Kickstarter

Two friends and I, all recently retired, want to make a documentary about a road trip we're taking this June from Chicago to Inuvik, 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Our drive will cover seven US states, two Canadian provinces and two territories - about 5500 miles by RV. At the end of the 16-day journey, we plan to tee up at midnight of the summer solstice on a three-hole course called Road's End that's been cut out of the tundra. The never-ending light in the Arctic is a metaphor for life ever after.

We three buddies will be joined on this journey of self-discovery by another member of our regular Saturday morning foursome - a recently departed man named Mike, who will travel as ashes in an urn.  A sufferer of juvenile diabetes, Mike outlived his expectancy by at least 15 years. He lived the last 15 years on the edge. He would have loved a trip like this.

As people began to learn of the trip, they began to encourage us to make a movie. We were lucky to hire a four-man film crew that could give up a month of other work to follow us the entire way. Martin Rodahl, our director, is a talented filmmaker and, as luck would have it, grew up north of the Arctic Circle in Norway. The ultimate goal is to have Our Longest Drive on the film festival circuit. The story's great - we just have to tell it now.

Your pledge money will help to cover production costs. As you can imagine, the money we're looking to earn on Kickstarter.com doesn't approach the total we need. Someone told me once that you agree on a budget for your film, and then double it. But the money we raise would help ease our mounting expenses and contribute to rising fuel prices. Our fund-raising target is enough to enable us to stay in budget, while renting some additional equipment that Martin should have to get his job done.

Our Longest Drive, which we've titled our film, is more than a buddy movie about a road trip. It's about staying young, suffering loss and experiencing discovery. You can learn all about it at www.ourlongestdrive.com. Please be generous.  I want my hand to be sore from writing post cards.