Bicycleride
From CFI
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The Red Ride 
On April 9th, 2006 The Red Ride, a ride of prayers, will commence to deliver a prayer stick to the Native American tribes of hurricane-hit Southern Louisiana. The Red Ride offers the prayer of healing, strength and preservation of traditional culture to the great Creator. With the Great Spirit's help, this prayer will be embodied in a bicycle journey of 70 days and thousands of miles. The Red Ride proposes to carry a prayer stick to many Indian Nations, tribes, organizations, and people everywhere along the route. The riders will ask permission to pass through the historic lands of many indigenous Nations. We will offer a gift and the prayer stick to each tribe to carry through their land, to show respect and allow for the tribe to offer their prayers in their own traditional way. Local events will be scheduled or requested in areas the ride passes through, in coordination with indigenous governments and other organizations to build solidarity, and illustrate the connectivity of issues from one tribe to the next. We are all related.
The Red Ride is in response to an appeal for help posted on January 25th to theFour Directions Solidarity Network’s website. Four Directions focus in Louisiana is: immediate relief and recovery of homes and community, long-term relief and recovery through rebuilding and placing on stilts the homes and community, solidarity through cultural preservation, tribal empowerment, and autonomy goals. These goals can only be met with your help. Show support and send prayers to these 5 Native American communities in the La Fourche and Terrebone parishes.
The Bayou Lafourche Band of the Biloxi-Chitimacha Confederation of Muskogees
Isle de Jean Charles Band of the Biloxi-Chitimacha Confederation of Muskogees
Grand Caillou-Dulac Band of the Biloxi-Chitimacha Confederation of Muskogees
Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe
United Houma Nation.
The ancestry of several of these tribes is native to the southern bayous of Louisiana. Pressure from ecological deterioration, poverty and social neglect is driving these people from their native lands. The revitalization of indigenous culture in the Louisiana bayous can continue with your help.
The "PrayerRun" connects my bicycle route with communities, tribes, and nations of America Indians and all people of American. A traditional Prayer Run works as a relay, passing a prayer stick from one to the next. When all who are involved have offered their prayers, the prayer stick will be deliverd to the tribes in the bayou. The bicycle ride also advocates for the use and love of bicycles as sustainable transportation and for grassroots networking and relief aid work being done in New Orleans and throughout the hurricane devastated communities by individuals like you and me.
Red Ride Journal, March 1st through May 6th
Join in and follow the ride for updates and pictures, and find out more about Benjamin Harlow
journal 5/9/06 section 2 Click here as the ride continues
Having filled the first page with words of the road, and love from my friends. The ride has expanded to a second page of Journal entries. Please leave comments on this page as well. Much love.
The Route
Almost completely updated We are on track with changes happening everyday. I am in Tierjas, NM right now. About 8 miles outside of Albuquerque NM in the San Dimas maountains. IT is gorgeous outside, and i wish i was riding instead of writing. haha. Follow the journal for all the route information. untill i have lots of time on a computer to go through and completely update the page. Well, that was until the accident. hum, now i am in limbo, and out on the road. I am following the southern tier route of Adventure cycling, or i am following the Sacred Run route. Both are talked about more in the journal. The Sacred run route mirrors what i originally envisioned, but again without specific maps, i am somewhat unsure. I made it across california on my intuition, but that was hard.
i will update this more latter!!!!
From Oregon the Red Ride will travel along the California coast, crossing Arizona from the south west corner diagonally to the north east corner and meeting New Mexico at four corners. It will then precede into Oklahoma the home of the Five Civilized Tribes where it will leave following a southern route along the “Trail of Tears” through Arkansas and into Mississippi meeting up with the Natchez Trace trail. The Ride proposes stopping in Baton Rouge Louisiana for major press conferences and ending in the Bayou of Louisiana.
Gear From the List
If you would like to Help facilitate the ride I am looking for donations of used or new riding clothing and gear from the list. The donation of monies to help me cover the expenses of the trek to the bayous is very appreciated and also tax deductible.
Wonderful Sponsors
I would like to extend a most appreciatve thanks to my sponsors who generously gave, making sure the bicycle ride would be a success.
Red Ride Vision, Press Release, Red Ride in the Press
The big vision of the Red Ride by Naomi Archer. Press release by Benjamin Harlow. Articles in the press about the Red Ride.
Are you interested in joining the ride?
or to send good luck!
contact Benjamin Harlow
2200 Hull Rd. Medford, OR 97501
telephone (541) 245-8598
email: bicycleride@riseup.net
Post comments and prayers in the Red Ride Journal
Donate
Your tax-deductible contributions to Four Directions Solidarity Network go to help rebuild, revitalize, and enrich.
Please indicate whether your donation should support Four Directions Solidarity Network, or the Red Ride bicycle ride. Monetary and in-kind donations to Four Directions SOlidarity Network, and the Red Ride are tax deductible through the Cloudforest Institutes 501(c)3 fiscal sponsorship.
Contribute online:
Or send checks made out to CFI/ Four Directions
Cloud Forest Institute
P.O. Box 1435
Ukiah, CA 95482
Website- http://www.cloudforest.org
Telephone- (707)-463-2482
Cloud Forest Institute
If you have a moment please view the projects, ideas, and going ons within the Cloud Forest Institute. We extend to them a much deserved "Thank You" for providing the fiscial sponsorship enabling us to offer tax-deductible, online donations, and this website with updated journal.
