2011 Ride

Day 29: What a day. Started off with an interview with the local Spalding newspaper, then headed down the road with no fuel in the tank (they have no restaurants in town). Not long after, got a call from Robert Bernt who with his wife, Christine, runs an organic dairy operation in Wheeler County, NE near where the Keystone XL pipeline would cross. They caught up with me a little down the road, where Bob spoke with me about TransCanada’s lies and how he and other Nebraskans were recently ridiculed by Nebraska State Senators at a public hearing (look for his insightful interview to be posted on YouTube soon). Bob and Christine also thoughtfully brought me some organic cheese and beef sticks to help power me through my morning, which could not have been more appreciated, as I had 20 miles of non-stop hills to tackle. Did an interview while pedaling with the Daily Nebraskan. Yet more hawk encounters. Towards the end of the day, organic farmer Jim Knopic caught up with me on the side of the road. He also had much to say about Keystone XL and the threat it poses to his livelihood (look for his interview to be posted soon). Thanks for dinner, Jim, and the traveling cash!

Finally got within striking distance of Lincoln, in hopes of finding a motel, but the dark caught me (again) on a road with no shoulder. Not wanting to put myself and others at risk, I pulled down a dirt road and was preparing to pitch my tent in a roadside ditch when a nice couple pulled up to ask if I was okay. When I told them my plan, they offered their front yard instead. So I pedaled and pushed (through deep gravel) the trike about a mile and a half down the road and quickly set up camp, as the temperature was quickly dropping below freezing. Am now sitting in my tent with 70 miles behind me on the day, tired but content. Nights like this make me grateful for my toasty MontBell sleeping bag.

Got a call today with the news about President Obama’s decision not to decide on Keystone XL until after the 2012 election. Check out this New York Times piece on the subject:  http://tinyurl.com/7houpj6. How sad that we can’t get real leadership from the Obama White House on this issue. We don’t want a review of alternate routes. We want the project stopped. By punting on the decision, the President is failing to do his job: protect America.

Day 28: Spent the morning catching up on emails and phone calls, then rolled down the street to to The Frontier and Holt County Independent for an interview and photo of the trike. Grabbed a couple of burritos on my way out of town, where I was approached by a reporter with KBRX Radio, who had been alerted I was rolling through town. That’s one thing about the “rocket trike.” It’s hard to miss. Talked with some locals there who were also against the pipeline, then did an interview with Scott Poese before heading south towards Lincoln, NE. You can hear it here: http://tinyurl.com/7od2osu.

Weather was cool and sunny with a strong tailwind to help push me along. More hawk encounters today. Pulled over to pay my respects to the remains of a hawk on the side of the road, but didn’t secure the brake on the trike. Upon hearing a car honk, I looked up and the trike had vanished. Somehow the wind had blown it all the way across the road and down into a glade on the other side. The grooves in the grass showed the smooth path it had traversed down the hill on its own. Bit of a close call, but no damage done.

Pedaling further, began entering Nebraska’s majestic Sandhills, where the Ogallala Aquifer often breaks through the surface. Rolling past these grass-stabilized dunes, I was mesmerized by their beauty, and that of the water bodies around them. The crystal-clear creeks, rivers and ponds I came upon brought back memories of the Florida Everglades. I am totally enthralled by north-central Nebraska and am more determined than ever to fight alongside my Nebraska neighbors to protect these natural treasures from greedy corporations like TransCanada.

58 miles later, rolled into Spalding, cold and tired, around dusk. Made for The Bottoms Up Bar, where Denny and Mike bought me a few beers to shake off the cold. I like this friendly little town.

Day 27: If you asked me a year ago if I pictured myself sleeping outside in winter-like conditions in a horse pasture behind a gas station in northern Nebraska after pedaling eight straight hours, two and a half of them in the dark cold on a road with almost no shoulder to a town too small to have an inn, I would have told you no. As much as I enjoy riding bikes, I don’t really want to be out here. I want to be home, close to my loved ones. Every day proves a challenge, physically, mentally and emotionally. But some things are more important than one’s personal comfort. Since President Obama won’t do his job (protecting America from international thugs like TransCanada), the American people are going to have to do it for him. That’s why I’m out here pedaling the 1,700-mile proposed pipeline route, and why we need reinforcements, and help. As the saying goes, democracy is not a spectator sport.

Fortunately, the gas station I slept behind had a diner inside with great food, so it didn’t take long to warm up and feel rejuvinated. Then the one-on-one meetings began. First were ranchers Teri Taylor and John Harter. John and Teri had called others, and soon the dining room was full of opponents of Keystone XL: Todd Cone, Terry Frisch, Byron Steskal, Lynda Buoy (thanks for breakfast) and Myrna Stewart, each with their own compelling personal story to share (look for their interviews to be posted on YouTube soon). Each in their own way shared with me the underhanded ways in which TransCanada has dealt with them and how this pipeline proposal has turned their lives upside down. If Obama goes the wrong way on this, Todd plans to erect a monument to memorialize the individuals in the Obama Administration and Nebraska State Senate who contaminated Nebraska’s water. Such a “Monument of Shame” should be erected in every state Keystone XL threatens. Nebraskans are rising up against this travesty.

Later, after taking a group photo with the trike, we heard a loud hissing sound, with all eyes going to the rear tire. Probably a burr from the field had punctured the tube and it was just waiting for an audience before going comically flat. A good laugh was had by all, only problem being now I had to get it fixed and I was already behind schedule. Right about then, the owner of Rock County Tire, Brent Giles, drove by the lot. His friends flagged him down and he cheerfully fixed the tire in almost no time as I finished packing up my gear. Thanks so much, Brent. Then it was back on the road, where I did a roadside interview with Karl Connell, who gave me an earful on TransCanada’s shenanigans. A short while later I stopped into The Atkinson Graphic for a quick interview. Just as the reporter was about to take a picture of the trike, three young boys walked up to admire it and shared with me how they were against the pipeline proposal. So the picture included all four of us.

Hopped back on the Cowboy Trail (a bike/pedestrian trail closed to motorized vehicles), for what will probably be my only car-less stretch of the whole ride, soaking up every tranquil moment. Adding to the day’s beauty were two hawks who flew with me for short stretches. Ended the 40-mile day shortly after dusk in O’Neill, where I met up with Karl, Susan Loebbe and Ernie Fellows, who were on their way to Lincoln to testify (for the second time in three days) in the Special Session devoted to Keystone XL. Look for their interviews here soon. Am finally getting this all written down at 1:00 am, when what I want most is sleep. Some things just have to wait.

How fitting that the man who headed South Africa’s Truth Commission has taken such a strong interest in Keystone XL. Check out this powerful editorial by Desmond Tutu, “The Devil in the Tar Sands:” http://tinyurl.com/cjoyxnh.

Day 26: Needed a big ride day today to make Lincoln, NE in time for Saturday’s rally and I got one: 80 miles in 8 hours. Required riding in the dark for 2 1/2 hours, but luckily the rural road I was on was almost deserted. Almost no shoulder on the road, but the terrain was flat enough to see the headlights of the semis in my rear view mirrors before they got close, giving me plenty of time to roll off the side of the road until they passed. I don’t like riding on roads at night, but had little choice today. Apart from the occasional car and truck, the moonlit sky actually made for a peaceful, pleasant ride. When I finally rolled into the town of Newport exhausted and cold, my hopes for a warm motel room and maybe a cold beer at a local bar were dashed. The town was so small it didn’t even have a restaurant. So I rolled down the road to a closed gas station and pitched my tent (where I’m writing this) in the horse pasture behind it. Gonna be a cold night.

The day began with a long interview with the Winner Advocate in the office of the Winner Area Chamber of Commerce, where the Executive Director, Amy Moe, was kind enough to offer to let me recharge the battery for my electric-assist motor while I got lunch down the street. Passed two still-intact drive-in theaters during my ride today. Happy to see this great American pastime still very much alive in rural South Dakota. Was excited to cross the Nebraska border this afternoon, where I got a call from a local landowner wanting to meet with me to discuss TransCanada/Keystone XL. I’m expecting lots of similar meetings in this key battleground state, so stay tuned…

Once in Nebraska, crossed over the beautiful Kaya Paha River and the Niobrara National Scenic River, both of which would be threatened by toxic spills from Keystone XL. We simply cannot allow our rivers to become sacrifice zones for greedy transnational corporations. Encountered many predatory members of the winged nation today. Was kept company on my ride by numerous hawks, an eagle and even a beautiful falcon that playfully swooped down ahead of the trike before shooting back up into the sky.

Was very happy to open my emails tonight and learn the State Department’s Inspector General has agreed to review the Department’s handling of the fatally compromised Keystone XL review process: http://tinyurl.com/6wyfdm7. Whether they’ll do a thorough job remains to be seen.

Day 25: My heart is heavy after losing one of my most faithful friends early this morning. I got the call around midnight as we were negotiating the icy passes of the Continental Divide on our all-night drive back to South Dakota from Aspen. My best friend was in tears, telling me she had just taken my cat, Biggie (named not only for his physical size, but for the size of his spirit and heart), to the emergency veterinary clinic. He had almost stopped breathing and was now in an oxygen tank getting blood tests performed and x-rays taken. Only just yesterday a happy cat, the prognosis was now suddenly bleak, so we diverted our route north to Boulder so I could be with him.

Biggie seemed resigned when I saw him. He purred quietly and calmly looked me in the eyes as I stroked his beautiful fur. The picture the vet painted gave little reason for hope. An undiagnosed cancer had spread throughout his body; his lungs, liver and small intestine were damaged; and he had an irregular heartbeat. Fluid had been drained from his lungs to help him breathe. I was advised that treating him for one problem could exacerbate another and to not expect a good outcome. None of the options presented to me were good.

So I decided I would leave it up to him and do whatever he wanted me to do. I asked him twice if he wanted more tests performed and twice got a clear answer of no. When I asked if he wanted to go to the other side, I got a yes, but not now, so Marti and I sat with him for an hour or so, just loving him, looking into his sweet, soulful eyes and stroking his soft fur. At long last, he rested his head heavy on my hand and looked me intensely in the eyes, as if peering deep into my soul. When I asked him again if he was ready to go, we got a very clear yes. So I hesitantly gave the kind on-duty night veterinarian the go-ahead to give him a sedative to put him to sleep, then another that stopped his heart from beating. And just like that, my friend was gone.

I don’t believe it was an accident that Biggie’s health failed just as I was traveling within hours of Boulder on a totally unexpected side trip to Aspen. Mixed with all the sadness is gratitude that I had a chance to say goodbye to my faithful companion of so many years and to help him pass over to the other side. We are all going to die. I just hope when my time comes I face my own death with similar grace and dignity. In honor of my noble friend, I dedicate this video of our beautiful and powerful Lakota Nation “Tour of Resistance” solidarity march to Biggie: http://k.olc.edu/Events.html.

I left the clinic drained and after some comforting words by my friends dropped off to sleep in the back seat of the car. Not long after sunrise, we made it to Pine Ridge, where we dropped off Alex at his home and my new friends Phillip and Mark drove me on to Rosebud to retrieve the trike. There we were met by Chief John Spotted Tail, who ever so kindly trailed me in his car the whole 54 miles to Winner, which I pedaled in record time but with little enthusiasm. I wondered how the White House encirclement had gone today in hopes they had surpassed their original estimate of 5,000 people. Pulling into a motel around sunset, I got to work catching up on my backlog of emails, blogs and social network posts.

Tomorrow is a new day.

Day 22 – Day 24: A spontaneous invitation by Dave Ventimiglia of SolTribe Adventures, whom I met at the home of Floyd and Natalie Hand in Pine Ridge, spurred a decision to park the trike in Rosebud for three days to see what allies might be found in Aspen, CO. Ron drove on to Lincoln, NE to start planning our next big solidarity ride there scheduled for Nov. 12.

Thursday: After picking me and Alex White Plume up in the morning, Dave ferried the three of us from Pine Ridge to Carbondale, near Aspen, CO, rolling in well after dark. Lots of quality conversation. News sources now say a decision on Keystone XL may slip past the end of the year: http://tinyurl.com/bncb7p7.

Friday: Sat in on a couple of very dynamic school presentations by Alex; met up with Chip Comins to talk Keystone XL strategy; and did a joint interview with Alex on Aspen radio opposing Keystone XL before heading to Carbondale’s town square for an evening fire circle with drumming and sharing of Lakota tradition by Alex. Good turnout and a very special night (thanks for dinner, Kip). For evidence that TransCanada’s CEO is starting to sweat, check out this article: http://tinyurl.com/7nnrf4t.

Saturday: Helped Dave disassemble the teepee before meeting Casey & Tara Sheahan over coffee to discuss Keystone XL strategy. Got in a quick soak (thanks, Chip) at Glenwood Hot Springs, which my body deeply appreciated. Then headed to Tara & Casey’s kiva for a community showing of “Standing Silent Nation” (a short film documenting the White Plume family’s courageous struggle with the DEA to grow industrialized hemp), followed by a talk by Alex and I on the Keystone XL fight. The powerful energy of the kiva, and our hosts, made for a night I will never forget. Am deeply grateful for Patagonia’s generous support of the “Tour of Resistance.” Check out this great video by Julia Louis-Dreyfus of “Seinfeld” fame opposing Keystone XL: http://tinyurl.com/3oygll9.

A special thanks to Dave for inviting me out and to Lori and the rest of the Ventimiglia family for hosting Alex and I in their home during our stay. So glad I made the trip out. Aspen and Carbondale will prove powerful allies in this fight for our collective future.

Day 21: Something is stirring in the Native communities I visit that gives me hope. We gathered in the cold morning air with the earth dusted in snow from last night’s winter preview. Medicine Man Mr. Roy Stone blessed us with a prayer before we set off down the road, with Chief John Spotted Tail leading the procession. Shane Red Hawk and his family had arrived before daybreak so seven of their beautiful horses could join the ride. Other community members drove their cars with signs reading “Unci Maka Na’wik Cinji” (“I Protect Mother Earth”). As we galloped and pedaled the two miles to the Rosebud Sioux Tribal Office (thank you, Vi Wain, for videotaping the procession – not many reporters who will do that for you on top of their own reporting), car drivers honked and pedestrians waved. One man even ran out to the road to hand out Halloween candy. People could see we were a unique, united force, and wanted to participate.

Greeting us at the end of the ride was Rosebud Council Representative Russell Eagle Bear, who along with Chief John Spotted Tail, led a community forum with passionate speakers addressing the Keystone XL travesty. Joining us were Miss Rosebud, Miss Teen Rosebud and Little Miss Rosebud. Afterwards we were blessed by an honor song sung by tribal youth and a presentation of gifts, followed by a closing prayer and a community feast. I don’t know how one could possibly be made to feel more welcome. A special thanks to Paula Antoine for her work to pull today’s inspiring event together.

I later sat down with the tribe’s renewable energy expert, Ken Haukaas, and learned about the community’s strong desire to develop community scale renewable energy to improve their lives and become energy self sufficient. Yet here we are debating a tar sands pipeline proposal that violates treaty territory, when the Rosebud Tribe has a 30 MW wind farm that’s been shovel ready since 2008, a country desperately in need of green energy, and no buyer of the energy to be found. Ken shared with me some of the other daunting challenges the community faces: a per capita income of under $8000/year, 80% unemployment, one of the highest rates of suicide in the nation, and the fraying of the social fabric by too many desperately overcrowded homes.

America needs Native wisdom now more than ever, and Native communities need America’s help. So let us rise up together against the forces of greed and build a just world that honors the rights of future generations. Today felt like another big step in that direction.

Day 20: Spent the morning at the motel in Martin finally getting caught up on social media posts. Then rolled over to the Bennett County Booster for a quick interview and shot of the trike before heading out of town. By now, was running way behind schedule, with 50 miles to go, so no time for breakfast or lunch (that’s what granola bars and energy gels are for). The appearance of a hawk boosted my energy. Pedaled hard through a cold, drizzling rain towards Rosebud, with snow just miles behind. Was heartened to have a tribal elder trail me in a car as I neared the border of the tribal sanctuary. There was warmly greeted by Chief John Spotted Tail, who led me the rest of the way into Rosebud. Gave it everything I had the final 20+ miles to get there as quickly as possible. There we were again warmly greeted at the Tribal Council office by Willie Kindle, Vice President of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, who thanked us for what we were doing. John led us on a tour of the Tribal Council building, where I was totally mesmerized by the stunning photos of tribal chiefs and warriors on the walls. I am in awe of the proud and noble history that lives on in the hearts and spirits of the Native people I have been so deeply honored to meet.

Exhausted and hungry, Ron drove us to the casino hotel, where guest rooms were waiting for us. Checking my email, saw this article from Debra White Plume entitled, “Obama takes ownership of pipeline decision:” http://tinyurl.com/6azrec8. Can feel the momentum starting to shift, but we need the rest of the nation to rally to America’s defense against this foreign pipeline invasion. Looking forward to some rest before the Prayer Circle and Solidarity Ride/Walk tomorrow morning… can’t wait.

Day 19: Were treated to breakfast by our loving hosts, and friends, Natalie and Floyd Hand, before getting shuttled north to where I was picked up almost a week ago. Part of me doesn’t want to leave Pine Ridge, but we have to keep this road show rolling. Stopped in the little village of Oglala to meet with one of the elder matriarchs of the Oglala Lakota Nation, Regina Brave, whose wisdom all of America needs to hear. Look for that interview to be posted soon. Lots of honks and friendly waves today, along with several hawk encounters, pedaling to Martin, SD. Rolled into town 70 miles later as the darkness fell.

Day 14 – Day 18: Time spent in Lakota country is unlike time spent elsewhere, and there is too much to write to do justice to the experience now. Instead, I will post one highlight from each day and share more later as time allows…

Wednesday: After a 50 mile ride through the Badlands, was shuttled to Pine Ridge, where we were greeted by the Oglala Lakota who had organized a solidarity rally that took over the streets. It was a beautiful sight to behold, complete with banners, flags, a youth drum group performing honor songs, guest speakers, blessings, hugs and a camo-clad youth corp providing security: http://tinyurl.com/3tejqc8.

Thursday: Gathered at the home of Debra and Alex White Plume in Kiza Park for a solidarity ride against Keystone XL with Daryl Hannah, cowboys and Indians (Oglala Lakota and Sicangu Lakota) on horseback. My deepest thanks to Daryl for coming out to support the Lakota and the ride. Afterwards, Debra White Plume and I did an interview with KOLC-TV: http://tinyurl.com/75qjg6h (thanks for the agates, Jesse). This article demonstrates the powerful, new alliances we are forging to beat back TransCanada: http://tinyurl.com/3atsfxa.

Friday: Highlight of the day was talking to a group of junior and senior mentors at Pine Ridge School about Keystone XL, followed by rocket trike show and tell with more students. Check out this FOX News story on Daryl’s visit to Pine Ridge: http://tinyurl.com/3ub5xjr.

Saturday: Spent most of today recuperating and making plans for a major push in Lincoln, NB. Here’s another great television story that ran on the solidarity ride:  http://tinyurl.com/3j6hpwp.

Sunday: Had the great honor of meeting Tom Poor Bear, Vice President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, who is the first person to force a response from President Obama on Keystone XL. Will post my interview with him soon. In the meantime, enjoy this great homemade video of the solidarity ride: http://tinyurl.com/3ojnl9s.