Day 8 - Santa Fe

Day 8 – Santa Fe

A relatively lazy day with lots of “catch up” writing time. Did a lot of surfing on the net to determine the next leg of my journey. Checking weather conditions and potential accommodations. I had not been concerned about these before I left home as I thought it would be a slower time following Labour Day. One condition I could not foresee was the effect of Hurricane Rita and the fact that with so many people being deployed to safer areas, the hotels are being filled with evacuees. Beside the breakfast area of the hotel I am staying in is a TV and sitting area. Many people are huddled around the TV set watching with worried faces.

Had an update interview by phone with Marc from Delta Cable TV. One of the questions he asked me was if I took pictures of the hail storm??? No Marc, if I'd been able to take pictures I might have thought to put on my rain gear... If you have access to Channel 4 DCTV it will be showing on the “Plugged In” segment which airs Mon-Fri at 6:30 p.m. I’m told that my trusty Interceptor is currently on display at Scottsdale Centre with posters and info about my ride and our fundraising efforts for Delta Hospice. I invite you to pledge your support by logging on to http://www.deltahospice.org/. I’m really not sure what my plans are for my “other” bike… it has safely carried me in excess of 100,000 km over the past 20 years. It still looks terrific and I love it as much as the day it arrived on the back of Jim’s truck, relocated from Cranbrook, BC. It was mid-June of 1984 and two weeks later I gave it a real tryout by taking it on a 10,000 mile solo trip. I was on the road for 32 days. I had a problem with the fuel pump in Santa Cruz, California and was rescued by the good folks at Coast Honda, Santa Cruz. They were terrific, American Honda was terrific and I wrote several letters of thanks upon my return to Canada. I was definitely a fan! I have ridden Honda’s for over 30 years starting with a 1973 CB 350 Four then moving up to the 1977 - 400 Four Supersport and in 1984 my VF500 Interceptor. Now, I am the proud owner of another Honda – Paladin, a 1998 750 Magna. Therefore, quite frankly, I am pretty disappointed in the total lack of response from Canadian Honda, American Honda and the Honda dealerships I have been in personal contact with regarding this ride. It really is such a "good news" story for Honda and the PR would be great. Robert, (the former owner of Paladin) shared with me that the lack of PR from Honda was one of the deciding factors in his purchase of his new Kawasaki Nomad. I’ve had terrific support from Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki. When I stopped in at the Harley shops before I left home they literally reached into their tills and handed me money. Wow! It seemed to make no difference if I was on a Harley or a Honda – they thought the cause and the idea a good one. The Ladner/Tsawwassen Lion's Club was so taken with the trip they called and pledged $1,000 towards the ride for hospice.

In search of other hospice’s that I wanted to visit while on this trip I find that the vast majority of them are for-profit which is quite a different concept than what we have at our hospice care centre where all of our programs are offered to the community at no charge. Today, in Santa Fe, I made a visit to the first non-profit hospice I have been able to find. I was unable to have a tour as the ED Ellen, was out in a meeting so I left my card and the newspaper article regarding my “Motorcycling for Hospice” with a note inviting her to call me at my hotel. Unfortunately, I didn’t hear back. The residence appeared poorly funded and the building somewhat dilapidated. The job they are doing is vitally important and health insurance here is astronomical. A good portion of their wage goes to health insurance if they can afford it at all. There are few hospitals that take those unable to afford it and they are stuffed and overflowing.

Just finished breakfast and now it’s time to pack up the bike and hit the hwy. I have all the directions I need (I hope) and my reservation is made for tonight so I don’t need to worry about where to lay my head. A delightful lady named Wanda was very helpful and I look forward to making her acquaintance later today.