| From San Francisco, up the Oregon Coast,
over the Columbia River and on to Vancouver.. then Alaska!!. May 6,2003 ... The
Rizman adventure begins!!!!!! This ride is documented by
over 25 pictures.. So plan to spend a little
time in the next few pages.. and enjoy the
ride.................. RizRide: Riz Page 2
Riz Page 3 Riz Page 4
Riz Page 5 Riz Page 6
| Mike Rispoli
makes it to Alaska...
|
.... Sort
of |
Life sure is funny, you think you know what you're doing & where you are going and then it turns out you knew neither. I
began this west coast odyssey with a couple of things in mind. First, I always wanted to go all the way up the west coast. Reaching Alaska was not as important as I let on, but I had to have a goal, so I chose that. When people say, "So, where are you going?" it sounds too weird to say, "Oh, just up the coast until I get tired." So I chose Alaska as my destination. Technically, I did make it there, if for only a few hours on a lay-over after a long ferry ride. A scheduling mishap tripped me up, so I had to improvise, overcome & adapt. I do intend to explore Alaska at some point, but I will plan that in a much different way. I needed to go on a "walk about". I do that from time to time, because of my restlessness, especially when I am out of sync. I usually go out looking for something, or to try to find an answer to something. Second, I thought I'd interview "Bikers" to learn more about people who share my enthusiasm. I thought it would be cool to try to write a story about it. Different people, in different parts of the country and different perspectives. |
 |
My journey began in San Francisco, where I rented my bike at
Eaglerider. Talk about a class outfit, they not only picked me up at the airport, but
my ride was a Stretch-Limo! I was thoroughly impressed to say the least.
Mike has a great staff & they did everything possible to make sure I had what I needed, and
that I was comfortable with my bike choice. |
| The day I left, I was surprised
with a gorgeous day, since I expected rain. The journey started out with a visit to the Golden Gate Bridge. In the AM traffic on Lombard Street, a school bus pulled along side me. I noticed the woeful faces of the kids, watching me as they went by. |
| I think to myself, here they are, trapped on this yellow paddy wagon, on their way to face a hundred-hour school day, and here is this cool Harley guy riding off for fun & adventure. As they passed, I remembered how I felt at their age. “Suckers!” I said out loud, and headed for the bridge. What biker doesn’t dream of riding over that bridge? Could there be anything that could define being “free” to a biker more than that? |
 |
 |
From there on, the coast along Hwy.
1 was a virtual cornucopia of exploding colors. High clouds provided various shadows falling on apple-green landscapes. Lush floral displays of bright orange, pink and purple that were so vivid, I could swear I was driving in an aquarium. |
| I will never forget the greens though. I never fully knew the meaning of the
word until I saw this landscape. The ocean to my left, with the sharp drop-offs to dramatic breakers down below, sounded like thunder at times. The blue sky, which was becoming more clouded as I headed north, provided its own wonderful canvas. Sunlight would find its way through the gaps in the clouds and would shoot light beams to various spots on the ocean. |
 |
|
At times the road would bring me in & out of view of the sea and into groves of Cypress Trees, the sunshine would warm my face like the hands of a caring mother. (We are definitely talking about a
cosmic experience here, just in case you were wondering). Those trees and their wonderful aroma came ever so close to putting me into sensory overload! I was being ‘hit’ on all sides at
once. It was a small miracle that I didn’t dump my bike while rubber-necking. I got on & off the bike so many times for pictures that I had to re-think my strategy for this trip. I hadn’t counted on
being so awed by all that I was experiencing. Could I possibly have an agenda now? I was too busy taking it all in to try to
work.
|
|
Visit 'em in order.. but
if you can't take 'em all in this session, just remember where
you left off!!!!!
Next Page
Other RizRide Pages: Riz Page 2
Riz Page 3 Riz Page 4
Riz Page 5 Riz Page 6
|
|
|
|
