How I met Bill and how he changed my life and showed me how to live.
Bill was always the blogger…the picture taker. He was great story teller, perhaps it was because he always made sure he had great stories to tell. His blogs and his stories inspired people. I am not a great story teller, or writer and I can't own a room like Bill could. However, I think I owe Bill a blog. This blog is about how, in the short time I knew him, Bill impacted my life.
How I met Bill
Bill was a charmer, he was always happy and knew how to make people feel comfortable.
When I was just starting out learning how to ride in the dirt I met a guy on the Doc Wong ride named Jonny. I didn't know this at the time but Jonny had ridden to South America with Bill just months earlier. Jonny seemed like the genuine article and I was eager to hear his stories and learn from his experiences. Not one month later, in April of this year, Jonny invited me into the Sierra's for a weekend dirt ride. I wasn't sure what to expect but I said yes, I loaded up the KLR and headed East. Shortly after I got on the road I got a text from Jonny saying he was stuck at work and couldn't make it until the next day but that I should continue up on my own to meet up with the other guys. The house we were staying at was an hour from anything including cell service. When it came time to find the actual house I realized that my GPS was only going to get me close. With it being almost pitch black night, no road signs and no house numbers I couldn't even find the street I was supposed to be on. After going down just about every driveway within a 1/2 mile of where my GPS said the house should be I started to give up. There was one last long winding driveway to nowhere, I took it and that's when I spotted the lone KTM 950 Enduro. On the porch was a pair of boots and a dog leash. I figured it was the right house but I expected to be meeting multiple people and there was just one bike. I didn't want to walk into an unknown house guarded by a dog. I quietly checked the front door and it was unlocked. I took one step in the house and saw a note board, on it was a wifi password. I got on my phone, connected to the wifi and checked my email. I saw an email saying they'd all be asleep by the time I got there and to go into the back bedroom to sleep. I then checked the number in the email with the number on the phone. Success! I had found the right house. I stripped off my gear on the porch, took my sleeping bag and setup in back bedroom. In the morning I walked out of the bedroom into a strangers house, to a group of people I've never met, greeted by Bill with a big smile and a frying pan in his hand and said, "hey dude, want some eggs." Instantly, I felt welcomed and like I'd known him for some time.
Our First Ride
Bill was an epic adventurer but was humble about his experiences in a way that was very inspiring. He was accepting and had infinite patience for anyone who was willing to get out there and give it a try.
"If you are inspired to go on an adventure, even for a moment, you need to act on it, don't wait." -BB
Shortly after we met we headed off into the woods for two days of some of the most epic big bike riding I've done to this day. I was a total rookie. Bill was clearly a very skilled rider, I could tell right away. I was amazed by Bills approach to the challenges of the ride, I think I described it as the time as, "dangerously optimistic". We would just trek up a gnarly climb that's getting harder and harder, come up to some downed tree or patch of snow. Where I would have been ready to turn around, he never even had the notion. Immediately his mind went to how to get around the problem, how to keep on pushing further. He'd say quite optimistically and perhaps mostly just to keep me going, "I bet this is the hardest part." The whole ride was the hardest part for me. He never doubted me, was always encouraging, helped me pick up my bike countless times. Somehow, even though I was clearly the weakest link I never felt like I wasn't wanted or a burden. The fact that I was out there giving it a try was enough for Bill. It was very inspiring and from then on I knew I'd learn a lot from him.
The Rest
From then on Bill and I started going on rides and planning adventures whenever we could. He became like an older brother to me. I learned a lot from Bill. Not just how to be a better rider, but how to be adventurous, how to approach problems, how to be happy; really he taught me how to live. We built a friendship, we trusted each other. There is no where I wouldn't follow him.
When I met Bill back in April of this year I was in a bit of a crossroads in my life. I was tired of working all time, trying to climb the invisible ladder of success and for what? The older I got the more I realized it didn't lead to happiness. However, I didn't know how to find happiness, how to find what drives me. Since then this has easily been the best year of my life. Going on countless adventures, finding a passion and someone to share that with. Learning how to be happy. I owe so much of that to Bill and even though I only knew him for a short period of time I have no doubt that he has made a significant and lasting impact on my life in a positive way.
The End
Bill was taken way too soon. He had so much more adventuring and living to do. However, from the hours of time we spent around camp fires trading stories I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that he truly lived and more than most. From those same campfires I know he loved. He loved Yulia, his family and his friends.
Had I not met Bill, I wouldn't know the heartbreak we are all feeling right now. Bill would still be gone but I would be unaware. That to me is the worst thing imaginable. Getting the chance to know Bill, learn from him and call him my friend is worth the pain.
Bill and I spent most of our time out adventuring in the world alone. I never got the chance to meet a lot of his friends and family. However, he talked about them often and I know he loved and cared for many people. Since his death the outpouring of love and support we've seen and the countless stories that have been shared, show just how many lives he has had a positive impact. It's simply incredible. It makes me very proud and honored that we got to spend as much time together as we did. Anyone would have been lucky to have lived and learned with Bill.
Mike Prasad
Author