4:18 PM
Have a lot of difficulty using this public computer with all of it’s user restrictions. Was able to modify a few pictures to give you a view of our path through Montana, until I can ge the gallery updated.
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17 October 2006 at 10:43 AM
Guys:
I’ve become fascinated with your story enough to go googling for references to your trip. That led me to Jacob’s counsin’s (Anne Burdette’s) blog (http://livingthisadventure.blogspot.com/). Seeking more information about your trip, I posted these comments on her blog:
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I found your blog whilst looking for more information about Jacob, Goat and Sean. I’ve read everything there is at ridingthespine.com As Jacob’s cousin, I guess you’re the closest thing I’ve found to the homebase coordinator — the boys’ Houston to their Eagle, so to speak.
A few questions about the adventure…
1. Is there anyone that they check in with regularly? I hestitate to say “daily” given what they’re doing, but is there someone who more or less always knows about where they are?
2. Is anyone trying to rustle up media coverage for them? I would think that their quest for sponsorship could only be improved if someone back home is sending press releases to every local news paper, radio station and tv broadcaster along the trail starting about a week before they arrive. When they start getting newspaper writeups, the local tv coverage will follow shortly. When they get local tv coverage, it won’t be long before they get a shot on a national program. When they’re getting national press, some corporate entity is going to seek them out to sponsor them (at least to some degree) just to have their name/logo seen. Then again, that sort of help may be detestible to the Jacob, Goat and Sean.
Along the same lines, somebody made some cool artwork in the form of the “Riding the Spine” logo (if you call it that). I was sort of suprised that there were no links on their site to buy RidingTheSpine tshirts, coffee mugs, etc…. One can imagine “buy this shirt for $32.00 and feel good about the profits supporting their adventure.” Or something like that. Then again, that sort of thing may be offensive to the boys.
They do write on their site, “We have not been able to focus enough attention on aligning ourselves with a positive organization that would be interested in our support. Ever attempt so far has yielded absolutely no response. Please let us know if you are interested in volunteering some time to make this work or if you have any contacts for us.”
I’m not sure whether that means:
(1) that they can’t decide what charity *they* want to support — presumeably by way of publicity, as in “We’re ‘riding the spine’ to raise awarness of the fight against [insert here: breast cancer, AIDs, Parkinson's disease, stupidity in the whitehouse, etc.]”
(2) that they can’t find an organization which wants to sponsor them.
It seems like a relative nobrainer that the nice folks at [insert here: PowerBars, ClifBars, REI, etc.] would like to outfit the boys with some clothes which say [corporate logo], plus supply some money and supplies, on the chance that they’ll be wearing those clothes when they’re next photographed and interviewed.
If they don’t have a homebase person who’s trying to do these things for them, then it’s just a darn shame. Then again, they could be independently wealthy and don’t need the help. Or maybe their pride cuts against any help but that given by real people, not corporations.
I am really amazed by them. I hope that they do more frequent postings on their progress. I’ve half a mind to head out to New Mexico (closest point of their path to me) when they pass through and buy them a steak (or tofu, whatever) and a shower.
Gray
17 October 2006 at 11:52 AM
I’ve started a Google Earth thread at BBS.Keyole.com about the trip and put just a few placemarks there (Prudhoe Bay, Coldfoot and Fairbanks). I’m hoping that this will inspire someone who actually knows something (not me) to add bookmarks for the boys’ trail and where they’ve camped. If you use Google Earth, you can visit the thread and click on the placemarks there to make them open in G.E. If you know where they’ve been, you can create new placemarks and add them to the thread.
Thread: http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showthreaded.php/Cat/0/Number/646512/page/0
17 October 2006 at 12:03 PM
Great! Would love to touch base with Gray. I’m Jacob’s mother and he calls me whenever they are by a phone but if you email him he can send you my email - I don’t want it on this reply for the world! Great ideas, don’t know how to go about some of those things so would love to talk.
17 October 2006 at 5:24 PM
“…if you email him he can send you my email….”
I’ve emailed Jacob at the address for him listed on this site, but who knows when he’ll see it. Alternatively, you can use the “Contact” page at slf.us (my site) to reach me.
Gray
26 December 2006 at 4:27 PM
My site (RideTHISbike.com) focuses on advocating cycling. From time to time, I write about bike tours that are out of the ordinary and I’d be happy to write about Ride The Spine. I get loads of traffic so I’m sure that it will increase awareness of the tour.
I also have a suggestion for a worthy charity that could easily tie in with Ride The Spine: FOLC.
The Friends of the Lafitte Corridor (a.k.a. FOLC) is a grass roots, non-profit organization cobbled together by regular folks trying to breathe life back into New Orleans. The Lafitte Corridor runs through several historic New Orleans neighborhoods that stewed in the floodwaters caused by the failure of faulty levees that crumbled during Hurricane Katrina.
The flooding of New Orleans was a man-made tragedy far greater in scope than the destruction of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Hundreds of thousands of US citizens remain displaced far from their homes in cities like Atlanta, Houston; yet, the government has only allocated a fraction of the funds that were disbursed to families affected by 911 in NYC to help the Katrina diasporees. Even worse, the paltry assistance being offered has yet to reach many of the victims, making it impossible to return home and gut/rebuild their homes. Meanwhile, their neighborhoods resemble vast, moldy, ghost towns.
FOLC is spearheading the drive for a linear park through the Lafitte Corridor. Stretching from the French Quarter to Bayou St. John, the Lafitte Corridor was first known as the Carondolet Canal, a ditch dug by the Spanish in the 1600’s to enable commercial goods to get to New Orleans without need for sailing 50+ miles up the Mississippi River. Eventually, the canal was covered and a railway was built along the corridor. Decades ago, the railroad stopped using much of the corridor and the tracks were ripped up last year.
The city’s master transportation plan calls for the corridor to become a bike trail and over $400,000 is available now for the project. Unfortunately, city officials are busy concentrating on more pressing, major emergencies. City Hall has also been pressured by private investment groups to sell portions of the land. If this occurs, the land will be broken up forever.
Last week, I was elected to serve on FOLC’s board of directors (a volunteer/no pay position). I have vowed to do all in my power to see the project to completion. We’ll soon be adding a PayPal donation button to the FOLC website and are planning a fundraiser too. If Goat, Jacob & Sean like the idea of helping “FOLC’s” in New Orleans, I’ll work to coordinate a cooperative endeavor.