Riding a motorcycle across the country certainly offers many opportunities to experience the potholes riddled across our roads and interstates. I often use these asphalt craters as a metaphor of dealing with the often sudden changes living with a disease such as Multiple Sclerosis can bring. Just as hitting a foot deep black hole ... Read more
Long Haul Paul Fighting MS —HELP is Not a Four Letter Word
Helping friends and family is part of everyday life. Helping neighbors in our local communities or people on the other side of the world is what makes most humans, well, humane. Whenever I help out a friend or neighbor it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I believe sharing my story of ... Read more
Long Haul Paul – Do Turkeys Fly South for Winter?
By the middle of January in New England, all the smart birds and retirees have migrated south, escaping the frozen world of winter. As I typically spend the winter months riding to indoor motorcycle shows in places like Illinois, Wisconsin and Minneapolis, it has been nice not having to watch the weather channel for ... Read more
Road Blocks
Multiple Sclerosis is a condition plagued with physical symptoms that seem to come and go. As the disease progresses, the level of disability typically increases. Many symptoms like numbness, fatigue and cognitive difficulties are all but invisible to others. One thing for certain is, nothing for certain. Yesterday I climbed a ladder to fix ... Read more
10 Years — Long Haul Paul Chasing the Cure for Multiple Sclerosis
A decade may seem like a long time when you are in line for an ice cream cone or a covid test, but for me, the last ten years have flown by in a nano second. It was just ten years ago, on a long ride to my home in New Hampshire from Daytona ... Read more
Tough Turkey, Stayin’ Alive — Long Haul Paul
In my 54 years on this planet, I’ve yet to be late for Thanksgiving Dinner. I’m not usually associated with giving up or giving in very easily either. I suppose that’s why I have managed to stay alive and ahead of all my life’s challenges. Whether it was my ten-year custody battle or my ... Read more
A Buck a Mile?
Next summer will mark ten years year since declaring my attempt to ride a million miles by motorcycle for Multiple Sclerosis. Although I thought my mission would be close to completed by now, I am proud that each and every mile I have logged was attending or speaking at events where I was either ... Read more
Reminder? Forget about it! — Long Haul Paul
Having cognitive issues wasn’t always accepted as a common symptom of Multiple Sclerosis. I don’t remember when that changed, but it was sometime in the last 20 years. Today Dr. Google claims half of all MS patients experience cognitive changes and deficits and my disease riddled brain would wager the number of patients experiencing ... Read more
Long Haul Paul — Progress or Progress?
Progress can be great. After six months of trying to locate custom motorcycle parts for my world record attempt motorcycle, I am happy to announce the project has finally been started. Later this summer, I will attempt to be the first person to document riding the Iron Butt Association’s challenge called the 50CC. The ... Read more
Bikes & Cowboy Boots — Long Haul Paul
When the Coronavirus hit the fan, I was at Daytona Bike Week. Exactly one year later, I was back in Daytona, working the Yamaha Demo tent, sanitizing bikes between rides and keeping my masked face six feet away from everyone else. The 80th anniversary of the iconic event was certainly different this year. The ... Read more
Long Haul Paul — The Three Wise Men
We all know the very old and famous story of the three wise men. They were not perfect, but their words are as relevant today as they were so many, many years ago. “Oil. Oil. Oil my jaw.” A wise, heartfelt request squeaked out by the Tin Woodsman in the Wizard of Oz. As ... Read more
Long Haul Paul — On Hold
Most of my speaking events for MS audiences have been cancelled this year due to the pandemic. Likewise, most of the motorcycle events have also been cancelled or postponed until next year. I don’t have to point out, without events to travel to, I am grounded. Three quarters of the year have passed and ... Read more
Yeah, It Feels Like This — Long Haul Paul
The world as we know it has gone viral. Just about every country is in some form of shut down, restricting movements and affecting every aspect of normal daily life. Coronavirus was not on anyone’s calendar and it’s devastating collateral damage is still unfolding. Who, what, where, when and how long are questions even ... Read more
Long Haul Paul’s Viral Affection
For a few years, going viral had become a positive term, a winning strategy for fame and fortune. I certainly wish one of my Youtube videos would go viral. It sometimes takes a world wide pandemic for some of us to realize we are not invincible. It certainly was a quick wake up call ... Read more
400,000 Miles Chasing the Cure
Drizzly, cold and dark was never my favorite way to embark on a thousand mile day on the bike, even when I was riding to an event I had been looking forward to. I was heading to Newnan, Georgia to share my Ural in the Iron Butt Rally story to a large group of ... Read more
A Blind Eye
I just returned home from a quasi-urgent visit to a cornea specialist. My optometrist has been treating me for some vision problems, including developing a haze over the center of my left cornea, which was distorting my vision. The cornea is the clear center of the eye. It is the lens that allows light ... Read more
The Seven Year Itch — Long Haul Paul Fighting MS
One of the lesser reported symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis is itching. It can occur anywhere on the body, and is caused by damage to the nerves in the brain or spinal cord, specifically the nerves that transmit signals to the area of the body that is screaming to be scratched. The skin that is ... Read more
The Future of Motorcycles
Having a progressive and often disabling diagnosis certainly makes me wonder about my future. My financial future and retirement, my physical and mental decline and how multiple sclerosis (MS) may affect my relationships with family and friends. As an avid motorcyclist now using my riding passion for a purpose, one of the questions I ... Read more
Long Haul Paul’s Nonstop to Nowhere World Record Attempt to Raise Funds for MS
When you throw all the activities I have done in the last six years to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis charities, it adds up to $130,000. That’s about 37 cents for every mile that I have traveled raising awareness. If I wasn’t such a chicken, I would change my tagline to ride a million ... Read more
Long Haul Paul bringing MS awareness to rural America
As much as I enjoy riding all over the country and hanging out at motorcycle rallies and trade shows, it only takes a minute to remind me of the reason I left the security of a steady job and decided to dedicate my foreseeable future to bring education, inspiration and hope to others ... Read more
