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Home | | | Sturgis Ride 2007 | | | Vancouver, BC Ride 2008 | | | 15-15 Campaign |
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| The Sturgis Ride from Riverside, CA to South Dakota was a huge success! Steve collected over $13,500 for The Myositis Association and better yet, Steve was able to speak to others about the "mystery" disease, myositis. Not only did Steve get the opportunity to ride his Harley once again, but he was able to speak to other groups about overcoming adversity and dealing not only with a rare disease, but with things life throws your way. Steve was also asked to be on the patient panel at the National Myositis Association Conference in Seattle, Washington where his humor and insight were evident. If you would like Steve to speak at your church or other gathering, please email him for available dates. Take a moment and read Steve's Travelogue from the saddle! | |
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Days 1 and 2: Salt Lake City, Utah; Jackson, Wyoming On his journey to Sturgis Steve has endured wind, rain, broiling heat; been forced off the road; and stranded without a place to spend the night, all in the first two days. On his way from California through the salty plains of Utah, Steve and his five Harley companions encountered 107-degree temperatures as they approached the outskirts of Salt Lake City. "I was beginning to have some doubts about this trip," Steve said by phone. He was thrilled by a couple of last-minute donations coming in, putting him well over $7,500. He and his buddies persevered, and left Cedar City, Utah to visit the Harley dealer in Salt Lake City at about 7:45 a.m. Saturday. "Day 2 started awesome," Steve reported. The next stop, Cokesville, Wyoming, was fine, too. "But here is where things went bad," he said. "We leave the gas station and the wind begins HOWLING, followed by rain. We pull over to put on our rain gear." Of course, as soon as the bikers were covered up, the rain stopped. The rain returned as they headed towards Jackson, accompanied by the wind, stronger than ever. With bad driving conditions and terrible visibility, a car trying to pass a big rig forced all six of the Harley guys off the road. They were shook up but not really hurt, Steve said, and got back on their bikes to head towards Jackson. Calling ahead, they found out that all hotels within a hundred miles were booked for Saturday night. By that time "it was late, dark and cold," Steve said. "We decided to eat because we might have to ride all night." At the diner, the men told the waitress about their plight, and she agreed to let them sleep on the floor of her apartment. "You'll have to remember we were desperate," Steve said. "We paid her $300 to let us crash at her place." Today (Sunday), Steve and his gang heads for Cody, Wyoming. "Three states and 439 miles," he says, "Happy trails." More later from Cody. |
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Day 3: Steve cruises through Yellowstone From Steve: "Day 3 started beautifully and then everything went to hail, literally! We left Afton, Wyoming and headed to Jackson: Just a gorgeous ride...then came Yellowstone National Park. Rain and hail as we drove through the park. At least this time we put on our raingear BEFORE it rained! Still a gorgeous ride except it is like riding while people throw pebbles at you." "During the rain, I had to ask myself this question - OK, TWO questions. The first, why do people VIDEOTAPE a mountain? And two, did I bite off more than I could chew? I have to say it was great to be able to breathe in the air as we went to Yellowstone. We can do that in Southern California, too, but we also see what we are breathing! There was one little foul-up today. We went about 50 miles in the opposite direction! Of course, six men will figure the others know where we are going so no one says anything. We were headed in the opposite direction of Cody, and that added another 100 miles to the ride in the rain! Tomorrow, we finally hit Sturgis! Forecast: Rain till Thursday in Sturgis! Oh, well! |
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Day 4: Cody, WY and Sturgis, SD Steve Morris reports on Monday's events, the last leg on his journey to the Sturgis motorcycle rally. From Steve: "Day 4 was absolutely beautiful. We rode from Cody, Wyoming to just outside of Sturgis, SD today. The weather cooperated with us the whole way. It never got above 90 degrees and never got lower than 60 degrees. Those of you in the northern part of the country have some incredible scenery! People were absolutely gracious to us. We are staying about 45 minutes outside of Sturgis and we plan on going into Sturgis tomorrow and then on to Mt. Rushmore and Deadwood! I forgot to tell you that yesterday when we were in Yellowstone, we also had thunder and lightening. As I was riding through all of this, I was wondering what the odds are of having myositis AND getting hit by lightening? Also, as we rode, we had to stop because buffalo were crossing the street. Those dudes are huge! Needless to say, you don't want to upset a buffalo by taking his picture while you are on a Harley! Our list of states continues to grow: California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota and Idaho. Over 1600 miles." |
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Day 5: At the rally in Sturgis, South Dakota Steve Morris is staying in the Black Hills while he attends the motorcycle rally, and filed this report late Tuesday: Day 5 has been our easiest day so far. We all slept in and the area that we are staying in the Black Hills is awesome. Today, we went to Rapid Cities, SD to see what Harley-Davidson had set up at the civic center. Saw all of the new 2008 bikes and clothing. This next part won't mean much to Honda and Yamaha owners, but I got my TMA hat signed by "Willie G" Davidson, the grandson of the original Davidson of Harley-Davidson, and his wife, Nancy. I had an opportunity to tell him about myositis and my ride, which they thought was pretty cool, during my 30 seconds with him and his wife. I even had my picture taken with him in my 'Riding for Those Who Can't...Yet' t-shirt. At least now, one of the Davidsons know about myositis. Both of them were extremely gracious. That was the highlight of the day! Tonight, we are going to celebrate making it to Sturgis by going out and having a nice steak. I'm told the beef up in this part of the country is incredible. A quick hi to Eric and Teresa! These are two kids with JDM whose parents emailed me before my trip to tell me their stories. It is my honor and pleasure to ride for them and the rest of you!" 1 state (ah, heck one city) and 20 miles! Click on the photo to learn more about the Sturgis Bike Week! |
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Day 6: Steve spent Wednesday touring local South Dakota attractions and sent this report: What a gorgeous day! The weather is really cooperating with us. Today is our last day in Rapid City and now it is time to make the journey home. We visited Sturgis finally. I would say it is a biker's Mardi Gras, but a tad bit calmer. I have never seen so many bikes and tattoos in one place before! After Sturgis, we headed out to Deadwood and then on to Mt. Rushmore. That was absolutely one of the coolest things I have seen in a long time. I thought I bit off more than I could chew on this ride...but that sculptor bit off the whole mountain! You need to see it. The drive to Mt. Rushmore is a biker's dream. Wooded forests, winding roads, perfect weather. We ended the day by going to the movies and watching The Bourne Ultimatum, a pretty good flick. We are now strategizing on the best way to get home with as little desert as possible. "Farewell, Sturgis!" 1 state and 176 miles. |
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Day 7: Steve arrives in Cheyenne; gets donation from Harley-Davidsons Black Sheep Steve was once the president of the Riverside Chapter of Black Sheep Harley-Davdisons for Christ, and he got some unexpected support from the national group in a small Wyoming town. Steve explains in his latest report from the road: HOT and flat! We rode from Rapid City, South Dakota to Cheyenne, Wyoming. Temperatures ranged from 90 degrees to more than 100 degrees. When we stopped for gas in Lusk, Wyoming, we ran into the founder and national president of Black Sheep Harley-Davidsons. He told me that, at the regional breakfast last Saturday, Black Sheep donated 20% of all that was sold that morning. He thought it came to about $300. That donation puts us over the $8,000 mark! Heck, when I started this I thought I would do great to raise $1000. The response has been overwhelming to me...plus it made me actually do the ride! Gosh, what an honor it is to be riding for all of you and to bring the awareness and financial resources to myositis. Only 2 1/2 days to go and I am still working on my farmer's tan. I think I got it down! 2 States and over 2,200 miles ridden. Looking forward to getting home!" |
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Day 8: Steve rides through Colorado, bypasses a tattoo Steve had a long ride Friday, and sent TMA this update: Well, it has been one of our longest days on the road. We rode for almost 12 hours, but it had to be through some of the most beautiful country we have seen. Today's journey took us through Cheyenne, Wyoming, Denver, Vail, and our final resting place, Green River, Utah. If it wasn't for the heat and wind, it would have been a very enjoyable ride. From this point on now, we hit the desert. Luckily, we only have a day and half left before we make it home! We did go through the Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70 and that was pretty cool. I can see why people would want to move to Colorado. It is absolutely gorgeous! No mishaps today and that is always a good sign! Las Vegas tomorrow night. Of course, I won't be able to send an email, because we all know what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas! I did have a gentleman ask me what was on my windshield. I told him it was a bug. He said, 'No, what is myositis?' I had the opportunity to tell him what it was and how rare it is. He took down the web address to learn more. Just getting the word out one person at a time. 3 States, 451 miles, and a great dinner One regret so far on the trip...I didn't get a tattoo of the ride logo on my right arm! |
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Day 9: Steve's crew struggles through Utah; loses one Harley; heads home after encounter with police Steve's Saturday had a great many ups and downs, both literally and metaphorically. Here's his report: Day 9 started out in Green River, Utah at 7:30 am. We were heading out to Las Vegas. We decided to take some back roads to Bryce Canyon and then over to St. George, Utah. We went through some of the most spectacular views I have ever seen. I thought Colorado was incredible, but Utah has some amazing formations. If you ever get out to Utah, you have got to see Red Canyon, Capital Coral Park, and Zion National Park. They are definitely worth the drive! The weather was great and roads were curvy. We rode on this one road called Hell's Backbone. It is a two-lane road that has a severe drop on both sides and no guard rails, plus...it has curves! That was an interesting ride. Unfortunately, on another road, one of our guys was unable to make a tight curve and he went over an embankment. He jumped off the airborne Harley and his Harley crashed through a wooden fence of a cattle holding pen. Fortunately, he will only have some nice bruises and no broken bones. The same can't be said for his Harley. There was quite a bit of damage but we were able to duct tape it back together and he is riding it back to LA. Then we were riding through Hurricane, Utah, and get stopped by the police. Evidently, one of our guys passed a car on the right. He told us we are not allowed to pass on the right. He was cool, though, and did not write us up. Needless to say, with the accident and getting pulled over, we never made it to Las Vegas. Tonight we are in St. George, Utah, about 120 miles outside of Las Vegas. We plan on leaving early tomorrow and getting home in the afternoon. I think we will be pretty happy to be home! What an adventure the last nine days have been! Only 1 state (unfortunately), and about 400 miles. Over 3,000 miles total." |
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Day 10: Steve reaches home; reflects on his journey Steve put in a long day Sunday, riding 370 miles to reach his home in Riverside. As he wraps up his journey, he compares his long trip through the desert and western mountains to his journey with myositis. Here are his thoughts, in his own words: "Well, the journey has come to an end. We rode from St. George, Utah to Riverside, California today. Definitely not the most scenic route we have taken on this trip -- all desert. Luckily, the time and miles seemed to go by quickly. I have to say that I was looking forward to going home. The whole trip was an experience that I will never forget! The whole thing was very rewarding and I learned some things about me that I wouldn't have learned any other way. I learned that fear can paralyze you. A couple of months before the ride, I let fear occupy my time up until the day of the ride and even into the ride. I was scared about the ride and what could happen. I didn't like wind and that fear of the wind really got a hold of me. When you have that type of all-consuming fear it affects other parts of your life. My relationship with my fiancée became strained because I was afraid of what might happen to me on this trip. I found out on this trip that a little bit of knowledge can beat that fear. The night before I left on the trip, I took out a book that a friend had given me a couple of years earlier on proficient motorcycle riding. I looked up "wind" in the book and read up on how to handle wind on a motorcycle. With just that little bit of knowledge, I was able to handle one of the toughest wind storms I have ridden through in a long time. I went back to what I read and used that information to make it through that storm. My confidence as a motorcyclist continued to grow the more we ran into difficult weather conditions (hail, rain and wind). By the way, my fiancée is still with me after I told her about the fear that gripped me. If I could pass on one thing that I learned from this ride, it would be to not let fear take a major hold on your life. Your storm was being diagnosed with myositis. What a scary feeling! There are a lot of unknowns when you are first diagnosed: What is going to happen to me? Will I walk again? Is this the best it will ever be? Does it get worse? I found through this ride that equipping myself with knowledge helped me conquer my fear. The same can be true for being diagnosed with myositis. Get yourself educated on what this crazy disease is all about. Talk with those who have gone before you by visiting the TMA Message Board. Those people carried me through a scary time in my life. Because of them and my research that I did on the Internet, I was able to conquer my fear of this disease and so can you. I can now enjoy life without the fear of what is going to happen to me. I just want to thank each of you for allowing me to ride for you, and you are the real heroes! Conquer the fear and enjoy life on a different level. By the way, we collected more than $8,200 and donations are stilling coming in! Thank you to all who have supported this ride both financially and with your thoughts and prayers. We all did it! See you in Seattle! "3 States, 370 miles today. Overall, 8 States and over 3,400 miles!" Happy Trails to all, Steve |