Diary & Travel Reports by Simon Milward

El Paso, New Years Greetings

6 Jan 2002
From: simon @ millennium-ride.com
To: sponsors @ millennium-ride.com

Happy New Year to One and All!

My third year on the road begins! Sorry this is late, my fault, now being sent from Sacramento California.

For me it is time to focus on the benefits of our new Asian health project. I've just come to the end of three weeks in the Dallas / Fort Worth area having raised $3,500. $1000 per week in fundraising mode is clearly not good enough so time to focus on how we are going to save lives - the text of the latest handout for my infostand is below. We seem to be at about $51,000 in total, halfway to the first target. Downhill from here on in then :)

The health project starts this month with arrival of the 12 Yamahas in Flores. With more donations we could run it for the full three years, we have enough for three months right now. The 12 Yamahas were paid for by ABATE of Alaska x 3, ABATE of Indiana x 6, South Suburban Chapter Abate of Illinois x 2, and the bikers at Vancouver's Flying Swan in memory of Ethan Filosof. Their names will go the bikes.

Welcome to all our new sponsors in North Texas. They have been good to me here. Britt and Mary Lambert put me up in the Churchy town of Springtown and invited me to pretty Hot Springs in Arkansas for Christmas, where Bill Clinton grew up. Other help in the accommodation dept came from Lorna at the HD shop, Ramada Plaza in Dallas, and Bob and Fran near FW.

We had slideshows at BMW of Fort Worth (www.perrys.com) who also came in as a Corporate Sponsor, a pizza restaurant Checkers in Springtown, a TRMA2 meeting and two three day shows in Dallas and Fort Worth. The promoters Advanstar and Clear Channel kept costs to minimal for me. www.thermolab.com and Argyles Rover Centre (rhood@hawkpci.net) too came in as Corporates. All this while Andrews-media.com supplied the projector for free and Elmer Mckeegan and Mark Worcester of the TMRA kept me in computers.

Sorting out free electronickery for the Californian three months is right now highest on my list of things to do. My first date is in Sacramento on 6th January. Right now I'm waiting out snow, about 250 miles East of El Paso in Texas. It was in El Paso in 1984 that my brother and I jumped on a goods train with some illegal Mexican immigrants, we were heading East at the time.

Arrow helmets sponsored a great new helmet (my third, we got $60 for my battered old one, thanks Arai.) A kind lady in Dallas amade me some earplugs and another gave hi-tech boot soles. Donators to an auction included TuckerRocky, Parts Unlimited, Chrome Specialities and Harley Davidson.

Chrome Specialties also gave me a speedo.

So as you can see I've been quite busy over the Christmas period, it didn't turn into the week of relaxation I thought I might get. I was tempted by the idea of quitting the US for the time being to take four or five months down round Central and South America. I'm starting to miss the adventure and uncertainty of other countries. But I've decided to knuckle down for the time being. There is plenty of adventure to come with scary stories coming out of Colombia right now. Anyway this fundraising business is simply another type of adventure.

It has been my first Christmas in the USA. Christmas tree lights hang on every garden bush and fence. Around the gutters and lining the paths. Lighted figures of reindeer, sleds and snowmen abound. I can't help remembering places where there is no electricity. My stomach is at least an inch bigger too!

In the book department I managed to finish reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. It was my second attempt at this famous book. Technically philosophical and hard work! The guy is of course mad but I do know that my Ride is the embodiment of his Quality! Ian Mutch from England sent over his book 'Looking for America', entertainingly written observations on America from one of Europe's foremost motorcycle writers during his coast to coast ride, US publishers and/or distributor required. I picked up 'From Beirut to Jerusalem' by Thomas Friedman. What a revelation!

Right I'm off to check the I30 road surface. It's all white outside. I normally stick to back roads but linked up with the Interstate last night when I knew the weather would get bad. I'll email this from El Paso were there'll be a GSM phone network.

Sorry, difficulties with the mobile phone network there, I rode on across New Mexico to here, Tucson, Arizona. Warm desert again, how wonderful.

UPCOMING DATES WHERE I DO MY THING

- Jan 6th, ABATE Seminar Sacramento, La Quinta Inn at 200 Jibboom St., Jean Hughes 707-446-9432.
- Jan 9th Goldwing Club CA2 R, 7.30pm, Black Bear Diner 805W Laurel Dr, Salinas.
- Jan 10th Commonwealth Club San Francisco 5pm
- Jan 12th Easyriders show Sacramento
- Jan 17th Monterey HOG
- Jan 19th AMA District 17 Club Council Awards Banquet, Ottawa, IL.
- Feb 16th, A.B.A.T.E. of Oregon S.T.E.A.M.

DO YOU LIVE IN CALIFORNIA?

If so and you are willing to assist please email me. I'm in need of places around the state to crash out. I need to get venues/dates organised in SoCal in Feb/March, NoCal in Jan. Target audiences are all types of motorcycle clubs and groups, Churches, Schools and wherever they will listen and cough up a donation! If you are with a company or club then $200 gets a sticker on the high profile motorcycle! For a bit more we could do something with your local newspaper. I also need general media contacts. I thoroughly appreciate anything that anyone can do.

Take care everyone.

Simon

Riding round the world fundraising for health in the third world. Please donate.

MOTORCYCLES FOR FLOWERS (Island of Flores, Portuguese for 'Flowers')

Motorcycles save lives. Makes a change yes? Help make it happen in Asia.

The Vision

Introducing a proven African idea to Asia ... run twelve small motorcycles for health workers to get crucial kids' vaccinations to rural areas cheaply and effectively.

Africa had a 400% delivery rate improvement using motorcycles on tough roads with zero breakdowns. So on my fundraising world tour I started by raising money for this African work. Then health workers throughout Asia expressed interest in the African idea as I passed through.

The Asian potential is huge, a great need and millions of bikes already in use. The Motorcycles for Flowers project run by the official Indonesian NGO 'Health For All' is a three year pilot project on the Christian island of Flores. Let us give this seed a chance to grow, we may end up with a might oak.

Motorcycles could benefit millions of fellow human beings - with your help.

Start: February 2002
Finish: January 2005
Where: Flores, Indonesia, South Asia

First year costs:
12x Yamaha 115cc, $12,000 (sponsored)
Salary & insurance 9,256 (sponsored)
Mc running & spares 5,835 (sponsors needed)
Training & Liaison 5,542 (sponsors needed)
Local office costs 9,256 (sponsors needed)

$21,000 is still needed for the first year of operation.

Thereafter $50,000 x 2 years. 100% of MillenniumRide donations since departure go to funding this initiative (unless you choose the other beneficiary Doctors Without Borders.)

The full project description, work plan and budget is at www.millennium-ride.com

How can you help?

Clubs, companies and Groups donating upwards of $200 qualify for a sticker on my motorcycle and link from millenniumride.com. Join many others in the US and round the world in this high-profile charity adventure. Join the MilenniumRide Hall of Fame! From Motorcyclists to People, with Flowers!

Individuals: $20 good will donation for email updates and pin.

Contacts:
Simon Milward - fundraiser,

Wili Bala, Director Health for All, WiliBalaWala@yahoo.com