When the idea for this whole endeavor first untangled itself from my head long ago I knew it would test my will, my strength, my patience, and my passion for striking out on my own.  Throughout the long process of putting The Nation of Patriots and its massive fund-raising campaign The Patriot Tour together, each of these aspects were independently tested from time to time.  However, nothing I learned in college, at any job, or in all 28 years of my life could have prepared me for the events that unfolded this past Wednesday and Thursday. 
I woke Wednesday morning to a bright Michigan morning; a cloudless breathless morning.  I knew that the weatherman was calling for rain, but as he had been wrong the day before I bet against him and left for Detroit.  The ride was impeccable until I rounded a long slight northern bend and hovering like a stone wall in front of me was black sky.  With nowhere else to go and somewhere to be I decided to try and out run it.  I failed.  It opened up on me like a garden hose about 75 miles from my destination. 
At this point I was far enough from the city for the traffic to be little to none, but as I approached Detroit I was welcomed with dense traffic.  Once inside the city limits I was in trouble.  I had 4 lanes of angry commuters driving way too fast for their own good not to mention mine and they had no compassion for the lone rider in the rain...and the rain was relentless.
20 miles from my destination I was yanked from my concentration on the road by a loud bang behind me.  It sounded like a shot gun went off.  All of a sudden my bike stuttered and came back to life all at once.  I was very concerned, but more concerned with getting to my destination - Detroit Harley Davidson.  5 minutes later the shotgun went off again and the rumble between my legs went silent, my bike had shut off.  At this moment I was in the far left lane and needed to navigate 3 lanes to my right...in the pouring rain...in the city...in rush hour traffic...at 65 miles an hour...with no power.  Somehow I made it to the shoulder and after checking my pants for any surprises I looked over my brand spankin new and BUSTED motorcycle.  I couldn't find anything wrong so I tried to restart it and like nothing had ever happened she fired right up and sat there purring at me.  So I started out again into this current nightmare. 
The rest of the 15 miles to the dealership the bike sputtered and spat, but remained in motion until I limped it the parking lot.  After speaking with the owner Jim my bike was being inspected by his techs right away. 
While I waited for my bike to get fixed I was visited by some very nice people that came to show their support from the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 154.  To those in attendance I thank you very much, it was good to meet you and I appreciate the support; its good to meet individuals on the road who that are so passionate about this country, everything she stands for, and for the men and women who have, are and will sacrifice to up hold it all.
As I killed the time and realized I would not be making it to my next destination in Cleveland the clock had wound itself to about 5:15.  Jim, the owner came to tell me that my problem was harder to find than they thought and like a hospital patient had to stay the night in the sick bay.  He found a ride for me to go to a motel, but just in the nick of time the tech found the problem!!  A bare wire on the bottom of the bike that when in contact with metal would short out the bike. 
And just like that I was good to go.  The good folks at Detroit Harley Davidson gave the bike a good look over and sent me on my way.  As I rolled her out of sick bay I noticed that the rain had disappeared and the sun was poking out.  It beckoned me to ride again; so I did and the test only became harder.
As I ride I am directed by a little electronic buddy I call Tom Tom (The GPS device on my bike).  I asked Tom Tom to start me in the direction of Pittsburgh and it asked me if I would like to take the Toll free route and I said yes.  So I hop back on the highway diligently following Tom's directions when I notice that I'm approaching a very large and long bridge scaling a very big body of water.  Almost too late I see that this bridge leads to Canada!!  I make a drastic maneuver to catch the LAST exit before the bridge and veer off into a neighborhood and pull to the curb.  As I'm reprogramming Tom Tom I notice that my surrounding are pretty rough; I also notice a group of baggy clothed individuals that are growing increasingly interested in my business.  I quick finish what I'm doing and fire up my bike just as this group starts moving toward me...I got out of there in a hurry and on my way toward Ohio.
Enjoying the dry air and the colors produced by the sinking sun I check my cruising speed only to notice my check engine light is on.  Great.  I have just entered Ohio must travel over 140 miles to the next Harley dealership.  About 30 miles later my battery light pops up.  I know I'm in trouble, but as I travel I lose more and more population and have found myself in an extremely rural part of Ohio.
As I round a bend (another life changing bend) I my bike goes dead once again.  So once again I pull over.  I inspect the bike and realize that what evers wrong is out of my mechanical ability to repair.  To the west the sun is sinking to reveal storm clouds coming again.  To make things worse, while I waited in Detroit for my bike, I killed the time by talking on the phone and now to my disgust that battery's just about dead.  I managed to get a call out to my girlfriend Margo to explain my situation when it went completely dead.
So there I was, in the middle of no where, no phone, no ride, and no body for miles.  I decided to sit back, light up a cigar and watch the sun set over the Ohio fields whe out of no where another rider came along and offered his assistance.  As he inspected my bike a man in a truck rolled up with the same concern.  He ended up putting all of my gear into his truck and driving me to the nearest gas station to charge my phone and make some calls.  He too was a Harley rider.
As soon as I revived my phone Margo was calling to inform me that she had placed a call to the state police who had dispatch their local officers to aid a lone rider stranded on the highway.  So we darted back to the scene where sure enough there was an officer waiting...Thanks Baby! 
The officer, Mick, was extremely nice.  He stayed with me on the side of the road while I tried to raise a tow truck (No small feet when your way out of town).  He let me use his personal phone as mine had gone back into hibernation.  He stayed with me until his shift when he had another officer come out to relieve him.  Chris, was just as nice and even let me take shelter in his car when those menacing clouds opened up again.  Chris was with me until the tow finally came at about 2 am. 
After strapping the bike down and noticing that I was exhausted, out of my element and vulnerable to fraud in these parts he offer to take me to the dealership where my bike was being towed and then to a hotel. 
Chris came into the hotel lobby with me to help me fanagle a good deal at the counter seeing I would be there for only 5 hours.  It worked and I got an amazing deal.  I fell into bed around 3 am.  Many thanks to Mick and Chris; 2 very good guys and 2 very good officers.  I hope I get the chance to repay them someday.  Thanks guys.
The next morning I was up at 7am to get over to the Signature Harley dealership where I was greeted by Scott.  He too was extremely nice and sympathetic to my situation.  With the guys at Signature's service departments help I was on the road by 10:30 and back into the rain.
I drove all the way to Pennsylvania...in the rolling thunder, lighting and pouring rain.  I had to stop 4 times because of the conditions and eventually missed my promo event at the Pittsburgh dealership.
As I stood under an overpass somewhere on the Ohio turnpike I began to question myself and my goals.  The weather was calling for rain all week in only the direction I was heading.  I began to feel the pressure and began questioning my very will to complete this tour.  How could this horrible luck have found me I wondered.  I found the answer under that turnpike.  Under that bridge someone had painted an American flag and underneath it it read "We'll never back down God bless the US, In memory of....(I couldn't make out the name)"  The answer starred at me for over 30 minutes before I believed what ever it was following me, well I'll let it chase me from now on.  I set out to do something and its getting done.  I won't back down and damn right -  GOD BLESS THE US.

May 29th  The Chase

10 hrs of driving and I finally received a break!  Some where in PA I managed to outrun the string of storms and broke free and clear into pure sunshine.  Once I caught the first rays of sun I had seen in almost 2 days I think it 5 minutes before I realized I was laughing my head off inside my helmet!!  All afternoon I raced up down, in out, and around the Appalachian Mountains.  I rode the sun until it disappeared behind the rolling hills of New York and finally came to rest at the Algonquin Motel.  It was a good day.  Tomorrow I ride for Vermont and a party in waiting to raise some money.  Till then.

Today I started out alone, but was joined by 5 riders and their passengers whose company was greatly appreciated...thanks guys!!  Though I had the company of other riders, I felt strangely far from everyone I know.  I traveled all the way from Plymouth IN to Fort Wayne IN where I stopped in and met a few of the good folks from Jim Bailey's Harley Davidson.  Soon I was back on the road on my way up to Kalamazoo MI.  What a beautiful drive.  The weatherman spoke of rain, but again was mistaken as my path was sun drenched and the sweet smells of summer changed with every broad turn up Hwy 69.  At one moment it was the smell of freshly cut grass, then the smell of thick pine as I entered the vast forests of Michigan, and finally a hint of the big lake as I approached my destination.

Upon arriving in Kalamazoo, we stopped at the Perry Harley Davidson dealership and I met Richard Perry, the owner.  He was extremely nice as we talked about bikes, riding, and The Patriot Tour.  He even donated to the cause.  Thank you Mr. Perry.

Tomorrow the weatherman is threatening me again, only this time with thunder and lightning, but he's only 30% committed.  I travel to Detroit where (weather permitting) I may have a good group of riders awaiting my arrival.

Thank you to all those that rode with me today and thank you to Marcia and Richard.

The Patriot Tour is officially underway. Leaving from Milwaukee we traveled over 300 miles and wound up in Plymouth, Indiana.  Down through Chicago everything was looking good...minus the always steady traffic in the big city; that was until the clouds formed on the horizen and began pelting my bike with cold rain.  This was my first experience driving on water at 70 mph, but the bike held steady and plowed through. 
I was being tailed by my wonderful girlfriend up until the first Indiana toll where, through the toll's general confusion of horns, gates, pouring rain, and crabby attendents I lost sight of her and figured she had turned back towards her apartment in Chicago.  At this moment I felt the crushing reality of the enormous task I have set out to accomplish set in.  I felt my gut sink, but all of a sudden out of the grey mist behind me I spotted a familiar sight...my girlfriend!  She had gotten stuck at the tolls and had become worried about my safety on a motorcycle in the rain that she sped through Gary, Indiana looking for a lone biker.  We decided to end our eventful day in Plymouth and spend one last night with a familiar face before continuing alone tomorrow. 
Tomorrow I will have to deal with the reality that is this endeavor and I welcome the challenge.

Thank you to all of those that showed up at Milwaukee Harley today.  Your support will carry me through and give me the strength to succeed.  An additional thank to those who showed up to ride.
Also, thanks to Marianne from Aflek.