PART 2- MY FAVORITE RIDERS OF OCTOBER 2026

 You can still read part one that I posted three days ago.

QUEEN ELIZABETH AND THE KIDNEY CONSPIRACY

How about that for a title? If the following sounds like a joke about three men walking into a bar, it could have been. One of the great rides this year was when I picked up three guys who work together at a software company. I had two guys working in HR, one from the UK and one who was Indian and another from The United Arab Emirates. 

The guy from the UK met Queen Elizabeth as her server when he was 16 years old.  She was racing her horses at the Royal Ascot Racetrack. He said when he served her, "She was very nice." My car has many bills with Queen Elizabeth on them and he's the first rider I've had who actually met her.

I told a number of my best British and Indian stories to entertain the group. I told the guy from The United Arab Emirates I didn't have a great story from his country, but he did see his country's bill as soon as he got in the car.  He quickly gave me this story:

"We are not working in software, we're trafficking human kidneys through India and Pakistan and to an underground group in the UK, the Illuminati, a secret order." I asked, "Who are they?" He said, "I can't tell you, or I'd have to kill you and take your kidney."  Thanks for making my day guys.

MY FIRST PROFESSIONAL SOCCER REFEREE

I'm not a big soccer fan, but I did find my ride with this referee to be interesting and fun. It wasn't that long ago that he was a referee on the field of a group of kids playing when a professional referee spotted him and asked if he'd be interested in learning how to be a professional referee. He was mentored as was his brother and they are both working for the Professional Referee Organization.

For the last six years he's been a sideline referee as a part-time employee and has a full-time occupation as a policy analyst. He travels around the country doing 1-4 games on the weekend each month with his expenses paid for and a meal per diem. He loves being able to be around the sport and he used to be a goaltender when he played soccer. He can make a full-time income part-time if he chooses to work more weekends. He's a very friendly guy and keeps himself in shape so he can keep up with the action on the field. Wishing him the very best in the future.

A FUTURE SUCESS FOR SURE

I love driving very unique people. This young woman was about to finish her education as a nurse, but she had already decided a career in nursing was not what she wanted. She is extremely bright and in  college she studied international relations. She had a sense of humor also. She said, "I just want to be rich and hot." She doesn't want a boss because she's very independent, but she has a lot of belief in her Muslim faith.

She told me, "I have a vision of what I want." There's a religious saying that what you're searching for "Can be buried between two mountains and it will find you." She's believes in destiny and that her future will be created for her. When I told her that she made my blog, she said, "That wasn't on my bingo card today."

I hope to drive her again and see what direction she is headed, but I believe in her belief in her future.

"I DO NOT BELIEVE I AM A VAMPIRE!"

I've heard a lot of unusual comments in my car over the years, but this is one of the best.  This unique woman explained her many interests and jobs as "sidequests," which I've never heard before. She said, "I am the founder of a vampire clan, but I don not believe I am a vampire." I think it was more like a club, but she has a unique style about her. One of her "sidequests" was "live steel fighting" where she and others used real weapons. She's been in photography, theatre, modeling, and seemingly anything else creative. She told me, "I like to be whimsy." I'd love to write a book about her life, what a story she has!

OVERCOMING ADVERSITY

In his mid to late twenties he has experienced a lifetime of struggles. He lost his mom as a small child, suffered abuse as a child, and his car was hit by a drunk driver. In the accident his girlfriend was killed and he was in a coma for nine days and he died for three hours. A day after he woke up he was released from the hospital. He was an Army bomb specialist and was responsible for the death of 30-40 people.

He's not the same person anymore. He has a girlfriend he really cares about and he has his own distribution business working with Amazon the past two years. He wants to be a dad one day and give a child the childhood he didn't have. He has a bright future because of the struggles and challenges in his past-I'm rooting for him.

YOUNG AND WISE

How does a twenty-four year old become a Life Coach and help people much older than him?  Two days after graduating college he found a mentor to teach and train him to help others. He said that, "I was standing on the shoulders of greats." He's worked hard and read a lot of books that have helped him. He's learned how to "Change the mindset of people he's working with." We hit it off immediately and he took pictures of my car and understood the positivity in front of him. I'm looking forward to sitting down and talking with him more about his journey and mine.

CAN YOU GET AN ENGINEERING JOB THROUGH UBER?

Almost anything is possible in an Uber, you might even see a mannequin and a museum. I picked up two brothers from the airport and they both have graduated with engineering degrees.  We had a great ride together and the brother on the left with his thumb up is interviewing with companies in the aerospace industry. One company is located in San Diego and I told him that if he's hired he should put a picture on Facebook that he was hired and he should be pictured with a surfboard because he has the surfing look.

The funny thing is that my son is an engineer in the aerospace industry and he lives in Colorado where the brothers live.  I'm passing his name and number to my son if he would like to contact him.  My passenger said, "If I got a job, you're going to get the biggest tip ever!" No pressure on my son, but these brothers are really great guys.

A PASTOR'S DAUGHTER

If you wanted to meet someone who has lived many lives, she is probably a good candidate. She's lived many places in this country and has worked in many fields including fundraising and two years in a Disney store. She told me that children of pastors are known as PK and they are sometimes wild kids like she was.  She has overcome battles with alcohol and drugs and she is currently writing a very long science fiction book. With a big smile and a good laugh our ride to church on Sunday was fun for both of us.

LEARNING ABOUT SQUARE DANCING

I was driving her to the airport at 5 am and she was very enthusiastic about her weekend. She was heading to a square dancing event in California and gave me an interesting history education about it. She explained that our image of square dancing is not exactly right. In the beginning years, the announcers who were calling out instructions were frequently black people and the calls, music and dancing were a little different depending on if white or black people were leading the square dance. She was looking forward to the event with the hope she could one day start up some square dancing events here in Colorado in the future as a fun community event. 

MY FAVORITE RIDERS IN OCTOBER 2026 PART 1

NOTE: This may be only the second time in all the years I've driven that I needed to write two blogs on all the amazing riders I've had in one month. Thank you to them and the second part will be posted Monday night and delivered to some on Tuesday morning.

SHE PROBABLY COULD RULE THE WORLD

Over the years I've driven many active or retired military personnel, but my third ride this month may be the most impressive of them all. In the Navy for eleven years, she is a Lieutenant Commander.  She explained that it means, "I do a lot of paperwork." She was wide awake for our early morning airport ride and very personable and fun to talk with. I said, "You're probably a very tough negotiator," and her reply had me laughing when she joked, "If I have enough coffee in me, I could rule the world." 

Her fiancee is also a Lieutenant Commander and at one point she outranked him and would sometime salute her when they were not on duty.  She was a real joy to drive and a dedicated professional who is going to be transitioning soon out of the Navy and going back to school. She will be successful in anything she does in the future and if she ever went into politics I would vote for her.

OVERCOMING ADDICTION

She has been drug free for two years and has a good job as a 7-11 manager. She was willing to share her struggles and how she turned her life around. She spent over four years in prison. Her daughter stopped talking to her and she finally realized that she didn't like doing drugs. Another motivating factor is that she has an eight year suspended sentence waiting for her if she's arrested again. I encouraged her to continue having a healthier life.

HE REALLY, REALLY HAD TO GO

It may have been the funniest ride of the year.  I woke up earlier than normal and drove a guy to his girlfriends house for 4 am.  It was a forty minute ride and he spoke with her on and off multiple times. He said, "I really have to go bad. I'll go quietly. The side of the house? Make sure you have a cup for me. I only have to do #2." I thought it was odd he never asked to stop at one of the gas stations we passed and when was #2 something you could do in a cup? I said to him, "I've never heard anyone negotiate going to the bathroom." He made it to her house and I'm pretty sure once he snuck into the house he did go, someway and somewhere.

A HALLOWEEN WINE FESTIVAL

They were dressed as three witches and a dead guy and they looked terrific. The couple was from Buffalo, New York and they were very grateful to be in Colorado. They are still Buffalo Bill fans and next week they are celebrating his 40th birthday by seeing The Bills play in Las Vegas.  They were a lot of fun to drive and their picture below is hanging in my car.

HE DID HEAR ME

When I went to pick him up I got the message that he was deaf. I thought it would be a pretty quiet ride, but we were able to communicate. He loved my car and had many comments that others have given me on the car. I gave him my list of yearly comments so he could read them in the car. About half way through the ride I think he put on a hearing aide and we were able to have a somewhat normal conversation. He works for the federal government with credit unions. He told me that he usually doesn't have much of a conversation with other drivers. It was rewarding to know that he really enjoyed himself.

NEW LIFE/YOUNG LIFE

The twenty-year-old has started his life over. After dropping out as a High School Junior, he changed his name, separated from his friends, and found other interests. His childhood had many abuses, including alcohol and drugs and meditation helped leading him in a better direction.  He reads classical literature, loves to write, and is working in a car dealership learning about business. He's very creative and would love to be in a circus juggling knives or swallowing swords. After spending some time with him I think he's going find out who he really is and express himself very well with his creativity.

RECRUITING FOR THE MARINE CORPS

I had a very interesting ride with a guy who has spent three years recruiting for the Marine Corps. He has spent a lot of time in Okinawa, a small island off the Japan coast.  He explained the process of recruiting and how difficult it is today due to tougher restrictions and people who can't pass the test. The process for recruiting is very similar to "sales process" in any field and I could tell he knew what he was doing and he was successful in doing it. He's exploring other opportunities outside the military and there's no doubt he has a bright future ahead of him.

THE MOST GENEROUS RIDER OF THEM ALL

I've been fortunate to have driven many generous riders, but the young massage therapist shocked me with the largest tip I've received  in over eight years. I drove him home from downtown Denver for a 75 minute ride to the small town of Peyton near Colorado Springs, Colorado.  We had a great ride together and I enjoyed sharing my stories with him. He said, "I'll never forget this ride," and after he gave me a very significant amount of cash for a tip, I said, "I'll never forget this ride also." Thank you, my friend.

Inmates Pay For Big Lunch Tab

There's a non-profit program called, "Reaching Out From Within" that operates in three states in the country-Kansas, Missouri, and North Carolina. It keeps inmates involved and part of their community while they are imprisoned. 

Earlier this year in Norton, Kansas, inmates found out that there was a $6,000 lunch tab that was unpaid. The money was from parents in need who were unable to pay the total amount of their breakfast or lunch bills for their children in school.

Inmates at Norton Correctional Facility ran a fundraiser and contributed their own money and raised just under $4,000 for the lunch tab. The Kansas Department of Corrections chipped in an extra $457 to get the amount over $4,000.

The $4,267 was donated towards the fund by 30 incarcerated men earlier this year. Several inmates spoke at the event when the money was given and said that they frequently went hungry when they were younger.  It was their way of giving and doing something to help others and hopefully it also helped them by giving to a good cause. 

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Will You Be Hiking When You're 91?

Even better, will you be doing anything at 91? A little while back I blogged about a young guy walking barefoot for a whole year. This guy, Dale Sanders, is called, "Grey Beard" and you can see why in the picture below. 

In 2017 at the age of 82 it took him seven months to travel the 2,193 miles which of course set the record for someone his age. Nine years later he did it again taking 359 days to do it. He trained for six months to accomplish this and overcame a number of minor falls.(71)

He served in the Navy earlier in his life and had a long career in Parks and recreation. He also holds a number of other age related records including his 87 day paddling across the entire Mississippi River when he was 87.

When asked about the rocks he climbed he said, "When people are taking care of you and giving you caramel frappes on the trail, the rocks don't matter."  What surprised him on his trip? He explained, "People are encouraged and motivated by my efforts."

I'm going to stick to the little bicycle in our third bedroom and just tip my hat to him.

Where Did All The Hats Go?

If you look back at pictures of people in the 1950's it was very common for people to wear hats. But other than wearing sports caps today, it's not a normal part of society, why is that?

I read an interesting article recently that listed a number of reasons:

1. Cars became more popular in the sixties and people were inside their own car instead of walking or taking public transportation.

2. Society was changing and the younger generation was rebelling against formal dress and they didn't like wearing hats.

3. John F. Kennedy wore a hat when he became President, but rarely wore a hat when he was President. He was photographed frequently in those three years, but rarely wearing a hat. He did not like them. You can easily recognize his smile below, but the hat doesn't really look right on him.

4. The Beatles came to America in February of 1964 and they rarely had a hat on and they became the most popular band in the world. How could they wear hats when it would cover up their hair which they were famous for.  There were a lot of Beatle wigs sold, but not Beatle hats.

The combination of these four things led to the hat industry declining significantly. Are hats due for a comeback?  Anything can happen, but I wouldn't count on it.

What I really want to know is this: when did people stop using umbrella's? Around ten years ago our family helped my parents move out of their home in Edison, New Jersey and I believe we found 17 umbrellas there. Were they the last people to have umbrellas?

What Is The Most Popular Cereal In Your State?

 I'm always amazed at the number of cereals that exist and some that really make no sense at all to me.  A long time ago when our family visited Hershey Park, Pennsylvania we discovered it was two weeks before it opened. We went to the local supermarket and they had some of the oddest cereals I've ever seen. The one I remember best was, "Best Friends." I have never been able to understand how that could be a name for a cereal. A couple other cereals there were, "Freaky Fruits" and "Confetti Crisps."

This article I recently read lists the top cereals in each state, not by sales but by google searches. I'm not sure I'm completely convinced that's the most accurate way of researching this, but it should be close. It was done by the CPS Global, a nursing school.

Thirteen states had Fruit Loops as their favorite cereal and Cheerios and Rice Krispies and five states each. In New Jersey, the winner was Cookie Crisp, but I did read that Cheerios and Frosted Flakes ranked very high in my former state.  In Colorado, the winner was Fruit Loops and runner ups were Frosted Flakes and Honey Nut Cheerios.

Here are some unusual choices and the only state to pick these: 

Mississippi -Apple Jacks (I didn't know they still made these)

Alaska- Corn Pops (I have no clue what this is)

Arkansas-Honeycomb (I thought this was a song)

Wyoming-Frosted Mini Wheats (Thank goodness they are frosted)

Rhode Island-Fruity Pebbles  (Does that really sound appetizing?)

North Dakota-Special K-(Only 1 state?)

Maine- Raisin Bran (This is very good)

New Mexico- Honey Bunches of Oats (Really a cereal?)

Iowa- Cap'n Crunch (Still around?)

Minnesota- Wheaties (Only 1 state, I'm surprised)

Nebraska-Lucky Charms (I know their magically delicious, but I've never had them)

The four cereals I eat today are Special K with strawberries, Raisin Bran, Rice Krispies, and Cheerios. I used to eat Cocoa Krispies, but they are not very good for me. They were my favorite, but not mentioned on this list at all. Below is an old picture of me trying to get all the boxes of  Cocoa Krispies in a selfie. I think I had a great bargain for 6 boxes. It's a better picture of my nose and Yankee hat.

Can You Walk Barefoot Further Than He Can?

I only like walking barefoot in the shower and I don't go very far. Sure, I can wear socks and walk, but there's no way I would ever do what this guy just did. 

Eamonn Keaveney started walking from Istanbul, Turkey and walked barefoot to his hometown of Claremorris, Mayo, in Ireland. It was 4,228.94 miles and it only took him 369 days. In 2016 he set the record with about a 1,3000 mile walk across Ireland and in 2024 set a new record with a 2,200 mile walk. He also holds the record for going across Ireland on a Unicycle in five days.

He's a 34-year-old civil servant and he obviously loves his hobby. His challenges are a little bit different than ours. He explained, "I had thorns and small pieces of glass pricking my feet-near the end of the rip, a blackthorn caused an infection in my foot that took me off the road for a full week."

He met a lot of very curious and kind people who helped him in all different situations including when he was bit by a dog and need a rabies shot. If you wanted a safe bet, I would say that he's going to be on some long quest again once he recovers from literally being on the road for a year.