New stuff

I have been trying to figure out how I was going to keep the blog going and keep the newsletter going and keep putting stuff up that people wanted to read and enjoy. It all takes a lot of time energy and this time of year with high season in full swing I am in short supply in both. So I am going to capture some of the newsletter rants and post them here as well. I think some people will not be getting the newsletter. I apologize to those who are and might be reading this a second time.
So here is a little fresh stuff for the blog.


Diver tip Buoyancy Control

As an instructor here in Cozumel now for more than 7 years I have seen all kinds of students. Every student responds differently and across the board the hardest skill for them to master is buoyancy. It is also the skill I think is the most important and makes a good diver a great diver.
The basic idea is to control the amount of air you have in your lungs to maintain neutral flotation, neither sinking nor floating. It makes you more efficient because you don’t need to do anything but breathe to hold your position. This is an extra nice benefit here in Cozumel because we are always drift diving. There are many techniques for teaching the basic idea. PADI teaches the fin pivot (laying flat on the bottom and inhaling and exhaling to find neutral) and the hover (staying a couple feet above the bottom with legs crossed and perfectly still) in order to master the skill. For most skilled divers it comes down to feeling when you are neutral. A seasoned diver can feel if they are moving up or down with each breath and they time the inhale, exhale and volume of air they breathe accordingly.
Here is an example. If you feel any time during your dive like you are falling, if your hands are flapping in front of you like a rubber chicken, if you are unknowingly kicking your fins feet down in order to keep from sinking, if you are making a big dust cloud below you as you descend, if you ever run into the coral reef below, then you are negatively buoyant and you need to either breath more deeply or add a few puffs of air into your BCD.
In contrast to that, if you are facing down just so your feet are above you and swimming down, if you are holding onto/reaching for a dive buddy below to pull you down, if you are waving your hands palms up to try and sink, if you always ask for more lead from the dive master who knows to bring some extra just for you, then you can be pretty sure you are positively buoyant and need to dump some air out of your BCD or breathe more shallow. Many seasoned divers will actually put just the right amount of lead on so that when their tank is empty during the safety stop, they have to breathe shallower just to stay under.
One technique I find helps divers learn during a peak performance buoyancy dive is to try to stay within 6-10 inches off the bottom. While flat out in the dive position it is hard to inflate or deflate your BCD and flapping your hands or fins does more harm than good. So in that position, so close to the bottom, your lungs are your only way to keep from touching down. Try it next time you are geared up, see just how close you can get to the bottom without touching. In cave diving it is routine to get that close to the bottom without touching the roof or the bottom in a narrow passage. An advanced way to practice this is actually to turn upside down, feet straight up and see how close you can get your head to the bottom without getting sand in your hair.
Mastering your buoyancy is one of the hardest skills for any diver. There is no way I can get into all the details of it here. When you finally find that it is inherent and you do it without thinking about it you will find your air consumption drops by 20-40% and you end up seeing more and enjoying the dives more every time.
Stay tuned for next month when I go into the finer points of trim and positioning while diving.

Better late than never

I just got this from a camera man I made friends with in Austin Texas. I did the shoot just after I finished the press conference for the National Safety Council. It was the second live interview I had done. Tell me what you think?

http://weareaustin.com/content/fulltext/?cid=32062

Bonus shots

Here are a few extra shots from the trip that came out pretty good. I don't remember where this was taken but judging by the cleanliness I and background I would say Arizona. LOL









This river was headed into Whistler in British Columbia









I actually camped this far away from this lake on the Cassiar Hwy in BC. It was one of the most peaceful nights of the whole trip. No one was around and I was just 100 yrds off the road









This shot from Alaska just had some really nice color











This is one of the bigger glaciers up in Jasper National park in Canada. If you look closely you can see a trail of specks on the middle of the glacier. Those are tour buses driving the lazy tourists that didn't want to walk up it.

remnants

Been going through some of the pix from the trip and realized, thanks to Encarna, that there were some really good shots that I never posted. Over the next few days I am going to post some of those pix with some closing thoughts on the journey.







This was coming into Yellowstone. There were so many amazing views there it is hard to choose one over the other. My memory fills with so much from that area. What I really come away with unfortunately is just how busy the place was. Tons of huge mobile homes and campers and even traffic and waiting in line was the norm. The national parks were set aside as public use land. It was put it place for all to see and enjoy. We are fortunate in the US to have such places to visit. I just wish there were not so many of us visiting. lol




This was the first night of camping near Casper Wyoming. Encarna thought this picture showed an interesting contrast of roughing it with my portable technology. I slept on picnic tables a lot when there was no chance of rain. I couldn't be bothered with the setting up the tent if there was no need. In hindsight the first part of the trip was too rushed. I really wanted to make it up to the Arctic ocean before the weather got bad. Even with all my effort I fell short of my weather window by just a couple days.



I had many moments where I would just stop and let my feet dry out and take advantage of the quietness by the side of the road. One day outside of Amarillo Texas I was feeling sleepy as I rode down a straight bit of road. I hate to ride with that sleepy feeling so I found a tiny municipal airport on a sunny day. I put down a pillow made of wadded up clothing, took off my shoes, and took a nap right on the asphalt. I slept a solid hour 3 feet from the mule with not a soul to be seen or heard for miles. It was one of the most satisfying moments of the whole trip.


This shot was taken in Yellowstone. The contrast of the water and reflections of light I find particularly striking. What magical places there are still to be seen. What vistas are still out there in this world. I find the natural world so fascinating. I even hesitated many times to even include a hint of humanity in my journey. I wanted it to be pure and for some reason including people or evidence of them tainted the moment or left a bitter taste in my mouth. I fear the only natural places that will survive mans influence are the ones that can be exploited for ecotourism or set aside as National parks.

I miss being on the road. I have already been looking into a possible trip to Argentina and the southern most roads in south America. Perhaps planning my next venture on the little mule will help to keep the thrill of riding the Americas alive?

Latest vid

Many have asked for another video and I have to admit I have not posted one since California. I suppose one "for the road" is required.
I hope you like it

Final leg of Ride the Americas

I sit here in my own home with all my stuff around me and feel a little out of place. It seems having a small world of me and the mule was very appealing and although I am happy to be home I feel a little lost.
Everything is great here. Dennis did a great job of running the shop without me. Encarna is home and into her routine again and my dad and his dog are the same as I left them.
Perhaps part of that is the problem. I have become accustomed to nothing being the same. Each day of the journey I was seeing new things. Each night I slept in a new place with different things around me. The challenges changed from day to day. Where to stop, where to go and what to eat were all decisions I had to make each day. There were always different options and nothing was the same. We will see how I deal with this feeling as the days roll along and I get back into the swing of things here in Cozumel.

I got this little bugger in my tire just before I went into Mexico. It took me about an hour to get the tire off and get it fixed. The rear tire fits so tight on the rim that I have to pump up the tire to almost 70 psi just to get it to seat properly. Same issue I had just before I went up the Dalton.






This was a pretty typical meal for me while in Mexico. Food and lodging is so cheap that I didn't bother with cooking or setting up the tent. I really love this part of Mexico traveling. It is really easy and super fun. Just gotta stay on your toes cuz you never know what might come your way.






Like this little chicky. I thought she was going to steal the mule. Then I realized all he needed was to ask me where I had come from and how fast does this motorcycle go. Once we sorted that out she left to get someone else to bother.







This is the little eatery on the side of the road where I studied my map and planned the afternoon's ride.










This is pretty typical of many of the homes along the road. Just like middle America people live pretty simply. Nothing fancy needed. Just the basics to get by and the time to enjoy it.







Looking back now the journey has been almost everything I hoped it would be. Looking at the big picture what I find myself feeling is small, insignificant really. The scale of the whole journey has left me feeling as a tiny flee on a huge beautiful planet. Canada and Alaska are such expanses of untouched land. The distances between outposts and the wildness of the land have left me in awe and feeling like I could make no impact no matter how hard I tried. This is actually fine with me as I wanted only to get a glimpse of what is arguably the last frontier on earth.

From a human perspective I feel I am a little more significant. The focus of my journey was to influence human behavior by convincing people to give up their cell phones while they drive. Using my trip as a hook to grab peoples attention then shifting that attention to a subject that everyone seemed familiar. Along the way I found that everyone had some strong feelings about it. Most had personal experiences and no one disagreed with me that we should put the phone away while driving. Unfortunately getting people to actually give up their phones in the car will take more than a motorcycle evangelist and a 13200 mile adventure. Cell phones have become too deeply rooted in peoples lives to let them go so easily. I hope it does not take a personal tragedy for them to see the light.

In the past 9 weeks I have seen many parts of North America. I have driven the most distant roads one can find for thousands of miles. I have met travelers from all parts of the world. We all have something in common. We all share the road and the risk that we so often take for granted when we merge onto the road. Weather, bears, rain, ice, snow, open wilderness, and banditos don’t worry me. As I navigate the cities when more than half the other drivers are trying to hold a phone conversation and drive at the same time I am feel my risk is somehow greater than theirs. If only they stopped to think about it.

We need to slow down our lives a bit and really experience the moments we have. Don't wish away your now for the sake of a better one later. In the end we are all headed to the same destination in life. It is up to us to decide how much we enjoy the journey getting there.

Think about your journey and ask yourself it is really the one you want to be taking.

Peace

Tony

Deep in the heart of Texas

These are the continuing stories of Scubatony as he travels across the continent for Ride the Americas. The 16 thousand mile journey is focused on raising awareness for the National Safety Council's anti-cellphone while driving initiative. Blog post are almost daily and include lots of pictures and stories and a funny video or two. Follow along and enjoy your ride!







The last few days in Texas have been super busy. First of all I have to say the biggest of thanks to my friend Randal and his wife Tania for taking such great care of me while I was in town. They put me up for 2 nights and treated me like a king. Randal is an avid motorcycle rider as well and was really happy to take the little mule for a spin down the road in Fort Worth. He was working nights but each day when he got home from work he took me out and introduced me to friends and showed me around town. Thank you Randal. You are the best my friend!



The highlight for me however was when Randal let me ride is custom chopper. I have never ridden anything like it and we cruised around town a bit so I could see what it was like. SHe is real handful to ride for sure. Makes the Mule feel like a Cadillac. I don't think my teeth have stopped rattling yet. I may need to see a chiropractor as well when I get back to Cozumel.






We also visited a famous custom bike shop called Stokkers. They charged me 8$ a quart for fresh oil for the mule but I did get to see some amazing custom bikes. It is like motorcycle museum that place.








First night we went out to a cool new burger join with Steve, Kelly and Sammi and had the best burgers I think I have ever eaten. We talked about all the stuff I had been missing over the last 2 months and just had a great time. If we could only figure a way to get Sammi off the cell phone for a few minutes. It looks like quite an addiction! I think it may be a sign of the times what the new generation is turning towards. Move adapt or die? I guess I should work on my texting skills?





Texas just passed some new laws about cell phone use in cars. Part of the laws that went into affect on Sept 1 was that cell phones could not be used while in a school zone. It is a small step in the right direction but only a drop in the bucket as to how much more work must be done to get the word out as to the dangers cell phones pose while driving.







Today was a really great day. I met Dave yesterday in Austin and we had a nice dinner and talked a lot about what has been happening with the National Safety Council and Ride the Americas since the trip began August 17th. The press conference was held this morning and there many advocacy groups represented including MADD, Texas DOT, Austin PD and even the Mayor came down and spoke. He has been working for more than 2 years on this issue and finally is making some progress.





As usual I got really nervous just before I went on. Not sure why. At this point I should be used to it. But I just don't feel like a public speaker yet. I think it went well and in the end I think the point was very well made and if we keep the momentum going I am sure we can get people to be more aware of the risks they are taking in their cars each time they use the phone.




I'm staying in a state campsite tonight and they actually have a wifi connection. I guess that explains why it costs $25 to camp here. Into Mexico in a day or two.
Still lovin the journey!

Where is Scubatony now?

more vid

These are the continuing stories of Scubatony as he travels across the continent for Ride the Americas. The 16 thousand mile journey is focused on raising awareness for the National Safety Council's anti-cellphone while driving initiative. Blog post are almost daily and include lots of pictures and stories and a funny video or two. Follow along and enjoy your ride!





It appears some people are actually watching my video and requesting more so...

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!!

Where is Scubatony now?

Out of the furnace and into New Mexico

These are the continuing stories of Scubatony as he travels across the continent for Ride the Americas. The 16 thousand mile journey is focused on raising awareness for the National Safety Council's anti-cellphone while driving initiative. Blog post are almost daily and include lots of pictures and stories and a funny video or two. Follow along and enjoy your ride!





I got a late start out of Phoenix the other day. It was hot and I wanted to beat the heat but the National Safety Council office had hoped to have some press there at noon so I hung around. Non showed but I did have a nice chat with the very dedicated safety people that work there.







I ended up at a nice $16 camp site just east of Payson Arizona. It was a really warm night and I realized that I had not camped since just before San Francisco. Too long and I really enjoyed being in the tall pine forest again. I went to bed under a clear sky and did not pitch the tent as it seemed to be very clear and rain was unlikely. These decisions seem to haunt me still. Of course around 2:30 am I am gently awakened from a sweet dream by the tap tap tap of rain drops on my face. The dream is lost in the ensuing madness of trying to find the light and get some cover over my sleeping bag. Luckily there were some pine trees close by and I could just make a quick tarp tent to stay dry.



In the morning when I woke up I could not find one of my shoes. I looked all around but it was gone. I know I had it that night when I frantically put the cover up but it was no where to be found. I searched the nearby area but to no avail. My 2 year old keep left shoe was gone. I can only imagine some critter found it in the night and liked the smell of my left foot. Very odd indeed!






As I headed toward Albuquerque (spell that one in your sleep), I looked for roads that would keep me clear of the interstate madness. It turns out that just south of I-40 is state Hwy 60 that parallels about 50 miles south. It also happens to be the same route I had ridden 21 years ago on a bicycle with Sharon as I road from Coast to coast in the summer of 88. It also happens to be the location of the VLA (very large array). It is the most useful radio telescope ever constructed and sits out on a flat bit to high mountain plateau. It has huge antenea that can be spread out for miles on railroad tracks and aligned at the clear New Mexico sky to listen to the sky. When I firs passed by it the VLA was only 8 years old. Now it was 29 years old and still doing everything and more the scientist can dream up.



I got to see my cave buddy and long lost motorcycle adventure friend Frosty in Albuquerque. He had crashed his bike 4 days before and was healing up from a broken ankle, 3 broken ribs and a punctured lung (complete with bubbles in subcutaneous skin). very creepy! i have said it many times but I really mean it when I say I want to be like him when I grow up. Anyway Frosty took really good care of me and we had a good dinner and lunch today. Mend well my friend and ride safe!



So down the road I go in search of the infamous Blue Hole. For those that don't know it is a fresh water spring mostly in the middle of now where New Mexico. I think the town of Santa Rosa is only there because of that spring. I just so happens to be the only bit of scubadiveable water for about 600 miles. So any diver in Colorado, Arizona, and Western Texas is familiar with it and probably did their Open water cert dives there. I had heard about it from many people including Frosty but had never actually seen it. I had to see it and made a bee line in that direction as it just so happens to be on my to Amarillo.





It looks like I have a media event in Dallas on the 5th and then another extra grande one on the 7th in Austin. Got some other great friends to see there as well.
ride on ride on!

Where is Scubatony now?

Spontaneous Human Combustion

These are the continuing stories of Scubatony as he travels across the continent for Ride the Americas. The 16 thousand mile journey is focused on raising awareness for the National Safety Council's anti-cellphone while driving initiative. Blog post are almost daily and include lots of pictures and stories and a funny video or two. Follow along and enjoy your ride!





You are probably a little tired of me whining about the weather but OMG this is like Africa hot! Tarzan couldn't take this kinda hot. I don't think I can stay here if it's gonna be this hot.



I was real fortunate to be with some really great friends for the last few days.
I stopped in Bakersfield to see my buddy Party Marty. We met in Cozumel but it seems we were old friends long before. We are the same age and know alot of the So Cal scene as kids. He really rolled out the red carpet for me and we at In N out Burgers. OMG yummy hometown goodness. The highlight had to be the favor he pulled in for me. He called a friend at the last minute and got me a 30 min ride in a Bell 47 crop dusting helicopter.


We took off low and slow and flew under the wires most of the way. We got so low the sprinklers from the fields wet the bubble canopy. It was awesome! I owe you huge this time Marty. What a hoot! My smile muscles are still sore.






I stayed with my friend JP in Arcadia most of the time in LA. He let me use his tools and operate on little mule where I did a valve adjustment, changed the oil and filters, and got her all ready for the Mexico portion of the trip,.






It was so great to see him and he took great care of me. We even got to ride motorcycles down to the airport together like the good ol days. I really had a blast with him.






I stayed with Mom and her three babies Tiki, Potter and Sadie. Tiki is the only one that seemed to like me much. We played a lot but potter and Sadie just barked at me like an invader from outer space the whole visit.






I did some work on her house in Africa hot conditions on Sunday. But mom took me dinner at PF Changes in Palm springs which more than made up for the risking of my sanity in the sun for a day. Yummy food!
Incidentally! My mom has smoked for the last 50 years. She recently quit and seems to be doing very well. I need all of you to offer her encouragement and scold her if she starts again!


For those of you calling me a slacker I promise to crunch a vid together tonight and get it posted real soon.
Back on the road and lovin it!

Where is Scubatony now?

California Rules!

These are the continuing stories of Scubatony as he travels across the continent for Ride the Americas. The 16 thousand mile journey is focused on raising awareness for the National Safety Council's anti-cellphone while driving initiative. Blog post are almost daily and include lots of pictures and stories and a funny video or two. Follow along and enjoy your ride!










I really enjoyed Portland and Oregon but once into California things got even better. Here are some of the highlights and a vid for ya.










This was one of the first views I got of the California coast line. I wish the picture could really capture what it was like. Light fog most of the day and patchy bits of humidity but nothing worth slowing me down or dampening my mood. LOL






This is part of the redwood forest. It was later afternoon when I got to the area and the sun was falling. It was almost dark with all the shade from the trees but the high canopy really gave the forest an feel all to its own. At one point I was speeding along the road, with the canopy high above and a leave or pit of tree feel in front of me. I actually saw it high above as it lofted down and it hit me in the shoulder as I passed under the trees. It felt like the forest was reaching out to me as if to say "Welcome to our world, why don't you slow down and stay a while?". So I did. The rest of the ride was at a snails pace and I stopped so often to enjoy the forest that I did not find a camp spot till after dark.

Most of the groves of big redwoods are dedicated to someone. They all of have names which kinda bothers me. Many of these trees have been alive for over 2000 years. They are the oldest and largest living things this planet has ever seen! How dare we detract from that to name them after some human who did something a few years ago? I hope these trees are still here long after we are gone from this planet

Where is Scubatony now?

Oregon Love

These are the continuing stories of Scubatony as he travels across the continent for Ride the Americas. The 16 thousand mile journey is focused on raising awareness for the National Safety Council's anti-cellphone while driving initiative. Blog post are almost daily and include lots of pictures and stories and a funny video or two. Follow along and enjoy your ride!

The last couple days have been really great! It is so nice to be among friends and family when I have been on the road so long. Here are some pix of the last couple days.



This is actually in Olympia. It always surprises me just how "GREEN" the US has become. I think Seattle and Portland are leading the way. This is just way too considerate! Free poo bags, how sweet!







This little flower was just too cute to pass up. Anyone know what type it is?








This is Gene and Marylin. They took such good care of me while I was in Olympia. I keep saying Seattle. My bad. I think Marylin looks so good in her new eclipse. It was the first time I had been in a car for a month. Felt so strange to not be on 2 wheels.







This is what the little mule looks like after I finally get all that Alaska mud off of it. First chance to give her a bath since I left Denver last month. Incidentally, I just clicked over 8000 miles on the clock! Roughly half way down the road to Coz!






My Bestest buddy Casey doing an early Bday celebration pic. He and Brenda took me around the town and got me to my interviews then took me to HUGE texas size sushi and really good beer! OMG my stomach was in shock. Especially last night when it was back to top romen noodles and canned corn.





The Oregon coast was worth the wait. This is just south of Lincoln city when I got to the coast. The road was a little annoying to me actually. After being up north in BC where there are so many amazing roads and no cars anywhere the traffic got on my nerves in a hurry.





Every turn brings you to another vista of water and little islands. I was sliding the fog the whole way. It went from sunny to wet and foggy constantly throughout the day.

So I am taking the road slow now and actually taking an extra day to get to my sister's place near San Francisco. I have never been in the north part of California even though I grew up in the state. So I am taking it all in and enjoying the ride. Ride ON!!! Rubber down

Where is Scubatony now?