Friday 31st October 2008: Happy Biker-Helloween

Just a short Happy Biker-Helloween to all of you :-)

Thursday 30th October 2008 : The boys are back in town !

What a fantastic feeling is that - after all the countless wonderful and so warmhearted special people on this trip - there is two wonderful and longing familys waiting for us at Frankfurt/Main Airport, once we get there after having flown from New Yorks La Guardia Airport to Washington and Chicago Ohare thereafter .

Lake Michigan withCHICAGO

All this we once again could do due to Jenny and Joe Rosenberg`s so wonderful ways to help us along, dealing with Air India ( who simply hung up on me calling them 3 times) and Joe taken us to the Airport 6.30 am wednesday morning in New York rush hour.

Sounds so little, but was so much help for us - how much do we look forward to have you in Germany next time....

So all this working out soooooo well we finally touchdown back home Thursday morning at 10.30 am. Happy about so much good on the road - and just as happy to meet our wonderfull folks at home - helping us all along the way through so many hassles - we would never have got trough it all - without YOU. You brought us up to what we have become - and youkept and will keep us going.

You are the greatest treasure in both our lives -
Thank you all as deep as a thank you can ever be !


" Where do we go next, Baba ? "

The Ride-of-Change-Families


Hombre and Baba

Life's gotta be great-not long

You want more ? Please check for the ongoing updates for missing text and pictures. There will be frequently new updates now - start with the Bryce canyon stories at : Ice in Bryce !

A proper "UPDATES" -Button will be installed at the homepage soon - so will I put up the picture galleries to link them here - and guess what this simply wonderful friend Robert did, while we were on tour - he has already prepared most of this !!!
(Thank you buddy once again on this very spot !! Your friend and best man Baba )

Wednesday 29th October : BRING THE BOYS BACK HOME !

"Auf allen Wegen ist Heimkehr ."

Mit diesen Worten von Rainer Maria Rilke haben wir unsere Reise vor 6 Monaten begonnen - und mit diesen Worten endet der Ride-of-Change-2008. In wenigen Stunden werden wir in New York La Guardia an Bord eines Airbus A319 gehen, der uns ueber das Weisse Haus in Washington nach Chicago fliegen wird. Von Chicago Ohare geht es ab 19.55h Ortszeit am heute abend nach Frankfurt/Main in good old Germany.
Touchdown mit Air India Flug 126 in Frankfurt wird am Donnerstag, 30. Oktober um 10.05 h Ortszeit sein.

Wir werden unsere Zeit brauchen , um zuhause anzukommen - aber wir freuen uns einfach unglaublich auf alle unsere lieben Menschen - ohne Euch haetten wir das alles nie geschafft !!

Einfach nur ein sehr bescheidenes
DANKE FUER ALLES

Auch wenn unsere Reise selbst hier zuende ist - Blog und Homepage gehen weiter !

Uebersetzungen aller Seiten, Bildergallerien, Videos, Partydates, Links, Infos, Bewertungen von Material und Maschinen, korrigierte Packlisten, genaue Tracks,vermeidbare Fehler und sonstige (Routen-)Tips....all das und einiges mehr wird nach und nach als update erscheinen.

Jetzt haben aber erstmal unsere Familien, unsere beiden suessen Frauen, unsere Jobs und mein seit einem Monat laufendes Fernstudium ihren Platz.

Naechste Woche werden unsere Bikes hoffentlich schon in Frankfurt und Muenchen landen - ob dann die ersten Schneefahrten anstehen ? Um New York herum hat es heute geschneit - und nach diese Trip wird uns ein bisschen Schnee auch nicht mhr aus dem Sattel werfen !

Danke auch an alle treuen Blogleser und Gaestebuchschreiber - ich habe versucht Euch so gut es unter den teilweise extremen Umstaenden ging, ein wenig von dieser Reise zu zeigen - ebenso wie den fantatstischen Menschen, die uns unterwegs oft in unglaublicher Selbstlosigkeit geholfen haben - und ohne die wir heute niemals von New York abheben duerften. Manchmal ein Spagat im Wissen, es nicht jdem immer recht machen zu koennen.
Immer aber getragen vom Wunsch, Sorgen grundlos zu machen und die einzigartige Schoenheit dieser Welt weiterzutragen - die erst durch eben all diese Menschen so grossartig wird.

Bis bald zuhause in Deutschland !

Hombre und BABA (die Hombres Lena gerade ganz fest die Pruefungsdaumen druecken )

"Returning home is on all your roads"

Taking off to our trip 6 months ago Rilkes words as well mark the start as the end of the ride-of-change-2008. Just a few hours ahead we will step aboard of an Airbus A319 to take us via Washington into Chicagos Ohare-Airport.
Our scheduled touchdown in Frankfurt Germany is supposed to be Thursday 29th at 10.05 am localtime (5.05 am Eastern time).
Looks like we will need our time to really return back home and step out of this travelling project back into everyday routines ( if we ever make it at all ).
By all means we are so much looking forward to see our beloved families, friends and YES our sweethearts again - we would never have made it without you all !

we simply want to say a very humble
Thank you all for what you did for us !

Though the trip itself might come to an end by now - neither the homepage nor the Blog will stop for that.
Translations of either one , picture galleries, videouploads, partydates, infos, evaluating gear and the bikes, corrected packing lists, exact tracks, avoidable errors, hints, advices and routeplanning - find all that time after time updated along the way.

Right now top of the list will be our families, our sweethearts, our jobs and starting right into my distance study for mba running since 1 months without me.
Most likely by next week's Monday our bikes are supposed to arrive at Frankfurt and Munich -hopefully i.e. not our first real snowride- like todays snowfalls around New York.
But even if so - after this trip we will simply keep the rubberside down.

Thank you too all our devoted readers and writers into our Blog and the guestbook. Trying to keep you in touch with us and this wonderful world, it sometimes was not easy at all to pay respect to everybodies wishes - even less regarding the sometimes pretty rough circumstances of that trip.
If it got some of the worlds stunning beauty back to you - carried by some ongoing unbelievable , altruistic hospitality - then I'd be very happy to have taken the effort.

See you soon in Germany - YES , all you wonderful people who made all this trip an unforgettable lifetime event. there is no excuses not to come to Germany :-)

Hombre and BABA

Tuesday 28th October 2008 : Thank you wonderful Rosenberg Family

It is never easy to end a travelling project as was the Ride-of-Change!
After all that was part of this trip - the one thing that made it as special as it was were -

THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE ON THIS PLANET !

And as to deepen this unique and wonderful experience to the very end of this trip we are privileged to spent the most wonderful time one can have in New York -
with the one and only Rosenberg-Family in Long Island :-)
Guess there is not enough space on this Blog here to put down all the
Thank Yous you deserve for all you did for us.

It is great people like you what makes travelling round the world so rewarding and you will very much understand when we write to you :

LIFE IS VERY WONDEFUL - because you are there !

Thank you so much for all your unbelievable hospitality - thus representing one more time all the good that happened on this ride around the globe adding a final and so very special impression to take home with.
Regardless of nations, religions, ethnic groups or political ideas - people like you and all the other great people along make this world a better place and worth to live in.


Hombre and BABA

Monday 27th October 2008 : Shipmybike.com and riding on a pitbull

Time to say Good Bye to the bikes - not at all easy after having ridden more than 48000 kms round the world. But fortunately there is Greg , Dennis and the Berklay Cargo Team (also known as shipmybike.com or the shippingguys.com ) in Long Island.
Wherever you start asking all over the States about reliable people and companies to ship your bike back home or anywhere on earth - you finally end up with Greg, Dennis and their team.
Once finding them in Long Island ( fairly easy and you do not have to run in downtowns peak traffic ) it is again running into great American people helping along .
It is quick to sort out the bikes- just disconnecting the battery, taking out all flammable and possibly explosive fluids and aerosoles ( all this due to airlines safety regulations also applying on your personal flight luggage), filling and signing some forms and paying a very fair and resonable price - especially when you consider the bikes will be home within one week as close to your hometown as can be. Besides there's no hassles about crading the bike or transporting it down south from a seaport all through Germany - being another 2-3 days off for that)
Best of all : Greg and Dennis offer a 100$ discount on anybody who does their shipping with them telling them that you got to them through the Ride-of-Change.
Now there's no more excuses not to go - and if you are thinking to buy a bike in the States - talk to them before you do anything - they are an endless source of knowledege about all you have to know about it.
It was great meeting you Berklay people - thank you so much for all !

This is.....
...the end...my friend !
Greg from Berklay and .....
look who's back !

These guys are bikers from their heart - an if all that they've done already would not have been enough - they even organize the lift back home - but that is much more than just a lift .
It's much more the privilege of riding back home with Sal Di Feo - a longtime motorcycle dealer from Long Island . Sitting in and sharing the front of his truck on the way with his 65 pound Pitbull male Chico is a funny ride - Chico trying to get out of the back to be the "driver" this dog is pure strength and muscles - how happy am I he is a really nice and peaceful character.
On the way home Sal shows us part of his incredible somehundred motorcycle collection.
Nick Mason of Pink Floyd and many other celebrities having been his clients as a dealer, he is a biker and collector from the bottom of his heart It was a pleasure to meet you Sal - and if we make it to be as fit as you once turning 82 - we will be just happy bikers too.
So you see guys : Bikes keep you young - physically and at heart. Let's see how we can get biking on a medical prescription ;-)

No Chico - I am NOT going to kiss you

Baba (still happy Chico was such a nice character)

Sunday 26th September 2008 : I wanna walk through a city, that never sleeps

To find out , if that Big Apple ever sleeps - you have to walk it at night !

Join in for some late nite New York impressions :-)

Sunday 26th October : The BIG Apple

What a vibrant and intense city is this - I will try to rather let some pics tell the story -
but not without a very big and warm hug to the wonderful Rosenberg-Family having me in their home in Long Island while I stay in New York to get everything settled for the way home.
We met in Alaska while they were on a great family trip - and never lost contact ever since.
Thank you so much for making New York not just a big city, but a home for me !

The Statue of Liberty was supposed to be the very final destination for this trip to go -
and there is another story addding on to this and still to come on the blog very soon.
For now I let you think about what my Swiss pocketknife and Miss Liberty share in common :-)

Til I tell you about it I hope you share some of todays impressions with me....

Ground Zero
never forgotten
never understood

Baba (from owntown Manhattan )...more to come - especially the Swissknife-encounter with Miss Liberty ....

Friday 24th October : New Yoooooooooork !

Start spreadin' the news, I'm leavin' today
I want to be a part of it, New York, New York
These vagabond shoes are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it, New York, New York

I wanna wake up in a city that doesn't sleep
And find I'm king of the hill, top of the heap

These little town blues are melting away
I'll make a brand new start of it, in old New York
If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere
It's up to you , New York, New York

New York, New York

I want to wake up in a city that never sleeps
And find I'm A-number-one, top of the list,
King of the hill, A-number-one

These little town blues are melting away
I'm gonna make a brand new start of it in old New York
A-a-a-nd if I can make it there, I'm gonna make it anywhere
It's up to you, New York, New York

Germany - New York
48.000 Kilometers
6 months
6 tyres
3 chainsets
11 countries
countless great people

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH !

it's done

happy - content - silent- a bit proud too

Baba

(details and pics to follow soon)

Wednesday 23rd to Thursday 24th October :Bikers paradise, a festival of turns and colours - Take me home, country road

Almost heaven, west virginia Blue ridge mountains Shenandoah river - Life is old there Older than the trees Younger than the mountains Growin' like a breeze Country roads, take me home To the place i belong West virginia, mountain momma Take me home, country roads All my memories gather round her Miner's lady, stranger to blue water Dark and dusty, painted on the sky Misty taste of moonshine Teardrops in my eye Country roads, take me home To the place i belong West virginia, mountain momma Take me home, country roads I hear her voice In the mornin' hour she calls me The radio reminds me of my home far away And drivin' down the road i get a feelin' That i should have been home yesterday, yesterday Country roads, take me home To the place i belong West virginia, mountain momma Take me home, country roads

I is that song I keep singing all along that absolutely stunning Blue Ridge Parkroad.
Once for really longing home to my beloved people - as wonderful his trip may have turned out -I feel happy to come back home. And slowly with a tiny little bit of sadness something like a little pridecomes up too - not for being an superherolongwayroundsort-of-thing. But for having met so many fantastic people and feelingthe privilege it means, once you really follow and go for your dreams.
Not too many words on the fabulous next 500 miles through an everwinding road southwest to Northeast along Blue Ridge Parkway and once out next into Shennandoah Nationalpark.
It is THE perfect bikergoodbye to America - everwinding perfect roads with almost nothing much to worry about - hey, you can do it on a Harley :-)
Just it is getting cold as ice with all thebeuaty makes camping an icy experience again - and being a bit late in theafternoon today in Shannondoah Nationalpark just 2 hours before sunset the ranger at the southern entry gate tried to persuade me, to spend the night right at the Southgate, as I would nver make it to theparkmiddle before sunset.
Yep, that was a bit of a riding fun by the end of the day - 110 miles with maximum parkspeed set at 35 miles - just two hours laterthe brave 650 nd me left the park again - at the North Gate :-) pretty cold to be honest - but just as happy. Come on, see why....

Impressions from
Blue Ridge Parkway
and
Shennandoah Nationalpark





















GOOD NITE FROM COLD AND CURVY BIKERS PARADISE

Baba (340 happy singing smiling miles to New York )