Here is a link

On January 9th, 2010 I will start my Transcontinental run from Huntington Beach, CA to the Statue of Liberty in New York. Follow me and my shooter, editor, friend and co conspirator, Chris Swenson as we travel across the country, talking about Liberty, less Government, free markets, sound money, running and of course, CRAFT BEER!

Check them out if they are on your route. I wish them a safe and successful journey

GO GRASS ROOTS!

So, welcome; am glad you are here. It should be noted that various efforts over the last year (including the ride) have garnered an award from “Oath Keepers” as “Citizen Activist of the Year” for 2009 at the first annual conference. If you haven’t heard of OathKeepers please visit

http://oathkeepers.org

The current primary focus is promoting liberty candidates for office and I am going to North Carolina to help some friends “Get Out The Vote”, Glen Bradley is running for State House and leading in the polls. As I am a big proponent of down ticket races, I am very excited to be helping my good friend Glen. Also in the neighborhood is BJ Lawson who is running for US Congress, and I’ll be close to support him, as well.

Finally, here is a simple video explaining the heart of liberty

Enjoy

I was asked on the forum about the physical toll of such a trip. I think the biggest toll is mental. It was a complicated project on a relentless schedule.  Maintaining an appreciation for adversity. Keeping positive in the pouring rain while lightening strikes on all sides. Not freaking out over an early evening flat-tire; just fixing it with a shrug. What can you do? Seeing yet another mountain in the distance. Must. Keep. Pedaling. – haha

Physically? Well, it hurt. Every day. But I’m stronger. I can honestly say these trips have made me into a hard-ass . The aches would ebb and flow through the day. I usually felt good in the AM. Knees would be a bit stiff, but that would work out. Towards the end of the day they’d start reminding me that I ain’t twenty, though.

The Pennsylvania section beat the hell out me. Steep hills and late spring weather. Cold rains and humid sun. I broke out in a heat rash one day and made the mistake of rubbing my arms and breaking the blisters. That exposed new skin to the elements which quickly sun/wind burned into a nasty mess. The mid-west girls nursed the worst of of it, the sides of my elbows took a while to heal…

Everything took at back seat when my sciatic started acting up. Anyone who has had sciatic pain knows exactly what I am talking of. It was alright on the bike, walking wasn’t too bad, but standing was nearly impossible. Keeping “cheery” with that kind of dis-comfort was a challenge.

I have a new respect for heat, and the body’s cooling abilities/limitations. I can’t stress enough the importance of being careful, especially in high humidity. People of all ages and fitness levels die from heat stroke/exhaustion every year. Oklahoma and Nevada definitely reinforced that…

At the end of the day, the pain was short term, the gain long term, (and  a few more grey hairs from the days skirting Death Valley – haha).

Onward and forward…

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…

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

Two days of skirting Death Valley, (a well named place.) I covered over 180 miles in those two days, in temperatures topping 150 degrees.

That’s kinda warm… no haha.

The first day from North Vegas to Beatty was absolutely brutal. Headwinds and narrow shoulders, with a hellish rumble strip.I rode on the road as much as I could, but that can get quite tiresome as I must always be aware of what is in front, and behind, contantly craning my neck for a quick look and snapping back to see I’ve drifted into the rumble strip. Or the traffic coming both ways would see me have to cross the divets to a narrow strip where one wheel of my cart would ride the edge of the desert and the other would chatter through them. Or the final few miles where even narrower sections saw me riding the bike itself through the nightmare. In the bright sun. Being rattled to pieces. And baked…

I can easily see how quickly madness and death could trap a person out there. I would look with longing at some shade on a distant ridge… I saw a little patch of shade from a small sign, barely enough to curl up in, and thought, maybe I should take a rest… NOT!. Get the heck off the road and out of the heat, ASAP… As careful as we were, it was still not the safest thing in the world to be doing…

Here is how I dealt with the heat. Long sleeve white shirt that a supporter from KC helped me get at a GoodWill in MO. White Hat that Dave had bought me, with a thin towel under that I would soak occasionally.

A Mister/Fan in my handlebar bag that I could lean forward and get a blast from.

And lots, and lots, of water.  It was amazing feeling the cooling effect of the longsleeve shirt, the moist towel on the head was critical, and the mister heavenly.

One thing about being out in the desert, people are curious and know that I’m serious about my mission. Had a few people stop to give me water and ask about the ride. Can’t find the pic for that at the moment, and have to get on the road. I’ll break this post up into parts so I can keep them coming. The long days make it a bit harder to get the posts out.

Here is the bike, a speck in the empty vastness

pedal pedal

I’ve been having trouble getting a blog up. My “routine” has been broken and I am adjusting. I live for this kind of stuff. Yep, some things are hard… good practice, that’s for sure…

I’m lucky to have witnessed the r3VOLution unfold and watched/participated in the manifold attempts of “cat-herding.”  I’ve learned to do as little as possible. I just create some possibilities, put myself out there, welcome who wants to come along, and watch as events unfold.

I learn to adjust. I know that “the best laid plans of mice and men, come to naught, time and again”. So I make a fairly detailed plan, and see where it leads. Often it leads to many WTH moments, but that is where art is born, in spontaneity, in overcoming unforeseen challenges, in leaps of faith.

I have a large imagination. I see ton’s of possibilities that this event enables. Some are being capitalized on, some are not. (This is still a practice run, mind you – haha). What is important is that some are. Active supporters are confidently connecting, the drowsy are being gently awakened, the police are being politely greeted.

All are layers…

Changing from the solitary motel gig, to the 4 guys in a small RV gig is a challenge, it threw my routine, hence the blog delay. But the point is that it must be for the best, and the challenges of adding stomachs and personalities is what is supposed to happen, and it is up to us to make the best of every opportunity that presents itself.  This is r3VOLution. This is for real. This is where the mouse and the human separate. We all know how dicey things are, how much “hangs in the balance” but think of that… the balance.

How much weight does it take to affect a balance? Hmmmm…  an infinitely miniscule amount, I’d imagine… Hmmmmmm…

Anyway, I’m rambling in a RV full of laughing men, here are some pics…

Last post, Phoenix r3v was about…

Ed and I cruised…

for miles

and miles

we entered a new county

fixed more flats

pedal pedal

rest under bridges

talk to people

remember talking of cyclists splayed out on cool concrete

We stood on a corner in Winslow Arizona

Joan was our gracious host (who took a bookset for delivery – ty)

We put up with a lot of wind on a long road

Ed got dusted

we pedaled on

Got to Seligman after a long windy day

Pitched some Liberty

Ed rode my bike

Oyate made a long drive to visit

and we made a short vid

Honored with his visit, glad to have this pic

We cruised town, and Ed got a flat,

got as room with a real shower at an old roadside flophouse

Just the right amount of funk

both inside and out

We woke to grime

and smiling faces

While I had coffee

and did email stuffs

with friends

getting ready

ran into some friends

The r3VOLution continues

because we work at it

what more?

pedal pedal

much aloha

Ranchlands, mostly, with some cool derelict structures.

There was one small “town” on the way, seemed like an artist enclave. Got this pic as I approached

which was kinda tricky as I couldn’t stop to take it – haha.  I had stopped and ate road food on the way, but was getting hungry for a meal when I finally started seeing “civilization” again. Stopped into the first place I came to

where I had the rare experiance of a “free lunch”. Real nice ladies, I had ordered a tuna melt and Ice Tea. While waiting the owner Melinda came out and asked, “who is riding for honesty” I looked up and smiled.  She looked out at the bike and said, “Ron Paul – huh? I liked him, would have voted for him, even though I’ve never voted Republican. When I asked for the check, she came back out and said it was on the house. Thanks, Melinda. The food was delish and the hospitality priceless. I hope any other liberty lovers passing through get a chance to stop in and have a bite.

Like I said, was a lonely road so between the motel owner I had left in the AM, and the crowd at the Cafe, that was about all the canvassing I got to do. Had to fight afternoon traffic through Santa Fe but finally found Adam’s house.

Quite busy here, arrived during a planning meeting for the Independence Day  event, to go along with the money bomb, I hope everyone can join in and send a few bucks thisJuly4th

Adam took me on the tour and we ended up on his roof for sunset, where I had a couple radio interviews to do.

Later I got this pic of Tracey and Adam

will try to get a video before leaving this AM… Am supposed to be getting the Kokesh slimjims todays so am looking forward to seeding the route, will use the event fliers till then…

busy busy… haha

Anyway, speaking of overpasses, I made another milestone today, am finally able to ride on the interstate. Quite the change. Thought maybe I’d share a bit of the road with you all.

Surface plays a huge role in both speed and comfort. Smooth, seamless, aged asphalt is the best, keep it clear of debris and I am in heaven. I may roll a bit faster on concrete, but the cracks and regular joints (Bump>Roll-Roll>Bump>Roll-Roll>Bump>Roll-Roll>etc…), for twenty miles, or so, can get a bit tiresome. Every bump, crack and pebble I hit slows me down, a mile or two an hour might not seem like much, to most folk, but make a huge difference to a guy traveling at ten. My brother Tony, Liberty Rider #2, noted on the Jersey leg how much, even the different types of asphalt, effects pedaling. One of the surfaces I dread is a large stone mix that’ll leave my forearms vibrating for hours.

Surfaces change often, seeing a change ahead usually elicts a sigh, whose tone varies greatly…

The wind is another large factor, and I am always making it. Consider me pedaling at 10mph on a flat calm day, I have a 10mph wind pushing back at me… Even a 10mph tailwind, is to me a flat calm. A direct side wind is moved forward by my momentum and becomes a slight headwind. A sailor will tell you the math involved, but that is what they are talking about with “true” and “apparent” wind.

Probably needless to say that a strong, gusty, in your face headwind is the worst. The last few days have seen the track “staircase” west and south into south, and SSW winds. So while the west bits were a slight headwind, seeing a south turn ahead always saw me shaking my head with a, “here we go again…”. Though turning west was a relief of sorts, it was still great to get out of it finally, at the end of the day, and I am stoked that my southing is done.

I mentioned in yesterdays post a bit about cities. Big and small, they require termendous concentration. Disregarding the traffic and navigation issues, the road is a bear; city hot, and all bust up. Lots of construction zones and tube eating debris. Worse than the potholes and cracks are the parallel joints between concrete curbing and asphalt roadway. Often the joint is either a small ledge or the perfect width to grab my tire like a rut, and that could be very bad. And I have to ride along, inches away, for miles. I suppose the silver lining is that I have to concentrate so much on staying out of the ruts that I hardly notice the traffic… haha

I saw all kinds of roads navigating my way here, including dirt (which thankfully did not last long.) Knowing there is a major bridge ahead is always a bit nerve wracking. No matter how closely you pore over it on mapping software, until you actually see it, you don’t really know what you are facing. Holding up traffic on a narrow, long, high, bridge is never much fun. Ain’t no rest for the weary in such a situation. And, as a flat tire would make matters exponentially worse, the debris watch is heightened as well… It always feel like an accomplishment to cross a major one.

The country roads with little traffic are pleasant, but often hilly and rough. Usually no shoulders, as well. So some of them roads can become nightmares if they are local shortcuts, and heavily used during rush hours… I do just about everything I can to avoid slowing anyone down, what with the sign and mission and all… The mountain roads are usually always gorgeous, I hope to go back and see them sometime, on a motorcycle…

Route 66, though. That is a different animal altogether. I have not felt hurried or harrassed once while in the arms of the Mother Road, who has surely seen it all. It is like I am to be expected. My propoganda festooned cart, and I, merely add color and character to what must be America’s Most Charming Roadway. It truly has been a kick to pedal down Rt 66. Classic “Motor Courts” and filling stations, odd ball eateries and knick-knacks galore. Rolling through towns that have watched people pass through for decades. Motorcycle and Classic Car clubs, Solo and small group bikers packed for long hauls. I swear, if a Wagon Queen Family Truckster went by with a granny strapped to the roof, it would not look all that out of place.

Myriads of folk, out for a cruise…

The road itself varies by municiple jurisdiction. Most had been resurfaced, but some sections are the original jointed concrete (with no shoulder at all, just a 4in drop to dirt…), but, as I mentioned above, the travellers had no problem giving me space and time, often it was two lanes and I ambled along my own. The real traffic was on the interstate in the distance.  While I looked forward to reaching here where I can finally use them, I certainly am stoked that the routing led me down that legendary road. It was kinda the last thing on my mind while planning. Hadn’t really given it much thought. Now, after experiancing it’s magic, I hope to go back on my own dime and really amble along (in a vehicle with AC – haha)

And now it is the interstates. I like ‘em. Actually feel safer with the wide shoulders and hign visibilty, (no blind corners and hilltops). Another plus is the fairly regular overpasses offering respite from the relentless heat. Chances are, if you ever see a bike parked under an overpass, you’ll see the rider splayed out in the shade on the cool concrete, and if you listen close, you might even hear the sigh… The final good thing about the interstates is the gentler grades, the hills more cut and the valleys more filled. Seeing parallel roads in the distance today happily reminded me of that.

They can get nasty at times, narrow bridges with little debris filled “shoulders”. Even worse can be “rotten” shoulders with gravel filled craters, or the monotonous jolts of a jointed roadway, all. day. long… Construction Zones are usually a bit dicey, as well. Like a bridge, you don’t know what you are facing till you see it. Saw the standard warning display today,”rightlane closed ahead.” It was still a ways up the road so I got off and onto an overpass to see what I could see. Still too far away, so I pedaled back onto the highway and hoped for the best, (while the work must leave room for normal wide loads, there can be narrow lanes for miles… While I am staisfied the flag array provides plenty visibilty, it can still be nerve wracking. ) As I pedaled up to it I was pleasently surprised by the sight of new lanes and the crews working the other side. The shoulder was actaully too new but the closed lane had been done earlier so I had a perfect track to myself for about ten miles… ahhhhhhh…

I don’t really know how much this all relates to the reason I’m out here, only to say that the road I’m travelling is a lot like life. Sometimes silky smooth, but usually a bit rough, with some better stretches. It sometimes changes directions and labels, loops around curious obstacles, sometimes even breaks and we have to find detours, which then become part of our road. But what is important is to keep pedeling on. Nothing of value comes easily, so embrace the hardship and press on, keeping eyes on the goal. I may sarcastically curse when I come up to a county line and see a crappy roadway ahead, but cannot stop.

That is unthinkable, the stakes are too high…

pedal pedal

The Mother Road

The schedule for the next few days looks like

Monday El Reno to Clinton

Tuesday Clinton to Erick

Wednesday OK/TX Border to McLean

I’ll see how the wind and sun treat me and if I can think about making up a day somehow, always good to keep a buffer…

Cities are tough, and OKC is pretty big. 25miles through city traffic, potholes, storm drains, redlights, construction,  ugh… As much as I enjoy meeting all the liberty folk that concentrate in the cities, I must say I am thankful to get out in one piece… (and I even skirted downtown).

On the way in I stopped at the Chandler County Sheriff Office.

Skeleton Crew and the deputy seemed to shut down at the name Ron Paul… ah well… worse, I had been easily buzzed in a backdoor and had to go back out to get the books, in the process I set down my helmet… I was a bit disconcerted leaving and by the time I realized my mistake I had travelled down a fairly large hill… that’s OK, I was going to have to switch to a shemagh soon anyway…

In OKC, I met up with a facebook friend Terri Creech. Her son Ben, and friend Steve, became Liberty Riders 7 & 8

and had a great lunch with RJ Harris & (partial) Family. I do need to remember that just because other people are taking pictures, doesn’t mean I don’t need to… RJ’s eyes are those of a kindred soul and I truly hope we score a win with his race…

Anyway, I should hit the hay, will be working towards earlier starts as the heat increases… Here are some other pics though…

Getting Interviewed in Salpulpa

Senator Brogdon honored us with a visit

Get your kicks

pedaling does have its' rewards