Fool's Gear

Riding Thru

Under the wheels,
Under my feet,
Pass mile upon mile
Of old fields of wheat.

And out of the corner
No the tip of my eye,
There are fields of green
Just passing right by.

No matter how much
I have in the bank
Or how much I owe
On this bike I now thank

The mercy of nature
For the fields I see
And the fertile land
In the heart of me.

Amanda Mapel

VEGASMAPEL@aol.com

LRLR 2011 Route

Friday July 1, 2011: We gather in Billings, Montana. There is an EagleRider there, and with 2 months notice they will have the proper number and type of motorcycles needed. They want that much notice because it's the busiest time for them.

Saturday July 2, 2011: We ride to Cody, Wyoming for lunch, then over Chief Joseph Scenic Byway (and also possibly Bear Tooth Pass) to Cooke City, Montana.

Sunday July 3, 2011: We'll ride from Cooke City through Yellowstone staying at the 1920's era Lake Lodge Cabins. Cabins were refurbished in 2003, linens have been changed since then...

Monday July 4, 2011:  We stay a second night at the Lake Lodge Cabins, which will give us a great opportunity to see more of the world's oldest national park. Mammoth Hot Springs, Old Faithful, petrified trees, and hopefully no grizzlies up close and personal.

Tuesday July 5, 2011: We'll stay in Jackson, Wyoming, within easy distance of Grand Teton National Park.

Wednesday July 6, 2011: We'll be westward into Idaho, up towards Montana again, along scenic Hwy 93, along the river and by Craters of the Moon National Monument.

Thursday July 7, 2011: We'll be in Kalispell, outside Glacier National Park.

Friday night July 8, 2011: We'll stay again in Kalispell, after a day exploring Glacier National Park and surrounding areas.

Saturday July 9, 2011: We'll do "the rest" of Glacier, including Highway to the Sun, and end up back in Billings before 5 pm.

Donate

The whole reason for the website, FaceBook group, Twitter account,  blog, banner exchanges, text links, business cards, & a bazillion hours marketing this site is for one purpose & one purpose only.  It's to get you to donate to the Long Reach Long Rides.  So, don't be a putz & continue to enjoy my efforts, without donating something.  Anything, even $5.00, is helpful.  But, don't wait, once you decide to help.  The last day to donate for this year's ride is June 17th, 2011.

Behind the Scenes is a program developed by the ESTA Foundation to provide entertainment technology industry members with grants for emergency situations, such as serious illness, injury or death.  The program is designed to be flexible - to provide whatever type of assistance the recipient needs. Thus, funds can be used for medical care and living expenses such as rent, mortgage, utilities, food, transportation and child care.The ESTA Foundation is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization established in 2005 to create and support educational and charitable programs for the entertainment technology industry.

WHEN YOU DONATE AT THIS LINK, PLEASE BE SURE TO CLICK Randy (Vintage) Whitcomb, WHEN YOU GET TO THE DROP DOWN MENU AT "Which rider are you supporting?"  OTHERWISE, IT WILL NOT COUNT FOR ME.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) is the nation's leading industry-based, not-for-profit AIDS fundraising and grant making organization. BC/EFA is the on-going, committed response from the American Theatre community to an urgent worldwide health crisis.

      By drawing upon the talents, resources, and generosity of this community, BC/EFA raises funds for AIDS-related causes across the United States. Since its founding in 1988, BC/EFA has raised over $50 million for critically needed services for people with AIDS, HIV or HIV-related illnesses.

WHEN YOU DONATE AT THIS LINK, PLEASE BE SURE TO CLICK Randy Whitcomb, WHEN YOU GET TO THE DROP DOWN MENU AT "Support A Rider"  OTHERWISE, IT WILL NOT COUNT FOR ME.  THE BEST PART ABOUT THIS WAY OF DONATING IS THAT YOU CAN DO A RECURRING DONATION.

Revving Up!

In March, 2004, the Long Beach Long Riders set off on a cross country charity ride. The goal was to raise money and awareness for BroadwayCares/Equity Fights AIDS within the technical community in the entertainment business,  and have some fun along the way. By any measure you choose to use, they succeeded. In fact, the trip went so well and they had so much fun, that they decided to turn what was supposed to be a one-time trip into an annual event.

It was decided that Long Beach would not be the destination point, at least not for the next several trips, so a name change was in order. After much debate and the consulting of oracles, the Long Reach Long Riders were born. They also added a new charity to ride.  The ESTA Foundation’s Behind the Scenes program offers grants to technicians who, through illness or injury find themselves in crisis.

Trips 2 & 3, in 2005 and 2006, had the group going to Rapid City, South Dakota. The Badlands, Mount Rushmore and the Chief Crazy Horse Memorial were all on the agenda as well as some terrific go-cart racing on a track in town. Between the two rides they raised over $60,000.00

In 2007, they changed the route. They started out in Philadelphia and, seven days later, found themselves back in Philly. In between, they meandered through the New England countryside, stopping in places like Waterbury, VT, home of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream and Eastland, ME, the furthermost eastern point in the US. The group on this trip was the largest to date, with 19 riders at any one time.

Ride number 5 saw the group thundering through the canyons and deserts of the Southwest. They were awed and inspired by places like Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef and, of course, the Grand Canyon. They also raised more money that any previous trip, topping the till off at $70,000.00

Richmond Virginia was the starting point for ride number 6 in 2009. From there they meandered south through the North Carolina country side, riding the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive. They also ran roads with more colorful names like "The Snake" in Cherry Valley and "the Dragon Tail" in Deals Gap. While they meandered, they raised $45,000.00 which put them over the $200,000.00 mark total donations to date. Not too shabby for a recession year, eh?

Ride number 7 started in San Francisco. They went north up into wine country, stopping on occasion to sample the local vintages. Then they rode west to Truckee and Lake Tahoe, south to Hollister and over to the coast. Then back up the PCH to San Francisco. It was, to say the least, an amazingly wonderful ride. They had up to 25 bikes with them and they topped $250,000.00. Pretty darn awesome.

This year we start out in Billings Montana and head west through some of the most beautiful national parks in the country. We start early this year on July 1, 2011. 

The ride is fun, the people are great and the need is very real.