Emilia, Quinn, Aiden & Luna (July 15, 2024)

I have embarked on what I hope will be a 4 month, 17,000 mile motorcycle ride through the US and parts of Mexico and Canada to visit family and friends and to benefit Children International.  Please consider supporting me – learn more here Will's Charity Ride for Children International - PledgeIt

Quinn & Will

I've arrived in Medford, Oregon 15,455 miles from home.  I had a short ride from Gold Hill to Medford so used time with WiFi to catch up on logistics.  By the time I rolled up to Emilia's home which was at the end of a road at the edge of county maintenance and at a steep incline, I rode up the wrong driveway.  Rolling this 900lbs motorcycle backwards and turning sharply onto gravel is always an exciting experience.  The added bonus was that it was over 100F.  As I corrected that error, I realized at the driveway was a combination of loose dirt and large gravel pieces and after rising, the driveway sloped downward ending inclined towards the house.  For those that know, parking a motorcycle with the front facing downward without the ability to circle around to depart represents a challenge.  After lots of minor degree adjustments in the heavy gravel, I was able to get it facing upwards so that I could ride it out without trying to run around on the heavy gravel.  

Then I met Quinn, 9 years old, Aiden, 3 ½ years old, Emilia, and Luna an 8 month old puppydoodle.  They all welcomed me into their home and out of the heat.  Shortly after being shown to my room for the evening, we jumped in their infinity pool for games of sinkies, water guns, and float jumping.

We didn't get Aiden in the foto as he was still asleep when I launched off.

As Emilia was preparing dinner, Quinn and I played restaurant where I was the customer and she was my wait person.  I ordered a rib eye and salad.  After receiving the bill, Quinn and I worked through how to calculate percentages so she could understand how a tip might be calculated.

After dinner we enjoyed some yummy ice cream in Jacksonville, a cute old gold mining town.  After an early bedtime, I left early to again get ahead of the heat.  It was nice to spend some time with folks with whom I had some connections, Emilia's mom, Carol, and her dad, Michael, both of whom I know since 11^th grade in Commack, New York.