Life Changes Prompt Cross-Country Motorcycle Trip for AE Pi Kapp Re-connecting with family, friends, and fraternity by Mike “O’D” O’Donnell, AE 1085 Approaching my 53rd birthday with no job; my daughter preparing to leave home and my mother having had a stroke, I decided that I was overdue for my mid-life crisis. What better way to face my mortality and the big changes that life brings than from the seat of a Harley Davidson for 30 days? I needed to get to Florida to visit my mother and to help my dad move closer to where she would be permanently hospitalized. At the same time, I did not want to miss the last summer I would have with my daughter before she left home to start college. With those goals in mind, my daughter saddled up with me and we headed south from Seattle on August 1st.
O'Donnell and daughter Shea on his Harley.
Our first day took us 400 miles down the I-5 corridor and over to the Oregon Coast Highway. We marveled at the massive rock formations jutting out of the Pacific Ocean; breathed in the cool, salty air, and appreciated views so pristine they were as unspoiled as the day they were first seen by Lewis and Clark. After a wonderful dinner and a good night’s sleep at a cozy sea-side bungalow, we continued our journey down the south Oregon coast and into Northern California. We chatted about life, family and world events via the two-way communication system in our helmets, interrupting each other only to point out the sights. A little American flag flew proudly from the back of our bike. There were long stretches of silence because the sights and sounds and feel of the road filled our senses and no words were necessary. In Northern California the 101 is called The Redwood Highway for good reason. We wound our way through the Redwood Forest between monsters so tall and so thick, they blocked out the sun. We were plunged into darkness, not by a tunnel, but by driving smack through the middle of one of the monsters. We stopped to tour the “Trees of Mystery,” took the cable car to the very top of the forest canopy, and then hiked down in our leathers. After a long hot tub and good night’s rest in Santa Rosa, we toured the wine country and tooled through the heart of the `City on the Bay.’ The steep cobble stone streets, cable cars, tall buildings, and the hustle and bustle of the city were a sharp contrast to the solitude of the northern coast highway. Just south of San Francisco we picked up the famous Pacific Coast Highway. O'Donnell and Pi Kapp little brother Craig Morrison.
Hwy 1 is aptly named because none can rival her. The coastal cities of Santa Cruz, Monterey and Carmel charmed us into staying longer than we had planned. We set out a few hours before sunset to take on the most famed stretch between Carmel and Santa Barbara. The hair pin turns and switchbacks demanded special attention, but they were more easily conquered on two wheels. We gunned it up the steep mountain cliffs, relished the sweeping vistas of the setting sun on the Pacific Ocean, and downshifted quickly to negotiate the dramatic falls from the backside of the cliffs. We stopped briefly to watch a colony of sea lions cuddle up for the night on a lonely stretch of beach. We waived to the Hearst Castle on the cliff and gave thumbs up to the little town of Harmony as we motored south into Santa Barbara for the night.