The Travelers

July 8th, 2008

Dear Diary,

I believe that everything is infused with the Spirit of God. Even our actions and movements. Some people, things, movements and actions have very little of that Spirit. Some people, things, movements, actions have an abundance.

In the planning stages of the EPIC JOURNEY I had let the entire SIS Association know that any and all members were welcome. At first I wondered how smart this was because I had no clue as to how many would actually show up. I had no idea, then, if it would be a manageable number for me and my ADD brain. But, I decided since it was a spiritual journey for me, and that my intention infused the journey, that it would most likely be a spiritual journey for whomever came along. Though I would work diligently during our travels to ensure that every one stayed safe and happy, for the most part, any one individuals experience ( and perception ) was out of my hands and the journey would unfold and end up as it should. I believed that those who would end up coming would be the very people for which this journey had been called into being. ( Along with me, of course )



Love your neighbor as yourself.

The peace and existence of our world would be secured if we all lived by this one Truth.

That if you truly loved yourself ( were empty of fear which produces selfishness, and defensiveness ) you really would be free to act and re-act out of a self-less love for others. Love your neighbor AS yourself. Loving self comes first...then loving others selflessly.

The love in one heart...love that casts out fear....can make such a profound difference in the life of another. Just sharing our selves, which is a powerful act of love, makes that difference.


We all got up this morning cleansed, so to speak. We had had a great bonding evening that went a bit deeper than most bonding moments during a bike trip, I am guessing.

As I got ready for my day, still chuckling at all the goofy things that were said and done last night, I realized I had started to be changed by these women. I believe that these women, regardless of what reasons they gave themselves for coming on this trip, were called to it.

As I started to pack my bike I ( After having showered in Mosquito repellent, and I am NOT kidding ) I took a moment to take pictures of our steeds.



I could hear the sound of the brook near by as it tumbled ever closer to the big lake. The air was cool and damp; symptoms of the existing overcast sky that hinted of the weather moving in. Once in a while I could hear a car passing by on highway 61, but for the most part, nothing. Stillness. Air.....and me with the bikes.

Foxy's trike. Big and deep blue. A Honda. Stable on her three wheels. Ready to take a passenger or carry an extra piece of luggage. In essence, ready to assist. Reliable, easy to ride, ready to roll when you are.

This is Foxy. Foxy and her family own and operate a saw mill in central Wisconsin. She is without a doubt the picture you would see if a picture were included with the meaning of the phrase, "Salt of the Earth". Ya, Youbetchya!

After having been met by my brother and his wife in Bayfield the previous Sunday and led into Duluth as a special favor to me, Scarlett, Foxy and I then made our way to see my eighty-eight year old Mother in a care facility.

Foxy, I could tell, was not the least bit out of her element. She was at home with my Mom; with my "family visit". I knew that if my mom had asked her to help her to the bathroom, Foxy would have done so without a second thought for herself and then probably would have offered to help her with her daily ablutions too. That is just the kind of person she is.

There is a carefree and wild side to Foxy that, perhaps, isn't so welcome at times in the conservative environment of central Wisconsin. So, perhaps, she keeps some of who she is hidden a lot of the time. I wish that weren't so for her sake. But, that is why she came along with us. We got to know and love Foxy.....all of Foxy, not just part of her. Her spirit is very young, though it has weathered some difficult times. Foxy's oldest daughter died just a day or two after giving birth to Foxy's grandson nine years ago. Foxy has a big, beautiful tattoo on her chest of a fairy blowing stars from her hand and her daughter's name. Pam.

Foxy was called to this journey.


Then there is Twitter's bike next to Foxy's. Twitter's bike was re-named after much talk of frogs and flies and face-reddening, gut wrenching laughter. We named the bike 'Nooner'. A low slung V-Star 1100. Burgundy and Cream.

Nooner has the ability to have a side car attached. So that even though you may see only the bike, the reality is that there is a piece of Nooner missing when the sidecar is not in place. A beautiful bike on its own, Nooner is completed by the side car. This is Twitter ....and her daughter.

What little you know of Twitter through these entries would lead you to believe that Twitter lives a carefree existence, full of frivolity and humor. Though, indeed, she fills her life with humor it is out of necessity. Without her humor, her world would consume her. Twitter, or Leah as her family knows her, has three biological children. The older two boys, now in their early adulthood's, have some emotional problems that have, at times and even now, been extremely difficult to deal with. Her darling daughter, Angela, was born 12 years ago with Downs Syndrome.

The name Leah has its origins in Hebrew and means 'weary'. In her short life, Twitter certainly would have every excuse to be 'weary' given the amount of attention, care and concern her children require. Not to mention the worry that, is not required but, just comes with the territory. But as you have read, Diary, she is anything but weary. She defies her name and inspires those around her to deal with their moments as best as they can and trust that the Spirit will guide, support and provide, all while finding the humor in the moment...finding sanity to move forward. One, of many, ways that Twitter keeps sane is by writing her own blog about her life with her daughter Angela and life in general..... you can find it by clicking here: Garden of Eagan.

Nooner, as I mentioned can have a sidecar attached. Angela loves to ride in the side car. A mother and daughter bike. A proud mother. A gifted mother. An hilarious mother!
They are blessed to have each other!

Twitter was called to this journey


Then there is Scarlett's bike. I cannot look at Scarlett's bike without seeing her second bike in my minds eye. Scarlet started on a Savage 650 and then moved to a Honda Shadow 750. The 750 prepared her. Now she rides a Honda VTX 1300. A reliable, quiet bike that is low to the ground. Ready to move out when called upon and not needing to be fast. This bike handles well and will perform when asked. This is Scarlett.

Scarlett's first response when I strongly 'asked' her to come along on this trip was to say she wasn't certain she could. She didn't tell me then but she was doubting her riding abilities and her stamina. She had spent years not valuing her abilities and had been left a bit, i don't know, tired, worn down perhaps by a couple of relationships.

It took Scarlett some time to think it through and realize that she WANTED to go but lacked the 'moxy' so to speak. If you remember, Diary, I have already told you that she has more moxy than most! So she set out to eliminate anything that would give her reason to back out. She got her health issue under control, released her worry over family, got her VTX 1300 so she knew she would be comfortable and (when need be) faster. She took an Experienced Rider Course, bathed in moxy for months and put away her TV remote control. She opened her heart and her life and said she was coming.

Scarlett was called to this journey



And lastly, there is the 1200L Harley Sportster that belongs to me. A real workhorse of a bike with sparkles on top. Snappy throttle (voice) and lowered by design, custom seat
( ahem ) and progressive shocks. You can't get much lower to the ground. Maintained ( and that can get expensive ), it is always ready for a ride but sputters during warm up, though it is fuel injected. It will take whatever you give it whether it is an unpaved mountain road , a nice quiet highway, busy town traffic or a drop in gravel and handle all of it with a great sporting attitude. At the end of a long run it will take to keeping its revs higher at a stop, so it needs its cooling down time. But it doesn't take long for that and it is ready to roll again!

This is me. Like every one else I have my share of woes and have been knocked down by life on occasion....but like the sporty, I get back up, get dusted off, *sigh*...and off we go to try again!

One of the ways I cope is by hosting a motorcycle crash site dedicated to helping those who have lived through any type of motorcyle incident, and those who have lost a loved one to a crash. It is called Biker's Haven.

I was definitely called to this journey!



So here we are, all together and on the road, sharing a part of ourselves and a bit of life with one another. This is good Spirit energy. This is life changing love.