Challenging roads,

scenic splendor,

 captured on camera

To read Part I of this saga click here.

Christopher Kulikowski rides behind me in a fast downhill sprint along 9 Mile Canyon Road into the Owens Valley from Kennedy Meadows. Click image to enlarge. © SGE, Inc. All rights reserved.

THE SOUTHERN REACHES of the Kern River in the Sierra Nevada mountains was the bucolic destination chosen for the 2013 Gay Sport Bike Riders annual run of motorcycle enthusiasts seeking camaraderie, hard and fast motorcycling, challenging terrain and an all-around great time.
This year’s event began Aug. 1 in Los Angeles (and San Francisco).
On Aug. 2, the group of 15 riders stopped at least twice on the way to the 9,200-foot summit at Mt. Sherman Peak to savor the majesty of the environment, to breathe in the fresh Alpine air, to recharge with the energy of nature’s beauty.

 WATCH THE MOVIE BELOW THE FOLD

AMERICA’S CUP MAY NOT BE ALL IT COULD BE
With the finals of the America’s Cup set to begin in less than five weeks – on Sept. 7 – uncertainty surrounds the world’s premier sailing race, being held for the first time in San Francisco.
The America’s Cup 2013 edition has been bedeviled with problems. Many blame Oracle mogul Larry Ellison personally, saying hiss ego got away with him.
I am disappointed to be missing the opportunity of a lifetime to see a world famous event in a sport about which I am passionate.
Get In the (K)now … here, now

Economy, poverty made worse by gridlock in Congress
A shocking in-depth report on inequality in America, combined with Friday’s less-less-than-stellar jobs reports paints anything but not a pretty picture of the state of the U.S. economy.
So what is our Congress, paralyzed by partisan gridlock, doing about it?
Federal spending cuts mandated by the so-called “sequester” are having noticeable effects on the economy.
This is not a way to run a country – unless your goal is to run it into the ground.
Get In the (K)now … here, now

TRAVEL BEATS ANY CLASSROOM, ANY TEACHER HANDS DOWN

There are few better ways to get a real education than to travel abroad.
No classroom – and no teacher, alas – can offer the kind of lessons one learns from foreign lands: the cultures, the history, the social norms (all different from one’s own, no matter where you call home)… even the different currency, drinking age and favorite local beverages.
In the final analysis, it is the sum of our experiences that makes us whom we are. The “stuff” just doesn’t matter. Don’t waste a minute. Start building who you are, today! Take a trip… it doesn’t have to cost a fortune, and the return on your investment will last a lifetime.

‘CO-SPONSORS’ NEEDED TO AVOID ANOTHER FINANCIAL MELTDOWN
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has, with three co-sponsors, introduced major new legislation that might just help avoid another financial meltdown like the one in 2008.
A bill she calls a “new 21st Century Glass-Steagall Act to once again separate ordinary banking from the high-risk activities that broke our economy” needs our support.
A way to take action is included.
Get In the (K)now … here, now

IT’S NOT PETER PAN, BUT IT HIS SOON-TO-BE EX-WIFE WENDI
Wouldn’t it be fun if the Murdoch’s had to do battle ¬– just like Michael Douglass and Kathleen Turner did in the classic movie “War of the Roses” – in a public court of law over their dissolving marriage?
Murdoch’s third – and soon to be EX – wife has hired a new lawyer, and The New York Times headline suggests the case may soon “turn messy.”
Get In the (K)now … here, now

WIKILEAKS HERO DESERVED MORE SUPPORT FROM GAYS
So where, in all this time, has the gay community been in this riveting drama?
Was the LGBT community too afraid to take a stance in support of a controversial figure, one who is despised by the right wing (especially Fox News-types) but lionized by those who believe we have a right to know about what our government is doing on our behalf all over the world?
It is a great pity

CRUISING OFF THE COAST OF L.A. ON A LUXURY YACHT
There are few better ways to spend a summer’s afternoon than lazing on the deck of a 40-foot luxury yacht a mile or two off the beaches of Santa Monica Bay in Southern California.
On Sunday, for about 25 members of the SoCal Social Club it was bicycle riding and sailing on a luxury yacht – all in the same glorious day.
Get the full story here, now.

WHAT WILL THE CHURCH DO TO REVERSE MILLENNIA OF BIGOTRY AND HATRED?
The latest attempt by the Pope at window dressing is far too little, far too late.
After millennia of denial, the leader of the Catholic Church has finally acknowledged the existence of gays among the flock.
But the history of the institution he leads has already been written. And it is not a pretty story.
Get In the (K)now … here, now

Southern California is famous for its outdoors sports offerings. What’s not so well known is how – if you wish – you can combine them on the same day!
On Sunday, it was bicycle riding and sailing on a luxury yacht – all in the same glorious day as about 25 members of the SoCal Social Club enjoyed this rare combination of two fabulous sports in one day.
Get In the (K)now here, now.