News about the Printz Family

Feb 4, 2012

I just returned home from some of the toughest motorcycle riding I've ever done. I traveled to Castaic to participate in Rawhyde's "Next Step" training, then followed that up with a five-day ride into Death Valley on the Rawhyde "Expedition CV". I'll be following up with a trip journal with photos and video.

I've been getting very lax in keeping updating this web site ................ mostly because I've been keeping in touch with a lot of folks on Facebook. NO MORE. Keep checking in here for more news and trip journals.

Linda and I have both been busy traveling and motorcycling. I'm going to make a big effort to update this site and keep it current. Maybe I'll do some reorganization to make it a little easier to follow.

Aug 15 , 2011

Thinking of Kevin today - it would have been his 48th birthday.

July 17, 2011

Kyle and I had a nice little exchange on Facebook Chat the other night. He was a little under the weather and taking the day off to get some rest. He was upbeat and seems to have the right outlook to get through his deployment in good shape. He's getting some care packages and enjoys the goodies. The day I talked to him, he had received a package from his uncle Jon (actually second cousin, I think) and he was particularly moved by an old hat of his Dad's that Jon had been saving. Thanks Jon.

Bill, David, and I went on a two-day motorcycle ride to the coast earlier in the week and had a great time. CLICK HERE to read more about it and see some photos.

Linda and Kathy drove to the Bay Area and visited Filoli Gardens about 10 days ago. Last Tuesday they visited the California Military Museum and the Governor's Mansion. This Tuesday, they're headed to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.

Bob and Donna were over Thursday for a nice visit. Linda cooked up some spaghetti for lunch and we spent the day visiting and playing poker. For dinner we headed for the Folsom In-N-Out for a healthy, all American meal of hamburger, fries and coke.

I traded in my 2005 BMW R1200GS for a brand new 2011 BMW R1200GS - I made the swap on July 8. I can't really explain why I did it - the old GS has been a faithful ride and still has plenty of adventures left in her. I just caught "new bike fever" while talking with folks about all the improvements BMW has been making to this bike in recent years and had to see for myself. The new model is definitely a superior motorcycle .............. is it worth the money? Maybe ........ I'll soon find out. My next big planned adventure is a trip to Torrey, UT in late September. I'm sure there will be some local warm up rides sooner than that.

July 05, 2011

On June 27, 2011, Bill Pryor and I returned from an 8-day motorcycle ride to the Leavenworth, WA area to attend the Rawhyde Pacific Northwest Rally. We had a few adventures on the way up, exploring some of the less traveled roads. Once there, we had a great 3 days exploring the mountains of western Washington with a bunch of great guys.

One of the highlights for me was being able to ride with Jonah Street, many time winner of the Baja 1000 and top 10 finisher of the Dakar rallies. He led a group of about 10 riders on a 100 mile ride on the dirt roads and trails around Leavenworth. He is a great, down-to-earth fellow and it was an honor to share some time with him. In the photo on the left, that's Jim Hyde on the left, Jonah Street in the middle, and me on the right.

I am currently working on a trip journal and trying to put together some videos. I also took a lot of photos which I've put out on Flickr. You can see them by CLICKING HERE

June 14 , 2011

Kyle has been in Afghanistan for about a month. I've exchanged a few Facebook messages with him and talked to him on Skype one night. He seems in good spirits and is working very hard over there. He works 12 hours a day, seven days a week - midnight to noon. He gets only three or four days off each month. He can't really talk to much about conditions over there - security and all that stuff that seems kind of corny except that it's real. If you're reading this, it couldn't hurt to say a prayer for his safe return. If you'd like his mailing address or his email address, let me know and I'll get it right to you.

Linda had a great vacation cruising the Greek islands and came home with hundreds of photos. She's still working on organizing them.

I continue to do lots of motorcycle riding. On May 25, David, a riding buddy, and I went on a four-day ride to the Carrizo National Monument and took the opportunity to see a lot of central California. To see some of the photos I shot, CLICK HERE. I also used my GPS data to show our route on GOOGLE EARTH.

On June 9, David and I went on a two-day ride to explore northern Nevada. CLICK HERE to see my trip journal.

Tomorrow, Linda and I are going to ride our Honda ST1300 to Bodega Bay then travel up the coast to Fort Bragg. We'll spend the night and return home Friday by a different route.

Monday, June 20, I am riding up to Washington with Bill, another riding buddy, to attend the Rawhyde Pacific Northwest Rally. We'll be gone 8 or 9 days. We'll spend four days exploring the mountains and deserts of Oregon on the way up - those parts not covered up by snow. In Washington we'll spend three days camping out and exploring the mountains east of Seattle.

May 07, 2011

Today will be a day of waiting. Linda is returning home from Greece today and is schduled to arrive around midnight. I can't seem to get interested in doing anything and it looks like I'll just be sitting here waiting for her to walk through the door. She's been out of contact the entire time and it will be good to get a phone call when she gets back into cell phone range. Yesterday I got a post card she sent when she arrived in Greece.

While she was gone, I've been doing a lot of motorcycle riding. Last Saturday I joined the Gold Country Dual Sport Riders (GCDSR) on their April 150 ride. We explored about 150 miles of back roads in the Folsom, Coloma, Georgetown, and Foresthill areas - all within 50 miles of our house. This was a great ride with a few tip overs and a couple of mechanical breakdowns. CLICK HERE to see a video I made from shots taken from my helmet camera.

Kyle will be shipping out to Afghanistan any day and he's on my mind a lot. If you think of saying a prayer for him, that would be good.

April 30 , 2011

Thinking of Kevin today. It's hard to believe it's been over 13 years since I talked to you. Every time I think about Kyle, I feel the pride you must feel as you see him becoming a fine, young man. I see a lot of you in him - he's a chip off the old block. You were in one of my dreams a couple of weeks back, but I didn't get to talk to you - drop in again one of these nights and we'll visit a little.

April 25 , 2011

This afternoon, Linda and I had lunch with Kyle and Natalie, a nice looking young lady who he's been spending a lot of time with lately. This will be the last time we see him this time, tomorrow he's headed back to Yuma.

On Easter Sunday, Debbie planned to host an event including Easter egg hunts, games, prizes and a lot of other fun activities. Unfortunately, mother nature had other ideas and the day, in the Georgetown area, began with wind and rain. Not a quitter, Debbie moved the event to the bar at the Georgetown Hotel. Everyone enjoyed the day even without the Easter Egg hunt.

Tomorrow, Linda is also leaving for her 12-day cruise of the Greek Islands. She and Kathy have been planning this little trip all winter and are looking forward to it. They will be on a much smaller ship than usual and it proves to be interesting.

I have a couple of motorcycle trips in the works to keep me occupied. It looks like the weather my be taking a turn for the better and I'm looking forward to some warm, sunny weather. We'll see how it goes.

April 22 , 2011

Thinking of Ina today. It would have been her 81st birthday.

April 20 , 2011

We spent the evening at the Roy and Buffi Ratkovich home. They hosted a little multi-purpose get-together to celebrate their 42nd anniversary, Buffi's birthday, and Kyle's being home on leave. Other guests were Doug & Debbie, Doug's siblings, Corey (sp?) & Danica, and Kyle's new girlfriend, Natalie. Roy cooked up some delicious tacos and tamale pie - if I ate that way every day, I would soon weigh 300 pounds.

We're hoping to meet up with Kyle and Natalie for breakfast tomorrow and see him one more time at a Schrader family Easter get-together Sunday.

Kyle is headed back to Yuma on Tuesday, April 26 and will be shipping out to Afghanistan soon after.

April 11 , 2011

I passed another milestone a couple of weeks ago - the B-I-G 70. It's getting harder and harder to deny that I'm getting old even though I feel like a 25 year old masquerading as and old man.

Linda and I have both been able to do some traveling in spite of the crummy weather around here.

In late March, Linda and Kathy drove to New Mexico to spend a week with Road Scholar learning about the history and culture of Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos areas. They both enjoyed the trip. CLICK HERE to see a slideshow Linda put together from the photos she took. Saturday morning, she heading out to Ventura to join another Road Scholar group to explore the Channel Islands. She's driving down there alone and right now I'm following her progress on SPOT. In late April and early May, she's booked on a cruise to the Greek Islands and Istanbul.

I've been doing a lot of day trips with my local riding buddies. I recently purchased a HD movie camera that can be mounted on my helmet or various places on my motorcycle. In January I mounted it on the motorcycle for a ride with the GCDSR around Lake Berryessa and the Knoxville Recreation area. CLICK HERE to see the movie I made of our ride. Things were a little shaky on the rougher sections of road and I decided the helmet mount is probably better. In early March, Bill, David, and I rode up to the Spenceville Wildlife Area and hiked 2.5 miles each way to Fairy Falls. CLICK HERE to see that movie. About 10 days later, I again joined the GCDSR on a ride down the Sacramento River to Rio Vista. CLICK HERE to see our ride which included a couple of river crossings by ferry - kind of fun.

Bill, David and I have some longer trips in the works in the next month or so. The only problem with the longer trips is that the weather isn't cooperating. It continues to be wintry in the higher elevations and more white stuff has shown up there in the last few days. Originally, we'd planned to do some exploring in the Black Rock Desert area of northern Nevada next week , but it snowed up there just yesterday and temperatures are dropping below freezing at night. Another potential ride along the north coast of California doesn't look good for next week either - rain is forecast for several days and there's been a major slide on Hwy 101 north of Garberville. I guess we'll just have to be content with some day trips and put off the longer stuff for a couple more weeks.

Linda and I are planning a big motorcycle ride in July and August. The ST1300 is all ready to go ........... we finally have an intercom setup that works flawlessly - gotta love technology. Another sticking point is that Linda has always been uncomfortable on this motorcycle because he legs are too short to reach the footpegs. This made her feel unstable and also didn't allow for good posture and back position - this results in pain and fatigue after a couple of hours. Through word of mouth, I found a small machine shop in the Diamond Springs area that fabricated a mount that raised the footpegs by four inches - he did a great job and it looks like original equipment. The best part is that Linda now feels comfortable and can ride all day without getting sore and tired. A few weeks ago, we rode to Rio Vista for lunch and wound up spending the entire day enjoying the sun, scenery and backroads of the Sacramento River Delta. CLICK HERE to see some scenes from this ride.

March 07 , 2011

Happy 92nd Birthday, Dad.

February 26 , 2011

Happy Birthday, Linda.

January 28, 2011

Cranked up my new Dell tonight - my first new computer since April, 2004. It looks like I have a long way to go to get all my software (old & new) installed, all my data transferred, and everything set up the way I want it. I'm hoping Garmin and some other paranoid software vendors aren't going to cause me problems in trying to install their software on a second computer ....

January 25, 2011

Linda and Kathy went to a Sacramento Historical Society meeting tonight and saw a 10 pound gold nugget discovered in Nevada County last year. Linda and Kathy were both quoted in this article in the Sacramento Bee describing the event.

January 24 , 2010

Lester's house is up for sale and Linda continues the work of winding up his affairs. The bureaucratic nonsense is unbelievable. Lester was a meticulous record keeper. You'd think this would be a help but instead, I think it confuses things. Is that old bank account from 1988 still active? The balance is sizable - could it still be in there? That long list of savings bonds .... were they cashed in? All this stuff needs to be checked out. Every drawer, every box, every folder has to be examined - document by document. She's found current information buried in the strangest places.

The hardest part is going through his stuff and trying to decide what to keep and what to let go. As we go through all the equipment and tools he accumulated over his lifetime to support his hobbies, I'm reminded again how little anyone else cares about things we consider important. All his valuable - to him - hardware is just so much junk to us. It gives me some perspective about my own junk - maybe I won't worry about it so much.

I've been doing a lot of motorcycle riding lately. About a month ago I responded to a fellow who was looking for retired riding buddies that could ride during the week and were also looking for multi-day adventures. To top it off, he was looking for "Adventure Riders" who were interested in leaving the pavement for extended periods. Five of us met for breakfast at a restaurant in Auburn and four of us seem to have hit it off. I've been on four rides with these guys in the past couple of weeks and we have more planned. When the weather turns, we're going on a three-day ride to see if we can live together. It looks like we might have a group going. We haven't been much for photos so far but I did manage to bring my camera along on this visit to the Gray Lodge Wildlife Refuge.

Saturday I joined the Gold Country Dual Sport Riders (GCDSR) for a great ride. We met up in Davis, rode around the west side of Lake Berryessa, through the Knoxville Recreation Area to Hwy 16, then continued on more backroads to Arbuckle. From there we split up to make our separate ways home.

I shot the video right with a new HD camera. It's mounted on the motorcycle, about knee high, and things look a little faster than they were. I think I'll mount it on my helmet next time which should slow the action down and make things smoother. I also shot a few photographs along the way - CLICK HERE to see them.

Earlier in the week, Linda and I decided to take a few days to get away from home and enjoy the solitude and majesty of California's north coast. Linda has been spending a lot of time and energy winding up her Dad's affairs and it seemed like a good idea to give her a little break. We drove to Fort Bragg on Tuesday then spent Wednesday motoring south to Bodega Bay before heading back inland. The weather was perfect, the traffic was light, and the roads were great. We'll be making it a longer visit next time. As usual, plenty of photo opportunities were available. CLICK HERE to see them.

December 29 , 2010

We're thinking of Forrest today - it would have been his 15th birthday.

December 28 , 2010

Linda's Dad, Lester Knight, passed away peacefully in his sleep at approximately 10:00 PM tonight. He will be missed.

December 18 , 2010

I had a nice, long chat with Kyle last night. He is doing well. Yesterday he accompanied his Sergeant Major and Master Sergeant to San Diego to watch his Gunnery Sergeant graduate. After attending the ceremonies, they visited wounded Marines at Balboa Hospital. It sounds like quite an honor to me. He's looking forward to celebrating Christmas with his Mom, Doug, and Doug's Mom and Step dad in Bullhead City, AZ.

I spent the past couple of sunny days before the yesterday's storm hit riding my ST1300 to Fort Bragg and then down the coast to Point Reyes. On the way over I traveled to Lake Berryessa then took the back roads to Clear Lake, then to Boonville, over to the coast and spent the night in Fort Bragg. Berryessa-Knoxville Rd had me wondering if I was on the right bike. I rode down the coast to Point Reyes then over to Petaluma, then to Napa where I picked up Hwy 12 and rode it to Rio Vista. From there I rode up the river and home. A GREAT COUPLE OF DAYS. To see some photos I took on this ride, CLICK HERE. This link to GOOGLE EARTH will show my route and the locations where I took some of the photos.

A couple of hours ago Linda returned home from a four-day trip to San Luis Obispo where she toured Hearst Castle and took in some of the local attractions. I'm sure she took lots of photos which we should be putting out there in the next couple of weeks.

December 11 , 2010

Wow. Three months without a comment. I've kind of let my website stagnate over the past few months. I've been playing around with the idea of turning it into a BLOG. Before I do, I have to do some research, learn how to do it, then convert my website. It sounds like a good project for some rainy days this winter. We've been very busy with a lot of stuff happening in our lives that has proved distracting. In this post, I'll cover our life highlights since early September.

It looks like this could be a wet year for Northern California - one can only hope. So far we're ahead in rainfall totals and the mountains have received plenty of snow. I was out on a motorcycle ride a couple of weeks ago and we ran into a few inches of snow and icy roads around 3,000 feet. Part of our group went a little higher in elevation and found themselves in feet of snow.

Linda has fully recovered from her August 23 carpal tunnel surgery. I'm happy to report that her early indications of success have been borne out and the tingling and numbness is history.

Thanksgiving this year was a very low-key affair for us. We went out for dinner with Bob and Donna and their grandson at a Mimi's restaurant. It was actually an excellent meal and we all ate waaaay too much. After dinner we enjoyed their company at their home while playing a little friendly poker. I made $0.35 and went home a happy camper.

The holiday spirit has been dampened some because Linda's Dad is declining rapidly and Linda has had to take some drastic action. In the past month or so there have been two life changing developments in Lester's life. His doctors have recommended he be placed in the care of hospice, which means the end is near. Second, he requires 24/7 care and his caregiver of the past 6 years can no longer manage by herself. The only option was to place him in an assisted living facility that also provides round the clock nursing care. He moved into his new home the day before Thanksgiving and he seems to have settled into his new situation without too much difficulty. We hope his final days are peaceful.

Kyle continues to do well in the USMC. He is currently stationed at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, AZ. We don't hear too much from him, but he always sounds upbeat and positive. He was able to come home for a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving and we were fortunate to spend a little time with him - not enough time, but it was really good visiting with him. The scuttlebutt is that his unit will be deployed to Afghanistan sometime in mid 2011.

In September, we took the long way to Montana for Brandon and Mehgan's wedding and saw a lot of the west. I've finally finished organizing our GPS tracks and making a map of our journey and organizing the many photos we took. Following are some links with more information about our trip:

Daily Blog that I published with my new Android

Our Route (GPS Tracks) on Google Earth with some geo-located photos

Slideshow of Selected Photos

All Photos

Last, and maybe least .......... In early November I decided to get back into my martial arts training. I injured my shoulder (torn rotator cuff) almost exactly 2 years ago and used it as an excuse to get fat and lazy. The first couple of weeks were quite a shock, but I'm now back in the groove - it feels good to start getting back in shape.

September 06 , 2010

On August 23, Linda underwent carpal tunnel surgery. She passed her post-operative checkup with flying colors and is now waiting for everything to heal up. She can already tell that the surgery was a success - the numbness and tingling she has experienced for many years is finally gone.

On August 17, I headed east on my motorcycle to explore the Colorado mountains with Rawhyde Adventures. I had a great week of riding. CLICK HERE to read my write up of the trip - photos and Google Mapping included.

In less than a week, Linda and I are heading out on a road trip in our Toyota that will take us over 10,000 miles before election day. We are going to travel east to Colorado, then meander up to Montana in time to make Brandon's wedding. From there we will travel east to Maine and enjoy the fall colors. Then on to the Florida Keys - between hurricanes - and back home via the southern tier of states.

August 31 , 2010

Thinking of Forrest today.

August 15 , 2010

Remembering Kevin on his 47th birthday. It does no good to wonder what might have been, but I play that game a lot, especially today.

July 26 , 2010

On July 18, Linda and Kathy left for a fabulous week of Mozart, Bach, Handel, Vivaldi at the San Luis Obispo Mozaic Festival. If you like classical music, this is THE place to be. The festival is held every year in July. Not only do you get away from the heat, but the performances are absolutely first-rate. CLICK HERE to see a slideshow that Linda created from some of the photos she took. To see more photos she shot on this trip, CLICK HERE

While Linda was gone, I did a lot of motorcycle riding on the local roads close to home. I took my camera with me on July 20 when I spent the day riding over three Sierra Passes in one day. I took a few photos that you can see by CLICKING HERE. I also have a view of my route on GOOGLE EARTH.

All is still well in El Dorado Hills. We don't hear much from Kyle, but what we do hear is all good news.

I have tentatively sold the KZ1000. I have a deposit and the fellow is supposed to pick it up later this week ......... this sale generates a lot of mixed feelings. The motorcycle has been in the family for 33 years but it is becoming an increasingly expensive hobby to keep it in good repair ..... especially at $100/hour.

July 3 , 2010

Linda and I just watched a nice little fireworks display from our back yard. I still think it would be nicer to celebrate our holidays on the actual days rather than a convenient Saturday night .............. but nobody seems to care what I think.

I had a great time at the Rawhyde Northwest Adventure Rally near Leavenworth, WA and made a few new friends. CLICK HERE to read a little more and check out my photos and watch a couple of short videos.

It's starting to look a little more like summer. We still haven't seen anything over 100° but we are seeing temps in the 90s. I have to admit that I don't enjoy the hot weather anymore and I'm already looking back fondly on the cooler days we had a few months back.

June 19, 2010

Linda and I have completed our June travel - well most of it, anyway.

On the Memorial Day weekend, we rode our ST1300 to the Redding area to make some minor adjustments to our "Day Long Saddle". Unfortunately, our long weekend of riding was sidetracked by the weather. Rain, rain, go away .......... It rained so hard one day that we decided to hide out in a motel shortly after lunchtime. When the storm was over the next day, we decided to just head for home - we were both out of the mood for a long motorcycle ride.

On June 9, I rode the ST1300 north for a short visit with the folks in Hamilton. I had a good visit with Dad, Paul, Jay, and Ken and a great motorcycle ride - the ST1300 performed admirably and makes a great long-distance tourer. You can read a little more about my visit and see the photos I took by CLICKING HERE.

On June 10, Linda and Kathy drove north to Portland to check out their annual Rose Parade. While they were up there they visited with some of Linda's family. You can check out Linda's photos and read more about their trip by CLICKING HERE.

My June travel isn't complete - on Tuesday, I'm riding my BMW north to Leavenworth, WA to take part in a Rawhyde Rally. To see what this rally is all about, CLICK HERE. I should be gone about a week.

May 20, 2010

A lot has happened in the past month. Kyle is getting settled into his new assignment at the Marine Corps Air Base in Yuma. So far he seems to be doing well. He likes the Yuma area and now that he's out of training, he's getting treated as a human being by his superiors - he likes that.

Linda's trip with Kathy to Washington, D.C. was a success and she has about 300 photos to share. CLICK HERE to see them.

My motorcycle trip to Death Valley was also a success. CLICK HERE to see my trip journal including lots of photos.

It won't be long before we're gone again. On the Memorial Day weekend, we will be taking the Honda ST1300 on our first trip out of the Sacramento area. We leave on May 28 for Redding and will spend a few days exploring northeastern California after getting some adjustments made on our "Day Long Saddle" we had built in early April.

On June 10, Linda will leave for Portland for their annual Rose Parade. She and Donna made the trip last year and Linda enjoyed it so much she wanted to return this year. While she's there, she'll also attend the high school graduation ceremonies of a cousin. This time she'll be driving up there by herself.

While Linda is in Portland, I'm thinking of riding the Honda to Montana for a short visit. I haven't been up there for several years. I also have an "adventure" motorcycle ride planned for June 24-27 with Rawhyde Adventures in northern Washington. If I ride to Montana, I'll have less than a week between trips which could get a little hectic. Right now, it seems that it would be easily doable with some planning.

April 25, 2010

Linda will be taking off for Washington D.C. in a few days. She and Kathy will spend a couple of weeks there taking in all the historic sights, museums, and monuments. While she's gone I'll be making a motorcycle trip to Death Valley to explore some of the backroads, ghost towns, and old mines. I'm not sure exactly how much time I'll be spending down there but so far it looks like about 5 days. With all the weird weather this winter I'm not sure exactly where I'll be able to travel - as of April 16, some of the backroads are still closed due to snow and another storm will be arriving Tuesday. Can you believe that you have to worry about snow in Death Valley?

We got to see Kyle for breakfast one morning, but he is a busy fellow and we haven't seen him since. Wednesday, he and Linda and I have a date for lunch. Thursday, his mother has organized a pizza feed in Coloma so everyone can come and wish him off on his new assignment in Yuma. Kyle is really looking good. He has gained about 30 pounds of solid muscle - he now stands 6' 3" tall and weights 195 pounds. He's doing really well in the USMC, finishing 2nd in his last training and he's looking forward to getting to work. He'll be assigned to a Harrier Jet squadron in Yuma working in ordnance.

Yesterday, I went out on a dual-sport motorcycle ride with the GCDSR. Some tricky mud, an interesting water crossing, nice weather, spectacular scenery and some great company made for a really fine day. CLICK HERE for some photos.

April 11, 2010

Yesterday Linda and I went out on a motorcycle ride with hundreds of Harleys to raise some money for a just cause. We've never participated in such an event, but one of my friends was one of the organizers of the event. We ran into some of my friends from the GCDSR and had a great day. It's good to be riding with Linda again. CLICK HERE to see some photos and read a little more of the event.

Kyle is due home April 14. It will be good to see him before he reports to his duty station in Yuma.

I have finished our taxes, but since we owe money again, I won't be sending them in until the last minute. I'm always mad and depressed from early April to mid-June every year. I really resent having to send my money to people who don't have a clue how to spend it in a reasonable manner.

April 4, 2010

On April 2 another Printz entered the world. Welcome Riley James Hicks, son of Nicole Printz Hicks and Dan Hicks of Farmington, Utah. Mom and baby are doing fine.

Kyle, Donna, Julie, and I are all another year older and Pete and Sandi have another year of marriage behind them. On April 1, Jay and Janie celebrated another wedding anniversary and later this month, Shelby, Debbie and Dan (Printz) will also be a little older and wiser. Our friends Karen and Tony Silva also have an anniversary on April 17.

Kyle will be winding up his USMC training on April 14 and will be spending about 10 days at home before reporting to the VMA-513, a Harrier Jet squadron in Yuma, Arizona. We're all looking forward to seeing him. We have a motorcycle trip to the coast planned - he'll be riding my BMW R1200GS and Linda and I will be on our new Honda ST1300. I'm really looking forward to riding with him.

As winter winds down, the travel season begins. Early next month, Linda and Kathy are heading to Washington D.C. for a couple of weeks to see the cherry blossoms and historical sites in the area. While she's gone, I am heading for Death Valley on my BMW R1200GS for a solo exploration of some of the back country. It will be good to be on the road again. Other than a few local rides, all of my motorcycle trips in the past couple of years have been as part of a group of riders. Although I enjoy these rides a lot, nothing is like riding alone - I can't wait.

Linda and Kathy are already planning 2011. They've booked a cruise on a small ship (60 cabins) that will depart from Istanbul and make stops in the Greek Islands, Croatia, and Italy before arriving in Venice two weeks later. I'm still working on 2010.

Tuesday I'll be heading for Shasta Lake, CA near Redding, to have a Russell "Day Long" Saddle built for our ST1300. This is the motorcycle seat invented by my Uncle Bill Mayer and made famous by him before he sold out to Russell in the late 1980s. We had one of these seats on our 1986 Gold Wing and it looked as good as new when we sold it in 2004. Uncle Bill was known as the 'Buttmeister' and if you ride on one of his seats, you don't know what a sore butt is.

March 7, 2010

Today is Dad's 91st birthday - he continues to do well. Paul, Jean, Brandon, Mehgan, Sandi, Pete, Ken and Sharon took him out for a little party at the Coffee Cup Restaurant. I called him after the party and had a nice little chat with him. He was in good spirits and pleased that so many people remembered his birthday. He said that life is good for him.

Linda celebrated her birthday on February 26, Kyle's is coming up on March 13 and mine will be on March 14.

I talked to Kyle yesterday - he's currently finishing up his ordnance training at Cherry Point, NC. On April 16, he'll be assigned to a unit in Yuma, AZ where he'll be working with Harrier Jets. He is in good spirits and seems to enjoy life in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Note to Barrack Obama: That's Corps not corpse.

In February, Linda and I escaped the wet weather for 8 days of sun and 75° temperatures. CLICK HERE to read a little more and to view some of the photos we shot while we were there.

Our Honda ST1300 arrived from Texas and it is great - better than advertised. So far the weather and our busy schedule have prevented us from really giving it a test but we have about 500 miles on it and couldn't be happier. It looks like we're going to have a break in the weather and I have some riding planned for the next week or so.

Linda and I continue to live happily ever after in El Dorado Hills. We have a busy 2010 of traveling planned.

January 3, 2010

Here we are in the new year already.

The holidays were very low key for us this year. Without kids around, we find the traditional Christmas celebrations don't seem to work for us. Instead, we quietly reflect on the past year's events and look forward to the next year. On Christmas Day we shared a meal with Linda's Dad and Marti. Linda's Dad remains in generally good health and is getting along fine with Marti's help.

I called my Dad on Christmas Day and he's also doing well. He had no complaints, seems in good health, and is enjoying life in Discovery Care. If I read between the lines a little, I get the idea he would enjoy a few more visits but he understands that everyone is busy living their lives. I hope to be doing as well 22 years from now.

All that being said about low key Christmas celebrations, we decided to give each other one HUGE GIFT. Unfortunately these photos weren't taken by me. Our new motorcycle is sitting in Texas waiting to be shipped next week. We purchased it from an eBay vendor sight unseen. We can't wait to see what shows up at our front door. We have several trips on this bike planned for 2010 - the biggee will be a trip this fall around the circumference of the United States. We want to hit New England in late September to see the fall colors. More to come ..........

We're contemplating a lot of travel in 2010 in addition to motorcycle rides. The only one cast in stone is a trip to Molokai - we'll leave here on February 5 and spend 8 days laying around on the beach.

On New Year's Eve, Bob & Donna and their grandson, Anthony came over and we awaited the new year by playing poker and discussing previous New Year celebrations we have shared. With very few exceptions we have ushered in the new year in the same way for the past 30 years or so.

Kyle was able to get home again. He's been waiting for a school to open up in Pensacola and the USMC was receptive to his request that he work with the local recruiter for a while. He had to pay his own transportation costs, but his time off didn't count against his leave time. Kyle's engagement is off. He and Brenda parted ways while he was home. It's a very tough time for him, but he seems to be coping very well.

December 8, 2009

We're in the midst of a cold snap here in El Dorado Hills - 27° at 8:00 PM. The low tonight is forecast to be 24°, but I'll bet it gets colder. We woke up yesterday to a couple of inches of snow and, up the hill not too far, people found a foot or more of the white stuff. We took a little drive yesterday afternoon and found plenty of snow less than 10 miles from home. We shot a few pictures - CLICK HERE to see them.

Kyle was home for a very short visit over Thanksgiving weekend. He was a very busy boy - he was here only four days and he traveled to Elko, NV to celebrate Thanksgiving with Brenda's family. Linda and I were able to have about an hour of conversation with him at a restaurant before he had to get back to Florida. He seems to be healthy and happy - he's put on about 20 pounds and he's filling out nicely. There is a backlog at his school and he's waiting for an opening so he can complete his training. In the meantime, he's completed some on-line training and doing some of the dirty work on base by standing guard duty and base cleanup. Not fun, but someone has to do it. I'm still not clear on his job, but my understanding is that he will be working on ordinance and helicopters.

We celebrated Thanksgiving with Bob & Donna and their family. Jessica traveled to Portland to celebrate with Tyler and Dan joined Jeanne and her family. I called Dad and talked for almost an hour. He seemed in good spirits and had a lot of news of Bitterroot Valley goin's on. I decreased the frequency of my calls from every couple of weeks to every couple of months and it seems to have improved our conversations. We now have some news to share - it seemed before that nothing ever changed between calls.

Same old stuff with Linda and me - living the good life. We're traveling to Hawaii in early February and this cold snap makes us both ready to enjoy some time in the sun and on the beach. This trip promises to be very interesting - we're spending a week on Molokai, where lepers were banished and kept isolated until 1969. It's going to be a very restful week of laying around on the beach away from all the tacky, touristy junk found on the other islands.

November 15 , 2009

On November 11, my Mom's sister, Josephine Wirtz, passed away in her sleep. She was 86 years old. Her Obituary.
R.I.P. Aunt Jo.

Veterans' Day , 2009

Time is whizzing by ........ I can't believe I haven't updated this page for over a month.

First things first ........... Linda and I both want to thank our veterans for the life we are enjoying. We know it is they who are responsible for keeping us safe. THANK YOU.

Kyle has already completed his next phase of training with the Marine Combat Training Battalion - he graduated yesterday. Brenda surprised him by traveling to San Diego to be there and they spent a nice weekend together in Laguna Beach. I got a nice surprise this morning when Kyle called soon after his arrival in Florida where he will receive his MOS training at the Marine Aviation Training center in Pensacola. Apparently training is a little backed up and he's not sure when his training will begin. He's not 100% sure what his job will be, only that it will be in the general area of Marine Corps aviation. After 30 days of training he will be permanently assigned.

Linda and I traveled to Salt Lake City to help Linda's Uncle Lurlen and Aunt Janet celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary on November 7. We enjoyed a nice dinner with a bunch of nice people and Linda was able to visit with people she hadn't seen for a long time. We also enjoyed the drive - especially the "loneliest road in America".

Linda's trip to Italy was a huge success and she is still going through the hundreds of photos she took. I'll be posting them for general viewing when she finishes.

We continue to live happily ever after here in El Dorado Hills. I'm getting in plenty of motorcycle riding and exploring parts of California I didn't even know existed. Joining up with the Gold Country Dual Sport Riders was one of the best moves I've ever made.

If it wasn't for Obama and his crew trying to destroy our entire way of life, things would be perfect for us. He's already done permanent damage to the country. 2012 can't come soon enough. Hopefully, we can slow him up a little in 2010.

October 5 , 2009

On October 1-2, 2009, I was honored and privileged to witness 620 of America's finest young men bestowed with the title of United States Marine. They had just completed 13 weeks of the most intense military training available on the planet. Among these fine young men was our grandson, Kyle Printz - I think his Dad and Brother are very proud, as are we. CLICK HERE to see some photos and movie clips commemorating this event. He had a lot of family support - Debbie and Doug Ratkovich, Doug's mother and step-father, his girl friend Brenda and her Dad, friends of Debbie (Dawn and Greg) and yours truly traveled from all over to be there. I finally got to meet Brenda for more than a minute and she made a fan out of me. She and Kyle make a great couple.

Kyle is now on a 10-day leave before he has to report for his next training assignment. I'm hoping to isolate him for a day of shooting. He's going to be a busy fellow trying to meet with all his fans while he's home.

Unfortunately, Linda was unable to attend Kyle's graduation because she left for Italy the day before. Originally, Kyle would have completed boot camp in early September and Linda made her trip plans accordingly. The USMC, however, had other priorities and after her trip was paid for and cast in concrete, they delayed Kyle's entry a month and created the conflict.

Linda has a great trip planned and I'm looking forward to hearing about it when she returns home on October 14. Until then, I'm just hanging out waiting for Kyle and riding my motorcycle a lot. The weather has cooled off and it is perfect for riding - clear, sunny skies with temperatures in the 70s.

September 2, 2009

Today is a sad day in the Printz household. Our beloved cat, Pepper, has been in rapidly declining health and today we had to put her down. I can say without reservation that there aren't many people in the world whose passing would make me feel worse. Judging from Linda's mood, the same is true for her.

Pepper came to us in the summer of 1993. She was being given away by a bunch of kids in front of the local Safeway store. Debbie and Kyle, knowing of our recent loss of Sixpack, another great cat, accepted one of these kittens and gave her to us. In case anyone else has a similar idea this time, forget it - both of us have suffered enough loss in recent years and the loss of Pepper has hit both of us very hard. I'm not sure I have many of these losses left in me.

Pepper was a great cat. In the early days she was full of so much piss and vinegar she could hardly contain herself. I could go on and on .................... I'll just leave it at that. I've never been a cat person, however, Pepper became a real part of our family and we both loved her like the little daughter she was. Rest in Peace, Pepper.

August 20, 2009

To celebrate our 26th anniversary Linda and I traveled to Coos Bay, Oregon to attend a week-long Elderhostel program. We stayed at the dormitory of Southwestern Oregon Community College and we learned of the local geology from the college's geology professor by attending lectures and going on field trips to local geological sites. We also learned something about the early people that inhabited the region from the Director of Cultural Services of the Coquille Indian Tribe.

The highlight of the week was a jet boat ride on the Rogue River. We jetted 32 miles upstream to Lucas Lodge where we ate an old fashioned fried chicken dinner. We saw all kinds of wildlife and lots of interesting sights along the way - and that doesn't even count the fancy driving of our pilot.

Another highlight of the week, not too far behind the jet boat ride, was a dune buggy ride in the Oregon Dunes near Florence, Oregon.

CLICK HERE to see some of the photos we shot during the week.

FROM LINDA: Next week I am going to San Diego with a local travel group to do fun tourist things. We will be visiting the Scripps Institute and Aquarium near La Jolla, and touring Coronado Island, La Jolla and Escondido. We will be seeing "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" at The Welk Resort and the San Diego Wild Animal Park in Escondido. In addition, we will be eating at glamorous places like the Highway 101 Cafe, where the menu offerings include great burgers and real milk shakes; the top floor of the Hotel La Jolla where we'll enjoy a panoramic view of the ocean; and Peohe's right on the bay in Coronado. Sounds good to me!"

Kathy and I will be traveling to Italy in October for 12 days. In addition to Rome and Pisa, we will be visiting places we have never seen before like the Amalfi coast, southern Italy and Sicily. The itinerary is quite comprehensive and we are anticipating seeing lots of great things.

Back to Me: Kyle graduates from USMC boot camp on October 2. Unfortunately, Linda made her plans to go to Italy and put up her money before Kyle's boot camp was set and she won't be able to go. I'm planning to ride my motorcycle down to San Diego to attend. I'm really looking forward to seeing him. Coincidentally, a group of riders I know is planning to leave from Ventura on October 3 to ride down to Cabo San Lucas. I'm going to meet up with them somewhere in the San Diego area and go on another adventure.

We've received only one letter from Kyle. He sounded upbeat and says everything is going well. He is much too busy to be writing his grandparents and I understand completely. He has his hands full doing his job.

July 27, 2009

I arrived home from the Great Divide Ride about 11:00 PM on July 18. After 17 days camping out on the trail, I was sure glad to get a decent shower and sleep in my own bed. The next day I didn't move out of the house except to get some breakfast. Linda was still in Montana and the house seemed very empty, but it was still good to be home. I spent the next few days unpacking and cleaning up my motorcycle and got started downloading photos and GPS tracks. It was a GREAT adventure and it will take me some time to get my photos organized and something written up. You can see our route on Google Earth by CLICKING HERE. Each day's route is indicated by a different colored line. Double-click on the day in the left panel to see that day's ride.

While I was gone, Linda kept amused. On July 2, she and Kathy traveled to San Francisco and went on a boat tour of San Francisco Bay. She took lots of photos, but is still working on them. On July 6, she and Kathy again drove to San Francisco, this time to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge - no reason; just that neither of them had done it before. It was a great day and Linda shot some great photos.

On July 11, she departed for Great Falls, Montana to attend an Elderhostel program. She learned about the Lewis & Clark expedition, Charlie Russell's art, and the Plains Indians culture and religion. Met some interesting people from across the U.S. and spent a couple of days with some old friends who live there. She arrived back home a couple of days after my return from the Great Divide Ride. We hadn't seen each other for 20 days which seemed like a very long time indeed.

On August 8, we are going on an Elderhostel program together. We'll drive up to Coos Bay Oregon and spend about a week learning about life on the beach. It promises to be an interesting, peaceful, cool week and we're both looking forward to it.

Kyle's Marine Corps boot camp is well underway - he reported for duty on July 6. I dashed off a letter as soon as I got home, but haven't received anything from him yet. I'm sure he'd welcome any mail - if you'd like his address, send me an email.

June 30, 2009

I just got home from having dinner with Kyle at Three Brothers' Restaurant. The next time I see him he will have graduated from Marine Corps boot camp. He reports to the local processing center Saturday and ships out to San Diego Sunday. I'm heading out of town on the Great Divide Ride tomorrow morning and our paths won't cross again until October. It was hard saying "Good Bye". It would be a gross understatement to say that I'm proud of that young man.

I'll be trying to keep up a blog on The Great Divide Ride. CLICK HERE for more info on the trip.

Linda will be leaving July 11th for her trip to Montana. She will be gone for 10 days and will spend most of the time on an Elderhostel program learning about the early, wild days of Montana. She'll be attending lectures, visiting museums, and taking a lot of interesting field trips. Some of the highlights include: the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, C. M. Russell Museum, Ulm Pishkun Buffalo Jump, Gates of the Mountains Boat Tour, evening Concert in the Park, and a visit to a Hutterite Colony. While she's in the area, she'll spend a couple of days visiting one of her oldest friends in Great Falls.

I've been laying kind of low the past couple of weeks finalizing my preparations for my big ride. Getting everything all packed, getting the bike in shape by getting it serviced, new brakes, new tires, and so on. I've also been playing a lot with the GPS getting all our routes ready to navigate.

Linda has been busy - She's been to San Franciso a couple of times in the past two weeks. She went to to see the opera of Porgy and Bess then returned to the city a week later to see Spamalot, a Monty Python production that sounds a lot like "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". Sunday she went to the David Girard vineyards and heard selections from various operas. Today she went to the California Museum to see an exhibit called Lincoln's Legacy.

June 13, 2009

On June 6, 2009 Kyle graduated high school with the Golden Sierra High School "Class of 2009". The ceremony was held in Garden Valley, CA. Kyle's Aunt Kelly, Joe, August, Naomi, Aunt Hannah, and Gramma Linda traveled down from the Spokane area to watch Kyle receive his diploma. Also there were Kyle's Grampa Dwaine, Great Grampa & Gramma Stew and Evelyn, Aunt Julie, Garry, Chelsey, Ryker. Of course Debbie and Doug were also there. There were also several friends of the family from the Georgetown area that I don't know. Congratulations Kyle! PHOTOS

Linda returned home Wednesday night after spending 5 days touring the Pacific Northwest with Donna. She reports: "I had a great time on my trip to Portland, Victoria and Seattle. Saw the Portland Rose Parade and International Rose Test Garden, rode on a train and several ferries, toured Vancouver by double-decker bus, toured the Butchart Gardens and several of the San Juan Islands. Very nice, but I'm glad to be back home."

I have to admit that I'm also glad she's back home - this old house gets mighty lonely without her in it.

Only a little more than two weeks before I head south for the Great Divide Ride. For those who don't remember, this is 2400 miles of dirt roads and trails that roughly follow the continental divide from the Mexican border near Douglas, AZ to the Canadian border at Roosville, MT. I'll be gone for 19 days if everything goes as planned. My motorcycle is serviced up, I have new tires and brakes, I'm all packed up and ready to go. I can't seem to get going on any other projects - I'm just waiting, and waiting and waiting .................

While I'm on my little adventure, Linda is making a double purpose trip to Montana. She will be gone for 10 days and will spend most of the time on an Elderhostel program learning about the early, wild days of Montana. She'll be attending lectures, visiting museums, and taking a lot of interesting field trips. Some of the highlights include: the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, C. M. Russell Museum, Ulm Pishkun Buffalo Jump, Gates of the Mountains Boat Tour, evening Concert in the Park, and a visit to a Hutterite Colony. While she's in the area, she'll spend a couple of days visiting one of her oldest friends in Great Falls.

Kyle is spending his last days at home before reporting for Marine Corps boot camp on July 6. We're trying to sneak in a motorcycle ride together before we both head out, but the KZ1000 is currently in the shop with some valve problems. Our mechanic is tearing it down Monday and we have our fingers crossed that it will be something easy to fix.

June 8 , 2009

Linda and I wish to extend our condolences to our dear friend Bob Brown and his family on the passing of Bob's mother, Lorena Brown, 94, of Anderson who died Sunday, June 7, 2009 at her residence. May she rest in peace.

May 30 , 2009

Another busy month is coming to an end. We've spent the last three days going to graduation doin's.

Thursday night we went to Anthony Brown's high school graduation at the Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento. Anthony was valedictorian of the 350 student "Class of 2009" of Center High School and as such, gave a speech in front of a huge audience. It was actually quite a speech and was well received.

Friday evening Debbie and Doug threw a barbeque style party for Kyle to celebrate his upcoming graduation and departure for Marine Corps boot camp in July. There was a great turnout and lots of good food. I forgot my camera but was able to use Debbie's camera to shoot a few photos of the folks that were there.

Today we went over to Bob & Donna's to Anthony's graduation party. Again, lots of folks showed up and there was too much food. Six of Anthony's classmates were also there - nice young men all. I forgot my camera again, but Linda remembered hers and took a few pictures.

I rode down to Castaic for the Rawhyde Adventure Rider Challenge on May 14 and spent 4 days camping out, riding, and watching the big boys put their Adventure Motorcycles through their paces. A lot of fun .... Photos.

Linda went on a magical mystery tour with Sports Leisure Vacations on May 7. She traveled to Galt to tour a factory where Styrofoam columns and other building facades are made. It was a very interesting tour. Finding out that most of the gingerbread one sees on houses and buildings is actually Styrofoam was quite an enlightening experience. Following that tour, the bus took them to Ione to tour the Prescott Castle which is a former reform school for boys. It has been plundered and there is major damage to the structure inside and out, but a group of local folks are endeavoring to rehabilitate the building so it can be used for social events like catered dinners and weddings. Afterwards they had lunch at the Twisted Fork restaurant on Main Street in Ione, which was more than satisfactory. Then they headed out for a country ride to Clements where they stopped at a local fruit stand/shop. Linda brought home cherries and nuts. Yum! She said these were places she never would have gone to on her own, but having gone there on a mystery tour, it turned out to be a very interesting way to spend a day.

On May 15, Linda, Kathy and Cecelia went to the spring performance of the River City Chorale. It was another fabulous show. Linda can't get over how a group can come up with so many different ideas for shows year after year and have each new show be the best one yet.

Linda went to a local playhouse production of Evita at the 24th Street Theater in downtown Sacramento on May 17. She really enjoyed this production. She has seen Evita several times and, again, it is fascinating to see how each time it is the same story and music, yet there are always unique touches to make it special. At this performance, pictures of the real people, Eva and Juan Peron and others, were splashed on screens set up at the back of the stage set. It was the perfect touch to make this performance unique.

On June 5, Linda and Donna are heading to Portland and Victoria for a Sports Leisure Vacations trip called "Everything's Coming Up Roses". They will stay two nights in Portland and see the Grand Floral Parade, attend a concert in the park, and visit the International Rose Test Gardens. They will then head north to Victoria, British Columbia, where they will be doing some touring by double-decker bus, visiting the Butchart Gardens, and enjoying High Tea at the Empress Hotel. Heading south to the Olympic Peninsula, they will visit Sequim and Poulsbo, and then return home on June 10 from Portland. Both of them are really looking forward to this little adventure.

April 30 , 2009

We're thinking of Kevin today, the 11th anniversary of his death. Linda and I went out to the cemetery around noon to pay our respects and leave a few flowers. As we walked out to the grave we saw Debbie there paying her respects and had a nice little visit with her. Kyle rode his Dad's KZ1000 out for a visit wearing his Dad's motorcycle helmet and leather jacket. I'll bet Kevin really liked that. CLICK HERE to read a little more of Kevin and his life.

April 16 , 2009

Dad celebrated his 90th birthday on March 7 with a little family get together at Discovery Care. On March 14, Kyle's Aunt Julie held a joint party to acknowledge several birthdays - Linda's, Kyle's, His Grandma Jane's, and mine. CLICK HERE to see some photos taken at the party. Check out the YouTube video at right to see Kyle enjoying the gift given to him by Garry and Julie - WOW!

On April 5, Linda traveled to Santa Cruz for a week-long retreat at the Land of Medicine Buddha where she took classes on healing the mind and body and developing a good heart. She practiced yoga and meditated every day, walked in the forest when it wasn’t raining, ate vegetarian meals, and attended classes on herbology, cooking with herbs, the healing properties of herbs, and aromatherapy. It was just what she needed - the relaxing atmosphere of the redwood forest away from the frantic demands of our society and the daily barrage of "the sky is falling" news. She came home relaxed and anxious to try out some of the new things she learned. I have to admit that I am enjoying the new smells around the house as she puts her new knowledge of essential oils and aromatherapy in practice.

In late March, I rode my motorcycle to southern California to join up with Rawhyde Adventures for a dual-purpose motorcycle trip they call the ride to Base Camp Alpha. I really enjoy these little adventures and this was no exception.

A week earlier I joined a pre-ride of the propose route for the Gold Country Dual Sport Rider's (GCDSR) March ride which was scheduled for March 21. Much to our surprise, we ran into quite a bit of snow at elevations under 4,000 feet. CLICK HERE to see some photos of a challenging couple of miles east of Georgetown just south of Wentworth Springs Road.

Saturday, the GCDSR is going out on their April ride and it promises to be a great one - I'm ready to go.

I'm still sorting through the 1600 photos we took on our cruise around South America. Sooner or later I'll have our route plotted on our Travelogues map and all the best photos available for viewing.

All is good in our world.

One little thing ............ Microsoft has released the latest and greatest version of their browser, IE 8. Unfortunately, in their infinite wisdom, they've decided to quit supporting certain behaviors of their previous versions. This causes me some minor problems. If you notice any of my web pages acting strangely, please email me and I'll try to fix them. I have over 2,000 pages on my site and can't possibly check every one. Thanks Microsoft.

March 1 , 2009

About a week ago, Linda and I returned from our greatest adventure together. The only other trip that even comes close was our Sea-to-Shining-Sea motorcycle trip in 2003. We flew to Florida, spent a few days exploring the area, then we boarded The Mariner of the Seas for a 46-day cruise around South America to Los Angeles. We traveled 19,775 miles, stopped in 15 of the world's most interesting places in 10 countries, crossing the equator twice along the way. I wrote a day-by-day journal of our adventure that you can see by CLICKING HERE.

Kyle's road trip to Washington was a success. He ran into a lot of snow, cold, and bad roads, but he was prepared and everything went OK. Kyle reports that he's getting all "A"s in this semester. He continues to prepare for Marine boot camp by driving to Placerville once a week for physical training with his fellow recruits.

Linda and I are making our travel plans for the year and it looks like its going to be a busy year. In late March I'm heading for southern California to participate in an off-road motorcycle trip, called the ride to Base Camp Alpha, sponsored by Rawhyde Adventures. In May, I'm tentatively planning to go to another Rawhyde Adventures event called Adventure Rider Challenge 2008. In July, I'm joining 11 other riders for the Great Divide Ride, 2400 miles of dirt roads and trails that roughly follows the continental divide from the Mexican border near Antelope Wells, NM to the Canadian border near Roosville, MT. My high school class of 1959 is holding a 50th anniversary celebration in Hamilton in September - I can't imagine not making that. I'm also thinking about a ride in South America from Santiago, Chile to Ushuaia, Argentina the southernmost city in the world, in December, but I'm going to see how I survive the Great Divide Ride first. Ushuaia was one of the ports of call on the cruise we just finished.

Linda will be going to a week-long retreat in the Santa Cruz area in April and she and Kathy are planning a trip to southern Italy and Sicily in October. She's also thinking about driving up to Montana to visit friends in Great Falls while I'm on the Great Divide ride - this will be a surprise to the folks in Great Falls.

Linda celebrated a birthday on February 26, and in the next two weeks or so Kyle, Dad, and I will be another year older. Time continues its relentless march ......... it's getting harder to stay ahead of it.

Printz Family Archives