Send Dave tepp info to Michael

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Is this mike on?

It's been awhile since my last post and I've watched the traffic to my blog consequently dwindle but I figured I should finish this story when I get new info.

I've been working with our insurance company (turns out we were both customers of the same insurer) to help them gather information and determine liability. After speaking with the witnesses, they ruled the accident 100% in my favor. That felt good. It felt good not just to know that there would be some remuneration for my bike, but that I hadn't really done anything wrong! I've always been my toughest critic to satisfy and I was being hard on myself and beating up my memory to see if there was some mistake or error I committed at the time of the accident. The witnesses said that the woman who hit me had been driving erratically and then "ran me over". There was little I could do to avoid it.

It gets better though. The claims agent in Las Vegas (where she heading) let me in on some other interesting information. After the accident with me, she called the ins co and got some money to have her truck towed and radiator repaired. When she arrived in Las Vegas, he was going to assess the vehicle for other damages and then make a payment. She never got there. Apparently she drove her truck off the road somewhere in Canada and completely totaled it. Really makes you wonder what was going through this lady's mind. Anxiety, stupidity or drugs? I don't know and probably never will, but it makes for an interesting story and it makes me feel even better about my accident with her. Seems like she was going to hit somebody. Just turns out that somebody was me.

Thoughts After Accident Part II

Here's some more stuff I wrote while waiting for a ride in Haines Junction, Yukon:

When I spoke with my mother from the payphone in Destruction Bay, I could tell she was rightfully upset. I said I was sorry because I genuinely feel bad for causing her stress. In reply she said that she's sorry my trip had to end this way. Of course my health comes first, but now that that seems fine I start to think about other consequences of the accident. First in my mind is money and insurance. I'm pissed that I had to buy an 800 dollar plane ticket home and I hope her insurance will pay for all this. Next, just like my mom said, I'm sad my trip ended so abruptly and in such a horrible fashion. I had a route planned with places to see and friends to visit that I haven't seen in at least a year. I was looking forward to spending time with them before I go to school. Now I'm going right back where I came from and canceling the rest of my trip. I'm thinking about driving my car up to Colorado when I get back but I'm not sure.

I'm sad and at times I feel like I'm going to tear up but I remind myself that it could have been much worse. What a wonderful psychological reflex! You can ALWAYS think of something worse that could have happened and instantly feel better. Its like an adult pacifier. Of course you can also think of plenty of ways it could be better but what good would that do you! :-)

I'm still impressed with how nice everyone has been to me. Bob, Deb, Grace, Sharon, Tickie, Kevin, Amber...I love them because they took the time to not be so goddamn selfish and help. They are everyday heros as far as I'm concerned. I can only hope that I have the same good will and instincts inside of me when someone else needs it.

A few thoughts from the after the accident

I wrote a few thoughts down after the accident so I could perserve what I was thinking. Here they are:

The outpouring of sympathy and help has been nearly overwhelming. Complete strangers like Bob and Deb Klunder are praying to God for me. After the nurse told me that they had called her at 7 AM to see if I was okay and let me know that their praying for me, my eyes watered. They still water just thinking about it. It's out of love. They are loving people and that's what they have given me.

Like most accident vicitims do, I've looked back at the events and decisions leading up to my getting hit and feel somewhat afraid in recognizing how small seemingly inconsequential decisions led to a very consequential event. Like when I saw the cars waiting at the construction site and decided to pull into Burwash for a bite to eat, hoping my timing at the site would better when I got back on the road. If I hadn't done that this wouldn't have happened. At least, this particular accident wouldn't have occured. I might have been hit by a truck instead. Of course I've known for awhile that that is how life goes, but there's nothing like a vivid color example to make the point abudantly clear...and personal.

Again, I look backward from the accident and find other events or thoughts that are pulled from insignicance to pertinance through the filtered lens I'm looking through. Like how a few minutes before the accident the guys on Harleys told me about an accident that happened at the Fairbanks ralley and how it wasn't the bikers fault.

I save my I-pod for the times when I'm truly bored driving and thanks to the amazing terrain here I don't wear them often. Sometimes to pass the time I hum or sing into the 60 mph wind swirling by. When hitting the random selection button on my mind's jukebox, a frequent song that pops up is Rush's "Roll the Bones". The main idea of the song is that life is unpredictable so just get out there, keep rolling the dice and see what hand you get dealt. What else can you do? The other point the song makes is that its futile to ask questions like "why are we hear" and "why does it happen". They are unanswerable and you can spend your life hung up on them or get out there and actually live it.

Back in Austin

I got back to Austin on Wednesday and have since seen my doctor. I got X-rays yesterday of my hand, wrist, and ribs but haven't yet heard the results. My doc gave some pills for the pain and swelling and they're working nicely.

I've posted my remain pictures so you can all have a look. I have a few of the winner's circle for the Sourdough Campground Pancake Toss in which I appear. I successful threw a sourdough pancake into the "buckit" to earn myself a free breakfast. The guy that owns the place, Ken, is a riot and I had a great time there.

The other pictures are after my accident. One of me on the side of the road, my bike, and me in the hospital bed. Although you can't see my eyes because of my helmet, rest assured I am giving the evil eye to the woman in the blue shirt standing over me. You guessed it, she's the one who hit me.

Winners and Losers

Impact in the Yukon

I don't know how many non-family members are reading my blog but if you are out there, let me first say, thanks for reading. Second, my trip has come to an abrupt ending, unfortunatly.

A few miles north of Destruction Bay in the Yukon Territory, I was hit from behind by a woman trying to pass me and the semi in front of me. I was traveling about 55 mph and was ejected from the bike. I tumbled down the road and then slid to a stop on the embankment. Thankfully I only have minor injuries but I might have something broken in my hand. I need to get it X rayed in Austin. Right now I'm in Denver waiting for my Austin flight, the last leg of a milk run starting in Whitehorse, the Yukon's capitol.

I will post more details when I have time. I have a picture of me on the side of the road and my bike, taken by another motorcyclist. Before I close, let me say this. My sincere thanks and gratitude are with Bob and Deb Klunder who stopped to help, Grace Cohoe the volunteer EMT who responded, Kevin Easton and Nikki ??? of the Whitehorse Air Ambulance who also responded, Sharon Kerr who treated me at the Destruction Bay Health Center, Corporal Hayes of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who pursued the woman who hit me and drove me to Haines Junction, and again Kevin Easton who in addition to responding as an RN, also drove 2 hours to pick me up and bring me to Whitehorse where there are flights out. Without Kevin I'm not sure where I'd be right now. Probably still in the Yukon trying to figure out how to get home. Thinking about the generosity of these kind people makes tears swell in my eyes. I don't know how to repay them for how much they gave me. I'm very grateful they w!
ere all around me when this happened. It's good to know people like that have your back even though you don't know them and will only meet them when something goes wrong. I know I'm going on about it and am way into melodrama but I don't care.
Brian

Pictures!

So I managed to get a few uploaded. Here they are:

Denali and Arctic Circle

The Denali ones came out great. It is very rare to have a nice day like that in the summer time and the lake was nice and still too. I think I might frame one of those when I get back.

Back from the Arctic

Yesterday I rode up to the Arctic Circle. The ride was pretty tough. 100 miles of curvey road followed by 120 miles of gravel featuring huge potholes. Not fun stuff. My teeth were rattling and so was my poor bike. :-( Then I got to do it all backwards to get back to Fairbanks. I got some cool pictures though and I can claim I made it to the Arctic on my motorcycle. So I got that going for me, which is nice (Caddy Shack reference).

When I got back to Fairbanks I was greeted by rainshowers that lasted...well, they haven't stop yet and I have since driven over to Tok. I'm now headed back south. I can't remember how many miles are on the trip meter exactly but it's around 6000! I've got about 4000 more to go then I'm back in Austin.

I know you're all interested in seeing more pictures and I'd love to upload them but you wouldn't believe the kind of trouble I'm having trying to do it from internet cafe's (slow connections, no good photo editing software to resize pictures for uploading, restrictions on installing software). Anyhow, I gave it a shot today and it just wasn't going to happen. I'll try again from somewhere else.

Fairbanks

Tonight I'm in Fairbanks. I was xchased out of Denali National Parl by the mosquitos. They are just too damn annoying. I sprayed myself with enough DEET to qualify as a Superfund cleanup site and they would still find spots I had missed or just bite me straight through my clothes. Ugh.

On the bright side, I finished reading Into the Wild which was fitting considering the kid the book is about died about 40 miles NE from where I was in the park.

Tomorrow I'm heading for the Arctic Circle. On the ride there you can see the Trans Alaskan pipeline so I'll check that out too

When I find a computer I'll post my Denali pictures. I got some really good ones on a cloudless day. That mountain is breathtakingly massive. At 50 miles around the base, it's the widest mountain. Also, it rises around 18000 ft which gives it much higher vertical elevation than Everest. I'm glad to have seen it. Next time, I'll have to climb it! :)
Brian

Wonder Lake

Went on a hike today to McKinley River Bar. The glacial rivers consist of various ever changing channels giving them the name, braided rivers. They are very very wide but at the same time unimpressvie since each channel is only 10 to 15 feet across.

I plan to strike camp early tomorrow morning and take the 8 AM departing bus back to the parking lot. Sine it's a 6.5 hour ride, I'll probably drive the 125 miles to Fairbanks and then head up the Elliot Hwy to Livengood. I'll camp there for the night and then head for the Arctic Circle in the morning. After that, I head SOUTH! What a concept?!

I just finished reading Into the Wild. It,s disturbing to me how much I share in common with Chris McCandless, the kid the book was written about. Our personalities have some clear overlap and I've said several of the same things he had. For instance, I wrote in my private journal that a challenge where success is assured is no challenge at all. You must feel the real possibility for failure in order to know you're pushing yourself. I figure the big difference between he and I was the size of bet we're comfortable playing with. He played with his life as a wager. I risk a bit of shame if I turn around early having not made it.

Brian

Into the Wild

The following is from Wednesday when I got to Denali National Park:

I successfully got all my crap loaded onto the camper bus and we have started the 6.5 hour drive to Wonder Lake. I'm a bit anxious about doing 8 nights back here but I figure I can always catch a bus back out if it gets too hairy. I admire the backcountry campers. I'm not yet enough of a woodsman to trust myself out there, especially alone.

The weather was excellent driving up from Anchorage but it's going to rain pretty soon. I'm glad I made it onto the bus before it starts. I hope it'll be done by the time we get to Wonder Lake.

I'm so glad I decided to do this. "Life is too short. Eat dessert first."

-----

The only element that distinguishes this area from pure wilderness is the road that cuts through it. This blood vessel of civilization carries me into the wild and is my way back home. Without the road, I'd have to figure out how to sustain myself apart from society.

I can't remeber when I first had this thought, but I'm often in awe of roads when I go on a trip. We have adapted our lifestyles around them and have abandon skills that were previously essential for travel. What amazes me the most is that there is a clear unbroken path from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to the tip of Argentina. When I'm sitting by the side of the road, sometimes I look down at its surface and take a journey along it in my mind through the countless miles and turns.

Brian

Pictures!

Okay, so I typed in a big long post about everything that's going on and then lost it b/c Internet Explorer sucks. Anyhow, I've found an internet cafe when the computers are compatible with my camera and I've uploaded the pictures I've taken so far. Enjoy!!

Canada and Alaska Through Anchorage

I took my bike to the shop today for an oil change and new front tire. Also, it turns out the thumbing I've bheen feeeling through the footpegs was just the new chain loosening up a bit and not a major tranny problem as I was worried. If the transmission was messed, I'd be lamed up for at least a week in Anchorage. Tradgedy averted.

Today I'm spending stocking up on stuff and running last minute errands before I go to Denali tomorrow. I'l l be at the Wonder Lake camground which is practically at the base of the mountain. It should be a good view.

I also stopped by a book store and bought a copy of Into the Wild by John Krakhauer. It's about a guy who graduated college, dropped off the radar of his friends and family, and left for Alaska. He was found by a group of moose hunters just north of Denali...rotting. I figure it'll be a good read while I'm in the park and be effective in squelching any ambitions I harbor of sustinence living. I also have my Goldman Sachs book so I can get pumped about I-banking while I'm camping out in front of one of the world's most beatutiful mountains...err...maybe I'll leave Goldman for the trip home.

Still trying to get used to the fact that it's broad daylight at 10 PM, other than that I'm having an awesome time.