First Travel letter, the 25th of September 1994
San Francisco

I bought a red BMW R100GS 1991 with 25.000 miles on the odometer from Gary Wasserman, who I also met using E-mail before I left Denmark. Because the differences in taxes, I have registered the bike and taken my drivers license in New Hampshire. While I was waiting for all the paperwork to get done, I made a few trips in that area, and I recommend route 100 through Vermont and route 112 through New Hampshire. I was later told that I could have driven all the way up to the highest point in NH, Mt Washington, I have to try that some time later. In Maine I was very impressed with the way the island Acadia is prepared for the tourists. They have made a special sight-seeing road all around the island and up to the top of a mountain there, so you don't have to leave your car at all, I think we should take this a bit further, why not put it all on WWW, in that way we don't have to leave our office.

I finally started my journey west the first week-end in September, and I can very much recommend route 23 which starts west of Springfield and continues almost to the Finger lakes in New York state. I camped on the so far most expensive camping site (19 $) near Ithaca, in the morning I met a lot BMWs from a BMW rally just a few miles from there, so I followed them and joined the Finger Lake rally, which was a very nice experience. I really don't know why, but I ended up being a member of a very special group "BMW Party riders of Greater Toledo" who have 2 objectives here in live, the other is to place small stickers with the number 191 on everything which has that number, so now I have finally got a goal with my journey. It is really difficult to find such things, but on the other hand I am glad I didn't join a 55 club (the speed limit).

After the rally I went to see the Niagara falls and continued into Canada taking a ferry over Lake Huron, here I met Rob and Bree, and the three of us teamed up all the way to Bemidji, where Rob had to continue his studying.

The Mississippi starts in this area so I went out to see that. The river springs out of a lake through a kind of a swamp, but at the time when it was discovered it was decided to change that, because this was not the way to start a great river, so a barrier was build and a stream was created so now you can really see the start of this great river.

Bree had to go to Regina in Canada so I followed her there and continued further on to Calgary. The distances in the mid-west are really amazing but I managed to get through without getting any speed-tickets.

Route 1 from Calgary and west is really amazing, probably the best I have tried so far, there was all ready snow on the mountains, and it was a bit cold but it is really a scenic drive. After The Banff national park, I followed route 97 down to the USA and took route 20 west right out to the west-coast.

On the West-coast I followed route 101 south, a nice route although the fog coming in from the sea can be quite cold. The route follows the coast with a great view for a many miles. Part of the road goes through areas with redwood trees, The worlds biggest and oldest trees, 100 meter tall and up to 2000 year old - really impressive. When I entered California from Oregon I happened to end up on a small road which just got smaller and smaller and went up and up, in the end I was on the top of the highest mountain in that area, I am glad I got a GS, as this would have been impossible on a Gold-Wing. On the top there was a look-out post, where a woman was watching out for fire, imagine a little apartment with windows to all sides 10 miles to the nearest neighbor, the pacific ocean to the west, what a sunset she must have.

Further south I followed route 1 all the way down to San Francisco this road is really winding, I actually happened to scrape one the foot-pegs, which I though was impossible on a GS, but as I learned on the MSF course if you need to turn tighter you just press harder on the handlebar.

I had seen that there was a BMW-rally east of Sacramento, so I spend last week-end there. I won the price for the person who had traveled the longest distance to the rally. On Saturday afternoon there was a very nice trip on the west side of Sierra Nevada, some very small steep roads (15 %), I wonder what people do when they meet a car going in the other direction. Some of the towns looks just as you see them in Westerns and it didn't look as if they were build for the tourists. Although the trip was only 130 miles it took 5 hours to do the trip, quite a difference from North Dakota.

This week I have attended SUN's conference for Universities, A very nice conference, I am glad SUN finally does appreciate its roots, It was about time.

Right now I am staying in a very friendly "International Guest House" in the Mission district (Hispanic quarter), you have to have an international passport and stay for at least 5 nights. We are 28 from anywhere, with 4 in a room, the price is 13 $, so I think will stay for some time, the address is

2976 23rd street, near Harrison
San Francisco, CA 94110