turned out. I'm days out of clean clothes and a shower mind you and nursing a cold.

An hour or so from quitting time and daylight fading fast I'm pedalling up a hill. Up ahead I see a flatbed truck parked on the opposite side of the road. A man gets out, waiting for me to draw even. I stop and he asks where I'm going to stay for the night. I don't know I said. He tells me where I can find a campground in the near vicinity. I usually don't camp in campgrounds but it was helpful information. I was near the south end of Green Mtn. reservoir south of Kremmling at the time.

He tells me that if I get another ten miles down the road I could stay at his place. He had a basement I could use . Whew, another ten miles! I wasn't sure I had that kind of mileage left in me at that point. I asked him if was pretty flat the rest of the way. I didn't have much up left in my "motor." He said it was and gave me directions to his place on Longs Road in case I made it. "Look for the flat bed truck parked in the yard," he said. Okay!

F - Well?

PR - You know a warm shower is like a spring to a desert traveler, motivation for the thirsty and dirty. I made it but probably wouldn't if Tim's report of a flat road hadn't been accurate. I was beat by the time I got to his place, a 60 mile plus day.

F - So you made some more friends?

PR - I did. That's one of the real joys of being on the road, the kindness of strangers and making new friends. Tim Bicknell is an out of work mason. He was still recovering from recent shoulder surgery. Laura his wife, teaches English as a second language in Frisco 10 miles or so down the road from their place. Laura and Melissa his teenage daughter came home later. Tim set me up in their downstairs basement, got a dinner going for me and put my dirty clothes in the washing machine, beforehand. It was wonderful to be cared for.

The wall hangings were pretty interesting inside Tim's place.

F - How so?

PR - Tim is an antiques collector. Over 20 years or so he had acquired a lot of Roy Rogers memorabilia and more. There was an original RR jacket, a couple of RR posters, and unrelated full length bear skin coat, saddles, guitars, an old style dial up telephone, a feast for the eyes, too much to take in at once.

He had expanded his home from the original, doing all the brick work. It was still a modest sized home compared to others nearby. He had two big dogs outside, as he called his horses which he hadn't ridden in awhile. Neby, the golden retriever, was part of the family and allowed inside, several cats remained outside.

F - Did you hang out there awhile?

PR - No, I left mid-morning the next day. Tim offered to carry my trailer south but with mostly flat terrain between his place and Dillon, I could manage. Laura had made calls on my behalf to see if there was media interest in Dillon for doing a story.

There was. Her calling set the stage. On my way into town Mark Fox caught me and took photos for an article in the Summit Daily News. I also met up with Bob Berwyn at Wendy's in Silverthorne. He interviewed me outside the Mountain Public Radio Station. An article he wrote that came out afterward was a good one. His site is www.summitvoice.org. Murray with MPR did a radio interview for later broadcast the same day.

It was a good day.

F - Did you make it over Hoosier Pass?

PR - I did, with help from my friend Eddie Kochman. He came up from Denver stopping at his cabin in Fairplay on the way. He dropped some things there first then drove over the pass to meet me in Silverthorne. He carried my trailer over the Pass to Alma. He also suggested we not linger in South Park after I got there with a big snow storm on its way. We didn't and that's how I ended up at his place in Denver.

F - What are your plans now?

PR - If the weather cooperates I'll start my bike trip from Alma where I left off before the last snow storm. As it happens Tim is going to Kansas City said he could pick me up in Denver and drop me off in Alma on his way home. If that works out, I'll do it but if not I'll continue on east from Denver. I don't want to have a break in the bike ride if there is no good reason for it. I didn't want anyone to make a special trip just so I could fill in a blank spot. Will see how it works out.

At the moment another snow storm has descended upon Denver so we'll see. The snow does go quick here once the weather breaks. It is forecast to improve by Thursday when Tim is supposed to return.

F - Any thing else to report?

PR - No, just a couple of big thank yous to Chris Crosby and my friends Eddie and Babbie Kochman for all their help on my behalf.

See you down to the road.

On the Road from Provo, Utah 3/9/10

2010-03-12T10:18:00.002-09:00

Friend (Joe) - Glad to finally hear from you directly. Thought you might have gotten lost in the desert?

PR - Well, they don't call Highway 50 the Loneliest Highway in America for nothing.

F - I thought you were heading south into canyon country at some point?

PR - I was but after talking with friends in Denver I changed to a more northerly route that would take me into the Denver area on my bike.

F - How come?

PR - A lot of folks are mighty concerned about climate change there. It's important to make these contacts and speak where I can. I also want to see friends in the area.

F - Weren't you planning to go to Denver anyway, even on a more southerly route?

PR - I was but now I'm going to take a break from my ride there.

F - It's going to be tough to make Earth Day in Washington, DC doing that isn't it?

PR - Yeah, I had to let go of that. I'm learning the way of the cyclist, take each day as it comes, enjoy the journey. I get there when I get there. I'll celebrate Earth Day where ever I am.

F - How was your Great Basin crossing?

PR You know, I loved it, snow storms and all. I had some really exquisite camp sites. The temperatures were into the 40's during the day with some frosting at night where I camped at higher elevations.

And I found lots of dead wood for my tent stove. Dry sage burns hot and quick. There was lots of it in most places.

I'm not quite across all of it but more summits are behind me than ahead in Utah at least. Explorer John C. Fremont reported the Great Basin as covering 11 degrees of Latitude (660 nautical miles) and 10 degrees of Longitude. I read that on a BLM information sign at the Ron Bosso recreation site east of Sacramento Pass.

F - Any problems getting across?

PR - No, not really, I was held up briefly by snow storms in several places but I was already in camp. I just waited them out. The sun angle is higher now. The daytime temperatures are warm enough that the snow on the road melts off quickly. The snow plows were out right away which also helped.

On of the more annoying things was the nearly constant noise from overhead jet traffic. Closer to Fallon Naval Air Station it was from Navy fighter aircraft overhead, Further away it was from high altitude airline traffic.

I got boomed by a Navy fighter exceeding Mach l. Supersonic flight over the Continental USA is prohibited the last I knew. Shortly after that another fighter came screaming out of New Pass in the Edwards Valley, at low level, west bound. This was all outside any military restricted area shown on my map.

But you know, I may have been guilty of booming someone during my "go fast" days as a military pilot. These things happen unintentionally. This could have been turn about, me on the receiving end. It's startling and unpleasant, at best, to be boomed from shock waves hitting the ground. Nevada may be sparsely populated but it's not uninhabited.

I was not a happy camper in a very gracious mood afterward.

F - An irate letter to the base commander in the offing?

PR - I was tempted.

F - You had some long stretches between towns didn't you?

PR - Yeah, the longest was between the Nevada/Utah border and Delta Utah, an 89 mile stretch. I packed two gallons of water from the border to make it. At least this time of year with rain and snow there was some standing water in places.

But boy, in the summer this country has got to be a very dry oven. Early travellers had to know where the next watering hole was or they'd be in tough shape in tough country. I have a better appreciation of what early emigrants had to deal with.

F - Any stories to tell?

PR - A couple. I got a late start from Delta after picking up mail forwarded there. Snow overnight didn't help. I was only a few miles out of town when I hear a motorcycle coming behind me. Instead of passing he pulls along side me and asks. "Did you hear me coming." "Yes," I replied. "It wasn't loud was it." "Not as loud as a Harley, I responded.

That's how I met Frank "the high speed Ninja" Mann. I pulled into the turnoff to the Delta Airport and we had a conversation. He worked in the Red Rock Specialty cheese plant two miles back. It was on the other side of the road. I hadn't noticed.

He was on a yellow Kawasaki 600 crotch rocket. Said he bought it from a Provo pawn shop for $1700.

He did most of the talking aside from me telling him what I was up to. I make the best #@# Rigatto cheese in America he said. "We can't get enough whey, man." He proceeded to tell me the problems with supply. He said, "we have free samples at the cheese factory. Park your bike and I'll give you a ride. I don't go fast with passengers." Seemed like a reasonable thing to do. It was close. I had been impressed by the friendliness of people I met earlier at the PO and willingness to help a stranger.

Sure why not. I got on the back. "You all set he said." "Yeah," Not fast for Frank was an eye watering experience for me, and I had on sun glasses. The rain bonnet over my helmet stayed put to my surprise. Couldn't see the speedometer, probably a good thing. I could hear the inline, water cooled four wrapping up and me thinking this was not one of my brighter ideas. Frank had no helmet to cover his balding head of close cropped gray hair. It was no heat wave out either.

He wore a red and black Red Rock Cheese sweat. I had only a light shell on. I was starting to feel the chill when we decelerated and pulled into the factory. Whew!! I reminded myself to ask him to go slower returning.

Anita was behind the counter. I tried their goat and cow cheese samples. It was good stuff. They only make white cheeses she explained. I bought a small bag of jalapeno curds. Frank said they'd only been open five years. It was an old restaurant before. He was off for three days but could work more if they could get a steady supply of whey. His use of the English language was colorful, that of an exMarine but not out of place.

Frank held the speed down going back.

He told me how he met his wife Sylvia when she was working at Quality Foods in Delta years ago. He was as a young man with long hair passing through heading to the west coast with a friend. She was 17 years younger but something clicked. They married. He had a 10 year old son, Franky and Wyatt, 16 months. Wyatt was born with a heart defect. They didn't know it until he stopped eating he said. Franky was flown to Salt Lake City for emergency heart surgery. Frank said it was a repair and knew it when he saw the doctors face coming out of surgery. He had to have a second operation.

He told me about hitching back to Atlanta, his home town, when he was a young man. The ride dropped him off. This is where the narrative gets a bit fuzzy. He was walking on the side of the road back to the traffic holding up a destination sign. He said just in time God whirled him around to see what was coming and leap out of the way. A car had swerved over where he was and would have run him over. They were four old people he said. Those #@# were trying to kill me! They swerved back into the lane of traffic, didn't stop.

I had to get going. I offered him some nuts I was carrying. Oops, not very observant of me to see he didn't have any teeth. I gave him a fire ball to suck on instead. He took that. Off he went, said he'd see me on the way back. He did. The engine was still rapping up, getting louder, higher pitched as he accelerated, disappeared out of sight.

F - You liked him?

PR - I did. You had to look deeper than the language. He is one tough hombre, not to be messed with.

F - Anything else?

PR - One more. I tried to find a Warm Showers host in Provo before I arrived but without success. Friends had called several possibilities in the area but none returned calls.

I had a really nice ride around Utah Lake, through rural countryside on the way to Provo. People like their horses here. Not many homes were without a horse or two nearby. A couple of yards had rheas, I think, ostrich like birds.

I got into Provo in the early afternoon. I had to find a bike shop. That was the first priority. I need to replace a worn rear cassette, as it is called, and get a higher gear ratio low end sprocket if possible to make pulling the hills easier with a load. After that I hoped to find a place to stay in the near vicinity.

I hit Highway 6/89 into Provo on a Sunday. It was the right day to get into town, most places were closed with light street traffic. A good thing, not much for shoulders on this four lane thoroughfare.

I hit University south, crossed the street and was going to head north. There was a used car lot on the corner. Two men were by the sidewalk moving cars around. I thought I heard them speaking Spanish. I asked, they were. I also asked if they knew about one of the bike shops whose name I'd written down. No they hadn't but invited me to come inside and look in the phone book.

Turns out they were from Ascuncion, Paraguay. I could speak some Spanish and had traveled with a friend up the Rio Paraguay from Ascuncion the capital in '86. I told them about my bike trip and us building the Canoa Alaska on the riverbank in front of the Governors Palace. The dictator Stroessner had been booted a few years earlier.

I made two new friends and they invited me to stay with them. Nelson Mouseques is the owner of Autocraft on the corner of University Ave. South. Ramon is his father and helping out. Both were a big help to me and gracious hosts. Claudia, Nelson's wife made a nice sack lunch for me to take on the road did my laundry and saw to it I was well fed. A big thank you to them!

I made two new friends and they invited me to stay with them. Those of you who have kept up with this blog know that the kindness of strangers has been a recurring theme of my journey.

I recognize there is a greater hand in this than just me. The Universe wants us to succeed to turn aside from the disaster we will create if we don't get it right. It's time to break our addiction to fossil fuels and create a clean energy future for our children's sake.

F - Preach on bro!

PR - This is about growing up, becoming aware that we are a part of a greater whole, not separate from it. It is a higher state of consciousness that will bring an end to the madness, the hell we've created on Earth.

Everyone's needs can be me met in a world where there is balance and harmony, an understanding we are all in this together, including the voiceless many that enrich and make our lives possible.

This ride is about more than just climate change, it is about a great coming together of awakened people everywhere to avert an impending disaster. We will create it if we do nothing or do too little too late.

F - You haven't given up hope.

PR - Not at all. A lot of people are awake to the danger we're in. But we can't risk dragging this out over several decades. It's past time for this country to lead by example. It will be a rising up at the grass roots level that will impel our leaders to do what they should be doing anyway for the good of us all.

F - Where are you headed from Provo?

PR - I'll head straight up University Avenue out of Provo through the mountains to Heber City on Hgy. 6, connecting to Hgy. 40 into Colorado. In Colorado I will likely go south from Kremmling via Hgy 9 to Fairplay then east on 285 to Denver stopping to see friends along the way.

F - Stay safe!

PR - Thanks. I'm in good hands.

Report from Eureka, Nevada

2010-02-28T14:09:00.002-09:00

I got a call from Don on Friday. He was in Eureka, Nevada, making good progress heading east. He will be continuing along Hwy 50, which then joins with Hwy 6 into Provo, Utah. From there he will be following Hwy 40 all the way into Denver. He's made some connections with people in Colorado and hopefully will be getting some support with hauling his gear. He'll be going over Berthoud Pass before descending into Denver. At over 11,000 feet, Berthoud Pass will be one of the greater challenges of Don's journey. I'm sure it will help physically and mentally to not be dragging a 60 pound trailer behind. Thanks to all those good folks along the way watching out for him.

Don should be able to get to a computer in the next couple days. I'll pass along a report as soon as I hear from him.

On the Road from Fallon, Nevada 2/22/10

2010-02-26T13:02:00.002-09:00

PR - Hey Joe you out there?

F - Yeah, always. What's up?

PR - A brief on the road report. The sun's out, the snow's melting, and I'm needing to make miles yet today.

F - When did you get there?

PR - Yesterday, but I spent most of Sunday waiting for a snow storm to pass. An appropriate day to be resting and me only 8 miles out of town. Then it snowed all night and into the next day. I could see it coming behind me and pedaled through a few flurries. It was a long day with darkness closing in on me.

F - How much snow did you have?

PR - Not that much really, maybe 4 inches but it was wet stuff. It didn't stick to the roads.

F - So you're heading down the road right after this, eh?

PR - Yeah, as heavy as I was out of Alaska. Stores are few and far between heading east on Hwy 50. The next "big" town is Ely about 250 miles away. I'm packing a weeks worth of food from here.

F - Lots of interesting history along your route.

PR - Yeah, stuff you don't pay a lot of attention to speeding by in a car.

Dayton just east of Carson City, the capital of Nevada, is on the Pony Express Trail as was part of my route across the Sierras. Night before I camped near so called Ragtown, not really a town but a place where emigrants stopped for water to do their laundry after a thirsty desert crossing. Ragtown from the laundry hanging on bushes.

The Carson River and some others flowing off the Sierras disappear into the desert sands.

F - What are you doing for water, by the way?

PR - I'm packing a jug of water from Fallon. Not quite sure I can make the next small town and water before sunset today with a late start.

One last piece of history. I passed a small stone monument by the roadside in Dayton honoring Paiute Chief Truckee. He helped and befriended emigrants heading west and died near this place in 1860; a town, a river, and valley, are named after him. John C. Fremont, the explorer, also honored this legendary Chief.

One of my first fishing trips with Charlie, my dad, was on the Truckee River with my aunt and uncle who lived in Reno. This is also for me a journey of remembrance.

Well, enough for now. More to say about sacred places down the road.

F - When will we hear from you again?

PR - Probably not until Cedar City, Utah, 5 or 6 days down the road. Passed Ely I'll probably head southeast bound into Utah on 21, more watering holes than the alternative.

F - Catch you down the road.

PRD

On the road from South Lake Tahoe 2/19/10

2010-02-21T07:48:00.002-09:00

Friend (Joe) - I see you made it over the Sierras. How was the crossing?

PR - You know, I couldn't have asked for nicer weather, sunny and warm for the two day climb to Echo Summit.

F - Which way did you go?

PR - I decided to keep going over Hgy. 50 from Placerville instead of Hgy 88. It was the most direct route from where I was at. You may recall I said I had to pick up winter gear I'd sent ahead there.

F - So you got everything okay?

PR - I did. I made it there from Sacramento before the Post Office closed and everything I'd sent ahead was there. I was most anxious to have my warmer sleeping bag and tent stove. It was all there waiting. My "just in case" new studded snow tires from Don's Cycles in Grants Pass were also there. I was a happy camper.

And you know the following night I fired up the stove. The last time was at Jackass Summit in BC. Heat, warm tent, it doesn't get much better than that cold camping.

F - So it got really cold on you.

PR - No, it wasn't below freezing but I had climbed up to 5000' by then. It was cooler and there was patchy snow on the ground. I was about six miles or so west of Twin Bridges on an old road grade above the main highway, in the pine forest.

F - So how was Hwy 50 for biking?

PR - Not great for cycling. In a lot of places there are no shoulders and even during the week plenty of traffic, but I made it, with help.

PR - So I'm sitting at my host families kitchen table writing this. I just looked up. Whoa baby! A black bear, big, just walked up on the back porch.

I yell at Jean, She's upstairs on the phone and runs down, gets a pan out and bangs on it. The bear ambles off, in no great hurry. It had a red ear tag.

This one is a known character, his name is George, Jean tells me later after a phone conversation with a friend. People aren't as careful with garbage here as they should be she says but George is apparently old, sometimes sleeps under a porch and hasn't broken into anything yet apparently.

The winter has been mild here Jean tells me. Still it's not normal for bears to be wandering around this time of year.

F - So a little excitement in the AM eh?

PR - I'll say. This one wasn't acting aggressive, but what a surprise, look up and there's a bear framed in the window, 10 feet away with only a couple of glass panes of separation.

F - Did you get a picture?

PR - No, in the excitement didn't think of it until after, of course.

PR - One more story from the road.

F - Let's hear it.

PR - I reached Echo Summit in the early afternoon, 7400' roughly. I didn't see a sign for Echo summit with the elevation on it on my side of the road but there was one on the other side. I cross the road to take a photo of my bike in front of the sign. I'm getting set to take a photo when a truck pulls in behind me. It's Mike in a California Transportation maintenance truck I find out after some conversation. He says I saw you back at Strawberry heading up the hill. You know there's a steep downgrade right after the next bend, the road is narrow with no shoulders. I didn't know. There was only a sign saying steep downgrade. Mike takes a picture of me, then I take his.

Cars have to swing into the other lane to pass you he tells me. I don't want anyone hurt on my road. I'll follow you down the hill to the bottom so cars can't pass. He tells me where there are a couple of turnouts I can pull into to let cars pass. I'll let you know where he says, it's only 4 1/2 miles long. He has a PA system in the truck.

Wow! Kindness and consideration for the welfare of others, so many times repeated on this journey. I thank him for that, grateful, humbled.

I tell Mike about the Warm Showers host family I'm going to stay with in Lake Tahoe south. A few minutes later an Outback Suburu pulls in front of me. I guess it might be Greg my warm showers host. He told me he was going to Placerville when I called the evening before. He said he might see me on the road. It was him. He said his wife Jean wasn't going to be home when I would arrive. He drew a map for me with directions to the house and the combination to the garage door.

F - So no problems getting down he hill.

PR - No, thanks to Mike. Just round the next bend from the summit, a stunning view of distant Lake Tahoe as the valley floor falls away to the north. Mike says pull over and take a photo if you want. We pull into the next turnout to let cars pass and I for a quick photo.

F - So what are your plans now?

PR - Head down the road and make a few more miles today.

Many thanks to Holly Wenger in Sacramento for hosting and riding part way with me to and from Sacramento and to Jean and Greg Bergner for letting me stay with them in their lovely home by a marsh with indroductions to George.

On the Road from Sacramento 2/15/10

2010-02-16T08:27:00.002-09:00

F - I see you made it to San Francisco?

PR - Yeah, it was pretty neat coming across the Golden Gate Bridge on a bicycle. Lots of cars whizzing by but virtually no traffic on the west side bike way. Brought back memories of other passages, with Anne my mother, when I was a small boy heading to Hawaii on a Naval transport ship, years later on the Lynn Ann, a chartered Marine Mammal Laboratory research vessel, then by car in more recent years with my wife.

F - So no problems finding your friend's place?

PR - Some but not major. I followed a two lane bike path into the Presidio, an old Army post, then couldn't find the exit without asking for help. After that following Vicky Hoover's instructions to her place was easy.

F - I meant to ask you before why we didn't hear more from you on the California coast?

PR - Well, I apologize for that. I tried. I made a blog post from the Ft. Bragg public library roughly halfway between Fortuna and Petaluma but it was lost in the electron shuffle.

To catch up a bit, if you haven't seen what remains of the old growth redwood forests in northern California you really should. Once there was 2 million acres. Sadly only 100,000 escaped the axe and saw.

Two days past Fortuna I rode through Humbolt Redwoods State Park, 30 some miles along the Avenue of the Giants. In the Bull Creek State wilderness there was a big tree area shown on the park map. It was off my direct route of travel but I wanted to camp midst these ancient sentinels. I payed for a hike/bike camp site then went and found a place off the main trails by Bull Creek. The patter of rain drops on my tent and the rush of water over shallow riffles lulled me to sleep that night. It was a rare moment of solitude, away from the madding crowd. I felt at home in this sliver of wilderness.

F - Way cool! Tell me about San Francisco?

PR - Well, I didn't have any luck with the media but not for trying. I did connect with Anna Goldstein and David Kroodsma with 350.org, the climate change group. They are working to have this become the global safe parts per million standard for CO2 emissions. I look forward to a fruitful collaboration.

I also visited Sierra Club friends from my days flying in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. Vicky Hoover my host and friend had flown with me into the Refuge as had Carol and Dexter Hake and Bill Gomez whom I visited in Palo Alto. I took the Cal Trans train there. I stayed overnight with Carol and Dexter. Oranges and lemons from their trees were ripe and plentiful, luscious treats along with a dinner of Dungeness crab. All of this a far cry and welcome change from my more mundane ramen noodle dinner combinations. It was really wonderful to catch up with old friends again.

Bill Gomez took me on a hike through Stanford's Jasper Ridge 1000 acre plus research area. He's a docent volunteer which allows him access through otherwise locked gates. He showed me one experiment to determine why the native oak trees, both deciduous (leaves fall off in winter) and non deciduous were not regrowing from their seeds. Virtually all the trees on this site and outside are old trees. He explained it was not a problem with the seeds, they would sprout but are not surviving. The deer and gophers are eating some of the sprouting seedlings but there's more going on thus the project. It could also be a problem related to seasonal changes in soil moisture, he said.

We walked across the spillway of a 100 year old concrete dam with a multi acre impoundment behind it. He said it's typical of the problems that surface when dams are proposed for removal as this one had. The water behind the dam was only 12 feet deep now due to sedimentation. There is, he explained, a segment of the public that wants to leave the dam in place for flood protection. Yet most of the excess water over tops the dam because it's too shallow giving scant protection. Others, of course, want it removed to restore the habitat and fish run in the stream.

The latter would be my preference but allaying the fears of those in opposition remain an ongoing challenge to dam removal in many places.

F - I see you're no longer in San Francisco. How did you get out of town?

PR - I took the Baylink ferry to Vallejo on Saturday. I didn't get there until just past noon. Even so I was further along by 30 some miles before camping on the outskirts of Vacaville. It was a great day to be on a bike, sunny with temperatures in high '50's maybe more I'd guess, flowers in bloom.

It was pretty interesting riding down Georgia Street heading out of town.

F - How so?

PR - Part of Georgia Street was blocked off for a farmers market. Some vendors were already beginning to close up shop and go home. I stopped at a stand selling mandarin and regular oranges.

I asked how much they were. I was told I could get one pound of mandarins for a dollar, a bargain I thought. I bought a pound. Right afterwards an older woman came up to me and said I want to give you some money for your trip. She saw my polar bear sign with Ride For the Planet draped over the side of my loaded B.O.B. trailer. She hands me one dollar. I thanked her for the donation "What's your name," I asked. "Douglas," she responds. "Your other name," "Elie Douglas, they call me the Hat Lady." She was wearing a white knitted hat, made of wool, I couldn't be sure. "Do you make them," I asked. "No I just wear them." I remembered her name as I headed up over the immediate hill out of town and others that followed.

F - You've got more to say about this I can tell.

PR - Of course. It really didn't come to me until the next morning what this was about. By this time the sun was up in a nearly cloudless sky, the birds were singing their hearts out.

F - And that is?

PR - What is the underlying theme I've spoken about before on this journey?

F - I'm not sure, we've talked about a lot of things.

PR - What happened at the fruit stand? Remember there are no coincidences and there is always more going on than meets the eye. I bought one pound of mandarin oranges, for one dollar that I received a one dollar donation for from the Hat Lady. Three elements in one here, a sacred number, reinforcing for me the central theme of this ride and our relationship to one another. One pound for one dollar with one dollar returned, we are all One, connected in ways we do not fully appreciate or understand yet. Eating mandarin oranges on a warm day is a good thing and so is repetition until we get it. When more of us "get it" and act from that understanding we will have peace and an end to war, violence and the madness. We will know that to do these things to one another we are only harming ourselves individually or collectively.

F - Whew, it's a stretch for me.

PR - Stay with me it ain't over yet.

F - So now your in Sacramento?

PR - Yeah, Holly Wenger another Sierra Club friend rode out to meet me yesterday when I was northbound on the Jedediah Smith Bikeway along the American River. It was a good thing too. Her home is in the burbs not close to the trail. We'd been in touch via cell phone so she had some idea of my whereabouts. Having her as a guide made it easy.

F - How was the trail?

PR - The Jed Smith trail is excellent, two lanes, speed limit 15mph for the "hot dogs." I crossed the Sacramento River first with a view of the State Capitol. Horse drawn carriages carrying tourists past while I waited for the light to change. Then I biked and walked through Old Sacramento over a rough board walk along the river. That turned into a worn paved path leading upstream to the beginning of the Jed Smith trail along the American River. Sunday, Valentines Day as it happened, there were lots of folks out sighseeing, enjoying the spring weather. A stern wheeler was tied up at the dock, old railroad cars were parked on a nearby siding, lots of old things to see. A couple on a tandem bike insisted on taking my photo with my camera rather than the stand alone shot I was about to take. That was special!

Later we went out to eat at a Chinese restuarant with Holly's friends. Holly asked me beforehand if I had enough energy for it. Just enough, tired but not exhausted. I was famished, my usual condition. It was good food, good company and me the last to finish. I was in hog heaven. I love Chinese food.

Crystal Olson treated me to dinner, a Valentine gift, gratefully received. We sat next to each other. She's a music arts teacher in the California State University system, been to Nicaragua and Rwanda 10 years after the killings. She wore a red Valentine day jacket that sparkled much like the conversation and company, a day to remember.

I ate two chocolate covered fortune cookies for an extra measure of good luck. Not really, I was one hungry hombre and they were sooo good. But the fortune telling wasn't bad either. That's my story.

F - Catch up with you down the trail.

Peace Rider

On the Road from Petaluma, CA 2/9/10

2010-02-13T12:58:00.001-09:00

Friend (Joe) - Wasn't that California coast awesome?

PR - Yeah, it was awfully hilly, up and down and around and up again.

F - Awesome, as in beautiful, spectacular scenery, not awful?

PR - Oh, that, yes, of course. Waves crashing into cliffs, spray flying, turkey vultures soaring, meadow larks singing and cows feeding on lush green hillsides, all of that and more. But with that some of the toughest miles of my journey, whipped me in shape for the Sierras and Rocky Mountains ahead. Lots of ups and downs where stream courses have carved there way into the landscape on their way to the sea.

F - So have you decided on a route west yet?

PR - In general, yes. From San Francisco I'll likely follow the Adventure Cycling route through Sacramento to Placerville. There I'll rendezvous with some of my winter gear shipped ahead to me by friends c/o General Delivery. From Placerville the choices are Highway 50 or Highway 88 to Carson City then on to Fallon, NV on Highway 50. Follow that across the State into Utah at Cedar City.

F - Did you stop at Ft. Ross south of Stewart Point?

PR - I did. Did you also know that before that I passed a Ross Ranch as well? No relation that I'm aware of. Ft. Ross was established in the early 1800's as a Russian/American outpost to support the Alaska fur trade. The Russians also brought Aleut natives from Alaska to hunt sea otters along the California coast. The big wigs lived inside the Fort and the rest outside. By the time the Fort was abandoned around 1840 the population of otters was much depleted. There wouldn't have been eucalyptus trees growing at the original site as they are today either.

The Fort has been restored to resemble the original. An interesting stop, this time of year, minus the horde of tourists.

Then you know it's California when you see flocks of California quail, wild iris, plum trees, and Scotch broom in bloom. A couple of days I was also well soaked after all day rains. But I had several spectacular mornings that came in clear and crisp making up for it.

F - When do you plan to be in San Francisco?

PR - I left Santa Rosa and Terra Freeman's place yesterday. She's a member of the local Sonoma Peace and Justice Center. This connection came through David Hazen, a Peace Alliance friend in Eugene, Oregon. I am again being well taken care of.

I'm in Petaluma at the moment staying with other Peace Center friends, Kendra and Eugene. It isn't far down the road from Santa Rosa. But it will make my ride into San Francisco a bit shorter when I leave here after posting this.

F - How's the new bike holding up?

PR - It is faster and that's a plus but the tires weren't as durable as the Schwalbe's I had on my mountain bike. Ten miles out of Santa Rosa the day before yesterday I ran over a rough patch of Eucalyptus seed pods that gave me my first flat on a main tire, the rear. I put in a new tube. It went flat too in short order. A rescue call to Terra got me a lift into town.

It also got me to an open house at the Santa Rosa Peace Center that was going on as my roadside drama unfolded. Food, folk music and rest were just what I needed.

F - So what was the problem?

PR - Turns out the tire had a ruptured side wall that blistered, pinching the tube leaving me running on the rim. I ended up buying two new Armadillo tires yesterday, the closest I could come to the puncture resistant Schwalbe tires on short notice.

Yesterday Charlie Gesell, a neighbor of Terra's and I biked out to where I had the flat tire then back into town, about a 21 mile circuit. I got a chance to try out my new tires. It was also a very pleasant way to spend a morning with a new friend biking past vineyards, the Pinot Noire wine country, surrounding Santa Rosa so Charlie informed me.

F - You couldn't just chill out and stay out of the "saddle" for while, eh?

PR - Well, as I think I mentioned before it is important to me to maintain the integrity of my ride by not skipping portions of my cycling journey when I go by car. In this instance it wasn't a safety issue and I had the time. I felt rested. It was a pleasure pedaling over flat ground without a load.

I've got to pack up and hit the road to make San Francisco before dark, about 50 miles from here. Looks like a great day to be crossing Golden Gate bridge. Later, and many thanks to Terra Freeman, Kendra Mon and Eugene Lane my gracious hosts and new friends with the Sonoma Peace Center.

F - Stay safe!

Viajero por la Paz - Don

PR - a bonus for blog followers, Terra Freeman's simple recipe for yogurt. 1/2 gallon of milk, 4 tbs. powdered milk, raise to a temperature of 180 degrees (takes a candy thermometer), let cool to 120, add 4 tbs. starter mixed with warm milk, keep it warm for 8 hours afterward then cool and presto, you've saved the planet from a few more plastic containers and yourself some of your hard earned cash. She keeps the yogurt in a large glass jar.

On the Road from Fortuna, CA 1/30/10

2010-02-01T07:47:00.002-09:00

PR- Hey Joe you still with me.

F (Joe) - Yeah, a lot wetter, how about you? Where you been this past week?

PR - Me too. On the road and not close to a computer. Fifty miles or so down the road out of Eugene I dried out in the home of Wayne and Karolyn Estes. They are Warm Showers hosts I connected with.

Wayne is a retired Motorola engineer and Karolyn a master gardener. Wayne is also an experienced long distance cyclist and was very helpful with route planning on south.

F - Which way did you go from Wayne and Karolyn's place?

PR - I was going to take a longer scenic route to Grants Pass but when I left it was raining and overcast. I decided go more directly to Grants Pass down I - 5. With ear plugs the traffic noise was more tolerable. Four summits later I was in Grants Pass. From there I hung a right onto Highway 199 the next day connecting to Highway 101 southbound out of Crescent City. You may recall Crescent City was hit by a big tusami after the '64 earthquake in Alaska.

F- I do. Why did you chose to go this way?

PR - I wanted to experience the redwood forests along this route again. My wife and I had traveled this route once before. Only remnants of these ancient giants remain. Once they covered an area of some 2 million acres, now only 100,000 acres of these old ones remain. There were far sighted people who came before that worked to save what now remains right up to present.
.
Yesterday I rolled into Fortuna, a small town just south of Eureka. I'm staying with Jim and Francene Rizza, retired teachers and high school friends of Bob Ritchie, ABR Fairbanks.

You know this trip continues to be a blessed journey of happenings and encounters. I hiked the Cathedral Trees trail the day before yesterday where words fail to describe the awesome beauty and grandeur of these the last of the tall redwoods. Forest giants, ancient sentinels, silent witnesses to all the goings on on this planet perhaps wondering when we will come to our senses.

At the base of the "Big Tree" at the Big Tree Wayside, I met four women who had stopped at the base of this forest "Ent" 1500 years young or so. One of them laid out a Chinese tea set on a nearby bench and served us all Oolong tea from tiny tea cups. She said the ceremony is all about coming together over tea served up many times from these diminutive cups. Fitting, since what I'm striving to do is bring people together now working separately.

Back in Eugene I was standing in line on a Saturday morning waiting outside for the used and returned clothing sale at REI to begin. I arrived about 45 minutes before opening. Already there was a long line outside the store. All the items were assembled outside.

The man just in front of me was older, a little younger than me but not by much. We struck up a conversation. I told him what I was doing and why. Turns out he was Tom Taylor, Editor for the Eugene Weekly, a progressive paper published once a week. I had been trying to get in touch with one of his reporters without success. He said they had already done a series of articles on climate change. I didn't think much more about it except to wonder at the "coincidence."

As it happened I found a lighter weight sleeping bag I was looking for.

This wasn't the end of the story as it turned out, some of which I related in an earlier blog.

Just today I received an e-mail from another friend there who sent me an article Tom had published after I left about my ride. It really is awesome and humbling the many things that have happened like this. There is just so much more going on than meets the eye. I am so blessed to be a part of it.

F - What lies ahead?

PR - More tall trees on the Avenue of the Giants along Highway 101 just south of here. I'll leave Fortuna this morning after I finish with this. I should make San Francisco by the weekend following the coast most of the way. From there head east back to snow and winter crossing the Sierras into the high desert country of Nevada on Highway 88 most likely.

Catch you down the road and a BIG thank you to my gracious hosts on this leg of my journey.

F - Later!

Don - Peace Rider

On the Road from Eugene 1/24/10

2010-01-24T10:16:00.002-09:00

Friend (Joe) - Hey Peace Rider how goes it from Eugene?

PR - It's been great! I spoke at Wellspring High School yesterday. It's a small private alternative school a friend suggested I contact. This contact led to others and the Warm Showers, Atkins host family I've been staying with.

Paul is very active in the cycling community, on the Board of GEARS (Greater Eugene Area Riders). He works at one of Paul's three bike shops in Eugene. He and Roman Dial traversed the Alaska Range from east west by bicycle and pack raft among other past adventures.

Monica is a stay at home mom with four young children to ride herd on, no small feat with two, four year old twins. Jose is a lovable lab, mostly maintenance free, bark worse than bite.

Two years go they gave up their car. The whole family goes everywhere by bicycle, two of which are tandems with cargo carrying capacity besides. In this bicycle friendly town it's fairly easy to do with good main road bike lanes and many off road trails.

F - How's your body and bike holding up?

PR - I feel rested and ready to hit the road again. I traded in my Giant mountain bike for a Norco Kwest touring bike. It's a Canadian brand. "Kwest" or quest seems somehow appropriate for what I'm trying to do. It's lighter with higher pressure tires. I relied on Paul's expertise in bikes to get quality components on a bicycle at a reasonable price. This model was on sale. I needed something that would travel a bit easier with less effort and save some wear and tear on this aging shell. At the same time I've pared down things I won't need for the next segment into a warmer climate. (accompanying photo of Don and his new bike courtesy of Paul Atkins)

F - Have you settled on a route south yet?

PR - Yeah, at least to San Francisco. I'll leave Eugene tomorrow heading for Grants Pass then the Oregon and California coasts. I really want to spend a few moments in the midst of giant redwood trees again. I visited them once before traveling this route. They're awesome. I love these ancient sentinels that just watch and wait. Maybe they're hoping we'll one day come to our senses and appreciate things of great beauty, like old tress, that enrich our lives and make life worth living.

F - That reminds me, what do you say to people who think the idea of Oneness is just so much mumbo jumbo?

PR - It really isn't, of course, but it is a big leap in perception and understanding especially when we've been conditioned to think of ourselves as separate from on another, from creation and that which is Greater than Self. And yet it is this very perception of separation that is at the root of all our problems, the madness that gives rise to the dysfunction in our world.

I can try building a ramp to help bridge the gap between the old and the new but in the end it is up to each to take a leap of faith to the other side, to think again with an open mind. Many have already done that. But many are not ready to take the leap so entrenched are ways of believing and thinking. There is however nothing to fear in the new.

I'll leave you with this. None of the major religions or philosophies have brought peace to this planet have they? In fact just the opposite has often been true hasn't it? Oneness is not a philosophy or religion it is a way of being and acting, experiential by its very nature. It comes with an understanding that what we give to another we give to ourselves because we are part of a greater unity. There is only one source of Universal life energy and we are a part of it. It is a change in understanding to what is true, from what is illusion, separation, a paradigm shift or change in consciousness.

When we really understand it and act accordingly we'll stop abusing ourselves and creation. To repeat a famous quote, "when the power of love exceeds the love of power there will be peace in our world." True power comes from togetherness or unity not separation.

On the Willamette Valley Senic Bikeway 1/20/2010

2010-01-21T12:33:00.003-09:00

Portland was just great! A bicycle friendly, progressive city doing a lot of the right things to make their city more livable for everyone.

Again I met the people I needed to meet to help create a movement for change and a Ride for the Planet Day; Janelle Sorenson on Al Gore's climate change team and with 350.org, John Brown, Department of Peace, Carl Larson, Bicycle Transportation Alliance, Aaron Tarfman bicycle organization Shift.

Jefferson Kincaid met me crossing the St. Johns Bridge coming into town with a video camera mounted on the back of his bicycle. He was making a video documentary of my time in Portland.

I also met Satya briefly, living simply off the grid collecting food that would otherwise get tossed, giving it away to those in need. Doing good works and good things, an example for all.

I left Portland and Donna Richards home on Sunday, 1/17/10. Donna was my gracious host. Her small dog Toto never did get over having me in the house. He left dogma to show his displeasure. Makes one humble in the face of it.

At Tiny's coffee house on MLK Boulevard I briefly joined a group doing a once a year bicycle tour of the palm trees and other flora in the city. It was a Palm Sunday of sorts.

Aaron Tarfman joined me later and guided me out of the city just after noon. We stopped for a photo op at the Peace Memorial along the Willamette River. It must be stunning in the summer with an array of flowers in bloom. One segment of the trail floats on the river alongside a busy overhead freeway. Remarkable! In another place Aaron pointed out a traffic signal for bicyclists, with a bicycle symbol red light to keep turning traffic from hitting cyclists. It shows what is possible when the money and will is there.

I set up camp in the rain south of Oregon City after Aaron left in the fading light. He returned to Oregon City and caught the bus home. He left me with a set of maps to Eugene which he had stayed up late to graciously copy for me the evening before.

I presume he took the only municipal elevator with operator still running to the lower city. as we had on the outbound leg. Vertical detours are allowed. It is 90 feet lower than the adjacent hill. It was built in 1954.

A big thank you to Aaron for all his help showing me Portland and getting me safely out of the big city, mostly on bike trails.

A weather front passed in the night with rain and high winds. The rain fell and the tent shook but the stakes held. By morning it had passed. The rain ended, the sun was out.

I was greeted by the boss dog of the horse ranch where I camped, an amiable golden retriever that stayed while I packed up to leave in the morning. He made sure a less friendly dog didn't get in my way when I left.

Lauren had given me permission to stay there the evening before. The other places nearby were mud holes.

Monday got me by Canby and Champoeg. Bob gave me directions to get back on the WIllamette Valley Scenic Bikeway Trail (WV). I missed a turn passing Champoeg.

On my way out of Fred Meyers after grocery shopping I met Doug Parrow. This gets interesting. I saw him try to leave the store as I was getting ready to leave. The alarm went off when he tried to leave with a package. Something to do with the code not being deactivated after he paid for it. He returned to the cash register.

On his way out I asked him if he knew how to get to a park near the store. Turns out after some conversation that he is a Board Member for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance and was involved in planning of the WV trail. There are no coincidences. Doug said he didn't think you could camp in the place I was looking at. I told him what I was doing. In that time he thought of a better place I could try six miles south, the Minto-Brown Isle Park where he thought I could find a place off their trail system.

It was on the WV trail. I went there and found a great spot in a dense copse of pine trees. It was hidden from view. It was out of the wind which again raged in the night along with rain. In the morning the birds were singing in the blackberry bushes, geese were flying, calling. The rain stayed away most of the day.

One of my best camp sites with old "friends." A jug of water from White Oak Construction on the way in got me through the evening "banquet" and into the oatmeal gruel of the new day.

So much for brevity!

A fifty mile plus day followed, winding through scenic byways. I passed the huge Brayman farm of blueberries and filberts. The Ankeny vineyard where I stopped briefly was closed to wine tasting, alas. Just beyond was the Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge, a wintering pasture for waterfowl. A huge flock of geese took to the air, swirling, landing in another place while I watched.

It feels at times like traveling through an alien land. Where are all the people? A few walk the roads but most travel at high speed in colored boxes on wheels. Where are they going and what are they all doing rushing to and fro I wondered? A few walk but most seem to ride. They live in square boxes each separate from one another. It must be very lonely living this way apart from community. Some of these boxes are quite elaborate, huge in fact. How can so few people use so many precious resources to meet their own needs when so many others do not have their needs met across the planet?

Late in the day I stopped for water at a home close to the road that had a Realty sign in the window. And that's how I met Margaret and Dan Hershberger. It's also why I'm on the computer this morning which they graciously let me use. After I left their place with water, Margaret tracked me down and invited me to stay with them for the night.

It is wonderful to be cared and provided for.

Margaret works in a nearby nursery and Bob runs their realty business. He worked on the Alaska pipeline in the '70's. Margaret introduced me to their three horses behind the house, animals old or rescued in need of TLC.

She understands all things are connected and we are One. It is good to hear that from others on my travels. People are waking up all over.

She left early after fixing me breakfast and Dan is just up.

Kindness is power. And I have to get going and use leg power to reach Eugene, 45 miles down the road on the WV trail..

Peace Rider

On the road from Portland 1/15/10

2010-01-15T21:08:00.002-09:00

PR Stopped for a tamale and burrito break at a taqaria outside Centralia, WA.

F - Where's that?

PR - It's on the Cascade Bicycle Club, Seattle to Portland Trail (STP) about 100 miles south. Went through there last Sat.

I'm in Portland now since Tuesday late, 1/12/10. Everything going okay here, great contacts, good folk. Connected with 350. org and Bicycle Transportation Authority.

What follows came to me passing all those rural methane "pies" or was it the tamale burrito combo?

F - (Joe) There are those that know him well,

That would have this to tell,

He is prone to put his thoughts in verse,

Just hope and pray he keeps them terse.

PR - As I was saying,

While you were praying,

Some things just need defining,

A perception worth refining.

About the "tube,"

And the gazer, grazer some have called a "boob,"

In this important matter,

Let us ponder well the latter,

The one distracted,

With mind redacted.

This moment's grace,

Heaven's only space,

Lost to the eternal Now.

F - (Joe) Holy cow!!

You mean me?

Pray that I may clearly see.

What I must do?

Yes, YES!!

A clue? A clue???

EUREKA, CSI

More GLUE!!!

F - American TV, Crime Scene Investigation (CSI), must have been the "combo." Any more words of "wisdom" from the STP?

PR - Did I tell you I met Chairman Meow? He's the owner and boss of Paul and Sheila Johnson. A wild tabby that came in from the cold with a hungry yowl. The Chairman rules. He let me stay a night after Paul graciously went out of his way to picked me up in Tenino on the STP south of Centralia/Chehelis.

F - Where'd you bed down after that?

PR - I crossed into Oregon over the busy Lewis and Clark bridge after a long day. Stopped at a mini-mart to call ahead just short of Ranier town on Highway 30.

Where to camp afterward the big question? I looked over toward this high arching bridge, Golden Gate like, spotted a clump of evergreens near the base. Check it out I thought. So I did. But behind the trees was an Oregon DOT waste debris site. Yuck!

F - So what'd you do?

PR - I pedaled back from where I came looking. I passed a vacant lot with two big evergreens growing pretty close together, the rest was open space, unoccupied. One was a Douglas fir with wide spreading boughs, open underneath. Hmm, level, dry and unoccupied. I went next door and asked about it. Got permission to camp a night. Great place on a bed of needles. Loved it.

Stormed through the night with wind and rain. It ended sometime late. The tent partially dried in the lingering breeze. The needles sopped up a lot of the rain, didn't come in under the tent. I was happy, no morning swim inside the tent.

A lot of traffic noise from the bridge though. A train rumbled by in the wee hours on nearby tracks. You can't be too picky when it comes camp time, you're tired and eager to get prone for awhile.

F- So you're in Portland now?

PR - Yeah! I hope I have time to write a bit more about it. But it's already late and I was up early. Time to hit the rack, meditate and get prone for awhile. I did finally get a cell phone. That should be a relief to many friends. Later!

F - Later!

Viajero por la Paz.

Quick Update 1/9/2010

2010-01-14T12:51:00.001-09:00

After being down by the riverside in the rain yesterday it was sunny and darn near balmy today.

Made good miles ended 14 north of Centralia the halfway point to Portland. Last 13 or so miles on Yelm to Tenino bike train, appeared to be old road grade.

Earlier in day stopped to rest by a small farmstead. A lone bull in the yard had the most humongous set of horns I've ever seen, maybe Texas long horn, quien sabe. Weathervane on barn had similar bull on it. They are proud of their bull.

Picked up by Paul Johnson, a friend of a friend. Tonight camped in a hard roof shelter with a bed and Chairman Meow an in-charge curious cat.

I'm being well taken care of. Clean clothes and a shower make a new man.

Resume tomorrow from where I left off in Tenino. More rain in forecast.

Peace Rider

Travel Update 1/8/2010

2010-01-14T12:48:00.002-09:00

I left Michael Boyd's place on Mercer Island in light rain. Made it as far as Sumner about 38 miles and a lot of traffic south.

In Seward Park stopped and had a lovely impromptu meeting with a class of home school kids at the Environmental Center.

As it turned out their teacher Anne, had flown to the Arctic Refuge with Roger Dowding a dear friend, in the early '90s.

Camp by the Puyallup River, down by the river side behind the Sumner Library, as it happens, in pouring rain.

Hang or hung, as it were, at Library on computer until closing then to tent, food and time in the prone position 'til dawn's break.

Don Peace Rider

On the Road from Seattle, WA 1/3/10

2010-01-10T05:00:00.003-09:00

PR - Hey, Joe you still with me?

Friend (Joe) - Yeah, didn't you recognize me when I joined you on the Burke-Gillman trail yesterday?

PR - Was that you?

F - You just never know when I'm going to show up.

PR - Well, it's nice to have help wherever it shows up. Going through the U of W parking lot and then around the back side of the stadium to the Mont Lake bridge was brilliant . We avoided the crowds heading to a Husky basketball game.

Speaking of help I had plenty after leaving Bellingham.

F - How so?

PR - After the ups and downs of by the water's edge Chuckanut Drive it started to rain rolling onto the flats nearing Mt. Vernon. You know I would have sworn there was a pair of peregrine falcons perched on a power line pedaling through this open farm land. The swans feeding or resting in passing fields were unmistakable, of course.

Nearing Burlington off I - 5, I was looking for a place out of the rain to take a break. I found it under the entrance to the State Highway Patrol office. I decided to go inside and ask for directions through Burlington and Mt. Vernon to reach my cousin's place south of there. My nephew, Craig Barta had told me a shorter way to go but I didn't have a map that connected all the dots. The office person made copies of maps with directions through the two intervening towns. It was very nice of her.

F - So you got to your cousin's place okay?

PR - Yeah, there was probably a route with fewer intervening hills to climb but I made it just before dark.

F - How was the weather after that?

PR - It wasn't raining when I left early the next day but it started not long afterward. It continued into the afternoon. I was also pedaling into a headwind which didn't help. Early on I stopped and changed into rain gear.

In spite of breathable claims biking in rain gear is sticky business. Still the new rain gear is far superior to what I was using. At least I was dry if not altogether comfortable.

F - Where did you camp?

PR - At a friend's place as it turned out. I called Luke Irons a newly hired nurse graduate working at the hospital in Everett. He's the son of Tom Irons and Jean Aspen whose house I looked after in Homer last summer while they were away. They suggested I call him if I was in the area, I was.

He bailed me out with a place to stay. I had called him from Mathias Station on the Centennial Trail which I joined south of the town of Arlington. This is a rails to trails bicycle path. It was very pleasant biking through woodlands on a paved over railroad grade.

Fatigue and clarity of thought don't go well together, at least for me. I thought I could make it to Seattle the same day but it was much too far. A lost glove and backtracking up the trail to retrieve it put an end to this notion. That's when I called Luke. But there was a complication.

F - Oh yeah?

PR - Luke had a Honda Civic with limited capacity to tote my stuff back to his place. Still, he was willing to meet me and try. We arranged a rendezvous just outside the town of Snohomish not far from trail's end. It was too far to bike to Luke's place given the time of day and distance.

F - So did you manage to get everything crammed into Luke's car?

PR - We didn't have to as it turned out. I 'm not sure we could have either. He didn't have a hatchback model. Trunk space was pretty limited. Then help arrived.

F - How so?

PR - I was just turning onto Snohomish River Rd. paralleling the river when a green crew cab pickup stops in front of me. Of course, he was curious what I was doing and why. He was also a long distance cyclist. He lived in the area.

I knew of Luke's small car situation so I asked the driver if he knew of a place I could leave my bike and gear overnight. He was a bit puzzled by the request until I explained the situation.

F - So you asked some pretty leading questions hoping he could help?

PR - I suppose. But I really didn't expect him to offer to take all my stuff to Luke's place.

F - Is that what he did?

PR - Yes, he did. And it was a real help.

That's how I ended up meeting Don Stanfield and his daughters. I rode with him to Luke's apartment in Everett, not far away by car. On the way he showed me where I could take the Interurban Trail into Seattle. It was an alternate route.

Don was getting ready to leave for Dutch Harbor where he works as fisherman in the pollock Bering Sea fishery. He thought that it's being over fished. He wasn't certain how his season would turn out. If what he suspects is true, it isn't encouraging news given the state of other fisheries suffering the same fate or collapsed entirely.

F - Isn't that fishery regulated?

PR - It is but I don't know enough about it to say how well the regulations are enforced or match the science. I do know by catch is a huge problem.

F - What's that?

PR - That's the tons of fish and other sea life scooped up in huge trawl nets and discarded as waste. A lot of the dead fish are salmon destined for interior rivers one of which is the Yukon. And the king salmon run in the Yukon is in decline and no one knows the reason with any certainty.

F - The by catch can't be very helpful?

PR - You wouldn't think so. The by catch limit has been reduced but the wastage continues.

F - This is a renewable resource that if properly managed should last forever, right?

PR - Right! The problems of overfishing or collapse of ocean fisheries, dying trees, contamination of the atmosphere are just the "tip of the iceberg." The ability of our planet to support life is slipping away before our eyes.

Add to that wars and other social injustices. It really is a form of collective insanity. It all comes from a misperception of relationships.

F - Haven't we talked about this before?

PR - We have but you know it doesn't hurt to repeat something especially for those just joining the conversation. We are all One. More people I run into in my travels have this understanding. But many more do not. This is a change of perception a paradigm shift.

F - What do you mean by One? Isn't that a New Age idea?

PR - You wouldn't consider Jesus New Age who said "I and the Father are One?"

F - That's different..

PR - Is it? Or is it a failure of understanding, to accept a lesser truth about the nature of our relationship with the Great Mystery many call God rather than the greater which is that of unity or Oneness, not separation? At a level beneath the physical which is to say at the level of the spiritual or energetics there is no separation between ourselves, the created world or that which is Greater than self. All the dysfunction, the "madness," in our world comes from this misperception.

Because everything is connected. What we give to the other individually or collectively comes back to the self or group eventually. Yet we live out the illusion of separation and keep repeating mistakes of the past.

It's no ones fault really. But if we don't wake up and stop doing what we are doing to the life support system of the planet we'll all be in big trouble.

That's why I'm riding. Adopting effective solutions to stop contamination of our atmosphere from fossil fuel burning is an urgent matter. If we're lucky we have a decade, no one knows for sure, of course.

If you were handed a stick of dynamite with a slow burning fuse a prudent person would do everything in their power to defuse it quickly before it goes off. That's what we face with climate change.

We dare not drag this out in a decades long process that does not reduce CO2 emissions to safe levels (350 ppm scientists tell us). It's our children that will suffer the worst consequences of climate change if we don't get it right the first time. We are literally playing with dynamite, not yet fully awake to the danger we face.

We cannot continue to put human needs above the needs of other living things. It is life supporting life that makes ours possible.

With the new understanding comes an appreciation of the interconnectedness of all life on the planet and with the Giver of Life. There are consequences for everything we do. Many more understand and know this and are being from a place of Oneness.

F - I don't get what you mean connected at the level of energetics?

PR - You've probably experienced someone coming into a room and sensing a change in energy, either positively or negatively, right?

F - Yeah.

PR - We radiate energy, you could call it soul or life energy. There is no place where one energy field stops and another begins, they overlap. They change color with a person's mood. Some people can see these auras. I'm not one of them.

There is a real energy connection between all of us. And yet we are part of one Universal, life energy, reflected in physical form, unique unto itself.

You could liken it to one huge mansion. We are the rooms in it, connected yet part of something far larger, greater, incomprehensible to our finite minds, awesome.

F - But how does this bring an end to the madness?

PR - There is great power in a collective consciousness that seeks to create a far different future. We will create a ship wreck if we don't heed the warning signs all around us.

The way to peace on Earth and peace with the Earth is the Way of Love. Love is misunderstood. It knows the inherent connection of all things with itself. It is why we have been repeatedly advised to overcome evil with good. Yet we have chosen to largely ignore the advice. It is the only thing that works that understands the linkage.

F- So you haven't given up hope?

PR - Not at all. We are the dreamer awakening from a nightmare. There is too much fear based reaction to events already. But the situation is urgent. We don't have decades to halt the increase in greenhouse gases (CO2) let alone reverse dangerous trends. The safe standard we need to reach is 350 ppm CO2. We're over that already and increasing at 2ppm a year.

It is our moral obligation to create a future in which our children and theirs can flourish free of concern about the health of their life support system. We won't get there until we kick our addiction to burning of fossil fuels and create a clean energy future.

F - Wow, it just seems like such a daunting challenge?

PR - No doubt, but we have come together before and it can happen again. This is no time to jump ship and give up, it's time to bail water and make sure our politicians are in the line up.

F - Whew, from pollock to Oneness and global warming!

I'm left wondering how you got back on the road the next day given Luke's tiny Honda Civic.

PR - Well, Luke took good care of me. He treated me to dinner at his favorite restaurant the evening I arrived. The next morning he had to work but arranged for a prepaid taxi van to pick me up and take me to where I stopped cycling the day before.

F - Why didn't you just take off from his place and take the Interurban trail?

PR - I had decided early on that if I left my route of travel by some other means than bicycle I would resume again from the same place to preserve the integrity of my ride.

F - So you started again from where you met Luke and Don the day before?

PR - Right! But it was kind of amusing getting there.

F - How so?

PR - The cab driver was Destat, Ethopian. He took Luke and me to the Alligator restaurant the evening before. He asked me where I wanted to go? I told him Snohomish River Rd. "Do you know where that is," I asked. No he didn't. "I've got GPS you don't have an address?" "No I don't." Some more calling and conversation in Ethopian. The person he talked to didn't know either. He knew how to get to the town of Snohomish. The rest was easy. I remembered the way.

F - How was the ride into Seattle?

PR - Hilly and tiring but I really enjoyed biking in over the Samish and Burke-Gilman Trails. These are also old converted railroad grades away from car traffic for the most part.

After crossing the Mont Lake bridge I followed the green Washington Loop trail signs. It was up and down through quiet residential areas but eventually, after asking directions from other cyclists, I found the bike path approach to I - 90. I crossed the floating bridge to Mercer Island where my friend lives but I was whupped.

F - What are your plans now?

PR - I hope to link up with the Cascade Cycle Club for help with some media events and the next segment of the ride south.

F - Good luck!

PR - Thanks, I need the break and rest.

F - Wait a minute, what's your route leaving Seattle?

PR - From Seattle, I'll follow the Cascade bicycle trail to Portland then south to Eugene. From there I will likely cut over to the coast and continue south along the coast.

F - Safe travels!

Don - Peace Rider

On the Road from Bellingham, WA 12/28/09

2009-12-29T11:37:00.003-09:00

Friend (Joe) - Hey Peace Rider man, it's been awhile since I've heard from you? What's happening?

PR - Yeah, I know. Sorry about that, too many distractions. I crossed the border Christmas eve and made it to the outskirts of Bellingham as the sun was setting. I didn't make Tony and Marie's place in Fairhaven on the south side until after dark.

The last time I talked to Marie, Tony hadn't made it back from an Antarctic cruise. I was pleasantly surprised to find him at home when I knocked on the door. He had just arrived a few hours before me as it turned out. He was very glad to be home but seriously jet lagged after several long flights starting in Punta Arenas, Chile. He only had a few days at home before another cruise began. But at least he got to spend some time with Marie and their two young boys. He just left this morning.

F - Which way did you go from Hope?

PR - Since I was already in Hope and close to Trans Canada Highway One I headed in that direction. I switched back to touring tires before I left. It was mostly downhill or flat so I was in Chilliwack by early afternoon. But yikes it was noisy with lots of fast moving trucks and cars. I was glad to turn off and head into downtown Chilliwack. I picked up a new rain jacket I'd ordered and had sent ahead to the local Post Office.

F - Where to after that?

PR - Tom Webb, my Warm Showers host in Kamloops, had given me a map with a rural route to the border heading due south from Chilliwack then west. I past Sardis going south and was supposed to hang a hard right at Keith Wilson Rd. but kept going to Yarrow Central Rd. By this time it was well into the afternoon. The thought came to me that it might be easier finding a camp site on Yarrow Central Rd. which appeared to be closer to the Veddar River than the other way. From here it gets pretty interesting.

F - How so?

PR - Well, I had just passed the turnoff to Cultus Lake when a van pulls over on the opposite side of the road and a man gets out. I'm getting used to this happening by now. We have a conversation. He's a long distance cyclist and was curious about my journey. He asks me if I am familiar with Warm Showers. "Of course," I respond. "I tried calling the one host family in Chilliwack that was listed but only got an answering machine." "Yes," he responds, John and Caroline are friends of ours. They are out of town on a bicycle trip. My wife and I are also Warm Showers hosts. I need to check with her to see if it's okay for you to stay with us but I'm sure it will be."

Now what are the chances that in the whole area it would be the second and only other Warm Showers host to stop with a place for me to stay the night?

F - You're being taken care of?

PR - Yes, and I'm very grateful for it. Gary gave me directions to his place and said he'd catch up with me later. He would be back at 5:00 PM after a trip to town he said. I'd have to hang out for a couple of hours.

F - So what did you do in the meantime?

PR - I had to back track a short way to the Cultus Lake turnoff then head up and over the hill to their place near the Lake. I still had plenty of time to kill so cruised by their house. I wanted to be able to find it after dark. It wasn't hard to pick out, a bicycle hung from the second story balcony as a Christmas ornament.

I headed to the lake next and rode along a gravel trail near the shore. Flocks of geese were calling lake bound as darkness fell.

This is the time of year the locals have the place to themselves, the tourist season over. I could imagine the place packed during the summer. But all was quiet now. A few people were out trail walking beneath a canopy of tall trees along the shore.

F - Sounds idyllic?

PR - You know it was very serene in the waning light reflected off a mirror glass surface. This lake is in a park so there is not wall-to-wall houses around the shoreline.

Memorial benches were placed at regular intervals along the shore. The first one I stopped at said "Forget Me Not." This brought back special memories, of a poem I'd written with that title. Hmm, many friends and family in addition to these souls unknown to me have passed. I remembered.

F - So eventually you found your way back to Gary's place I presume?

PR - Yes, he returned when he said he would and Sheryl his wife a short while later. We had a lovely evening together. Gary is a retired school administrator and Sheryl a teacher at a local college. Both are very active outdoors. Gary is recovering from a bicycle/car encounter. He is a randoneering cyclist, something I knew nothing about. These hard core and hardy cyclists cover long distances in a relatively short time. He was hoping to be well enough to qualify for one of these events in Paris held every four years.

Gary filled in the blanks for me with computer printed maps of Bellingham and a route to my friend's house. I left the next morning.

F - From Cultus Lake how far did you go?

PR - I made it all the way to Bellingham. I was a little surprised at that but the rural roads to the border and beyond were flat and fast riding. It helped that I had some tail wind. The roads are laid out in grid fashion, north to south, east to west

Ducks, mostly mallards leapt into the air from roadside water courses as I passed. Swans with their grayer cygnets rested in many of the fields I passed. I really enjoyed the ride, the sights and yes, even the smells.

At the intersection of Sumas Way and Vye Road I stopped and called Ron Benczi. He is a reporter for Global TV in Vancouver. I had been in touch with him since Hope trying to arrange a TV interview. When I called him again from the Chevron Station on the corner he said a cameraman was in the area looking for me, stand on the corner and make yourself more visible he advised.

F - And you connected?

PR - Yes we did, Kevin MacDonald the cameraman, found me shortly after I called Ron and he filmed an interview with me then some shots of me riding along Vye Rd. and up to the border.

You know the Christmas spirit was also alive and well at that busy intersection.

F - What do you mean?

PR - While I was waiting for the cameraman to arrive, Bruce Kloosterman gets out of his Paragon Feed truck parked near a pay phone booth where I had parked, walks over to me and hands me $10.00 Christmas gift. Before he can escape I ask his name. In the process I tell him many people are praying for me. He gives me a big smile and says prayer is the most powerful force in the Universe. I couldn't disagree. He said he was supposed to be retired as he closed the door and drove off. Nothing like leaving Canada on an incredible high mixed with a tinge of sadness!

F - What are your plans now?

PR - My bicycle is in a local shop being worked on. It should be ready soon. I am also waiting for several packages to arrive in the mail. It could be a couple of days yet before I head south from here. It's been a wonderful time though to kick back for awhile and get rested up for next phase of the journey.

See you down the road a piece.

F - Look forward to it.

On the Road from Hope, BC 12/21/09

2009-12-22T17:13:00.001-09:00

Friend (Joe) Hey, Peace Rider glad to see you made it down Highway l in one piece.

PR Yeah, me too. No shoulders, blind curves, tunnels and narrow bridges made this "no walk in the park." But you know I also had help.

F - How so?

PR Just after Cache Creek on a narrow stretch I caught a tire on the transition between the shoulder edge and dirt and fell off the bike. A Mountie saw my tracks in the snow where I fell. He pulled off the side of the road ahead of me further on. He was concerned for my safety on this stretch and cautioned me to be extra careful. From where I was to Spences Bridge and Lytton was the worst he said. He offered to give me a ride but I thanked him and declined. My friend Don Laird has also cautioned me to be extra careful on this Highway The Mountie's warming came just before I headed into one of the worst stretches for blind curves and narrow shoulders.

At blind corners I would stop, look back to make sure there was no on coming traffic then pedal like crazy to round the bend and so on, same way at bridges and other road restrictions.

F - How did you manage through the tunnels?

PR - Several of the tunnels had a yellow caution lights you could set flashing at the tunnel entrance to warm motorists that a cyclist was in the tunnel. At others there was a walkway along one side of the tunnel you could ride on out of traffic. But man, the noise from cars and especially trucks in the tunnels was deafening and nerve racking. You don't think about it as a motorist.

F - And you had blue sky and sunny weather all the way?

PR - Boy I wish. From Kamloops past Spences Bridge to Jackass Summit was fine. It was clear and sunny from Cache Creek following the Thompson River into the canyon. At Jackass Summit, my fourth night out, I camped next the to road on a narrow patch of snow free ground. A few feet the other side of my tent was a nearly vertical drop to the river below The next morning, however, a couple of inches of fresh snow was on the ground. Descending from there, snow turned to rain and it was raining when I set up camp just past Hells Gate. The snow was wet, the ground soggy. I didn't even bother to set up the stove. The trees were wet and I'd have been lucky to get a fire going. My second cold camp but I did have hot dinner.

The next morning more of the same, rain, cold and just about everything I owned wet. I did float high and dry on my air mattress and my sleeping bag remained dry. I was warm until I emerged from my cocoon and got pedalling and the blood circulating.

Rain tapered off later in the day when I hit Hope and The Swiss Chalet Motel to dry out in.

F - You meet any interesting characters along the way?

PR - When I got to Cache Creek late in the day I went in the local grocery to buy a few things like noodles, cheese and bread. I had everything at the register ready to check out but for some reason was distracted and looking elsewhere. Tony in that instant stepped forward and paid for my groceries with a Merry Christmas. What a nice gift and reminder the Christmas spirit is alive and well.

My next grocery stop was in Lytton. I first stopped at a food store on the main highway, but bad vibes. Guard dog on duty, no washrooms and no business. I decided to hit the store in the main part of town even though it meant going downhill from the main highway. Outside the store I asked a driver if he had a pliers I could borrow to put my front fender back on. He did. I was putting it on when I strike up a conversation with Mark Jaccard and Michelle Nickerson. Mark is a Professor at Simon Fraser Univ. in the School of Resource and Environmental Management. Isn't it "interesting" that he deals with policy issues regarding climate change. They stopped in Lytton because that is where the Fraser R. begins. Michelle it turns out plans to make like a salmon and swim the Fraser next summer to highlight the plight of salmon. For more on that see www.ripplerelay.com.

F - What do you mean by "interesting?"

PR - Well, I'm not sure exactly but would like to follow up with him to educate myself further on what governments should be doing policy wise to reduce fossil fuel emissions. He said that BC has put in place a carbon tax, among the first to do so.

F - So you're heading down the road today.

PR - Yes, right after I'm done with this. So we'll see you down the road again.

F - Anything else to report before you go?

PR - I went to the local laundromat in downtown Hope to dry my wet things. When I got there the attendant asked what I was going to do. Dry my clothes I responded. He said you have to wash your clothes before you can dry them, that is our policy. Huh? He did tell me of another place and I went there. So much for business.

Peace Rider on the CFJC Evening News

2009-12-18T13:31:00.002-09:00

On the Road Barriere to Kamloops, BC 12/9-13/09

2009-12-16T20:27:00.002-09:00

Friend (Joe) - what's the name of that pooch curled up by you.

PR - Oh, he's Buddy, a lovable golden retriever belonging to my Warm Shower hosts Tom and Lorna Webb. They went out this morning. I have the run of the house and use of their computer.

F - So you're in from the cold for awhile?

PR - Thankfully, yes. And it has been COLD, below zero F here.

You know a recurring theme of this journey is meeting people I need to meet. In turn they've helped me build on what I started, especially in areas I'm weakest in. It's a joyful process. I've made many new friends. My hosts are more of such folks.

F - So how are you feeling at this point in the journey, going to "extremes?"

PR - I wouldn't have jumped on a bicycle for a "cool" winter bike ride if I didn't feel the need was urgent. We're fouling our own nest. It's our children that will suffer the worst consequences of climate change if we get it wrong.

It's our moral obligation to do it for them. It's up to us to get off the dime and transition to a clean energy future. They'll need the oil that remains for petrochemicals. There's only so much of the stuff left. Why take the risk of dragging this out until 2030 or 2050.

Future generations may look back on this era with a single question, "they really burned it." Why?

F - It's like being handed a stick of dynamite with a slow burning fuse, eh?

PR Something like that, you don't know when it will explode in your face. A sane person would defuse it, whatever it took, in as short a time as possible, rather than dither, dally and delay.

F - End our addiction to fossil fuels in an orderly fashion. Make sure the needs of everyone are met in a well planned transition to a clean energy future. Is that your idea?

PR - That's right! The USA put a man on the moon in a decade. Set a goal of having all atmospheric poisons planet wide in decline by the end of the next decade. Don't mess around with this. We're literally playing with dynamite.

F - Canada and the USA should be leading the way to a clean, energy independent future instead of being Neanderthals.

PR - At a Peace Conference I attended Dr. Vincent Hardy said, "Obama can't save you, you have to save Obama." And he's right on. It's going to take a real shove and "tough love" from citizens at the grass roots level to make it happen. Look at what Gandhi and Martin Luther King had to do in their struggles for social justice.

F - And look what happened to them?

PR - Yeah, I know but maybe, just maybe, it will be different this time.

But here's the key, we'll continue to make the same mistakes of the past as long as we see ourselves as separate from one another at a deeper level, separate from creation and the consequences of our behavior, and separate from that which is Higher than self. What we give to the other we give to ourselves individually or collectively because of these underlying relationships. A lot more people understand this now.

We are the dreamer awaking from a nightmare. It's time to follow the red flashing detour sign. It's time to end it, unite and come together.

F - Preach on bro, "I'm pulling for you, we're all in this together."

PR - Yeah, it's doable. There's great strength in unity. But how do you wake people up?

F - You're riding and speaking to young people aren't you, gaining more attention because you're riding in winter.

PR - Yes, and I've noticed a shortage of other cyclists on the road. But seriously, it's a great opportunity and privilege I've been given to speak. It's beyond my comfort zone at times, but I'm committed to the journey, whatever it takes.

F- How did your presentation go at the Barriere Secondary School?

PR - Better this time, my message and voice are stronger. There were good questions afterward too. The aftermath was especially rewarding.

F - Glad to hear it but I forgot to ask where you spent the night, camped out somewhere?

PR - No, Jonathan Brady the Principal and Sheri McGregor the custodian, pulled out all the stops to find a place for me. A lot of teachers commute from Kamloops so it wasn't like - easy.

I met Jonathan and Sheri when I walked into the school and told them who I was. I'd called ahead. She found a place 5 km north of town, but I'd have to bike there. Oops, long way, me tired. More calling.

She called the Elementary school and talked to the Secretary. At that moment she "just happened" to overhear Gay Conan, leaving the building, "call her back she said." Gay Conan and Robert Bach were the owners of the place north of town.

I could leave my bike at the school. I changed back to touring tires in the wood shop while I waited for Gay to come.

The shoulders of the road here were mostly clear, a good time to change over inside a warm building it seemed. I'd been on studded tires since Jasper, slower going, more drag. But I really needed them with snow and ice on the shoulders for most of the way to Barriere.

And that's how I ended up spending a delightful evening with Gay and Robert at their Bar F, Hacienda Costalota. You've got to have a sense of humor as a farmer. Small farmers like them are just getting by.

They enjoy the life style with a menagerie of horses, a llama, sheep, chickens, cows, donkeys, pigs, dogs, cats and an occasional coyote that nips in for an easy meal.

A sheep guard dog they had on permanent assignment near the barn stopped most of the "bandits" I was told.

I joined Gay and Robert doing morning chores, feeding, watering and cleaning up after their extended family.

In the distance I saw a cat crossing the yard. Three dogs lit out after it. Robert said, "they don't chase the two resident cats but they'll chase strays off." "Once," he said, "a coyote came in the yard and grabbed a rooster in front of me but he couldn't get it through the fence and dropped it." "I got it back at least," he said.

I was a little slow in getting to Gay's car to head for the school after chores. By the time we arrived classes had resumed. We were supposed to arrive beforehand. But it worked out. More students came later.

Touring tires came off again, whew, and studded tires went back on while I waited. It was snowing again in the AM. At least I had a warm place in the school to do it and air from the wood shop.

Later I wheeled my loaded bike into the gym where 50-60 or so high school students sat on bleachers with their teachers and Principal.

I would never have imagined myself making presentations before high school students but there I was.

F - So how did it go?

PR - In a sea of faces it's hard to tell but very well from later responses. We don't speak from the heart often enough. What happened later was really special.

F - Let's hear it.

PR - I got on the road a little past l PM. The next town down the road was McLure about 6 miles south. I figured I could make 10 miles in the remaining daylight.

I pulled even with McLure with less than half an hour before camp time, about 3:15 PM. Opposite the Post Office, five people walked out from their driveway to meet me. Noel introduced himself, then Josie his wife, and their three daughters Karina, Kimberly and Kathrine.

They handed me a paper bag filled with goodies, food for the road. They are Filipino, slight in stature but tall where it counts most.

It turns out Karina and Kimbery heard me speak at school earlier in the day. They were inspired. Wow, I say that a lot! After speaking the students went off to their next class. I hadn't seen them. They were home from school by the time I reached their modest mobile home near the Canadian Railroad tracks.

They waited, knowing I was coming. Karina said, "remember me, I saw you at the Elementary School?" I stopped there briefly asking for directions to the Secondary School (high school). I went the long way through Barriere to find it.

Noel handed me his card which said they were The Pelayo Family, Musicians and Singers. Josie told me about a place further on where I could camp in the pines. Then Noel said, "we have a bungalow beside our house, why don't you stay here." I thought a moment and said, "why not." I accepted.

I'm being taken care of. I knew it. You cannot give selflessly without receiving, it's the way Love works.

They were in a hurry to leave for Kamloops. Kimberly had a violin lesson. Afterward they were going to church. I was about to go with them, but they were hurrying to leave and I said, "you go on without me." I was in my traveling clothes. I wanted to change. I'll have a relaxing evening I thought. In the bungalow, I found a We Are The World cassette. I'm a low tech guy in a high tech world you know. Their Cadillac of boom boxes had more buttons than some aircraft console panels. Eventually I got it going. It was really nice to hear music again. I miss that on the road. Still, there was a tinge of regret at not going just as they found me.

I was heating water for a hot drink when the phone began ringing in the adjacent room. I picked it up but nothing. I was not pressing the key down hard enough I discovered later. The phone kept ringing then stopped.

I got changed was just about to fix dinner when I heard knocking. I opened the door. Jerry introduced himself. "We have come to pick you up." " What?" I responded, "Josie called me and Alice, she tried to call you. We're taking you to their church with us," he said, "can you be ready in five minutes?"

They didn't tell me they were smokers until I was in the car. "It won't kill me," I responded after their warning.

They were good friends and benefactors of the family I learned. Jerry had helped the family build their small food concession wagon where they sold Filipino food.

Noel was a farm hand. He had lost his job, and for the first time getting an unemployment check. They decided to try something else, maybe a restaurant later. They didn't start until Sept. It was not set up for winter. They had to stop, when it started freezing. It was parked beside their home for the winter.

We arrived at the Kamloops Alliance Church where I caught up with the family. Karina and Kimberley were playing Christmas music, Karina on piano and Kimberly the violin. It was a Christmas dinner with a drama, The Inn Keepers Dilemma afterward. They bought a $20.00 ticket and gave it to me so I could go with them. I was really moved knowing their circumstances.

It was a delightful evening, good food, meeting new people, enjoying a well rehearsed and acted drama.

Karina 16, the oldest, told me she was trying to raise $4000 to go to Ecuador on a Me and We exchange program. She was earning money towards that by playing at the church she said but well shy of the money needed to make a deposit deadline by Christmas day. Wendy, who was seated next to me at the dinner table, had helped her apply.

In the basement shower room of Tom and Lorna's home where I'm at, there is a sign, "kindness is power." What greater love than this to welcome me, a stranger, into their homes and be treated as part of the family.

It is time to end the madness. We're all One.

F - So what are your plans in Kamloops?

PR - I will try and speak at North Kamloops High school on Monday. The local TV station and newspaper were interested in an interview so we'll see. I arrived late Friday so the latter two didn't work out.

Tom and Lorna have taken such good care of me.
Tom ran me around town yesterday looking for replacement rain gear and a camera. The former was old when I started. I need the latter now.

F - I heard there's one long grind heading south from Kamloops, eh?

PR - Yeah, it will be the longest so far but not as steep as some on the Alaska Highway. Part of the package!

F - You know you don't have much on your bike to tell folks what you're up to when vehicles pass.

PR - You're right! Tom had a great idea. He suggested I put easily removable signs with Ride For The Planet on both sides of the B.O.B. I'll put that on the back of my wind jacket as well.

F - So then you're all set for the next leg?

PR - Well, not quite, the sign shop is backed up with Christmas orders so that's on hold for the moment. I was able to get it embroidered on my jacket. That will help until I can get signs made.

F - You haven't told me much about Tom and Lorna?

PR - Sorry, Tom is a master mechanic and retired Safeway store exec., Lorna is a real estate agent and real sweetheart. She's still working.

While I was working on this Tom lubed and made adjustments on my bike. He's amazing!

He has a neat project underway I've not seen, building a solar, electric car using a fifties vintage Chevy chassis. It's not at the house where I'm staying. As he said, "there's not a bolt on it I've not removed in the rebuilding process."

I am deeply grateful our paths crossed. My days ahead will be better and stronger for it. Kindness is their power.

Wild blessings, PEACE, LOVE and JOY to all of you as we close in on Christmas and I on Bellingham, WA about that time.

Peace Rider Don

Valemount Live: Interview with Peace Rider

2009-12-11T21:03:00.000-09:00

On the Road from Clearwater, BC Yellowhead Highway 5, 12/8/09

2009-12-08T14:18:00.003-09:00

Friend (Joe): Hey, where you at now Peace Rider?

Peace Rider: Well, rolled into Clearwater after dark on Friday evening. Keith McNeill put me up at the Wells Gray Inn. West of here is Wells Gray Park. Pretty cool, eh?

F: How cool? And who's Keith?

PR: COLD, getting down to 20 below C at night, about zero F. Winter is here, but I'm under a hard rood until I hit the road for Kamloops later today.

Keith is the editor for the local paper, The Times. He interviewed me yesterday about Ride for the Planet. I had a wonderful opportunity to speak about the inspiration, in spirit motivation, that set me off on this journey.

F: Okay, inspiration and perspiration go together.

PR: Something like that, how did you know?

F: Been there, done that.

PR: How about a Christmas story from on the road?

F: Go!

PR You will recall me saying the Way of Peace is the Way of Love, right?

F: Yes, of course, but refresh my memory a bit..

PR Okay! Love is too often misunderstood. We have ignored for too long this simple but profound Way of Peace message: overcome evil with good, hatred with love and falsehood with truth. It was Jesus' message after all, passed down through the ages by other gifted teachers..

The Love of which He spoke is that which seeks the highest good of the other whether human or of other living things with no thought for itself. Love works. Nothing else will because we are all One. Separation is an illusion. This kind of Love was and is the inspiration, in spirit, motivation for this ride.

We are like waves on the ocean awaking to the realization that we are connected to an awesome vastness we cannot fully understand from a view point that is limited by our minds alone.

He understood all things are connected at a level beyond the physical. It is why he said "turn the other cheek," He knew what is given returns to the self because of our connectedness, violence for violence, love for Love's sake.

"Forgive them, they know not what they do." They did not understand and we do not understand completely yet, The Way to Peace, is through The Way of Love. This He demonstrated through an act of selfless sacrifice. It has rung loudly and repeatedly through the ages, a clarion call, pointing the way to peace on Earth and peace with the earth.

F: You had a Christmas story from the road?

PR: I checked into the Sandman Motel a few days ago in Blue River and posted a blog from the local library as you will recall?

F: Yes, I do.

PR: I had a tourist brochure with a map on it that showed the location of the library which said open from 6 until 8 PM. Fine! It wasn't far from the Motel. I had inquired. They had computers the public could use.. I had time to fix dinner and dry my wet things beforehand. There was no rush to leave, I thought. By the time I did, it was a few minutes before 6 and plenty dark. I put on my reflective vest for the first time, turned my rear flasher light on, set my front light to pulsate and away I went. My bicycle was lit up like a Christmas tree freed from its usual load.

When I arrived the posted sign on the library door said open from 4 to 7 PM. I had only an hour to write. Hmm, maybe not a bad thing I thought It would force me to be brief. Only the volunteer librarian was there when I arrived. Ev wanted to know what I was doing. We had a wonderful conversation. I told her where to look on the web for my blog. She did just that reading about my ride from the December posting in Valemount. In the meantime, Karsten came in to use one of the two computers and sat down. He overheard me telling Ev about my air mattress woes. He said he had an old foam mattress I could have and would go get it. I thanked him and said I could sure use it. I wasn't quite sure how but it couldn't hurt I thought. It did help as an underlayment.

Karsten returned with the foam mattress after using the computer I was on and left. Another woman that came in to use a second computer had also left but not before we had a lively conversation about forests and bark beetle infestations. How she knew so much I wasn't certain. It takes three weeks of 40 below to kill them and that wasn't happening now with the climate warming she said. The BC government was also not doing any controlled burns as they had done before to save money.

Ev was clearly moved by what she read and our conversation.. She took $25.00 from the library till as I got ready to leave, wrote an IOU for the money and handed it to me. Use it to pay for your expenses she said. She insisted, take it, please it makes me feel good to help, don't say any more I'll start crying.

I accepted. It would help me. I understood to accept was to honor a gift given selflessly.

What's your name I asked. "Ev," she said, "that's enough. I work at a local truck stop. It opens at 6 AM. Come over and I'll have a big breakfast for you."

That got me up early, I didn't have to fix anything. I could get an early start.

A conversation with the motel manager the night before while he was changing oil had persuaded me to leave my studded tires on. "They never get the forecast right, around here," he said. Sure enough, a 60 percent chance of snow flurries in the forecast turned into the real thing when I walked over to the truck stop for breakfast. It tapered off later but not before leaving the roads and shoulders slick and snow covered. Help from unexpected places in a time of need.

"What will you have," she asked after I sat down. A mound of pancakes, two eggs, bacon, hot chocolate and orange juice arrived in no time. Grease, energy for the road was what I needed. I was stuffed. A far cry and welcome change from the usual oatmeal and granola fare. She said "no, you don't owe me anything," when I got up to leave. "I'll pray for you," she said.

On my way out of town I stopped again at the truck stop where she worked. She saw me but didn't come out. I understood. I left a small candy cane from the motel on the window sill. Adieu!

The Way to Peace, the Way of Love, PR

On the road from Blue River, BC

2009-12-06T18:34:00.001-09:00

Peace Rider: Hey Joe, only 25 minutes and counting on the Blue River screen

Friend (Joe): Don't be so darn verbose this time.

PR Want to hear a funny tale.

F Go!

PR 34 miles from Valemount and camp at Chappell turn out for "sleds."

Full moon over mountain after digging two feet of snow for tent. Coyote yapping at the moon. Beautiful! Very tired, normal, right?

F And?

PR Eat, no problem, a little heat from stove even though wood wet. Kindling from Bill Russell saved my bacon.

F Yes, yes let's hear what happened.

PR Finally get to blow up mattress, Then bang! What the??? Bang! Baffles between four tubes now fail. Spend night like a frog on a log perched on fat half. Sleep fitfully but sleep.

Universe has a sense of humor. Failure on coldest night of year but warm in bag.

F Where are you now?

PR Blue River Sandman Motel. Leave AM. Time up in cyberspace.

On the Road from Valemount, British Columbia 12/1/09

2009-12-02T07:46:00.002-09:00

Peace Rider: Hey Joe you out there somewhere? Joe's my imaginary friend.

Friend (Joe): Yeah, I'm never far away. So you made it to Valemount in spite of the snow?

PR I did, but it was challenging. How about those young people and their teachers I spoke to in Jasper, aren't they amazing! Some of them have been to Kenya's Masai, Mara to help build a school.. One of those young students, Teresa, got on here bike along with my host Art Jackson and we rode a short way together as I headed out of town. I was especially moved to stand with them in front of a monument honoring Canadian war dead from WWI, WWII and the Korean War.

F Aren't you a veteran

PR I was an Air Force pilot during the Viet Nam war. You know being with them gave me hope that one day maybe there will be no reason to fight evil with more evil, killing each other over our differences.

F You're a dreamer!

PR Perhaps, but when I see young people doing good things I'm greatly encouraged. Overcoming our differences and working together we can create a different future and world. This is true power, power with that comes from unity and understanding not power over. That's what this ride is all about bringing people together to end the insanity.

F Weren't you standing on a street corner protesting against starting the Iraq war? Where did that get you?

PR Well, nowhere. Me and a lot of like minded souls stood in the cold, peacefully protesting and were ignored. The war began as you well know.

F What makes you think it will be different this time?

PR Because it is urgent we do so. Climate change affects all of us. We dare not continue down the same path of misunderstanding, doing our own thing, ignoring what's happening under our very noses. It's time to throw off our dysfunctional past and embrace Oneness. It's the only way we can heal and restore the planet while there's still time.

More people than ever before embrace this concept. If more come to realize we are One, violence becomes less likely. It comes with the understanding we are only harming ourselves individually and collectively. We see that in young soldiers coming home from the battle field, torn apart inside by killing others. At the soul level there is understanding that it's harm done to the self creating internal conflict.

F I don't get it.

PR At the spiritual level, the level of energetics we are all connected one to another. It's a part of our internal programming, to use computer lingo. Buddhists might call it our Buddha nature, Others the kingdom of God within, or inner light.

It's like we are waves on the ocean who have seen ourselves as separate from the ocean but are now awakening to a new understanding. looking deeper. We are a part of the ocean in all its vastness, our minds limited, not able to completely understand fully. Nothing created exists apart from it. That is Oneness. Separation is an illusion.

Native Americans have a good grasp of this seeing themselves as part of the natural world, not separate from it. It is why we need still wild places to reconnect people in cities with their roots in creation, for its value to the human spirit.

F Aren't we way off the subject of your bike ride?

PR Not really, a peace rider's message, mine at least, is the same as that of many spiritual teachers like Jesus of old or Peace Pilgrim in the modern era. The Way of Peace is the Way of love. My ride is modeled after what she did, walk for peace with a simple message, overcome evil with good, hatred with love and falsehood with truth.

Love is misunderstood. We have ignored it believing power over is greater than power with. That is changing, many now are waking up to a new perspective. We are one humanity, not separated from creation and least of all from the "ocean," that which is greater than self known by many names

F Okay, but how does that have anything to do with climate change.

PR Ever heard of tough Love?

F Isn't that what parents use all the time for the greater good of their children even though they may not appreciate it at the time?

PR Yeah, you know none of the great social changes have come without a struggle and resistance from those in positions of power. Mahatma Ghandi used peaceful civil disobedience to end British rule in India. Martin Luther KIng, in my country, used the same approach to end the era of segregation and discrimination in the South. It was a struggle and there was violence by those opposed to change. But it works.

F But why does it work?

PR Love understands we are all connected to one another and the "ocean" at the soul level. Violence only leads to more of the same. What you give to another comes back to the self. It is why only good and love can, in the end, overcome evil and hatred.

F I still don't get the connection with climate change.

PR To create a new earth it may take "tough love." Non-violent civil disobedience in word and action may be necessary when peaceful protests are ignored. This is always a last resort keeping in mind potential consequences.

It's already beginning to happen. If we are to peacefully end the fossil fuel burning era it is like-minded souls coming together that will make it happen. All thought is creative and a collective consciousness of many people wanting to create a new earth is very powerful.

It won't be political leaders that save us. It will be ordinary citizens coming together that will save some of our leaders from themselves. That's why I ride, to bring people together, to ride for a new earth, to end the insanity.

F You are a dreamer?

PR So be it but what is a dreamer but one who hopes for a better future. We can end the mess we've made but it's urgent we come together and act decisively very soon if we are to reverse current trends.

There are not decades remaining to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. We'll 'have to see if government words are matched by appropriate measures to reduce global emission of contaminates or if it's just business as usual.

F You haven't given up hope then.

PR No, there is a purpose behind what's happening now even if out of sight of mainstream media. There is always more going on than meets the eye when you look deeper.

F Can't you lighten up a bit. This is heavy stuff.

PR Let's do.

F The forecast called for snow while you were en route between Jasper and Valemount. How did that turn out?

PR I got hammered. I paid for two nights in the Park and just made it outside the entrance the day I left after a late start. The shoulders were clear and icy. Luckily, I had changed to studded tires after a light early morning snow in Jasper made the roads slick. Art had said It was mostly downhill from town and it was, which really helped.

By the time I got my tent set up it was dark. I was looking for dry wood under a three quarter moon. I had a heck of time finding any. I went out twice more looking for drier stuff before I had fire in my stove and heat.

The next day it began to snow lightly and was pretty good going on cleared shoulders. I filled my water jug from the headwaters of the Fraser River.

Over night six inches or snow of new snow fell on top of a foot and a half base and continued coming down. This was my first cold camp. I couldn't find any dry wood.

In the morning I boogied or tried with snow still falling. The shoulders weren't plowed clear yet. It was slow going on new snow. I couldn't go fast without risking a fall even if it was mostly down hill.

I called Beth and Bill Russell from the Terry Fox rest area, friends of people I met in Jasper. They graciously invited me to stay at their place where I'm at at this writing. Bill, "as it happened," saw me pull into the Shell station in Valemount. He led me to their cozy and welcoming home not far down the road.

On top of that they had thoughtfully built a warm fire in their garage so I could dry all my stuff.

Their Chatahoola Leopard dog, Trooper, greeted me. I loved his friendly and good natured disposition.

New friends, loads in common and many kindnesses were extended. I will miss them.

I arrived just ahead of a big dump of new snow in Valemount. I leave later today after several events this morning. The roads should be clear or clearing. All is now snow covered but the sun is out. A great day to be alive! PR

On the Road from Hinton and Jasper Park, Alberta

2009-11-29T11:10:00.003-09:00

Friday morning, 11/20/09 I rolled out of Edson, Alberta heading west on Highway 16, next stop Hinton a bit shy of 50 miles down the road.

My new friend and generous host Don Laird saw me off with a photo op and a last wave from me heading down 6th Avenue on my way out of town.

Not only was Don a very generous host but also a wise counselor drawing upon his own organizing experience. The momentum Ride for the Planet is beginning to gain through media exposure will be in no small measure thanks to Don. Before leaving town he arranged for an interview with Victoria Carnagham, an editor with the local paper, the Edson Leader. Further down the road he made other contacts, with the Hinton Parklander, the local paper and other contacts into Jasper Park, the next stop on my way west.

On four lane divided Highway 16 west to Hinton shoulder width was generous. I remained safely well to the right, on my bicycle of course. No left leaning tendencies on this road unlike the often skinny to non existant shoulders on Highway 32 and 748 into Edson.

And still only patchy snow with temperatures only slightly less below to above freezing. Pedaling out of town in sandals with heavy socks of all things.

Camped for the night about 36 miles west at the highest point on the Yellowhead Highway, Obed Summit. I was flying along so fast I missed the summit elevation. It was one of my easier days with gentle grades followed by long downhill runs and no headwind.

Joe caught up with me after that.

Friend (Joe): I see you got a little snow last night.

Peace Rider: Yeah, when I broke camp there was just a trace on the ground. You know I darned near camped in the middle of the track, not really a road into the forest where I pulled off the road. You couldn't even see it from the highway because of a steep embankment. It looked little used but I was wrong about that. Fortunately, I found a small clearing amidst the tall pines and aspen trees more to my liking. I pitched my tent there. Boy, was I glad I did, no sooner was my tent up than a pickup truck drives out on this "road" then down onto the Highway. Later that day en route to Hinton I saw hunters emerge from the woods and figured out what was going on.

Back to your question about snow. Hinton received more snow, maybe two inches and it was slick and sloppy when I made it into town. It was beginning to melt by the time I pulled into the IGA food store to replenish my larder about mid-day.

My destination was the Entrance Ranch about 10 minutes away by car and north of the Athabasca River but a good hour away for me over two pretty steep grades.

F. Why stop at Entrance Ranch?

PR As you may recall Connie Friend, whom I had met in Tok, Alaska suggested I might want to stop here on my way south. She had visited the Ranch many times for healing by Jimmy O'Chiese, an Ojibway healer living on the ranch. She was quite impressed with all the folks at the ranch and suggested I stop by. I took her advice. I am staying at the Ranch now although to use this computer for an update I came into Hinton and the local library.

F So did you meet up with Jimmy?

PR Not yet. Just off the main road and going into the ranch I met Rocky Notnes. He's one of the Ranch owners and runs the place. He was on his way into town. I had left messages that I was coming. My arrival was not unexpected. He told me Jimmy was in Edmonton helping develop a school curriculum for Ojibway children. He expected him back any time but that was over a week ago.

F So what are you going to do if you can't see Jimmy.

PR Well, it has happened that the person I intended to see was not the person I really needed to see. In this case I was able to get better acquainted with Rocky. Rocky is originally from Norway. He cares deeply about stewardship of the Earth and has been very active in a variety of environmental issues and groups over the years.

When I met him he was off to a meeting about trying to save a remnant population of mountain or woodland caribou. He is also a person grounded spiritually, influenced greatly by native American spirituality and its ties to the earth. He was very supportive of what I am trying to do in creating a Ride for the Planet Day and a big help.

I went to Jasper Park with Rocky and met his friend Art Jackson who has a guiding business there.

F Where to next?

PR Jasper Park. You know the really amazing thing?

F What?

PR My friend Don Laird had arranged for me to stay with Art in Jasper through other contacts. That's where I'm at now. I will leave here 11/27 for Tete Jaune Cache then hang a left southbound for Kamaloops.

I left for Jasper Park 11/24 with goodbye and thanks to Rocky for his generosity in hosting me at the Ranch. It was late in the day. I made it to within about a mile of the Park entrance and camped. The next day was rough, Chinook headwinds blowing in from the west. Most of the way to Jasper was hard cranking. There were several time that I was brought to a near standstill by gusts getting past Jasper Lake. The latter dries up in winter and the wind with dust blowing blowing over the road. Head down and crank away.

F But you made it?

PR Yeah, and I took the long way around into the town besides. I was in before dark, rubber legs and all and called Art. A little over 30 miles for the day. First time I have had to crouch over the handle bars to lower my profile and wind resistance.

F What do you think of Jasper Park?

PR Jasper is another world treasure. Elk and Big Horn Rams on the road near the town site on my way in, not overdeveloped like so many places. Great scenic beauty with mountains, lakes and rivers in stunning array. Not much snow yet at lower elevations and unusually warm temperatures.

The route west from here is one of the lowest if not the lowest pass through the Rocky Mtn. and mostly downhill into BC. Just by "coincidence."

Thanks to Don Laird I'm also getting more media exposure. Talked to two student groups here today and have other contacts ahead. It has been truly amazing to see how this is unfolding. I'm meeting the people who can help and are jazzed about what I'm trying to do in creating an International Ride for the Planet Day.

In the coming year, at least, the focus will be on climate change and the importance of bringing global emissions of CO2 down to safe limits for the planet (350ppm scientists tell us). I have mentioned this before.

It is going very well. Got to run. Happy Gobble, Gobble day to all!

A Little Further Down The Road

2009-11-22T10:49:00.003-09:00

Peace Rider: Hey, Joe you out there? Where are you when I need you! I've got a story to tell.

Friend: Well, I'm still here what's up?

PR I headed out of Ft. St John on the morning of 11/14 from the home of Sandra Weibe and David Dyck, my generous Warm Showers Hosts, well rested and ready to hit the road.

F So no problems en route to Dawson Creek I assume?

PR No problems, a couple of killer grades beyond Taylor climbing out of the Peace River Valley and again south of the Kiskatinaw River crossing. I arrived in Dawson Creek the second day in late morning and headed for the Greyhound Bus station. I had a box of food forwarded to me via Greyhound from Watson Lake, with a note to hold for my arrival in Dawson Creek. No problem right?

F Right, so what happened?

PR When I got to the station it was closed on Sundays between ll:00 AM and 3:30 PM. Rats, I thought, not going to get out of town until late if at all. I had food to buy and time to kill which I did. I returned to the station a little before reopening. Tim the agent arrived a few minutes early to open up. Great, I'll get my box and hit the road. It didn't turn out that way. Herein is a tale.

F Let's hear it.

PR I handed Tim the receipt for my box of food only to be told Don Ross had picked up his box. You've got to be kidding, I said. He wasn't kidding. No phone number was on the box so they called the Don Ross listed in the phone book and he came and got my box. Now what are the chances of that?

I was not at all happy with this turn of events as you might imagine and said so. But I didn't get angry or any of those other possible emotions that can rise to the surface.. Well, Tim said he'd call Don and try to recover my wayward parcel of food. He did that and Skye-Ann his daughter answered the phone. Don was out so she took the message. Nothing for me to do but wait. Forget about leaving Dawson Creek this day. It was starting to get dark by this time.

Sometime later Don calls back and talks to Tim. He has my box and said he'd bring it in. Wonderful! But his place was a 45 minute drive north of town. More waiting. In the meantime I'm thinking I need a place to stay for the night. I'll ask Don if I can camp out in his yard for the night. Don arrived with my box and I talked to him. Sure he says you can stay at my place you don't need to camp out. Great!

F So why didn't he just return the box when he discovered it wasn't his.

PR It turns out as Don explained that his dad's name is Dan and he drives a truck up and down the Alaska Highway for Lynden Transport. So Don didn't catch the name difference and thought it was a box his dad had sent him. He called his dad but he was out of town driving so didn't catch up with him until a few days before I showed up in Dawson Creek. He thought then to wait until his dad came through town and they could maybe figure it out together.

F. But then you showed up and the puzzle was solved, right?

PR Right, I got my box, and had a place to stay for the night. Don dropped me at the Greyhound Bus station on his way to work early the next morning. He also made some valuable suggestion for routes into the States.

But you know there is a reason for everything even though it may not be readily apparent. I didn't know in the midst of things why I was being delayed in Dawson Creek through some very unusual circumstances. That evening it started to snow which continued through the night. By morning the roads were covered in 8 to 10 inches of new snow, the shoulders unplowed.

If I had left town when I had planned I would have been caught out on the road in a snow storm. Being delayed saved me from that. I decided again to take the bus south and get to where I could safely cycle again which put me into Whitecourt late that day.

F So you're in Edson, eh?

PR Yeah, and that's an interesting story in itself. I had just turned onto Highway 32 to Edson from Whitecourt when up ahead I see a Halliburton facility on my right. And I thought about Dick Cheney, ex CEO of Halliburton and how lacking in understanding he was in believing the end justifies the means. The means and end are one. It is why Jesus said turn the other cheek. He understood that violence only leads to more of the same because at a fundamental level we are all connected. He was also mistaken in believing that power over is greater than power with. All things including ourselves are connected. This is not well appreciated.

F. So then what?

PR No sooner had those thought come and gone than just off to the side of the Halliburton gate a car pulls over and a man gets out waiting for me to cycle up. Don Laird introduces himself and wants to know what I'm up to. I explain and it doesn't escape me that in front of Dick Cheney's former employer, Halliburton, I'm telling Don that my motivation for this ride is the Way of Peace which is the Way of Love. Don said he planned to make a coast to coast cycling trip next summer and peppered me with questions.

At the end of it Don says look him up when I get to Edson if I need a place to stay. The timing worked out. I called Don and I'm now at his place in Edson after a day and a half on the road from Whitecourt. Lots of good food, generous hospitality and just as important conversation about ways of building momentum for creating a Ride for the Planet day in the spring.

F So it sounds like you are pretty pleased with all these developments. Where to next?

PR You bet, one of the joys of this trip is meeting people and making new friends. Next stop is Exchange Ranch just outside Hinton and after that Jasper Park.

I am stopping at Exchange Range to meet several people there suggested by Connie Friend whom I met in Tok, Alaska. It's the reason I planned my route to pass by Hinton.

More on that down the road. Ciao!

On the Road from Fort Saint John: more conversation

2009-11-18T14:07:00.004-09:00

11/14/09 Ft. St. John, BC, AM

Peace Rider: Hey Joe, fancy meeting up with you again. You dogg'in my heels, keeping track of my whereabouts?

Friend: Yeah, something like that, want to see you get down the Highway safely. It's late to be making like a snow bunny.

PR I know. There have been times I've asked myself if I can really pull this off especially at the end of the day when it's all I can do to put one foot in front of the other. But then I remind myself it's just one day at a time, sometimes just one hill at a time. I'll keep on crank'in awhile yet.

F. So you took the bus from Watson Lake after all?

PR Boy am I glad I did that as it turned out. The Highway between Watson Lake and Ft. Nelson was not well plowed off.

It was an "eye opener," literally, a red eye special via Greyhound. The passing hills and valleys were bathed in the soft light of a full moon under crystal clear sky - when I cracked an eyelid to look.

The bus pulled a freight trailer behind it, a different wrinkle. The driver dropped me 20 miles south of Ft. Nelson and John Brucker met me at the Highway at 4 AM. Both very much appreciated.

It was great to reconnect again after an eight years lapse. I also met Vi for Violet for the first time. Both are widowers. She and her husband lived for many years on a trap line near the mouth of the Liard and Ft. Nelson Rivers.

John raises about 100 head of cattle on roughly 2000 acres with help from his son. But as only he can colorfully put it, it's not a money making proposition. His son works in the oil patch to make a go of it. Likes to hunt and is off to Iran, maybe about now to hunt sheep.

As I mentioned before we met more than 40 years ago when they were living in a cabin at the mouth of the South Nahanni R. I stopped there in a Folbot on my first long boating adventure in the North.

F So when did you leave Ft. Nelson?

PR I left John and Vi's place mid-day on Thursday 11/5/09. With me was a weeks worth of brownies made from scratch, my very favorite. Vi baked them up for me just before I left. They were worth waiting for, a nice treat. I ran out just short of Ft. Saint John where I'm at now. I also had about 10 days worth of food to make the roughly 260 mile trip.

F You've been in Ft. Saint John for some time?

PR No, I just arrived yesterday, after a week on the road. I'm staying with another Warm Showers host family who graciously opened their door for me. I'm the first cyclist they've hosted. Sandra and Dave just moved here in June but have also done long distance cycling . She's in residency training at the local hospital and Dave is a stay at home dad taking care of their two children. Another is on the way.

F How was your week on the road from Ft. Nelson?

PR In some ways this was my toughest stretch yet with many up and downs to negotiate. A 30 mile day was a good one for me. The terrain gradually rises from Ft. Nelson then falls away again to the Peace R. plateau but with few flat stretches in between. You don't think much about it in a car but it's huge on a bicycle. The distant mountains also receded to a memory.

The Sikanni Chief grade south of the river was especially challenging. I walked a portion but I'm not at all certain it's any easier, just different. Crank 40 revs, stop, rest, four breaths, crank 40, stop, rest etc. until on top. Over 40 stops on this one not including the on foot portion. One in the Yukon was close to this long and steep as well. No one stopped to offer me a Granola bar this time.

There was also a lot more truck traffic on the road, logging truck and trucks servicing the oil patch gas field developments common along this stretch of highway.

Road conditions were not too bad however. I was three days on studded tires then switched to touring tires with the Highway dry and snow free. Shoulders were patchy ice covered to dry.

I didn't see much wildlife on this stretch but what I did see was different than further north, four whitetailed deer in different places and two cow elk. Many tracks of caribou, a few moose and a couple of wolves along the road but nothing standing therein.

F Anything else you have to report?

PR Yeah, sometimes it's the little things that turn out to be those special grace filled moments. Etched in time and memory but not fully appreciated or savored except in reflection.

F. Tell me about it.

PR Water in a non-solid state had become a problem so I was stopping during the day where I could to fill my gallon jug before the light faded away and I made camp.

A couple of days out of Ft. St. John I stopped at the Wonowon gas station, motel and grocery for water. I usually try to find a place to lean my bike against rather than laying it over. In this case there was a huge backhoe in front with its bucket on the ground that made for a perfect rest while I went inside. I noticed a black cat resting on its haunches in front of the bucket as I approached. It scurried off as I got closer. I didn't think much more about it. A fleeting thought came. My grandmother would have said don't let that black cat cross your path.

Inside with water in hand I paused before going outside again when one of the men seated nearby said it looks like your bicycle has been invaded by cats. Say what?

There in a rare unposable moment were three black cats all sitting atop my bicycle. Two were kittens, perhaps half grown, one straddling the handle bars and one on the frame with mom crouched on my seat. I shooed them away. But you know, if I'd had the presence of mind I'd have paused to savor the specialness of that happening. It was the highlight of my week on the road as I look back.

Then there was the red backed vole that scurried across the snow from its hole headed my way as I stood beside my bike for a roadside snack break, changed it's mind when it saw the "incredible hulk" looming, reversed course and galloped back to dive in its hole again.

How many moments do we miss in life that are really special when we're too preoccupied with other concerns and not fully living in the moment? It was a good reminder for me to savor the time at hand as it comes. It's often the small things that make life worthwhile.

F What next for you?

PR I leave this morning for Dawson Creek then on to Grand Prairie and Hinton. I certainly have enjoyed my time with Sandra Weibe and David Dyck, young Greta and Ruben. The rest was welcome and needed, their kindness and gracious hospitality much appreciated.

Ate a proxima vez!

From Watson Lake - More Conversation

2009-11-05T08:17:00.002-09:00

10/31/09 Watson Lake Update

Wow! The snow is falling heavy here this AM but it's not as windy. My host family is away caribou hunting. This is the last day of the season.

I found a snow shovel but I'm considering I may need to get down the road a little faster and ahead of full blown winter so may take the bus at least to Ft. Nelson and see how it is from there.

11/1/09 Watson Lake

Snow stopped and even a little sunshine this afternoon. My hosts are away getting swine flu shots. Decided I will take the bus to Ft. Nelson after all and spent a few days with my friend John Brucker. I leave tomorrow evening.

When I first met him and his young family they were living in a cabin at the mouth of the South Nahanni R. I wanted to see, if possible, this "Dangerous River," that R. M. Patterson described and I had read about. I chose a route beginning near Ft. Nelson that would at least take me by the mouth of the South Nahanni R. on the way to the Mackenzie. At that time there was no road connecting the AK Highway with Ft. Simpson that passes near the mouth of the South Nahanni R.

I ended up staying with them a few days. As it turned out he helped me and several other river travelers I met there find a river boat we could use that would get us up the South Nahanni to Virginia Falls.

This was my first BIG river adventure in the north by kayak, a Folbot as it was called. We made it but walked the last eight miles to the Falls. The river was still running high from breakup. The whitewater at Hell's Gate was impressive and intimidating. We elected to walk from there.

Later the Bruckers moved from the Nahanni to Ft. Nelson. I've visited them several times since. His wife Marge has passed. He lives alone now but one of his sons lives nearby.

Friend You know you we were going to have a conversation about the boat that shows up in your blog and your bike gear.

Peace Rider Let's do it, I have some time. Usually when I hit town I'm really tired and need to rest. Then I need to round up more food and sometimes fuel for my alcohol stove which doesn't leave a lot of spare time to just kick back.

PR How about bicycle gear first.

F Okay!

PR My bike is nothing special, a 24 speed Giant Mountain bike with disc brakes. In Homer I got a good deal on a used B.O.B (trailer) with a rear shock absorber from Cycle Logistics. The B.O.B comes with a waterproof carrying bag which is big enough for food, tent, collapsible stove and fuel.

On top of that I carry lighter weight gear like sleeping bag and winter coat in another waterproof bag. In all between 60 and 70 pounds in the B.O.B with more winter clothing in side panniers hanging from a rear bike rack. On top of that, In a day pack behind the seat I carry miscellaneous gear plus two quart water bottles in insulate sleeves filled with hot water, actually boiled in the AM for the days run.

Even getting up at 5:30 AM it takes me three hours to get ready, packed up and ready to go when there is enough daylight to cycle. I can cook on the wood stove but to boil enough water I usually have to use the alcohol stove for the final temperature rise.

I have a pair of Schwalbe Marathon XR touring tires and a pair of studded tires with extra tubes.

F You've talked about your tipi tent before, what's that like?

PR My tent is great. It is a four man, floor less tipi tent made by Kifaru, the smallest tipi tent they make. But it's big enough for me and all my gear including bicycle and B.O.B. I added a small ground cloth for laying my sleeping bag and air mattress on. The best feature is a fireproof ring near the top for a stovepipe from a cleverly designed collapsible stainless steel stove. I added a frost liner and a collapsible hand saw for the stove. Tent and stove are in the 10 to 15 pound range.

I wouldn't have attempted a trip this late in the year without it. I've cold camped enough to know it can be rough.

What else? Winter clothing and sleeping bag of course but one of my best investments was an air mattress with a built in hand pump. Pat and Kathy suggested I get one. It's Swiss made, I think, but rolls into a small relatively light weight bundle that is really comfortable when your body needs a good rest. No moisture gets inside with the built in hand pump. An A + for this one although one of the tubes has now partially separated under continuous use.

A Black Diamond head lamp with two intensities and battery pack is another valuable addition. I usually wake up in the dark and go to bed in the dark. To save battery power I also use a candle.

F How about your boat?

PR Do you want the long or the short spiel?

F Let's try for the shorter version. I know this is one of your passions.

PR Okay, I'll try. The photo you see is of me leaving the Homer boat harbor in early June in Wave Dancer, a homemade dory I made several years before over several winters. My friends Tom Irons and Jean Aspen saw me off and took the photo.

F So what's it made of.

PR The hull is 1/4," 5 ply marine grade plywood covered with epoxy coated fiberglass inside and out. It's a few inches shy of 20 feet.

I had built several river dories before and knew that in general it's a very seaworthy design.

I found this Ed Davis designed "Camp Cruising Surf Dory" in a WoodenBoat magazine article. I bought a set of plans from him. I modified the design further at his suggestion adding a narrow deck around the gunwales and a motor well. The latter was my idea after I figured out a way to sleep aboard on a collapsible wooden bench suspended between the three seats.

Sorry, this may be more than you care to hear about but there may be some boat aficionados out there who may be interested.

Over the open part of the boat I made a tent canopy supported by three rigid aluminum tent frames, bent to shape, that come apart, held together by bungee cords similar to a backpacking tent. The bottom of the tent canopy fastens with snaps to a raised coaming along the deck edge.

F Enough already, so where did you go?

PR I was headed for Seward around the outer coast of the Kenai Peninsula. It was my first long solo trip in Wave Dancer. I was a bit apprehensive about it all. But it was also a kind of vision quest for me. What is it I'm supposed to do with he rest of my life kind of thing?

Peace Rider was already in the back of my mind.

F You obviously made it, so how was it?

PR You know it turned out to be one of the best trips I've ever taken all all levels, spectacular scenery, seals, sea otters, whales, Dall porpoise and sea birds of many kinds. Thrown in were some really challenging sea conditions rounding the three outer capes en route. I was weathered in in three different places waiting for sea and wind conditions to moderate.

I also discovered that once you round the bottom end of the Peninsula and head northeast again you leave the big boat fishing traffic out of Homer behind. With gas prices high it gets expensive the further you go.

My boat may be slow, at 4 1/2 knots with a 5 hp, 4 stroke Honda but it's also very economical plus I was able to sail when wind conditions were right, roughly 1/3 of the time as it turned out.

From there past Gore Point and much closer to Seward the coast is wild and little visited. Much of it is in protected land status. It was great!

F Weren't you afraid being out there by yourself?

PR You know the dory design is just incredible. It may be a small open boat but it's amazingly seaworthy being double ended and round bottomed. Even under the roughest conditions when I was getting bashed about I never felt in danger of capsize.

My experience of the boat was much the same as designer Ed Davis who sailed his "Tropic Bird" in the Bahamas.

You know I also felt cared for on this journey as well. Looking back now I can see this was also happening at a younger age when I was less appreciative and aware.

F What did you mean when you said it was the best trip on all levels?

PR I'll share one experience I've shared with some others that was really special. I was heading east just out of Thunder Bay after being weathered in there for several days. This part of the coast is exposed to the open ocean and of heart rending beauty, shear rock walls rising out of the sea a thousand feet and more, I judged. Cliffs that sea birds just love. The sea had flattened and puffins and others paddled out of the way as I motored slowly by these bird rich cliffs.

Up ahead, high, I noticed two donut ring contrails separated by some distance. Hmm, holding patterns of some sort, at least 29,000 feet I knew from prior experience. Odd, it was a long way from Anchorage air traffic, still... It was a bit of a puzzle.

When I looked up again the two patterns had merged edge to edge forming a figure eight laying on its side. Curious. More hmm. The it came to me, the sign for infinity, that which is everlasting and eternal, a reflection again of that which is unnameable and indescribable, the Great Mystery.

Then as I continued my path and the symbol merged. It seemed to me then and now that it was an affirmation of our essential Oneness with that which is greater than self and known by many names. Wow, words fail at such moments!

When I awoke the next day in Crater Lake Cove it was to a gorgeous crystal clear and dead calm morning. A seal head popped into view and disappeared. I was unfastening my tent when I looked up and saw contrails from a military tanker. Behind it were four fighters closing in to hook up for refueling. This was the likely source of the donut hole contrails the day before. Tankers often set up a circular holding pattern somewhere expected to wait for their "customers."

Yet that which is eternal and everlasting had used what we consider power in human terms, but impermanent, to show where true and everlasting power lies, so it seemed to me.

It wasn't the only event of this kind but as I said before it's there if we have eyes to see and look deeper than form.

PR This is already overlong so let's bring this to a close and give readers a break.

F Sure!

PR Before I go though, I wanted to give a special thanks to Barry and Susan Drury (see the photo at the start of this post) in Watson Lake for hosting me, a place of peace and rest in the midst of a literal storm.

Until next time.

A Continuing Conversation - Part 3

2009-11-05T07:57:00.003-09:00

Friend I passed you in a snow storm heading into Watson Lake yesterday. Are you crazy?

Peace Rider What can I say. Early winter finally caught up with me. Somewhere along the way it was bound to happen.

It was clouding over late the day before. A front passed in the night, wind and snow coming with it. I had two choices, stay in camp and possibly be snow bound or hit the road while I still could. Another consideration, my food supply was dwindling. In the AM the road was still passable so I hit the road with about 30 miles to go. I switched back to studded tires. The road was mostly snow free and good going on faster touring tires to this point.

F So where are you hanging out in Watson Lake?

PR My Whitehorse friends Ken and Wendy helped me find a "Warm Showers" family in Watson Lake that host cyclists like myself. I'm the oldest and probably latest to show up. I called Susan and Barry Drury from Teslin and left a message that I was coming. I did not want to show up unexpectedly. I was profoundly grateful to have a place to rest.

You know I feel really cared for and looked after on this journey.

F How so?

PR I was just a few kilometers down the road from camp when who should pass and stop but Susan and Barry. They were out caribou hunting and introduced themselves as my host family. They had gotten my message. They were going to be out a few more hours and said they would catch up with me later and give me a ride into Watson Lake. Just short of the junction with the Cassiar Highway Susan caught up with me again. I was still 13 miles from town.

Barry had stayed with another friend to continue hunting. At Susan's suggestion I gave her my heaviest gear which freed me to pedal the remaining distance less encumbered. More snow was accumulating on the road too. It was a BIG help. The last two pitches between the Liard R. crossing to Watson Lake were really long, steep and draining. As usual, plenty tired by the time I topped the hill and hit WL.

F You know there aren't many folks of your vintage on a winter camping trip by bicycle.

PR Vintage, true, but you know our bodies are amazing and will do what we ask if we take care of them. But I also realize to make it I need to take periodic breaks especially after a week on the road with 30 and 40 mile days.

F So it took you a week to make it from Whitehorse to Watson Lake?

PR Yeah, I got a late start from Whitehorse when I left on Thursday with a photo op at the Klondike River boat thanks to Ken and Wendy. I made it about eight miles out of town that day and had another day when I ran into rain and mixed rain and snow when I literally got stopped in my tracks.

F How so?

PR There's more to the leaving Whitehorse story.

F. Okay?

PR You remember I mentioned in my last blog of meeting John Harding at Goodies Gas stop on the outskirts of Whitehorse?

F Vaguely.

PR Well, he had been kind enough to call Beez Kneez Hostel for me from there to find out if they were open for business. They were and I needed a place to stay. As it turned out there was a place for me at the Whitehorse Oblate Center with Father Veyrat my old French priest friend from Ross River. I didn't know it until I stopped there to see him.

F Then what?

PR As I was setting up camp about a mile from the turnoff to Skagway who should drive down the unmarked road just as I was setting up camp but John Harding. It turns out he was driving south on the Highway when he spotted what looked like a briefcase. He turned around only to find it was a pillow. He saw this road and decided to explore where it went. Most roads he told me are private drives. He said he had looked for me at the Hostel but I wasn't there and was left wondering what happened to me.

This was a kindness repaid in a special way.

F You were going to tell me about getting stopped.

PR Yeah, I was a couple of days out of Whitehorse when it started to rain then mixed rain and snow. I still had touring tires on and was trying to push my bike up a steep hill through slush. It balled up on the front disc brakes then froze. The front wheel literally wouldn't turn and it was also slipping. I took the hint. I was wet. It was time to stop. I got the wheel unstuck and reluctantly headed back down to look for a camp site.

At the bottom I found a snow free place barely big enough for my tent to fit in between the spruce trees. I walked downhill on the north side of the road to find water plus dry firewood. I was in the tent starting to get dried out early in the afternoon. That day I only made 12 miles. A heated tent is a life saver under these conditions.

F How was the road after that?

PR I switched over to studded tires before breaking camp the next day. I can do this inside my tent which is a huge plus.

I made it up and over the icy grade where I was stopped the day before. But in a few miles I had a mostly snow free road again. I didn't stop to switch tires but did so the day after with the road mostly clear.

F How was this leg compared to the one into Whitehorse?

PR Definitely more demanding, more hills to get up and over with conditions turning more wintry. Luckily I was able to do most of it on touring tires. There was also more snow on the ground after I crossed the Continental Divide.

The kindness of strangers is a reoccurring theme, welcome and very gratifying. Kamil Skurka from Anchorage stopped. He was headed to Cleveland to live closer to his daughter. Wanted to know what I was doing and took photos. He said he had paid off his debts in two years and was going south with money in the pocket and a waiting job with good pay.

Two hunters, Wolf and Terry, on their way back home at Marsh Lake stopped when I was on a long grade with gifts of juice, granola bars and conversation. They had gotten a caribou from the Little Rancheria herd, saw me on the way down.

You know the road is so much different now than when I first drove down it on a motorcycle a long time ago. I still had a full head of hair and it was red in those days. The road was still mostly unpaved then, not as straight or even of grade and a dust bowl. Some of the charm and adventure of it all are gone.

But one thing hasn't changed much over the years and that's the wild beauty of the country flanking the road. It's still a stunningly beautiful setting to immerse oneself in day after day.

Just as I was breaking camp one day about half way down Teslin Lake a skein of tundra swans flew over, back lit, just as the sun broke the horizon, calling. Special moments. Getting out of the country ahead of the snow. I was a bit envious.

I heard swans calling from another camp by Swan Lake still unfrozen. I think it was the same day I also saw three trumpeter swans still on a lake. They are the last to leave ahead of freeze up, late in coming this year. Their young cygnets mature late.

The same day I'm pedalling up a not so steep grade when a white van pulls off on the shoulder ahead of me and stops. Then it moves on up to the top of the hill. Considerate I thought. A man gets out carrying a bottle of water. When I get closer he yells can you use a drink of water. Sure, I say. He says he never passes up a cyclist without stopping to offer something. He said he tries to make a long distance cycling tour every year somewhere.

He gave me a couple of web sites that will be helpful in route planning in the States, Adventure Cycling being one of them and Guy On a Bike the other. It was John Harris from Anchorage, a 27 year retired AK State Trooper as it turned out. He was on his way to Whistler, BC for a singing engagement of some sort then to Bellingham, WA.

But here's the remarkable part. He knew and was also friends of Pat and Kathy from freespirtwear in Homer and found so helpful with my trip planning. He'd been in Pat's Anchorage bike shop and got to know them before Pat sold his business. I also learned that Pat had an illness that compelled him to sell. I was sad to hear that.

Here I am on the road a long way from anywhere, meeting up with a stranger only to find we have mutual friends and learn of something I was not aware of before. So it has been since I assumed the mantle of Peace Rider.

There is a harmony to events that seems to come when your life aligns with divine intention.

F So what are your plans now?

PR It looks like I will end up staying put for at least another day until the snow stops and the road gets plowed off. I'm also in the market for a light weight snow shovel. Got to git.

In Whitehorse

2009-10-22T08:02:00.007-08:00

Arrived here (Whitehorse) 10/19 after getting a fourth grade education (pushed bike up four grades) very tired. Before I say more wanted to thank all of you who are praying for me and concerned about my welfare on the road. I am very grateful for that support and remain healthy and in good spirits.

The other thank you goes to Ed Debevec and Jackie for their continued support and help in setting up the blog, thank yous I did not extend at the outset as intended. And thanks to Ken Madsen for the photo you see to the left.

It is very satisfying at this point knowing that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing whatever the shape the final results may take. It also occurred to me that it is also my privilege to share when asked the Way of Peace which is the way of Love as the motivational force behind this ride. The way of Love in this sense is for the highest good of the other which may at time require tough love. The other continued welfare of all of life on the planet which will be seriously threatened if emissions of CO2 gases are checked then reversed. The hour glass is already approaching empty and we have yet to act.

In that sense it is very similar to what Peace Pilgrim shared on her journeys. This honors for me the source from which the action regarding climate change arose.

A Continuing Conversation

2009-10-22T07:55:00.003-08:00

Friend. So how was it from Destruction Bay to Whitehorse.

Peace Rider: You know Ì'm blessed to be doing this but this stretch of highway was the roughest yet weather wise. At the end of the day past D Bay my legs were jello, 20 kt headwinds for about 10 miles south, grades were gentle but pumping all the way. After that the wind gradually subsided as I turned the corner and crossed Slims R. by Sheep Mountain.

To paraphrase Red Green, I discovered the handy bikers secret hideaway in a headwind - culverts, dry this time of year, a four footer for one snack break and a six footer for another.

After the first, Trudy, a native woman from Burwash Landing stopped to asked if I was okay. She had seen me on the road earlier.

And you know when I was entering Whitehorse days later a red car pulls in front of me and stops. It was Trudy again. She was glad to see I had made it and I her. I had taken an alternate, short cut route into town at the suggestion of John Harding whom I had met at Goodies Gas and Laundromat on the outskirts of town. Reinforces for me once again there are no coincidences in life.

I had stuck up a conversation with John while he waited for his laundry to get done and I made phone calls.

Lived on a mining claim out of Whitehorse and had another near Dawson. Had lived in a tent through forty below and knew how to get by. One of those people you meet and just like and connect with.

Oh, yeah besides culverts, found a Canadian dollar in the gravel just past Soldiers Summit where US Army Engineers and workers met at the end of eight months of construction of the AK Highway during WWII. New road wider and faster but has lost something of the charm. Passed up a fine looking set of needle nose pliers. Road treasures.

F You had any snow yet?

PR Boy, did I. A front moved through during the night after I made camp south of Kluane Lake the same day out of D Bay. The weather had been clear as a bell, temps still above freezing but not much. By Christmas Creek a few miles down the road from camp it was snowing lightly and sticking.

Seven flocks of tundra swans in vee formation pasted overhead as I was walking my load up the hill. Ducks were also on the lam southbound. Oh, for a set of wings.

Several thousand duck were ashore or rafted up on the south end of Kluane Lake when I passed and stopped for water the day before. They were sheltered, out of the wind as was I, finally. Part of this lot southbound.

F How much snow did you have?

PR Well, it tapered off by afternoon but there was two to three inches of loose snow on the shoulders and hard packed on the main road from passing traffic. Ended up changing to studded tires in a snow storm out of the wind by a lake, north side of road.

Should have changed sooner. Touring tires slick as grease under these conditions.

F How far did you get that day?

PR Turned out after Christmas Creek the terrain gently falls away to Haines Junction, something you don`t pay much attention to in a car. So I was a bit surprised to be on the outskirts of Haines Junction by quitting time.

F Aren`t bears still out and about this time of year?

PR I thought they`d be getting sleepy, ready to den up by now but not so. Temps still mild.

Just before making camp after leaving D Bay a local dump truck driver stops down the road from me and backs up to tell me he had just seen a brown bear in the tree line up ahead. Bears do their thing and keep on ambling looking for food. I wasn`t on this one`s menu and never saw it but looked and kept on cranking down the road before camping.

The kindness of strangers has been a reoccurring theme and joy of this ride. Having Peace Rider, Burn Fat Not Oil definitely attracts attention as it was meant to.

F I thought you were thinking about taking the ferry from Haines?

PR Yeah, I had thought about it. Probably easier in the long run. But I have friends in Whitehorse and in Ft. Nelson that I wanted to see. Road conditions were manageable and snow was beginning to melt off the road so I turned left instead of right at the Junction.

Heard swans in the distance from camp, a few duck flew by as well. I headed out of town after making calls and buying groceries.

A few miles out of Haines J., Glen Hurlburt pulls up in front of me and stops his dual wheel diesel powered truck. Another cycler, has a local wood cutting business it turns out. Handed me $20.00 for the cause. Surprises on the road.

Further on Norbert and his partner stop in front of me and give me candy and an apple. Welcome relief from my boring fare.

On this trip I eat to live not live to eat, a fat rich diet. Cari F`s king salmon strips keep me going during a day's ride. They didn`t quite make it to their spawning grounds this far south but their essence gives me energy to make the same journey.

F Anything else happen of note?

PR Inevitably I crossed paths with someone who took exception to what I was doing.

Stopped at the Takahini rest stop for a break. An older man and wife, retired Alaskans heading to Parker, AZ, snowbirds. He wore a ball cap with a Southern Air transport logo on the front. Asked him about it, had jarred a distant memory from my military days. It is the airline of the CIA. War is good for business and good for the CIA. He said they are running a fleet of 747's into Afghanistan. His son works for SA.

Told him what I was doing. He actually got quite angry over that and some observations I made about the war. Went on a rant. Walked away and said I was all wet! A good opportunity to be fully present and practice non-violent communication skills. I'm working on it. Likely not the first dissenting voice I'll hear, part of the journey. Wished him a nice trip.

F How in the world did you end up at the Oblate Center in Whitehorse. Huh?

PR Therein is a tale but will make it brief. Many years earlier on other northern adventures by boat or kayak in the Yukon I had met Father Pierre Veyrat at Ross River. He was a French Oblate priest who had come to the Yukon as a young man and ran the Catholic mission there for 40 years. We shared a love of the outdoors and building river boats. We exchanged Christmas cards over the years and I visited him off and on over the years.

At 86, he is retired and moved to the Oblate retirement center in Whitehorse about a year and a half ago. On an earlier summer trip to Skagway this year I had stopped to see him. I did so now on a bike and found a welcome refuge and place to rest before heading on down the road.

I`ve got to git. But before I do wanted to mention I connected with Ken Madsen and family here. I had flown them into the Arctic Refuge when I still had a flying business. They are avid cyclers and made a long cycling trip last year to promote bird conservation.

Malcom their son had recently biked to Ottowa on a similar ride for the planet type of trip to stress the need for the Canadian government to address CO2 emissions. We're on the same wavelength.

F Anything else?

PR Yes, I especially wanted to thank all of you who are supporting my ride with your prayers and concern for my welfare. It helps and is deeply appreciated. I remain healthy and getting toughed up in the right places - where backside meets saddle.

And a big thank you to my good friends Ed and Jackie Debevec for their support and Ed`s expertise in setting up the blog for this ride.

Gracias a todos!

On the road from Destruction Bay, Yukon Terr.

2009-10-15T08:11:00.003-08:00

10/14/09 km 1725 to about km 1685 Destruction Bay, YT (about 24 miles)

Arrived here mid-afternoon. A rest, shower and laundry in about that order beckoned so checked in to the Talbot Arms Motel.

Getting toughened up from the constant riding but the last two day gave me a real lashing, literally. South wind blowing 15 to 20. Didn't get out of lowest gears all day. From about Burwash Creek on to D Bay grades gentle but into a headwind. Give this aging body rest. But it's hard in a good way. Not unexpected for a long trip of this sort still whipped today. Head down, plow into the wind.

More head down plowing today 10/15, strong wind again from south, why they call it Destruction Bay I was told. Finish this off before leaving my comfy digs.

10/12/09 Mile 1223 to km 1860 just past Beaver Creek

Kindness of strangers struck me today. Just as I was rolling up to the highway from camp a camper truck stops. Man walks toward me with a plastic bag. Is he looking for a bush to get behind, an errant thought. No, he had a bag of goodies for me, a banana, two Matsu apples, candy and cashews, yum yum. It was Eric Hollerback from ANC (Anchorage). Said he biked in Asia and wanted to repay kindness shown him on the road. Magnificent. Ferrying truck south then seven months in Asia, Nepal?

Birds again calling during the night, headed south, passing in AM also. Thought these were white-fronted geese. Later in day got a closer look and they were tundra swans. Bike fell over when I stopped to look. Balance tricky with a load I have discovered.

Setting up camp on hard ground just off north side of road a Mountie passed heading in direction of Beaver Creek but doesn't stop. Sign at pullout says no overnight camping with red slash through camper symbol. Nothing about bicycles I reason. I was again done in at this point needed to stop. A sigh of relief.

Later the same Mountie, presumably, returns with family. Is he going to evict me I'm thinking. I ask. No, he was just checking on me. Wanted to know if I was doing okay, did I need anything? Rest I replied. Welcome to Canada!

Km 1860 to km 1788, past Koidern but short of Pine Valley (about 43 miles)

At km 1812, a date in history to remember, I'm feeling the need to take a rest break when a man in a green tee shirt yells at me from a cabin north side of road. "Want a cup of tea." Sure and into his driveway I went and met Donald, aka Don Lajoie a French Canadian Yukoner. Lives simply by himself, needed to talk more than me, no problem. Three large picture windows one facing road. Saw me passing. One sophisticated cabin, solar powered, satellite TV and phone. Retired from Shakwak Project, AK Highway construction. Gave up car he said because he can borrow from nearby outfitter and friend anytime. Worked at Talbot Motel in D Bay for the summer, made enough, never had to touch retirement money. Live simply to simply live.

Everything has consequences he said, people need to wake up to that. Other more colorful language followed. A joy to make his acquaintance. Loves flying, my background, we hit it off.

A tea and pee break, hot water in bottles thanks to another Don, then "hit the road Jack."

This day did not get much education. Only to first grade. Mind games. Each hill I have to walk begins another school day. A passing grade on the other side. Don't seem to get it right keep repeating grades.

Stars out in awesome array after dark. No light pollution here. Who who, who who from owl.

10/13/09 km 1788 to 1725 Sakiw Creek north of Burwash Landing.

Foggy in AM but clear later in day, temps in 40's.

At km 1777, 5 trumpeter swans in a pond. Also saw first bear tracks on road, a blacky. Not fresh but should be sleepy and hanging around den, not out and about. Worrisome.

More of an education today passed the 5th, a struggle.

Km 1756 stopped to rest on third or fourth grade, not far south of Donjek R. bridge. Love these wide expansive flood plains taken at a very slow speed.

Past a barely noticed scat pile walking then another where I stopped a few feet beyond. Then yapping starts nearby, north of road. I howl, more like a croak from not speaking, more yapping, howl again - silence. Wolves no friend of coyotes. Cars passing, missing natures wonders.

Eight grouse, unidentified fly land up ahead km 1745. So goes my day.

Sawkiw Creek south side pullout looks like camp. Stop in road to crane neck to see sign on north side, bike falls over. Great, just what I needed at end of day. No traffic in sight. Ground hard. Have to use steel spike to make pilot holes. Tent set over less then foot high spruce trees. Nice, didn't have to kill anything to fit in this place. Why don't we do more to accommodate nature than the other way around?

Technology separates us from nature, labels separate us from one another and distractions of all sorts separate us from the moment, the only place where the sacred is found.

10/14/09 Sawkiw Creek km 1725 to 1685 D Bay. More from next stop. Where?

October 11 Update from the Road

2009-10-12T07:50:00.003-08:00

10/09/09 Left Tok Mile 1414 in midafternoon got to Mile 1400 just past Tetlin Junction. A no water camp. Really beat. A low point on the trial so far. A female Marsh Hawk flew by headed down Road before got to the Tok R. Bridge, then a cross fox came to the south side of the road. Went back when he saw me. Workers on new bridge across Tanana. Should have asked for water there.

10/10/09 Mile 1400 to Mile 1359 Good day, but had to walk some hills. Ran out of drinking water early but five miles down road found some by a culvert. Stopped and boiled up two quarts for rest of day. Mile 1373 stopped for a break, actually bike fell over when I stopped then took a break. Between traffic, family of five coyotes crossed road. Not bothered by me. Camped just past Northway Junction, a no water camp but stopped before at Tanana River and filled gallon jug so not out. Mostly gray day, windy in AM.

10/11/09 Mile 1359 to Mile 1323 Yearling moose a few miles down road from camp. Thought it might run into road but stayed on south side. Was an oncoming car. Lots of hills, walked at least half dozen grades in part or all. After 1329 hit top of hill and last three miles to Border City Lodge gratis. Camped two miles down road from BCL. Old cabin site. Thrill of day at camp. Skein of 150 or so whitefronted geese past nearly overhead calling. Going my way. Heard more all night passing overhead when I would awaken. Warm. Back tracked to lodge to use computer and call others.

Into Canada today 10/12

A Conversation

2009-10-08T18:58:00.002-08:00

Friend (F) So what's the deal here, an early winter bike ride down the Alaska Highway going where and why? Is this an ego trip for you or what?

Peace Rider (PR) Not at all, although I have to be careful it doesn't become that. It's the last thing I expected to be doing this winter. But before I get into the "why of it" I have a few people I need to thank publicly for making it possible. My wife was not overjoyed at my going but has always come through in the end running errands, and buying and preparing food. New friends Pat Erwin and Kathy Sarns' owners of Free Spirit Wear.com in Homer made invaluable gear
suggestions. They are experienced long distance cyclists, which I am not. I am also the proud owner of a colorful buff and blue wind jacket from their shop. These happen to be the school colors of Punahoe High School on Oahu, Hawaii where I went for some of grade school. I added Peace Rider and Burn Fat Not Oil the back borrowed from another Fairbanks friend, as a fitting slogan for this ride, don't you think? Jason Tinsley, another Fairbanks friend, introduced me to Kifaru tipi tents. With a collapsible stove it takes the cold out of winter camping.

But hey this trip is not about me its about bringing people together to end the insanity and the kind of hell on earth we have created. There are many social inequities but climate change is the most urgent needing all our focused attention if we are to avoid its worst effects. Worldwide CO 2 emissions need to fall below 350 ppm, a safe level scientists tell us. National governments dither and this is unacceptable.

F So what motivated you to ride?

PR It was an inspiration, that is an in spirit prompting, the end result of a long spiritual journey with many twists and turns. I ride to honor the inspiration and the One who made it possible. This is the outward action from an inner journey. It's also necessary if we are to pull ourselves back from the brink. There are not decades remaining to make these changes.

F You mean God asked you to do it?

PR If you're implying that I'm a bit addled in the head and hearing voices you're wide of the mark. Really it's a lot more subtle than that, it is more like a thought that comes to mind then acted upon and later affirmed by circumstances and people met who can help. Those people I already mentioned, for example. I am discovering that as my life aligns more nearly with divine intention there is a harmony that arises along with a sense of inner peace.

But lets not use the God word here, it's overworked. To borrow an Ekhart Tolle quote the "the finger pointing at the moon is not the moon. The paradox here is that when you use a word with its accompanying thought to describe what we are talking about it implies there are two, the thinker and the object of thought. This creates the illusion of separation. When you use the God word or other descriptive words it cannot be that it's something else.

What we are talking about is formless, unnameable, and indescribable from our finite perspective but not unknowable. We and everything else in the universe is an expression in form of that which is formless. All of life then is a reflection of the divine and sacred. Think of it as the energy holding everything together including you and me. We are an inherent part of Universal or Source energy. We are One with it in the same sense that Jesus meant when he said I and the Father are One. Separation is the illusion and cause of all the dysfunction and insanity in our world.

F So okay but I really don't get this God stuff. If I can't see it I'm not inclined to believe it.

PR Welcome to the crowd. Your a nature lover and enjoy all the sights and sounds and beauty that's all around. Right?

F Sure.

PR Love of nature was my path to the sacred. Think of the simple beauty of the blue Forget-Me-Not flower, the AK state flower. But look deeper than the outward form. The flower form is a reflection of the that which is formless. Here especially love and beauty intertwine and point to things divine. Love is commonly understood as the essence of Universal energy. There is always more going on than meets the eye.

This is the perception shift we all need to make to throw off the yoke of our dysfunctional past and embrace Oneness. Humanity is at a crossroads and the choice of the future we wish to create is up to us. I ride with the hope that there are enough aware and like minded people out there, tired of the insanity and are ready and willing to come together under a common banner to alter course while there is still time.

F This is pretty deep stuff, did you just make this up or what?

PR None of this is new information. Others have said much the same in far more detail than we have talked about here. Check out Ekhart Tolle's writing. He's a great spiritual teacher.

F Hmm! But hey, what's this New Earth Movement thing? A movement takes a lot of people right, so how many people are in this movement.

PR I chose the name after Tolle's most recent book, A New Earth, Awakening to Your Life's Purpose. A lot of people have read his books which complements other recent works. This word choice will resonate with those who are familiar with his writing and spiritual teaching.

Fundamentally it's a shift of perspective away from the dysfunctional illusion of separation to embrace Oneness or Unity.

F This sounds like a religious movement to me with all this God talk stuff.

PR No, its not affiliated with any religious group but it has spiritual underpinnings that are necessary for any movement of this type to be successful. Nor is it a secular environmental movement lacking recognition of a sacred hand, so to speak, behind and guiding it.

F To have a movement you've got to have a cast of thousands, right? How many are in your so called Movement?

PR You're looking at him.

F You've got to be kidding. You remind me of Don Quixote tilting at windmills, except your horse is called Giant and it's a bicycle.

PR You can make fun all you like but all movements start with someone with an idea. Someone had to go first, so why not me. I couldn't just sit around and talk about it. So I'm on a bicycle headed south. I hope others will be inspired to join me along the way. The intention is to arrive in Washington, DC at a date as yet to be set, but probably in late April to urge Congress to get serious with climate change legislation. It's a little early to be date setting. I need to get a better feel for hows long it will take me to make my way south to the "lower 48."

F . This is pretty sketchy.

PR Yeah, I know, many details remain to be worked out. This all came together for me towards the end of the summer. Now I'm the only Peace Rider for the Planet, USA. With the internet it's my hope this will "go viral" and other cyclists will join me or plan there own routes to a rendevous in DC. Just imagine the spectacle and impact of one or more cyclists from each of the 50 states converging on the nations capital insisting on tough climate change legislation. It would also be way cool and colorful if we were all wearing FreeSpiritWear jackets or jerseys with Peace Rider and Burn Fat Not Oil on the back. And just imagine if all this went global on Ride for the Planet day.

This may not be enough as other movements have found. Peaceful civil disobedience may be necessary as a last resort to persuade governments and businesses to change. In the end it won't be government that saves us, it will be grassroots efforts like this that will.

F So I'm still not clear on some important details. Can anyone join in a Ride for the Planet day.

PR Yes, as long as the means of transportation is not fossil fuel powered.

F Tell, me more.

PR Okay, my hope is that following my example there will be many other Peace Riders who get on their bikes from all parts of the country and head for a rendezvous with me and many others in DC sometime in late April 2010 as I mentioned. Of course, not everyone will be able to go the entire distance. There could be relay teams. You may come by any modality of transportation that's not fossil fuel power. Many won't be able to come to DC and should plan their own events for that day as happened in 2007 with Bill McKibben's Step It Up Campaign. Maybe a demonstration at a coal fired power plant is needed, maybe a ride to local or national seat of government. Imagination is key.

If it went global there would be events in other countries insisting that their national governments adopt tough climate change legislation

Burn Fat Not Oil says it all. The goal is to bring CO2 emissions below 350 ppm which scientists say is a safe level. Check out 350.org. for more information.

This should be fun and not burdensome.

F If I drive my car to one of these events is that okay?

PR If it's the only way you can come to make your presence felt yes but car pool or use public transportation if possible. Buy meaningful carbon offsets if you must use a conventional means of
transportation.

F So would you still ride if noone came to your "parade."

PR Sure, can you think of a better way for me to spend my time? I'll be in great shape, been outdoors most of the time, not to mentioned all the new friends I am making and will make along the way. It's a great adventure. Don't be afraid to take risks with your life when opportunity knocks. Security is another grand illusion.

F Tell me more about the sail boat on your web site and the gear you have with you?

PR Let's save that for another conversation. I still have to make a few miles down the road today and it's well into the afternoon.

F Okay, Hasta Entonces (until then).

Reporting from Tok

2009-10-08T18:49:00.002-08:00

Travel Log.

Didn't make it out of Delta J until mid-afternoon but still made it to camp just south of the Black Soldiers Memorial bridge over the Gertsle R. at Mile 1393. About 43 miles in all, and mostly flat. A quarter mile walk to the river for water. That's my biggest necessity, two quarts of warm boiled water in my day pack. Long stretches without water but late in day made it to a camp just the south side of the bridge. The most pleasant surprise of the day was Heather Koponen stopping to say hello on her way back from Dot Lake. She is a traveling nurse and saw me peddling away. Her wagon had tell tale bumper stickers which look familiar until she exited the car.

In early AM, like 0300 I heard birds calling overhead, not Canada geese, most likely whitefronts although unconfirmed. No visible road carnage heading south. Walked four steep grades in PM. Maybe I will get in shape and can sail over them. They are a welcome break from flat ass syndrome I am experiencing. At one point I saw written in tar the word awesome, it made my day and brought a smile. Camped at Mile 1397 just south of the Robertson R. bridge on an access road. A mile hike down to the river for water with some bushwhacking but seeing back lit cotton grass on the river flats highlighted by the low angle sun was worth the scramble. Rain ended in early AM and had sun by afternoon. Heard more high flying geese, above clouds that rolled in. Front moved through with wind overnight. In AM was overcast but no rain. Closer to Tok the grade flattened and I arrived in early afternoon, Flock of distant swans and a vee of whitefronts heading south seen just after the last of the hills into Tok about mile 1325.

Stopped by Tetlin Refuge office to see if Tony Booth, Refuge Manager was in. Knew him from former work. He was away but met Connie Friend, knows Sean, and knew Bill Fuller and visits Nancy. She's a Refuge Info. Tech.dealing with native issues. I was looking for a computer to update my blog and asked whether the local library had one. They did and I worked there until 1700 and closing.

Connie was kind enough to offer a place to stay if I didn't make it out of town. I didn't. It was great to regroup and visit with her at her home Picked up a care package of food mailed to myself care of the local PO.

If anyone finds a beloved and cuddly box turtle in the area near her house she is anxious to have her back, named Ashi for ancestor. Escaped in July from her cage abetted by Connie's cat, maybe. Don't think of these animals as affectionate but this one was with its own personality she said.

Early PM, still in Tok trying to finish this and head out of town. Light rain and colder. Did not sleep well last night, a little too warm perhaps. Mailed left over food down the Highway for a later rendezvous. Carrying about 10 days worth of groceries. Load close to 70 pounds the BOB limit. Take all of that I imagine.

A joy to make new friends along the way but that is how my summer has gone. The people I need to help me in the journey show up when most needed. You can't give selflessly without also receiving. That's the way things work in my experience.

Peace Rider Checks In

2009-10-05T15:09:00.002-08:00

Just got a phone call from Don. He's doing well. A little tired, but then he is pulling quite the load. The first day, he got a little past Harding Lake and found a nice campsite near an old abandoned log cabin. Not too much to report other than one white snowshoe hare. A dry day, a nice camp spot, a good start to the journey.

The second day he got a little past Shaw Creek, about 16 miles from Big Delta. He related an experience of seeing a rough grouse that had just gotten hit on the highway. It was still warm so he took it with him and had his first roadkill meal that night. He says it was quite tasty. There was rain at night and he's come to appreciate his tent. It's made by Kifaru and you can check them out at kifaru.net. He has the 4-person teepee with a collapsible stove. It's the perfect thing for those cold damp nights.

So far today he's seen 12 trumpeter swans. He hopes to get a few more miles down the road before settling in for the night. He plans to connect again once he gets to Tok and hopes to transmit a lengthy description in his own words. Hopefully he'll get that to us on Wednesday.

It All Begins...

2009-10-03T16:59:00.005-08:00

Don (aka Peace Rider) is on his way. He pedaled out of Lulu's parking lot in Fairbanks, Alaska, around 8:45 this morning looking a bit apprehensive, but excited about the adventure that awaits. Why is he doing this? Well, that's best left for him to explain. I hope to get a missive from him soon that will talk about where he's going and what he hopes to accomplish along the way. I'll be posting that as soon as I get it. In the meantime, if you see this crazy man heading south along the Al-Can Highway, give him a smile and a wave and wish him well on his journey. Oh, and if you have an extra candy bar, I'm sure he'd appreciate that as well.

Goals

2009-09-30T14:18:00.003-08:00

Goal - Peace on Earth and with the Earth

Purpose - End the insanity, create a New Earth

How do we get there - a paradigm shift, a change in understanding, it's happening.

We are One

We are all connected,

Resurrected,

From a place of unity,

Power in community,

Or have a fling, do ya own thing,

It's ordinary,

But give of self,

And your wealth,

Be extraordinary!

What's there to lose?

You're free to chose.

As for me, I'm tired of madness,

I've fournd the Way, no more sadness,

It's not about me,

It's we.

Awake!

For Christ's sake.

Not two,

ONE!

Goal - A Global Ride for the Planet Day, this year, April 22, 2010, 40th Anniversary of Earth Day

Purpose - Compel a transition to a clean energy future.

How do we get there - My vision is 20 20, a 350 ppm CO2 global atmosphere, yes we can, together.

Join me!

There's no time to lose,

It's yours to choose.

Be realistic, imagine the impossible!

No one said any of this would be easy.

Time for tough Love, from the bottom up

Be creative!

Non-violent in thought, word and deed

Water the seed!

The Way to Peace, The Way of Love.

GOAL - To create a New Earth - more than sustainable, one that flourishes.

Purpose - to heal, restore, harmonize and bring into balance life on planet Earth

How do we get there - an Evolution Revolution,

No one is excluded by virtue of differences. There are many paths up the mountain.

We belong to the community of life it does not belong to us.

There is enough.

Our finest hours are when we come together as an Earth community, helping those in desperate need.

We can do it together, end the insanity.

"Time is fleeting,
Don't hold back,
Appreciate this precious life."
- Ezra Bayda

Don - Peace Rider

Contribute

2009-09-30T13:30:00.007-08:00

Want to help? Contributions of time, money, and/or positive thoughts are greatly appreciated.

If you can help with organizing events, arranging media contacts, or even keeping this web site moving, you can send an email to Don at ridefortheplanet@gmail.com.

If you would like to help out monetarily, you can send a check or money order made out to Ride For The Planet and mail it to:

Ride for the Planet
c/o 2532 Roland Road
Fairbanks, AK 99709

We're working on a way to handle online credit card contributions. Hopefully that will happen soon.

Thank you for all and every kind of support!

*** List updated April 1, 2010 ***

The following have helped with cash and in-kind donations to help cover expenses.

Alaska Biological Research (ABR) "a forward looking company," Bob Ritchie CEO, Fairbanks, AK

Averill Thayer, Fairbanks, AK

Doug McIntosh, Fairbanks, AK

Glen Hurlburt, Yukon, Terr.

Greg Szegi, Hinton, AB

Blue River "Ev", BC

Keith McNeill, Clearwater, BC

Tony, Cache Creek, BC

Bruce Klosterman, Sumas, BC

Janelle Egger, Fortuna, CA

Sylvia, Jutila, Fortuna, CA

Caroll and Dexter Hake, Palo Alto, CA

Kendra Mon and Eugene Lane, Petaluma, CA

Jo and David Maas, Marsha and Don Callaway, Founders Grove, Humbolt Redwoods State Park, CA

Eddie and Babbie Kochman, North Glenn, CO
Chris Crosby, CO
Tim and Laura Bicknell, CO
Jim Fittz
Donald Wirth, CT
Gene Iverson, KS
Jean Ponzi, MO
Glen and Ethel Freimuth
Grace and Pat Walker

Many others have contributed in other significant ways large and small. If your name does not apear in the blog, it is not by design but a fault of recall.

Thank you all for making my ride a wonderful and joyful journey to help create together a New Earth, one that flourishes for the sake of our children.

Peace Rider

A Brief Bio

2009-09-30T12:00:00.000-08:00

My name is Don Laird and I am writing in regards to and on behalf of Mr. Don Ross. What follows is certainly worth attention and with respect to the details, most definitely remarkable.

I live in Edson, Alberta, a small town on hwy 16 just West of Edmonton. About a week ago I was returning from up North and as I was going through Whitecourt I noticed a guy on a bicycle pulling a BoB trailer. The weather at the time was quite cold as we are in the grips of winter up here and as I ride a bicycle in the winter I pulled over to chat with this fellow for a second.

It turned out this guy is riding his bicycle, with a trailer, through the Rocky Mountains on his way down to Seattle and then on to San Francisco with a final destination of Washington DC. I offered him a place to stay if he wanted it. He took me up on my offer and I spent about two days with him. He is rather unique to say the least.

I learned he was a pilot in Vietnam and left Vietnam in 1972, shaken and profoundly changed. He moved with his wife up to Alaska after his service where he started a bush plane flying service. Don spent the next 25 years flying freight and passengers into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on Alaska’s North Slope. In talking to Don I found him to be deeply concerned for the health of both the world in general and more specifically for the health and sanctity of the Wildlife Refuge. Don speaks with a rare sense of conviction and intimacy on topics of climate change, emissions control and peace between nations. His attitude is not overtly militant but rather one of leading by example and quiet resolve. His goal is to draw attention to climate change and to start a national and perhaps international “ride for the planet day”. I very much enjoyed the time I spent with him.

It became obvious in speaking with Don Ross that he had little prepared with respect to public relations and public interaction. I asked him about this and he explained that he felt it best to gain credibility by putting some miles behind him. I feel he has achieved that as in leaving Fairbanks, AK on October 3, 2009 he has chewed up a serious chunk of the rather large piece he bit off. He rides only in the daylight hours and camps out at night using a tent and collapsible woodstove. The temperatures he has encountered range down into the minus 20’s with serious headwinds.

I have arranged for several meeting with the local media and several schools in towns he will pass through on his way south. He will be speaking to 2 schools in the town of Jasper in Jasper National Park tomorrow, November 25, 2009. From there he will be travelling down highway 5 through the towns of Valemount, Clearwater and then into Kamloops, British Columbia. I expect he will be in Kamloops somewhere around December 9, 2009. Don estimates his arrival in the Seattle area to be somewhere around the 20^th of December.

Simply the iconic nature of Don’s journey, riding a bicycle almost 9000 kms in the winter at the age of 66, is remarkable. I would hope that this would also be worthy of perhaps a story, some moral support, perhaps some logistical support and perhaps some sponsorship. Occasionally we are witness to glimpse of men and women whose lives and actions are the mirror image and physical manifestation of words spoken by Theodore Roosevelt, later echoed by John F. Kennedy:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

In closing, Don Ross would be a great story and certainly a person worth helping. He is reluctant to ask for a hand so I will point out some way he could use help.

Media attention would be fantastic, with perhaps one of the big three doing a weekly update on his progress. A magazine story would be fantastic. Meetings with local state and city officials would help. Arranging a “ride along” with bicycle club members and students. Emailing this message around and sending Don emails of support. Anything to help push Don Ross along.

Don could also use some assistance in the form of sponsorship. Andy Corson of Surly Bikes has indicated there may be a possibility of sponsorship in the form of a new bicycle. In addition, Don could also really use sponsorship/help and support for food (dehydrated meals), communications in the form of a cell phone and calling plan, clothing and assistance in setting up a very basic Web site. I spoke to Don about sponsorship and his initial reaction was one of not wanting to beg for help as he had funded the entire trip out of his own pocket to this point. I told Don that support would not be a bad thing to accept.

So, once again, in closing, here is an example of someone who provides us with living proof there is credence to be lent to the notion of “the power of one”...

Sincerely, Don Laird

Why I'm Riding

2009-09-30T11:55:00.000-08:00

I was asked why I call myself Peace Rider and what my ride is about.

I call myself Peace Rider to honor the inspiration. The way to Peace on Earth and with the Earth is the Way of Love. It's an old message. Love understands, as we have not for millennium, that all things are connected at the level of spirit which is to say at the level of energetics. Nothing is inherently separated from another, we are the waves and the ocean, part of the same Universal energy.

What we give to another returns to the self individually or collectively as a consequence. Acts of violence only harm ourselves. This is the reason many soldiers returning from the battlefield are psychology maimed, because their higher self knows this, creating inner conflict between mind and spirit.

This is a shift in consciousness, a new awareness, embracing Oneness and not separation. There is hope of healing and restoration in this, the creation of a flourishing future. All the dysfunction and mess we have created comes from the illusion of separation.

If we continue the same thinking we will either destroy ourselves through continuing wars and weapons of mass destruction or make our planet uninhabitable for life as we know it. The early and ominous signs of the latter changes are already upon us. The "alarm bells," are going off from the dying of trees, to melting of the polar and Greenland ice caps. The urgency of the situation cannot be overstated.

Yet many are in denial it is happening or human caused. It is happening, driven in large measure by increasing concentrations of atmospheric CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels.

This is no time to sit idly by or to be silent. We must make a major detour, and quickly, so our children and theirs will not suffer the worst consequences of climate change. It is our moral obligation to get it right for their sake, to be proactive, forceful, nonviolent in word and action, working together to create a new a future on a planet being healed and restored.

There are no sheep and goats here. We are all in this together, "rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief."

How do we get there? Form a New Earth Movement of like minded souls committed to driving the political systems of the world to create a clean energy future for the good of all living things. It is clear without significant citizen action to impel change it will not happen soon enough or be sufficient to redirect the resources of the planet towards this end. This will likely require tough love, non-violent civil disobedience.

Scientists consider 350 ppm CO2 as a safe global standard. It is already above this and increasing at about 2ppm/year. The goal worldwide is an 80% net reduction in C02 emissions by 2020.* The overall goal is to reduce then eliminate all point sources of global atmospheric contaminants to prevent further destabilization of our life support system. This will require international cooperation and technical assistance on an unprecedented scale.

There are not decades to get this right due to changes already set in motion that at some point become irreversible and self-reinforcing. This is a "stick of dynamite" that will go off with unimaginable and tragic consequences. A prudent person would defuse it without delay.

The challenges ahead are great but we are not in this alone or without help in our hour of greatest need. The Universe is on our side, rooting for the home team. We are all on it. It is time to throw off he yoke of past misunderstanding and embrace a new awareness of unity of Oneness and act from it. I am greatly encouraged that many have already done so.

It is the hour of our greatest peril and opportunity. Ours to seize or let slip away. Join me in creating a New Earth Movement, a great turning to bring Peace on Earth and Peace With The Earth. Our children deserve no less.

Climate Change

2009-09-30T11:50:00.003-08:00

This page is a repository for links and other information concerning climate change.

The science of climate change: Larry Landry
Cap and trade 101: Sightline Institute
Victoria Transport Policy Institute: innovative and practical solutions to transportation problems
Power Up Canada: a voice for a clean energy decade
350.org: a carbon goal

Events

2009-09-30T07:37:00.000-08:00

We'll be posting about various events here. As Don gets speaking engagements lined up, we'll list them here so you can turn out and show your support when he passes by.

Following Peace Rider

2009-09-30T07:33:00.005-08:00

Use the map controls to zoom in and out and move along Don's route. Click on a marker and then follow the link to the related blog post.

View Following Peace Rider in a larger map