What Made Me Do This? - Epilogue

This blog documents the motorcycle trip I took Between May and September 2009. As you read this blog you may wonder where I got the idea to ride my motorcycle around the world. Anyone who knows me knows I have been riding motorcycle since the spring of 1970. Except for the four years I spent in the military, I have never been without a Harley-Davidson under me. I have motorcycle riding experience in North America, Europe, South America, Australia, and Africa.
In early 2007 my girlfriend Mary brought home a DVD movie called “The Long Way Around”. We watched it and liked it. After we watched all the episodes I said to Mary “you know I could do that”, and that’s where the idea was planted in my head. I asked Mary if she would support my attempt to ride around the world. She said she would, and in September 2007 I bought a 2007 Kawasaki KLR 650 to carry out the task. I requested a four month leave of absence from work and set my departure month as May 2009. After the initial meeting with work, a follow up meeting was held every six months until December 2009, when I received the official go ahead for my big adventure. At this point I made the final decision to go for it. I began to apply for letters of acceptance and visas for countries I was planning to visit. I researched and prepared my motorcycle for the trip and read three books about motorcycle travel around the world. The first was “The Long Way Around” by Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman, the second was “Riding The Edge” by Dave Barr, and the third “Two Wheels Through Terror” by Glen Heggstad. Each of these books provided me with reference information which would help me through this trip. “The Long Way Around” provided me with route, border, and availability of services information in the Russian Federation. “Riding The Edge” assured me that starting out with an old motorcycle was not a good decision and no matter how difficult my days could be they would never be as difficult as they would be for a double amputee motorcycle rider. “Two Wheels Through Terror” gave me some insight into how I might survive should I be captured or taken hostage in a foreign country. January 2009 started out like any other new year, but it took a bad turn when I had my physical for the trip. The doctors discovered an illness which required immediate attention and literally put an end to my trip planning. I would not do any further trip planning until the middle of March 2009. Again I was faced with a difficult decision; whether to go or to bail out. I decided I would proceed again with my trip planning, since if my illness re-occurred later I would never get a second chance to ride around the world. From this point on I slept about 4 hours a night during the week due to handling affairs related to insurance, licenses, shipping, air fares, letters of acceptances into countries and visas. I felt very insecure about whether I would receive a Russian Visa and despite all the assurances that I would, I never really believed it until I had it in my hand. I was terrified of the “no” word. Once I had all my support people in place, copies of all the paperwork, and motorcycle loaded up, I was ready to leave on the adventure of a lifetime on 13 May 2009. My trip took me from Saint Paul, Minnesota, through Wisconsin, Upper and Lower Michigan into Toronto, Canada. I flew my motorcycle and myself from Toronto to London, England. I then rode my motorcycle to Dover, England and took the ferry to Dunkirk, France. From there I traveled thru France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Ukraine, Russia, through Siberia to Vladivostok in Eastern Russia. I traveled by ferry from Vladivostok to South Korea and then flew my motorcycle and myself from Seoul to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. From there I rode to Seattle, Washington, USA. In Seattle I refreshed the motorcycle. I drove back to British Columbia, through the Yukon Territory and up to Inuvik, Northwest Territories. I then drove to Fairbanks, Alaska, north to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, then south to Anchorage, and east to Tok, Alaska. From there I drove down the Alaskan Highway to Dawson Creek, British Columbia to Edmonton, Alberta and Shelby, Montana, USA. From there I rode east through Grand Forks, North Dakota and home to Prior Lake, Minnesota.
I was asked many times, “did you feel vulnerable traveling by yourself”? Yes, but I would never intentionally expose myself to dangerous situations or perform unsafe acts with my motorcycle. I tried to be as non-confrontational as possible and drove as safe as possible because injuring myself was the last thing in the world I wanted to do. From the get-go, my philosophy about this whole trip was, “people are basically good all over the world” and I still stand by that. It seemed like anytime a situation developed where I would need help beyond my ability to communicate, a Good Samaritan emerged from somewhere and offered help. I cannot express my thanks enough to these people.
One perception I encountered throughout my trip, was that I was “a rich American”. This could seem to be the case, depending on whose eyes you were looking through. Although I funded my trip myself, in the USA my present job is Journeyman Machinist, which is a skilled blue collar job. After arriving home from my trip on a Saturday, I had to be back to work the next Monday. That’s not something a wealthy person would need to do.
I hope my blog will provide information and encouragement for people willing to live a dream or who just want to escape the daily routine of life. Before I watched “The Long Way Around” in 2007, I never would have considered circumnavigating the world. That video provided me with the inspiration to think large, build a motorcycle, plan every detail, draw on all my motorcycle riding experience, and undertake the adventure of a lifetime - my way.
David L. Reinhold