Dear Friend,
I attempt to go through a box every couple of days, or so. I am still in the “paper” section of the garage. You see, Pedrow has everything lined up along one wall, neatly stacked on wooden pallets. Each section is marked: Paper Household Clothes Pictures Misc.
I am just OCD enough that I must go through the boxes in order from left to right. I have a long way to go.
Your friend never touched a piece of a paper that he didn’t want to hold on to. Which is why the “paper” section is the largest and it is taking me so long to go through.
Amongst the bank statements, bills, tax returns and receipts I occasionally find something of interest. I’ll stop to read or examine and in some cases put the item over to the side rather than tossing it in the trash.
Tonight’s box was more interesting than most. It held many items from the various Iron Butt Rallies that Eddie competed in. Route sheets, Polaroid pictures, and of course, receipts. There was also some very interesting letters from the 1995 rally. The most controversial and the one Eddie was ejected from after having been named the winner.
It bothered him up until the very end. He and the IBA made amends but he always felt that he had been labeled a cheat. After that, he had something to prove - that he could be a top contender without question.
In ‘o3 his push at the end would have probably put him in 1st place but that damn deer went and ruined it.
Bob Higdon told a great story at the IBA meet this year about Eddie’s ride in 2005. Eddie was still in pain from the '03 accident. His pelvis was still bothering him and he wasn’t riding the brand new GS as he had planned to. That one was loaned out to Jack Savage to ride. (“Just friends?! You Bitch!!" – one of the greatest Eddie stories of all time.) But he pushed himself hard and managed a 9th place finish. The telling of this story brought Bob to tears.
When I saw his 
2005 rally flag it brought me to tears. That was his last Iron Butt Rally. I had grand plans of us riding two-up in 2011 but here we are.
I knew immediately that you should have this rally flag. It represents so much of what he was about. I know you understand completely.
I love you,
Lisa
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