My road trip began with unexpected coronary surgery and a two-wheeled dash from New Hampshire to the Arctic Circle in Alaska. The second part of this trip-of-a-lifetime was heading south through hellish heat in Vegas and Los Angeles. After 10,000 miles in less than two weeks, I would finally get to rest a few days in sunny California. Relax, ...
Long Haul Paul
MotoMedicine
\ I’ve got a prescription in my pocket I bet most people around here would kill for.” I was invited to the Americade Motorcycle Rally in Lake George, NY, to present a few seminars. Everybody thought my script was for medical marijuana! And they guessed wrong! My presentation, MotoMedicine: Riding for Medicinal Purposes explores not only how riding a ...
Riding for the Masses
Being asked to give a presentation 2000 miles away from my home in New Hampshire at the Iron Butt Association’s National Conference was the perfect excuse for a road trip. I took the long way to Denver to attend the biannual meeting of long distance motorcycle enthusiasts from around the globe. I thought it would be a great opportunity ...
Powder Blue Tuxedo
I just finished a brilliantly idiotic extreme Iron Butt ride to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society! I first received an invite to a gathering of motorcycle long distance riders, called a RTE, or ride to eat. Riders are invited to a restaurant most likely very far from wherever they call home to kick tires and break ...
Two Week’s Notice
When riding a motorcycle, we learn to look where we want to go. Look as far down the road as we can and look around or beyond hazards in the road to avoid hitting them. Look directly at something in the road and the bike will veer right towards it, and hit it. In life, we also need to ...
Nuthin’ to See Here
In the time it took to suck in half a breath, dozens of anti-lock braking systems-including the one on my motorcycle-activated, chirped and squealed. It was music to my ears, spoiled only by the smell of burning rubber and overheated brake pads. You might call this instrumental piece, “Brake Dancing in the New Millennium.” Only by the grace of ...
Stella!
With or without a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS), attempting to ride a million miles by motorcycle is impossible without the help of friends. Friends with connections are even better. “Hey Rob, I’d really like to get together soon to discuss how your company can help out with my Endless Road Tour. Do you want to get together this ...
Keeping Cool
Heat is a four-letter word for those of us who have multiple sclerosis (MS). In fact, a common way to test for MS years ago was to toss the patient into a hot tub and see what stewed. Known as the “Hot Bath Method,” a person with MS symptoms was observed while in a tub of hot water, where ...
Q&A with a PA
Recently and coincidentally, after a fire alarm went off in his office building, I was finally able to steal Physician’s Assistant (PA) Paul Barlow away from his busy schedule for a few moments for this candid interview. Mr. Barlow is part of the highly-skilled professional team that oversees my multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment. He also speaks at MS patient ...
New Column by a Biker With MS
Most men’s midlife crises involve something fast and shiny-or there’s another woman. My midlife crisis involved being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. Along with the meds I was prescribed, I decided that my therapy would include a million mile motorcycle journey. I chose to embark upon this long-distance crusade to ...
Riding the MS Trail
I never claimed to take the easier, shorter, or most traveled road. As a matter of fact, I usually take the path where everyone warns me, “You can’t get there from here!” Pursuing uncharted paths can be rewarding, but it can also whack you in the knees, throw you down and steal your breath away. I don’t know about ...
What the Farkle?
FARKLE is an acronym for Fancy Accessory Really Kool and Likely Expensive. They are custom items motorcycle enthusiasts install on their bikes. The term is well known among those of us in the sport-touring and long-distance motorcycle communities. To use it in a sentence: A motorcyclist may be in the process of “farkling,” and their completed motorcycle is said ...
Road Trip — MS Changes a Biker’s Course
When the call rang into the bluetooth in Paul Pelland’s helmet, he was in the middle of the infamous 2003 Iron Butt Rally with some of the best endurance riders in the world. The rally spans the continental United States, and challenges the 100 chosen entrants to ride 11,000 miles in 11 days. The competition tests a rider’s capacity ...
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