I am riding in the Blue Waves Motorcycle Rally in Mongolia in memory of my dad,and for the future of my daughter.
My dad, who passed away in 2001, taught me many things. One was a love of motorcycles. I am forever grateful to him for having enough confidence in me at age14 to let me get my first bike, a Suzuki DS 80. He also taught me the essentials of basic maintenance, and since then I have always preferred buying used bikes and working on them. Even now I commute to work daily on a bike. I try to minimize my ecological footprint by reducing and reusing as much as possible.
My parents also grew vegetables in our suburban backyard. This was my first exposure to organic farming and composting. Our vacations were frequently camping trips and other low impact activities. They instilled in me the importance of protecting the environment, and in the past few decades I have realized that we are reaching a critical point in our planet’s history. As the world’s population continues to grow exponentially and non-renewable materials are depleted, fresh water and other life-sustaining resources must be carefully protected and maintained.
I hope that efforts such as these will help to keep my dad’s values alive for my daughter’s generation and beyond.