JDRF Beacon and Goshen Walk Pictures

The pictures from Saturday's walk are available for free download at:  

2013 Beacon

Walk to Cure Diabetes photos - click here.

The pictures from Sundays Goshen's walk are available for free download at: 

2013 Goshen

Walk to Cure Diabetes photos - click here.

These photos are available for non-commercial, personal use, at no charge.  In return, all I ask is for a small voluntary donation to my JDRF campaign and help me meet my goal of raising $5000.00 for JDRF.  Any amount would greatly be appreciated.

If you have any questions or issues downloading the photo's,  please email me at photo@hvc.rr.com

Duane

Duane Beyer Photography

2013 Walk to Cure Diabetes pictures for Beacon and Goshen

Pictures for the Beacon and Goshen walks will be available very soon.   Please check back Tuesday - October 1.






You may donate for the Eastern Hudson Valley 2013 Walk to Cure Diabetes here:
http://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR?fr_id=2329&pg=entry

You may Donate for the Western Hudson Valley 2013 Walk to Cure Diabetes here:
http://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR/Walk-NY/Branch-HudsonValley4449?pg=entry&fr_id=2328

This Weekend - Load up the Big Mac

I have started to load all 56,000 pictures on my Big Mac.  It's a monster compared to the poor "Little Mac" laptop.  16 processors,  12G memory,  Dual Monitors... bla bla bla...   I should have some of the panoramic photos out on my duanebeyer.com site in a week for sale help raise funds for JDRF.  

Everyone,  as expected,  has asks me how was the trip.  It's hard to explain.  It would be like asking Neil Armstrong what it was like to walk on the moon.  He could describe it to you,  but it really the kind of think you need to experience.  

First you have to understand the person you are asking to know why they did what they did, to understand why they liked it or not,  and how that relates to you. For example, before I can walk on the moon,  I have to strap myself onto a experimental rocket that will shake and rattle me apart as it launches me into space.  Then I have to endure the vacuum of space, knowing on the other side of the 1/8" thick tin can is death.  After I concur that,  I have to deal with living three inches from two other folks who are using up my food and oxygen.  Only then, can you really know what it is like when you ask me what it is like to walk on the moon. 

So,  lets look at me:
 I love to go fast,  I love the feeling of being on the edge,  but I also try to know my limits so I'm around to do more.  Additionally, I have no problem wearing a lot of gear just in case I misjudge my limits. I also live with the consequences of not knowing my limits, loosing the use of my right ankle, and having no regrets.  That was one fun ride back in 2000.   But, I have always been that way.  In the fire department, Scuba diving, the risk was worth the challenge,  load me up.  

Second,  I'm boarder-line ADHD and OCD.   I love things that change fast to hold my attention.  I love to plan, (the ocd),  but,  when it is time to execute,  I have no problem if the plan falls apart,  I adapt.  I only obsess over the planning.   So, flat tires,  nearly freezing, wrong turns,  to me,  they are all part of the journey,  I embrace them. 

Third,  if you have never road a motorcycle, snowmobile, jet ski, been in a power boat, or even a fast ride on a bicycle,  you can't understand the feeling of being part of the environment around you.  You can feel the temperature change as you go up a hill or down into a valley,  passed a large body of water, or dip in and out of the shade.  Sometimes only ten feet change in elevation will have a massive change in temperature.  The smell of a corn field compared to the wheat field you just passed, or the newly plowed wet field.   Some smells you will never forget,  some you wish you never encountered.   You can even smell temperature change.  

Forth,  concentration - On the bike,  most of my brain is occupied keeping you on the road.  What is left, I use to take in the sights and smells.  That leaves nothing for all the daily stuff, and that's a really good thing.   I could spend between 5 and 10 hours on the bike a day without a radio,  just the wind in my ears, and I was never board.   Even on the longest paved road with no turns or hills, my brain was full of what it needed and nothing more.  Here and there, something may slip in, but it would be gone before I had time to be affected by the thought. 

Five,  I'm and extravert - almost to the point of being annoying sometimes.  Every though that passes through my brain comes out of my month - long before it has had time to be processed.  Poor Miranda has the same issue.  We call her DM, for Diarrhea Mouth.  So while I am still figuring it out,  you have to hear each conflicting thought that passes through my brain until I come to a conclusion.

Six,  I love to talk to strangers - which sounds weird, because I am also shy, but they are not mutually exclusive.  I talk to strangers to hear their story,  not to talk about me.  So, it's ok to be shy,  it's about them,  not me.   I am also very open - I don't care what you believe in,  or what you don't.  I don't care if you are narrow minded or also open.  I want to hear your story.  Where it goes once I get to know you,  well,  that is my choice.  

Seven,  I love alone time -  I could go weeks, maybe even months,  without seeing a familiar face. It just does not bother me.  And when I see you again,  I pick up right where we left off.   Some people find this strange,  but that's me. 

That's what makes me tick.  So, for me,  the trip was awesome, freeing, inspirational and zen like.  For you,  not sure.  So when I say I loved it and can't really describe it, now you know why. We each walk in different shoes, and mine fit well for solo motorcycle travel.  

 If I did not have family and work commitments,  believe me, I would turn around and do it all again tomorrow.  But I know that can't happen this week.  But maybe again in 2016 with a journey to the Arctic Circle.  We will just have to see.

 I think I best expressed my trip in a letter I email to the library board. I was not able to help out one of the Library Committees,  so I wrote this.  

  
 Intro removed:

  That said,  I have a wonderful trip.   I would not have traded it for anything.  If not for the Pacific Ocean,   I may have kept on riding.  It was inspirational, enlightening and zen like at times.  I would spend between 5 and 12 hours a day on the road with no radio, just the sound of the wind in my ears.   I was able to smell something new at every turn,  feel the temperature change from one mile to the next and see some of the most incredible sites.  Many times I would turn around and get a completely different perspective of a passage just by approaching it from the other direction.   

    Being on a bike and not in the car,  I was able to stop almost anywhere,  take it in,  snap a shot,  go for a short walk and never worry about a parking space.   I would take unplanned off-shoots of 5 to 50 miles from my course just to see a fish in a tank,  a fossil  in a rock,  or a bridge off in the distance. 

     Each day, where I slept became less and less important, and who I met became more and more interesting.  I would love to do it all over again tomorrow and spend much more time with the people I met.  Their were some sights I did not get to see because they booked up early, or closed before I got there, but the things I encounter that were not planned more then made up for them.  

    I have walked away from this journey truly appreciating the journey,  not the destination. 

     Looking forward to seeing you all again soon,

Duane
                  

Total Millage - 4,478 miles.

I estimated that the trip would be 4588 miles.  I came in at 4,478, not bad.  110 miles off after 4k,  not going to worry about that.  Actually,  if I figure the mileage back down to Tacoma to drop off the bike,  I'm just about on the money. 

Below is the actually millage I traveled each day with my start and stop points according to the tracking device on my bike.  I'll be using this for the outline for my video.  The goal is to create a 30 min video of my trip over the next few weeks.  Till then, I'll post some RAW unedited footage.

Duane

Day 1 June 29, 2013

Distance: 284 miles

Start: 06/29/2013 10:41:48 AM
34 Hartstone Dr, NY, 12603, United States
Lat:41.686660 | Lon: -73.860250  | Alt: 666 ft

Last: 06/29/2013 11:50:32 PM
Eastern Blvd, Canandaigua, NY, United States
Lat:42.878920 Lon: -77.252840 | Alt: 2280 ft

Day 2 June 30, 2013

Distance: 164.50 mi   Total=448

Start: 06/30/2013 12:50:37 AM
Eastern Blvd, Canandaigua, NY, United States
Lat:42.878920 | Lon: -77.252840  | Alt: 2280 ft

Last: 06/30/2013 11:11:26 PM
89 Meadowvale Drive, St. Catharines, Ontario, L2N 3Z8, Canada
Lat:43.179220 Lon: -79.253130 | Alt: 1020 ft

RAW Video from the ride:  http://youtu.be/-RKR3s_Q_FY

Day 3, July 1, 2013

Distance: 151.68 mi    Total=599

Start: 07/01/2013 12:12:08 AM
89 Meadowvale Drive, St. Catharines, Ontario, L2N 3Z8, Canada
Lat:43.179220 | Lon: -79.253130  | Alt: 1020 ft

Last: 07/01/2013 11:55:25 PM
950-952 6 Street East, Owen Sound, Ontario, N4K 6Z4, Canada
Lat:44.562340 Lon: -80.924850 | Alt: 2647 ft

RAW video from the ride:  http://youtu.be/UfZzRge7U9E

Day 4, July 2, 2013

Distance: 318.48 mi    Total=917

Start: 07/02/2013 12:53:32 AM
950-952 6 Street East, Owen Sound, Ontario, N4K 6Z4, Canada
Lat:44.562340 | Lon: -80.924850  | Alt: 2647 ft

320 Bay Street, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, P6A 6W6, Canada
Lat:46.512520 Lon: -84.336520 | Alt: 2109 ft
Last: 07/02/2013 11:35:02 PM
Lat:46.512560 Lon: -84.336630 | Alt: 2063 ft

Day 5, July 3, 2013

Distance:137.20 mi  Total=1054

Start: 07/03/2013 12:35:38 AM
320 Bay Street, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, P6A 6W6, Canada
Lat:46.512560 | Lon: -84.336630  | Alt: 2063 ft

Last: 07/03/2013 11:47:34 PM
101-175 Ontario 17, Ontario, P0S, Canada
Lat:47.929840 Lon: -84.807180 | Alt: 2440 ft

RAW Video Day 5:  http://youtu.be/PadpFA-7avQ

Day 6, July 4, 2013

Distance: 322.54 mi   Total=1376

Start: 07/04/2013 12:47:37 AM
101-175 Ontario 17, Ontario, P0S, Canada
Lat:47.929840 | Lon: -84.807180  | Alt: 2440 ft

Last: 07/04/2013 11:58:20 PM
2080 Highway 61, Thunder Bay, Ontario, P7J 1E9, Canada
Lat:48.315340 Lon: -89.359850 | Alt: 2355 ft

Day 7, July 5, 2013

Distance:315.96 mi Total= 1691

Start: 07/05/2013 12:58:57 AM
2080 Highway 61, Thunder Bay, Ontario, P7J 1E9, Canada
Lat:48.315340 | Lon: -89.359850  | Alt: 2355 ft

Last: 07/05/2013 11:02:48 PM
8864 130th St, MN, 56353, United States  - Rob’s House
Lat:45.735270 Lon: -93.593770 | Alt: 3313 ft

Day 8, July 6, 2013

Distance: 75.09 mi   Total=1766

Start: 07/06/2013 8:13:13 AM
MN, United States
Lat:45.735270 | Lon: -93.593770  | Alt: 3313 ft

Oil Change at Larson’s Garage – Cambridge MN

Last: 07/06/2013 1:22:41 PM
MN, United States
Lat:45.734720 Lon: -93.593850 | Alt: 3313 ft

Day 9, July 7, 2013

Distance: 444.82 mi   Total=2210

Start: 07/07/2013 9:24:27 AM
MN, United States
Lat:45.735240 | Lon: -93.593760  | Alt: 3323 ft

Last: 07/07/2013 11:19:16 PM
1199 W Elizabeth St, Pierre, SD, 57501, United States
Lat:44.374020 Lon: -100.365330 | Alt: 4767 ft

Day 10, July 8, 2013

Distance:255.72 mi Total= 2465

Start: 07/08/2013 12:19:59 AM
1199 W Elizabeth St, Pierre, SD, 57501, United States
Lat:44.374020 | Lon: -100.365330  | Alt: 4767 ft

Last: 07/08/2013 11:25:52 PM
Speck Center Rd, Keystone, SD, United States
Lat:43.894470 Lon: -103.423420 | Alt: 14691 ft    

Mt. Rushmore

Day 11, July 9, 2013

Distance: 247.13 mi  Total=2712

Start: 07/09/2013 12:26:09 AM
Speck Center Rd, Keystone, SD, United States
Lat:43.894470 | Lon: -103.423420  | Alt: 14691 ft

Last: 07/09/2013 11:06:42 PM
2146 Rodgers Dr, Gillette, WY, 82716, United States
Lat:44.296040 Lon: -105.530820 | Alt: 15144 ft

Day 12, July 10, 2013

Distance: 322.10 mi   Total=3034

Start: 07/10/2013 12:07:15 AM
2146 Rodgers Dr, Gillette, WY, 82716, United States
Lat:44.296040 | Lon: -105.530820  | Alt: 15144 ft

Last: 07/10/2013 11:07:16 PM
Cody, WY, United States
Lat:44.520960 Lon: -109.074830 | Alt: 16555 ft

Day 13, July 11, 2013

Distance: 209.30 mi  Total=3243

Start: 07/11/2013 12:07:27 AM
Cody, WY, United States
Lat:44.520960 | Lon: -109.074830  | Alt: 16555 ft

Yellowstone Park

Last: 07/11/2013 11:37:27 PM
197 N Fork Hwy, WY, 82414, United States    Pahaska Tepee Resort 

            (Unplanned Stop over for the night)
Lat:44.503810 Lon: -109.963860 | Alt: 22152 ft

Day 14, July 12, 2013

Distance: 367.89 mi  Total=3610

Start: 07/12/2013 12:38:06 AM
197 N Fork Hwy, WY, 82414, United States    Pahaska Tepee Resort
Lat:44.503810 | Lon: -109.963860  | Alt: 22152 ft

Had to ride back to Cody to get my stuff from the hotel -  before heading to Helena.

Last: 07/12/2013 11:16:06 PM
9th Ave, Helena, MT, 59601, United States
Lat:46.589520 Lon: -112.002210 | Alt: 13313 ft

Day 15, July 13, 2013

Distance: 307.85 mi  Total=3917

Start: 07/13/2013 12:16:57 AM
9th Ave, Helena, MT, 59601, United States
Lat:46.589520 | Lon: -112.002210  | Alt: 13313 ft

Last: 07/13/2013 11:39:59 PM
11754 392 Rd, ID, 83545, United States
Lat:46.495720 Lon: -116.435470 | Alt: 3228 ft

Bar where Brian pumped up my tire.

Distance: 35.63 mi   Total= 3953

Start: 07/14/2013 12:37:02 AM
11754 392 Rd, ID, 83545, United States
Lat:46.495720 | Lon: -116.435470  | Alt: 3228 ft

Last: 07/14/2013 1:36:21 AM
3rd St, Clarkston, WA, 99403, United States
Lat:46.419910 Lon: -117.041590 | Alt: 2624 ft

Hotel for the night.   Clarkston, WA

Day 16, July 14, 2013

Distance: 405.64 mi – 35 miles Total= 4323

Last: 07/14/2013 1:36:21 AM
3rd St, Clarkston, WA, 99403, United States
Lat:46.419910 Lon: -117.041590 | Alt: 2624 ft

Last: 07/14/2013 11:58:59 PM
I- 405, Bellevue, WA, United States
Lat:47.578090 Lon: -122.174110 | Alt: 387 ft

Distance: 29.25 mi  Total = 4352

Start: 07/15/2013 12:00:08 AM
I- 405, Bellevue, WA, United States
Lat:47.592800 | Lon: -122.180440  | Alt: 439 ft

Last: 07/15/2013 1:56:50 AM
11115 19th Ave SE, Everett, WA, 98208, United States
Lat:47.897080 Lon: -122.206650 | Alt: 1322 ft

Hotel for the night.  

Day 17, July 15, 2013

Distance: 126.27 mi  Total = 4478

Start: 07/15/2013 12:00:08 AM
I- 405, Bellevue, WA, United States
Lat:47.592800 | Lon: -122.180440  | Alt: 439 ft

Last: 07/15/2013 3:51:59 PM
1005 SW Swantown Ave, Oak Harbor, WA, 98277, United States
Lat:48.283950 Lon: -122.669180 | Alt: 288 ft

Last: 07/15/2013 1:16:26 PM
434 Hobart Rd, WA, 98239, United States
Lat:48.193790 Lon: -122.607830 | Alt: 567 ft

This is only the beginning

Yesterday I completed my journey officially.  I road into Oak Harbor Washington with a big smile on my face.  I accomplished my goal - NY to WA in 16 days.  I have over 56,000 photos to review to document my journey.  My new goal is to compete a 30 min documentary of my trip within six months.   I also would like to do it again in 2026 with my son Matthew, who will be 21 then and we can travel the continent together.  Maybe even take a trip to Alaska. 

I packed my bags for the last time at Charlie and Bridget's this morning,  then headed to Tacoma to drop off my bike. Now I sit in the terminal at SEA-TAC awaiting my 10:15pm red-eye to Philly with a three hour layover before heading to Newburgh, NY.  With the exception of one minor flat and a tiny case of hypothermia,  I made may the voyage without any incidents.

I met so many great folks along the way,  had some great conversations,  learn a lot about how most people on the road will help out a stranger if you just ask, which restored my trust in the human race - who for the most part, are good decent people.

I have met 67% of my goal for JDRF and will work on raising the remaining $1,700 I commeted to  raise.  Like I said,  the journey has only begun.

Over the new few weeks I hope to post a number of my photos and make some of the best ones available for sale on my photo website to continue to raise funds for JDRF.  

A big thanks to Steve at JDRF for helping me out,  getting me the stickers and shirts,  and allowing me to make this journey more then just about me.

I was surprised at how many people I met on the road were interested in what I was doing and accepted my card and pledged to make a donation.  I also met families that were just starting their journey with a friend, relative or child that was recently diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes,  a journey that will be much harder then mine,  but with the help from the folks at JDRF and the research they are doing will enjoy a long and rewarding life.

Thank you all for your support, especially Angela, Miranda and Matthew who were not thrilled that I would be on the road for so long with only two wheels.

If you have not done so,  please take a moment to make a pledge and help me reach my goal of $5000 for JDRF.  If everyone I met of the road gave just $5.00,  I would more then reach my goal.

I have many more folks to thank,  but need to take a moment to make sure I don't leave anyone out.  So sitting in the airport is not the best place to start that list.

Please check back often as I will continue to update this blog and fill in the number of gaps from days I was unable to get internet service.

See ya all soon,
Duane

July 13, Three states, one wedding and a flat.

Today was to be a travel day.  To make sure I did not get to distracted,  I packed away all the video equipment and only had one camera accessible.  I still had 120 miles of Montana to cross and then the entire state of Idaho over the Rockies to get to Washington.  I was determined to make it to Washington today.

Before we talk about today,  I need to back up to yesterday.  I arrived in the town of Helena MT.  It's a good size town,  lots of big chain hotels.  However,  this  weekend is Helena is a softball playoffs,  a rodeo and a motocross even.  Needless to say,  not a lot available in the way of a room.  The first five hotels I stopped in were all booked,  Best Western, Holiday Inn, Super 8,  Motel 6, Comfort Inn.  It was starting to look like I was spending the night at the Burger King parking lot.  There was a Howard Johnson's,  lets give that a try.   I walked in and asked if they had a room.  Shelly,  at the desk told me the entire town was sold out.  However.  she must have felt bad for me.  She said that she had one room left in the basement.  No AC,  no heat, but it had a bed.  SOLD!!  I made a joke about having to stoke the fire in the furnace every hour in exchange for my basement room.  Shelly had a good sense of humor and fired back with "not if your out by six AM".  Then came the name and address part,  I bet Shelly that she could not pronounce Poughkeepsie.  She fired back with,  my last name is Bharadwaj -  Slam Dunk -  she won.

The room was actually not that bad,  it had a window and it was cool and dry outside.  I got a good night sleep.  I only had one issue with the room.  Since it had not been used in a while,  the clock was wrong.  I was so tired,  I never gave it a thought.  I got up up at 9:30, went to get some breakfast,  and everything was gone.  It was 10:30 - checkout at 11:00.

A little late start to the day,  but I was still going to make it to Washington even if the big one came -  what ever the big one was. 

 

I headed out of town on highway 12 west. 

 

Stopped for some fuel and some eats at this very nice little store.

 

A quick Stop at Montana University 

 

Just before I got to Idaho,  I came around a corner and found a wedding to crash. 

 

What a cool setting for a wedding.

 Another State,  Another Time Zone...

 

They must note have that many lawyers in Idaho,  as you cross the Rockies, no guard rails.  It's hard to tell from the photo, but that is about a 50' drop off just inches from the pavement.  

 Awesome camp site,  complete with a beach.

 

It seams like every gas station, convenient store and Laundromat has a casino in in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.

 

The guard at the Casino liked my "dead man" that hung out on my bike.  

 

Right after I took this photo,  two things happened.  

- One,  I saw a Bald Eagle swoop down and pull a large fish out of the river.

- Two - the back end of the bike got really squirrely - I had a flat.

I was 50 miles from the WA  border,  and fifty miles from cell phone reception.  The sun was down over the mountains and I was loosing light fast.  I got out the tools,  found the tire repair kit and went to work.   Dead smack in the middle of the tire was a tiny tiny silver dot.  Not bigger then a needle. Poured some water over it and it did not bubble, it shot the water right up about 1/2".   I found my leak.  Patched the tire, used three CO2 cans to get it up off the ground and now the sky was black.   Put on the flashers and headed down the road for the 50 mile trip at 20 mph.  

Well,  I picked the right spot to have a flat,  about a mile down the road,  I came around a turn and found a bar with a really nice "Total Comfort" Goldwing in the parking lot.  Sitting at a table next to the bike was the owner of the bike, Brian.  Great guy,  he had a compressor on his bike and I pumped up the tire to 46lbs.  Watched it for an hour,  bought Brian a Coke,  and got myself a diet.  Brian also does not drink when he rides.  Turns out,  Brian's wife is the bartender there.  

After a good chat and an hour,  the tire was still full,  so I thanked Brian again and heading down the road at 45mph for the fifty mile trip to the Washington boarder -  I made it......

Got to love that "Pocket Tire Plugger" I got from amazon.  

Today I plan on getting a few new CO2 canisters and a Portable 12V Compressor. 

Enjoy,

Duane

 

Sometimes you have to learn the hard way -

• 
  

  Yesterday was such a nice day I stripped down the bike and headed into Yellowstone. The bike is so much more fun without being weighted down. I spent the day in the park, saw a number of sights and then around 6:00pm it started to rain. I had to start heading back to my hotel in Cody since it would be getting cold and windy in the rain.
  
  Just one more stop at the Yellowstone Grand Canon, that's all.. just a few more pictures.
  
  That was the beginning of a disaster. I took one to many pictures and it got cold, wet and dark. I still had 90 miles to go, and I was only going 25mph due to the rain, it was dark and I was freezing. After two hours I made it to the park east exit. I still had 52 miles to go and everything hurt since I was so cold. Afraid of bears, I parked at the entrance to the park under some lights. My jacket and paints only being mesh did nothing to stop the cold getting to my bones. It was now below 40 and raining. I stopped a camper rolling by and got a trash bag to put over me. That was little help. With 50+ miles to go, a mountain to cross at 8300 feet I was doing all I could to not freeze to death. I came up on a set of cabins and a bar, walked in, did not even have to say a word. It was obvious, I needed a place to stay. The bar tender hooked me up with cabin 22 and I was safe from freezing.
  
  Moral of the story, always carry rain gear.
  
  This morning I got up early, rode back to my hotel, took a HOT shower and got something to eat. Think it is going to be a short day today.
  
  Duane

  Lots of pictures and video to come - check back.