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Show JoeRailtop: This senior just wants to have fun P ft r. . ' ) SISk by NAN CHALAT Record staff writer The rumor began circulating a month ago: A concierge at the Yarrow was planning to ride his motorcycle from San Francisco to New York in 65 hours. Naturally, everybody pulled out their calculators and figured out that whoever tried the feat would have to maintain an average speed of 48 mph without stopping to make it. And just as naturally, most people assumed the driver would be some young hotshot biker with long hair and maybe even a tattoo. Wrong. Joe Railton, the man who claims he tan ride from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Brooklyn Bridge in 65 hours, is a smiling senior citizen in a sporty cap. And the trip is just a way to celebrate his 65th birthday. , He plans to leave San Francisco Saturday morning and expects to breakfast at the Yarrow at approximately 5 a.m. Sunday. From Park City, Railton said he plans to stick to 1-80 "because I can't follow a map." "If I can make it through the first 20 hours, I think I'll have a good ' handle on it. No one said it was going to be easy," he added. Railton will be piloting a 1200cc Yamaha Venture, on loan from Plaza Cycle in Salt Lake City. The only special equipment he has requested so far is a fuzzbuster, he said with a laugh. If the weather cooperates, Railton said he is hoping to complete the trip in time to attend a bachelor party in Boston on June 5. "Not many people my age get invited to bachelor parties. I don't want to miss it," he said. Railton admits there is a good chance he won't make the 65-hour deadline. "If I don't make it, so what? But I've made some noise, haven't I?" He is referring to a segment on PM Magazine and several other media interviews in which he has expounded on his favorite theme encouraging other senior citizens to remain active. Railton started skiing when he n was 53 and rode a motorcycle for the first time at age 62. "I've heard too many 55 year olds say they are too old to ski or to try anything new. But I tell them now they have the time and the freedom. You know.when you are raising a family you can't afford to break a leg." Life before 50 for Railton consisted of "25 years confined to a retail furniture business and raising five boys in a town near Chicago." But after his youngest son introduced him to skiing, Railton's attitude changed. He turned the business over to his sons and became a ski bum in Burlington, Vermont. He has a Ski Bum of the Year trophy to prove it. From Vermont, Railton did what any ski bum would do he headed for the Rocky Mountains and ended up at Alpine Meadows in California. "I worked for Nick Badami for 12 years running a ski check room at the resort. He moved to Park City two years ago and now works for the Yarrow, where he shares his zany sense of humor with the guests. As concierge, he says, "When they ask me questions they don't always get the answer they expect, but we have a lot of laughs. "When people are on vacation they want to let their hair down and have fun." Railton's family, of course, is concerned about the coming adventure. "But they know they can't stop me," he said. "I guess by now they are used to me." Railton left for San Francisco Wednesday in a complimentary rental car from National. He was in high spirits and had invited several friends along for the cross-country marathon. "A lot of people have promised to join me along the way, but I'm not counting on it. It will probably be a solo trip." He has arranged for camera crews to meet him in the Big Apple and said his plans from there are open-ended. After the bachelor party he said he may travel home through Canada, but then again he may not. This senior just wants to have fun. I . Joe Railton leaves Saturday for a birthday cruise from San Francisco to New York City. |
