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Alaska Bike Run - '05 Story Essay (work in progress)
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Sorenson Video Relay
ULTECH "Caption Mic"
Hamilton Video Relay & Birnbaum Interpreting Services

...the destination for 2005

The blue arrow points to the town of Stewart, BC. The town of Hyder, AK is at the end of the mountain range that extends into the bay directly above the arrow. See a larger view from the opposite direction.

The 2005 Alaska Bike Run:

This July 1, 2005 begins a 10,000 mile charity motorcycle run to Alaska for the benefit of deaf children. The organizer is Dr. Mike Tuccelli, also known as Dr. Sign, who teaches at the University of Florida and has organized a number of these events in the past. Mike is profoundly Deaf and for many years was against cochlear implants for deaf children. Most Deaf believe that deaf people should learn to communicate through sign language and be accepted as they are. However in the case of deaf children born into hearing families, up to 96% of the hearing families will not learn sign language. As a result, for these children, the world becomes withdrawn and isolated; without early intervention, they do not develop the necessary skills to communicate well.

As adults these children will typically read only on a 3rd grade level and will experience unemployment rates as high as 72%. But results of cochlear implants with early intervention show that hundreds of deaf babies implanted will have virtually NO language deprivation later in life! These fortunate children will have a much greater chance of leading meaningful, productive lives. Mike now believes, "that it is best for some deaf babies to receive cochlear implants because they are, after all, being raised by hearing parents and I, as a Deaf person, have no right to tell them not to have this procedure done."

But the procedure is expensive. The reason Mike has organized the Alaska Bike Run is to raise money and awareness for these children through early intervention which can include but is not limited to speech, lip-reading, Signed English, American Sign Language, and the use of hearing aids or expensive cochlear implants.

My Part:

I'll be tagging along on this 10,000 mile trek on a small 250 cc single cylinder motorcycle. Why, you ask? I could say that because of a hearing problem and a speech impediment as a child, that I empathize with these children, and that I support the cause. And I do, of course, support the cause. But even beyond that, there's something about riding a small motorcycle to a distant destination that's reforming, a renewing of the mind and spirit, an appreciation of the things that matter in life. It's not something that everyone feels, and it's not something that a lot of people are interested in doing.

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern... what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Those that know this quote, and understand, are fortunate. But those that are able to live it, while supporting a worthy cause, are truly the most fortunate of all.

Please join us on this journey... if not in presence, at least in spirit.

Some Links:

Alaska Bike Run - the web site

Alaska Bike Run - read more about the cause and, optionally, make a donation

My web site - motorcycle travel stories, philosophy, small bike journeys

News & Updates:

May 7, 2005
    Everything is on schedule for July 1. I plan to keep a diary along the way and write about the experience upon return. Corporate sponsors for the 2005 trip include: Sorenson Video Relay, ULTECH "Caption Mic", Hamilton Video Relay and Birnbaum Interpreting Services. Thank you! And to all the individuals who have chosen to contribute some of their hard-earned resources to this cause in the form of donations and rider sponsorships, Thank You!
    Mike Tuccelli puts countless hours into the planning and preparation of these trips and his efforts are greatly appreciated. Also appreciated are friends, colleagues, and supervisors whose effort and understanding have made the opportunity to take time off, to ride a small 'scooter' across a large continent, possible. And most of all, my wife, who has not even once told me that I'm crazy for attempting this (she has seen my motorcycle, which usually sets on the back porch).
    To all these brave people, you'll all be a part of my journey.

May 10, 2005
    Several have asked how to make a donation. You can sponsor me in increments of just 1/10 of 1 cent per mile. 1/10 of 1 cent would be $10 for 10,000 miles.  2/10 of 1 cent per mile would amount to $20. 1 whole cent per mile would be $100, etc. Please make checks payable to Alaska Charity Bike Run. Checks will be held until completion of the bike run.
    Alternately, you could make an immediate and secure credit card donation in increments of $10 at Dr. Tuccelli's web site (DrSign) by going to the make a donation link. During check-out mention "Pat told me about this site" if you'd like. Those interested in becoming a corporate sponsor may go to the sponsors page for more info.

May 18, 2005
    The Alaska Bike Run conflicts with the Small Bike Meet in Geneva, Pennsylvania over the 4th of July holiday. I realized this after thinking about my schedule outside of work. Sorry guys, this will be the first time in the history of the event (4 years) that I haven't made it. For anyone that's here through an interest in small motorcycles, try to make the Pennsylvania meet. Mike and Phil always put a lot of effort into this event and everyone has a great time; it's just a lot of fun!
    If you haven't traveled to a distant destination on a small motorcycle, and would like to read about it, at least from my perspective, here's an essay of one of my previous trips to Geneva, Pennsylvania called, Observations From a Small Motorcycle - The Illusion of Life. There's not much about the destination in the story, it's mostly about the journey.

May 19, 2005
    Two videos arrived in the mail last night. A goal related to this trip is an intent to learn some of the basics of sign language. I purchased the "Coffee Break Sign Language Lessons" series from DrSign's M & M Multi-Media Productions as a start. Wow... what a rich and interesting language ASL (American Sign Language) appears to be! The concept of communicating visually in three-dimensional space, as opposed to being limited to a sound-based language, is fascinating. In many ways, signing seems to be a much more natural representation of the complex world in which we live than the artificial transformation of subjects and objects into linear speech. I'm looking forward to learning more about this exciting language, and will have follow-ups as I spend more time with it.

May 21, 2005
    Today was my mother's birthday. She's been in poor health for some time. I'm not sure if she understood that it was her birthday. A series of strokes have severely altered her reality such that her world is very different. I don't know if it's better than my world, or worse.
    Sometimes I'm sad to see her this way, but truth be known I'm probably sad for myself. She instilled in me, through her life, an appreciation of beauty in the world, both in nature and in all things living. For that I am grateful. I only hope I can do the same for someone else. Someday.
    Should anything happen to her while I'm away, on this trip, I won't be here. But it won't matter; what was best about her, will be with me.
    And that's the way that it should be. The best things in this life, are the things given away. Ultimately, nothing else matters at all.
    This she taught me today - without ever saying a word.

May 24, 2005
    Dr. Sign (Mike Tuccelli) does an excellent job of teaching sign language. I had been trying to learn some of the basics of signing from the Internet... which in hindsight is probably not that much different from attempting to learn to ride a bicycle on the Internet. Without any concepts of syntax and structure, and the role of expressions and body language in ASL (American Sign Language), it's difficult to learn without a good teacher. Dr. Sign's videos addressed all the common mistakes that beginners make, and gave a good overall flavor of the syntax and constructs of the language through many good examples.
    ASL is NOT a simple language. And like any spoken language, I'm sure it takes years to become really proficient. But anyone that learns all the lessons on the two "Coffee Break Sign Language" series, is probably off to a good start. I hope I'm one of them!

June 7, 2005
    I've been attempting to get my bike, a Suzuki GZ250, in good working order for this trip. It has 35,000 miles, which is a lot of miles for a motorcycle of this kind. As with every vehicle I've owned, I do all my own maintenance.
    This bike is a breeze to work on compared to other more complicated vehicles, and that's one of the things about it I most appreciate. It is among the most simple machines available that are capable of propelling a human being at modern speeds on land. It represents the lowest common denominator, the prime of all modern prime-movers of its kind. As such, it is an excellent tool for seeing the things that are so fundamental they are easily overlooked when traveling by a more complicated means.
    The potential for Truth and Wisdom most often manifests through very modest vehicles, if history is any indication. And like many great vehicles of the past intended into temporal-physical form where none existed before, this one has its humanities; for one, I have no idea if it will make it to Alaska. Perhaps a force such as fate holds another destiny. But, within the boundaries of time, there appears to be only one way to find out for certain.
    I hope I haven't overlooked anything.

June 9, 2005
    A couple of people have asked if I plan to take a laptop computer on the trip and provide updates on the Internet along the way. I suspect Mike might be doing that - he did last year, if I recall. As for me, I don't own a laptop. Did you really expect someone who rides a "beginner bike," something so small by US standards that most people don't realize it can be ridden outside a training center parking lot, to own a laptop? I'm joking of course. At work, I have access to some very nice equipment. But as seen from the simplicity of my web pages, at home I have only an old desktop Win 98 machine that a friend gave me years ago. But like the GZ250, it does almost everything that I need.
    My wife, on the other hand, has a fast Internet connection at home that she uses for her work. Thus, these web pages. So, like everything else in my life that amounts to anything remotely positive, she is responsible for it in someway. Of course I never tell her this - why bother mentioning what she already knows.
    Really now, is it ever too early to start sucking up for next year's Run? Please excuse me while I go bake some cookies for all the people at work that cover for me when I'm gone. Ah heck, forget the cookies - tequila!

June 24, 2005
    One week from today, the journey begins. I'm in final countdown mode, trying to coordinate everything I think I'll need on the trip with what actually can be taken on a small motorcycle. I'm up to about 55 lbs total luggage weight. With me on the bike, that puts the total payload that it has to carry at almost 200 lbs - probably not too bad for this particular bike. The lighter and smaller the load the better. I lost 2 lbs as my part, since traveling long distance on a motorcycle requires some sacrifice.
    I'll be meeting Mike Tuccelli in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on the first day of the trip. From Tuscaloosa we'll ride about 9,000 miles of the most awesome and diverse scenery on the North American continent. Eighteen days latter on the return trip, in Tupelo, Mississippi, I'll depart ways and return to Nashville by the Natchez Trace Parkway. At least, that's the plan. Just one more week...

July 1, 2005
    Trip in progress. Check for latest updates at:

    WWW.ALASKABIKERUN.COM

July 19,2005
    Success!!! Awesome trip - I'm home safe and sound.

The Conclusion - also The Beginning

Wow! How to start...

I'd like to thank Mike Tuccelli for designing and planning this magnificent adventure. And to thank all our supporters both in spirit and in donations of time, money, and encouragement. Friends, family, colleagues and even interested strangers during our trip asked numbers of questions about what we were doing and why. I'm sure WWW.ALASKABIKERUN.COM will have many additional hits as a result of interest generated along the way. I've not met Mike's wife but they were in almost constant communication through email and pictures. I suspect it was her attention to detail and business back at home that made Mike's trip possible. Thanks Maureen. I hope someday to hear your voice, and hope the technology becomes such that Mike and others that choose to, do too (Maureen interprets for the Deaf among other things). And to think that our little trip might be a part of it all in the form of assistance to someone.

The real adventure now begins. In the coming weeks and I'll be writing about our experiences and adventures. And what experiences they were - riding a small 250 cc single cylinder motorcycle across this beautiful continent; I still don't know how the little thing held together running flat out for hundreds of miles at MAX RPM and MAX SPEED in 107 degree heat through Texas. Not to mention the magnificent mountains, the rain, the dust, the dirt, the cold, the Alaskan mining trails that lead to the glaciers (loosely called roads by some). What an adventure! And most amazing of all, I was following a Deaf man on a mission. We did newspaper and television interviews along the way and made appearances at Deaf clubs and organizations. And I had never even met a Deaf person before!

In the discipline of Zen (of which I know little of, really) there's a concept called "beginner mind." In order to learn anything truly new, one must empty the mind of bias, prejudice, and preconceived notions, and view any experience as though perceived for the first time, as a complete beginner. Well... I learned a lot on this trip, on my beginner bike, viewing a new universe for the first time. But in my case, it was easy: I've never ridden a motorcycle across a continent before, or ever met a Deaf person. What occurred was a kind of Zen experience; a totally new learning situation. I'll do my best to put it into words in the coming weeks.

Alaska Bike Run - '05 Story Essay  (work in progress)