I am writing to inform the LD community that Eddie James passed away last night as a result of injuries sustained in a motorcycle vs. car accident occurring at approximately 7:30 PM on I-75 in Atlanta, Georgia. The magnitude of this loss requires no amplification; there is so much I want to say but find I have no words at this time, only sadness.
Additional information will be forthcoming. In the meantime, I ask that you hold Eddie, Lisa and the family in the light of your thoughts and prayers.
I am so sad to hear about the passing of Eddie. I can't say how much Eddie has meant to me and the rest of the Long Distance Riding community. The TeamStrange community and events developed by Eddie set the gold standard for all other events which have followed.
In the early years of founding the MTF, Eddie felt that the MTF was impeding on "Team Strange" turf, when in fact the MTF's focus was on a much broader scope of which LD riding was a small part. I participated in many Team Strange events and made many new friends through events. I always appreciated the level of commitment that Eddie made to make each and every one special.
In the last few years Eddie warmed up to the MTF and came to appreciate that they were not competitors with Team Stange; but organizations with a common goal of promoting motorcyling.
I have enjoyed the many conversations I have had with Eddie. I think the last time I had a long chat with Eddie was at Robert and Deb's wedding. It was a special day and the first opportunity I really had to get to know Eddie on a personal level.
Thank you Eddie (and Adam) for all you did. Eddie you had a terrific influence on my life as a motorcylclist and I'm glad I was able to consider you a friend.
I have considered Eddie James a friend for over a decade...his phone number still in my phone as I was thinking just the other day that I needed to check in with him. I'm just shocked by this. So sad.
he is and always will be a great man he is the first person who ever put me on a bike. i will always have the memories we made together but that still dont help with the pain. everyone who met him got to meet a great man. i will miss you more than words can say.
This is shocking and terribly sad news. I only first met Eddie at the '09 MN1000. He made a lasting impression to say the least. He will be missed. Long live the memories he has given. My thoughts and prayers to to his family and loved ones.
I don't know what to say. Eddie was one of those larger than life characters that you only meet a few times in your life. I'm glad I had the privilege to know him - he touched so many people's lives. Like all of us, my thoughts are with Lisa and his family.
I also only met Eddie at the MN1K earlier this year. He was a wonderful guy with a large as life personality. He will be missed. My heart goes out to Eddie's family.
In the summer of 2000 I bought an entry to the Butt Lite II from a rider who had to drop out. This was three weeks before what was to be my first rally of any kind.
Eddie was just so much fun. I got hooked on endurance rallies thanks to Eddie and Adam. I'll never forget how Eddie was all set to wail on my ass for being at the AMA museum too early and how deflated he was when he realized I wasn't going to try to claim the points.
The highlight of my LD "career" has to be the last two days of the 2005 IBR. I met up with Eddie on the ferry over from the Outer Banks after we had bumped into each other many times during the rally. We discussed our plans for the last 40 hrs of the rally and I was honored when Eddie suggested we ride together. We had a great time bagging points right up until I mentioned we had 24hrs of rally left and 1450 miles to Denver, then we split up to hit it to the finish.
Eddie, it has been a real honor to know you and an even bigger honor to consider you a friend. You made my life more fun and I'll always remember you for it.
Eddie James has had a larger impact on me not only in regards to LD riding but really motorcycling in general than anyone else in my life. I can say without any hesitation that my life would be very, very different if I had never met him and I am a better person for having known him. I'm trying to catalog everything I've done and all the people I've met because of Eddie and my mind is just boggling... I can't fully assess this just yet so instead I'm going to put down the first memories that pop into my head:
- the laugh and grin when he saw the "I-don't-believe-you" look in my eyes when he told me about riding 1000+ miles in a day. I've given that same response to countless people over the years when I tell them about what we do and I always think of Eddie when I do.
- the "I-told-you-so" smile in his eyes the first time I self-doubtingly rode 1000 miles in 24 hours myself.
- the look of absolute confidence on his face when he told me after a rest stop at his house during the 2003 IBR, "OK, it's almost exactly 2000 miles from my door to the finish line and you have 30 hours to get there. Just keep an average speed of 67 mph and you'll be fine." And I was....barely
- Rogowlski. 'Nuff said.
- Is there anyone who could keep an argument simmering like Eddie?
- Eddie going against one of the Golden LD Rules (No substantive changes to the bike before an event) by rewiring his bike for satellite radio or cb or some damn thing in the IBR parking lot the day before the start and taking all the abuse we heaped on him with a grin and some witty repartee.
- the competition - always the competition. Eddie usually had a smile on his face but that was only a mask hiding the grim visage of a very serious competitor.
- the encouragement he offered the members of the MN/WI/SD/Upper Midwestern LD riding community and the pride he regularly exhibited for their achievements. Without any exaggeration, the MN1K has been the start for as many top notch LD competitors as any other regional competition in the country and Eddie was integral to that. What a huge loss we've suffered...
I dunno if you believe in Heaven but I have the clearest vision of him just now sitting at the right hand of Saint Peter verifying claims of good deeds...
Godspeed Eddie, thanks for everything. I'll miss the hell out of you.
- Tim Conway
Tim Conway
Rider #17
"One man's pig is another man's bacon."
Eddie hit the deer in Glendive that I missed in the 2003 IronButt Rally...spent a bunch of time in the hospital with that one. And my favorite memory of Eddie was when I slid out on the Honda Rebel in sleet crossing France Avenue during the I-Cycle Derby...and he called me "Safe" as I ended up at his kickstand.
I'll miss you man...
...and a terrible loss. Lisa, our thoughts are with you and the rest of the family - and with Adam, and the whole list of folks who feel the empty spot.
I shoulda gotten with Eddie when he was last in So Cal. Unforgivably our schedules conflicted.
He is the reason I wear the tag JTBB and I always hear the words resonate in my head. "What do youthink the chances are he will be there?" Refering to Hunter S Thompson as I left on the MN1K from Bobs headed toward Woody Creek Co.
Sitting here reading this sad news I have a pit in my stomach and heart. He played a huge role in so many of my rally experiences that I can't imagine the community without him.
Eddie lived for the sport and I for one am a better person because of him.
My condolences go out to Lisa, his immediate family, and his extended riding family.
You didn't have to know Eddie long to know Eddie.
Whenever he was in the store, it seemed that we should just pull up some chairs
and let Eddie hold court.I feel a very deep sense of loss, and yet also so fortunate that our paths crossed.
To Lisa, Adam and his families and friends; My prayers are with you.
What a sad, sad day. All the places I've been, all the adventures I've had, all the people I've met because I knew Eddie James. My life has been enormously richer directly and indirectly because of him. Nope, never be another one like that.
My thoughts of empathy to Lisa and Eddies family. You are blessed to have been close to the real deal.
I first "met" Eddie while schlepping booze into the reach in cooler at Chicago Lake Liquors. I wasn't there long enough to even strike up a conversation with the white haired, boisterous, fellow that flighted about the store. But I did chose the Honda CBR from the classifieds while sitting in the break room one day. My first bike after being with out one for five years. I understand that now to be cosmic influence. Little did I know then the influence Eddie would have on my motorcycle life.
Eddie was a mystical character to me. The kind of person that had enough fire going it could burn you. A great example of those few special souls that some of us live in awe of. A walking lesson in loving life and the people we share it with.
Was there ever any doubt he would go to heaven before the rest of us? Scout it thoroughly buddy! We are counting on you when our gas runs out here.
I wish there were words for this, but there isn't.
Lisa, I am so sorry!
He leaves us in a place where no one can undo or repair this great loss!
I look forward to seeing him again, somehow....
This is a tough one to take. I don't even know what say at this point. I did a lot of stuff because of Eddie and it was always fun. I'll miss him a lot.
It's impossible to adequately describe the impact Eddie James had on the lives of those of us who knew him.
Impossible because he was such a large part of so many lives. Impossible because his impact was so personal, so individual, for everyone caught up in his orbit.
I know that without Eddie James in my life I never would have ridden my motorcycle to every state in the lower 48.
I never would have seen giant cows in North Dakota, struggled up the steps to the Mother Cabrini shrine outside of Denver, ridden through countless nights begging for the dawn.
Without Eddie I never would have ridden half-frozen through the sleet, would never have experienced the staggering heat of the Mojave Desert on an August afternoon, would never have ridden past trucks and cars pulled over to the side of the road in unbelievable downpours.
Without Eddie James I would have never really known what it meant to be cold, hot, wet or tired. I would never have known the depths of despair, of solitude, of sheer terror, nor the highs of elation and accomplishment.
Because of Eddie I had the time of my life. Loved every minute of it, even the really bad ones.
Eddie made you feel something. He had that weird aura around him, like he had energy to spare and like it or not you were going to get some of the extra.
I'll always remember Eddie smiling. Truth be told it was usually more of a smirk, because he knew something you didn't, but it was usually a pleasant smirk. And more often than not it was a genuine, happy smile.
Happy because you were in Eddie's life, happy because he'd just found the most insane, out-of-the-way roadside freak-show, happy because his overactive intelligence had a problem to gnaw on.
Even in a Billings hospital with a shattered pelvis, cracked ribs and who knows what other injuries after hitting a deer on the final night of the 2003 Iron Butt Rally he managed what passed for a smile.
The nurse had given him four shots of Morphine for the pain and he still had straw in his hair. He hadn't bathed in at least four days and smelled horrible.
The nurses had already had it with him by then and it took four of us to pick him up and get him on the portable toilet, where we promptly draped our rally flags over him, took his picture and claimed him as a bonus.
Later, Eddie swore he didn't remember any of it, but he managed a smile despite it all. For Eddie, smiling was instinctive.
The only time I remember Eddie not smiling was during the Butt Lite II. He had the terrible duty of informing the field gathered at the Salt Lake City checkpoint that Pauline Ralston had been killed. He was devastated, as were many of us.
I'd had dinner with Pauline the night before the rally started. Also at our table was some guy named Gary Eagan, who I'd never heard of.
In 2002, during the Butt Lite III I went to Gerlach, NV to claim a bonus at the Iron Butt memorial there.
The sun was just rising over the Black Rock Desert when I arrived, another sight I never would have seen were it not for Eddie James' influence in my life.
I took my picture and carefully filled out my paperwork. Then I took another, which I still have.
It was a picture of the stone marking Pauline Ralston's spot in the ring of honor. I stood for a few minutes watching the sky turn from pink to white and not wanting to disturb the silence by starting my motorcycle.
Finally I rode away but pulled over a few minutes later, tears blurring my vision. After a few minutes I regained my composure and continued on.
I've told two people about that moment, until now. One was Eddie James.
He just smiled, then walked away and somehow I knew it was going to be alright.
Eddie was larger than life. Full of bluster, stories and fun.
Like many others, because of Eddie I expanded my motorcycling in ways I never would have otherwise.
In the 2000 MN2K I rode my motorcycle as far North in Manitoba as you could go without leaving pavement. I went to a strange town named 'Flin Flon'. I rode through the night in a place where the sun never fully set.
I had many adventures due to Eddie James, and I will miss him greatly.
I couldn't believe my eyes this morning after reading the email from Lisa Landry.
My thoughts are with Eddie's fiance and family right now. Met Eddie back in 99 during the first Butt Lite and both he and Adam set the bar for how I thought rallies should be run.
As others have said, it didn't take but a few minutes to know that Eddie was a special character and we became friends.
Just met his fiance in Spokane last Sept and knew that Eddie and Lisa were soul mates. At dinner a few weeks later in Kirkland, WA, Eddie told me that Lisa wanted him to enter them as a 2-up couple in the next IBR. They would have made a formidable duo, to say the least.
Like many, Eddie was my biggest influence for the wanderlust that I have had in motorcycling that I could never understand till the MN 1000 and meeting Eddie. From that 1st meeting, and the many smiles and encouragement over the years I, like many, have become a better person.
There was always the joy of seeing that devilish glint in his eye when he realized he had truly messed with your head in looking for a bonus. You would find it, bag it, and when trying to claim it, he had you.
-the "waffle" bonus
-the "Bat" bonus
-some STUPID sign on the left side of a 80+ mile long road, just past a cattle grate (was one every several miles), showing you were over 4000 feet (the whole bloody road was over 4000 feet)
There were so many, but all loved and appreciated because he had expanded our lives in ways no one will ever be able to duplicate.
Thanks for the honor of being a participant in the many MN 1000's and honor of helping/scoring/bonus hunting of the Butt Lite rallies.
I shed a lot of tears last night after getting off the phone with Lisa and hearing the sad news about Eddie. I laid in bed last night and thought about all the fun and adventure he brought to all of our lives.
I'm so glad Eddie had a chance to connect with his family and had Lisa in his life the last few years. Both gave him great joy. My thoughts are with them.
But I know for sure that heaven will be a lot more fun now that Eddie is there. We know they have to let him in since he is the "Reverand Eddie James".
They'll be better food - barbeque, tacos, pizza - with him there. More bikes, lots of space up there, better than your own personal pole barn. Eddie can have all the bikes he wants. Plus he'll be telling great "shaggy dog" stories to all the other motorcycle greats who are there.
The one consolation I had last night was knowing that our dogs, Lex and Lois were there waiting for him at the gates begging St. Peter to let him in.
Terrible terrible news. Eddie was one of my hero's and it saddens me beyond words knowing I'll never get to see him again. He may be gone, but will not be forgotten. His spirit will live on in the memories of those lucky enough to have met him. The LD world just got a lot smaller. Godspeed Eddie.
My condolences to Lisa and the rest of Eddie's family.
Lisa, I am so sad, I know how much he loved you,he told me in Niobrara.
We all have lost, But Lisa has lost more,
There are no words
I am sorry to hear, cannot wrap my head around this.
Nothing I can say can truly express the emotions I feel about Eddie's death. I laughed a couple of time this morning thinking of all the crazy Eddie stories. He will be missed.
We are so sad to hear about Eddie. We met Eddie through the Ride For Kids-MN event. He was very friendly guy and the effort he put into the Ride for Kids was huge. My son received a scholarship from the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation/RFK, and Eddie played a part in his getting this.
This just isn't right...I decidided to check the TS discussion board to see what usual, fun discussions were taking place, and then to find this news.
I am so upset and saddened...like us all, I always looked forward to anything that Eddie was involved in, because I knew it was going to be fun and challanging. I always looked forward to when Eddie would speak at a function, because I knew I would be laughing. At this year's MN1000, his talking about the history and some of the rider's there and asking Marty L if he had won any other events...just being Eddie will really be missed.
This just isn't right, my heart is out to you Lisa
I could write a book of Eddie stories. But I'll give you the first and last.
The first was August 1997. I was at a Four-Stroke Singles national gathering down south of LaCrosse when I happened to hear that the Up North Bar in Minneapolis was a bonus stop for the Iron Butt Rally that year.
I packed up my tent and high-tailed it back to the Twin Cities. I knew little about the Iron Butt Rally, but I was hoping to see a couple of the riders stop at the bonus spot.
The first, real-life LD rider in full rally mode I ever saw pulled into the parking lot and yep, it was Eddie. He got off his bike and looked at a big gouge worn into his front tire. It was down to the cord, and caused by a bent fender that happened when someone backed into his bike in the Dakotas at some bar, where he stopped to call for help for another rider in the rally.
Eddie was, well, Eddie. He looked at the tire and said something like, "Hell yes I can make it to Chicago."
I also saw Adam arrive that night, looking just like you'd expect on day 10 of the IBR. I don't remember all the other riders, but I remember driving home that night thinking that I just met "my people." I had been looking for them for years.
My last Eddie story, which also involved Adam, was from a couple of weeks ago. I sent them an e-mail which said, simply, "Thanks."
I didn't have to tell Eddie what I was thanking him for; he knew. It was a good way to end things. If I could only see him one more time, I wouldn't tell him goodbye. I'd say, "Hey Eddie. Thanks." And he would know what for.
Eddie was the first long distance guy I ever met. I had heard something about the Great Lakes Challenge signed and showed up at the event. My BMW had a slightly kicked out tank that most (tech did not at a later time) even notice. I wasn't even off the bike and Eddie like a shot was standing there saying "nice job on that tank". Later on at the riders briefing Eddie went to great length to lecture the riders that if they went through the tunnel at the Detroit border crossing they would be disqualified because the "insurance doesn't cover tunnels - you need to take the bridge". Everyone was busily writing this information down even though the route around the Great Lakes would never take you across the the Windsor Bridge or through the Detroit Tunnel. Classic Eddie mis-information. What fun. After meeting Eddie, fellow Strangers and riding the event it was clear that after riding motorycles for the previous thirty years things would not be the same anymore.
We will miss this gentleman very much. He was a pioneer in our twisted little niche in the sport of motorcycling. I have a lifetime of memories thanks to the hard work he did before I ever even met him.
Godspeed Eddie.
My jaw dropped as my email started rolling in tonight and I saw the news about Eddie. The only bright spot is that he what doing what he loved with his whole heart. Other than that, it's pretty dark. Why we lose such people at such young ages I'll never understand. I first met Eddie at my first MN1K in 2004. I'd done a lot of reading about rallies and such prior to that rally and I knew he'd been an awesome rider for a long time already. What struck me is that no matter his accomplishments he treated us newbies like we belonged. Even egging us on with a comment about us now being hooked. That acceptance into the community really meant a lot to me at the time and I've never forgotten it. A few months ago, I talked with him and Lisa in Spokane at the end of the IBR. They just seemed to be having such a blast together just like every time I saw them and I thought that was just awesome. Though not riding, he was (like so many other times) giving his time at the scoring table. 'Tis Very sad to realize that will be the last time. I truly hope I said enough thank you's in person to the man who gave some much to this community. You'll be missed Eddie!
For Lisa, my heart goes out to you with hugs and wishes for strength in the days ahead.
To Eddie's family and those of you here who were like his family I send my deepest sympathies. No words can say more as you've lost one of your own. Remember all of your great stories and times shared in the days ahead.
To Lisa and the rest of Eddie's extended family here, this broke my heart to read this news this morning. Words can't begin to express the loss.
I only met Eddie a few times, starting at the first Buckeye 1000, and ending at last year's MN1K, but he always made me feel like one of the gang, that is, welcome. It's not enough to say I'll miss him, but I will.
I have yet to accomplish one productive thing today,
I was informed this morning of Eddie's passing...
I am saddened beyond description... we will pray for Lisa, Eddie and their families...
and also for all of those, me included, that will miss him dearly, and that F'n Jap Bike...
God speed Eddie, RIP and enjoy the streets of gold with no potholes...
Lisa, family, let me know if there is anything we can do.
"you don't quit riding because you get old,"
"you get old because you quit riding"
Brett Donahue
TS#515
I've only known this icon of LD riding for a few years. I am honored to have competed against this man in the past and was looking forward to being tormented by this man in the future. His passing leaves a hole in my heart and I want Lisa and his family to know my thoughts are with them.
Hello everyone my name is Mike James Eddies half brother, I did not know eddie as well as all of you it has just been in the last 8yrs or so that we found each other and started talking,but like all of you I know what a great man Eddie was, I to will miss his stories god knows he had one for everything. I know me and my family will truley miss him.
Though I have been gone from MN awhile, Team Strange has always been with me. Thanks to Eddie and the team, I got to travel around the midwest for no other reason than to do it, and all on a motorcycle. Eddie will be missed. My best to family and friends.
#303
I worked with Eddie at AMA for 6 years. When I came on board as the newly hired director of the new All-Terrain Vehicle Association in 2001, Eddie was one of the first at AMA to truly welcome me in to AMA with open arms, and Eddie didn't even ride ATVs, he was one of the first people to put his own money down and join. We spent many a long hours, after hours just brainstorming ideas.
One time he mentioned "Iron Butt" being an off-road, ATV guy I asked "what is that" I didn't have a clue. That is all it took for Eddie to enlighten me. He would tell story after story about his adventures, and I was memorized, I could not believe people did the things you long distance riders did, my helmet off to all of you.
Eddie was always there to support me in any way he could, he was that great of guy. I have not taken the them to call an talk to Eddie after he left AMA and that is something I will reget for a long time!!! I miss you big guy.
Doug Morris
(former) Director, All-Terrain Vehicle Association
I met Eddie in 1995. I created the original MN1K logo and the art for the t-shirts. I'm rider #9 out of a total of 10 that first year. He was my first exposure to LD riding. His passion for motorcycles was very contagious for me. He always kept it fun.
I'm glad our paths crossed. My thoughts and prayers go out to all who knew him.
I've been trying all day to come up with something adequate to say. I can't. The best I've been able to come up with is, there was a mention on the IBDone list about the Giant Bat bonus. I told my version of it, which all the Strangers have heard (and some experienced). But somehow I was able to babble this out at the end:
---
There's a million Eddie stories, about 500,000 of which can be told in public, and I hope we hear all of them. Eddie was a giant, in stature and in personality. He could be funny, and he could be sensitive, and he could be serious, and he could be angry, and he could antagonize people,
and he didn't go half way on any of those. I had the immense good fortune to spend a couple of weeks of my life driving between checkpoints in small vehicles with Eddie, and it's hard to imagine any
similar period that had a higher experience-per-minute ratio than being around Eddie.
The world is a grayer, colder, and much less interesting place without Eddie. My heart goes out to Lisa, to Eddie's family, and to Eddie's friends. And those who never knew Eddie, my heart goes out to them for never having had that life-changing experience.
---
<<David Smith wrote: The best I've been able to come up with is, there was a mention on the IBDone list about the Giant Bat bonus.>>
David,
The bat bonus trick in the last ButtLite was one of his best. Maybe it was THE best. It was completely perfect. I thought about it this morning within minutes of learning the news about Eddie's death.
He took such DELIGHT when I showed up with the picture of the wrong bat at the scoring table. And you know, it was so damned funny, even I had to laugh, and I still laugh. Losing those bat points was totally worth it.
The set-up was perfect, too. A rider (won't mention any names) I met at those caves in Kentucky told me he already had snagged the bat bonus, but he said there was an error in the directions and he told me exactly how to find the CORRECT location of the bat.
I was riding with Bill Thweatt that day and when we got into Louisville, I proudly told him that I knew something that he didn't know ... I knew the correct directions to the bat bonus. So of course I led him directly to the wrong f-ing bat. "Follow me, Bill. I'll show you where the bat is."
The next day, we stopped at a country-church bonus during the last few hours of the rally. We were heading back to the barn. Mike Senty showed up, too, and he asked, "How did your bat picture turn out?"
Then he proceeded to show me HIS bat pictures. I felt sick right away. His bat pictures sure didn't look like MY bat pictures. They weren't even close. Then Mike told me how he found the bat poster up on the dark wall of that building at night, right where Eddie said it would be in the bonus-pack directions. I showed him my pictures of the five-story Louisville Slugger bat, all lit up with floodlights, just a couple blocks down the street from the bat Senty had found. My picture turned out much better than Senty's with one small detail, Mike's crappy picture was of the correct bat.
Luckily, after seeing Senty's stupid pictures, I had a few hours of riding before we reached the finish line and I had a little time to work through my, er, anger, and see the humor. Still, I didn't actually laugh about it till I reached the scoring table. I turned in the wrong picture anyway, just because it really was such a terrific picture.
Hey, I don't know about the rest of you, but the TeamStrange list has sure helped me get through a very, very sad day. I am grateful for it.
Ok, now I want to hear Steve tell the story about Big Daddy's Hot Sauce and the day he tasted it during a riders' meeting at the "health" resort in Texas. Oh Eddeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee .........
in the blink of an eye... his life was taken from those of us that loved him... I find it hard to believe that he isn't here.
He has a personality that was larger than life
if you ever had the chance to meet him you know just what that meant
I remember his FIRST bike
a green road toad, That thing was a mess.
then came the racing years.
laughing on the outside, very serious competitor on the inside
3.14 easy as pi.
He introduced my daughters to motorcycles, taking his niece to her 1st communion on his BMW. yep he introduced his nieces to bikes at a very young age. There wasn't a memorable moment in their lifes that wasn't documented by Uncle Eddie and his bikes.
Then the collections oops I mean his bikes and he had names for all of them. they were his kids
always on a bike.. going to this rally or that one.
he would always stop and see us and visit.
No matter where in the world he was I got a postcard.
I will never get to see the laughter in his eyes or hear the sick jokes that he would tell me ..Yep he was my brother and I am proud to admit that always have been so very proud of all his accomplishments.
He always had a smirk a smile. and even if you knew him well you still found yourself wondering what was behind it.
I remember a lot about him but most of all I remember the little boy that use to tell me that it would be alright.
He was my hero... I wonder if he fully realized it
He was my rock the voice of reason when things werent looking good always making me sees the other side. Damn I am going to miss that...
My life and world have been a better place for having you in it.
When mom passed you listened and helped me to get thru it.
Now tears and sadness fill my heart
You werent suppose to go before me...
you were going to live forever...
I know that you will in the hearts and minds of those that knew and loved you...
I will see you on the other side .. Until that time... Ride Free
Peace be with you Little Brother... you will live on in my heart forever...
God bless you Eddie you touched so many,from our car rides in Canada to get bonus stops to rides in Mexico from stays at the house.
LOVE YA Bubba Kolb
THOUGHTS for you Lisa
May he live on in the hearts and memories of all those whose lives he touched. My sincerest condolences to his family.... Look up tonight and you're sure to see a bright, shiny star in the sky -- Eddie no doubt brightened Heaven upon his arrival...
It's been like 20 years of Eddie making me laugh. I'm really going to miss him.
I'll never forget riding with him in about the mid 80's with the West Bank Motorcycle Club when he was accused of "cheating" on the mileage award. "How could anyone really ride that far in one season?", they muttered. "Must have changed out his odometer."
I remember the early days of Eddie at WBMC. Never a helmet, his dark hair swept back by the wind riding in on his BMW
To a ride down to Springfield for the Mile race with him one time. The black clouds thickened ahead of us. My rain gear in my bags. Eddie kept riding right into the storm. So did we. Then we followed him into the laundry mat at the other end of the storm where we all put everything in the dryers, including our boots! It was one hell of a storm.
Eddie came racing up to me at an I-cycle derby while it was still at Milhoff's. He wanted to inform me that I was supposed to go an AVERAGE of 35 on that leg. He just smiled and shook his head when I said I was just out to have fun, and he sped off to make his mark.
When I found out Eddie was working at Chicago Lake Liqour, I said "but Eddie, you don't even drink" And with his typical Eddie way, the arms started flying around, and his big belly laughed and said "I know, that's what makes it so great!"
When ever I ran into Eddie, I always left with a little spring in my step. He had made me laugh..........again.
To Lisa, his family and the LD community, we have lost one of lifes best friends.
My very first introduction to LD riding was my first MN1k, Rev. Eddie James RM. TeamStrange, the Minnesota LD community, ButtLite - Eddie played a huge role in making that happen with well run events, classic bonus stops, and tricks and pranks unique to Eddie. Eddie James rallies are a trademark. You are so loved and now missed Eddie. I am at a loss.
I still remember napping next to Eddie's fathers grave during ButtLite, waiting for the time window to open for the bonus. I'll probably be napping by your own grave Eddie, maybe as soon as this summer during a LD rally. I'm sure my tears of loss will come again.
Lisa, we're with you for your own loss. Eddie has been so loved by so many.
We are in complete shock. We just can't believe he is gone. Eddie meant so much to so many people in so many places. We feel so lucky that he was part of our lives. We alternate between shedding many tears and laughing at how much fun we had with him. We can not think of one person who has given so much to promote the general sport of motorcycling, let alone long-distance endurance riding. His accomplishments with the AMA, Ride for Kids, IBA and TeamStrange were pioneering and inspiring!
Eddie has held a special place in our hearts and minds for a long time. We are especially indebted to him for his participation, enthusiasm, humor and love he showed us by being part of our wedding Ride-to-Eat. We were hoping to return the favor.
Our condolences go out to Lisa, his family, his motorcycle family and his friends. We will miss you Eddie!
To say this has been the most difficult 24 hours of my life does not even begin to describe the despair I am feeling.
But as I sat here tonight and finally found the courage to read through this thread I actually smiled and then a couple of times I laughed out loud.
Eddie was the most amazing person I have ever known. Like many of you I knew he was special the very first time I saw him. I cannot express how privledged I was to accept his marriage proposal and how much I was looking forward to being his wife.
We both knew we were so fortunate to have finally found each other. Eddie brought out the best in me and like you all, introduced me to a life I had never envisoned for myself.
I had never been on a bike before meeting him. Now I cannot imagine how I will live my life without riding with him.
All of your kind words here has helped me so much. Thank you all for "getting" Eddie. And thank you all for your love and support. I will need it for a very long time because this void will never be filled.
Love,
Lisa aka Lurleen (a true figment of Eddie's wild imagination)
Like everyone else, I was in shock when I read this afternoon of Eddie's passing. He was a larger than life guy who touched many people's lives wherever he went. My heartfelt condolences to Lisa and to Eddie's family and friends.
I've been a long time lurker but this is my first time posting. Truly, I wish it was under any other circumstances.
I only had the pleasure of Eddie's company for a few years through Lisa and I dropped in today only with the intention of being regaled by some of the wonderful stories you all have of our unique friend. In reading through the thread, I was reminded of what I'll always look back on as my first real interaction with Eddie which I feel compelled to share it with you.
Several years back, Lisa and Eddie departed on one of their first (was it their first?) of many cross country excursions. Naturally, as Lisa's B Pile (a title I wore proudly for every day I worked for her) somebody had to mind the shop while she and Eddie gallivanted across the countryside occasionally posting and emailing out photos and descriptions of oddities that typically fell into a couple of categories: the worldest biggest x, places involving Laura Ingalls Wilder, and the last/only x in America. I was, at the time, only vaguely aware of the LD community so I was puzzled by this obsession with finding and documenting all the little mostly unknown spots around our nation.
Somewhere during the course of the trip, Eddie and Lisa, while motoring through South Dakota, passed near the town of Wood, South Dakota. I should back up here and explain that while my parents named me Thomas, far and wide, my friends and colleagues refer to me simply as wood. It's how I sign my emails, answer my phone, etc. So while minor, there was some personal significance to the spot. At some point, Eddie picked up on this and detoured so that they could commemorate the coincidence of passing by. After returning, Lisa showed me one of their many incredible photos, Lisa standing beneath a green interstate sign welcoming all to Wood, South Dakota. I thought it funny at the time but didn't realize until much later that for folks like Eddie and Lisa, a few extra miles and hours for a great picture and a great story to share with friends is part of what makes the journey worthwhile. In hindsight, it's so humbling and gratifying to have been even peripherally associated with such a singularly iconic person. I'm embarrassed to admit I don't have a copy of the photo to share with you (something I'll rectify as soon as possible when I return to Atlanta).
Over the years that have followed, Eddie and Lisa has told more stories and shown more pictures of their 2 up and Eddie's solo exploits. My typical response was something along the lines of, "that man is my hero." At first I was joking but with ever story and every chance to hang out with him, I meant it a little more. I say it now with conviction. Eddie James is my hero because once he decided a thing could be accomplished, he figured out how to do and then just did it. Scale was irrelevant. Feasibility was irrelevant. Nothing was impossible when Eddie was in the room. That is quality worth adopting. That is heroic.
I only hope we can all be a fraction as wild, as determined and as brilliant as my hero, Eddie James.
Even though I'm not one of you, I think it would be entirely inappropriate of me to close with any other than this:
You're one of us. You get it. Thank you for sharing what we're all feeling. I'm still in shock. When you see her next, give Lisa a giant hug from all of us.
Like everyone else I am in shock, jags of crying, jags of laughing I am deeply saddened to learn of Eddie's passing, very, very sad news. I am so glad Eddie and Lisa found each other, and that he brought her spark and wonderful personality into our lives. We love you Lisa and our thoughts are with you as you endure these difficult times ...............
Eddie was the second person I met when I showed up to my first MN1000 in 2001. I trailer-ed my Honda Hawk GT 650 there because Hibbing to Minneapolis was further than I had ever ridden. Basically, I barely knew how to ride - I had ridden less than 3 months, I had never ridden over 200 miles, I had never ridden in the rain, I had never ran out of fuel, and I had never ridden at night - Not only did I do all of the above on my first M1K, my gear was a Tigger bomber jacket that blew up like a balloon in the wind, a Shoei Helmet, some racing gloves and dressage riding boots. I was a mess.....
When I was out of earshot, I am sure Eddie was laughing his tookuss off and taking bets that I would not make it to Fargo much less back to Minneapolis - Instead of sending me home, this "Stranger" smiled, walked up, held out his hand and welcomed me to the rally, patted me on the back, and added a few words of encouragement - honestly, I had no clue what I was in for - and Eddie knew it!! 12 gas stops (2.2 gallon gas tank) 23 hours and 29 minutes, 1048 miles later I rolled across the finish-line - the absolute "BEST" moment of my riding career so far, nothing has ever topped it and I have been hooked on long distance riding ever since!! I would like to echo Jim Winterer perfectly stated sentiments, "I had met my people" and I am honored to be part of this community of riders.
I believe that when a person is doing what they are naturally suited to do, creativity and tenacity cannot help but lead them to do impossible things - Eddie was a good example of doing the impossible, thanks Eddie, you will definitely be missed, and I never really hated you.
I also have some wonderful memories of Eddie and my daughter Natalie making up mullet haikus at motorcycle show in Minneapolis a few years running. He also got her into a "closed" motorcycle safety course in Ohio when she was a Buckeye.... shhhhhhhhhhhhh - it was suppose to be our secret!
My sincere condolences to Eddie's family, friends, and the love of his life. Godspeed -
Donna - Rider 484
A snippet from my report - bUTT LITE Iv The Hunting Of The Bonus: An Agony In Eight Fits
Fit the Forth: THE HUNTING /UFO hallucinations already Alamogordo/Texas
On my way from Tombstone AZ to Alamogordo NM I find myself passing the exit to Hatch NM. All I can think of are the wonderful greasy spoons in Hatch with the best green chile meals, tempted to go off route I have to use all my will power to stay focused. "Why couldn't Hatch have been a bonus," I mumble. Moments later I find myself yelling very loudly, "By the way Eddie, you're not the cute and cuddly one and I hate you!" Odd way to break the silence, a priceless moment, cursing a rally master without retribution now leaves me feeling better than I have in days.
Shortly after my "Green Chile Outburst" - I notice my fuel is low and I switch over to my fuel cell and continue on. It takes a while before I notice that my gaslight is blinking at me and I am running out of gas. "What!!" I re-check the fuel cell lever, it is in the right position, but the main tank has not refilled. How can that be, the fuel cell is full, but I'm running out of gas in the middle of nowhere. I coast to stop on the side of the road and check the cell - it is completely full. Obviously not draining into the main tank for some reason. Only I could run out of fuel with a "full" fuel cell, it must be my punishment for cursing a rally master. So what's a gal to do in this situation? Well, she pulls out her siphon hose "of course" and siphons gas from the cell into the main tank "of course". The GPS says next exit is 15 miles. I pull into the station, disconnect the fuel line and cut all the zip ties. I straighten the hose out and check for kinks, I check the splice I had made in Scott's Bluff. Everything seems okay as I reconnect it and turn the cell on. A few minutes later I see that the fuel level on the gas gauge rising. Okay, I must have tied something too tight in Scott's Bluff and it finally closed off. Whatever it was is now fixed, time to go.
Minimal recompense for rally master cursing I think to myself, I can handle this. Feeling a little smug that I have overcome the rally god's reprimand, I continued merrily on my way toward Las Cruces.............................
Thank you all for your posts. It is heartwarming for me to know that he touched so many lives. Although it is not surprising since Eddie genuinely loved people, loved to help, and loved the underdog.
Eddie was my big brother and a great friend. Eddie was always bigger than life, with a wicked sense of humor and an incredible intellect. Since I was little, I wanted to be like him. Free. Cool. Determined. Brilliant. That was true years ago and true last week as we sat down for Thanksgiving dinner. But there was only one Eddie James.
Sitting in your house right now, I keep thinking you will walk through the door any minute. You will call me a fat hippo and I will call you stupid. You will tease my wife by calling her a Red Sea walker and laugh when my son insists on calling you Uncle Jerry. We will debate Italian versus a steak house for dinner, and you will keep us all laughing no matter where we go. We will talk of the future, scheme, debate, and plan a road trip out West. Then we will talk of old times with some anger, tears and more than a few laughs.
the love in this community sings while it cries for Eddie
December 9 2009, 3:51 PM
I love being a small part of the motorcycle community that includes Eddie. How fortunate we all are to have known him and to know one another. My heart is with all of you - feeling your sadness and also joy in your stories of Eddie. May you rest in peace and ride with the angels forever, dear man.
Shock,...I have had the thought a few times now, really?
He's gone?
Is there a mistake, cause I know Eddie and.....
Here are some of the thoughts that have played thru my mind since Sev called and told me this morning...
In 88 or 89 we became friends working for the Hitching Post,but at different stores.
In 91 out of the blue he said he wanted to race at B.I.R. and since I was already racing I helped set up his bike.
One weekend during morning practice he came up to me,looked around till the "coast was clear" and says I dont want to seem like a D%^&*idiot but, what's with this hanging off the bike stuff and will you show me how? probably the only thing I ever taught Eddie about riding
His story telling was in fine form back then too, one time after a race he came over to my bike in the pits and was giving me and everyone else gathered his play by play how he fought back and forth (for a mid pack position),he paused for just a second and asked where I came in,I won I said,half second pause then right back into his story...my Dad still calls him "Fast Eddie" cause his stories always sounded like he was battling for first place....(I'm smilling writing this)(My wife Julie was always entertained listening to his stories)
We one time commandered someones Winnebago and hauled our bikes to the track, eating Fried chicken and listening to some old times blues singing like we were on stage....did you know he could sing the blues with soul?
wish I could find a picture of him at the track to post
The Icycle derby,he introduced me to that.He would show up with a chart taped to the tank to figure mile/speed/time..I remember thinking,crap,I stink in math, and thats even when I can sit and think about it,he's pretty smart to figure it out as he goes.I dont remember how many times his name is on the traveling trophy for first place.
Leading up to the first year of the Mn1k, he hyped it up so well and was so excited for it, I had to go,if it was a bomb,he'd at least have known I showed my support...who knew it'd turn into this?
Lots of memories.....
I know you because of Eddie
Eddie made everyone that showed up at a event feel like they were important,he took the time to know something about your story.
He did love to brag about what you/we/he did on a rally.
His point of view,even when you disagreed was interesting.
Lisa, I'm sorry for your loss and hurt,I was excited that Ed had found a women that could handle him.
Adam,Sev,I am sorry for your loss, your friendship goes back along ways with many mile stones.
We all lost a friend,we're all sad,our hearts are heavy.
I remember Eddie racing at Bir too. I was racing in the Harley 883 class and Eddie had a BMW boxer there.(I think a 250?) I didnt get to know him real well, but did talk to him a few times. I also visited with him a few times at Milhoff Steel at the Ice Cycle Derby. I talked to him this year at Leos at the 1k which was the 1st long distance event for me.
Cant imagine how tough this must be for Lisa and his family though.
We met in 1990 when you worked at the Hopkins Hitching post. I was new to motorcycles. Barely a year and I had just ridden from New York to Minneapolis. It was my first long distance ride and I thought I was pretty badass.
Your response was; Thats great, Now let me tell you about this thing called the Iron Butt Rally.
As I made Minneapolis my home, You were a mentor to me though you did not know it. I cannot begin to fathom the depths of the experiences that we shared. As I sit here and mourn, I am remember some of the best:
BMWRA National meet, Lakeville.
Mankato Hill Climb
Bobs Java Hut
Daytona Speed Week
Key West
International Motorcycle shows
Inaugural MN1K
I am speechless. Thank you Eddie for inspiring me-- challenging me to push beyond my personal moto limits. I have been to places I may have never gone if not for you. Ride on, dear sir.
It's a very sad day to see a legend in our motorcycle community pass.
We're all the better to have met & known this larger-than-life man.
My very sincere condolences to Lisa and to your families.
During the years that Eddie and I worked together at the AMA here in Ohio, he became one of the best reasons to drag my ass out of bed and go to the office.
We'd often leave around the same time at the end of the day. More than once, as we approached the bike shed I'd see his GS loaded down like he was running away from home. Variations on this typical Friday exchange would follow.
"Goin' for a ride this weekend, Eddie?"
"Yup. I feel like havin' some good chili."
"Yeah? Where's the chili?"
"Mexico. See you Monday."
My wife was completely smitten with Rev. Eddie, by the way, and likewise he with her. We wanted to have him perform our marriage ceremony back in 2006, and he was into the idea as well, but bad timing kept that from happening.
There's so much more to say. You all say it.
So we go on through the world without this gentle, funny, gifted soul of a man. We'll move from sorrow to celebration eventually, but right now losing him totally and completely sucks.
I didn't know Eddie as well as most of you, but I wouldn't have gone to many of the places, or done as many things, or met as many people, as I have, without his influence on the motorcycling world. Thank you Eddie, and to his family, I am sorry .
Patrick
I only spoke with Eddie once. It was at the Reynold's Checkpoint in Maine during the 2003 IBR.
I was just there to witness the activity. I was wearing my 2003 Minn 1000 T-shirt.
There were lots of people moving about inside the dealership, I happened to walk by Eddie, who was setting up his laptop. He looked at me and obviously recognized the T-shirt. He immediately started to tell me how excited he was about the fact that something like 15 out of the top 25 riders in the IBR at that point, were TeamStrange alumni. He was very proud of that fact. He repeated it several times, he was very excited about that.
Eddie did all talking. I knew who he was, and I also knew he didn't know me from spit. I kept quiet and just listened. I did congratulate him on his accomplishments and he continued to relish the fact that riders with TeamStrange experience were all doing so well.
I left Eddie alone to continue his rally planning, but knew that I needed to promise myself to enter the next ButtLite. Sadly, something always got in my way. I was never able to experience an Eddie James Buttlite. I will always regret that.
I didn't hear about this until this morning. I'm stunned.
When I first got the bug to try this "rally thing", I signed up for the BL IIII. Eddie made an impression on my when I first showed up in Niobrara. Ever since then, I looked forward to just standing around nearby and listening to his wild story, always thinking to myself, "Is that true? Is he full of BS?". What a fun time he's brought into my life. I will definately miss hearing his stories.
As recounted above, Eddie opened horizons for untold number of people. Our lives are richer for knowing him and experiencing the challenges he put before us. Godspeed and God bless him.
That said, I can't help but smile and think of the shit he will stir up in Heaven. You just know he is going to get into it with St Peter about the proper way to run a scoring table. How do you think old St Peter is going to react to being told he's been doing it all wrong? Nope, Heaven won't be big enough for both St Peter and Rev Eddie. But that's all right, because they've got just the job for him. Y'all are familiar with Purgatory? I'm guessing Rev (Angel?) Eddie will be setting up his scorers table and having fun with the souls who aren't quite pure enough for Heaven yet. Teasing them with reading comprehension, and sucker bonuses just outside the Gates of Hell. Challenging them to achieve things they didn't know they were capable of.
Those souls, when they finally get their chance at the big event, and find themselves at the Pearly Gates, will be ready for St Peter's challenges and will ride on through to Heaven, where they will spend their days kicking tires and reminiscing about the fun they had in Purgatory.
My wife Amy wanted to post this thought yesterday: The day after I landed in the ICU back in '04, who was the very first person to get a call through to me? Eddie, of course. We laughed about the now so appropriate name "Hindenberg" that Sev had so aptly attached to that stupid old GS. Amy and I both recalled it vividly as the last happy moment for us in what became a painful journey.
I can never be sure that my life would have returned to it's current acceptable state if it were not for Eddie and Team Strange. Wanting to ride again, not just at all but in Eddie's events pushed me to overcome depression, to find ways around disability in order to compete again. Finishing Butt Lite IIII meant so much to me, and that night before the finish, hanging out at Two Rivers with Eddie and Adam and company was as good as it gets in this lifetime.
I tried to ride Butt Lite IIIII on two wheels, and though Aaron and I had a really nice first leg, I knew by the time I reached the Mandan checkpoint that I had to withdraw. I found a private place to grieve and make peace with my decision, then went looking for Eddie. He was so excited for me, surprised that I was doing so well; he so badly wanted me to experience the thrill of Casa Bonita (doing his fabulous Cartman imitation); he even offered me a way to collect a bonus that he knew I physically could not reach. It hurt so bad to tell him I was going home that I could not speak without crying. Eddie put his arm around me and said he understood.
I'm so sorry for those closest to Eddie for whom his departure will leave a great void. His presence was so large and the reach of his influence so broad that many will feel ripples of this loss, but none greater than those few who knew him best.
He was such a loveable rogue, truly one of a kind.
All day yesterday I kept hoping that this was a hoax. That it was anything but true. I still am having problems getting my head around this. The world is a little less crazy and a whole lot less fun than it used to be. I miss you already.
I didn't know Eddie well but it was always fun the few times I was around him.
The first time I met Eddie he was with Sev manning a booth at the Int'l Motorcycle Show. I commented on how fast Eddie's hair grew back after having shaved it off from losing a bet (can't remember the details now) Sev said Eddie was like a PlayDoh machine, just squeeze him and his hair grows back, that brought a huge grin from Eddie, he could take it as well as give it.
After my wife and I moved from MN I wanted to start a 12 hour rally in Illinois and emailed Eddie for advice on how to put points on bonuses and anything else he could add. Eddie didn't really know me at all but he wrote a long well thought out email on how to run a well organized rally and asked that I let him know when it would be so he could come. I could never generate much interest in even a 12 hour rally around here so my rally never took place but I was very grateful for Eddie's insight/wisdom.
The last time I saw Eddie was the last Butt Lite when he decided to base it only 1.5 miles from my house and my wife and I were able to volunteer in a small way. Eddie's humor made it all fun, even the tales of hardship from the rally became hysterical.
Eddie may you rest in peace.
Lisa and Eddie's family, our prayers and thoughts are with you.
My future brother in law loved Brian Wilson and all of his songs.
This is for my sister Lisa also known as Lurleen from somewhere in Eddie's heart. I love you Lis.
I may not always love you
But long as there are stars above you
You never need to doubt it
I'll make you so sure about it
God only knows what I'd be without you
If you should ever leave me
Though life would still go on believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would living do me
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you
If you should ever leave me
Well life would still go on believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would living do me
God only knows what I'd be without you
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows
God only knows what I'd be without you
When Eddie was here in Minnesota not too long ago, he stopped by, we chatted, I always enjoy his company and conversation. but one thing occured to me as I scanned through the discussion forum today...
That Ugly green motorcycle, Eddie told me that he was minimizing his stable, and after riding several of his bike again, including the new GSA he didn't like it near as much as the GS1150... and that is why he bought it back from Mark, he was so happy to get it back, he had it serviced, and was taking it home after being here in MN... I asked about his bikes, and he said he was surprised on what made the list for his '5' bikes he was going to keep, among them, the green GS, XR1200, the Gold Wing (gasp), and he was just as shocked that his old BMW's did not make the list... I do not recall which other 2 bikes he was planning on keeping....
Ok so long way to get to this, He was riding one of his favorite bikes...
He is gone, but he was doing what he loved, on a bike he loved, having found a true love...
and now a little twist...
Team Strange presents the "ETERNAL RALLY"... by rally master Eddie James....
<<shudder>>>
"you don't quit riding because you get old,"
"you get old because you quit riding"
Brett Donahue
TS#515
I did not know Eddie well but my favorite Eddie story happened in 2008. I brought my youngest daughter, Ellen, along to look at the motorcycles at the motorcycle show in Minneapolis. We saw Eddie there. Eddie and I had talked briefly at the 2005 MN1k. I went up to Eddie and introduced myself to Eddie as the guy that Tim and Marty followed through the closed border during the 2007 MN1k. He quipped, "You know they don't need any help getting into trouble." He teased Ellen about something and asked her if she watched a show that he had seen Lisa's nieces watching then he asked her what her favorite motorcycle at the show was. She told him a Honda Goldwing in Dark Orange Metallic. He bent down toward her and said,"I'll tell you a secret. I like the Goldwing too. I may be riding one in the MN1k this year." Ellen thought that was pretty cool. I did too when it went by me early Sunday morning in Iowa during the MN1k. I was struggling to maintain pace but seeing Lisa and Eddie go by got me going again. Thanks again Eddie and Lisa for getting me safely back to Lakeville.
Lisa, you, your family and Eddie's family are in my prayers.
I was stunned when I got the call from a mutual friend telling me Eddie was gone. With all the miles and the comebacks from a couple big get-offs, Ed just seemed sort of indestructible, certainly irrepressible. Eddie brightened every event I ever encounted him at. I don't think I knew a better storyteller in all of motorcycling or a motorcyclist more passionate for all things two-wheeled. He cannot be replaced but he will be remembered. When riders gather and tell stories there will alway be an Eddie James tale to share.
I first met Eddie at the Motorcycle Show in Minneapolis in 1999. I had just started riding again after a lapse of many years and Eddie fast talked me into signing up of the MN1K. I had no idea what I was getting into but ultimately had the time of my life. I rode in 4 or 5 other Team Strange events and every one of them was a great time surrounded by great people. None of them would have been the same without Eddie. Thanks for that.
If I'd never met Eddie 300 miles would probably still be a big day. I would have missed seeing a lot of strange and wonderful places, at 2:00am. I would have missed meeting a lot of strange and wonderful people, some of them naked. I would have never used anyone's name in a sentence that contained that much profanity, at 2:00am. And I wouldn't have as much fun as I do on a motorcycle, if not for Eddie.
Thanks for all that and more Eddie. I hope to see you again someday, somewhere on a back road...
Lisa, Eddie's family and friends, my thoughts are with you.
I worked with Eddie for a few years and considered him a friend. Just spoke with him a few weeks ago in fact, kind of catching up and talking about the next ride....he was always headed somewhere and was so full of enthusiasm for life.
I worked with Eddie for a few years and considered him a friend. Just spoke with him a few weeks ago in fact, kind of catching up and talking about the next ride....he was always headed somewhere and was so full of enthusiasm for life.
I was a Noob in the ButtLiteIII when I first met Eddie and Adam. Eddie did everything at 110% throttle, mixture full rich and rpm drooping! He was a real character with such a big heart.
I will never forget his sinister smile and the twinkle in his eyes when he said "Bend Junction, Bob, Not Bend Oregon". Gotcha!!
I'm sure the Marines at Heaven's gate knew to look the other way when Eddie hung his Rally towel on the gate and claimed the bonus!!
Rest in peace, and watch over the rookies!
Our prayers are with you Lisa, and all his friends he didn't realize he touched in ways only a Rally Bastard can!
Dear Ed,
Hey Ed wassup in Georgia-town? Gavin's really excited to be comming to see you during Spring Break. Can't wait to see and learn things from your amazing point of view. I think he is jelous because I already went. Hey! My chior concert is December 17th! Two days after my birthday! Hoo-rah to that one. You should just come up for my birthday, and then stay for the concert. Seating begins at 6:30, and the concert begins at 7:00. You are officially invited. Hey question for you. Since you are an ordained minister,(or so i think it's called) you should marry me and whoever the dude might be when I hit that age. Just throwing it out there. Don't have to say yes, but it would be cool if you did...no, it'd be hella-cool.(Tee-Hee)
-Cassy M.-
There were a lot of things I have been planning to do, or things I had wanted to say to him the next time I saw him...
The tee-shirt from my first MN1000 (1996) said:
Veni, Vidi, Velcro (I came, I saw, I stuck around)
For many of us, it was because of Eddie that we came to see what long distance events were, and stuck around - got hooked (another Velcro reference), as Eddie would say. I met Eddie as a member of the West Bank Motorcycle Club, but I came to know him because of Team Strange. Because of Eddie, this woman who didn't learn to ride until her mid-30s has challenged herself as a rider more than she would've thought possible. I have ridden to so many places and met so many people I never would have otherwise. I bet most of us never pass something unique along a roadside without thinking what a great rally bonus it would make - we all notice things a little differently because of the riding experiences Eddie brought us.
Aura Lee, your words more than the others in this line of postings brought the most tears. I'm older than Eddie, too, and I have lost family members younger than me recently - life just isn't supposed to be this way. My heart goes out to you and Mike and JJ, and all of Eddie's family and friends.
The original Latin that inspired the 1996 tee shirt is veni, vidi, vici - I came, I saw, I conquered. Yes, he did.
Pat Stitzel
TS Rider #38
West St. Paul, Minnesota
Eddie put together some great rides. There was one night ride fm Ohio 555 by the light of the full moon. Eddie turned off the headlight on his bike and it was still a bright evening to ride. LDR at Charlotte. Thanks Eddie, you will be Greatly missed. The riding community won't be the same.
I met Eddie in 1989 when he worked at the Yamaha dealer in Hopkins, MN. Unfortunately, in all these years, I didn't have the opportunity to spend much time with him. Too bad!! Because he was one of a kind individual and a real gentleman. I'll miss him very much.
"...he was one-of-a-kind individual and a real gentleman..."
Both statements are true.
There is certainly no one like Ed. He was a Joan of Arc of motorcycling: crazy visions, fanatical passion to an ideology and had the ability to safely lead his fellow riders through situations that, to outsiders, appeared foolish at best; or simply impossible.
No one in my immediate or extended family nor any of my in-laws ride. Despite this, I have watched many of my non-riding family members sit spellbound as Eddie told them of his latest ride and then mock-berate me, "that if I was a real rider, I woulda joined him..."
My mother-in-law was greatly saddened when she learned that she would be unable to enjoy a steak in his restaurant/hotel on their return drive to Minnesota as Ed and Lisa had moved on.
Judy loved Ed, and wrote as such this morning.
And yes, Piero, Ed was a gentleman. He had seen enough adversity in his years that he never hurt anyone.
To be sure, he would throw you under the bus if he thought your reasoning ran contrary to his. I was taken out on more than one occasion. But I never saw malice.
I have seen some get bitten by Ed's wrath. I knew those moments to be the protective swipe of a wounded bear. While Ed loved rhetoric and debate, he loathed conflict on a deep, emotional level. The moments he lashed out at friends were to protect his very vulnerable, gentle self.
The proof to me is how Eddie interacted with children and chlidren responded to him. You can't bullshit children. They know what is up.
We aren't churchgoers in our house but tonight my 7-year old daughter asked me to say a prayer for Eddie at dinner, which I did.
[pause]
"Eddie was a good man, dad..."
[pause]
"Why do you say that?"
[looking up and shrugging shoulders]
"Because he just was, that's all."
I was almost disowned for "drinking the sidecar Kool-Aid®" Ed continually and openly mocked me for my three-wheeled passion. My response was to enter that rig in the next MN1K. Publicly, he blustered and lamented "the demise of the premier TS event." Secretly, I know he loved it.
Perhaps it is time to complete my third sidecar.
Pair it to a BMW, lose the pinstripes and put on loud pipes.
That would push so many of his buttons as to be blasphemous
Ed would love it.
I'm still in shock, I just can't bring myself to believe it.
I've struggled to find the words, but all of them seem sadly inadequate. I've stared at this %#@&ing blinking cursor for ages and still nothing comes. My mind is numb, frozen.
Eddie, you will be deeply missed. your endless exuberance was the gravity that held this strange little universe together. You are as irreplaceable as you were irrepressible. Your absence leaves a void that can never be filled.
In my limited interactions with Eddie (via a few brief phone conversations as he transported a motorcycle for me from MN to GA this summer), he was able to make me bend over in laughter and understand why I've heard such wonderful stories about him. Although I never had the pleasure of meeting Eddie in pearson, my heart goes out to his family and all of his friends. Based on stories I've heard from my father and other members of team strange, I know that he lived "Bigger than life" and that he touched so very many lives. Having as positive of an impact on the world as Eddie did, and continues to have, is all that any of us can ever hope to do.
I've ridden on a few of the Teamstrange events. I always looked forward to the pre-ride banquet, distribution of rally packets and post-ride awards. Eddie James was an entertainer as well as a Master Rally Bastard.
One event, I think the only Memorial Poker run held by Teamstrange, I elected to bypass the optional mandatory poker stops and head straight to Sturgis for something like a 34 card bonus.
After riding all night, having battery problems, 90+ degrees, I sat at the judging table with Eddie. First I drew something like 38 cards, then Eddie said that since I didn't do the mandatory stops he would get the waitress to take out 17 penalty cards from my 38. Not a problem, I still have 21 cards left. I should get a pretty good 5 card hand.
Well the waitress starts picking the penalty cards. King, Queen, King, Ace. When she gets to the fourth King, Eddie starts laughing. OK whats so funny, I'm in black riding suit, 90+ degrees, no sleep for 24+ hours and I got some guy that I never met laughing at me. The waitress keeps drawing cards and the penalty cards keep getting better. Eddie is almost falling off his chair. Then he decides to share my embarrassment with all of the other judges and really anybody else that was close by.
Then the kicker, we look at my non-penalty cards and I don't even have two pair. Eddie starts the re-tell the story to everyone all over again.
I remember the ferst time I met Eddie I was working a stop on a FDMC poker run I saw a guy on a bmw with a fuil cell.I said to myself I dont know who this is but I have to meet him.He handed me a entery form for the mn 1000 it changed my life forever He was responsable for the most fun Ive had on a bike. I had oprotunity to ride to Pirey Sound sport bike rally and a trip to Datona with him, I did all the butt lites and manny mn.1000s including the one He made every one bring a wedding presant four me as a bonus [it was a week be for my wedding] I will miss his him very much and will never forget Him
One of mine is shortly after he went to work for the AMA. I'm talking to him about the job, and he says----"I get to ride my bike to all of these events and THEY PAY ME FOR IT!"
My thoughts and peayers are for Eddie, his family and many friends.
...I managed a smile and chuckle today thinking about Eddie talking to the Big Guy regarding the forest rat problem down here - and then demanding that it be taken care of before the next rally.
How sad. I sit here reading the responses. I have a huge pit in my stomach and tears running down my face. We all loved Eddie. When it comes to LD riding, we are all Eddies children. I met Eddie at my first MN1K in 1998. He encouraged me and teased me at the same time. Sound familar? When I went to Angle Inlet and Winnepeg and finished third, this LD rookie impressed him. I have been hooked ever since. In the 09 MN1K, I shared 5 minutes with Eddie and Lisa waiting for Bob's Java Hut to open for a mug and bonus.
I have never been one to name my motorcycles but Eddie's name is going on my R1200RT. That way, I will always ride with and remember Eddie
I'm having a hard time putting thoughts into words right now, and the tears don't help much either. Eddie introduced/inducted me into this new sport of long distance riding, & in recent years I have been fortunate enough to be able to share my newfound addiction as well as the larger than life personality & heart of the Reverend Eddie James, with my wife Tina.
One thing he had printed on his old Concours really changed the way I think... "Far away is only far away, if you don't go there".
Thank's to Eddie, I've been going there ever since.
Joe,
Eddie loved that quote. It was attributed to Danny Liska. My sister and I picked it for something she is making for his service. Very interesting that you would remember it too.
I came to know Eddy in early 90's with the MN 1000. Only 4 bikes in the Touring Class in that rally and my best finish in a class. 1st Place! He was a font of riding information and a real encouragement to each rider no matter what they rode.
He was a friend to all who rode and a defining member of Team Strange.
The motorcycling community has lost a great asset and friend.
Keep riding with the wind at your back Eddy! We will all miss you!
When I first saw "Edie James RIP" I just figured it was Marks dog (Also named Eddie James) till I read the full post.
Unfathomable that it was Mr. James himself.
Looking forward to his Twin Cities memorial service to celebrate his life.
Thanks for all the help Eddie.
Was searching thru old pictures for a shot of Eddie up at the track (B.I.R.).Couldn't find one yet but, saw on one picture where on the tailpiece of my racebike where I had painted on "Bye-bye Ed",everytime I'd go by him I'd point back to it laughing...
He felt special he was the only one racing a BMW...he tried many upgrades to try to make it faster,and in hushed,spy like manner would quietly tell me what the latest attempt was...I'd always tell him "WHY","HE" was the "ONLY" one trying to....
...those were fun days..thanks Eddie.
I love you Eddie, and I miss you. Thank you for all the wonderful memories you have given me.
I have been doing a lot of truck driving lately, and it reminds me of when we were traveling to get all the cases for the Ride for Kids. You were sitting next to me bitchin the whole time about how damn uncomfortable the truck was. You were squirmin around like a little kid! I was in the air ride seat so I was just fine, but we were drivin in that truck for a few hours so I did feel for you. The best part were the stories you told while we were driving. I will always remember.
I'll always remember Eddie's kindness, that never ending smile, and those mischievous sparkling eyes.
I first met him back in 2001 at the inaugural Buckeye 1000 rally, and he instantly made an impression on me. In 2002, as Russell (Stephan) and I were prepping for our second 2-up Buckeye 1000, we stood in the parking lot commiserating about the heat and discomfort we were in for... up walked Eddie and generously offered to let us use his sheepskin seat cover for the next 24 hours. My butt was ever so appreciative... Smile
Eddie, Lisa, and their families and friends will be in my prayers during this difficult time.
I was lucky enough to have begun to know Eddie as a friend and seeing him running, breathless into the final bonus location on this years IBR, in his role of 'camera bike' was a huge tonic, just seeing him there and hearing his words for the riders, made me confident I'd finish and finish well. I was, after all a Team Strange rider, having been fortunate enough to ride in BLIIIII.
Many folks have mentioned the masterful stroke of 'the giant bat' but my favourite Eddie moment was riding into the Tri State Marker, in ID/UT/WY I think it was. Either way, the bonus instructions said 'go to the marker and take a picture of the motorcycle there'. I rode up just as the sun was setting and could see no motorcycle, I looked around, rode up the road a little, still nothing, so back to the marker, I was getting quite flustered being hot and botherd and a little angry too, it's not like Eddie to screw up a bonus description. I finally stopped, nothing, dismounted and looked around, once again for the missing motorcyle, only to see it come sharply into focus, for there, right in front of me was the Honda I'd been riding for 5 days straight. I can only imagine how many riders have been caught out by that subtle play on words. I could hear Eddie laughing in my head and he's been pretty much with me, reminding me it's fun to be riding, ever since.
I was reminded of another wonderful Eddie story this morning. It was the Return to Niobrara Rally, can't remember the year. John Pedrow had just found a case of expired bread behind the local market. Eddie, with a wry little smile, began putting the loaves of bread in the tank bags of motorcycles of the riders parked around the Two Rivers.
A week later I spoke to a one of the riders who had received the "special" bread and asked what he thought of finding a loaf bread in his tank bag. Dumbfounded, he asked how I knew about the loaf of bread. I spilled the beans and told him Eddie put it there. With a sigh of relief he said when he found it he figured he'd bought it for a needed bonus, but was so tired he'd couldn't remember what or why. It had bothered him the whole ride home that he may have lost points because he forgot to bring his bread to the scoring table.
I think only Ron and Carrie Hanson, and Paul Sundet (Team Newbie) know about this, and as unbelievable as it may be, it's a true story. I don't think I've ever told anyone else, or very few people at least. If it hadn't happened, I probably would not believe it myself.
To preface the story, I've done a bunch of graphics work for our little local motorcycle community, including the logos for Butt Lite 4 and 5, the Return to, and Night in Niobrara logos, and some others. I've never really asked for payment, maybe a couple bucks off a rally entry, but for the most part, I've just done it to do my part to give back to the people who have made these events so much fun for all of us. (and because I could never say no when Eddie called - he was just that way).
Anyway, we all know that Eddie had a heart of gold as a person, but his approach to rally scoring was...well, sadistic doesn't begin to describe it. How many of us have lost points, been dejected/rejected at the scoring table at the hand of Mr. James, much to his amusement, as well as his dedication to the words "reading comprehension."
The second checkpoint of Butt Lite 4 was in Atlanta and it opened at 4 am, or some early, awful hour where I would never be awake normally. While the first leg was among the most fun experiences I've had on a motorcycle, the second leg was by far the worst. Searing heat, dropping a bike, terrible roads, losing two time zones, barely staying awake. When we rolled into Atlanta, I felt like death, as did many of us.
Ron and Carrie and Paul were still adding up their points, and I went up to the scoring table. Adam was my scorer. We went through my points, and I was fine, until he said "where's the rest of your packet?" Uh oh. The rules stated that you had to turn everything in that you were given. Where was it? I know I had it, but my brain couldn't remember where it was - was it back in my bag? I had no answer, and I had just lost ALL my points for the leg. There have been very few times in my life that I've felt so horrible. I wanted to crawl into a hole. (c'mon, some of you know the feeling!)
After I got up, I realized that the packet was actually in the metal box with everything else, and it was visible at the time I sat down. I went back up and plead my case to Adam, who wasn't much interested in hearing it (and justifiably so - I couldn't produce the required paperwork). Eddie walked by, heard my plea (I did have it with me when I sat down), and said something like "you know, he does do all the graphics work for us..." Adam looked at him, looked at me, and said "sit down." I did lose a big bonus of 1000 points because I'd thrown a bag of pistachios back on my bag that I did have when I first came up (Adam's comment was "losing 1000 points is better than losing all your points," and of course he was right, and I kept my mouth shut.)
I ended up finishing middle of the pack in the rally, but I'm sure I'd have given up and gone home had I lost all my points on the leg. I never asked for much for doing the work I did, but Eddie's one moment of pity on me that morning in Atlanta, was worth more than any amount of money I could have ever asked for in return. It was the difference between feeling I'd wasted months of preparation and thousands of dollars, or the rally being one of the most memorable experiences of my life (which it was), and for that, I'm eternally grateful.
Unless someone else has a similar story, I believe I might be the only person ever to have received a break at the scoring table via the hand of Eddie James.
Thank you. I'll never forget that.
P.S. - Eddie, if you can see this, say hi to Carl Wilson for me up there. You know I'm the only person who'd want to meet him as much as you do, but don't harass him too much - you might spoil it for all us other obsessive Beach Boys fans
Actually Chris, Eddie did give me a break on my first TS event the Mac Poker Run. It ended at Betty's I had rode all night on the Intruder, still stock at this time. My longest ride ever at that time all of 800 miles. I was going to be pushing it to stop someplace for a sleep bonus so I decided to just take it at Bettys when I got back to Minneapolis. The event ended at 10:00 am at 5:55am I stopped for my reciept at the Holiday across the street, at one of the pumps. Eddie had to have been to Betty's by 7:00 am that morning and he seen me take most of my sleep bonus so he decided to score me first before the event was actually over as long as I promissed to get my ending reciept. I got me reciept butt it was at 10:05. Being the new guy at the time I didn't rtealize the times on the pumps and inside the store wre off by a few minutes. Eddie was nice enough not to take those cards away and make me re-draw
This must be a very exclusive club as I've never heard these stories. Eddie and Adam giving riders a break? Unheard of.
It was the first Butt Lite and it was the last leg. We had visited the AMA museum and various places along the way up to Fargo including Indianapolis Speedway. There we were supposed to get a receipt from the gift shop. I was little tired and not thinking about rules and such and thought I could kill two birds with one stone. Earlier in the rally, my watch band had broken and I had lost my watch. It was a really cool one that I could sync with my Exchange calendar at work too.
I saw a cool Speedway watch at the gift shop and bought it at the tune of $80. I know, not worth it.
But, it was worse than that. The rules stated (and I had forgotten) that not only did we have to turn in a receipt; but also, the purchased object.
So, at the scoring table, Adam asked, "where's the watch?".
I held out my wrist and said, "Right here".
Adam: "The rules say you have to turn that in too".
Me: "Oh shit". But, I started peeling it off and held it out to him.
Eddie walked by about that time and laughed his evil laugh and said, "Aw Adam, let him keep the watch".
So, you see, it's really Adam who is the enforcer and Eddie is the evil genius who thinks this shit up but then gets to play the nice guy.
From Chris: snip...Unless someone else has a similar story, I believe I might be the only person ever to have received a break at the scoring table via the hand of Eddie James. ...snip
I did not have such luck at Tombstone during ButtLite. I left one sheet on my motel bed. It had the emergency phone numbers on it, and I intentionally placed it is a safe and obvious place, so I'd have it for leg two.
Ira was my scorer, and when he asked for my second score sheet, I had no idea where it was. We had received two route packets for leg one, one after the evening banquet and one just before the start. Ira described it, "It has the emergency phone numbers on the back side." I quickly figured out where it was. I knew I was screwed. Ira went in to the "back room" and confered with Eddie for a LONG time. I sat, waiting. Other riders in the scoring room silently watched and waited.
Eddie came out, "Mike, you've been doing this for a while. You know the rules about scoring." He was good about it, but I still got "zero" points for that leg.
Eddie told me at the finishers banquet that the TS staff had a pool going. He had me pegged for a much better finish than what I accomplished, all because of that big points hit. Sorry I cost you on the pool, Eddie. After I regrouped, I kept riding and rallying to the end. Eddie actually recognized that effort, and complimented me on it. He was very aware of what each of us was doing during a rally, even the little guys.
Mike - I remember your situation in Tombstone, and to be honest, I almost didn't tell my story because of it. I think everyone in the rally felt awful for you at that point.
As long as we are destroying Eddie's reputation as the world's most ruthless rallymaster, I'll toss in an act of kindness that took place at what has become known as the "Moon Motors Bloodbath." It was a Buttlite checkpoint in Monticello, Minn., where more riders lost more points at the scoring table than probably any other checkpoint in LD history.
I had pulled into the checkpoint like you usually do, fried and in that rally la-la land we know so well. I had arrived with maybe 20 minutes to spare before the penalty clock would start ticking.
The rules were quite clear. In order to officially check into a checkpoint, you had to go to the table where Adam was sitting and say, "Rider 177 checking in." If you didn't do that, you would start losing points each minute during the two-hour penalty window, and if you didn't do it by the end of the penalty window, you would have a DNF for the leg.
I totally forgot to report to the scoring table to officially declare I had "arrived." Adam could see me, of course, but he couldn't check me in until I went over to the table to tell him I was there. It sounds a little goofy to those who don't do rallies, but it is a good rule and makes sense.
So there I am, now well into the penalty window, wandering around and visiting with other riders, digging out my stuff to prepare to be scored, and I was losing big points every minute. I probably wasn't 25 yards away from Adam and the scoring table.
So along comes Eddie and he stops and we chit-chat a little and then he says, quietly, "Hey Jim, did you check in with the rallymaster yet?"
It hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew EXACTLY what he was talking about. "Holy s--t," I yelped, and did a 25-yard dash over the scoring table: "I'm here I'm here I'm here" I shouted on my way over to the table.
I lost a few penalty points for checking in late, but Eddie saved me from total disaster. I never forgot that and never will.
There is one thing I wanted to add to the list of memories that has not come up yet. It doesn't have anything to do with rallies, but with being a decent human being.
This happened quite a few years ago on the LD Riders internet list. I can't remember exactly what the topic was, but someone wrote in something that was "supposed" to be funny, but it really was the worst kind of humor because it had clear racial overtones.
I'm sure you have encountered this behavior too. Someone in a group tells a joke that makes fun of someone for their race, gender, gender preference, etc. They figure they are among like-minded friends, who will find that kind of humor to be funny.
Eddie responded to that post fairly quickly, and quite clearly. He told the writer to knock it off, because that kind of stuff simply was not allowed on the LD list. Period. And you know, it worked. That thread stopped dead in its tracks.
It was a side of Eddie I hadn't seen before. And it impressed me greatly. No one else stepped forward to tell that racial joke-teller to knock it off. Eddie did. I hope it got listed somewhere on his permanent record.
Hey Andy, Eddie used that same bonus on Return to Niobrara - somewhere in the middle of Nebraska, and I'm looking around for some motorcycle relic rusting in a ditch that we're supposed to get the license number of, turned around to see my old Honda, and cracked up - still one of my favorite bonii, but there are so many memorable ones over the years.
Pat #38
Each day I read your Eddie stories and laugh through my tears. They say laughter is the best medicine, although I dont feel like laughing much lately, but your stories do lighten my heart, thanks to all of you.
John, great song choice for your video, had to go get the Kleenex again
I will remember Eddie as someone who was often handed lemons but always made lemonade (and shared with anyone around him). A big man with a big heart.
I was happiest for Eddie when he met and then proposed to Lisa.
I dont know your bike vocabulary but from what I can decipher it sounds like you all share a passion for riding and belong to a special family of friends. No wonder Eddie loved to ride with you. I look forward to meeting those of you who attend his service in Mpls.
From Strange Saturday - 2008 in Niobrara: Fat Tire and cheeseburgers at the Two Rivers Saloon. Kolache Days and tractor pull in Verdigre. Camping up on the bluff. Breakfast with Arlene Liska. Thanks for everyting, Eddie.
There's not much else to say about Eddie that hasn't been said, but I did want to share one more photo.
Years ago, when both Eddie and I worked at the AMA, we ended up in Texas at the same time on AMA business. I was writing an article for American Motorcyclist about Big Bend National Park and Eddie was probably doing some sanction meetings. Anyway, he met me in Presidio and helped me take some photos. Riding the River Road from Presidio to Big Bend, we stopped at the old movie set alongside the road. I'm sure many of you know it. Eddie was riding his much modified BMW GS at the time and I was always looking for stock photos to put in our files.
"Eddie," I said, "a photo of your GS coming up the dirt and gravel past those old buildings would just be the visual embodiment of 'adventure touring.'"
As you know, Eddie was game for anything, so he rode the super-sized GS down the steep slope and then wrestled it back up the hill, which was covered with loose chunks of gravel. By the time he got to the top, you could smell his burning clutch all the way to El Paso. But of course he didn't complain.
If there's anything at all like heaven, this is what I imagine Eddie doing these days.
As a younger man with a over-revved , hole in the piston 81 R65 I met Eddie when he
was a parts guy in Hopkins MN. He talked me into ported and polished heads, Big pistons for my Beemer. We created a R65 that would wheelie, terriorized N.E. Mpls
many years. Eddie gonna miss ya pal, still have the little monster that Ive called
the "Eddie James Replica" for years. Will have to paint it on the tank!
As a younger man with a over-revved , hole in the piston 81 R65 I met Eddie when he
was a parts guy in Hopkins MN. He talked me into ported and polished heads, Big pistons for my Beemer. We created a R65 that would wheelie, terriorized N.E. Mpls
many years. Eddie gonna miss ya pal, still have the little monster that Ive called
the "Eddie James Replica" for years. Will have to paint it on the tank!
One year ago today. You are all the rage on Facebook right now. Thank you for all that you did to create the LD world I live in.
Some freinds you make in life you don't get to see for years on end. You bump into each other at a rally, then maybe two years pass before you see each other again. Because it's only been a year, I've found it easy to compartmentalize (is that a word?) you are gone and the grief it brings. It's still sinking in that I will never again ride in a rally mastered by you. I find comfort in knowing that you shaped the LD world in such a way that your style can live on.
All the places I've been, all the adventures I've had, all the people I've met because I knew Eddie James. My life has been enormously richer directly and indirectly because of him. Nope, never be another one like that. Eddie inspired/tormented us to chase horizons like we never knew we could. Missing Eddie for a year now
I still have two voice-mail messages from Eddie saved on my cell phone, from December 4th of last year. I listen to his voice and can't believe it's a year already, but it is.
By chance I happened to be with another Stranger (Tim Fredrick) this evening at 6:30 p.m. CST and noted the moment. Helpless is about all I can muster.
Amazing, in that Jim Winterer and I per chance were talking on the phone at that precise time. He sent me a really kool blow up of the Cartwright Tunnel picture that I took, and I called to thank him. To me the picture symbolizes walking out of the darkness and in to the light. As Jim pointed out to me, we were talking about that picture. I imagine the rider in the picture (actually Jim) represents Eddie's emergence in to the after life. Some of Eddie's ashes are on both the near side and the far side of the tunnel.
Mike or Jim - can you send me that picture again? I have the one of Mike but not the one of Jim. I thought I had it at one time but losing stuff has become the norm for me.
I sent this photo to my mom and explained it's origin and "what it meant" (what Mike said). The parallel with my dad's death on the Sunday morning of the MN2010 was to her compelling.
Shortly after reading Mikes post at Living Lurleen I talked to a friend & explained what happend the day Marlene & I arrived at the Bridge.
Those of you who know Marlene & me, are aware we're pretty new to the Teamstrange Circle, having only ridden in the '09 & '10 Rallys. Although I'd heard about "The Rev", our only personel encounter with Eddie was at the '09 Rally, where we, "the older couple" were parked next to him & Lisa. Being around him before & after the rally, listening to his stories was entertaining! Over the next few months I followed along on this & other forums. I soon learned that this guy had a unique twist of wit & fun to be around. I was blown away when it was announced Eddie & Adam would be the Rallymasters for the IB5000. Up until then, I had no intension of riding an IBR. But, the thought of what he would put together, the most bizarre places he would send us, was overwhelming, I had to at least make the effort to get in, or I knew I would be disappointed for not taking the opportunity.
I was working in France at the time. I called Marlene & said "Remember Eddie James, the guy who hit the deer in the MN1000?" She said "The guy that was cussing his onboard GPS" me "Ya, that's the guy. He's going to be the Rallymaster for the IB5000, the 5 day 5000 mile Iron Butt Rally, should we enter" her "YAaaaa....that'd be cool, YA let's do it" me "Ok, I think I can get all the entry stuff done from over here, I'll let you know if I need anything"
Like everyone else, when we got the Congratulatory e-mail of acceptance from the IBA, we were excited & scared at the same time.
Things were just getting underway, we were already planning, dreaming of where & what we were going to see. Giddy almost, with the excitement of dealing with his unique ability to screw with riders. Then we heard the news of his accident. We couldn't believe it. I couldn't imagine how people who knew him, much better than us, had to be feeling. We attended his memorial in Minneapolis. Through the many people that told storys about him, we got to know him a little better.
Pretty soon it was June & we were at the Liars Banquet, having a Dr. Pepper toast to Eddie, the night before the start of the MN2010. We received our rally packs & headed off to plan the next two days.
The second day of the rally was tough. Lack of sleep, horrible weather, bad decisions, all took its toll. But, big points at the Cartwright Tunnel kept luring me. We arrived late in the day. We had been riding hard for two days, just came through some of the worst thunderstorms, intense pounding rain & hail wed ever been through. Not wasting time at any of our stops, ready to collect another bonus.
When we pulled up to the parking lot, the view, out over the river, was gorgeous. I took my helmet & jacket off. Not feeling rushed, we walked through the tunnel, taking the required pictures. I was mesmerized by the construction & how intact the timbers in the tunnel were. On the way back as we crossed the bridge, I stopped to take a few pictures of the calm water, & the late day, post storm sky. After running hard, not wasting time, being rushed for the last 2 days. Coping with the horrendous Spring Storms. There was a calm feeling, I remember it!.....Not until reading Team Lyles report at Living Lurleen, & seeing the picture of Mike throwing ashes into the air, did I understand .
Somewhere, here the night before, Eddies ashes were thrown into the wind...........
As all of us, I was shocked when I got the word of Eddie's passing. I attended the memorial service in Atlanta, and the service in Mpls.
At the beginning of the MN2K this year, I was very honored to be chosen by Lurleen to get a vial of Eddie's ashes to spread on the Rally. When I got to Niobrara, I left some of the ashes with Arleen Liska. She spread them on the highway through town, which was under construction. Eddie will live on in Niobrara.
When I reached Belle Fourche, SD, at the Center of the Continent site, I realized this was the perfect place to spread the rest of his ashes, as Eddie liked to be in the center of things.
I remember being honored that Eddie remembered my name once when we met at the Cycle Show. Over the years I always looked forward to any meeting with Eddie. The last time I saw him was when I was leaving the hotel in Spokane after the IBR.
It is hard to think he has been gone for a year.
That is really something that your mom uses Mike Senty's tunnel picture as a screen saver.
Mike and I didn't realize until the next day that we were talking about that picture, and Eddie, exactly one year after we lost him in Atlanta.
While on the phone, both of us were looking at enlarged copies of the picture that I had mounted on foam board. I told Mike it was too bad he wasn't IN the picture, but at least he TOOK the picture. And Mike said, "It could have been you, or it could have been me, or it could have been Eddie who was going toward the light."
And of course we had a little bit of Eddie along with us in that tunnel, and we left him there.
These are the kinds of pictures that you just can't plan. Mike just happened to have his camera in his hand in the tunnel, because we had to get rally shots on both side. Hard to say what prompted him to do so, but he just held up his hand, aimed the camera toward the light, and pressed the button.
When we saw the image later, we knew it was a keeper.
Later that summer, it was impossible not to have Eddie in our thoughts throughout the IBA5000. So many of the bonus locations had something to do with him, and some had everything to do with him, like the memorial bench that Lurleen placed in the Atlanta cemetery. You can't get a better bonus that that.
Thanks, Sleddog, for sharing that story and the pix you took at the tunnel, too.
The other night I had a dream, it seemed so real, "felt" smalltown Nebraska-ish, don't know who's house it was,standing in the kitchen, early in the morning, Eddie was packing sandwiches for a ride, we were talking, normal stuff.....
when I woke up, went down stairs and looked at some Eddie pictures...
Dave(bambikiller) said he scattered Eddies ashes at the Belle Foursche geographical center, cause Eddie liked to be at the center of things, made me smile, good call Dave, next time out that way I'll stop and pay a visit there....
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