First things first.

My thanks to Divine Providence, and for the many prayers of my family and friends. What got me safely across this country had very little to do with me, and everything to do with the above. I just kept pedaling, faithfully believing our cause as the correct moral path.

The satisfaction I feel is one I hope we all share. All of you, truly, have been with me the whole time. You shared my aches and frustrations, making them easier to bear. You made sure I was fed, sheltered, and hydrated, keeping me strong. You bought the materials I delivered, fulfilling my purpose. You all share in the experienced knowledge that daunting tasks can be accomplished, by teamwork, (coupled with dogged determination). My contribution was merely forcing the issue. I was coming, ready or not. – haha

So, what did I do? Did I pedal a bike from the Statue of Liberty to Alcatraz? Or did I water a withered tree?  I set out to do the latter.The symbolism of the ride was just a means…

Jefferson once stated that the natural fertilizer of the tree of liberty is the blood of patriots and tyrants. Working towards a peaceful r3VOLution means I must fertilize that tree with my own blood, sweat, and tears. My greatest satisfaction is in you all who chose to join in, contributing your own precious lifeblood. Our mingled drops, freely and purposely given, make a very powerful mix.

So again I say, Mahalo Nui Loa! To God, Family, Country. Thank you for a safe passage.

A vast and beautiful country. From sea to shining sea. And I don’t mean the landscape, a country is only geographical in a narrow sense. What makes a country great is the people. In America that is you, and the countless folk I encountered on the way. We, The People. Kind, generous, fun-loving is the norm, not the exception. A polite word and an easy smile work wonders. It is harder to detect and bring out in the cities, but still there. I’ve had my best luck handing out fliers in cities with variations of the cry, “Propaganda, get yer propaganda here!” – lulz… Most everyone appreciates honesty, couple it with humor and you’ll be feeding their minds out of your hand…  In the country I hardly needed to do much at all. People are naturally curious and being in a morally correct position gives us a genuineness that people crave. That is our strength

Every mind we touched has had a seed planted and at the end of the day, politics is a numbers game. What we have done on this ride is increase the odds in our favor. The numbers of people who want to be tyrants is minuscule. Most people just to be left alone.  They don’t want to have to think much about geo-political issues. They just want to raise their children in the best possible environment. Many are too trusting, but very few are stupid. Many may seem drowsy, but very few are comatose. Some may be deluded, but none are hopelessly so. Miracles do happen.

I deeply planted some seeds in the mind of a Marxist in Upper Haight (Ashbury) yesterday. I said nothing when he first proclaimed that Obama was not going far enough and we needed full blown communism. I waited. We talked, and I railed on the kleptocracy masquerading as a duapoly. I railed on the globalist bankers and the corporations that fund both sides. Positions he had to agree with. Then I hit him with history. The fact that history is full of utopias gone horribly wrong, and was he willing to take the chance…  I then talked of freedom. How it is the natural state of man, and how history shows it to be our most peaceful and prosperous state.

History vindicates our position. Simple as that.

So much of our position is simple common sense. That is why it is so important to get out and get the information to people. Help them educate themselves. As things get worse, more and more are rousting themselves and looking for answers. We need to have our answers available, everywhere. Now is the time. We have to be ready to engage the most unlikely prospects with respect and courage. We have to understand that even most of our “enemies” are ignorant of the role they are playing in their own downfall, and with the courage of conviction, stand our ground with polite respect. I took my leave from the Marxist after winning some crucial points. Know when to walk away and let the seeds sprout on their own… Have faith. It’s a numbers game…

Speaking of numbers, I’ve been seeding the bay area pretty good. Pitched a boatload of people on the ferry, literally.

Even got some spontaneous donations. That always gives me a boost, concrete evidence that I am earning my keep.

Surpisingly, according to the original google doc spreadsheet, I entered San Francisco precisely on schedule. hahahahhahhhahhhahhhahhhaha, (sorry…. chuckle…). and knew I wasn’t in Kansas anymore…

In fact, I was so on schedule that I had no time to dilly dally and pedaled off to meet my good friend Anthony Gregory,

and his sweetheart Nicole, who promptly swept me off my bike for a celebratory libation, while waiting for another old friend, Kris Shane,

to come up from the airport. We wandered around a bit before going to Scomas for linner. It was the nicest place on the wharf, right there among the fishing boats. I was still dressed in road clothes…

but the staff never blinked and it was a great meal.

Afterwards, Anthony and Nicole had to go, so Kris and I were left to our own devices. Kris actually had to get back before long, so we decided to walk to the top of Telegraph Hill and check out the Coit Tower, which is a memorial to firefighters.

The fog was rolling in so few Kodak Moments

We kept wandering. Found ourselve under a pyramid with a glowing top – haha

We parted at a BART stop, and I wandered on The Embarcadero up the Barbary Coast

and mused on what to say about a journey from

to

For certain I’ve pondered the walls of my destination and expect to convey some of my thoughts. Regardless, the greater journey remains far from over…

Continuing on, I board a train on the 31st for LA, where I will meet up with Sheriff Mack at a rally on 8/2. There I intend to discuss the effort to get his book to every sheriff in the nation and where we can help. The website will be changing around and I hope to post a section here where we can track progress. (I know that Oklahoma is keen, and ripe…) At the rally I will be meeting with them ubiquitous Phoenix r3V folk, who will be giving me a lift to my new home in Santa Fe, NM, where I will be part of the KokeshForCongress team and continuing the mission.

And as far as actual riding,… the next major ride is on the boards. As always, I’ll need help. Stay tuned…

Quote:

Originally Posted by disorderlyvision No celebration for finishing update I was hoping for one last one with a pic of you on Alcatraz Island

It ain’t easy to digest… takes a bit of getting used to… not having any mileage in front of me… The stress relief (…will I make it?) is enormous… I just walked around the city all day yesterday, in a daze… In the end, the transition is anti-climatic. The value is in the journey…

Got back on the bike today, to visit the last sheriff’s office of the trip. Was at city hall. The American flag was heisted from my rig… Everything else was fine…

Still digesting, will try to start writing tonight…

Thanks, everyone

__________________
Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
~ C.Coolidge

and a bit more to say…

Well, I’m just about done pedaling. Less than 5 miles left to go. Hopefully will be easier to navigate than yesterday was, California roads are not easy for a stranger on a bicycle.

It started out fairly easy, mostly farm roads. I had to do a lot of stopping and checking to make sure I kept on track. The central valley, where I was, seemed pretty much a drained swamp, lots of creeks, canals, freeways, and train tracks. My main concern was getting on the wrong side of one and having to head south rather than southwest and having to find a way back. So I just took my time. I found myself on Rt 40 again, after a 2ooo mile detour

I had left “The Mother Road” back in Illinois. Was neat to be back on it. I stopped in a bike shop to double check my route. Their first reaction was, “Hmmm, that’s kinda tricky” But they confirmed a new bike path and gave me some pointers on transfering off the path and onto McGarey Rd. (a frontage road for the hill pass into the Bay Area.

I stopped at the Solana County Sheriff Office

but they were closed and I couldn’t find anyone to take the bookset, so pedaled on.

I finally found my way to McGarey Rd and found it closed and gated… (eeek). That was a bitch because re-routing was through canyon roads and miles out of the way. I pored over the g-map on my phone and finally decided to ask some Paramedics who were having lunch. To my great relief, they said to go around the fence, “bikers do it all the time, much safer…”

Of course, most bikers do not have a cart. Luckily the gate was high enough that by removing the wheels on the cart, I was able to drag it underneath

This road led to a “dead end” street that was purported to have a bike path at the end. I had to go up and down a hill and was relieved when the path appeared, and that is where I caught my first sight of the bay.

I need to pack up and get to the ferry, so will close with this pic I could not resist taking

“must be getting close” – lol

pedal pedal…

I know that, eventually, liberty and justice will win. It always does. Liberty is the natural state of man and, as such, empowers us with a natural moral authority that tyrants can only dream of. Their temporary successes are lies built on lies. Like blowfish they puff themselves up to scare the meek, but the sea is big, they are small, and their ruse will only work for so long. Friggin tyrants…

Truth is, I feel sorry for them. I know that they too will face judgment and imagine they will be quite surprised to learn that the universe, and history, wont look kindly on them. This will be remembered as a dark time in America, and they will be reviled, like Benedict Arnold is now.

Sad.

But, no time for mourning their lost souls, their plans MUST be defeated, sooner rather than later. Each moment we let up on the pressure is one more moment a child will live under tyranny. And that is completely unacceptable to me. There will be plenty of time to pray for their souls after liberty has been restored and the next gen has been educated.

Anyway, it’s late and I have given up on mapping the last leg. Google maps and all the software in the world is not a match for California roads. I learned that today. There are reports of new bike paths that are not on the maps and will save me 20 miles. I found one today (not on any map) that was a breeze, unfortunately, the destination (this motel) was misplaced on the map and I pedaled 5 miles past it before calling and finding out I had to go back. (aarrrrgggghhhh) So, I’ve got a rough outline and a few reports to go on. I will stop at bike shops, and ask other bikers, as I approach. It worked today. Mostly farm roads, I’m avoiding heavily traveled ones. People drive pretty crazy out here… Maybe I’m just a bit jaded cause I spent most of the day in city traffic, but it was a bitch. Had a nice bike route for quite a while, but then got sucked into making a turn that was not on my map (to stay on the bike route), big mistake, ended up circling on endless one-ways to get to the capitol, but got there eventually.

It took a bit longer to find the Sheriff Office, but I did,

The gentleman I spoke to was alright, I couldn’t tell if he was just humoring me, but no matter, it’s a numbers game. I certainly have no illusions that my visits will be effective everywhere, immediately, but I know I have planted a fertile seed.Lately, when I give them the Constitution, I’ve been mentioning the bit about crime not changing and adding that the only people who are pushing to scrap it are tyrants who know it is in their way… I could tell he heard that…

As Coolidge said, “… perseverance and determination are omnipotent…”

pedal pedal…

When I left asking him to please pass the materials on, he said he would make it into a little gift pack and deliver it himself

I took an extra day in Tahoe, resorting and trying to catch up. Jumped in the lake, was amazing to feel the water after the desert. Leaving Tahoe I had a large climb then a looooooong downhill run. If I could have stayed on 50 it would have been glorious, but had to get off and onto navigate through Placerville to Green Valley Road (hilly, but mostly down). It was basically along the Pony Express route and that was kinda cool. Anyway, it was a 96 mile day (with a full load) to the west side of Folsom, where I sit right now.

Here are the pics

I came on this sign

which is the second one (saw one on the RP ride in Louisiana) which kinda hits my funny bone.

was stoked to reach the top

where I rested in the shade of a towering pine

Then started down to the lake where some nice Asian tourists asked to take a pic with me, then asked if I wanted them to take one of me on my cam

I pitched a cute lady cyclist (sorry no pic) and continued on finally reaching CA, the final state

The climb to Echo Summit had some tight sections

I just kept pedaling and finally made it

And from then on, (except for a climb to Pollack Pines) was all downhill.

I descended over 7000 feet in the course of the day (there is a massive waterfall in the above pic)

I laughed at this sign

One of the stores I stopped in was fun. I asked if I could leave some fliers, he said sure, when I came back in with them he was relieved when I showed him the F2F and Obama Deception vids. He said, “Great, this will go over well around here, I was hoping you weren’t going to bring in some pro-Obama garbage…” haha

Anyway, was long day so I did not take all that many pics. Today I will go through Sacramento and onto Davis (The Bike Capitol of the US). Then a 50+ mile ride to Vallejo where I will take the Western Express trans-con bike route into SF  (a ferry – hahahahhha) The locals have been quite adamant that taking the cart the long way into town is both dangerous, and stupid, for a cross country cyclist. “Take the Western Express, dont risk a problem this close to your destination, tha Napa/Golden Gate run is not worth the risk”

It is always good to heed the advice of locals and must say that I don’t mind the shorter distance. So tonight, Davis. Tomorrow Vallejo, and then Alcatraz. Right on schedule

pedal pedal

After the 104 mile day into Hawthorne I had a short (haha) 50 mile pedal to Yerington. It included a long climb, here is the top, with Dave smiling out the window at my comments on this last fairly steep bit

The best part of this day was pedaling through a Paiute Reservation and meeting/chatting with a native artist. I have traveled enough to know that when entering a different country/culture to be very respectful. As I pulled up to a trading post I saw him sitting in the shade, drawing.  I simply nodded a greeting as I pulled up, he answered with a classic native accent, “I don’t know how you cyclists do it”  I smiled and said, “we just keep pedaling”. As I was going into the store I asked if I could buy him a drink. He said, “no beer for me”. I said, “Wasn’t thinking beer, would you like a water, or soda or something?. He said, “I would like a small Pepsi, please”. So I brought him one. We chatted for a while about desert crossing and routing. He was happy to learn that Dave was with me, “very good, very smart. The desert can be very dangerous”  I was not interested in giving him the whole spiel as I did not know how much he felt to be an “American”. So I gave him a card and a short version of my mission. He knew all about Alcatraz and its history. We chatted some more and I started to take my leave. As I was getting the bike ready a car with tourists pulled up, so I gave them the whole spiel. My new friend was obviously listening because as I got ready to go again he said, “Hoy!, come.” I went over and he said, “I would like to give you a gift” He then took off his hat and gave it to me. I can’t tell you how overwhelming this small act was to me.  A hat is a valuable thing in the desert, and this one was hand decorated. He literally gave me the hat off his head. Tears welled up in my heart, (as they are now as I write this.) He looked at me with the kindest eyes and said, “I am a Christian, and I go to church, and I am also a spirit dancer, according to the old ways, I will pray for you. Have a safe journey across our lands, and beyond, any of my people who see your hat will know you have a blessing.”  I don’t know if this simple description can relate how that made me feel…

So, with that, seeing as he had no hat, I offered him mine. He graciously accepted and with smiles on both parts, we parted company. Thank you, my nameless friend. I treasure your gifts…

Pedaling on into Yerington was pretty uneventful. We stayed the night and stopped at the sheriffs leaving town the next AM. The undersheriff was very attentive and appreciatve of the visit. (Dave was funny, as we were going in, “…I speak their language” – haha – and he does )  It really was neat visiting Sheriffs with Dave, certainly increased my credibilty…

The receptionist was listening in as well and got up to see the RP book, both were very interested, and thankful. A great stop. And to top it off, I got my 5th star (unsolicited) from him, so I guess the sheriffs I have met have given the ride 5 stars – A 5 star ride – hahhahhahhaha

With that it was off to Carson City. The wind in the afternoon was particulary brutal and I was stoked to reach town where a mysterious donor had gotton us a nice room at a place I would normally not have stayed. Dave had arranged a dinner with a local deputy he knew and we ahd a great meal and time. On the way out I said the line about “how people will wonder why we didn’t do anything, like history looks at the Germans”. That hit home, he looked at me and said, “good point”.

The next day, Dave and I had to part company. While he was hoping to stay with me till at least Sacramento, he had surprise visitors at home and had to go. I can’t say enough about this kind man. Everyone I met who knew him saw it as perfectly normal that he would go out of his way to help someone. It is just his nature. A more honorable, kind and generous man I have rarely (if ever) met. Thanks doesn’t quite do justice for what he did for me. He made a very dangerous section of the road much safer and infinitly more pleasant. God bless you, Sir. Aloha

Then, with a full load, I pedaled into the mountains…

onward…

At the bottom are drylakes

where I watched a mairage shift for miles and got this pic

It was kinda mesmerizing. At times I could see the peaks behind reflected.

I saw some feral burros

Came across a most unusual sign (with a story behind it)

There actually is a lobster farmer in the Nevada Desert. And that’s kinda the beginning of the story. You gotta love this guy. From the article,

“A lifelong resident of the Mina area, Eddy raised cattle for decades. Tired of federal rules and boom-and-bust market prices for beef, the 59-year-old went searching for a new career seven years ago.

He found he could sell lobster for $14 a pound. Just as important, nobody in the federal or state government had dreamed up regulations to hinder such an endeavor.”

We had lunch at his place; at this time, the state has figured out a way to “regulate” him and his operation is temporarily shut down. He said an interesting thing about tyrants, “They may control the cities, but the country is much bigger than that, and the redneck rules the hinterlands.”  And that is why I think it is so important to bring the solutions we have out there…

Anyway, if you notice in the last pic, clouds were moving in a a storm was brewing. While the clouds provided cool shade, the storm brought strong winds which made the rest ofthe day quite… interesting. I dodged this duststorm

which went into the mountains

These things can be quite ominous… I pedaled through one and the wind was buffeting me around like a balloon on a rollercoaster. Everytime I saw a new squall approaching I would grit my teeth, brace myself, and pedal into the maelstorm. To say the least I was stoked to finally see Hawthorne (and Walker Lake – not a mirage) in the distance.

And it looks like the desert will need one more post to finish…

pedal pedal

I remain in awe of the early pioneers; explorers, mountain men, 49′ers. I just can’t imagine heading into such desolation with no roads, etc.. The great unknown… I am fascinated by the remains of trails and railbeds that follow the modern strip of asphalt that led me, imagining the type of folk who have passed this way through history.

The Beatty to Tonapah run was long, but (for the most part) cooler than the day before. There were two valleys that got very hot, but was climbing into cooler temps (120 or so on the road side) the whole day.

I got to the top of this summit after 60 miles or so. And looked down on another hot valley with another summit in the distance. But what this valley had that the other had not, was the really cool old town of  Goldfield, NV.An old mining town that, at it’s height, was the most populated place in NV. It has since shrank, and the ruins are everywhere, but it is not a ghost town by any means and had some great visuals.

If I was on a pleasure cruise I would have stayed and (with a better still cam) would have taken lots more photos. Still wondering what this thing is/was…

We found this place:

and absolutely had to stop in

bring them some literature and have a frosty cold beverage

The place had been open since 1905 and the original owner was killed in a gunfight. Jack Dempsey and Virgil Earp had stayed there, and we would have too, had the internet been up (or even if I had cel service). But alas, no connection at all, so after one cold one, I saddled back up for a 26 miles slog across another hot valley and up another large hill, to Tonapah, where we spent a fairly un-eventful night getting ready for the 104 mile day between towns to follow.

to be continued after I get some grub…

One more pic though. Here is Dave and I trying to figure out how the timer function works on his new camera – haha

pedal pedal

But what could I do? Giving up while I can still walk is not an option. Yes, it would have been easy to say to Dave, ‘This is too dangerous and just too much, lets load up the bike and drive to the next town.”  But the thought never entered my brain. It wasn’t the challenge, it wasn’t pride, I don’t think it was stupidity, it was simply what I set out to do, and shirking due to fear or discomfort is not the way to win a r3VOLution. To win we must push ourselves past where we thought our limits might be (and by doing so most find that their limits are not so easily found, and the strength of voice such activism empowers is well worth the discomfort)

150 degrees…

I won’t ever do that again, if I can help it. And if I do, I’ll be even better prepared.

More pics…

A vast emptiness…

But not completely empty.  There are ghost-towns

and burros

and very expensive places to stay

The curiousity, and thought of AC, kept tempting me to stop in, (but I pedaled past…)

There are also, other wanderers

I pedaled up on Dave and this gentleman during the hottest part of the day. This pic was after Dave gave him the hat, white shirt, sunglasses, and water. He was dressed in heavy Carhart type gear (including an insulated vest), was pedaling a bike from Twin Falls, ID. to his camp in… Death Valley. Amazing… When Dave found him he was walking his bike due to the rumblestrips and seemed on his last legs. Dave, being the kind and helpful person he is, set him up for the next 30 miles to Beatty  After we parted Dave mentioned to me his mother telling him, “be careful how you treat people, you may be entertaining an angel”  Then I pedaled on.

to be continued…

pedal pedal