Rupert Dale of Odense, Denmark, is singing and bicycling his way across the United States to call attention to multiple sclerosis. Dale does not collect donations for the cause when he stops in cafes, restaurants, and bars to sing, but he does talk to people about the debilitating effects of the disease and the need to find a cure.
On Monday afternoon, he was preparing to play at the JavaCat 5 coffee house and later that evening played at The Noose.
His songs focus on folk music — Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, British folk songs, as well as his own original songs.
Dale, a teacher and musician, decided to take on the cause last year after visiting with another musician who has coped with MS for six or seven years.
“The original thing is my good friend who plays double bass told me last autumn that he will no longer be able to play because multiple sclerosis has affected him so much that he can’t control (his hands); he simply can’t play,” Dale said. “... It must be very hard to accept the fact you can’t do the thing you love to do.
“I decided at that point perhaps it was time to step out and bicycle across America to raise awareness.”
Dale initiated his trip with a send-off concert at the school in Odense, Denmark, where he teaches sports, woodworking, music and English.
“I work 10 minutes from where Hans Christian Andersen was born,’ Dale said. “It’s called ‘The Garden of Denmark’ — tranquil, pretty, very inspiring.”
Dale wanted to call attention to MS and to provide both students and parents with information about the disease, and the concert was a fitting way to do it. By June 22, he was in Washington, D.C., starting the first leg of his 60-day transcontinental journey.
Dale travels light and, by riding early in the morning and taking a mid-day break from the heat before hitting the road again, he makes between 70 and 90 miles per day. Thunderstorms keep him off the road — he has been struck by lightning while biking — and monotonous landscapes turn his thoughts to math problems to keep his mind alert.
He keeps in touch with his wife and daughter in Odense, using Short Message Service and blogs to communicate.
“I have my bicycle, I have my trailer, I have my little tent, and I have my traveling guitar to send the message,” he said. “It’s a very good platform to send a message, because whether they like the music or not, they will see man with the guitar and think” about the disease.
Although Dale does not collect donations to support MS research, he does talk about the disease and encourage people to learn more about the debilitating and unpredictable effects it has on its victims.
“There are many forms of multiple sclerosis, and some people are affected in a very drastic way. It’s a long, hard struggle for all patients.”
Dale has had a bit of a struggle himself, with scorching temperatures and thunderstorms that have sometimes delayed him. He plans to be in San Francisco by the end of the 60-day trip. If he cannot make the deadline on two wheels, he will use alternative transportation to get him to the airport and on home to Odense.
Whether he finishes the trip will not be crucial, he said; the message he gets out to the people along the way is the important part of the trip and he’s content now that his time has been well-spent.
“It’s an investment in life,” Dale said. “...“That’s really the message: We must be thankful for every step we take.”
People who want to know more about Dale or listen to his songs may do so online at www.rupertdale.blogspot.com.