It’s been some months since our last posts here on the website. After all the fervor and excitement from the drive this summer we’ve all gotten right back to work and family and slept for nearly a week.

Bengt, Ted and Jonathan (the film crew) headed home as well and have begun work on editing of the documentary. It’s an extremely time consuming process especially after filming for nearly 4 years and then for 35 days this past summer. That makes for A LOT of footage to wade through. It’s a long, arduous process taking 200 hours of footage and transforming it into the best possible 80 minutes!

For those of you who have pre-ordered the documentary we apologize for not having a copy to your homes already. We are hoping to finish on or around the Summer of 2010. If you know anyone or any organization that assists independent filmmakers with what we call “finishing funds” please do not hesitate to send the information our way or have them get in contact with us as well: bengt@livefeedfilms.com

It would be a huge help to secure finishing funds and would allow for us to turn Alice’s Drive into our full-time job so we can work all the faster.

Lastly, in the next week or so we will post a new video on the website as a little thank you and taster of what’s to come. Stay tuned and thank you for all of your continued understanding and support.

The Alice’s Drive film crew

I just watched the YouTube video made by Team Sager titled: “Alice’s(Emily’s) Drive.”    (click on the title: I guess we really did it – to see the video)

For those of us who did this journey, this is a tear jerker !….. be sure to check this video out…..Brian did an exceptional job putting together how the last two days of the trip unfolded. He caught the girls driving in to San Rafael on Wed. and then driving the last 20 miles to the Golden Gate and into San Francisco on Thursday July 9, 2009…….great coverage, and I didn’t even know his camera was running. Guess I was a bit brain dead by that time…..Thanks Sagers….it was great having you join us……

Dear Esther,

With sincere regards,

Office of Mayor Gavin Newsom
City Hall, Room 200
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102

Alice’s trip had challenges and celebrations, and so did Emily’s. Our mechanical trouble seemed to work itself out by the time we reached Kimball, NE where the challenge then became finding the physical and emotional stamina to keep on driv ing every day. With rain, hail, bugs, rocks and wind in their face, Emily and Christie charged on and kept the tour on schedule. With the support of Tim & Barb, Sally, Margaret & Kaisa and Cecily plus the film crew of Bengt, Ted and JD, the Ramsey Family (Alice Ramsey Bruns, Peter, Isabel and Andrew Ramsey) and many, many others who joined us for parts of the drive, the challenge was met.

We sincerely want to thank so many people for coming along, following along, cheering us along, feeding and fueling us and contributing to this effort in many other ways. This was not a solo effort, but was only possible because so many joined in and supported the drive in their own unique ways. Thank you, thank you. The success needs to be shared by all of you.

After finishing in San Fran. on Thursday, Tim & Barb & I loaded the Maxwell into the trailer and drove back to Sacramento. With everything loaded in my truck and trailer by 9 PM we crashed asleep. By 5 AM Fri. morning I was on the road and drove non stop to Emily’s house in West Seattle arriving by 9:30 PM. Another crash in bed and we hit the road Sat. AM for home. By noon on Sat. we were home, with the car unloaded in the garage. For now, I really don’t want to be behind the wheel of any vehicle for a while.

Thankfully, everyone is safe, well and through to the other end of this, once in a lifetime experience. Time will tell how it has changed our lives, surely it has in many ways.     Rich Anderson

P.S. Stay tuned for two last entries from Emily and Christie!

Several cars were joining us for the morning to guide us to the state line.  We were also fortunate to have KK Lewis riding in the backseat this morning.  KK had some incredible stories to share with us as well as fun historical facts about many of the places we were going to drive through.  We got a later start than we were hoping for but the sun was shining and the temperatures were in our favor so once Babbs was up and running we were anxious to hit the road.

Ned Bacor (ned, I couldn't read my writing, I hope I spelled that right) , Cindy Ainsworth, Kat Weichert, and Al Abrahamson in a 1915 Model T

 After a fond farewell to our friends at the museum, we pulled out of the parking lot and started settling in for the drive.  Unfortunately, 30 feet away from the museum parking lot, the brakes started making a horrible noise and I immediately pulled over.  We hadn’t gotten far so Tim was right there to take a look.  Seems that in prepartion for the mountain passes he had tightened up the brakes a little too much.  After a bit of fiddlying we were on our way sans noise and brakes secure. 

Red and Laurie Ladner in their 1914 Oakland

 We were officially on the road again!  Through historic downtown Carson City (the smallest state capitol in the country) we cruised on hwy. 395 – past the capitol building and on to connect with hwy. 50.  Just before we started to climb up to the top of Spooner Summit, Christie’s friend Brian caught up to us and started to leap frog us.  It was so fun to see Brian taking pictures and cheering us on!

Don and Lil Ritchey, and Sally Barnett in their 1911 Maxwell

 The initial climb wasn’t as steep as we were lead to believe which was a relief.  At the summit, KK left us and we got our first glimpses of beautiful Lake Tahoe!  I knew the lake was big – but wow what a sight!  The water was a green blue and incredibly gorgeous!  We were back in the mountains and both Christie and I were excited beyond belief.  This is our kind of country – we felt right at home.

Wilhelm and Hans aka the Spyker (1907) team

 We had quite an entourage as we cruised by Glenbrook (hello Charlotte & Dennis!) and through a cool rock walled tunnel down toward the lake.  Our first stop of the day at Zephyr Cove brought more people who were patiently awaiting our arrival, pictures, coffee and a quick break to enjoy the beach.  Christie and I could have easily enjoyed the day at the beach but the California state line was calling our name so off we went. 

Emily and Bengt at Zepher Cove

                   Wilhelm and Hans at Zephyer Cove on Lake Tahoe

We cruised through Tahoe Village and Stateline – the final few casinos and crowds of people we might see for awhile.  What an amazingly beautiful area and the lack of vehicle traffic was a welcome surprise.  The California state line was quite unambiquitos – a small sign posted to a stop light.  Nonetheless, Christie and I outstretched our arms and vied to be the first into the state.  A wave of relief and accomplishment flooded over me all at the same time.  I was tired and elated but also sad that this simple road sign marked a significant turning point in our journey.

Attempting to time our driving with Emily’s work schedule has been a constant challenge the entire trip – especially when we are anticipating zones of no cell phone reception.  This afternoon posed such a problem for the team however with the late start to the day and lunch time approaching South Lake Tahoe was a welcome rest stop.   We enjoyed Pizza with the gang from Reno and were sad to bid them farewell as we ventured into the Toiyobe and Eldorado National Forests.  Had we known what was ahead I would have completley understood at the time why everyone was turning around to return to Reno!

Emily and Kaisa - Happy 5 month Birthday, Kaisa!

 Amazing but a challenge- I was speechless at the beauty of the drive this afternoon.  Undeniably one of the most scenic roads of the entire trip – although challenging in a 100 year old car – I wouldn’t hesitate to drive it again.  My right big toe started to ache from pushing the gas pedal down as we made run after run at the climbs.  My favorite saying of the day “ We’re making a run for it!”  coasting down the grade and hopefully picking up enough speed to glide up the next hill.  Luther Pass in the El Dorado National Forest was especially fun to glide down in neutral!

Hans, Wilhelm, and Barb

 After experiencing quite a harrowing drive down Rabbit Ear’s Pass in Colorado, Christie and I both thought the tough mountain passes were behind us and there wasn’t anything Babbs couldn’t handle.  However, Babbs had not yet seen Carson Pass.  Steep switchbacks seemed to come out of nowhere and Babbs slowed in 2nd gear to a near standstill.  Knowing that we really had no 1st gear I became nervous that we weren’t going to make it.  Not a lot of shoulder on the side of the road also made me nervous that we might slow to a complete standstill and have nowhere to pull over.  Nothing worse than stopping on a grade with no 1st gear to get yourself going again!

Dorine and Bill Ramsden in their 1910 Model T touring car

 Well I resorted to 1st gear twice – simply to see if we could give Babbs a little push and momentum to make it to the top.  Not a good sound at all and the gear was barely there so as soon as we got a little bit of speed up I quickly moved into 2nd.  That worked nicely for a short while until I realized there was no way we would make it to the summit without first gear all the way.  The first turn out I saw I pulled over.  Less than a 1/2 mile from the top, Christie jumped out and I got towed to the top by a support SUV.  Moving a little faster than normal, I had the best seat in the house!

The afternoon only got better as we proceeded to join the Morman’s Emigrant Trail.  Quite honestly the best driving of the whole trip.  All of the factors fell into line and the driving was perfect and oh so fun!  Christie and I sang songs through the woods and the rolling hills of the high alpine areas of Kirkwood, Woods & Caples Lake.  The bugs up high seemed to disapate again and our teeth, lips and cheeks were especially happy for the break. 

I was sad to end an unbeliveable afternoon’s drive when we stopped for gas approximately 20 miles from our final destination of Rancho Cordova, CA.  There was much discussion about which way to proceed from the gas station to the hotel.  Take the shorter route via the highway or remain on the predetermined route via Green Valley Road?  The decision was a no brainer for Christie and me.  The afternoon had been so peaceful and fun that why would we choose to ruin it by jumping on the highway?  We had embraced the pace and wanted to keep on going – not to mention remain safe and sane at the same time. 

A long but significant day ended around 7:30pm when we finally reached our final destination.  Greeted by members of the Simonsma family outside Sacramento we couldn’t have asked for a better reception!  Two state capitols in one day and family to welcome us – now that makes for one FANTASTIC (as Claus and Jan might say) day!

5 months today? Well it seems Kaisa is now old enough and is getting ready to drive!

July 6th

Short but sweet day today.  We met John Ton at the Alice Ramsey mural he painted and then spun him around Reno in the Maxwell.  Check out the photo below!

mural

part of mural

John Ton

We all met 7:30, ahem, ok, 8, and went a few blocks up the hill for breakfast at Elizabeth Rassiga’s home/museum where we were served breakfast by the beautiful ladies of Beta Sigma Phi- Beta Epsilon Chapter. It was an amazing home cooked meal, something we are all longing for,  and the house was just amazing (Thank you so much ladies!).

The beautiful ladies of Beta Sigma Phi-Beta Epsilon Chapter( from left to right) Lynda Seymour, Joe Robinson, Elizabeth Rassiga, Sharon Tremayne, and Roberta Winrod

We had so much fun riding with our friends the last few days , but alas, we needed to say goodbye to Anne and Bill Otteman who had been riding with us in their 1912 Regal since Lehi, UT.  Although Bill and Anne’s journey on the road began in Lehi, they have been working with the drive for a year plus and we can’t thank them enough for the amount of work they put into our route directions.  Bill, we know you were weary about handing them over without driving them, but LOOK!!!…..we are 20 miles from the finish and we have taken very few wrong turns.  Thank you for everything, especially talking to us about not braking on hills and throwing the car into neutral!!!  SO MUCH FUN.  

As we sat at the overlook taking pictures before we left, we realized that Sally, (who Tim and Barb refer to as their resident floozy because she rides in a different car everyday) did not have plans for the day.  We shang-hi’d Sally, motioned to the Spyker, Lil and Don, and we were on our way.  Lil and Don met up with us in Delta, UT.  Their hope was to have their Maxwell up and running for the whole drive, and it was, but they were breaking in a new engine so they decided to baby it and not drive it up and over all of the passes.  They were a great team switching off who was riding/driving.  We were lucky to share Don’s 76th birthday with him in his 1911 Maxwell   

Don Ritchey in his 1911 Maxwell, on the loneliest highway in America on his 76th birthday!

We had 170 miles to go and 140 and almost the entire  route was on route 50.  Once again the scenery was amazing!  We started out climbing right away and headed up and over both the New Pass at 6,348 feet and Mt. Airy at 6,700 feet.  When we approached Middlegate about 50 miles east of Fallon, NV,  we were excited to look for something our cycling friends had told us about.  The shoe tree.  The story behind the tree goes as such: A young couple camped there on their wedding night and got into a tiff. The woman said she was gonna walk away and the man said, “If you do, you’ll have to walk barefoot,” and threw her shoes in the tree. Then, the man got in the car and drove to Middlegate to have a drink at the bar. The bartender talked him into going back to his wife, which he did. A year later, they brought their first child’s shoes to the tree and tossed them into the branches. Since then, people have been adding and removing shoes from the tree.

Babbs and Sally in front of the Shoe Tree, Middlegate, NV

After our stop at the shoe tree Lil Ritchey joined us in the Maxwell.   

Sally and Lil sitting pretty in the Maxwell

This trip through Nevada has been such a pleasant surprise.  Prior to this journey Emily and I had both only been to Las Vegas, NV.   We were prepared for hot flat desert and have seen so much more.   The views have been so beautiful and the route has been full of historic sights!  Today we paralleled the Pony Express trail most of the day.

a view from the loneliest highway in America

Thirty miles down the road we were fascinated by what is referred to as Sand Mountain.  Sand Mountain is a “singing sand dune”.   The singing sound is triggered when the dune is under pressure.  When someone is walking on it or when the wind blows over the dune.   Sand Mountain is two miles long and 600 feet (180 m) high.

We stopped in Fallon, NV  for a quick bite and hashed out the ride for the rest of the day and lost both of our.   We made a plan that Emily and I were not terribly thrilled about, but there were a few cars involved this day so begrudgingly compromised. We finished our beautiful day on route 80 into Reno.  It is not fun to be on the major highways but we grinned, bared it and were happy to pull into Reno in time for dinner!  One more state line to cross!

http://www.hornytoad.com/community/contests/postcards-from-the-edge.html

At 9:15 am we rolled out of Ely, NV with Wilhelm and Hans in the Spyker, Anne and Bill in the Regal, and Lil and Don Ritchey.   We thought we were in for a hot Nevada desert day on highway 50, but it was quite the contrary.   In fact, we had the top and many layers on due to rain and cool temperatures.    

Emily and Sally on the loneliest highway in America.

Sally and Bill in the Regal overtaking the Maxwell on a descent

We arrived in Eureka, NV the “friendliest town on the loneliest highway in America”  where we decided to stop for lunch.  Alice stopped in Eureka, NV as well.   We all thought it was fascinating that a lot of the buildings that greeted Alice are still standing today.  Eureka, NV is a mining town that boomed around the years of 1870 to 1891.  Once home to 10,000 people, Eureka currently has a population  of 1,900 (in the county).   We learned from Wally Cuchine that there are still two functioning mines in the area.  One is 93 miles to the north and the other is 93 miles south.   Apparently, they are the two largest and wealthiest gold mines in the country.  Cool.  We truly LOVE the stories that made this country what is today! 

Eureka, NV in front of the Opera house and the Jackson House. The Jackson House was The Brown Hotel when Alice passed through Eureka, NV. It is believed that the ladies stayed there.

Fortunately, when Em signed her almost tears were replaced by a large smile when she noticed that Deputy Terry had written that she should thank her brother Bengt.  Driving record still flawless.  We were punked.   Thank you gentlemen!  That was fun.

The skies ahead were dark and there was lightning in the distance every direction we turned.  We had left off the windshield, but were thrilled that we stopped to put it back on when we did.    The rain started coming down hard and Babbs was catching huge gusts of winds.  Suddenly, Emily said what I thought was the weirdest thing.  ”I hope it doesn’t start hailing”.   Why would it hail in the middle of July?  I haven’t seen hail since 2004.   Sure enough, we turned the corner to descend Hickison Pass (6,564 feet) and the hail came down in buckets.  It was hailing sideways- hard.   The wind was coming in from the north, which meant Emily’s accelerator leg was taking the brunt of the hail.  What a chaotic few minutes!  Through the Eisenglass, it looked like there was a skating rink in front of us and the 6% grade looked very daunting.  Meanwhile, the film crew, once again were standing in the elements shielding the cameras  and each other from the golfball sized condensation that was falling out of the sky. 

View through the Eisenglass with dark skies above.

The last pass of the day was Austin Pass was at 7,484 feet.  We crested what we thought was the summit and stopped to check the brakes.  What seemed to be an out of control truck was coming at us head on as we sat in the turn out.  A gentleman in full army attire popped out of the car and came running at us, in what we thought was a state of distress.  He did not identify himself and was informing us that the lightning was striking at the top of the pass and the Spyker team was VERY nervous for our well being.  We weren’t real sure what was happening so we continued to climb since we learned that we were not yet at the top of the pass.  

Em and Christie bundled up driving down Route 50

We were so happy when we pulled into Austin!  The whole town is basically built on a hill, so we had awesome views coming down from the summit.  You could see the town and the mountains in the distance.  Beautiful!  We had a big group dinner at the Toiyabe Cafe and crashed for the night.  Some of the team slept at the Pony Canyon Motel and others were welcomed into the homes of Sharon Tremayne and Frank Whitman.   Thank you for sharing your homes with us!  We felt extremely welcome in Austin, NV and we believe what we read on the back page your local paper that “quality of life is your greatest asset!”

This is how we felt when we reached Austin, NV!

Christie and Emily early morning on the loneliest highway in America.

air in the line? Nope out of oil!

We stopped in Garrison, UT for lunch at the Border Inn.  When we rolled in we met two more inspiring friends, Nico Chiarito and Calen Barca-Hall.  These two gentlemen are biking from Santa Cruz, CA to New York. It was fun to chat with them about the elements, upcoming passes and life in general.  If you want to check out their adventure you can find them at twodudestwobikes.blogspot.com.  After lunch we put the top up just in time for the rain to come down with a vengeance.  Nico and Calen we were thinking about you guys grinding up the passes while getting worked by wind and rain with absolutely no place to take cover.  Hope everything was ok for you both!   

Calen Barca-Hall and Nico Chiarito

                                                                                 

After all of the festivities we were taken to the train house.  The museum houses locomotive 93, a running one hundred year old train.  We were guided by Nolan.  Who was a wealth of information and we were very impressed with how much he appreciated the magnitude of where he was at such a young age.  We encouraged Nolan to continue on with his passion of trains and history – so wonderful to meet a young man who appreciates preserving some very special history!

Flexing

Emily and Nolan

Happy to be in Nevada!