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Home | Biography | About the Ride | Daily Pictures & Journal | View Trip Route | Where is Lacy Now |
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WELCOME THE RIDE: I be leaving Key West on May 23rd, riding through the Blue Ridge Parkway, stopping in D.C. to visit Military Monuments on Memorial Day, May 25th. , on to the mass grave site of the Titanic victims at Nova Scotia, then to the excavation site of the Leif Erikson's Viking village at Labrador Island (l'Anse Aux Meadows), then to Wuderstrand, Newfoundland a magnificent beach discovered by Leif Erikson 500 years before Columbus arrived in the Americas, then finally back to Key West, FL. The ride will take about 20 days and it includes travel on paved roads, 1200 mile of gravel road and a few ferry rides to cross to and from Labrador Island. VIKING American History: In 1001, Leif Ericsson, son of Erick the Red, first heard of Bjarni Herjolfsson's, discovery of new lands to the southwest. This story moved him to buy a ship from Bjarni, with the idea of discovering for himself these new lands. What Leif's exact motives were we cannot say, but since Leif had been entrusted with bringing Christianity to Greenland, which he had done with the aid of clergy, his purpose may have been partly missionary. Thus it was, probably in the year 1002, that Leif Ericsson set out from Greenland with thirty-four companions and indeed discovered the same lands as Bjarni, but in reverse order, from north to south. First he found a coast of stone slabs beyond which rose glaciers, "mountains of ice." He called it "Helluland" (Flatstoneland). Then he saw a low, wooded land with white sand beaches, which he called "Markland" or "Woodland." Finally, two days further to the south, he came to another land of grass, pasture and woods, with a cape and very shallow bay, where their ship ran aground. The Norsemen took their ship up a creek into a small lake, near where they erected houses. They "gave the land a name in accordance with the good things they found in it, calling it Vinland" or "Vineland the Good," meaning, not "land of vines," as is often thought, but "land of meadows": "vin" in Norse means "meadow." Compared to Greenland it was a paradise for the Norsemen, for here they could pasture their cattle and drink fresh milk. Here they found wild grain and many berries from which they made bread and wine. They built "large houses" here and stayed the winter, seeing no snow. Very Respectfully – Lacy “ the HopeRider” Betton
Motorcycle and Equipment
Leif EricssonAbout AD 970 -1020 The first European to reach the shores of North America grew up on Greenland
Watch out for that iceberg! Eric the Red shouted the order to the rowers. Exiled from Iceland, he was searching for a new home for his family. Young Leif, his son, kept staring at the huge iceberg while they slowly and carefully rowed past it in their Viking ship. Soon the fjord opened up and Leif could see green grassland both to the right and left. The men stopped rowing and soon the ship gently grounded on the beach and they all went ashore. Come West - to GreenlandAfter three years had passed, Eric the Red returned to Iceland and told of the bounty which he had found in the new land to the west, the land he named Greenland. Stimulated and excited by his tales and descriptions, hundreds of people packed up their families and belongings and followed him to their new home. Leif becomes a ChristianLeif grew to be a large and imposing man, one known for his fair judgment and honesty. Having been reared under his father's adventurous hand, Leif had a strong urge to travel and explore. One of his first trips was eastward, to Norway, the homeland of his family. He arrived in Nidaros (Trondheim) and was well received by King Olav Tryggvasson. Leif and his men stayed there for the winter, and were taught the foundations of Christianity. Before they left Norway, Leif, along with all of his men, accepted the faith and were baptised Christians. Returning to Greenland, Leif taught the people of his new-found beliefs. His mother listened to his words and became a Christian. So devout in her belief was she, she asked Eric to have a church built for worship. Grudgingly, Eric fulfilled her request, but he himself never accepted the faith or visited the finished church. New land to the west!Some years before AD 1000, Bjarni Herjólfsson relayed exciting news of a new land to the west. Leif, an adventurer in his own right, bought Bjarni's ship, gathered a crew of 35 and sailed westward as Bjarni had instructed. With favourable weather and winds, Leif and his crew were soon following the outlines of the new lands that they had heard of. They continued onward, stopping only briefly at the other two lands, until they reached the third new land. Vinland the Good
There, they came ashore and constructed some booths, and later a large house for the winter. They found their winter to be frost-free, and agreed that fodder and other food, that normally would need to be kept during the cold harsh winter for the animals, would be unnecessary here. Also, the rivers and lakes were filled with salmon and a large variety of other fish. And the earth! It seemed to be black and rich, where they could easily grow their crops. So pleased was Leif by the land and its bounty, he named it Vinland. Leif the LuckyIn the spring, Leif and his men returned to Greenland. On his return journey, Leif came upon a wrecked trading vessel whose crew he rescued; for this deed he received the entire rich cargo and the nickname Leif the Lucky. A year later his father, Eric the Red, died and Leif settled on Brattahlid taking over his father's farm. Thorvald goes to Vinland
Thorvald, Leif's brother, borrowed Leif's ship and sailed westward to Vinland two years later. He used Leif's sailing directions and ship to complete the journey. For two years he and his men sailed along the coasts, exploring the new land. Snorri - the first European-American
Thorfinn Karlsefni and his wife, Gudrid, also sailed to Vinland and resided in Leif's house. While they lived there, they collected many valuable products, including many samples of wood, which was of high value to the Vikings. Gudrid gave birth to a son during their stay and they named him Snorri. He was the first European child to be born in the New World.
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