Not Forgotten

Those of you who follow my blog and read the comments may have noticed an absence over the last couple of months. Since mid-August to be exact.

That’s when my moto-blog buddy and his wife, Yvonne, set off for a trip-of-a-lifetime.

In addition to two motorcycles, he also has a Corvette. He and some Corvette buddies had their cars shipped from Vancouver to Harrisburg, PA. They flew to Harrisburg for some sightseeing, then drove down to Bowling Green, Kentucky, to visit the National Corvette Museum and see where his car was born. He was very excited about the trip and even took his SPOT along (see the track here) so his followers would know where he was.

Being a devoted blogger, he posted almost daily. But he was having Internet connectivity issues, one of the issues being not wanting to pay the exorbitant connectivity fees charged by the higher-end hotels.

Saturday, August 30, Bob posted about their visit to Diamond Caverns in Kentucky, saying the next day they were headed to Tennessee. Days went by with no posts, so, like many others, I figured Bob was still having connectivity woes.

It wasn’t until September 15 when I got a text from another moto-blogging buddy, Trobairitz, that I learned Bob had passed away in his sleep on September 1 in Nashville.

Just like that, Bob was gone.

I never met Bob in person. I followed his blog, and he followed mine. We also exchanged a number of e-mails over the years, and actually came close to meeting twice. Most recently, when he and Yvonne were in Harrisburg. We’d hoped to rendezvous at Roots Market on August 19, which is very close to my Dad’s house. That date stands out in my memory because it was the second anniversary of my Mom’s passing, and I figured Dad would also enjoy a day out. Unfortunately, due to pressing work deadlines, it didn’t happen.

I sent Bob an e-mail to let him know, and he replied with this.

Bob’s passing surprised a lot of folks. He was very active and well-known throughout the moto-blogging community.

A number of his friends have posted tributes, which are cataloged here. (This post by Sonja is one of my favorites.)

I haven’t read all of them, but will one day. That’s not something I can sit and read at one time. It’s just too sad.

I’m glad Bob and Yvonne got to share that last, epic trip together. He’d been so looking forward to that vacation with his beloved Mrs. Skoot…

In an interesting turn of events, some of Bob’s friends have decided to keep Bob’s blog live as a tribute to him. There’s a little wooden scooter, dubbed ScooterBob, that will be traveling the world with Bob’s moto-blogging pals, seeing the world as Bob wanted to see it, with the many people he’d befriended, both in the flesh and virtually, along the way.

I think it’s a fitting tribute, and I look forward to the time when ScooterBob will travel with me.

Life is short. And fleeting. I may not get to meet Bob here on Earth, but am hopeful that one day our time really will come.