Missing Sacramento Rider - Alan Porter (R.I.P.)

[NevadaWolf]

Has there been any word or updates? I just learned of his disappearance and figured maybe a Sac or nearby rider might not be aware yet or may have seen something. Skimming the end of the BARF thread doesn't seem like anything has been found.

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2014/...t-alan-porter/

May 9th:

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A Sacramento man left on a motorcycle ride 10 days ago and hasn’t been seen since he filled up at a gas station.
It was pump No. 5 at the 76 station on Alhambra Boulevard where Alan Porter was last seen in video. That video is one of very few clues Sacramento Police have.
Alan’s daughter is desperate to find any information about her father.

HELP OUT: www.findalanporter.com

(Longer story at link above)


The local sportbike forum announced a ride to go searching today between I-80 and Hwy 50 but came back with no news.

[misfitsailor]

How bizarre is that? Hope they find him soon.

[Kevin1956]

I looked at the maps of his travels reported on the news and website. The 76 is near Folsom Blvd. My prediction is he would head east from there. It would have been in the wrong direction for a ride west into the Delta since he left his home in Curtis Park, a neighborhood somewhat west of the 76. No really interesting places to ride north or south. East would be the most interesting and most logical choice. There was no mention of a jacket, but it appears he was wearing a dark colored one in the videos. A late morning start would probably mean a ride of only a moderate distance and an early return. What an absolute bummer.

[Kevin1956]

@NevadaWolf, another forum to follow is Sacramento Crotch Rockets. These folks know the area well, and have some good insight. At least one member is in touch with the family. Some are actively searching for Alan. http://sacramentocrotchrockets.com/forums/

[subxero]

Terrible, 10 days is a long time. Wish I could help search. Likely he missed a turn and went off the road down a hill or into a ravine.

Some time back I read a ride report about some guy who crashed on the dragon... missed a turn went down a ravine. When he came to he found out he wasn't the only one down there. Some older guy had wrecked on same turn earlier in the day and had been stuck under his bike all day. Probably would have never been found if this other guy didn't crash as well.

Lets hope this guy has some luck on his side.

[cuong-nutz]

Hope he is ok! 10 days :/

[NevadaWolf]

The "10 days" was from a report on the 9th. It's now been 15 days. He was last seen on the 29th.

I really hope he is somewhere safe and for whatever reason unable to contact family (either in a coma or suffering amnesia). As a solo rider, one of my worries is going off a road and into a position where I cannot get out and cannot be seen.

Hence my SPOTs.

[Kevin1956]

I often ride solo in remote areas where there's no cel service. Maybe a SPOT is in my future too.

[NevadaWolf]

I am actually looking forward to more devices like Globalstar's new Sat-Fi, coming out hopefully this year. Turns your wi-fi enabled mobile device into a satellite phone.

No device is 100% reliable, even Spot has gaps in my track log. But something is better than nothing, at least the tracking would show the last known check in and give an idea of speed and direction to help narrow the search.

[EternalNewb]

This is really sad. I hope he's relatively ok, and that he turns up soon.

[Sykes92]

This is sad . 15 days... is a really long time to survive on your own WITHOUT injury. If he wrecked.. I don't know how well he would have held up after a few days. I hope he's just unable to contact the family and somehow safe, but it doesn't look/sound good from the length of being missing .

[jeffb502]

Originally Posted by Kevin1956

I often ride solo in remote areas where there's no cel service. Maybe a SPOT is in my future too.

I just ordered a DeLorme Inreach SE. The idea to order some kind of GPS emergency communication device was first planted in my mind when NevadaWolf mentioned the successful use of a SPOT device in a previous thread. I chose to spend a little extra for the DeLorme so I could know for sure that my distress signal was received (or not), and communicate details of my emergency to responders as they're en route (as long as one of my hands is still functioning and I can reach the device...)

[Kevin1956]

Thanks @jeffb502. I'll look into it.

[Kevin1956]

LOOK FOR INDICATIONS SOMEONE LEFT THE ROADWAY. TIRE MARKS, BROKEN LENSES, PLASTIC, DISTURBED DIRT, VEGETATION. ANYTHING! Alan Porter left his Sacramento home on April 29 and has not been seen since. Probably headed into the nearby foothills and Sierras. Dressed lightly, a jacket and helmet his only gear. Initial reports did not indicate the jacket. There has been no ATM or credit activity since fueling near his home just before 11 a.m.. Let's keep an eye out for, what more than likely is, a fallen brother. I first heard of this on a thread by our friend @NevadaWolf. I've created this new thread to keep it in the minds of all who ride the roads of Northern California. http://http://www.findalanporter.com/

[Kevin1956]

Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnm...6893432052676/

[Kevin1956]

Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnm...6893432052676/

[Kevin1956]

NevadaWolf posted a thread about missing Sacramento rider Alan Porter, who has been missing since April 29. Alan was found today (5/22) by three hikers less than a half mile from the small comminity of Forrest Hill. http://www.kcra.com/news/local-news/...thill/26121556

[sonny4472]

That sucks.

[csmith12]

Sad

RIP rider...

[Whiskey]

Originally Posted by sonny4472

That sucks.

At least he was found, there was very little chance of a happy ending to this one by the time the first thread went up.

How the hell he managed to land a hundred yards off road through thick woodland is the big question.

RIP

[Kevin1956]

@Whiskey, the Sierra Nevada range is very rugged and wooded. The roads are cut into the mountain sides with many only inches from shear cliffs. The sad thing is, he was very close to a small town. I just hope his death was quick, and he didn't suffer. This should serve as a lesson to others. Don't ride that type of terrain solo. If you must, maybe in investment in a SPOT or other tracking device would be a good investment. If he had one he would have been found very quickly, possibly alive. Another lesson, tell others where you are going, and what route you will be taking.

[NevadaWolf]

Having ridden Mosquito Ridge Road a few times, I know how steep that canyon is. The article said about 16 miles down (up?) the road, that puts the location along the steepest section. Missed a corner and nothing is stopping you from disappearing into the trees below.

I genuinely hope that this rider died quickly so they were not suffering long. If the body is identified as Alan's, I hope his family can find peace in knowing he was doing something that he loved.

[Kevin1956]

One report says he was found near the intersection of Mosquito Ridge and Soap Street, a populated area.

[NevadaWolf]

Originally Posted by Kevin1956

One report says he was found near the intersection of Mosquito Ridge and Soap Street, a populated area.

I thought I read on BARF that was where the hikers reported it to... *goes back to reread*

Yeah...

Originally Posted by CBS

PLACER COUNTY (CBS13) – California Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal motorcycle crash near the Oxbow Reservoir east of Foresthill.
The scene, near Foresthill road and Soap Street, was discovered around 10:30 a.m. Thursday, according to CHP.

Originally Posted by KCRA

Officials said the body and motorcycle were discovered around 10:30 a.m. in a remote, heavily wooded area about 16 miles down Mosquite Ridge Road.

Soap St is in Foresthill, Oxbow Reservoir is 14 miles down the road.

[cuong-nutz]

RIP

[snot]

RIP

[Kevin1956]

@NevadWolf One report says the hikers were gold prospectors. The location differs on the various news aites. I'm sure there will be updates.

[Alex]

/multiple threads merged

[Sykes92]

Rest in Peace and may the force be with him

[Desmoluci]

RIP

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by NevadaWolf

........Missed a corner and nothing is stopping you from disappearing into the trees below.......

Could a car or truck push him off that road?

[NevadaWolf]

Originally Posted by Kevin1956

@NevadWolf One report says the hikers were gold prospectors. The location differs on the various news aites. I'm sure there will be updates.

I noticed that too. Agreed, wait until the official word comes out. Hopefully the investigators will share their findings so the rest of us may be aware of exactly what happened and prevent it from happening again.

Originally Posted by Motofool

Could a car or truck push him off that road?

If they took a corner wrong, its possible. Some of those corners are blind enough that they may not have realized that the bike they just forced off line went over vs just disappeared around the corner. Depends on the exact heading of both of them, speeds, and conditions.

[Kevin1956]

We can all learn from this tragedy. A solo ride in a remote area may not be such a good choice. Traveling with a buddy would be better. We should all make it a habit to tell others, or at least leave a note, as to where we are going and the routes being taken. Alan didn't carry a phone. No cel service in the area, so it probably wouldn't have mattered even if he did have one. A SPOT or other GPS tracking/emergency device is sure sounding like a very wise investment.

[Singh2jz]

I was hoping that he had gone on some crazy road trip and went all the way to Texas or something. How come these stories can't end this way?

R.I.P.

[Kevin1956]

@Whiskey, you asked how one ends up 100 yards off the road. This is where Alan Porter went off. This is looking east. Alan was traveling west, and had just come out of the turn seen in the photo.

[Sirref]

RIP

Originally Posted by Whiskey

At least he was found, there was very little chance of a happy ending to this one by the time the first thread went up.

How the hell he managed to land a hundred yards off road through thick woodland is the big question.

RIP

I think it raises the question of potential for foul play, hit and run then dragged away from the road.

edit:nvm cliffside

[Whiskey]

Ah that explains it, there's a lot of sheer drops around where I live, but they have armco or walls to keep people from just disappearing.

[InvisiBill]

Always sucks to hear about losing another rider, especially if doing something slightly differently could've meant he'd still be here today.

Originally Posted by NevadaWolf

I am actually looking forward to more devices like Globalstar's new Sat-Fi, coming out hopefully this year. Turns your wi-fi enabled mobile device into a satellite phone.

My reading of their press release is less optimistic. It sounds like you have to use a special satellite "hotspot" to provide connection for other Wi-Fi devices, and their app to actually communicate over their network. It's not simply a 2.4GHz 802.11 satellite connection. It seems like it's a sat-phone, where you provide your own phone interface through your own smartphone running an app (a trend that's becoming more common - they don't give you a device that actually runs their service, you get the "convenience" of an app, which may or may not actually work better than the original device). I'm a total geek, so I'm all for any technology advancements, but I'm not expecting this to end up being all that great.

While it won't help if there's no service at all, even simple things like Find My Friends and ride tracking apps could help narrow down your location in a situation like this. In this case, the only thing people had to go on was a gas station that he stopped at before heading out to ride, guessing where he might have gone based on what routes seemed like good rides. With any sort of GPS-tracking app, even if it had only occasionally recorded blips of where he was, you could at least see which way he was headed and where he had already been.