Sarah Shaw at Macmillan (28/5/06)
With regards to your colleague who is travelling America by motorbike I wish him all the success and it definitely sounds like an incredible adventure. We would love him to raise money for Macmillan ...

Mark Relf in Hastings (28/5/06)
I've had a look ... and thought the site brilliant. Your opening story is enough to keep your attention and is quite simply superb. Well done to you and your site builder. I look forward to your disappearance (in the nicest possible way) to read on ...

Amanda Walpole (29/5/06)
Best of luck with your trip. I will keep an eye on the website to see what you have been up to. Be good - if not just be careful and see you in November

Steve Keeble (30/5/06)
Hi Bry
Where are yer?? Did you get laid on the way or lay wayed? Have you found the wheels? Shoes have gone!!
Keebs

Jo (Hastings?)
Dear B,
Just to say, hope that you managed to start your epic journey safely. Will be following your doings with great interest. All the best.
Lots of love - J xx

Mark Relf again (3/6/06)
Badger
Thanks for a very successful ‘send off’ evening and for the colossal hangover the next day. Delighted and amused to read your update and to hear of your safe arrival in the US. Equally pleased to hear you haven’t been quarantined.
Sorry you’re hanging around in all the heat waiting for the Bonny? Find a nice watering hole and a cool beer ... it's gonna help? I bet you can’t wait to start putting some miles on the clock and taking in the sights. 
Good luck, mate
Rooster

Master Ice (3/6/06)
Good luck on the trip and watch out for gators and hurricanes when you hit Florida!
Slim aka Master Ice

Anne (12/6/06)
Hiya Bryan. Sat here at work on NHL Hastings. Got a quiet few minutes for a change so thought I’d check up on you. So glad to hear all is well and you got there safe and sound. Keep having a great time.
Anne xx

Debbie D'Andrea, Blue Heron Bookstore, Ohio (13/6/06)
Bryan
Have a wonderful trip!  Nice to meet you!

Jaxon Cyphert, Akron
Badger - My family and I really enjoyed talking with you (outside of the Stanford Hostel in the Cuyahoga Valley Rec. area on Sunday June 11). Hope all is well and your journey continues to connect you with good Americans. Have fun in Niagara Falls but if you can’t stand the crowds go up the road 10 mins to Niagara on the lake - lots of wineries up there!
Enjoyed your web site and are looking forward to updates. Who are Bart and Lisa getting on the bus? (The Simpsons?) If you are back in the Akron area and need a place to rest you are welcome at our house.

Back to the top

Eric Benjamin
Hi Bryan
After all of the activity of the past week, last night the house was empty and I have a minute this morning to type, but only a minute, as I am finishing the editing of that rag I played for you. Lovely morning here. Pools of sunlight on the lawn, a deer grazing and the geese preening.
Yesterday, btw, I attended a writer's group meeting in Cuyahoga Falls library, and invited my younger son Jonathan to come as well. He read from the fantasy epic he has been working on for the past year. I hope that some encouragement from the assembled assortment of scribblers will inspire him to do more on it. I read some of the shoe store story, which I hope to finally finish up this week after I get the rag printed.
Gwenna will be in the area on Friday and I look forward to seeing her then. Well, on to it. And now you have my email so do make use of it. Looking forward to seeing more of your poetry on the site, and following the progress of your peregrinations.
Happy trails
Eric

Ed Verenich, Utica, NY
Cheers from the US
<attached photograph 'The Traveller'>

Dear Badger,
Enjoying reading about your travels - sounds both fun and scary. Still as you say, the American hospitality puts us to shame.
Keeping you in thought, as you travel across the good old US of A.
Love and best wishes
Jo xx

Hi Bryan,
I have been reading about your progress with interest and when I saw the report ... I headed out to a State Park campsite, and with my usual unerring sense of distance ended up 60 plus miles out of my way, crawling into a park well after dark ... it reminded me to remind you "No no no no no no camping in the top field (or should I say picnic site)"
Keep up the good work and have a great time.
Noddy

Clive Spanton, Hastings
Hi Bryan
How’s it going. Here it's the normal chaos that you know and loved. Had fun at Gedges over the weekend (Sunday), my Carol is buying a new bike and she spent 5½ hours road testing four bikes. Triumph Scrambler, Triumph T100 (big bore), Kawasaki ER6, Suzuki SV650. She chose in the end the T100 but that’s not the fun bit, while I was waiting Neil told me to take out a couple of bikes for a leisurely romp. I chose the Triumph Rocket Three and a Yamaha V-max. V-max shit, R3 heaven. I want one but cannot afford one, life eh? (arms are now 4ft long with the pulling power) Trevor sends his regards the staff at Gedges are following your adventure.
All the best - Clive

Badger says -
I'm really pleased everyone is keeping up. The T100 is a lot of fun. The R3 - too much for me, but it's made for over here. I have never seen so many Goldwings, but every one loves the Bonny, it gets me attention, love and free drinks everywhere
Keep smiling!

Yes the Bonny is a grand bike. On your previous advice I ordered Carol the King and Queen seat, Gedges wanted me to buy the R3. Great though the R3 is I don’t think I would ever take it over 4000 RPM, my arms just wouldn’t take it, so it would be a waste. A little extra power would be nice though as I now have to keep up with the T100. Ho-hum, life eh? Glad the Yanks love the Bonny. Have you had much reaction from the Hog brigade, as the Triumph brand is their natural rival?
Keep up the good work
Clive

Back to the top

Michael & Tara Dickel, USA
Hey Badger!
We met on the top of the rainy mountain on your way toward Port Jervis. Can it possibly rain anymore? We hope you have a safe and happy journey. We would love to keep in contact with you. Just goes to show you there are still nice people out there in the world. I felt so bad that you were in the pouring rain. I guess I was just in the right place at the right time. If you are going to be around for a while we would love to have you over for a bite to eat one night. My wife would love to meet you and hear about your adventures.
Hang in there and most importantly enjoy yourself.
Michael & Tara Dickel

Badger says -
Hey there
I took the gamble to stay an extra night down here in Milton, so I am around. I probably will find I'm staying put on the only dry day, but again, wet boots are so uncomfortable.
Feel free to give me a shout, 'cos rain or shine I have to find a hostel next, which means heading south, where it is still a tad damp.
Thanks again for the comfort and help, I'd never have thought a souvenir would be directions written on a paint brush
Bry

John, CSA, Hastings
Good to see that you are still alive! Did you travel down the Kangamagus Highway in The White Mountains? Well worth doing. Have fun & take care
John
PS the wasp is still going

Badger says -
I travelled around the white mountains a tad, from Twin Peaks, but didn't cut back onto that highway. Robert Frost's place took the edge. Torn between bikes and the poet's place, he won. How scary is that?
Bryan

Cyndi, New Hampshire
We hope all is well with your trip & you escaped the rain that came our way shortly after you left. Keep safe & have fun!! It was a pleasure having you.
Take care,
Cyndi Smith
Carroll Motel and Cottages
73 Route 3
Twin Mountain, NH 03595

David Wood, USA
Hi there Bryan
How is your trip going so far? I hope that the people here are treating you nicely as people on the east coast are not as hospitable as the people down south. Are you getting used to driving on the wrong side of the road yet? Be safe and have fun - hope to hear from you soon
David

Badger says -
Hey Dave
Good to see you and your bud on Rte 50. Sorry I didnt get chance to look you up in Ohio, my time has just been so short. I do hope you are following the web site. I will be on Larry Wards July 3 show at about 6pm. NewsRadio 570WKBN - that's Clear Channel Radio out of Boardman Ohio.

Hi Bryan
Sorry to hear you keep getting wet, it's 33°C here with brilliant sun. Carol now has her T100 and has managed over 100 miles in the heat. I am finding having a Triumph on the front drive is resurrecting my old desire for a Thunderbird. God, it's annoying as there is little in the current Triumph range that I fancy, except a R3 or possibly a Speedmaster (bit slow?) Still, on Sunday, whilst waiting for Carol to sign on the dotted line, they let me test ride a Yamaha MT01 (1700cc Buell copy) First time a bike has scared me for 20 years!!
Keep up the good work mate and enjoy.
Best wishes
Clive

Ginni, Colorado, USA
Hello Badger,
My sister, who is traveling with her husband in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee, introduced me to your site, which I've thoroughly enjoyed reading. She and Ken (my brother-in-law) met and talked to you somewhere on the road today (14th July). Hey Elaine - if you're reading this, Hello!
What a great adventure you're on. Been feeling that the whole world hates America - but we really aren't all that bad, are we?
If your route takes you out west to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, and you need to give yourself a civilised rest - come visit Manitou Springs (at the base of Pikes Peak). I have your bumper sticker hanging on my porch ... now all you have to do is find it! (Hint - you probably Needa Rest) The squirrels are small and polite, the best breakfast in town is at "The European Cafe" and there's a road all the way up to the top of the peak (over 14,000')
Happy trails to you.
Ginni

Back to the top

Ken and Elaine Cotton, USA
Hi Badger
We just wanted to say Hi and it was nice meeting you on the Blue Ridge Highway (red Toyota with dog). My sister emailed you from Colorado. You have a great web site and we will check on you now and then and wish you a safe journey
Ken and Elaine Cotton

Badger says -
Hello again
It was great to hear from you and your sister in Co. This is exactly what I had hoped for to make the whole Badger experience more rewarding for everyone.
Thanks for forwarding the site, and do feel free to mail or send pics to the Badger site and help make it as interactive as we can.
Safe journey to you
Badger

Ian Wright CSA Hastings
Glad to to see all goes well and you have not been hacked to death by some crazy motel owner who keeps his mum in the house although she died 10 years ago. Hey now, there's an idea for a film! Keep on rolln' and update your blog more often.
Ian

The Webmaster says -
Badger, was this man your boss, he seems to want you to work harder even in the USA?

Steve Keeble CSA Hastings
Looked at the site. You tell a good story and have some stunning pictures of where ya bin. Very envious – beats Cyprus! Glad everything is OK and seems to be going well without too many problems. Sounds as if you will only come back if you get deported.
Keebs
PS - Where is the SPT referral for?

Eileen Porter, UK
Website is fantastic, really enjoy reading it. Hope it is all still going well - in a way I envy you. Look forward to the next instalment. Good luck and lots of love
Eileen

ROCKETMAN (Colorado)
Dear Badger
This is 'Rocketman' from Denver, Colorado putting fingers to keyboard, as I did say I would keep in touch with you on your trek across this vast landscape. I just wanted to let you know that both myself and my son, Tony, thoroughly enjoyed meeting and conversing with you till three(3) in the AM on Mike and Charlene’s porch. We covered a myriad of topics and once again proved that if enough 'SBR' (Snake Bite Remedy) is consumed by everyone involved in the conversation, all world problems can be resolved rather quickly, painlessly and a good time can be had by all - "UP THE REBELS”
Now all we have to do is get rid of GWB and all the politicians and this country might have a chance to get back on track. Oh well, wishful thinking ...
(My better half Carol is currently checking out your web page. Every minute or so I can hear her chuckle as she reads your articles. She is impressed and said she is looking forward to seeing future articles)
Attached are the photos (check the home page) we took prior to our departure from the Stirling’s on our trip back to Denver.Be safe, be careful, and most importantly, have the time of your life!
'Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming 'WOW! What a ride!'
Anthony J. Kincler - 'ROCKETMAN'

Gord Taylor, USA
Badger
I thought I would take the opportunity to send you a greeting of good roads and good times during your tour of the States. Keep the rubberside down.
Gord Taylor - BMW R100s at the Blue Ridge Campground, Cruso, NC

Steve Keeble
Spent last hour reading web site and looking at pictures. Fantastic. What ever worries you had about being lonely appear to have been unfounded. You've obviously met a lot of nice people who have enjoyed your company and who are helping and encoraging you on this holiday trek of a life time. I'll have some of that snake bite stuff and I'll start talking about Bush's twin Blair and the route he is leading us down as well.
Your story is easy to read and after all your planning and chatting whilst sitting opposite you, it must be totally rewarding and a terrifc experience that us in "the office" cannot really appreciate.
What was this about free love somewhere in your messages. Is there any there for me. You told me love is never free. In one of your pictures Petty reckons you look as if you have lost weight. Must have been the rain that has washed it away. Have they got any water to sell? We ain't got much. Perhaps they can swap it for oil or gas.
Saw Clive talking about buying a bike. Just to let you know Paul Shackleton has bought a brand new Triumph Daytona 900?! I see him going down the middle of the road hanging on for dear life. Give me a bike with cow horns as handles anyday. Look after yourself and continue to enjoy your trip. It will soon pass by!
Keebs
PS I haven't had a biscuit for a week. Had a cholesterol test and up to 7.5. Even started cycling to work - no, not motor cycling.

Ron Schuman
Really enjoyed chatting with you at the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park on Tuesday. Was it not breathtaking? My brother Darren and I made it to Sturgis. It really sucked. We will never go back. We made it home to Missouri Saturday morning. Good luck on the rest of your trip.
Ron Schuman
rlschuman@earthlink.net

Back to the top

John Petty
Good morning Brian,
Good to see that you are stil alive and kicking and that the bike is going well. I would imagine that after that long trek across cowboyland you are looking forward to immersing yourself in the communal baths in San Francisco. I have heard that they are very friendly places. A trip to Alcatraz is a must. Take care and keep on trucking (as they say - least I think that's how it is spelled)
John

Barbara Bouye, USA
Hey Badger
How's that bottom? Just a quick note to say that we will follow your trip. How was Sturgis? By the way, we only kidding about being Irish.
Ride safe!

Anthony J. Kincler, USA
Badger
Just glanced at your web page once again (checking up on your progress). Very nice of you to put up the pictures I sent you of Mike, Char, my son Tony and myself on your web page - tip of the hat to you, ole friend. Hope that your trek cross-country continues to be as much fun as you've been having. Thoroughly enjoyed our little time together and look forward to reading more about your adventures as you travel hither, thither and yon! Please keep me posted as to your progress and drop me an email if you have the time.
Respectfully
Anthony J. Kincler
Facility Integration Engineer
Lockheed Martin IS&S

Scott Gahs, USA
Hey there Badger,
My wife and I met you briefly way back at the beginning of your tour in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. During our brief conversation you wrote down your web address and I just found it buried under the mess on my desk. Glad to hear your journey is going well. I forgot if your plans have you coming back to the Baltimore, Washington, D.C. area but if you do plan to head this way, I’d like to invite you to be an honorary guest at my bike club Sunday Morning Breakfast Ride (or perhaps a monthly meeting, if the timing works out). We would love to hear of your experiences and I’m sure we could put you up if you need a place to stay. As a bonus, one of our club members is a Brit, on overseas assignment who also rides a Bonneville.
Keep us in mind. Safe riding to you.

Scott Gahs | 6108 Baldridge Drive | Frederick, MD 21701
Old Line Motorcycle Club

Badger says -
Hi Scott
I will be back that way in November, all being well. Depending on how tight I run the timetable, I'd love to tie in with you all. I will drop a line when I'm heading that way. Thanks for the invite and I look forward to it

The webmaster says -
Click the link for the Old Line Motorcycle Club above. Look at the picture on the front page. Dudes, to a man. Real bikers. I don't even have a bike and I want to go on the Breakfast Ride. Badger, you got to do this thing. Look at the vintage 60s pictures on the website and tell me you don't wish you'd been there. I was 3 in 1960 but hey! I coulda gone in the sidecar. Boys, keep riding high!

Andy Buck, Hastings
Look mate
We all know that anyone can be anything they want to be on the Internet. I have no doubt at all that you are really lying in bed somewhere in England, making all this stuff up as you go along, living on a store of old kebabs, farting at will and watching the Jeremy Kyle show on a 14" TV. Thousands of miles across USA and loads of adventures - I don't believe a word of it.
Back here at the office we are all going through another period of unprecedented change, same as last year and all the years before that. It is no doubt the emotional trauma caused by this unending flux that has caused us all to be so bitter, cynical and twisted (hence the previous para). Cynicism is a scab that protects our pallid flesh against reality.
Sounds like you are having a great adventure and nobody has shot you yet, which is a great result in the land of the NRA. So: head down, chin up and remember it's only another 1.999 miles to the beach.
Have a great trip and see you around when you get back.

Elizabeth Noble - USA (the pictures of Badger and the highway policeman)
Badger
I am finally infront of a computer - I spent the last four days in Big Bend. Did you make it there? One of the most amazing places I have been - beautiful. Here are the pics - I didn't zoom or crop - I figured I would let you manipulate as you choose.
Hope you are well!
E

Catherine at the Blue Moon Hostel, Lafayette
Badger
My web master has your info and should be making you our guest of the month shortly. Check the site (www.bluemoonhostel.com) in a couple of days (she’s not the fastest of web masters). We miss you around here. Glad you made it, however short or long your stay ended up being.
Catherine