Mountainview Estate

Here are a few photos of me and my parents at their home in Alamosa, CO. The photos and the beautiful collage presentation are courtesy of long-time family friends, the Johnsons.

Vision Quest / Epic Sturgis Loop 2012

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Travelogue. Epic Sturgis Loop 2012, aka Vision Quest. Mission: To boldly go where the free spirit and warrior heart of my steely steed will take me. From Alexandria west on Route 50 via KC to Alamosa, then north via Rocky Mtn Nat'l Park and Denver to Sturgis, then back east to Alexandria via Madison, Milwaukee, South Bend, and Cleveland. Avoid highways and tolls.

• Home / Start (Day 0): A trip of 14 days and 5K miles begins with the first throttle roll…

• Day 1: Ended at the border of WV, OH, and KY. It took all day to wind my way through WV.

• Day 2: Tied one end of my hammock off on the luggage rack and camped on the lawn of the Econo Lodge. That's my version of "Super" Econo Lodge! 

• Day 3: Spent the day riding in and around Kansas City with Joy.

• Day 4-6: Ride across Kansas was an opressively hot, windy, dusty, and smelly challenge. The 110 deg temps were rough enough, but the traffic, feedlots, and rendering works really cured me of my fascination with Route 50. Rested up at Mom & Dad’s in Alamosa for a couple nights. Celebrated my one year remission anniversary by hitting 20K miles on my bike! Rumor has it that Hagen Daz ice cream may also have been involved.

• Day 7: Beautiful ride up 285 to Littleton, where I enjoyed the Blue Star Blues Fest featuring Tab Benoit. Visited Jane and met new friends Jeff and Patty.

• Day 8 (Loveland): Lunch with Uncle Bob and Aunt Linda (Mom's side) and Cousin Brian (Dad's side).

• Day 8-10: Camped 3 nights at the Broken Spoke near Bear Butte just outside of Sturgis. Rode to Devil's Tower, up Spearfish Canyon, on the Needles Highway to Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse monument. Saw high school friends Jeff and Pam, new biker buddy Warren, and Big Bike Productions honcho Keith.

• Day 11: Made it to Sioux Falls after a hot and windy day across SD. Oddly, I suffered more heat- and wind-related damage riding east in SD than I did riding west in KS. Applied sunscreen and lip balm at every stop and still got roasted. Opted for a hotel in Sioux Falls, but failed to notice all the construction equipment staged nearby. Woke up to the familiar sound of a pile driving hammer.

• Day 12: Made it through Madison to Lake Mills for a very enjoyable evening with BeerPal friends PfoxyJohn. HeyBeerMan, and Slim_Jim. John's sister Diane introduced me to Margot.

• Day 13 (Milwaukee): Home of the Harley-Davidson Museum. Next year 2013 marks 110 years of continuous Motor Company production. I am already planning to attend both anniversary parties!

• Day 13 (Chicago) Visited Kate and took the time to reacquaint myself with the Magnificent Mile.

• Day 13 (South Bend) Visited Notre Dame in the rain.

• Day 13: Stopped for rest well short of the goal (Cleveland). The rain slowed and disoriented me. Decided to  bite the bullet and take the highways and toll roads the rest of the way home.

• Home / End (Day 14): Covered 16 states and 5004.2 miles in 2 weeks, and boy, is my throttle hand tired!

Maturity + Honesty = Intimacy

Caged and unable to achieve intimacy

"Honesty is a form of intimacy that reflects maturity." 

My observation is that people are increasingly willing--and better able--to be deeply honest with themselves and others as they mature. 

When I was younger, I found it difficult to be honest about painful subjects. Today, I understand that joy and pain are two sides of the same coin. Time is short. People my age appreciate the intimacy of the honest truth, even if it hurts. 

Afraid and unwilling to achieve intimacy

No, I am NOT suggesting that honesty is an excuse for rude or uncivil behavior. I do not advocate brutal honesty. The kind of intimacy I am interested in follows from maturity of experience and empathy, and honesty of openness and vulnerability.

Immature and unlikely to achieve intimacy

I guess I am just trying to justify getting older... LOL

Cause - The PhilanthroPub

Here is an idea I can really get behind: a not-for-profit pub!

The concept is simple and brilliant. Patrons come to the pub and have a good time. Then all the net profits are donated to vetted charities. If nothing else, patrons will feel a little less guilty about their hangovers...

Cause changes the way the world looks at charitable giving. The Cause model makes giving more convenient, fun, and transparent for the general population. By bringing charitable giving into day to day living, Cause will break down barriers and allow more and more people to be involved. At the same time, Cause will provide much-needed exposure and funds for featured organizations, allowing them to scale their impact to beneficiaries they had not previously been able to reach.

The entrepreneurs behind the "Philanthro Pub" idea have big dreams for the future of their venture.

Cause Washington DC is only the beginning. We think that we are onto something big and have a model that can go global. We hope to franchise the model and see Causebars around the world, continuing to create impact in this unique manner. We also feel that there are numerous expansion possibilities, including Cause bookstores, Causecoffee shops and more. We hope that this brief introduction gets you as excited aboutCause as we are. For more information or to get involved, please contact us. 

Cause is coming soon to 1926 9th Street NW, Washington DC 20001


More info: Cause - The PhilanthroPub

I doff my hat to Margot, who brought this innovative idea to my attention! 

The Dude Abides

Send Royalty checks to Todd@3008.com

Farewell to the 72d Black Hills Motorcycle Rally at Sturgis

CERUS gleams in the morning sun. 

CERUS is gleaming, and do you know why?

• The morning sun casts the whole world in a new and hopeful light
• All the travel gear was stowed in the tent during the rally. The back rest, luggage rack, tank bag, windscreen, and all the camping kit have been removed. CERUS has been free to run all over the county for three days. 
• Nothing like freedom to bring a gleam to your eye, right? 
• Well that, and the beneficial effects of a bikini bike wash.... 

Great memories!

Happy Camper

My Sturgis adventure was spectacular. Everything I hoped for, and more.

Let's do it again!