Globetrott-Zentrale Bernd TESCH Reise-Ausrustungen Karlsgraben 69 D-52064 Aachen-Centrum. Date 01/95 United Europe/Europa/Deutschand/Germany Concerns : My USA-visit 19.09.94-16.10.94
Dear personal -and MC-friends in USA,
When I came back happily from the States I found a big sign at my door "Welcome Home". It was handsigned in all colours by all my very nice neighbors including children and made me very happy. Then everything happened which should not happen: The sales in september went back so hard and the one of paying persons running my shop in the meantime went up so high that I had to work all the time without having the chance to answer sooner. The whole situation in Germany 1993 is -1.3% of all results (Bruttosocialproduct) [GNP-ed] 1994 will possibly be the same. In 1995 we have to pay some new taxes to the government and again the one to help East-Germany and the insurance will go up, so - I suppose - it will be worse! So "to live" in this times means, to do "what you MUST do" and not "what you WANT to do".
The beginning is adventures. I fly to N.Y. (19.09.94) 10,700 m high with PIA (Pakistan Air Lines, the cheapest flight.) Because it is -51 C (-124 Fahrenheit=C x 1.8)+32=) outside, I think while flying: Is it responsible to offer my life to the technique of a plane? In case of emergency I would freeze immediately. A ship transfer is saver. A mc-ride even safer.
In N.Y. I reach Tabitha ESTABROCK(28). After she welcomed me heartly Tabitha tells me that she has on time, because of studying. My heart stops a second, because I have come all the way to talk with her. How could a person forget one of the very, very important things you learn on a mc-world-trip: To have time for a traveller? But Tabitha is able to change quickly. The blond good looking and well dressed girl talks with me the whole evening and a lot more when I visit her again on my back-trip! Tabitha is a highly intelligent woman who always knows what you are going to talk about next and her answers are coming quick, precisely to the discussion-topic and polite. Besides this she is very hospitable and a lovely girl. We really got in a personal-friendly contact. I think her success to circle the world within two years with a mc (BMW R 80 GS, 69,000 miles and all the way from Wladiwostok to Ireland and back through China) with Jim Rodgers is much more admirable. When I ask Tabitha why her name is missing on the title of Jims mc-book Tabitha tells me that her own book would be quite different. I would love to read her book with all her good feelings! She has good advantages to do this: Tabitha and Jim are living in an extra-ordinary nice house with several floors and valuable furniture and paintings wherever you look!
Ted SIMON (62) comes to the airport is S.F. his motorcycle (BMW R 65) on the back of his pickup to meet me. I am very happy to see him. Who of his readers wouldn't want to see him in person? Ted sold 300,000 copies of his books ("Jupiter's Travel". ISBN 0140054103, still available and "Riding Home"). I know more than 300 mc-TRAVEL-books of the world and about 10,000 mc-travellers myself. Whenever I meet people who read his books they answer in the same way: "I love this book so much that I read it three times." When I ask Ted some weeks later in his valley-home in the north of California why the success of his book is so incredible, he explains to me that he - a man - had opened his soul and personal feelings to the public. He did not expect that is was such a success. It is a great time talking with Ted about travelling, motorcycling and meeting human beings on the road and to watch his GB-TV-video about his visiting to his readers.
Ted offers me his bike to travel in California. I'm very grateful for this. I hope he will see me soon to travel with my bike here to Eastern Europe. Ted promises me then that he will come to my motorcycle-meeting of world-travellers. - At the 27.12.94 I got a Fax from Ted: I'm definitivly coming to the next one: Fr, 31.03 -Su, 02.04.95 near Aachen.
It takes me 1,5 hours to find a sleeping-place when leaving S.F. by night at 20.09.94 24.00 o'clock. I find an empty place ashore between two houses. On the next 12 days mc-trip in California I want always to sleep under the sky without a tent. Being a survival-trainer (since 1979) I always have to train myself first!. So the first night I watch the stars many times, because one has to get used to sleep in the pure nature.
The next morning a gentleman greets me with "good morning, sir", while I'm still sleeping. In five minutes my luggage is on the bike again and I start to talk to the Hawaiian Bob BUMATI who works in a large carving next to me. He helps me to fix the break-fluid-container at once and fills my fuel-tank. I do not know why he is so kind, but I find out that he loves riding his Harley Davidson. The retired Bobby and his German wife Elsa met in 1949 in Germany and are now living in a homemobil besides the beach of S.F. for five years. I get the feeling that they are happy. When I come to them back after the trip I promise to search the "lost" brothers of Elsa in Germany - I found one 01.02.94 after a long search!
His neighbour David, an electrician, fixes an adapter to my bike to charge my battery of my video - free of charge. Thanks! I fix a large yellow plastic sign on the back of my motorcycle with black letters "Love mc-world-travellers! Germany". This idea pertects me to be overrolled by cars and people who love to talk with me will stop. Then I'm ready to ride the first day and I throw away all the preparation-stress with my rolling tires. Sun is shining and Teds BMW is running well along the hilly freeways. Sometimes I get the feeling that there are only tarmac roads in this area.
Kari PRAGER in Mountain View is the largest solely BMW-mc-dealer in USA. His company in modern houses is very large. Although Kari is highly requested he always finds some minutes to talk to me. I immediately notice that he is not only very kind to me and to the customers but to his coworkers as well. Before the workers start to work on monday-morning they have a discussion with Kari about the "happenings" in the last week. A very modern and good atmosphere.
Kari invites me to his private house on my way back. His wife Gail, who is working in the BMW-firm as well and riding herself, prepares a well tasting meal and shows me a manuscript of her fathers mc-trip which was never published. He was a professor and thought the best thing to do when he is 50 years old is to make a big mc-journey. Kari also invites his customers Bill Feiereisen and Jefferies, Jonathan to this party. Both tried to meet me via internet (International Computer network) after they had found out that I have gone to Africa and Wladiwostok by mc. There also was invited the Danish mc-traveller Peter L. Petersen, who just travelled without any plan through North- and South-America. - Since I am home a lot of friends believe that I have changed my job and selling BMW in California, because I often wear Karis gift-pullover with inscription "BMW California".
My mc-trip through California is without any plan. This is the way I like to travel. You never know what happens after the next bend and this makes a journey adventurous. There is no problem to get petrol (like in Africa) and water and food (as in many places in the world). Before reaching Yosemite National park I have to find a sleeping-place. During the day I always watch the surroundings with eagle-eyes and notice that whole California is covered by wires. At 24 o'clock I could only find an off-road way with a sign "forbidden". I drive in and get lost at night in this very windy area and sleep next to 100,000 noisy windmills - another survival training! I really want to see the Redwood-Trees. I like all kinds of the nature, mountains, forests, lakes and rivers, desert, jungles, savannah. I have the opinion that the nature is beautiful at any place of the world. YOU just must be able to watch the specialities of each area. The Redwood-Trees are a special highlight. The higher you climb the mountains of Sierra Nevada the bigger and nicer they grow. I find many of them, much more than I expected. In the north of Yosemite National Park there are still hundreds of people and I am unable to make a picture below the tree without other people on it. But when I reach Sequia Nat. Park, Kings Nat. Park and Kings Nat. Forest in the south I'm alone with "my giant trees".
Finding crowded places while travelling I like as well. So I ask a group of about 10 Harley-Davidson riders of L.A. (including two women) if I could have a chat with them. It takes only two minutes and I'm "their special guest" staying a weekend together in Sequia Nat. Park at campground "Stony Creek". The HOG-Group of Los Angeles has everything "to survive": Chicken, rice, wine, beer, salat, steaks, electrical lamps and cookers out of a trailer. I do not need so much luxury. You just need very few to live happily. I can offer hot tea with rum from open fire and like to sing with them with my ukulele. We mc-riders have a real good time together! When I part from Horst Amsel, Ralph Garrido, Harold, Nora Rabenau, Steve Romard, Sandie Romero and the others, they give me a typical American cap with inscription "HOG. L.A. Chapter 1". The only thing I'm missing now is a Harley!
Coming down from the mountains I find a sign "indian art", which I don't find. I pass by and ask some "Indians", if I could buy some food they are preparing on an open fire at the campground. I get everything like salad, tortilla, steak and a drink. When I want to pay, they refuse to take money. They tell me that they are a big Mexican family with family-friends celebrating a weekend here and they don't sell. They just want to do me a favour, because I'm a mc-traveller...
What a wonderful day travelling down and then up again to sequia Nat. Forest through mountains and wood at the temperature of 30 C! In those times I don't need a girl to be happy! My bike and the ride are now two girl-friends - and they obey me...!
"Camp Nelson is closed" Floyd Pickard (59) answers at night to me. "come with me and Nila in my cabin. Here we are living alone for 15 years!" I do, find his mc in front of his door and spend a night with a lot of coffee and whiskey. We are very happy to meet each other and to talk about the problems of the world all night long. I wish I could make them stop smoking cigarettes too much to make them more healthy! Next morning Floyd rides in front of me up many hills. What can a host give you more than accompany you on your further route a bit? Ponderosa, a big wooden-restaurant is the best place to part after a last coffee. Thanks Floyd and Nila!
First 9200 feet up the mountains and then down to 1500 feet, what a mc-curve adventure! I should have more time in this lonely wilderness! The road along the flat surface leading to Death Valley is a straight highway-street. You have to take it if you want to manage the great distances and such roads give you the time to follow your thoughts about impressions of your journey. In a restaurant before the entrance of Death Valley I meet a lot of German standard travellers. Each night they pay US $50 for a motel and try to make as much miles as possible in three weeks with there rented car. This is not the way I like to travel and I could not afford it! My wish is to sleep again in the desert under the stars. Of course it is very hot (36 C) in Death Valley and I see some sanddunes and the big sign "sanddunes". At this moment I remember some hours of sitting on the top of 100 m high sanddunes in Ageria looking 500 kms (312 miles) over sanddunes-without a sign "sanddunes". The mode of watching things always depends on what you have seen before.
Some 100 miles on a sideroad and I am in Atascadero. "On the road" at a petrol station Jimmy Smith talks three minutes to me. Jimmy is an older gentleman with a large cowboy hat, driving a big old car. "I'm a wagon master" in Walker Basin. You can go there. If not "drop me a card, I'll drop you one back". Bye, bye. - You will get "this card".
In 'tascadero I meet a lovely-smiling girl with a Harley-T-Shirt. She takes care for the booking at the Harley-shop and invites me. The shop makes a profi-impression to me. All the bikes a glittering. The boss, Gary ???ng, is a man in the 30s with long black hair. After three minutes he discovers that I am now a BMW-traveller and I don't want to buy anything. He offers me his address-card, not asking if I want it. After this he discusses with other customer who possibly wants to buy. I'm lucky: He is the only one I meet in the States who is only interested in money.
Clement Salvadori in Atascadero and his wife offer me a nice welcome. They own a fantastic hilly area with a wonderful view to the mountains. Some bikes are waiting for a ride... But Clement is a very active MC-journalist and knows a lot of mc-travelling. He has gone around the world on a mc himself and plans to make another circle via China and Russia. So I'm the right person to inform him about Russia. Because they come from Italy his wife Sue offers a marvelous spaghetti-meal and is very interested to follow our conversation. For a present I get the mc-travel-book from Beagle, who crossed the States in the s. (My mc-book-collection is now to 185 titles). As I said already: Clement is a highly active person. When I came home, his letter about "Dave ???rrs mc-world-around-tour" was the first after my America-trip.
The long ride from L.A. to S.F. ashore trains me again in driving curves up and down carefully and watching the wonderful view at the same time. Although a mc-traveller always is the quickest in such curves an ???en Porshe with a lot of acceleration always overtakes me when it is going uphill very strong. A very good looking woman is always smiling at me when she overtakes me. I do not exactly know all reasons why women smile at motorcycle-travellers but it is a fact. At least she wins the small race. I would have loved to drink a tea - pardon in USA a coffee! - with her but the fortune was against me.
When the sun comes down to the sea I want to take a shot with my video: Just me with my sun, the water and the colour. But at this time the road leads me down into Camel. It is a very touristic town and a lot of visitors are waiting for the sunset. So I meet Tina Tasin and her cousins Paul and Cathleen. Because the ride along the A 1 through the mountains of Big Sure in warm temperature was so great and I am in such a good mood that I could have kissed Tina at once. But there was only the chance to eat with them in a civilised way.
Riding back the smallest ways to Mountain View through marvelous wilderness I reach the village freedom, making breakfast under a tree. Gordon ..., the inventor of a bicycle-motorcycle-combination passes bye. He shows me his company Easy Racers, which produces special bicycles who have a small electrical motor, helping a cyclist to get up the mountains. Gordon sponsors a cycle world-traveller, who is just on his way.
I have bought a ticket with which I can fly for 30 days across the States without any limit (DM 799,00=US $ 499.00). I fly with Delta Airlines sometimes in triangles to reach my destination, but never have to wait, because the flight is overbooked. The DELTA fly-food always is the same all over USA - 15 - days - packed in too much plastics, but I have seen Africans dying of hunger. Related to this I like it and I'm not hungry!
So I'm going to see my cousin Andreas Santos de Bremme (30) in Seattle. I found this Guatemala woman, architect about only two years ago. Andrea is still speaking German, because her mother is the daughter of her grandfather who was the brother of my German grandfather. "Andrea is interested in family-history as well (mine is written back to the year of 800!). Andrea is a person with a very warm heart, she is very polite and ready to listen to what you are talking about. Dave, her nice American husband and teacher, is the determined person in discussion and we have interesting chats. Both give me a very nice family-weekend with sightseeing of Seattle, while Dave's sister means that a good looking woman doesn't have to be polite to a visitor. Daves mother, Astrid Hansen, always smiling, drives a cadillac from the 50s. She never had any problem with the car.
The first sentence in my diary about Karen Oftshus in Seattle is: She is the right woman for Helge Pedersen. She is an attractive, intelligent woman with long black hair. She is able to speak with her whole body in one time. Her hands, eyes, laughing and body are moving together when she is talking about the past or her future. Karen has much phantasy and plans like to live in a tree-house or in a train. The naturalist-profession Karen is very clever as well. She acknowledges that it was a hard fact for Helge to build a long-determined chain to one wife, because Helge has travelled 10 years around the world on a BMW R 80 G/S. Helge, who visited me three times, is in Norway at the moment. He has published one of the best mc-travel-books I know from the present. In Norwegian: 10 Ar pa 2 Hjul (=ten years on 2 wheels) about his round-the-world-trip (354,000 km = 221.250 miles). Karen wants to combine her own and Helge's plans in the future: She, who went several months with Helge on his mc-tour, would prefer a more comfortable Land-Rover while Helge - of course - wants to motorcycle again. I will watch them carefully to know who is more clever! Helge's girlfriend Karen promised to send me a post-card, if they ever marry...or get twins!
First I heard that James C. Wilson (94) is still alive was in 1993. To meet Jim, a real living legend of African motorcycle-travellers, was one of my most important aims from this time and I decided to go to the States 09-10/94. If I would have started my visits and talks to important mc-travel-pioneers 15 years earlier, I could have reached the very first, who travelled by mc 1910-20. 1987 I met Robert Fabry in person who was the very first who travelled with a mc-sidecar from Belgium to Zambia. Jim was the first motorcycle traveller crossing Africa west (Nigeria) to east ( Ethiopia) 1927/8. From Jim's earlier letters I got the impression, that he has had an interesting live: Some of founder of polk, having been happily married with Alice 62 years with four children, electronic engineer, business and administration, instruction-professor at Iowa State University, writing and playing music himself and having written the school-song "the bells of Iowa" for Iowa State university and the musical "Hey, where's Nebraska", developing "native prairie farmgrass" and being a farm-lecturer until 1975. Jim has been travelling a lot (around the world) and was a travel-lecturer for 15 years travelling 30,000 miles through 30 American countries in those days after 1930.
Jim has not only done a lot of important things in live, but for his age he still is a man taking care of what is happening in the world and saying - with his great life-experience and background-knowledge - what is wrong today, how life should be and how we could do it in future. We should follow his advises.
When I finally meet jim I see a 94 years young man living in the middle of the fields of Nebraska. His house is nearly blown by the fresh wind through the corn fields. This house in the flat countryside always gets new information through the noisy wind. I find a modest person living between his memories of Africa and other travels like pictures and carvings. His whitebeard son Steve (62), a famous American nature-photographer, prepares kindly a common meal, while we are talking about his African-mc-trip. It is descripted in his book "Three-wheeling Through Africa", which is translated in German as well. When I ask Jim to give me a short statement about his adventure for my TV-video, Jim gives me a summary of 40 minutes. I am very impressed how good the view is and how detailed Jim could add one interesting African story of surviving after the other adventure. Conquering the whole continent of Africa must have been one of the many highlights of his interesting life. I know that my video-portrait of Jim is an important historical document from now but it will be much more important in the future for the next generations. Jim is the oldest mc-traveller having gone through Africa and the oldest long-distance-mc-traveller I know.
It was so stupid that I decided to leave very early the next morning to reach my plane, because I did not have the chance to say "good bye" a very lat time to Jim. A very last time to a man who called me a friend! - Jim's son Steve wrote me a letter 15.12.94 that Jim is very weak because of lung cancer. I wish Jim all the best!
Norman McElroy (64) puts a white flag on the top of his wrecked car when he comes to the airport to salute me. What a tiny, but nice idea! Norman could afford to buy a new car, but he prefers to own two motorcycles and to spend his money in travelling abroad. He is living on his own in a wooden house besides the wall of a freeway. Norman has prepared a big meal for us and while drinking a whole bottle of expensive old red wine we are discussing about our mc-trips to Wladiwostok and motorcycle-travelling until late in the night. The man of a fire department started motorcycle-travelling with 51. Norman:"I always wanted a motorcycle since my youth, but never had one. Better late than never". After having retired 1985 Norman started long-distance travels to Alaska, and 1990 a six months tour around South America (20,000 miles). 1992 Norman visited me to get information how to reach Wladiwostok via Island. Norman has covered before the earth another time by sailing ship. So he is the record-man in this combination. It is very characteristic for Norman that he always has a smile on his face although he tells incredibly dangerous traffic-situations in South America. That is his way to manage the life.
Norman took me to a typical American pub which I wanted to see once. We were drinking two beer when a 24 young lady picked up some informations of our discussion and wanted to know more. After 30 minutes Lisa put a golden ring on my finger. When I asked her what it means she explained that she could not explain it philosophically now, perhaps we will meet another time. In Germany I lost the golden ring, then I found it again. I'm interested what will happen next!
How famous the whole tribe FULTON is, I noticed in whole USA seeing "Fulton Street, Fulton place, Fulton Square". Robert FULTON (85) picks me up a long way from his home by car and brings me to the airport as well. In his age this is a very great honor, I think. While I am waiting at New York airport, I see those typical American long-range cars for presidents or 12 persons. I suppose that Robert will come with such a car, because Robert has succeeded in so many fields and jobs that such a car would fit him. But Bob comes with a tiny car. This impresses me a lot. To be such a famous and successful person and still being modest is a good sign. Robert does NOT need the biggest car to be happy!
Robert and his charming frenchborn Wife Anne are living in the countryside of Connecticut in a treecovered and hilly area. Their home is a wonderful mixture of selfmade architecture and art. At each corner you see Roberts personal influence and handwriting. Although Robert = Bob is still a high-activity person he takes a long time to talk with me. Bob shows me his wonderful tree-area, his plane with an own aeroplane-runway and his own factory building all the details for "Sky-Hook", made to save persons with big planes from the ground. I had the chance to see him sitting on his original douglas-mc, with which he surrounded the world 1932. Bob is the oldest living mc-world-around tourer I know (out of about 70 from 1912-1995). His in layout selfmade book "One man Caravan" is wonderful to read. I start another try to ask Bob to finish his video-made by his original 16 mm b+w-films - about his mc-world-trip. It was a great time to meet Bob and Anne at their open campfire. I saw Bob the second time in my life!
Dan and his wife Judy Kennedy are living in the center of Boston. I hate big cities. But I find out that Boston is a very nice big town when both offer me a sight-seeing walk. From the biggest 60 floors tower "John Hancock" I can see the end of this big city. I can feel that the tower shakes a lot. Quite different from the movement of a mc. Dan, mc-book-author (Motorcycle Touring, an international directory for organised mc-tours world-wide) and publisher offers a catalogue of all English mc-books by mail-order. It is a hard job! I found out in Germany - the country of most book-readers - that motorcyclists don't read so much. I suppose they prefer more to discover the world by their own. I find a lot of unknown and known mc-travel-books in his library! Judy is a just retired vice-president of a publisher. she takes care of the house and the dog Rudi and prepares a good eating for us. I learned about "Inner beauty", the hottest sauce of North America. I like it hot! Judy is waiting with her smile (and dog), while Dan and I are travelling one afternoon by me through the countryside. Dan owns a restored old Triumph and I ride his quick Kawasaki 1000. For me it is wonderful to finish my America-trip with a last mc-ride!
Pelissa Pierson is a woman mc-rider with high interest in all kinds of motorcycling. When I gave a reception for Robert Fulton in Aachen 07.06.93 she was here as well and I noticed her because her great radiation. She had worked several months in a mc-book about all aspects of motorcycling - very well written and with good sensibility to the scenere. But she did not succeed to find a publisher yet - and I'm afraid she will not find one - because there is very little interest in our hectic time for those thoughts and Melissa is still working on a typemachine. In our times a writer has to be "up to date" in this point. I hope she will find a Maecenas! Melissa and Luc Sante (a very modest and polite person, book-author) are living in a quarter of N.Y. - somewhere in a houseflat like millions of N.Y. fighting for money to survive. We had a good night together. - Melissa kindly copied me possibly the oldest mc-book written by women for women (by Betty and Nancy Debenham. 1928).
A visit to the 107 th floor of the World Trade Center in N.Y., a walk on 5 th Ave, crossing 48 sidestreets, a jump over the ocean, a train, a car - this was my American-trip.
I could not meet Jim Rogers in USA because Jim was on promotion tour for his new motorcycle book "Investment bikers". But one day after my return from USA to Germany, he was in Duesseldorf, 100 km from my home. Jim is quite different from all the mc-travellers and the 27 mc-world-around-travellers I met before. Maybe it is necessary to have such an extremely success in making money by investments. Possibly I could learn from him in this point. But there still is the question, if it is necessary "to make a lot of money" to be happy and to pay this price. - - Jim wanted to meet me as well, so I went to Duesseldorf to talk to him, but he had no time for me. So I offered Jim to bring him to all the places he wanted to see in his planned schedule. So - step by step - I got an impression. Jim told me that he possibly did not want to be in my planned book about all mc-world-around-travellers. In his opinion a mc-world-tourer is only a person who has covered each continent in the total length. With this definition Jim is one of very few. But there are a lot who travelled 12 or more years (Jim 2) by mc and made several times (max 468,750) more miles (Jim 69,000) around the world. Jim still is interested to visit my "mc-meeting for world-around tourers". Tabitha and he are welcome. If it is true that they are going to be married this winter I wish them all the best. This mc-world-traveller-meeting could be the very last highlight of their mc-world-trip! I hope Jim keeps his promise to send me his MC-Book signed by Tabitha and him!
Just some days after I arrived home I get a mc-magazine "Road Rider" from 1779, which Clement Salvadori kindly organised. It contains a story of the sisters "Van Buren", who were the first woman to cross the States in 1916 from N.Y. to San Francisco (S.F.). It is always written that they were the first women who crossed the States by mc but this is wrong. The first was the British Mrs. Harry Humphreys, who went from S.F. to N.Y. 1913 - completely forgotten in USA. More important: "Road Rider 1979" contains a long article of George Wyman, who crossed the States from S.F. to N.Y. 1903. He really was the first!
The worst thing I read is, that nobody knows what happened to Wyman and his engine and as well - as far as I know - what happened to the van Buren sisters. In my opinion it is ashame that the USA-MC factories earn so much money and the government spends so much money to weapons instead of taking care of such important American history facts and persons!
Each journey is limited by time. So I could not visit (which I originally wanted), the following persons/places: AMA-MC-Museum (which has informations about van Buren sisters and owns Ed Culbersons bike). Stephen Anderson, (President of largest BMW local club in USA, who invited me to the Oktoberfest). Cliff Boswell (mc-books-author, who died last year). David Braun (invitation by internet) Ed Culberson (Ed, book-author, who is still the only one who went all the way from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego including Darien Gap by mc, is a real mc-friend. I could not find his hospital-place. Ed is very ill, because of a muscle-disease. Finally, 30.12.94, I got a letter from him!). Daughter of Christoph Crius (Christoph was a mc-book-author about Robert Sexes world-tour 1926). Dr. Edward E. Diehl (Who invited me very kindly also to Ginas BMW-Shop). Eric and Gail Haws (who ride on one BMW motorcycle together from Wladiwostok to Finland 1990). Harley Davidson factory (the German department does not even answer letters, the American factory does not know or own the oldest mc-book of a Harley-world-around-ride 1926-36). Phil Hendricks (who owns possibly the largest mc-book-collection of USA). John Hermann (Mc-book-author New England). Leon Jordan (one of the largest mc-dealer of USA). Roger Lovin (Book-author "The complete Motorcycle Nomad", whom I did not find). Ace and Laurie Martin (Book-author "Live the good life", and world-traveller, which I had loved to see). Frank del Monte (Ringbook: Motorcycle Arizona). Bruce nelson (invitation by internet "who would love to see me"). Phil and Beverly Boe Philcox (Book-autors "How to tour Europe by Motorcycle"). Catherine Rambeau (Agrandma mc-journalist, who has ready a manuscript about a complete South America mc-trip). Shumway, Gary (Book-author "Winging through America"). Dal Smile (Vice-president of AMA and mc-travel-book-collector). Bill Stermer (editorial Dir. of "RIDER Magazine" and mc-book-author) and others "on the road".
If there is any chance of time and money in my life, I would like to see them all. Because my four weeks trip was too much hectic, I would like to see them by motorcycle.
Each journey has some "highlights" - and there were really many of them - but also "downlights". One of the few were the fact, that Robert Pirsig (Most successful book: "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance") did not allow me to visit him. I should respect his wish to live reclusivly. Of course I would have liked to see Ed Culberson again and to demonstrate that he still has friends in his hard times.
I made videos of the mc-travelers Tabitha Estabrok, Robert Fulton, Norman McELROY, Dan Kennedy, Jim Rodgers, Clement Salvadori and Jim Wilson. I asked them to give me their view about their journeys. I am sure that they will be historical documents for the future generations concerning mc-journeys!
I remember my shock when the writer Ted Simon told me while my visit: "I wonder how you can send your letters without syntax (and with other mistakes)". To make this letter without any mistake for a writer it would take another person and a lot of time and money. I don't have all three of them together. Pleas respect my try to make me as understandable as I can! Because I do not have any idea where to put those ,,,,,,,,,,,, I put some here for you to fill in (idea of Churchill).
I hope "you will drop me a card" (also to be sure this letter reached you) and see me here another time! Thanks so much for all your time, kindness and hospitality! It is the very best you can give to a mc-traveller!
If anyone wants to contact me in long-time range please find my personal home-address. I love my new home. It is a small bungalow in the middle of the woods with nice neighbors, where I can always light an open fire outside - a feeling like I'm travelling. You can only find it by compass...Bernd Tesch. Hause Sonnenhof. Zur Fernsicht 18. D-52222 Zweifall. United Europe. Germany. Tel. 0049/241/75375. Just jump in. You don't need any announcement! I prepare the tea for you now - as we learned on the road! The only difference was at our transrussia-trip: Insteand of tea we always had to drink wodka!
Always wishing you fresh air between the teeth while travelling by boat, ski, canoe, open car or - of course - by motorcycle and a lot of sand and mud under the tires 1995.
Bernd Tesch