Road to a Cure

Exercise Classes for Cancer Survivors

2011-11-17T18:33:00.000-08:00

David Haas, Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Guest Blogger, reached out to me requesting I post his article on the benefits of exercise for those with cancer. Definitely worth a read and sharing with those you care about that are battling cancer.

More Community Centers Offering Exercise Classes To Cancer Survivors

According to a recent study that was performed at Stanford University, small community-based fitness programs offer cancer survivors significant improvements in physical as well as psychological functioning. Study results showed that after 12 to 16 weeks of participating in a small group fitness program, fatigue, stress, vitality and overall fitness improved. Participants who continued the program for a year showed substantial improvements. Fitness programs included lifting weights, leg and chest presses and seated rowing with improvements noted in both women who had survived breast cancer and men with other types of cancer. With numerous additional studies also reporting that regular exercise appears to lower the risk of cancer as well as reduce the risk of reoccurrence and help prolong life in those with cancer, fitness centers and gyms are beginning to offer special classes for cancer patients. Many YMCA centers have also added cancer fitness programs to their schedules.

Depending on where you live, it may be difficult to find a community exercise program, but there are other alternatives that can be just as effective. For instance, some cancer survivors have begun to start their own fitness groups in areas that do not offer these types of programs. Others have begun walking; doing stretch exercises as well as exercising using resistance bands. What types of exercises are done and for how long is up to each individual. Some days it may be impossible to participate due to treatment. The point is to get up and move around when feeling well enough. Increasing activity will reduce the chance of weight gain, which is associated with new and reoccurring cancers as well as provide all the rewards that exercise offers.

Although in past years, doctors often advised cancer patients to reduce their activities and rest, today many oncologists are urging patients with breast cancer, prostate cancer, and even something rare and deadly like mesothelioma to participate in physical activity as much as possible while undergoing treatment. According to www.cancer.org, there are several benefits of exercise that can help patients while going through treatment. Some of these include reducing nausea, less fatigue, improved muscle tone, improved balance to reduce the risk of falling, improved self-esteem and improved quality of life. Before starting any exercise program, it is always best to discuss it with your doctor. Depending on the type of cancer, some patients may be restricted in performing certain exercises.

Evelyn Lauder, Founder of Breast Cancer Research Foundation, died on Saturday.

2011-11-13T07:30:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, this blog and the cross country road trip that accompanied it, raised funds for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Before beginning my trip, I did a fair amount of research to determine which organization would be the recipient of all your generous donations. Breast Cancer Research Foundation was at the top of my list based on their mission, the use of their funds and their excellent ratings from many charity watch groups. In addition, the staff at BCRF is filled with helpful, thoughtful and supportive people.

It was with great sadness that I report the passing of the founder of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Evelyn Lauder. She is profiled in today's New York Times.

Fantastic Gift Idea!!!

2011-10-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

Saw this on Breast Cancer Research Foundation's facebook page and wanted to share.

"New Pink DaysAgo Introduced to Promote Breast Cancer Awareness

Pink DaysAgo was inspired by co-inventor Kathleen Whitehurst's eighth anniversary as a breast cancer survivor.

When it comes to breast cancer, early detection is the key to survival. No-one knows that better than Kathleen Whitehurst, co-inventor of the award-winning DaysAgo® Digital Day Counter - and an twelfth-year breast cancer survivor.

Whitehurst's company, double u products inc., is introducing a new pink DaysAgo counter as part of her commitment to helping women of all ages get into the habit of doing regular self breast exams.

"I feel very blessed to be a survivor of breast cancer, the most common cancer in women," said Whitehurst, who underwent a mastectomy and chemotherapy to fight her disease. "I want women to remember every month to do their self exams, which are designed to find early tumors. When breast cancer is found early, and confined to the breast, the chances for survival are the greatest." "

http://www.howmanydaysago.com/pink.php

On the Road Again

2008-08-17T08:36:00.000-07:00

I'm hitting the road again. I'm starting in San Francisco and will head through Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas, New Orleans, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Sweet Home Chicago, DC and New York City.
This time my roadtrip is for Key to the Cure, a women's cancer initiative of Saks Fift Avenue in partnership with the Entertainment Industry Foundation's Women's Cancer Research Fund. The program will also receive ongoing support from Mercedes-Benz USA.

To follow my trip just go to: http://www.kttcroadtrip.com/.

Happy Mother's Day Mom

2007-05-10T20:12:00.000-07:00

Miss you Mom

Mom at Pike's Peak

2007-05-10T20:07:00.000-07:00

Mom & Dad on the ferry to Ellis Island

2007-05-10T20:05:00.000-07:00

2006-08-17T06:13:00.000-07:00

On May 19th I left San Diego on a cross country journey. I reached my final destination: New York City, 57 days later. My goal: raise $9,490 for breast cancer research. $9,490 represents a dollar for every day my mother, Lorraine Raimondo, battled breast cancer. 100% of all donations were donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Along the way I met many interesting people and saw many beautiful and just plain weird things. I kept a travelblog of all my adventures, which you'll find below. Some of my favorites included the Hole 'n the Rock home, the Dog Bark Park Inn, the drive through the redwood forest "Avenue of the Giants" in northern California, dancing with the Marlboro Man, Glacier National Park... oh I loved it all!
Although my road trip has ended, unfortunately breast cancer has not. So people are still making donations and so can you. Just click on the "donate online" button on the right to make a donation. Remember to select "Road to a Cure" in the drop down bar.

Scroll down and also check out the archive index on the right for photos and stories from my road trip. I hope it inspires you to hit the road yourself!

Best of the Road Part 4

2006-08-08T05:29:00.000-07:00

Best Breakfast: Church Street B&B, Sandpoint, ID

Coolest Town Under the Radar: I'm not telling, that would ruin it.

Sign Most Likely to have been Created While on Drugs: On a home in Portland, OR

Weirdest Gift Shop Experience: Wolf People, somewhere in ID, where a kid got bit by a wolf

Best Gas Station Sign

Most Unique Place to Stay: Dog Bark Park Inn, Cottonwood, ID

Best Town Sign: Winchester, ID

Best of the Road Part 3

2006-08-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

Best Place to Swim: Greenlake, WI

Friendliest Drunk on Public Transportation: Brad from Florida on the Hiawatha train line in Minneapolis, MI. (By the way, that's the only train line in Minneapolis.)

Cheapest Gas: Missoula, MT(most expensive was $4 in Baker,CA)

Best of the Road Part 2

2006-08-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

Scariest Place to Get a Haircut Award

Favorite Town Motto Award

Scariest Road on a Cliff Award

Best House Award by far goes to the Hole 'N the Rock home.

Best of the Road Part 1

2006-07-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

Enough people have asked me what the best _____ of my trip was, so I decided to just list them all here.

The Making Do With What You Got Award goes to this person in Northern California:

The Best Waitress Award goes to Marie at Mom's Cafe in Salina, UT

The Friendliest Town Award goes to Ely, NV

Best Entrance Award somewhere in NV

Event I Most Wanted to Crash Award My friend Sharyl and I did try and crash this wedding. We headed down the road until we got to the big no trespassing sign. I have a rule that I don't go past no trespassing signs in areas where most people have guns. Besides, I had the sinking suspicion that it was a cash bar.
More to come...

Breast Cancer Research Foundation

2006-07-27T11:20:00.000-07:00

That's Pat Altman standing with me at the headquarters of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Pat is the one who set up the online donations. She's a fantastic lady to work with!!!
I stopped by on Tuesday to drop off the checks and cash donors had given me along the way. Speaking of which, donations keep coming in. We're up to $13,300.90! Plus, I just received an envelop from the UK with some pounds in it. So as soon as I convert those bills to dollars we'll be up even more!
To find out more about the foundation click here: Breast Cancer Research Foundation

Paul Bunyan is everywhere!

2006-07-25T05:13:00.000-07:00

Paul Bunyan Camp - Wisconsin

States all over the US take claim to Paul Bunyan. He's that giant logger of American folklore. Well turns out the legend of Paul Bunyan started out in the state of Canada. OK, tee hee. I know Canada is not a state. I just say that to irritate the Canadians. Anyway, eventually the legend wandered south to the US and Blue, Paul's giant blue ox, was added to the legend. Of course we made him bigger and more unbelievable with stories that it took 90 stork to deliver him. Many of the stories of Paul Bunyan evolved from campfire tales that loggers would tell. Some were rather bawdy like the story where a bunch of loggers climped up a ladder on a tree to escape a bear. They tipped the ladder over so the bear could not follow. Unfortunately, this left the loggers stranded in the tree. To resolve this problem they all peed in unison and formed a frozen pole and slid down to freedom. Here's some of the Paul's I found along the road:

The largest Paul Bunyan seems to be near Klamath, CA:

I found the scariest Paul Bunyan in Coeur d'Alene, ID. Aren't his eyes kind of crazy?

And here's Paul once he finally came out of the closest:

Yes, yes, yes!

2006-07-20T09:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, you can still make a donation and people are! Please check the pedgers and thank you page for the latest donors and their tributes. (see index on the right). And to make a donation click on DONATE ONLINE on the right.

Meanwhile, check out people you can meet without ever leaving your car below.

People you can meet without ever leaving your car

2006-07-20T09:06:00.000-07:00

There are plenty of people you can meet without ever leaving your car. Like these fine gentlemen who's job it is to stop or slow down traffic on a 2 lane road for construction. This guy I met in northern California just outside "Confusion Hill" one of those mystery gravity places.

I met this man along the Oregon coast:

This fella was ruling the road in Idaho:

And this guy with long blonde dreadlocks was stationed in South Dakota:

If you're lucky enough to be at the front of the line of traffic they are always willing to chat awhile.

Then of course, there are the drive up windows. Actually, this is the only one I visited my entire trip - but who could resist drive up ice cream!

And then some folks you are forced to drive up to, like the toll booth operator. But who wouldn't want to be greeted by this guy!

Unfortunately, the worst type of person to meet without leaving your car ...

Thank You!!!

2006-07-19T04:53:00.000-07:00

There are so many people to thank! I'm sure I'm going to forget someone so sorry in advance. OK, here goes:
For providing me with care packages along the way:
Laurel DiLegge-Castillo and family

Sharyl Holtzman (twice!)
Nancy Mack
Jeff Janechek
Matt Myklusch

Belle Domingo

Kathleen Gonzalez

For sending me music!!
Kevin Tachman (photo)
Kia Quinn
Jeff Janechek
Noreen Oleksy
For making me a home cooked meal!
James Rodger Moab, UT
Yukari Raimondo, San Francisco (below)

Nancy Mack, Minneapolis
Trent Cramer, Minneapolis
Tamaki Friess, Seattle
Laurel, Racheal and Eric DiLegge-Castillo, Chicago
Auntie Clara, Chicago
Auntie Terry, Chicago
For buying me dinner
Kathleen Dargis in Oakland, CA
Jim Snyder in Chicago
James Rodger in Moab, UT
Shelia Schneider and Kevin Geraci in Portland, OR
Tyson in Sandpoint, ID
Joe in Glacier National Park
The Hard Rock Cafe
For buying me a tank full of gas
Nancy Mack
For giving me a place to sleep!!
Robin Holtzman, Vegas
Paul and Yukari Raimondo, San Francisco
Shelia Schneider and Kevin Geraci, Portland, OR
Erich & TamakiFriess, Seattle
OARS Adventure Travel Company (OARS.com)Yellowstone & Teton National Parks
Nancy Mack, Minneapolis
Cathy & John Jennings Green Lake, WI
Auntie Clara & Uncle Jerry, Chicago
For calling me lots while I was on the road
Beverly Raimondo
Dad
Paul Raimondo
Rob Schachter
Juddy
Karen Asch
Jeanie Carstensen
Sharyl Holtzman
For actually hitting the road with me!!
Paul Raimondo
Sharyl Holtzman

Pat Altman at the Breast Cancer Research Foundation for coordinating all the donations, setting up the online donations and responding to my many emails!!!

For help with the website
Minoru Uchida!!!!!

Mary Butler
Dave Tainer

Posting encouraging Comments on the website
Sophie Raimondo
Beverly Raimondo
Mary Butler
Minoru Uchida
Dave Tainer
Sharyl Holtzman
Morgan in Vegas
Carol in Oregon
A loyal reader in Chile!
Mary Youhn

Of course to all the donors (see yesterday's entry)

And all the people that sent me such wonderful emails! Oh, you should see them. I can't even begin to explain without sounding sappy. Like Wayne Moodie. He's a man in Woodstock, ON Canada. His red pick-up truck drove along side me from Lansing, MI to just before Toronto. He saw my sign in the window, had his office check out the site. He then made a donation and sent me countless encouraging emails and tips about what to do in Canada. He even tried to get me a ride on a tractor (something I wanted to do on my trip but didn't find the opportunity.) Coordination didn't work out, but how nice is that!!! He's just one of many examples.

Anyway, this Road to a Cure was just a little trip I thought up at the last minute, but to my surprise inspired a lot of people in some way. But the reverse is more true. I never ceased to be surprised at how supportive and encouraging friends, friends of friends, strangers and people you meet on the road can be.

But most of all, thank you to my Mom who was with me the entire time. There right next to me, enjoying the sites, telling me to slow down and praying to St. Anthony so I wouldn't get lost. Thanks for everything Mom.

New York City

2006-07-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

After 57 days and 10,334 miles, I'm back in New York City happy to announce that we've reached our goal! In fact, we've surpassed it with a total of $12,610.90. That's 133% of goal! Please read below a list of all the generous people that donated money to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation - and especially in whose memory or honor those donations were made.
I'll be posting my thank you's tomorrow so please check back in this week for that and the best and worst of the road and some other photos. THANKS!

Please see index on right "Pledgers and Thank yous" for complete list of donors.
Many, many thanks to all the generous people below who made donations
Juddy Connor
Victoria Connor in memory of her mother, Josephine Connor
Salli Frattini in honor of Lori
Rachel Newhouse
Susan Bovay in honor of Stacy Baker
Mary Ann Kurth in honor of Lorraine Raimondo and Dolores DiLegge
Shelia Sachs in honor of Nancy Mack
Rebecca Black in honor of Jan McKay
Rochelle Kurth in memory of Lorraine Raimondo
Jim Matthews in memory of Dolores DiLegge and Lorraine Raimondo
Esther Carstensen
Fran Liscio in memory of her dear departed husband, Jack
Elizabeth Posner in memory of Lorrain Raimondo
Meg Lowe
Mary Raimondo in memory of Lorraine Raimondo
Wayne Moodie
Joe Armenia
Alison Deegan in honor of the stength of women
Jay Bose in honor of Nancy Mack
Jerry & Noreen Oleksy
Tony & Terry Raimondo
Mike and Angela Stringini
Elizabeth Scott MacWilliams in honor of Stephanie Peavey
Patricia Atkins in memory of Lorraine Raimondo
Sharon Scott in honor of Gigi Maib
Janet Joyce
Julie Erbe in honor of Nancy Mack
Jim Snyder in honor of Nancy Mack
Carol Weaver in memory of Chuck Wardrop
Vincent Citrini in memory of Lorraine Raimondo and Marie Boulanger
Tami Levinson
Anonymous in memory of Lorraine Raimondo
Brad and Sophie Raimondo in memory of Lorraine Raimondo
Kevin Tachman in memory of Patricia Canaval who just passed away
Kenn Goodman in memory of Lorraine Raimondo
Hazel Chirnside
Barbara Derry in honor of Alice Rose and all women
Lynn Kramer in memory of Dolores DiLegge
Thomas Baran
Missoula Smoke Jumpers Welfare Fund
Mark Epstein
Julie Lerner
Jay Marshall
Pat Bartle
Church Street House B&B, Sandpoint, ID
Chris McCarthy in honor of Maryann McCarthy
Cosmo Scrivanich in memory of "Lori's Mom" (Lorraine Raimondo)
Kimberly Nelson
Sherri York in memory of Betty Wilson
Lori(Kiergaad)Thompson in honor of Nancy Mack
Robert Schachter
Jodi Morelli in memory of Lorraine Raimondo
Nate Hayden
Lisa Braun
Noelle Kurth in memory of Aunt Lorraine Raimondo
Kathleen Gonzalez
John Costello in memory of Virginia Costello
Doug Eckard
Blair Heartfeld
Meg Hall
Jocelyn Krasner
Monte Steinman
Jessica Strassberg in honor of Jamila Strassberg and Eloise Caggiano
Sandy Ferris
Matt Myklusch
Ethan Goldman
Brandon Hortitz
Joan Machonga in memory of Aunt Lorraine Raimondo
Jeanie Carstensen
Janet Rubright in memory of her mother Dolores DiLegge and Aunt Lorraine Raimondo
Stephanie Fogle
Kate McLeod
Lannie Yeager
Debra Wysocki
Belle Domingo to "inspiring women everywhere"
Ilan Lev
Carol Hammond in memory of her grandmother and Lorraine Raimondo
Colleen Fogarty
Laurel, Greg, Rachael and Eric Castillo to mom/grandmom Dolores DiLegge and Aunt Lorraine
Tony and Debbie Raimondo in memory of Aunt Lorraine
Toni Raimondo in memory of Great Aunt Lorraine
Becky Raimondo in memory of Great Aunt Lorraine
John Raimondo in memory of Great Aunt Lorraine
Anymous in Moab, UT in memory of Lorraine Raimondo
Paul Raimondo in memory of Lorraine Raimondo
The Youhn's in memory of Aunt Lorraine Raimondo and in honor of Joan Youhn-2 time survivor
Diane Morgan and Andrew Molyneux in honor of Maureen Morgan
Karen Cornish in honor of Nancy Mack
Jeremy Marusek in memory of Linda Lawrence
Mike Butler
Jeff and Theresa Janechek
Stacy Kanter in memory of Karen Kanter
Karen Asch
Jean and Ralph Sergott
Kirsten Denney in honor of Lorraine Raimondo
Stephen Friedman in honor of his family members who have survived breast cancer
Christy Ruyle in honor of many of her friends
Trent Cramer in honor of Nancy Mack and his mother, Rosalie Cramer, who is also a breast cancer survivor
Kathy Hatala in honor of Liesl Weeks and Kerri Clark
Cathy Boyle in honor of her mother, Katy Boyle a two time survivor!
Stephanie Ruyle
Jamie Scott in memory of Lorraine Raimondo
Mary in memory of her Aunt Maggie
Louis Raimondo in memory of his wife of 51 yrs Lorraine Raimondo
Kia Quinn in honor of Micki Petras
Denise Dahldorf
Ryan Chew in honor of his aunt, Barbara Roy
Maude DiVittis
Tami Levinson
Anynomous in honor of Corrine Eichner and Lorraine Raimondo
Patrick Butler
Anynomous from NY
Anynomous from Chicago in honor of Lori

2006-07-17T19:31:00.000-07:00

I'm busy tallying up all the last minute donations and will let you know where we stand to goal tomorrow at around 4:00PM EST. Oh the suspense. Well, to hold you over here's some photos of my Mom:
This is my Mom and Dad when they were dating. My Mom is the one on the right.
Here's my Mom with me.

Here's my Mom and Dad back in the 60's when they were spies. Few people know that they were actually the inspiration for the TV show Get Smart. No, tee hee. It's their passport picture. ...unless they lied to me....

Here's me and my Mom on a cruise circa 1978. You can see where I get my keen eye for fashion.
Here's my Mom in Hawaii 2004

Lake George, NY

2006-07-16T21:24:00.000-07:00

I headed south from Canada and after waiting 3!!! hours in backed up traffic at the border they finally let me back into the states. I headed down to Lake George. I booked myself in to a cabin on the lake and was looking forward to a relaxing day reading by the beach. Here's where I stayed at the Surfside Inn. My cabin is on the far left.

Lake George is 32 miles long and 187 feet deep at its deepest point. It was formed around 12,500 years ago by a glacier. It's at the southeast corner of the Adirondack Mountains in upstate NY.
Unfortunately when I finally arrived it was raining, but it was still nice to have my own room again! The lake is pretty crowded with motels and the town is pretty touristy with loads of T-shirt shops and your required fudge place. But no bookstore?? You have to go to the town 30 miles away to get a book. By the way, what is the connection with small vacation towns and fudge? No really, I want to know. How'd that all start?
Ok, that's all I got. Sorry - not that eventful. I'm just biding my time while I wait for the next donation report to see if I've made my goal and can go home. Stay tuned......

In many of your cards and letters you've asked, "hey, what's the Road to a Cure corporate office look like. Well, here's the main office:

Here's the support staff.

The bear, he's reponsible for proofreading. So all those typos you can blame on him. He says it's because he's got paws instead of hands. Whatever.

Quote of the Day

2006-07-15T17:24:00.000-07:00

"I better get going. I'm moving like a herd of turtles today."
Overheard at a bakery in Napanee, Ontario, Canada said by this fine lady.

Read below to find out who won the chicken flavored gum!

We have a winner!

2006-07-15T16:58:00.000-07:00

Ok, it took me awhile myself to remember which of the photos below is North Dakota and which is South Dakota. But I finally figured it out. This one is South Dakota

And this one is North Dakota
I took these photos at the border.

So, our lucky winner of a compilation cd of music from my road trip plus the chicken flavored gum goes to Beverly Raimondo. Since she was the only one that got the right answer, she get's both prizes. And she was most excited about the chicken flavored gum anyway. Beverly is my sister by the way. She's been in the background my entire trip, giving me advice, helping with directions, talking to me when I'm bored. But that had no bearing on her victory. She won fair and square. And that gum will come in handy in case she ever wants to get rid of that fresh minty, just brushed my teeth taste in her mouth.

Old Montreal

2006-07-14T17:42:00.000-07:00

Bon jour! Je suis a Montreal! Ok, that's enough French. So, Montreal. I arrived around 8pm and drove into Old Montreal where I would be staying for the next 2 nights. I was pleased when I looked around at the french architecture and cobblestone streets thinking, ah, a bit like Paris. This happy state was immediately squashed when a man who was walking past my car gave me the finger. And then to be sure I knew what he meant he said "F*#k you!." Hmm, what was that about? I wondered. What did I do? And then it dawned on me. My license plates, he's not fond of his neighbors south of the border in the USA. My evening didn't get much better after that.
I checked in to the Auberge Alternative du Vieux-Montreal Hostel on Rue St. Pierre. It's an old wharehouse with an eclectic decor. I had made a reservation for a single room. However, when I arrived they had me booked for a bunk in one of the dorm rooms and that's all they had left. The Rose Room to be exact. OK, whatever, I'll save some money. I hiked up to the top floor (that would be the 5th floor) where my bed awaited. Now the Rose Room is a small room, oddly shaped with 3 walls each with a set of bunk beds against it. Only a top bunk was left. I took the advice of one of the women in the room and chose the one closer to the fan. This was important because it is really, really hot and humid out. And on the top floor it's really hot. Add to that the fact that I'm on the top bunk about 2 ft from the ceiling and well it is hot! Another less desirable aspect of being on the top bunk was my pretty bad fear of falling. Plus, the beds were more narrow than your standard twin. I eyed the gap between the bed and the wall. Hmm, 5 inches - I could possibly slip through that. On the other side were a couple posts that I guess would at least make my fall less impactful. I figured I'll just hold on all night. I then wandered on down to the common room to take advantage of the wi fi internet connection and make some food.

At one point I headed upstairs to get my headlamp so I wouldn't wake anybody up later by turning on the lights when I decided to go to sleep. Well, someone had already went to bed. I'll call her Nicole - because her name is Nicole. All our names are on our bunks. cute. So Nicole is sacked on a top bunk and another cell mate is getting some stuff. As she leaves she nervously tells me to turn the light off when I leave. "No problem, I'm just getting my flashlight." Well, not a minute passes and Nicole huffs and reaches over and turns the light out. Now, she just heard me say, I'm just getting my flashlight. Plus, it's not even 11 o'clock and she's got to be in her 20's. What the heck is she doing in bed anyway? I just laugh it off and leave. When I do eventually head to bed there is now a mattress on the floor making it now 7 people in this small room. Plus, Nicole has rigged the fan so that it only fans her. Some of the other women rearrange it so it's more communal, and then Nicole jumps down and puts it back on her. She never says anything, just huffs. Another woman comes in (now everyone is being very considerate, going to bed in the dark or with a small light). Anyway, this woman is quickly and quietly getting into her bed and Nicole starts snapping her fingers as if to say "hurry up!!!" The woman responds, "Are you snapping at me?" And then adds, "And don't you think it's selfish to have the fan all to yourself?" Nicole just huffs and snaps and I'm just giggling in my top bunk, hoping a catfight breaks out. I then drifted into a very sweaty nights sleep.

Anyway, back to Old Montreal. The main street everyone strolls down is Rue St. Paul. It's loaded with cute shops, restaurants - many with live jazz at night - and galleries. You can take this road down to Rue Jacque Cartier for some street performers and cafes.
I don't get these people that act like statues. It seems like such a boring way to make a living. And exactly how much dough are these "statues" raking in anyway? I mean, I understand the street musician who really loves to play. Or even a juggler. But really, please explain the statue people? Plus, this guy has a sign that says "free hugs." Ok, then what's the bucket for if not for cash? On top of that the last person I want a hug from(ok maybe not the last person, but not in the top 500,000) would be some guy that decided to spend his life as a statue.
OK, sorry went off on that for awhile. I guess, I have to admit, I'm not really digging Montreal. I don't know, I say just go to Paris for the real thing. Ouch! Sorry. OK, I'm hot and tired, and I've only been here for 24 hours and only in Old Montreal. I'm sure it's a great place and you should come here often. But if you can make it to Paris....

Niagara Falls - Canada

2006-07-13T18:55:00.000-07:00

I was quite excited about visiting Niagara Falls since I have wanted to come here for as far back as I can remember. Unfortunately, the day I arrived it was pouring rain. You may think, heck you are going to see falling water anyway? Well, atleast that's what I tried to tell myself. But as you can see from the photo above, it just wasn't the same. But I set out to make the best of it. My first stop was to the Journey Behind the Falls. You take an elevator down and then proceed through these halls behind the falls and peer at the water through the end of the hall. I found this somewhat disappointing as you just see a wall of water. Here's a photo:

After that I headed up the river to go on the Maid of the Midst. Now this is a must!!! First you don a blue rain poncho that they provide like these fellow voyagers:

Then you get aboard this sturdy boat and head right in front of the Horseshoe Falls! Oh it's magnificent. It's wavy and you get sprayed with water from every direction!!! Just don't wear fancy shoes or masacara, which I haven't done since I left San Diego so I was all set!

Here's some interesting facts:
Did you know that during a summer daylight hours an incredible 34 million gallons (154 million litres) of water flows over the brink of the falls every minute! That's enough to fill 1 million bathtubs.
In fact, Niagara carries 20% of the world's fresh water flowing from 4 of the great lakes!
Weird thing is that all the toilets in town flush very poorly. Is there a connection?? Maybe because hearing all that falling water people have to go more and therefore more toilets are flushing on average. Just a theory.
Next I headed down the tourist strip. And when I say tourist, I mean the most touristy place I've seen other than Vegas!
I've never seen so many wax museums in a 3 block area! There's Ripley's Believe if or Not Wax Museum, Rock Legends Wax Museum, Criminal Hall of Fame Wax Museum, Guiness World Records Wax Museum and Louis Tussard's Wax Works. Wax museums are only to be matched by scary places. There's The Haunted House, The Fear Factory, Frankenstein's Haunted Place, Dracula's Haunted Castle and Screams House of Horrors. One boasts that 76,000 people have chickened out and ran out before going all the way through! Another has 3 levels each with its own scare rating. One good thing was that there's a Hard Rock Cafe. The Hard Rock has been generous enough to provide me free meals throughout my trip. You should eat there!

However for sleeping, I recommend you stay along River Road in one of the many B&B's. I stayed in the Backpackers Hostel. It's a great old house, built in 1896, with a friendly staff. That's it above. I rented a private room - that's it below.

Plus, its close to Queen St. where you can buy anything you need at Dollar And run by Sensa - a great German woman who dresses up like Santa around Christmas. Or maybe it's Mrs. Claus. Anyway, she sold me an umbrella and some deoderant. Here she is with her friend Jim. Sorry its out of focus but they were such great people I needed to include them!


The next day I awoke to a clear sunny day. Just in time to see this before I left town.

Toronto

2006-07-12T16:46:00.000-07:00

That's the CN Tower in Toronto. At 1,815' 5" it's the tallest structure in the world. Who knew? You can take an elevator to the observation area - that's that round part. The elevator ride takes 15 seconds. Once up there you can stand on this glass floor and look straight down which is pretty cool.
All sorts of people have broken strange records in the CN Tower. There's the guy who ran up the staircase (1760 stairs) 7 times in one day. Then there is the guy who carried a piano up the stairs in 7 hours and 30 minutes. My favorite is the gentleman who did the longest yodel from the top of the tower - 7 hours and 29 minutes. Humans are weird. Do you think animals do those sorts of things? Like do squirrels sit around and go, hey I wonder what's the most nuts I can stuff into my cheeks? I do think birds dare each other to do stupid things like dive in front of cars as close as they can without getting hit. Sorry, got off on a little tangent there.
Toronto is the largest city in Canada with a population of 2.7 million. It's seems to me to be a city made up of neighborhoods. I strolled through Chinatown and then over to Kensington Market which is a street filled with funky shops and ecentric people. Like these folks making art out of an abondoned car.

I had lunch in Little Italy at a place called Cafe Diplomatica - yummy! After I scarfed down this lunch I had to lie down for awhile.
There's also this Canadian - Sir Henry Pellatt - who made some serious cash jumping on the invention of electricity founding the Toronto Electric Co. in 1883. He decided to build a huge castle, Casa Loma, on a bluff over looking Toronto. It took 3 yrs, 300 workers and $3.5 million to build. It's huge with 98 rooms and secret passages. Although they over sell you on the secret passageways because I think there are only 2. When you walk through it's packed with tourists. Unfortunately, Sir Richard only was able to live in the castle less than 10 yrs because he soon lost all his money. Silly man. What do you need a big house like that for anyway?

Michigan

2006-07-12T16:37:00.000-07:00

You can drive fast in Michigan and that's just what I did, right across the state. My only stop was in Turkeyville for "The World's Greatest Turkey Sandwich." I'm not sure if it's the world's greatest because, well I haven't had all the turkey sandwiches in the world, but it was darn good!

Chicago Part 3

2006-07-12T16:27:00.000-07:00

That's my friend Jim Snyder on the right. He's pictured with his partner Scott. I've known Jim since college. We spent the night on the front porch of his condo near Lakeshore Dr. talking, talking, talking. He's got a great place (huge by NYC standards)!!! He's just one of the many generous donors along the way. It was so nice to see him. I haven't seen him in maybe 10 years. There are many people who have kept me inspired along my way, Jim is one of them.

Chicago Part 2

2006-07-11T19:20:00.000-07:00

The Taste of Chicago was going on when I dropped in on the Windy City. (Chicago didn't get the name the Windy City because it's windy by the way. It is windy, but the phrase was coined back when Chicago was competing against other cities for some business. Legend has it that the politicians blew a lot of hot air and thus got the name.) The Taste is down in Grant park by Buckingham Fountain. It's rows and rows of food and lots a of stages with bands. It's hot and crowded and filled with every shade of life both in food and human form.
You can catch some great music, both on the stages and from street performers, which are always all over Chicago.
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A relatively new addition to the city is Millineum Park just north of Grant Park. It's a must see! Here's the walkway with the band shell over on the right. The band shell is that structure that looks like curls of metal.

There's also a long waterway that, whether it was intended to be or not, is now a long foot bath perfect for after walking around the city.

But the coolest part of the park is this fountain (above). Yes, that's a fountain. Water drips down the face of the structure. Loads of kids hang around watching for changes in the face. Once the eyes start to shut and the lips begin to form a circle all the kids know exactly where to stand!

Ah, summer in the city.

Donors of the Week

2006-07-10T19:28:00.000-07:00

That's Toni, John and Becky. They are my cousin Tony's kids. And not only are they ecstatic about the Italy victory!!! they are the Donor's of the Week!!!! Toni donated her "Friday night" money. John donated his "game money" and Becky donated the money she earned babysitting. Beautiful kids, inside and out!
See below for what to eat when in Chicago

Chicago Part 1

2006-07-10T18:45:00.000-07:00

That's my Dad. In front of him is an Italian Beef. You can only get this sandwhich in Chicago. Here's a closer look.
You can get it with sweet peppers or hot peppers. They will ask you if you want it "dipped." You answer "yes." We got this one down on Taylor St. It's just south of downtown Chicago. It's where many Italians settled when they first came over. My grandmother grew up here in an apartment with her parents and 10 siblings. They shared a bathroom with the apartment behind them. Her street isn't there anymore since they built the University of Illinois Chicago campus in the neighborhood. But Taylor St. still is.
The best part about a big city is all the conversations you over hear from people on the street. Like this woman below.

She was at Al's Italian Beef as well. Her cell phone rang and it soon became apparent based on her side of the conversation that we had a real psychic in our midst. Seems that her caller had a broken heart and wanted to know about his ex-girlfriend. The psychic told him all sorts of things about his ex always followed with "am I right? am I right?" said in a thick Chicago accent and in a manner that exuded much confidence that she was in fact right. She eventually told him he must come and see her asap. "It's very important you come in right away." (Seems this is when she makes her money.) The best was when the man with her fed her a line to give the caller, "bad luck is following you. It's right behind you. You must come in right away."
Her shirt says "Nasty Girl" and that she is.

But back to food. After your Italian Beef you then walk across the street to get an Italian Ice at Mario's. They are made with fresh fruit and aren't too sweet. Pick up a bag of lupini beans to go and your true Chicago meal is complete!

Chicago

2006-07-09T13:09:00.000-07:00

This my aunt, Dolores DiLegge. She is my Mother's younger sister. I love this picture of her. She passed away a couple months before my mother, Lorraine. Her and my mother were very close, especially when they both were battling breast cancer. They supported each other even though they lived thousands of miles apart. She has 3 daughters Lynn, Laurel and Janet. I stopped by Laurel's house while in Chicagoland. She fed me a fantastic lunch and sent me off with a care package of healthy snacks for the road.
My cousins wrote the following about their Mom.

Our Mom, Dolores DiLegge
It is difficult to try and sum up a person’s life in a few short paragraphs, especially when that person was the most important person in our lives. Mom, Dolores, was born on Valentines Day, February 14, 1935. She was the second daughter after Lorraine, before Mary Anne and Jeannie to John and Anastacia Galdik.

Mom had an active childhood and she often talked of the dreams her family had for a better life together. She was an excellent student and attended Xavier College on an academic scholarship.

While purchasing her first car, a convertible, she met Joseph DiLegge. Not only did he sell her a car he sold her on himself also. Mom and Dad married on her 22nd birthday and had 3 daughters, Lynn, Laurel and Janet.

Widowed after 5 short years of marriage, in 1962, with 3 young girls to raise, she worked for the #1 advertising agency in Chicago, J. Walter Thompson. Her career blossomed in her 35 years there. Her offices were in some of the most well known Chicago locations; Wrigley, Hancock and Bloomingdale buildings.

It was important to our Mom that we got to experience the culture of the Chicagoland area. She would take us on many mini excursions to see the local sights. Mom also loved to travel abroad. She was fortunate to be able to do this with her sisters as she got older. After retiring, at 62, she would spend her winters in LaJolla, California. This was the place she wished we would all move to with her.
   Dolores(l) and her sisters Mary Anne(c) and Lorraine(r)

Grammy, as she was known to her grandkids, had a special relationship with each of her grandchildren. She would always make time just for the kids. It was not unusual to see her playing with one grandchild or another at parties instead of being with the adults.

Mom was diagnosed with Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) in May 2001. Her daily calls from her sister, Lorraine, who was battling breast cancer also, helped get her through a year of extensive treatments. She remained cancer free for over 3 years, but during that time was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. In April 2005 her cancer returned and she died on June 6, 2005.

Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) is the rarest form of breast cancer. Only 1 to 6% of all new breast cancer diagnosis is IBC. It is often misdiagnosed as a bug bite or rash.

We were blessed to have had her for 4 years after her diagnosis and cherished every moment we had with this extraordinary woman. Her generosity to others, strength for us, friendship to all is what we will remember most. We will love you forever.

Lynn, Laurel & Janet (The DiLegge Girls)

Guess which state?

2006-07-08T08:02:00.000-07:00

OK, guess which state I'm in? Don't know yet? Well not only does this place sell cheese shaped like the state it also sells summer sausage shaped like a bottle of beer. You can buy it by the six pack.
Still don't know? You can also buy bait from a vending machine. You just push the button for the desired bait - night crawlers, baby crawlers, wax worms, what have you - and out comes a styrofoam container filled with your desired wormlike critter.
Still can't guess? Ok, here's a picture of a native, Jeff Janechek. He lives in Minneapolis now but is a true representation of his birth state - polite, humble, super nice and funny. He's holding a bobblehead of Rollie Fingers.
Yes, yes Wisconsin, of course!
What they also have in Wisconsin are a lot of lakes. Lots of people from Illinois buy lake houses in Wisconsin. Like my friend here Cathy on her pontoon boat.
I've known Cathy from back in the day when I worked in finance. That was before I realized I didn't like working in finance and dedicated my life to the noble industry of cable television. Cathy and her husband John have a great house on a lake in Green Lake, WI.

See, like I said, a great house! They were kind enough to let me stay with them and show me around town. There are 1,100 residents in Green Lake. But I like the town's optimism - or perhaps it's a commitment to accuracy. The sign at the entrance to town has a blank space by population that can be easily updated at the birth of a child. We ate at a great local place, Norton's on the lake. The next morning we spent kayaking in these kayaks that actually have peddles as well. You can either paddle or peddle. And then I couldn't resist taking a swim with this four legged friend. Who could!

Minnesota

2006-07-07T07:39:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of lakes in Minnesota. The Minnesota license plates says there are 10,000. The sign at the state border claims 15,000. I personally saw 14. So, there are between 14 and 15,000 lakes in Minnesota. I like lakes. I grew up swimming in lakes in the midwest. I love swimming in lakes. There aren't any waves, so you can actually swim. There isn't any salt to dry out your skin. No sharks. No alligators. No undertow, no eels. No chlorine and plenty of room. My friend from college, Trent, took me fishing in Pryor Lake just outside Minneapolis. (Or is it Lake Pryor?). He put the worms on the hook for me, which was mighty fine of him.
Although, contrary to popular belief, I have put many a worm on hooks in my day. When I was a kid we used to dig for them behind our garage and put them in a coffee can to go fishing. Anyway, it was a beautiful day on Lake Pryor and I caught 2 fish. Trent caught none. Tee, hee.
Here's me with a perch. OK, he's puny and yes I did throw him back.

Nancy Mack

2006-07-04T13:18:00.000-07:00

This is my good friend Nancy Mack. I’ve known her since we were young co-eds at Northern Illinois University. She’s brainy and funny in a good, quirky kind of way. She's creative, beautiful, passionate and caring. She has great taste in music and twirls on the dance floor. She loves cycling and is a much better skier than me. She moved to Minneapolis back in 1998 and lives on a beautiful lake in a cute house that I’m jealous of. Last October she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

She had always had her annual mammograms. It was breast cancer awareness month and she heard that one sign may be a dimple on your breast. She noticed a dimple. She went in and discovered through a sonogram she had a stage 3 tumor. She started 8 weeks chemotherapy on Thanksgiving. She shaved her head 1 week in before her hair would fall out on its own. Her doctor shaved his head too in solidarity. She had a double mastectomy in March. She began radiation in May and has 2 more weeks to go. She’ll have chemo for atleast another year. She’s still smart, funny, creative, beautiful, quirky, passionate and caring. She just can’t ride her bike right now. But she will soon.

Here are some facts she would like you to know:
• Breast Cancer is the leading cause of death for women 15-54
• 11,100 women under 40 are diagnosed with breast cancer every year
• One in every 229 women between 30-39 will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the next 10 years
• Breast cancer in pre-menopausal women can be more aggressive

She’s my good friend Nancy. You would be lucky to have a friend like Nancy.

To see what we’ve been up to in Minneapolis see below.

Spam Museum

2006-07-04T13:03:00.000-07:00

If you are anywhere in Minnesota you MUST get yourself over to the Spam Museum in Austin, MN. Whether you eat Spam or not, you'll love this museum that totally embraces the kitschy-ness of its brand. There's a Spam theatre with pig shaped doors that shows a short film on the history of spam. It also profiles the Spamettes - a female quartet that performs around the country such Spamicized songs as Mr. Spam Man (sung to Mr. Sandman).

You can also try your hand at the assembly line and time yourself on how fast you can pack a spam can. Nancy beat me hands down at this task.

We went a little crazy at the gift shop - I got a Spam bobble head for my car - and of course bought some Spam. We got a can of Spam lite and Spam Hot & Spicey. (Spam by the way, is spiced ham, that's where they get the name. Mr. Geo Hormel was having a party and offered his guests $100 to come up with a name for his new spiced ham product. An actor friend came up with Spam by taking the SP from spiced and the AM from ham.) We decided to grill it that night with the thinking that anything tastes good on a grill.

Well, I can't say I'd be buying more, but it was edible.

North Dakota - South Dakota

2006-07-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

This is the world's largest holstein cow located in Salem, ND. She's 38 ft high, 50 ft long and weighs in at 12,000 lbs.
North Dakota is also home to the world's largest bull. This bull located in Jamestown, ND is 46ft long, 26ft tall, 14ft wide and weighs 60 tons. The bull is located in a pioneer town which also houses a cabin of Louis L'Amour. Jamestown in the birthplace of this author of many cowboy novels.
The town has a original buildings that served as a bank, school house, insurance office and a dentist office way back in pioneer times. Is it just me that gets creeped out by manequins in old time clothes?


Now in SD you have the world's largest bull head standing at60ft tall weighing 25 tons. It's the same height as a head on Mt. Rushmore.
The bull is located just east of Mitchell, SD - home of the Corn Palace. Mitchell has had a corn palace since 1892. Back when Lewis and Clark came through this part of the country they wrote that the area was a "Great American Desert" suitable only for buffalo indicating no man could make a living farming this land. To prove them wrong and to draw settlers to the land the Corn Belt Real Estate Assoc. built the first Corn Palace to showcase all the crops that could be grown. They've built one every year since. Basically, the entire outside of the building is decorated with all sorts of corn. It's also by default become the world's largest bird feeder.


OK, Pop Quiz! Which of the following 2 photos (A & B) is North Dakota, and which is South Dakota? A winner will be selected from all correct answers received by 7/6 (email to roadtoacure.blogspot.com link on the right.

A
B

First place will receive a compilation CD of all the music I've discovered or listened to to keep me awake along my 9 week journey. Second place get's this chicken flavored gum.

My Mom

2006-06-29T19:39:00.000-07:00

Here's another picture of my Mom when she was around 18 years old.

Here's some things you should know:
Most women who develop breast cancer do not have a family history of the disease.
After the age of 40, your risk of getting breast cancer increases more dramatically.
Breast cancer impacts over 240,000 new patients a year in the US.
Approximately every 3 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer and approximately every 12 miuntes breast cancer claims another life.

(also read the new entry below about Gary Greff in ND who's mother is a breast cancer survivor).

Enchanted Highway - Regent, ND

2006-06-29T17:53:00.000-07:00

This is Gary Greff and that’s one of his metal sculptures behind him. Gary is a man with a dream, to make his hometown of Regent, ND known as the metal sculpture capital of the world. All along the 30+ mile “enchanted highway” that runs south from I94 to Regent, ND are metal sculptures that Gary has built. All the sculptures are done in a different style. There’s Teddy Roosevelt on a horse, giant fish and my favorite, a humongous grasshopper. (Perhaps I like the grasshopper best because after winning the skipping race in 4th grade gym class I acquired the nick name “grasshopper.”) He built the first sculpture in 1989 – one of which is behind him in the above photo. Funding has been tough and Gary has lived without much in order to see his dream to fulfillment. I was ever so lucky to run in to Gary at my last stop along this enchanted highway. He continues to think of ways to turn his vision into something that brings money into his small hometown with the possibility of a developer building a 4 star resort nearby. There’s something about this man and his passion and determination that stays with you after meeting him. It makes you ask: What’s your passion and what are you doing about it?

The Road to North Dakota

2006-06-28T19:36:00.000-07:00

Along my journey I’ve asked people, “What is there to see in North Dakota?” My most common response was “nothing.” Well I’ll tell ya, there’s something to be said about seeing nothing. Mmm yes, no strip mall, no McDonald’s, no bumper of another car. Yes, in North Dakota you can drive for miles and miles and miles and see none of that, and that’s a very nice thing.
When I arrived at the border of ND I pulled over to take a photo. I was quite excited as ND is the last of the lower 48 that I hadn’t been to. Not soon after 3 bikers doing their own cross country trip pulled up. That’s Bob, Bud and Larry.

They were kind enough to take a picture of me by the sign and suggested I sit on their bike. Well no asking me twice! Being on the road for the past 39 days I’ve seen a lot of bikers and I feel like we’ve bonded. Although they probably don’t think the same when they see me in my Chevy Malibu. But I know that they’re on the road to be on the road, not just to get from A to B. Like these folks I met at the Harley Davidson store in Sturgis, SD, home of the huge annual bike rally. That’s Joel and Cathy from Sioux Falls and Brian from British Columbia.

Bikers and truckers truly own the road, the rest of us are just visitors.

But back to North Dakota; If you find yourself in this part of the country head straight to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park and drive through the badlands of North Dakota.    There is a 36 mile scenic loop you can drive along in the southern unit of the park. You’ll see plenty of wildlife from the car and there are plenty of trails you can hike or even mountain bike along. I saw bison, wild horses and my favorite: prairie dogs! These things are adorable and they were …well…prairie doggin’. You’d look across the field and they’d just keep popping up all over the place!

Ya, I like North Dakota.

South Dakota

2006-06-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

I slept in a tepee last night! Well, I was supposed to sleep in a tepee last night. See, these ideas sound fantastic when I think of them. But then when the reality sets in, sometimes it's not so….hmmmm….ideal. Take the tepee for instance. I figured since I’d been sleeping in a tent most of last week, I’m ready for the tepee. Well, I think it’s safe to say this tepee wasn’t as enclosed as the ones I’ve seen in the museums. I checked in to the tepee, they gave me the fabric door – that’s what you get instead of a key, a piece of fabric tied to some sticks – and I headed over to my tepee. I immediately noticed that the tepee really didn’t go all the way down to the ground in some spots. There were huge gaps and I started to think of all the things that could get through those gaps. A beaver for example. Now, I’m not afraid of beavers and there weren’t any close by, but you get the idea of the size of animal that could just wander on in. The more I sat there, the more I envisioned a drafty, sleepless night. So, after much pacing back and forth, I traded my tepee door in for a key to a cabin. I felt like a wimp, but a wimp that would be getting a good night sleep.
The Heritage campsite where I was staying was in an excellent location in Custer, SD overlooking Crazy Horse. Now if you don’t know what Crazy Horse is, here’s a photo:

How Crazy Horse will look once completed but 34 times larger

The Crazy Horse Memorial is in the Black Hills of South Dakota and honors the North American Indian. Once completed it will be the world’s largest mountain carving. Work began in 1949 and right now only the face is completed. To give you perspective on the size, the height of the eye opening is 9ft. Korczak Paderewski was the sculptor that the Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear invited to the black hills to do the sculpture. Korczak was a strong believer in free enterprise and thus no federal/taxpayer money is accepted to support the project. Korczak passed away a few years ago. His wife Ruth turned 80 the day I arrived. In her honor there would be a “night blast” after the evening light show. This is an amazing thing to see. OK, I hear it’s an amazing thing to see. I fell asleep in my car waiting for the show to begin and woke up during the blast which looked like this by the time I grabbed my camera:

Sorry, but you try and do something exciting everyday after driving for hours and see how long you stay awake. The next morning I got to Mt. Rushmore shortly after it opened at 8AM – which is an excellent time to go to avoid the crowds. They said I could come back with my same pass that evening to see the light show. I think I’ll pass.

Jackson Hole, WY

2006-06-26T17:35:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for cowboys, Jackson Hole is the place for you. Like these fellers above. That’s George on the left, he manages a ranch. On the right, that’s Dwight. I couldn’t get him to answer any questions straight so all I can tell you is that he’s originally from Colorado. In the back there is Bill. Bill breaks horses. A horse whisperer as Elizabeth called him. We met these fine cowboys at the Silver Dollar Bar. We then headed to the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar next door. It’s a place where the bar stools are saddles and a band plays every night. We ran into our cowboy friends again and they are quite the dancers. George can really move on that dance floor and if there isn’t room, well heck, he just makes some!

George and me on the dance floor

Bill is a quieter sort of guy who likes his whiskey straight. After awhile Bill and I got chatting. He’s signed up for the rodeo in Billings, MT next month. He does an event called Wild Horse Racing. Not sure exactly how it works, but it takes 3 guys to manage a wild horse in the competition. Bill at some point grabs the horse around the neck. But more interesting is that Bill was recently in Chicago signing a contract with an ad agency. Yes, Bill is gonna be the Marlboro Man!!! Now what’s the likely hood that I go out looking for some real cowboys and end up meeting the Marlboro Man! Bill is about 6’4” without the boots and hat and looks the part. I asked him if he wore that same outfit when he visited Chicago. “Of course. Except I wore a white hat because the Marlboro Man always wears a white hat.” He also mentioned that when he walked down the hall at Leo Burnett (the ad agency) women’s heads kept popping out of the offices and asking him, “Are you the Marlboro Man?” After we danced he said, “Now you can tell your friends you danced with a real cowboy.” “Heck!” I said, “I’m going to tell them I danced with the Marlboro Man!” “Aw, that’s nothing.” He replied.
So, if you fancy yourself a dance with a long legged cowboy, mosey on over to Jackson Hole, WY, plop your butt in the saddle at the Million Dollar Cowboy bar and you’ll be spinning on the dance floor before your boots hit the stirrups! YEE HA!

Yellowstone and Teton National Parks

2006-06-25T21:57:00.000-07:00

For the past 5 days I’ve been on a camping trip in Yellowstone and Teton National Parks. The trip was set up through a company named OARS (www.oars.com). It was an incredible kayaking trip through gorgeous scenery. Back in 1872 Yellowstone was the first place in the world to have ever been declared a national park. The park is actually the result of volcanic eruptions dating back 1.3 million years ago and again 640,000 years ago. The same heat that powered those volcanoes currently fuels the geysers, hot springs, fumaroles and mudpots that are scattered throughout the park.

There were 7 of us on the trip plus a trip leader and 3 guides. There’s Doug, a 27 year old in the airforce, and his wife Rosabelle who is 22. Then the Scott clan made up of 3 sisters, Sharon, Elizabeth, Pat and her daughter Shannon. Well, nothing makes a trip more than the people you are with. And I’ll give you a tip, next time you are planning a vacation figure out where the Scott family is going and book the same trip! These ladies are a laugh a minute. There’s Sharon a police officer in Jacksonville, FL who’s fire side stories about life on the job kept us all in stitches. Then there’s Pat who’s quick witted and tells it like it is and her daughter Shannon. And lastly Elizabeth is a therapist in Salt Lake City who’s in tip top shape! Brian from OARS let us know the logistics of the next few days and introduced us to Sam, one of our river guides. Sam’s a laid back sort of guy who’s chock full of information about the river, its wildlife and history. Our trip leader, Gordo, would be joining us the next day.

Sharon, Shannon, Pat and Elizabeth
We spent the first day kayaking the West Thumb Geyser Basin section of Yellowstone Lake. The water is pretty high due to some excessive run off, so some of the geysers were under water and we could kayak right up to them! We were greeted by Jen and Nick, our 2 other guides, at Flagg Ranch campsite where we’d be spending the night. It would also be our last chance to take a shower for the next 4 days. Now what I’ve learned is that there are 2 types of camping. There’s the sleeping in an RV at a campsite that has all the necessities you’d have in a hotel: hot showers, store, and restaurant. That’s what you saw in Flagg Ranch. Some of these RV’s would put a rock star’s tour bus to shame. And in the ladies room I found a row of women lined up in front of the mirrors with hair dryers, curlers and can’s of hairspray bigger than my head! That wasn’t the kind of trip I was on. Here’s what my home sweet home was for the next 5 days:

And it was cold at night! It can drop from 70’s in the day to 30’s at night. But I’d picked me up a down jacket at an outlet store in Montana along with plenty of long underwear, so I was set.
In Yellowstone there are signs all over the place warning you about bears and what you need to do. Each night you needed to remove from your area anything that would attract bears. This included not only any food items but also anything scented like toothpaste, shampoo, and sunscreen. Who knew bears even used these products! These items would need to be stored in a bear proof container. Needless to say, I was very sure to follow this rule.
I awoke pretty early the next morning and quickly learned that we’d already lost 2 of our campers. Poor Rosabelle was up all night puking in her tent, outside her tent, in the restroom. Eventually they took her to the hospital. Seems she was dehydrated even though our guide told us a hundred times to keep drinking water. Now Rosabelle is a pretty delicate type of lady. She and Doug were in a double kayak and if you looked close enough you’d notice that Rosabelle’s paddles never really went into the water. Doug was doing all the rowing. I later found out that Doug had told her she only had to dip the oars in an inch and that’s what she did. She held the oars and dipped the left side into the water an inch then the right side and inch and so on and so on. cute.
Anyway, I headed over to the ladies room for my last shower. I’m scrubbing away and I begin to hear some low pitched grunts and heaves, like someone grumpily starting their day. The only thing that concerned me was that the pitch was so low. Hmmm. Did I go into the wrong bathroom? Is this the men’s room? Well, turns out I was in the right bathroom but the man that looked like an old prospector was in the ladies room showering next to me. Ew.
We packed up our stuff and headed over to the Snake River for a 6 mile kayak to Jackson Lake which would be followed by another 6 miles of kayaking to camp. We were supposed to dock for a bit and have lunch on shore. However, we were a bit behind schedule due to the Rosabelle incident and decided to do lunch flotilla style. This turned out to be great! They tossed us out some fruit and then a salami and cream cheese sandwich on a bagel. Well, I don’t know if I was just so hungry from rowing what was probably 8 miles by then, but that was the best sandwich I’ve ever had. I rowed my kayak off to the side and scarfed that bagel down like a starving dog that’d just found a steak bone.

Sam serves up lunch

We then kayaked another 4 miles to set up camp in Colter. Now this was camping! We were truly out in the wilderness. Not even a trace of humans would be found. This was our first opportunity to get acquainted with the Groover. What’s the Groover you ask? Well, it’s a portable toilet.

The Groover

The rule is that if you are relieving yourself of water then a nearby bush is the way to go. But if it’s something else, well then you’re off to the groover. Now Elizabeth Scott is a sharp lady but maybe not so good with names. She immediately confused Gordo our trip leader, with Groover the toilet much to the amusement of the other guides. So Gordo became Groover, and the groover became a thousand different names throughout the trip. The groover was set up a bit away from the camp in the woods. Frankly, it was a scary walk to the groover what with just a bag of toilet paper to defend you.
That night we feasted on steak and salmon, yum! Around the campfire Sharon cracked us up with cop stories.

We were lucky enough to have Nick as a guide because this fuzzy young man entertained us each night playing the guitar and singing. Nick reminded me of a current day Spigoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Doing his own thing and every once in a while blurting out quite the profound statement.

After sitting around the campfire for a bit listening to Nick strum I cleaned up for the night by the wash bucket with ice cold water! I made a point to brushed my teeth for about 30 minutes. I wanted that salmon – a bear’s favorite dish – off my breath before I headed to my tent. I also hung around the fire a bit more to mask any lingering food aromas that might have absorbed into my clothes.

The next morning would be my first official visit with the groover. I grabbed the toilet paper bag and headed into the woods. Now, to keep bears away you are supposed to make noise so you don’t surprise them. I stomped my way over to the groover and grabbed a seat so to speak. Well, as soon as I sat down I heard a low to the ground yet heavy animal run past. It sounded like it had hooves?? I quickly surmised that it was too short to be a bear. But then I thought, well what the heck is it running from?! I immediately began clapping my hands to scare anything away. To give you the full picture, it’s me in the woods sitting on a green box with my pants around my ankles, clapping my hands while darting my eyes around in every direction. This worked on scaring away the nearby squirrels and apparently also my poop because after that nothing was coming out of anywhere. I returned to camp without accomplishing much over at the groover.
We spent the rest of the day paddling over to Grassy Island. That’s it below – the lighter green patch in the distance.

I can’t express enough the beauty of what surrounded us. It truly is an amazing place to kayak around.
Once on grassy island the Scott ladies and I attempt to bath in the lake. This water is COLD!! I’m not sure I get the shampoo out of my hair but I do feel cleaner!


We dry off in the sun while the guides fix us up some lasagna. Doug and Rosabelle have rejoined the group however, unfortunately now Shannon is throwing up. She’s holed up in her tent leaving only for some sprints to the groover. I decide maybe our trip motto should be “we ain’t leaving ‘til we’re heaving.” Meanwhile, Sharon, Elizabeth and I decide to sing every song we’ve ever heard of by the campfire. What we lack in singing ability – which is everything including tone, pitch and the right lyrics– we make up for with passion and volume.

Sharon, me and Elizabeth sing by the fire

We wake up the next day to the smell of blueberry pancakes mmmm and coffee. We then kayak over to Moran Canyon to hike along the waterfall. Again, in order to not surprise a bear we need to make noise. Well, we continued our passionate singing which I believe resulted in scaring away anything living for miles.

Our guide, Jen, on the hike
Back at the camp we sunned on the snout boat and then played charades by the campfire. It was easy to guess Sharon’s clues since she always mouthed the words.
The last day we floated on a raft down the Snake River at the base of the Grand Teton. We saw bald eagles, blue herons, pronghorn and marmot. A magnificent end to a wonderful trip.
Sam takes us down the river

Hi there

2006-06-19T20:34:00.000-07:00

I wanted to let you know that I'll be camping in Yellowstone and Teton National Parks for the next few days and won't be able to give you any updates for a bit. But I've just played catch up so check out a couple new entries below.
I also wanted to thank you all for your donations! Please check the Pledgers and Thank You section to see a list of the many people that have donated. Also, if you made an online donation but do NOT see your name listed please email me (roadtoacure.gmail.com there's a link on the right) because this means your donation was not credited to my Road to a Cure. A simple email to me with your name will help me sort this out.
Meanwhile, wish me luck camping because apparently there are so many bears in Yellowstone that they have their own newspaper!!!!

Road to Bozeman, MT and then to Jackson, WY

2006-06-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

This is my kind of place!
From Missoula, my next destination was Bozeman, MT. I headed east on the interstate until I saw a sign for the Scenic Loop Route. Well some decisions are easy. This took me along route 1. Not soon after I turned, on my right was the Ohrmann Museum and Gallery. What drew me in was the giant bronze sculpture of a wooly mamoth. I was doubly pleased when I saw the sign pictured above.
Bill Ohrmann is a retired rancher living in the Flint Creek Valley. He’s best known for his woodcarvings, bronzes and porcelain sculptures which are quite good. But what I found most interesting was his creative outlet – painting. The paintings are obviously where the true thoughts of Bill come out – and a bit of his humor or at least I think so. In his own words “What is in my heart when I paint a picture, is as simple as hoping we can save some part of the natural world.”
Here is one of his works titled: The Next Level of Civilization.

Makes you think, doesn’t it?

I also like this one (below) because there was a hand written note letting you know that “The child is still alive!” In case you were worried the child in the birdcage was harmed in anyway in the creation of this painting. See, these are the gems you miss if you stay on the road most traveled.


I eventually made my way through a few small towns that just seemed like great places to live; Phillipsville, Anaconda. Cute painted houses, Dairy Queen on the corner, white picket fences. I was disappointed that I didn’t time my trip to coincide with the Accordion Festival scheduled for August. You may think I’m joking, but those that really know me, know that I am not.

Bozeman is a hip college town with a cool hostel that unfortunately was all booked up. I checked in to the Lucky 7 Motel then went to the Coop for some delicious healthy food. The next morning I headed out to the Museum of the Rockies. This is a must see! Did you know that 12 of the 24 T-Rex’s in the world are right here in Montana? Apparently Montana is a dinosaur lover’s paradise. I thought perhaps because so much of the land is undisturbed by buildings etc. it makes Montana a good place to find dinosaur bones. But this isn’t really the case. It has more to do with the levels of the earth exposed in Montana. I picked up these tidbits of information from Carol Amenson at the museum. Here she is holding the neural spine of a duckbill “hadrosaur” and a vertebrae bone.

I wished that I could have stayed longer but I needed to get to Jackson, WY. I went through Yellowstone National Park along the way. There is some freaky stuff to see! Like this mud pot which is circle of mud boiling and gurgling:

If you’d like to make one at home, here’s the recipe:

Here’s something else that looked otherworldly:


And yes, of course Old Faithful.

Driving to Missoula, MT

2006-06-19T18:01:00.000-07:00

I spent a long day of driving towards my destination for the night: Missoula, MT. Unfortunately by the time I rolled into town I was pretty much bushed. The drive was beautiful and along the way I did meet these nice folks (pictured above) who live in a tepee burner converted into a home. That’s it in the back ground.
Now, like me you may think they burnt tepees in it. And like me, you would be wrong. They were used to burn leftovers from logging from what I could gather. They get the name because they are shaped like a tepee. However they are no longer used for that ever since the EPA put an end to them. I also drove through the Blackfeet Reservation which covers over 1.4 million acres with a population of over 14,000. The Blackfeet have quite a history in this part of Montana. It’s amazing how they survived and prospered on this land, although very beautiful is very, very cold during the long winters. Their actual name is Siksika-Saeketakix meaning “men of the plains.” I stopped by a gallery and bought a piece from a Blackfeet artist that will soon hang in my living room.
Once in Missoula my favorite part of town was the SmokeJumpers Visitor’s Center. Smokejumpers are those courageous people who jump out of planes to put out forest fires in remote areas. Tim Eldridge (former jumper) gave me a tour which was so fascinating! Here he is in a DC3.

The aircraft was built in 1943 and was originally used for the military. It holds 16 jumpers, a captain, a copilot and 2 spotter jumpers. What I thought was also interesting is that the jumpers make their own jump packs. There is a room lined with sewing machines where they make them. Well, there is so much to see here - including an old lookout cabin.

Did you know that 95% of these fires are started by lightening? They also displayed the food that also gets dropped from the plane for the jumpers. There’s candy and beef jerky, oatmeal and that canned food staple, Spam. Tim shared with me his recipe for Sweet and Sour Spam. The ingredients include grape Gatorade, strawberry jam, spam and Tabasco sauce with an optional topping of cheese whiz. Hey, I told you these jumpers are tough! They are also generous. They gave me a nice donation from the Missoula Smokejumpers Welfare Fund. Their charity should be of no surprise since they are so amazingly generous with their lives.
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Glacier National Park, MT

2006-06-18T20:41:00.000-07:00

Montana is so beautiful it makes you cry.
I arrived in Glacier National Park around 5pm and it was still raining!!! I had made reservations at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn. It's right in the park and I had a cute cabin. I inquired at the front desk about a guided hike which I was told about when I made my reservation. I was now told that they don't start until next week. Ugh, after driving all day in the rain I was so dissappointed to hear this and it showed. Joe at the front desk and his sidekick Leslie offered to take me on a hike the next day. This was great!! It's not really a place you should hike alone. 9AM sharp! Rain or shine! I'm in!! We met in the lobby the next morning, but I guess Leslie had a little too much to drink the previous night and couldn't make it. Joe and I headed out on the trail. The best part about Joe is that he comes with bear spray!

It had been raining so much over the past few days that many of the trails were flooded. Joe actually carried me across a particularly flooded part of the trail. Now you should know that it's still cold in northern Montana. It wasn't even 50, and the water was even colder! He went barefoot through the flooded path, once to check it out, once to come back, and once carrying me through it. And I'm not talking about walking a few feet, this was about a 30 ft stretch. Now that's service! I spent the afternoon driving down Going to the Sun Rd. This is beautiful. It's still early in the season (the lodges have only been open 10 days) and unfortunately I could only go up to Logan's Pass. The rest is still closed due to snow.
Well, I can't begin to explain the beauty of this park. Even these photos don't do it justice. You MUST come here and see it for yourself.

I ended the evening with the best steak I've ever had at the Cattle Baron Supper Club located just outside the park.
Legend has it that this saloon was a rough and tumble place back in the day with brawls and shootings and killings. Nothing like that happened when I was there. But if you ate those steaks every night eventually you'd probably die of a heart attack.
I left the park the next day and I must admit I was a little dissappointed I didn't see a bear. In the distance mind you, with Joe and his bear spray handy. I continued south over windy roads through breathtaking scenery - every inch of it. And then I saw this:

Great Bear Adventure - Your Car is your Cage!

This seemed like the perfect opportunity to acquaint myself with bears without any real danger. I paid my $6 and drove right in. Sure enough, there were some black bears. Here's a cute one playing with his feet.

It was nice to see the bears up close but it was the same as seeing them in the zoo. It felt like I cheated. I can't really say I saw a bear yet. Not really.

Sandpoint, ID

2006-06-17T18:55:00.000-07:00

Drove north to Sandpoint, ID per the recommendation of Dennis at the Dog Bark Park Inn. It was still raining all day unfortunately. Sandpoint is this cool little town (pop 6,000) on the Lake Pend Orielle. The lake is huge – over 40 miles – and up to 2,000 feet deep in some areas. The town is artsy and the folks are friendly, like this guy I met at Starbucks, Tyson.   I decided this would be good town to spend the night, plus I was tired of driving in the rain. As you can image, it would be quite beautiful if the weather was better, what with the lake butting up against the mountains. I checked in to the Church Street House B&B and was greeted by the owner, Heather. It’s a great little place I highly recommend. Here’s my bathroom which I just loved:

Heather was nice enough to give me a discount which will go straight to the foundation. Headed out for some Thai food and then over to a local bar for open mike night. Well, they pack a lot of talent into this small town! I was thoroughly entertained throughout the evening. Whether it was some teenage angst poetry, “love sucks monkey balls,” or some really good music, it did not disappoint. I especially enjoyed a band called Tennis and also Josh (pictured below), a singer/songwriter/guitarist. If you’re a talent scout you should beeline to Sandpoint, ID because there is definitely something cool going on.

I made the mistake of bringing up my bear fear which led Tyson to tell me about the time he was mauled by a bear. Seems he was camping in the wilderness when he was around 18/19 yrs old. Well, I guess there was some crazy bear and by the time she was done she broke both his collar bones and put a gash in his head. Nice. Just the story I was looking for. I asked him for some advice to avoid a bear encounter. He mentioned not to keep food in the car. “What kind of food?” “Like tuna.” “What else?” “Salmon.” “OK, what about twizzlers and granola bars?” “Those should be fine.” He also mentioned that some people hike with bells on. The theory being the noise keeps the bears away. Then he said, “What’s the difference between black bear scat (that’s poop in bear lingo) and grizzly scat?” “Grizzly scat has bells in it.” Hardy, har har. Oh, everyone in the northwest is so funny with their little bear stories.
The next morning I was fed a magnificent breakfast with a frittata, fantastic biscuits and check out this fruit plate!


Heather’s husband came down during breakfast as I was telling the Tyson bear story. He then proceeded to tell me about a friend who was camping in Yellowstone and a bear came into their tent. “Was he ok?” I asked. “Well, it was his wife who got mauled. I guess so, she’s still alive.” La, la, la, la, hands over ears, I can’t hear you.
Then I hit the road for a long drive that would take me up through Canada to get to the east side of Glacier National Park in Montana. Here’s pretty much what I saw all day:

When I got to the Canadian border I was quite excited, as it would be my first visit to our northern neighbors. I’ve been curious aboot just what they are doing up there. They’re so quiet, ah? Makes you wonder what they are scheming. I approached the border patrol expecting a tall, blond mounty type man. Dudley Do Right if you will. Well, instead I got a baby faced young women, oh around 20, with blond hair pulled back and a very stern expression. Hey, these border patrol people take their job very seriously. She could care less about my enthusiasm regarding entering her country for the first time. She began to drill me with some standard questions. “Why are you here? Where do you live? Why do you have California plates?” I answered quickly, but her style made me feel like I was lying. “Are you carrying any weapons?” (Hmm, I pause, seriously thinking about if I am). “Are you leaving anything in Canada?” I planned to toss all the food in my car soon what with the bears and all, so I muttered. “Just maybe some garbage.” Oh, nice. The ugly American coming over for a few hours just to drop off some garbage. Way to go. She eventually let me through. Who knew someone who looked like Heidi could be so intimidating!
So Canada, well there’s some mountains. And then there are some valleys. It was cold and raining. They use the metric system so I was practicing my math by converting the kilometer speed limit to miles. I didn’t really see many people. In fact, I think they know they don’t have enough so they put up these fake ones.

If you can’t tell, these are flat, metal silhouettes. I saw these all along my 3 hour ride. I eventually entered back into the states via Montana. The US border guy was much more laid back. Checked my trunk, asked a few standard questions. And as I was pulling away, his parting words, unprompted, were, “Don’t pet the bears.”

Coeur d/Alene to Sandpoint, ID

2006-06-14T16:49:00.000-07:00

OK, seemed like it was going to be a pretty uneventful day, until somebody got bit by a wolf, that is. Let me start from the beginning. Arrived in Coeur d'Alene, ID last night -which would be a beautiful place to be - on a beautiful lake - if it wasn't pouring the entire time. This didn't leave me much to do today. Went to Kinko's where toupee man hogged the one working copy machine for over an hour. Then the post office and the bank blah blah blah. Oh, and you'll be happy to know I was smart enough to not stay at this place. I don't know...something about it....just didn't seem ...safe.

Finally, I decided to hit the road and head north through Sandpoint, ID. Along the way there was a place called "Wolf People." Well, that was definitely U-turn worthy. From the outside it looked like a wolf themed gift shop. I browsed around a bit and then the lady behind the counter noticed I was there - "Oh, we have wolves out back. We just took some folks out to see them." Well, this was very exciting because the day before I went to a wolf preservation in Winchester, ID. Paid $5 to stroll through some woods with the hopes of seeing a wolf or two. But no luck. They don't like to graze in the field when its raining. Hey,neither do I, but I made the effort. The preservation was very informative - explaining how wolves have been misunderstood, not as scary and evil as we have made them out to be pretty much driving them to near extinction. Mostly because of Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Pigs from what I could gather. (Another myth - wolves don't howl at the moon. They howl for all sorts of reason - they are just more active when the moon is full because of the extra light.) Anyway, I head out back behind the Wolf People Gift Shop and there behind a chain link fence are a couple of wolves. The gentleman in charge is also explaining how wolves are more affectionate than dogs to each other. There was an artic wolf and a timberline wolf. I took some photos and headed back into the shop since it still was pouring. Well, not 5 minutes later, the rest of the folks come hurrying back in with a child around 4 screaming. Apparently, the timberline wolf mistook his hand he decided to hang in the fence for a hotdog. He seemed like he was going to be ok - more freaked out than hurt - but made me think the 3 Pigs really did have something to worry about.

Cottonwood, ID

2006-06-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

That's a Bed and Breakfast dog gone it!

By far the most unique place I've stayed!! And I doubt any place is going to top this beagle that is also a Bed and Barkfast - as I like to call it. It's so dog gone fun to stay in this place! OK, the outside has gone to the dogs so to speak, but the inside is super comfy and clean! I tell you, you certainly aren't ruffing it! You have a deck looking out on to beautiful country side. There's a loft up in the dog's snout.

It was built in 2003 by Dennis Sullivan. He and his wife Francis are chainsaw carving artists and have run the Dog Bark Park for awhile.(Dennis and Francis are pictured above in front of the Inn). They are fantastic people and ever so helpful on where to go and what to see in Idaho. After getting settled, I strolled into town to get a bite to eat at the Country Haus Restaurant. If it's not too crowded you can enjoy the conversation from the kitchen while dining. "So, Sean, you made out with Sarah?" For $8.50 I got all this food! But I had to save room for the dog biscuits that were left on my bed!

If you ever get caught in the dog house, I hope it's this one!!!
Plus, you have to love the public restrooms!

Seattle, WA

2006-06-13T18:15:00.000-07:00

Mount Rainier

I high tailed it up to Seattle to see my friend Erich, meet his wife Tamaki and his twin daughters Anna and Katja. Here they are and they are sooooo cute! They turned 1 in May.
The next morning I had just enough time to take in a few must sees in Seattle - Pike Place Market is the oldest continously running market in the US. They are famous for those guys that throw fish around.

I also had a chance to drop in the very first Starbucks.
It was raining - the legend holds true - and a cup of tea was perfect before I hit the road for my long drive to ID.

Portland, OR

2006-06-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

I headed up the coast of Oregon with a destination of Portland. I was feeling pretty safe in what I figured was a bear free zone until I came across this sign warning me about "sneaker waves." What the?? As I was wondering if the malibu floated a big red pick-up truck all jacked up on those monster tires decided to ride right on my bumper. What a dick (sorry Dad) I thought. As soon as the road turned to 2 lanes, I pulled over to the right to let this spaz pass me. Well, once he got in front of me, hanging from his back bumper - I kid you not!!! - was a set of balls. Yes, he made it look like his truck had testicles. I tried to catch up to him to get a photo but he made a quick right turn into the woods. I briefly contemplated following him in 'cause I wanted that photo so bad, but then thought twice about following a self proclaimed dick into the woods. Here's a drawing of what it looked like:

I arrived in Portland and was greeted by friends Shelia and Kevin who I know from Chicago. Shelia's great friends with my sister. They live in this amazing old house!

I made the mistake that New Yorkers always do but never should. I asked about real estate prices. Which just throws anyone who lives in NYC into a brief depression mumbling about "geez, would be great to have grass... wow that's cheap... that would get you half a one bedroom apartment...gosh maybe I should move.."

Shelia and I took a day trip to Columbia River Gorge and did some hiking around some stupendous waterfalls. Here's Shelia and I in front of Multnomah Falls the tallest falls in the US.

So Portland is a pretty laid back city. And while I see plenty of coffee shops and I witness people drinking the stuff, the pace of the town is similar to early morning pre-coffee, minus the irritability. And they are extremely polite drivers letting you in at the slightest hint that you want to switch lanes. Frankly, you can really take advantage of these friendly folks in this way. But don't mess with pedestrians or cyclists! It's also a town way into the environment which I really like. Here's a band, Recycle Man and the Dumpster Divers, along with some wee fans playing along on some garbage.

They also seem to really like the Grateful Dead, a belief supported by these happy tie-dye undies:

There is also this interesting man who makes a lot of cool things out of kitchen utensils, like these glasses made from strainers:

Here he is with one of his creations:


Portland has more breweries than any other place in the US. And the beer is a lot stronger! Plus, they have a disproportionate amount of men with ZZ Top like beards. Portland is a cool place, you should come here.

Klamath, CA - Newport, OR

2006-06-10T21:15:00.000-07:00

June 7
The hostel in Klamath butts up against some forests and is across the from the ocean. Grace and I decided to go for a hike down the beach to the giant Paul Bunyon and back through the woods. I was glad Grace joined me, because I have acquired a new phobia - bears. We headed to the beach, but I guess it wasn't low tide, so instead of a stroll across the sand, we hiked over boulders for about an hour.

(Does that count as rock climbing??)
We eventually reached our destination and were greeted by the talking Paul Bunyon. Apparently, there is a guy somewhere who can see who's walking up to the giant and then talks to you through a loud speaker - making it seem as if Paul is really speaking to you. He was pretty humourous but I never could figure out where he was hiding.

We then headed through the woods. And sure enough we spotted these tracks!

There's bears in them there woods!
Luckily we didn't see the actual bear. People have been kind enough to give me tips on what to do if you come across a bear. You are supposed to make yourself big, make some noise like sing or clap your hands. Don't run away, because they will chase you. If all else fails, lay down and play dead and they just bat you around a bit. Okey dokey. How about peeing in your pants from sheer terror? Does that work?

Next I headed up the coast arriving in Oregon. My first impressions of this friendly state couldn't have been better. I stopped off to take a picture by the "welcome to Oregon" sign and a kind man ran across the street to take the picture for me. Then I stopped for gas, and low and behold, they only have full service in Oregon! So Mr. Friendly pumped my gas while his sidekick, Mr. Cheerful cleaned my windows. And the gas was cheaper! $3.11. well, I was feeling pretty good until I ran into Barney Fife's west coast twin who gave me a speeding ticket for going 35. After awhile I was convinced that in every small town along the Oregon coast they deliberately put the school on the main thorough fare just so they can give out speeding tickets.

I drove off with my $135 ticket and then thought, heck I should have just done a night in jail. Free lodging, a bit a food. How bad could that town's jail be?

Eventually I came to the Oregon dunes. These go on for miles and miles along the coast. (see photo above). Oh, you just want to roll down the hill, which I did!

My destination for the evening was the Sylvia Beachhouse B&B in Newport, OR. This place is fantastic! Each room is dedicated to a different author. Here's the Edgar Alan Poe room, which I wouldn't be able to sleep in!
It's right on the ocean with a nice reading room overlooking it. I stayed in a dorm room with 3 other women, one of which was Grace. I enjoyed a delicious breakfast (which is included)and great conversation with some of the other guests the next morning.

From left: Carol, Dick, Ann (breast cancer survivor), Grace, Barbara and Joseph.

New Photos

2006-06-09T11:12:00.000-07:00

Photos just updated in entry below, check them out! Sorry for the delay.

Mendocino to Klamath, CA

2006-06-08T13:42:00.000-07:00

June 6
Miles Drive: 300


Dear Blogary,

Today was a spectacular day! It’s like I’ve seen tens days worth of sites in one! I don’t know even where to begin. I left the lovely ocean view of my room in Mendocino and headed north on Hwy 1. Eventually you need to move onto 101, which brings you to Redwood land. These trees are magnificent! They grow to over 300 ft and live more than 2000 years! These trees, combined with humor, creativity and the desire to make a buck, have made for some unforgettable roadside attractions. Like the Chandelier tree pictured above which you can obviously drive right through! Then there is this tree with a house in the trunk.


Along the way there was Confusion Hill which is one of those mysterious gravity spots where things go uphill and you can walk on the wall. All of which I experienced here.

Although I'm hanging from a bar, my legs are pulled forward, confusing!!

These trees were dedicated to the heroes of 9/11 and labeled the twin towers. (This was tastefully done, and no money was charged.)

Then there is the Shrine Drive Thru Tree which was just as exciting.

There is the Eternal House tree, and the Immortal Tree because it has survived being struck by lightning, being axed and forest fires.
I also stopped by this interesting town. Scotia – it’s the only town owned by a company – the Pacific Lumber Co. – it’s cute in a Stepford Wives kind of way.

Oh, there’s also the Log House. Crafted in 1946 from a 2100 yr old redwood, it weighed 42 tons and took 8 months of labor to hallow out a room 7’ high and 32’ feet long. (Although, that’s nothing compared to Albert and the Hole in the Rock home – see previous entry).

Much of the beautiful redwoods can be seen along the Avenue of the Giants, a 30 mile drive through the largest redwood forest in California. There are some 17,000 acres of coastal redwoods, the tallest trees on earth.
   You can only see 1/2 of the trunk in this photo. There was a couple making out behind the tree, so I couldn't keep taking photos to get it right.

A little farther north I noticed a sign that said something like “for Elk reports tune in to AM 1630.” Well, needless to say, I tuned right in. Sure enough it led me to this guy right here:

I ended my day at the Redwood Hostel. It was originally a ranch and dairy farm owned by Louis and Agnes DeMartin. For almost 60 years, the DeMartins welcomed weary travelers to there home in the late 1800’s. It has magnificent views overlooking the ocean from practically every room.

There was a group of 13 year old students staying there, as well as Grace from Portland and 2 interesting gentlemen friends. Jeff gave up his medical practice and has been living on the road since April 2005 on a “spiritual journey.” He has a beard about 8 inches long and a very calm, peaceful manner. He explained how he has been cleansing himself both mentally and physically. He explained in great detail the cleansing of his colon, gallbladder and liver and offered descriptions of what was cleaned out. He and his friend shared some of their detox tea while I talked about driving through trees and walking on walls. Hey, I’m taking my own spiritual path.

Mendocino, CA

2006-06-05T20:12:00.000-07:00

June 5
Miles Driven:
Funds Raised: $675

Driving up the California coast on Hwy 1 is something everyone should do. And this far north! But veer east when you get to Manchester and take Mountain View Rd. It’s incredibly scenic, and so fun to drive! And I wish I could add smell to my blog, because the air is so fresh and clean I think my lungs were confused! Bring music though, because the only station I could get was the local public radio – which normally, I’m all over. But I checked in just in time for Linda and Sara’s Farm & Garden Show. They had a guest today, some guy who knows more than you can possibly image about squash. It’s a call in show, and who knew there were that many people with questions about squash! I pulled over at a winery to indulge in a little wine tasting. But being the designated driver and all, I could only taste so many.

   Janelle Teague at the Scharffenberger Cellars Winery

Once I got back in my car, Linda and Sara were still squashing it up. When they wrapped up their hour show they said, “well Bart I’m sure we could spend another 3 hours talking about squash, we’ll have to have you back!” And they meant it.

My destination for the evening was a farm house at the Jug Handle Farm Nature Preserve in Caspar, CA. It’s this great old farm house built in the 1860’s and if you work an hour on the farm you get $5 off your room. I was all over it! Or so I thought. When I got there, the woman who runs it wasn’t there. Spoke to another woman who said that maybe she would be in around 4 or 5 but go ahead and go in. I decided to cruise over to Mendocino – a very cool town with a population of a little over 800. The entire town has been declared a historic district, and deservingly so. It’s right on a bluff above the ocean and many of the residents are artists and writers. Definitely worth a stop.
I eventually made my way back to Casper, CA. But now there wasn’t anyone at all at the house. There was a guy either clipping or hiding behind a bush but he seemed to belong to the little house next door. I wandered in. It’s a great old house, with huge rooms, piano, reading room, 10 bedrooms. Then a man and his son walked up. “Do you work here?” I asked. “No, I used to. Just make yourself at home. The cypress room has the best bed. Good luck.” And they were gone.
OK, so here I am with this entire farm house to myself. Which ,hmmm, well no cell phone service, no phone, no key, no locks on the bedroom doors and 18 beds to look under every time I want to leave and come back. Ugh. This would be so cool with a few friends, but maybe it’s from living in a big city where you’d have to scale 6 flights to even get to my window, but this seemed the makings of a sleepless night. Even if I screamed, no one would hear me – except the bush guy who is probably the person who would be making me scream anyway.   Jughandle Farm and Nature Preserve

I drove back to Mendocino to get a cell phone signal and called my sister. We both agreed, if you aren’t going to be able to sleep then maybe it’s not worth it. I checked in at the Mendocino Historic Hotel with a small room with a view of the ocean, the bathroom down the hall and this internet café right around the corner. There’s an ….interesting… I think woman… next to me. She is very sensitive to smells. She smelled someone smoking across the street and now she made the girl stop mopping because of the chemicals. She kind of looks like a cross between Mickey Rourke and the Native American that was in those Keep America Beautiful commercials in the 70’s. I’d take a picture, but she probably would be disturbed by the flash.


Point Arena Lighthouse
Adding to my sand collection at Big River Beach

Gualala, CA

2006-06-04T22:26:00.000-07:00

Gualala Hotel, built in 1903

I'm here at the Gualala Hotel. Gualala (pronounced Walala) is a seaside town north of San Francisco. It's a pretty small and desolate town. I think I'm the only one staying at this old hotel. It's kinda cool, yet kind of creepy since it's so deserted. There's a hanging sign for the hotel on the wide front porch that blows in the wind and makes a creaking noise just like in the movies.
Maybe I'm spooked because I drove through Bodega Bay, CA where Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds was filmed. My older brother Brad had an appreciation for good film which he felt he should share with me at a very young age. So, when I was around 6 years old he made The Birds mandatory watching. I still can see, in every detail since it has been etched into my brain since that first viewing, the scene at the end with the woman in the corner with her eyes all poked out. Eek!
While I was in Bodega, I stopped for a fish sandwhich at this joint:
The sandwich was pretty darn good but I'd skip the chips if I were you. I'm picky about my fish sandwich due to the fact that my first real job was a counter girl at Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips. Picture me in a brown polyester uniform, 15 lbs lighter, a perm and braces. Nice. I kept looking for birds in Bodega, but I really didn't see any.
Ok, I'm rambling on because I don't want to go to sleep in this hitchcockesque hotel. Here's some photos from the road along the way:
Somewhere I took a wrong turn and ended up in prehistoric Spain

Bay Area

2006-06-03T17:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo of my Mom and me when she was 33 and I was 3 at my Uncle Gerry's wedding.

I'm still in San Fran taking care of some trip details, one being changing the rental car. While the PT Cruiser does have a unique charm about it, it really is lame in a lot of ways. First the gas mileage leaves much to be desired. And uphill, it definitely seems to be working really, really hard to get up....up.... "you can do it".... me leaning forward... ah, we made it. Plus the overhead light didn't work and it beeped everytime you locked it. The trunk is also tiny, tiny. I'd recommend it for a short, downhill trip. So back to Avis I went. These folks weren't nearly as friendly as the San Diego crew, but nice enough. Unfortunately, I couldn't convince her to let me have the pontiac vibe (which I felt I could sleep in if need be) for the same price. At the level I was renting they had plenty more PT Cruisers and the Chevy Malibu. Frankly, I didn't even know they still made the Malibu. But it does handle well, is quiet and has a nice big trunk! Plus the gas mileage is quite a bit better, so that's my new ride. It's pretty plain looking on the outside though. Maybe I'll switch again if I get bored.
Yesterday, I got a nice care package from Belle, Matt and Kathleen who used to work for me over at MTV. Well, these people are the best employees any manager could ever hope for!!! And I'm not just saying that because they sent me this awesome package:

I've also noticed a weird phenomenom on the road. All my waitress/waiters have been left handed. Sure, fine, don't believe me, but its true. Speaking of food, I've been really spoiled on this trip. All the roadside diners I've chosen have been delicious. And the generous people making me food along the way have been excellent cooks! I mean really, really good!! James in Utah and my sister in law, Yukari, here in San Fran. (picture of Yukari forthcoming, the site is temporarily unable to upload, sorry).

San Francisco

2006-06-01T20:22:00.000-07:00

June 1
Headed to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco to take the ferry to Alcatraz - the notorious maximum security prison. However, seems there's plenty to see and do along the way. Like this guy who calls himself Bush Man. He squats behind those big branches on the side of the sidewalk and when an unsuspecting pedestrian comes along, he opens the branches and yells "ahhhh!!" This is consistently effective at scaring people, including me.

And apparently, this is what I look like from the side in cartoon land.

Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz is definitely worth the visit. The island orginally housed a fort for national security. Once outdated, the military used it for a prison. After that, it was converted into a federal prison and had as guests the likes of George "Machine Gun" Kelly, Al "Scarface" Capone, Meyer "Mickey" Cohen, Alvin "Creepy" Karpis and Robert Stroud "Birdman of Alcatraz." The families of the guards actually lived on the island as well in a somewhat suburban like area.

I took cable cars to get around and sure they're cute in that... hey, I don't have to be anywhere anytime soon ..kind of way. But, if you really need to get somewhere quickly, well cable cars aren't the mode of transportation you should consider. Or maybe, it's just that California slower pace I'm not used to. But this conductor was ever so cool at his job and super friendly.

Pop Quiz results

2006-05-31T13:00:00.000-07:00

May 30
Miles Driven:58
Funds Raised: $50
Butte on left, mesa on right

Pop Quiz results: Well, no one completely accurately answered the question: What is the difference between a butte and a mesa? I received a couple answers that weren't entirely incorrect, but did not state the difference. The answer is: A butte is taller than it is wide, a mesa is wider than it is tall. However, there were two entries that weren't completely wrong. So, Kia Quinn and Jeff Janechek will both be recieving some Cowboy Tatoos! Now don't you regret not entering? Thought so.

Now if you pay real close attention there are all sorts of messages along the road communicating to you, if you just take the time to look. Like these I found speaking directly to me in Oakland.
Hidden message: I knew I wasn't lost!

Hidden message: Change your underwear

Here's a photo of my friend Kathleen, film editor extraordinaire. She took me out for some great Indian food in Oakland. Yum!

Bad Day

2006-05-30T11:13:00.000-07:00

May 28 - 29
Miles Driven:1,093
Funds Raised:$182

Well, this is was not the best day of my trip. It started out with lost cameras and ended with the highway patrol.
Yes, unfortunately, somewhere in Murphys, CA someone has a nice digital camera and a brand spankin' new camcorder. So, unfortunately, I can't show you the giant pancake (14" in diameter!) that they serve at "Coffee And" in Truckee, CA. Nor can I show you the statue that honors the Donner party, those pioneers that attempted to cross the Sierra Nevada. Unfortunately, they attempted to cut off 200 miles with a shortcut that wasted 6 weeks. They then, tired and beat, rested for 5 days before setting off again. This was their fatal mistake. Winter set in early, half of the party (42) died and the other half survived by eating some of the dead. Too bad they couldn't have gotten their hands on some of those giant pancakes.
I picked up my brother Paul on Sunday. We stopped in Angels Camp, CA to say hello to George and Pam. George runs O.A.R.S. the adventure travel company that ran the Galapagos trip I went on. We just missed the hopping frog festival the week before, rats! We then headed to Murphys, CA - one of the top ten coolest small towns - rated by Budget Travel Magazine. Well, it seemed cool, however, I couldn't really fully embrace the town knowing someone is now in possession of my cameras and all the video footage of my trip thus far. There is a historic hotel, Murphys Hotel, where loads of important people have slept including John Astor, Samual Pillsburg, Thomas Lipton, Mark Twain, Daniel Webster, William R. Hearst, J. P. Morgan. I also thought WC Fields slept there, until I figured out the W.C. was on the door to the bathroom (Wash Closet).
Ulysess S. Grant's room

We had a good breakfast at the counter at Grounds, posted a reward sign for my cameras and set off for Yosemite National Park. I popped in my Johnny Cash CD to cheer me up, sang along to Cry,Cry,Cry, which is what I felt like doing.
Yosemite is bee you tea full! Say that fast. Although it was Memorial Day and therefore really crowded, it didn't take away from the breathtaking waterfalls, huge granite rocks and towering pines. We hiked up the side of a waterfall. I had to stop at one point, because the ledge was just too scary for me. (I suffer from a pretty bad fear of falling). Yosemite National Park
My brother Paul and me, Yosemite
Yosemite National Park

We left the park before sundown and were sailing along, pretty happy with ourselves that we took a route with no traffic. Paul was at the wheel and just after he mentioned "hey, I'm going 80 down this hill without even touching the gas" we were soon joined by a highway patrol car that pulled both us and the car ahead of us over. California Highway Patrol
So, not really my favorite day, but at least nobody had to eat anybody.

Ely, NV to Truckee, CA

2006-05-27T22:06:00.000-07:00

May 27
Miles Driven: 360
Funds Raised: $50
Chipmunks dodged: 2

I left Ely, NV bright and early and spent most of my day on Highway 50, self proclaimed “The Loneliest Road in America.” I’m not sure I felt all that lonely, but it sure was boooooring!!! Here’s what it looks like:

OK, so at first glance you think, not bad, some interesting desert, a bit of mountain. OK, well stare at that picture for another 5 hours and then get back to me on whether it’s boring or not. At one point I seriously considered placing a pillow against the window and resting my head to the side. I quickly came to my senses, as this would surely lead to a nap. However, if your car alignment was good, you could probably get in a nice 30 minute snooze and not veer off the road.
Early on I stopped in Eureka, NV. Nice little town that was once booming. Between 1873 and 1896 it produced more than $50,000,000 worth of silver and lead. In 1880 the population was 8,000. They had an Opera House, 5 fire stations, 2 militia and 9 graveyards. By 1950 the population dropped to 500. They have a good museum in town run by Christine Knudsen. (Photo below).
Christine Knudsen and her Mom, Lela Shepherd

After Eureka, it was pretty much highway, highway and more highway. I did run into a hail storm and then some rain. This just meant I had to go slower and take more time on this tiresome road.

Right before you get to Fallon, NV there’s a turn off to some sand dunes. Well, this is quite the hotspot for ATV fanatics on Memorial Day weekend. The place was packed with campers, trucks and ATV’s. (All Terrain Vehicles). I tell ya, boy did I stick out like a sore thumb with that silly PT Cruiser! This one guy with the confederate flag on his ATV kept circling me suspiciously. There were quite a few confederate and skull and cross bone flags. Gee whiz, I certainly wasn’t in NYC anymore.
those dots on the dunes are ATV's

One of these vehicles is not like the others....

Moab, UT to Ely, NV

2006-05-27T09:56:00.000-07:00

Marie at Mom's Cafe - Salina, UT

May 26
Miles Driven: 407
Funds Raised: 400
Roadkill spotted: 105*
Left Moab, UT to head towards San Francisco. My destination for the night, Ely, NV. (Ely is a small mining town with a population of around 6,400 but this fluctuates depending on the mining industry. Its elevation is 6,421 and is in east NV close to the Utah boarder.)

The drive down interstate 70 is beautiful. Stopped at a great small town, Salina, UT, for lunch. If you ever find yourself in this area, the place to eat is Mom’s Café. I sat at the counter and received excellent service from a great waitress by the name of Marie. (Photo above). She’s friendly, quick and tells it to you straight. I overheard a woman ordering some food to go, she mentioned one thing on the menu and Marie responded, “Oh, don’t get that, that’s nasty.” My food, a fish sandwich, was delicious! Plus, I got a chance to read a paper you just don’t get in NYC.

Across the street from Mom’s Café is a great used book and CD store. The CD collection was small but exceptional! I picked up some Radiohead, Lou Reed and Joni Mitchell CD’s.
Then I drove for what seemed like forever, until I got to Great Basin National Park. I took a tour of Lehman Caves given by Bryan our guide. It was supposed to be 60 minutes, but it took 90 – that Bryan knows his stalactites from his stalagmites. My favorite part of the history of the cave was the period when a couple by the name of Rhodes took over back in the 20’s.
Bryan, guide at Lehman Caves
The Rhodes

I arrived in Ely, NV around 7:30 and checked in to the Four Sevens Motel. (No not the Four Seasons, the Four Sevens). Very clean, beds a bit mushy but overall just fine. Plus, you get either a free coffee or a free margarita! I was a bit baffled, not sure how I get the margarita. Turns out you head over to the Nevada Hotel to get it. The Nevada Hotel was once the tallest building in all of Nevada. I think it stands around 6 floors high. There’s a casino and a 24 hour restaurant. Seemed like the place to go.
I must admit, I was a bit intimidated, what with it being a casino/hotel which advertises “bikers welcome”. (Which seems to hold true based on the row of bikes out front.) I headed into the restaurant and grabbed a seat at the counter. Again, super friendly waitress and as quick as whip with the service! This place is packed and the staff works hard. I had a delicious calzone (and I’m picky about my Italian food) and chatted away with some great locals, Michael and Betty Kothe and Gary Weaver(pictured below). Such friendly people with a ton of interesting stories. Turns out Betty has taken Michael to the hospital 21 times, but Michael says only 19 count. There was the time his intestines got all tangled up, another time his back went out. He’s originally from Alaska and they both lived there for awhile. They had great recommendations of where to go if I ever head up that far north. Gary is originally from Pennsylvania but has lived in Ely for 19 years. After a long drive alone, these folks made my night with their great stories and welcoming disposition.
Michael and Betty Kothe, Me, Gary Weaver

*How the roadkill number was calculated: The roadkill was calculated by me ticking off on a pad of paper every time I passed some road kill. Eventually, this became so frequent that I could no longer keep both my hands off the wheel that often. I then put a post-it on the side window and ticked away on that, requiring only one hand. I only counted roadkill on my side of the road. If there were several patches of roadkill very close together, I assumed it was all the same animal that had a wide splatter zone, and therefore only counted it as one. The total number has a margin of error of +/- 10.

UT

2006-05-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

5/25
Miles Driven: 20
Funds raised: 225
Most of today was spent cruising hotel parking lots looking to tap into their unsecured wireless internet access and doing laundry.

Canyonlands National Park, UT

2006-05-25T12:53:00.000-07:00

May 24
Total Miles Driven: 27
Total Funds Raised: $25

Quick, Pop Quiz! What is the difference between a Butte and a Mesa? First one to email the correct answer to roadtoacure@gmail.com will get a souvenir from the desert. (You must be a donor or pledger to qualify, some restrictions may apply.)
Spent the day in Canyonlands National Park, where plenty of movies have been filmed. Here's me standing where Thelma and Louise rode off the cliff!

Do you know what makes the rocks red? Hmm, didn't think so. It's iron. Did you know that by the time the water from the Colorado River reaches California it has already been used 7-8 times by humans? Well, gotta go, I'm exhausted from keeping this boulder from falling off the cliff (see below) and these Alvin and the Chipmunk underwear I bought at the Dollar Store are starting to bug me.

Moab, UT Colorado River

2006-05-24T09:50:00.000-07:00

May 23
Miles driven today: 23
Funds raised today: $655
Today was a great day for donations! So many generous people out there! From kids giving up their babysitting money to strangers writing a big check! The online donation method should be up on the site soon, so stay tuned. And thank you to all of you who have forwarded the blog along. Friends of friends are now making donations! I am also going to begin to feature the people you are honoring/remembering with your donations/pledges. So, please send along a photo and some words about who you are honoring and I’ll feature them on the blog.

Again, I can’t describe enough the beauty of Moab, UT. Today James let me tag along on a trip down the Colorado River. Even my pictures don’t do it justice. They were taking 50 school kids down the river. I rode on the lunch raft, with Kirsten the guide, James and Cody – a great dog! If you ever do make it to Moab, there’s a great restaurant – The Desert Bistro – which I highly recommend!

James

Cody

Hole 'N the Rock - Moab, UT

2006-05-23T17:35:00.000-07:00

May 22
Miles Driven Today: 40*
Funds Raised Today: $25*

*Total funds raised and miles driven are always available in the upper right hand corner of the blog.

If you are ever in Moab you’ll most likely spend your time doing all sorts of adventurous trips like river rafting, mountain biking, rock climbing, because that’s what Moab is known for. However, you MUST NOT miss the Hole ‘N the Rock home!!!
From 1945 to 1957 Albert Christensen carved and excavated 50,000 cubic feet of sandstone to build a 5,000 square foot home for himself and his wife Gladys in the side of a giant rock. Unfortunately, Albert died of a heart attach at the age of 53, otherwise, I’m sure he’d have kept carving away for as long as he could. He still was working on another room when he died.
Here’s the deal, he inherited this land with the giant rock. He carved the home as well as a diner, called the Hole ‘N the Rock diner. The house is actually a lot more comfortable than you would think. There are windows along one side and it maintains a dry temperature always between 65 and 72 degrees year round. The ceiling is high and it has wall to wall carpeting. Poor Albert only got to live in it for 5 years before he passed away. Gladys continued to live there for another 17 years.
OK, so if that’s not odd enough. Albert also taught himself taxidermy! Now, if I was starting out a new taxidermy hobby (which I may) I think I’d start with something small, like a bird. Not Albert! His first project was Harry, his donkey. And well, let’s just say you can tell he taught himself. Harry, who stands in the home, has Frankenstein scars across his face. It’s really creepy. The guide was rambling away standing next to Harry, and I just couldn’t keep looking at that Frankenstein donkey staring back at me! I don’t care if he had a flowered bonnet on, it didn’t distract you from those scars! He also did a couple horses (I’m telling you, Albert thinks big!) which also stand in the home in these unnatural stances. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t let you take pictures inside, which was my biggest disappointment of the trip so far. But I took some pictures of some postcards so check them out!

Hole 'N the Rock - out front

2006-05-23T17:34:00.000-07:00

Hole 'N the Rock - Gladys' room

2006-05-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

Harry the Donkey

2006-05-23T17:31:00.000-07:00

Las Vegas to Moab, UT

2006-05-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

Miles driven: 471
Funds raised: $100
Bugs killed on windshield: a real lot

May 21 – Said my farewells to Sharyl in Vegas Sunday morning and headed east on route 15. Once you hit the northwest corner of Arizona it becomes the most breathtaking scenery all the way to Moab. The road meanders through huge rock formation the color of sand, surrounded by rolling hills of desert specked with cacti, desert flowers and tumbleweed. Yes, actually tumbleweed crossed the road several times during my drive.
Just after entering Utah I stopped at the best Wendy’s in the nation, no make that best in the world. Why is it the best in the world? Well first, they serve, as all Wendy’s do, the mandarin chicken salad. Now if you know me, you know I eat a pretty healthy diet and visiting a fast food restaurant is a fairly rare occasion. But this salad is fresh with junks of chicken and a nice quantity of mandarin oranges. The best part is that in separate air tight packs come sliced almonds and crispy Asian noodles. And they give you a nice quantity – not some chintzy bag of crumbs. But the main reason this particular Wendy’s is the best is the view! It’s surrounded by a landscape of red rocks that’s just amazing. Throw in a mix of fun music – I heard Elvis Costello, Al Green, Stevie Wonder, A-Ha – and it’s really, really clean. Top that off with the great hairdo’s all the workers had and you’ve got yourself the best Wendy’s in the world.
Setting off again on the road I decided to try out the Avis Assist. This is Avis’ navigation device. It’s actually a cell phone. Here’s how it’s supposed to work. You press a serious of buttons prompted by a voice and then it connects you to a live person. They are supposed to be able to detect by the device your exact location. From there you tell them where you want to go – this can be as specific as a Kinko’s in Cedar City - and they download the direction to the phone. It then speaks and shows on the small cell phone screen the directions as you go along. Sharyl and I tried it out several times from San Diego to Vegas. Well, it’s yet to really be of any assistance. Here’s one of my favorite conversations that happened after I left the Wendy’s parking lot.
Avis Assist: What is your device number?
Me: 123 456 789
AA: Where would you like to go?
Me: I’m looking for a Starbuck’s (for internet connection) along my route to Moab. (They were previously given Moab as my destination which is supposed to remain in the database.)
AA: Where are you?
Me: Well, I am on route 15 in the desert in southwest Utah. Can’t you tell from the device?
AA: Is there a sign somewhere you can see that can tell you where you are?
Me: Well, it’s really just a long stretch in the desert, not really a town. There’s no sign. You can’t detect where I am?
AA: Not when you are calling from your cell phone.
Me: I’m not calling from my cell phone. I’m calling from the Avis Assist device.
AA: What’s your device number?
Me: 123 456 789
AA: The nearest one to you is in St. George.
Me: I believe I’ve already passed St. George. Is there another that’s along my route, I’m going east to Moab. (I start to rattle off from memory town’s I know I go through) How about Cedar City?
AA: No Starbuck’s in Cedar City.
Me: Beaver?
AA. No.
Me: Richmond?
AA: No.
Me. OK.What about a Kinko’s or a Borders Books.
AA. No in Cedar City. No in Beaver, No in Richmond. There’s one in Logan, UT.
Me: Is that along my route?
AA: I don’t know.
Me: Where is it in UT?
AA. I don’t know. Do you want me to download the directions to your device so you know how to get there?
Me: Not really, until I have an idea where it is. It might be 100 miles out of my direction. You can’t tell me where it is in UT?
AA: No, I live in Portland, OR. I’m not familiar with that area.
Me: I understand you personally couldn’t possibly be familiar with all the roads in the country. But the Avis Assist system can’t determine the direction it is from my current location?
AA: I’ve never been there.

There was a previous time when it lost our location enroute. We called back to reconnect and were asked “How fast are you driving?” “75.” “It loses connection if you drive faster than 55.” “But the speed limit is 75??”
Anyway, I called my brother Paul who quickly found me a location along my route with impeccable directions. Pauly Assist beats out Avis Assist tenfold.
I arrived in Moab around 9:15PM and checked into the Lazy Lizard Hostel. It’s back off the road. I rented a cabin for a mere $27 a night. It’s a very laid back place with an organic, hippy vibe. The cabin is cute and air conditioned! The bathhouse is clean. There was a group of people hanging out in front of the main building in an area with some chairs and tables under a few trees surrounded by a low stone wall. One guy was playing the guitar the rest where just chilling out, taking in the amazing stars.
My car was parked on a slight hill right in front of this area. So, there is this button on my key for the car that’s labeled “panic.” Here’s how it works, you accidentally hit it when you are opening the trunk. The car begins to beep nonstop very loudly and flash its headlights on and off. This continues until you somehow figure out how to turn it off. This happens particularly when you are in a really mellow or serene atmosphere – like at 9:30PM in front of a bunch of vegetarians playing guitar – throwing you into a “panic” as you desperately try to figure out how to turn the thing off, while you mutter “Sorry. I’m really sorry.”
After a quick shower, I met up with my friend James who I met down in Ecuador. He works for the adventure company, OARS. He’s here training a new team for the trips out of Moab. He made us some fantastic fish tacos and listened to me ramble on nonstop since I hadn’t spoken to anyone in person all day.

Best Wendy's in the World

2006-05-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

Lighthouse in the Desert

2006-05-22T10:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's a light house in the middle of the desert in the landlocked state of Utah.

Pioneertown to Vegas

2006-05-21T16:26:00.000-07:00

5/20
Miles Traveled:356
Funds Raised: $100

Pioneertown is a crazy place. It’s this old movie set for westerns. A bunch of residents of Pioneertown were dressed up like characters from a typical western. You had your cowboys, your gunslingers and your Miss Kitty’s (except these ladies had tattoos). I couldn’t get a straight answer of whether this was a special occasion or they dress up like this all the time. Roy Rodgers built a bowling alley here way back when and it’s still an operating alley. The bars and the bowling alley were real, all the other buildings, like the jail, the bathhouse were sets.
A man with a pistol that goes by the name “Diamond” (pictured above) gave us the lowdown on the town. It’s a great place, and I’ll be having my next milestone birthday party here. After witnessing a real, live reenactment of a shootout we headed to Joshua Tree National Park.
What can I say, other than its beautiful and there’s plenty of those Joshua tree’s (not just one like some of you thought). We drove around a bit then went to the Keys Lookout and ran into Jeremy, Bob and Jeff (previously erroneously referred to as Steve), the guys we met the night before at Pappy’s and Harriett’s. We joined together for a quick hike up some hills for a spectacular view of the desert. The desert is, ok stating the obvious, but really hot and you get really thirsty just like in the cartoons.
From there we decided to try the scenic route to Vegas given to us by Diamond. It was a long, winding road through amazing desert, however what he described as “oh, 3-4 miles” to the next street to turn on, was actually around 25 miles. At around 23 miles, we thought we may be lost. So we pulled over to a lone station in the middle of nowhere where a group of bikers were leaning against the wall. I walked up carrying my map and asked every so nicely, “Hi, who can help me with directions?” Silence. Me, nervously shuffling. Finally, in a German accent, the blonde biker with the spiky hair said, “Where you trying to go?” “Vegas.” Which in response, 3 bikers just pointed east and said “that way.” Well, I knew it was east. I was looking for actually names of roads to take. Anyway, I hopped back in the car and headed east and soon came to the road Diamond had mentioned. The good thing was this road lead straight to the World’s Largest Thermometer” which read 104 degrees when we got there. That was around 5PM. See, like I said, the desert is really hot.
Finally got to Vegas around 9PM and were hosted for the night by Sharyl’s sister Robyn and niece Morgan. We were tired and hungry. We headed to the old strip hoping to find a cool, old Vegas style place to eat. We wondered a bit and then saw this neon sign in the distance like a beacon. It was a steak place called the Flame. (See photo below). Oh, it looked perfect. We headed towards it salivating, and then just stood by it for awhile because the arrow on the sign directing you to the restaurant was pointing straight to the ground. Well, we eventually realized that it was just part of a neon sign museum along the road. But we just stood there, wanting so much for it to be real, thinking, hmm, is there a stairway to under ground? How do we get in? Through that parking garage? We finally snapped to and slumped back to the main strip. We went to Binion’s where we feasted on giant plates of Chinese food. And the rest, well as they say, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

Free Beer

2006-05-21T16:25:00.000-07:00

Rats! Looks like we came on the wrong day!

Joshua Tree National Park

2006-05-21T16:23:00.000-07:00

World's Largest Thermometer

2006-05-21T16:21:00.000-07:00

Hmmmm

2006-05-21T16:16:00.000-07:00

The Flame Steak House - Vegas

2006-05-21T16:09:00.000-07:00

Don't try to eat here, because its not a real place anymore.

Joshua Tree, CA

2006-05-20T10:07:00.000-07:00

May 19, 2006
Miles:
Funds Raised: $195.00

Spent the morning packing up the car for the big trip. Not being someone who regularly drives, I came to the realization that having a car is like having a giant purse! Said goodbye to the family (that's Dad, sister Beverly and niece Jasmine pictured above) in San Diego and picked up my college pal, Sharyl Holtzman, from the Solana Beach, CA train station to begin the trip east. She came with a completely pink care package filled with dashboard worthy trinkets to deck out the car. Our destination; Joshua Tree Musical Festival. On the way we found a great road side burger truck, Nessy’s – on route 15 – which was packed with burley men and the turkey burgers were as big as my head. I don’t think I need to eat until Sunday.
The music fest is on a campsite out in the desert. Think of it as Burning Man Jr. Plenty of organic food, flowy apparel and good music. And, these people’s hula hoop skills put me to shame! Favorite bands were Al Howard and the K-Z-3 Orchestra and Kinky.
Got my first sponsor! Guayaki Yerba Mate – a natural energy drink. Very tasty! I do recommend it– not too sweet- refreshing. (By the way, I have no motivation to say anything good about a product if I don’t really mean it. Nobody is paying me, they just hooked me up with a nice care package. But I wouldn’t take it if I didn’t like it.) Check out more in the sponsor section or at www.guayaki.com.
After the fest we headed to the ultimate roadside joint, Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace. We arrived just as Fifty Cent Haircut was taking their gear off the stage. Met some great guys from Massachusetts, Jeremy (aka “worm” and the biggest Graham Parson’s fan I’ve every met), Bob and Steve. Jeremy promptly made a donation in honor of his aunt. Overall a great night!
We headed back to the Desert High Motel which I highly recommend! Good price, very, very clean and free internet access! It’s right on route 62 if you are ever heading this way.
Well, gotta run, it’s Saturday morning and I don’t want to miss the reenactment of the robbery of the Pony Express in Pioneertown at 10:30! Check out more photos below!

Nessy's

2006-05-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

Great roadside stop for burgers!!

Guayaki

2006-05-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

Stephen and John from Guayaki - Organic Energy Drinks - Joshua Tree Music Festival

Joshua Tree Music Festival - Hula Hoop Man

2006-05-20T10:03:00.000-07:00

Pappy & Harriett's Pioneertown Palace

2006-05-20T10:01:00.000-07:00

Jeremy - Donor of the Night Award Recipient

2006-05-20T09:57:00.000-07:00

Jeremy at Pappy & Harriet's

Pappy & Harriett's Pioneertown Palace

2006-05-20T09:48:00.000-07:00

Sharyl and me and a waitress at Pappy and Harriett's.

Mom's Art

2006-05-18T22:50:00.000-07:00

Some of you have asked to see some of my Mom's artwork. Here's a recent drawing of a flower. It reminds me of her in many ways.

Final Prep

2006-05-18T22:21:00.000-07:00

Well, tomorrow I'm finally hitting the road. I've got a case of water, a case of Red Bull, music and a bag of almonds, I think I'm set. So many people have already been so generous! Of course with their donations - but in other ways as well. Offering me a place to stay, a care package of food.
I picked up my rental car a couple hours ago. Avis is the way to go!!! First of all they are super friendly (even at the 800#, so we can't attribute it to that Southern California- I'm like always really friendly- vibe). Not only did they give me by far the best rate, Richard Yeargin, the manager at the San Diego Airport Avis, was super nice (and also Jesus, the other manager). After hearing about my fundraising road trip they hooked me up with a free navigation device for 5 weeks and gave me an upgrade!
So check out my sponsor section because real people are my sponsors. Those folks lending me a hand in any way other than a donation. (OK, don't look at it quite yet 'cause I haven't updated it because I'm really tired. But I will!)

My Mission

2006-05-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

To raise $9,490 for BREAST CANCER RESEARCH through a grassroots, cross country journey along America's highways.

Fundraising Begins Mother’s Day Weekend
After battling breast cancer on and off for 26 years, my mother, Lorraine Raimondo, passed away on August 28, 2005. This weekend marks my first Mother's Day without her. Unfortunately, this is a truth for many people.

My goal is to raise $9,490. A dollar for every day my mother battled with breast cancer.

Those who can't ride along will be joining me in spirit by pledging donations. I will continue to solicit pledges all along my journey letting other travelers know about my cause through signage on my car and passing out info cards. Plus, I'll use some more subtle tactics that can include anything from campfire chats to tollbooth conversations. Make a donation now.

Throughout my trip I'll be posting my travel journal on this blog which will also include photos from my road side adventures including the friends who are riding beside me figuring out how to fold the map, folks who have offered me a place to stay and the generous people making pledges along the way. I'll also be updating miles traveled and funds raised on a regular basis, so keep checking in!

Road Trip Route

2006-05-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

Road to a Cure - San Diego to NYC
The rubber hits the road in front of my parent's house in San Diego. Along the way, family and friends will ride shotgun helping to raise funds, keeping me awake and reminding me when to get gas. My route is somewhat loose and flexible ‘cause, you know, you can’t really plan adventure. But here’s what I’ve got on the itinerary thus far.

San Diego,CA
Joshua Tree, CA
Las Vegas, NV
Moab, UT
Ely, NV
Truckee, CA
Murphys, CA
San Francisco, CA
Portland, OR
Seattle, WA
Idaho
Montana
Yellowstone National Park
North Dakota
South Dakota
Minnisota
Wisconsin
Chicago
Toronto
Niagra Falls
Montreal
NYC
I'm estimating my trip to take 6 weeks and cover 4,000 - 5,000 miles.

Make a Donation

2006-05-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

My goal is to raise $9,490 - one dollar for every day my mother battled breast cancer.

100% of your donation will go to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. All of my travel expenses are being paid for by me. You will receive an acknowledgement from the foundation thanking you for your donation.

There are several ways you can determine how much you want to donate.

The Adventurous Donation: You donate a certain amount per mile I travel on my coast to coast road trip. I'm estimating 3,000-4,000 miles at this time. You'll even get a photo of my odometer at the beginning of my trip and the end in case you're the skeptical type.

The Adventurous Donation Jr: Take your chances and pick a specific state on my route, in this example let's say Nevada, and pledge an amount per the miles racked in that state.

The "Here's Some Cash" Donation: You donate a flat total dollar amount.

Just remember no pledge amount is too small, it all adds up! And, on the flip side, well heck, no pledge amount is too big either!!

You can make your donation immediately online via the link below. In addition, (or if you would like to pay by check) PLEASE let me know how much you would like to pledge/donate by sending an email to roadtoacure@gmail.com including the following information:

1. Your name and whether you would liked it posted on this blog (Please know, I do NOT post the amount of the pledge)
2. The name of the person you are honoring/remembering with your pledge, if any
3. You're pledge amount
4. Forward an email on to friends and family with a link to the blog. Word of mouth is really what is going to drive donations!

I'll follow up with a thank you and add your name and who you are honoring/remembering with your donation to the "Pledgers and Thank You's" section of this site. This really helps inspire others to donate.

Make your donation immediately by clicking the online link below.(All donations will be paid directly to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.)

My Story

2006-05-12T15:30:00.001-07:00

Soon after my mother, Lorraine Raimondo’s death from breast cancer last August, I left my job at MTVN. I decided to make the most of my new found freedom by fulfilling one of my life’s passions, travel. After spending some time in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodian and Ecuador, I headed to my parents house in San Diego to visit my Dad.

While in California, I took a drive out into the desert to join my friend Kevin at Coachella. Along that ride, I was reminded of the beauty of my own country and the wonderful road trips of my childhood.

In fact, it was originally my parents who gave me the travel bug. Each year while growing up, our family of 6 would load into the car and head out on the highway taking in every tourist destination along the way. Every morning (and I mean early morning) my dad would come into our hotel room armed with every tourist brochure from the lobby. We saw the most beautiful of places and some wacky roadside novelties too. I’ve been to every state (and every wax museum!) in the continental US except three (Oregon, Montana and North Dakota).

So, while on that desert drive 2 weeks ago, I came up with the decision to drive, instead of fly, back to NYC and to raise funds along the way to support breast cancer research.

My drive is in memory of my mother and a tribute to all the women currently fighting breast cancer, including my good friend Nancy Mack, whose home will be a stop along the way. (As will Oregon, Montana and North Dakota.)

About my Mom

2006-05-12T15:30:00.000-07:00

My Mom, Lorraine (Galdik) Raimondo was born in Chicago, IL September 8, 1932. She was the first of four tall, beautiful daughters for John and Anastacia Galdik. She learned to play the piano at a young age and continued to play throughout her life. In High School she was a founding member of a girls club, the PDQ's. She met my Dad, Louis Raimondo, at a dance when she was 16 and at the age of 21 they got married. They celebrated their 51st Wedding Anniversary in June of 2005.

Over the next 11 years, my Mom and Dad had 4 kids; Brad, Beverly, Lori (me!) and Paul. While raising all of us somewhat energetic and outspoken children she burnt plenty of midnight oil studying to earn her college degree in fine art. She then continued her passion for knowledge, attending the Art Institute of Chicago. Both my parents have a love of travel and packed us in the car for an amazing road trip every year.
She and my Dad left the Chicago area for sunny San Diego in 1983 where she then added successful Real Estate Agent to her list of many talents. She continued her art throughout her life, and most recently focused on color pencil drawings of floral and fauna. Throughout the years, my parents continued to travel with France, Italy and Spain some of my Mother's favorite destinations. During her last years of battling cancer, she finally made it to Lithuania, fulfilling her dream to visit her country of heritage.

My Mom was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1979. After treatment, she went into remission for many years. In 1999 she once again took up the battle and with the most amazing courage and strength, survived 7 more years. My parents celebrated their 51st Wedding Anniversary last June. On August 28, 2005 my mother passed away.

My Mom is remembered by many as an artist, world traveler, exceptional mother, wife and friend. She is admired by all that have known her for her strength, faith and beauty. By me, she's remembered as "Mom" and all the thousands of things that means.

This is for you Mom, the strongest woman I know.

Pledgers & Thank You's

2006-05-12T15:20:00.000-07:00

PLEDGERS
Bill Richmond
Ismael Gonzalez de Diego in memory of Lorraine Raimondo
Elizabeth Wildsmith in honor of her mother Jordan
Richard and Encarna Duddy
Michael Epstein in memory of Lorraine Raimondo
John and Cathy Jennings in memory of Lorraine Raimondo
Ann Schroeder in memory of Lorraine Raimondo
Jill Benz
Renee Kurth in memory of Dolores DiLegge and Lorraine Raimondo
Juddy Connor
Elizabeth Posner in memory of Lorraine Raimondo
Meg Lowe
Mary Raimondo in memory of Lorraine Raimondo
Victoria Connor in memory of her mother, Josephine Connor
Salli Frattini in honor of Lori
Rachel Newhouse
Susan Bovay in honor of Stacy Baker
Mary Ann Kurth in honor of Lorraine Raimondo and Dolores DiLegge
Shelia Sachs in honor of Nancy Mack
Rebecca Black in honor of Jan McKay
Rochelle Kurth in memory of Lorraine Raimondo
Jim Matthews in memory of Dolores DiLegge and Lorraine Raimondo

Fran Liscio in memory of her dear departed husband, Jack
Wayne Moodie
Joe Armenia
Alison Deegan in honor of the stength of women
Jay Bose in honor of Nancy Mack
Jerry & Noreen Oleksy
Tony & Terry Raimondo
Mike and Angela Stringini
Elizabeth Scott MacWilliams in honor of Stephanie Peavey
Patricia Atkins in memory of Lorraine Raimondo
Sharon Scott in honor of Gigi Maib
Janet Joyce
Julie Erbe in honor of Nancy Mack
Jim Snyder in honor of Nancy Mack
Carol Weaver in memory of Chuck Wardrop
Vincent Citrini in memory of Lorraine Raimondo and Marie Boulanger
Tami Levinson
Anonymous in memory of Lorraine Raimondo
Brad and Sophie Raimondo in memory of Lorraine Raimondo
Kevin Tachman in memory of Patricia Canaval who just passed away
Kenn Goodman in memory of Lorraine Raimondo
Hazel Chirnside
Barbara Derry in honor of Alice Rose and all women
Lynn Kramer in memory of Dolores DiLegge
Thomas Baran
Missoula Smoke Jumpers Welfare Fund
Mark Epstein
Julie Lerner
Jay Marshall
Pat Bartle
Church Street House B&B, Sandpoint, ID
Chris McCarthy in honor of Maryann McCarthy
Cosmo Scrivanich in memory of "Lori's Mom" (Lorraine Raimondo)
Kimberly Nelson
Sherri York in memory of Betty Wilson
Lori(Kiergaad)Thompson in honor of Nancy Mack
Robert Schachter
Jodi Morelli in memory of Lorraine Raimondo
Nate Hayden
Lisa Braun
Noelle Kurth in memory of Aunt Lorraine Raimondo
Kathleen Gonzalez
John Costello in memory of Virginia Costello
Doug Eckard
Blair Heartfeld
Meg Hall
Jocelyn Krasner
Monte Steinman
Jessica Strassberg in honor of Jamila Strassberg and Eloise Caggiano
Sandy Ferris
Matt Myklusch
Ethan Goldman
Brandon Hortitz
Joan Machonga in memory of Aunt Lorraine Raimondo
Jeanie Carstensen
Janet Rubright in memory of her mother Dolores DiLegge and Aunt Lorraine Raimondo
Stephanie Fogle
Kate McLeod
Lannie Yeager
Debra Wysocki
Belle Domingo to "inspiring women everywhere"
Ilan Lev
Carol Hammond in memory of her grandmother and Lorraine Raimondo
Colleen Fogarty
Laurel, Greg, Rachael and Eric Castillo to mom/grandmom Dolores DiLegge and Aunt Lorraine
Tony and Debbie Raimondo in memory of Aunt Lorraine
Toni Raimondo in memory of Great Aunt Lorraine
Becky Raimondo in memory of Great Aunt Lorraine
John Raimondo in memory of Great Aunt Lorraine
Cynthia Perry in memory of Lorraine Raimondo
Paul Raimondo in memory of Lorraine Raimondo
The Youhn's in memory of Aunt Lorraine Raimondo and in honor of Joan Youhn-2 time survivor
Diane Morgan and Andrew Molyneux in honor of Maureen Morgan
Karen Cornish in honor of Nancy Mack
Jeremy Marusek in memory of Linda Lawrence
Mike Butler
Jeff and Theresa Janechek
Stacy Kanter in memory of Karen Kanter
Karen Asch
Jean and Ralph Sergott
Kirsten Denney in honor of Lorraine Raimondo
Stephen Friedman in honor of his mother
Christy Ruyle in honor of many of her friends
Trent Cramer in honor of Nancy Mack and his mother, Rosalie Cramer, who is also a breast cancer survivor
Kathy Hatala in honor of Liesl Weeks and Kerri Clark
Cathy Boyle in honor of her mother, Katy Boyle a two time survivor!
Stephanie Ruyle
Jamie Scott in memory of Lorraine Raimondo
Mary in memory of her Aunt Maggie
Louis Raimondo in memory of his wife of 51 yrs Lorraine Raimondo
Kia Quinn in honor of Micki Petras
Denise Dahldorf
Ryan Chew in honor of his aunt, Barbara Roy
Maude DiVittis
Tami Levinson
Anynomous in honor of Corrine Eichner and Lorraine Raimondo
Patrick Butler
Anynomous from NY
Anynomous from Chicago in honor of Lori

THANK YOU!
I haven't even hit the road yet and already have so many people to thank! First of all, Mary Butler who lit a fire under me and took this effort to a new level, and brought on board Minoru Uchida (who I have yet to even meet in person) to design this blog and who, along with David Tainer, ever so patiently answer all my techy questions. Sharyl Holtzman, the jack of all trades, serving as sounding board, editor, PR advisor and for all the 20+ years I've known her, never runs out of encouraging words. She'll also be the first one keeping me company on the road from LA to Vegas. Kevin Tachman who invited me out to the desert, for his photography (he did the photo at the top of the blog) and sense of humor. David "Buschy" Buschman, who will be joining me somewhere in the northwest and is already researching all the wackiest roadside attractions. Martin Preston, who sent me the right email at the right time. Morgan for his many trips to the post office to ship me my stuff from NYC, Kia Quinn for sending me music to drive by, James Rodger, who's description of Utah gave me one more reason to hit the road. My sister, Beverly Raimondo, for ensuring my description of Mom rings true and letting me take over the computer. My Dad, Louis Raimondo, for always believing in me. And Macaulay Culkin, who spent many a sleepless...no, tee hee, I don't really know Macaulay Culkin. I just like saying his name. But heck, if anyone does know Macaulay, tell him about my blog! And of course all the pledgers, whose generosity is what's making this all make sense.

Road to a Cure

Exercise Classes for Cancer Survivors

Evelyn Lauder, Founder of Breast Cancer Research Foundation, died on Saturday.

Fantastic Gift Idea!!!

Saw this on Breast Cancer Research Foundation's facebook page and wanted to share.

"New Pink DaysAgo Introduced to Promote Breast Cancer AwarenessPink DaysAgo was inspired by co-inventor Kathleen Whitehurst's eighth anniversary as a breast cancer survivor.

On the Road Again

Happy Mother's Day Mom

Mom at Pike's Peak

Mom & Dad on the ferry to Ellis Island

Best of the Road Part 4

Best of the Road Part 3

Best of the Road Part 2

Best of the Road Part 1

Breast Cancer Research Foundation

Paul Bunyan is everywhere!

Yes, yes, yes!

People you can meet without ever leaving your car

Thank You!!!

New York City

Lake George, NY

Quote of the Day

We have a winner!

Old Montreal

Niagara Falls - Canada

Toronto

Michigan

Chicago Part 3

Chicago Part 2

Donors of the Week

Chicago Part 1

Chicago

Guess which state?

Minnesota

Nancy Mack

Spam Museum

North Dakota - South Dakota

My Mom

Enchanted Highway - Regent, ND

The Road to North Dakota

South Dakota

Jackson Hole, WY

Yellowstone and Teton National Parks

Hi there

Road to Bozeman, MT and then to Jackson, WY

Driving to Missoula, MT

Glacier National Park, MT

Sandpoint, ID

Coeur d/Alene to Sandpoint, ID

Cottonwood, ID

Seattle, WA

Portland, OR

Klamath, CA - Newport, OR

New Photos

Mendocino to Klamath, CA

Mendocino, CA

Gualala, CA

Bay Area

San Francisco

Pop Quiz results

Bad Day

Ely, NV to Truckee, CA

Moab, UT to Ely, NV

UT

Canyonlands National Park, UT

Moab, UT Colorado River

Hole 'N the Rock - Moab, UT

Hole 'N the Rock - out front

Hole 'N the Rock - Gladys' room

Harry the Donkey

Las Vegas to Moab, UT

Best Wendy's in the World

Lighthouse in the Desert

Pioneertown to Vegas

Free Beer

Joshua Tree National Park

World's Largest Thermometer

Hmmmm

The Flame Steak House - Vegas

Joshua Tree, CA

"New Pink DaysAgo Introduced to Promote Breast Cancer Awareness

Pink DaysAgo was inspired by co-inventor Kathleen Whitehurst's eighth anniversary as a breast cancer survivor.