Meet the Riders 2019 – Rally for Rangers

National Parks of Western Mongolia

Wesley Thornberry, Co-Founder

Wesley is a founding member of the Rally for Rangers Foundation. Since its inception, as an avid motorcyclist, Wesley spearheaded the Rally for Rangers (part of Blue Waves campaign by the Mongol Ecology Center), raised awareness internationally about the National Parks of Mongolia and rides in all rallies. Wesley works with Tom Medema in organizing the rallies.
Wesley is the founder of Trend Digital, www.trend-digital.com, that specializes in post-production imaging services for e-commerce clothing and fashion retailers. Wesley is also a photographer, adventurer and traveler and has documented the tribes of Omo Valley, Ethiopia to the nomadic shamans of Mongolia. His work can be seen at www.wesleythornberry.com. He currently lives in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Tom Medema

Tom Medema developed a passion for national parks at a young age on family vacations throughout the American west. This passion turned into a career as a park ranger spanning nearly 30 years. Tom is equally passionate about national parks and public lands around the world and has worked with parks and monuments in South America and Europe as a subject matter expert in the field of interpretation and education. The opportunity to support the protection of natural and cultural heritage of parks and protected areas around the world is an opportunity he is excited and humbled to be a part of.
Tom is a sports and outdoor enthusiast, spending much of his free time enjoying two-wheeled travel by mountain bike, road bike, and motorbike. Over the past 20 years he has owned Harley-Davidson and BMW bikes and is currently riding an F800GS on the back roads and trails of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia in preparation for the next epic and compelling adventure protecting the worlds special places one motorcycle at a time.

Jake Szympruch

Jake’s interest in the outdoors began with family camping trips to state parks and has become his life long passion. As an adult he earned a college degree in environmental studies, working as a whitewater river guide during the summers. When it was time to get a job which actually paid the bills, he signed on as a ranger to protect the wild places he was enjoying. He now has 20 years experience working as a ranger.

In his free time, Jake is still a whitewater rafter but in recent years he has developed a passion for adventure motorcycle riding. It was actually whitewater rafting which led to Jake becoming an adventure rider. While healing from a river accident, he decided to try a safer recreational activity, motorcycle riding. A few months after buying his first street bike, he was strapping camping gear on the back to visit national parks but he was left feeling like there was more to see. Realizing he needed a more adventure oriented machine, he acquired a beat up KLR650 and learned to ride off road. He still rides the well worn KLR along with a KTM 1190R. His adventure travels have taken him across the
United States, to the Canadian Arctic, Guatemala, India, Patagonia and most recently, Morocco.

In the spring of 2018, Jake read an article about the Rally for Rangers Foundation. Knowing first hand the challenges of protecting remote areas and having seen the difficult conditions rangers work in across the world, he committed himself to helping his fellow rangers

Jeff Zielinski

Like many riders, Jeff’s passion for two wheels and a motor started with a 50cc minibike. The moment he hopped on that little Honda he was hooked. Growing up in the country, and growing in and out of a handful of bikes he quickly realized that a motorcycle isn’t only an exhilarating mode of transportation, but it’s the perfect partner for an adventurous curiosity. Fast forward to 2015 when that curiosity pushed him to reach out to his lifelong friend to plan a coast to coast motorcycle trip across the United States. And what better path to take than the Trans America Trail. Two BMW 800 GS’s, 17 states, 6300 miles, numerous national parks and forests, and countless memories later they completed the trip in Santa Monica, CA. You can read more about that trip at MojoMoto.org.

As a career creative and co-owner of a marketing agency in Rochester, NY Jeff knows the value of a genuine brand and a good story. When he learned of Rally for Rangers he recognized both of those qualities and was intrigued to say the least. RFR combines many of the things he craves. Travel, protecting the environment and the animals that inhabit it, and well…motorcycles. Add to that a challenging ride and the comradely between a handful of riders with similar interests and you have one hell of an experience. Jeff’s extremely honored and grateful to be part of the 2019 ride through Mongolia.

Anne Elizabeth (Beth) Williams

Beth grew up in rural, eastern NC, surrounded by tobacco farms, and as a bit of a tomboy, spent much of her childhood exploring the fields, woods and swamps there. She developed a taste for the exotic early on through her culturally inquisitive and open-minded parents. Friends from India introduced her to the rich tastes and textiles of their country and sparked an interest in the way other people live, and a family trip to Italy awakened a curious and adventurous spirit (as well as a life-long love of good coffee.) While studying architecture at NCSU, Beth kept her newly discovered love of motorcycling a secret from her family. She also downplayed the dangerous nature of her other passion, rock-climbing, and embraced the chance to spend weekends camping and climbing in the NC and VA mountains. During a 5 year stint working and living in Sendai, Japan, Beth explored much of SE Asia while traveling solo, seeking out the more remote parts of northern India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia. Beth returned to motorcycling after a 29 year hiatus and searches out opportunities to improve her skills and build community with like-minded motorcyclists. She continues to explore the world, both near and far, from her perch on her pegs. She is deeply interested in learning about and preserving the natural environment and cultures of our planet.

Larry Krupa

Larry is a retired businessman, father to three sons, three grandsons and a granddaughter, all of which he is extremely proud. He lives in Atlanta Georgia with his wife of 42 years, Julie, a successful research scientist. After retiring, Larry was able to pursue his passion for adventure motorcycle travel. Two days after his last day at work, he left on a cross country moto trip that was 85% off pavement, including gravel or dirt roads, dirt trails, mountains and deserts. Other trips have included travel from Atlanta to Mexico and Canada, as well as a trip to ride in Australia.

Larry has always needed activities or challenging hobbies in which he could get deeply immersed. Sometimes the challenges have been physical in nature such as adventure motorcycling, endurance mountain biking, marathons, triathlons, backpacking and mountain climbing. Some challenges are more mentally stimulating such as photography, drone photography and video, fly fishing and reading. Currently enjoying a photography business he began after retiring, Larry spends his free time motorcycling and continually trying to improve his photography and drone skills. With a geographically dispersed family, he spends lot of his travel time visiting his sons and their families.

Lance Machovsky

Lance was born to be an adventurer. Early days in Minnesota with a pack of cousins on mini-bikes and fishing skiffs kindled a life-long love of the outdoors and passion for two-wheeled travel. Fishing led to climbing and after a stint in the Navy he became serious about alpinism. Climbing and skiing led to work as a guide in the US, Europe and Latin America. “I’ve been fortunate to spend time in so many wild places around the world. Preserving and protecting them for future generations is really important to me.” A 2004 trail ride down the Baja 1000 route cemented offroad enduro riding as his new passion.
“Some of my outdoorsy friends assumed that off-roading ran counter to conservation and stewardship of wild lands. My friend Kacey Smith, avid Baja rider and guidebook author calls herself a tree hugging dirt biker. That could be a tagline for Rally for Rangers!” Naturally, when Lance heard about the Rally for Rangers, he signed up immediately. Lance rode in the 2017 rally to Otgontenger and is excited to return to Mongolia in 2018. “Mongolia is one of those places that exists in our imaginations as the embodiment of wild and untamed. It’s worth saving.” Lance invites you to join this grass roots movement, where the simple gift of some little motorcycles pays such exponential dividends.

Bryon Majusiak

Growing up in Reno, NV, Bryon grew up taking full advantage of the outdoors. Hiking, camping, fly fishing, and mountain biking filled all of Bryon’s childhood and it wasn’t until he moved to Berkeley, CA that he got into motorcycles. While at the University of California Berkeley Bryon helped to build the worlds first autonomous motorcycle. Working on that project got him hooked on motorcycles for life. One bike led to 2, then 3 and is currently at 7, although most don’t currently work (but will soon). In 2013 he completed an Iron Butt ride around NV and looks for any opportunity to take on a new challenge or adventure on a motorcycle.
When not spending time working on motorcycle and cars, Bryon has a real job working at a company building agricultural robots.
After watching “The Long Way Round” Bryon put Mongolia on the top of his bucket list of places to travel. It was a quick decision to join Rally for Rangers after finding out he could ride motorcycles and do something valuable for the national parks of Mongolia.

Candace Hateley

Candace is a lifelong motorcyclist. With the help of family and friends, she has experienced riding in diverse settings and disciplines. A three time women’s division endure champion, she collected trophies from racing events like the original Bar stow to Vegas Hare and Hound, Widow maker Hill climb, Women’s Motocross Nationals and many more. The few years she worked as an artist and photographer for a motorcycle magazine expanded her motorcycling world and introduced her to the wonderful people who are part of it.

Candace has been checking boxes on a lifelong motorcycling to-do list and as she nears her 50th year of riding, her list includes Rally for Rangers. Like all of the to-do list items, it will bring people and motorcycles together, but in a way that will accomplish something special.

Candace is a vegan, a technology trainer, and the wife of a motorcycle hero, with two sons and a new grandson waiting to grow into his PW50. She plans to be a centenarian like her grandmother so she can keep checking off those motorcycling to-do list boxes. Still unchecked boxes are: ride her Triumph to Alaska, visit Isle of Man during the TT and more.

Peter Emerson

Pete has been riding motorcycles since he was a teenager. From minibikes to Harleys to dual-sports he is always looking for a new adventure. He works as a Physical Therapist in his own private practice helping people with neck and back pain and always wants to expand the scope of helping others. Rally for Rangers provides him with this once in a lifetime experience combining a passion and a challenge with a true purpose.
Pete Has 2 children, Gigi and Jack. Gigi just got her motorcycle endorsement and hopes to go on these trips in the future. Jack is currently finishing his 1st year at Colorado State University. He wouldn’t be able to do this trip if he didn’t have the total support of his girlfriend Kelly. She is also and adventure rider and hopes to go on a future Rally with Pete.
Along with his private practice Pete owns a private Gym and practices Martial Arts on a regular basis. Having the Colorado Foothills in his back yard provides the perfect training ground to get ready for the challenge of this ride.
Pete considers this ride as “A Challenge with a Purpose” Being able to provide these Rangers with the much-needed means to patrol the vast lands of Mongolia is the least he could do to help preserve the environment for the next generation.

National Parks, Nepal

Wesley Thornberry, Co-Founder

Tom Medema

Anna Kim

Anna’s first foray into the two-wheeled world had a less than auspicious start when she whiskey throttled her rental scooter onto a sidewalk during her college fall break in the Bahamas. Nevertheless, she persisted. Upon moving to San Francisco at the age of 27, she purchased a used motorcycle and for weeks practiced riding around the empty streets at dawn. Motorcycling quickly became a passion of hers and before she knew it was commuting daily on a motorcycle, spending her weekends riding the back roads of the Bay Area, and boring all her very patient non-rider friends with nonstop chatter about bikes.
Anna works in construction robotics and when she’s not exploring California on her much-loved Street Triple R and trusty WR250R enjoys cooking, SCUBA, snowboarding, camping, traveling, and hosting pig roasts. She also recently launched a wine label called “Countersteer” and is excited to be able to combine her interests in wine and motorcycling (although obviously not at the same time).
Anna knew she wanted to participate in Rally for Rangers the instant she heard about the program through friends. Her first dual sport adventure, a 2,500-mile trip along the Carretera Austral to Ushuaia, was an unforgettable experience that opened her eyes to the joys of exploring the hidden corners of the earth on two wheels. Given the positive impact motorcycles have had on her life, she is particularly inspired by the mission of Rally for Rangers —to better the lives of those who are working hard to protect Mongolia’s natural resources—and is honored to have been chosen to take part in this year’s Rally.

Nelson (Kathleen) Corcoran

Neslon grew up in RI, where she attended Brown University, studying fine arts and running competitively. All that changed after a summer of trail work in the French Alps…. she had fallen in love with the mountains! Goodbye east coast, hello Rocky Mountains! She moved out to Colorado, bought her first mountain bike and never looked back. And so began her passion for two wheels. Racing throughout the west she eventually placed fifth in the national off road championships.
Her love for adventure brought her next to the mountains of Alaska, riding the frozen rivers, working for Wrangell St. Elias Nat’l Park and building a little cabin in the woods. Then off to Antarctica, riding the frozen ocean, skiing the ice shelf, and working at the U.S. station there. She eventually landed back in the mountains of Colorado, ready for yet another adventure.
Enter Adventure Motorcycling….. Mountain biking with power. Her first bike was a CRF230, her 40th birthday present to herself. That little bike took her all over the West and across the Trans American Trail. The next bike was a Harley Sportster, which she’d just as soon forget. At present she rides a KLX250 and a G650 Sertao, the perfect bike for exploring crazy technical trails around Moab and the windy dirt roads and passes of the west. Her passion gets her out riding and camping three days a week in the summer and fall with her boyfriend (the unofficial bike picker-upper).
This passion for riding and love of the mountains and wild remote places gives Nelson a deep appreciation for the mission of Rally for Rangers. Get those bikes out there and save those beautiful wild places!!
Just a note… she is not one faceted. She’s also partial to knitting, reading historical fiction, soaking in hot springs, cooking delicious soups, hiking, laughing, avocados and sweet potatoes, swimming, dancing to loud music, dark beer, telemark and skate skiing, hot tea, and standing in a cold stream at the end of a long ride.

Asher Woolverton

Asher has always loved two wheels, from the elementary school years when the lot next door was a perfect BMX course to his first ambitious multi-state solo motorcycle tour on a 1990 Honda TransAlp.

He was born in Ghana into a missionary family and every day as a young boy seemed filled with adventure even in the backyard. The early influence of his father and friends with their small displacement motorcycles sowed the seeds in Asher for a later passion for motorcycle travel. Most of his teenage years were spent growing up in Colorado Springs with an ease for math and physics which eventually led to degrees in Engineering Physics and Materials Science degrees from the Colorado School of Mines in Golden. He co-founded his environmental club during high school and continued to volunteer on ecology supporting projects throughout college and after graduate school.

His passion for engineering has been seriously rivaled by the passion for travel and camping, either by two wheels or by four. He only recently discovered that there is an entire community of overland travelers who not only enjoy off road travel, but also are mindful of the local ecology and wildlife. His other passions include music, food and a love for the visual arts. He currently lives in Broomfield, Colorado.

Bryon Majusiak

Mike Ferrell

Mike Ferrell is from Raleigh, NC and has been fascinated with motorcycles since he was young but has only been riding the past nine years. His first bike was a Buell Blast, and after year of riding and learning, he upgraded to a Ducati 09’ GT1000 – a bike he still rides today. His passion for Ducati grew and in 2016 purchased a 10’ Multistrada 1200 ST for commuting and adventuring.

In 2017, Mike and a buddy rode their motorcycles almost 5,000 miles in 11 days across 15 states, visiting several national parks. Last year, he participated in Rally for Rangers in Mongolia. It was an incredible opportunity to combine many of Mike’s passions: traveling on two wheels, protecting natural resources and learning about other people and cultures.

A new moto journey across Nepal is a dream come true and a lifetime adventure – he feels honored to contribute to such a great cause.

Paul Pennell

Paul was instilled with a love for the outdoors and public lands at a young age. He grew up hunting, fishing, and operating off-road vehicles with his father. These pursuits were put on the back burner during college and his twenties- sometimes life gets in the way. With a new career and more personal freedom, he’s ready to fully pursue these interests again and is excited to help others care for the great outdoors.
Paul currently takes frequent trips on his Triumph Street Scrambler to the mountains of North Carolina to enjoy “the twisties” and hammock camp with other riders. He is chasing the goal of visiting every U.S. National Park, either by motorcycle or in his Jeep. He is also getting more active in the overlanding community, volunteering at Overland Expos on both sides of the country.

Robert McGill

Retired and lives in Portland, Oregon. Rides motorcycles as often as possible, especially in foreign locations.

Lior Lifshitz

Lior is a proud father of three daughters and was born in Israel in a city near Tel Aviv. Lior went on the regular track of an Israeli boy including school and scouts and join the Israeli IDF and served as an officer. Lior has an entrepreneurial spirit coupled with deep management and investment experience in various companies and fields. Few milestones in his career were: Executive Chairman at SAIPS, acquired by Ford Motor Company,Executive Chairman at Secure Dimensions acquired by Microsoft,Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Jerusalem Capital VC, Founder and CEO of ProSeed VC .
Beside his work career Lior has and adventures spirit and he volunteers in the Israeli Police as a Road Motorcyclist in a special unit and serves as a member of an International Search and Rescue Team (Rescue One) and was in one of the first teams which arrived to Nepal after the last earthquake and helped rescue local and foreign people from the mountains.
Lior also does long solo motorcycle trips around the world and his last one was on 2018, around the black sea (12,000 km in two months).

Chuck Flinton

Charles “Chuck” Flinton is a forensic psychologist living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Patagonia is his second “Rally for Rangers” outing. Raised in Saratoga Springs, New York, he became an early fan of state parks. Having ridden a motorcycle in every state except Louisiana and Alaska, he became enamored with gifts of nature. Over the years, he became aware of the threats to our environment, and the importance of protecting it. This starts with preserving national parks both locally and around the world.
When the opportunity arose to assist in providing motorcycles to the park rangers in Mongolia in 2015, he signed up immediately. The motorcycles empowered park rangers to access areas of the park more quickly and safely.
Protecting our environment against corporate forces and un-informed individuals is a mountainous obstacle. We can climb it together with education and providing resources to those at the forefront of protecting nature. Specifically, our PARK RANGERS!
On a more personal note, many years ago, Chuck was immobilized with pain due to ankylosing spondylitis (a spine and joint disease) forcing him to give up riding motorcycles. With the help of friends and science, the ride continues. So, in addition to promoting national parks, Chuck promotes the awareness that anyone (or any community) can overcome challenges on any level (personal, local, or global). Let’s save ourselves while we protect our parks.

Joshua Morin

Growing up outside of Baltimore Josh watched the freedom, speed and fun others enjoyed on dirt bikes and was hooked. At 14 he got his first bike by rebuilding a previously stolen KX80 that had been stripped down and ditched in the woods. After getting it back from the police, he used a shop manual and many salvaged parts to rebuild it into a 105. After that bike was stolen the next bike was a $15 salvaged 1973 GT185 that no one wanted. A love of Trees and things mechanical took Josh to Virginia Tech where he obtained a B.S. studying Forestry and Industrial Forest Operations. During college he worked summers for the National Park Service as an Ocean Lifeguard and First Responder on Assateague Island. Before pursuing a career as an Arborist, climbing and caring for trees, Josh joined the Peace Corps. As a Peace Corps volunteer lived in Nepal for over 2 years as soil conservation volunteer learning the language and culture. Currently Josh lives in Niwot Colorado with his wife Aimee and two children Lyla and Lucien. He is co-owner and managing partner of Taddiken Tree Company a full service tree care company based in Boulder Colorado. Josh was stoked to learn of Rally for Rangers as it represents a convergence of his interests in motorcycles, foreign cultures, national parks, wild spaces and being of service. Josh is looking forward to many new adventures and friendships ahead.

Michael Kennan

Originally from the east coast, Mike is a freelance engineer based in Oakland, CA. He’s spent his entire career designing, building, and working with machines of all types. He thinks riding a motorcycle is the by far best way to enjoy the beautiful weather and majestic landscapes of California.
Mike Kennan heard about the Rally for Rangers from riders that did it in previous years and he’s extremely excited to be a part of the ride in 2018. In addition to the excitement of having the opportunity to ride a motorcycle across some of the most amazing terrain in the world, it’s a unique opportunity to help protect this same area before it gets developed or otherwise spoiled. As someone from the West, he thinks they have a limited appreciation for how things work in developing nations. While it’s good that a government can make laws, it doesn’t matter if no one is able enforce those laws. This is a chance to give the rangers the tools they need to help protect this ancient landscape.

Charles Ross

He fells in love with dirt-biking while in college on the central coast of California. Charles spent much of his free time learning to repair and maintain everything from gold wings to scooters. Recently he has been spending most of his spare weekends journeying into the forests of northern California in search of spectacular and challenging trails.
Growing up Charles had lots of opportunity to travel the world, and got to experience amazing places. He also developed a deep respect for our plant’s natural beauty while traveling to countless state and national parks across the united states. Now he wants to make a difference wherever he goes, so this opportunity is everything he could ever ask for.

Jacob Goldstein

Jacob was born and raised in a small historic mining town called Grass Valley, located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada’s in California. He grew up in the outdoors primarily skiing and mountain biking, and generally exploring all across the country in his Toyota Tacoma. These last couple of years he’s been on the dirt bike a lot more, and has always dreamed of doing an epic cross country trip on a motorcycle. For work, Jacob is a mechanical engineer for an Ag-Tech company called Blue River Technology, where they’re using computer vision, deep learning, and smart machines to revolutionize the way we spray chemicals and treat plants in agriculture.