The People Make the Places, Mike May and Friends. Episode 10, Jerry Kuns and the people who embody the greater San Francisco area for me! Join us on Jose Can You See Blind Guided Walking Tours of San Francisco with host, Jerry Kuns. Hear from participants from a Sendero Group WayFun trip. Learn about two unique vacation spots right in the Bay Area and the technology that brings these experiences to life. Apologies to Jerry because the recording gave him a lisp. The stories are read by AI voices. My stories are read by my clone voice. . For episode photos go to, https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/c1qalbrcldcl4jy4kw2pj/AEA8fEqZeKZHZ7fXP8l5IW8?rlkey=lhbblvl1oc8cacxoti9f0p5pv&dl=0 The People Make the Places podcast shares the complexity of traveling, especially as a blind person, something from which everyone can benefit. Here are some links with more content about Mike May and friends. http://crashingthrough.com/the-people-make-the-places-mike-may-and-friends/ For additional stories about blind travel and the opportunity for related grants, check out, https://www.blindtravel.org/

Show Notes for Episode 9. after being totally blind for 43 years, these are the people who enriched my life as a result of new vision surgeries This episode draws on key people’s voices from the 2001 award winning BBC documentary, The Man Who Learnt to See. Here is a link to a folder with the full documentary and the Dateline NBC piece. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/weu9l3z126pyba2geoqyp/AGHgDDwE82g0gKi_qb73n5M?rlkey=2kscvswhzj1h55qmdkz2pdlac&dl=0 In this episode, You will hear the voices of Dr. Dan Goodman, Dr. Ione Fine, Robert Kurson, Bruce Ruben, Sara Beck and more. The full story of Mike May’s life and new vision can be read in Robert Kurson’s bestselling book, Crashing Through. http://www.crashingthrough.com There is a portion of the song Here Right Now from the musical Ghost and the episode ends with the full version of Crashing Through by Sara Beck. https://sarabeck.net/ The episode photo is of Mike catching a ball in the air. More photos of Mike throughout his life can be seen here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/5wjc81t3bi07mtflocw19/APztNsZXXFKZxrbr_fzSgQs?rlkey=yv6qeaz4o9r52zq060zkfb9dd&dl=0 The People Make the Places podcast shares the complexity of traveling, especially as a blind person, something from which everyone can benefit. Here are some links with more content about Mike May and friends. http://crashingthrough.com/the-people-make-the-places-mike-may-and-friends/ For additional stories about blind travel and the opportunity for related grants, check out, https://www.blindtravel.org/

Show Notes for Episode 8, The people who define Peru and Ecuador for Mike May, April 2025 This episode includes original cassette recordings while exploring the ruins of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu Peru in 1982. In 1983, we went to the Galapagos. 41 years later, we go back to the Galapagos with modern recordings and commentary. The episode ends at 45 minutes with a song written and performed by Mike May. The key people in this episode are Roxanne, Victor, Gena, Diane, Patrick and the Galaxy Orion group. For photos and videos, search social media for Gena, Blind Woman of Action. The People Make the Places podcast shares the complexity of traveling as a blind person, something from which everyone can benefit. Here are some links with more content about Mike May and friends. http://crashingthrough.com/the-people-make-the-places-mike-may-and-friends/ For additional stories about blind travel and the opportunity for related grants, check out, https://www.blindtravel.org/

For Mike May, it is the people in Switzerland, Austria, Sarajevo and Chile that define skiing.

Episode 7 is about 40 minutes in length. It includes original recordings from early Paralympics events in Europe and skiing and travels in Chile. Here current commentary from Mike May and from Ron Salviolo about their skiing escapades. It even has comments from professional NFL players skiing plus the voice of legendary ski filmmaker Warren Miller and from Robert Redford.

The People Make the Places shares the complexity of traveling, especially as a blind person, something from which everyone can benefit. Here is a link to more details and a full list of all episodes and background on the People Make the Places podcast. http://crashingthrough.com/the-people-make-the-places-mike-may-and-friends/ For additional stories about blind travel and the opportunity for related grants, check out https://blindtravel.org/

Show Notes for The People Make the Places, S1 Episode 6, Singapore and Bali This episode is about 45 minutes in length. It includes recorded commentary, interactions with local children, a village dedicated to wood carving and sounds of the environment from the streets to the forest. Mike May and Gena Harper muse about the challenges of communicating and navigating in these two countries. The People Make the Places shares the complexity of traveling, especially as a blind person, something from which everyone can benefit. Here is a link to more details and a full list of all episodes and background on the People Make the Places podcast.

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Show Notes for The People Make the Places, S1 Episode 5, Ghana This episode is about 41 minutes in length. It includes words from Kojo Tetteh, head of two disability organizations in Ghana, cassette recordings of Mike May in Ghana in 1976 and highlights from Terica and Grayson Roberts donating white canes in Ghana October 2024. The experiences are personal with commentary on the travel, technology and people in this West African country most people know little about. It ends with a song written and recorded by Mike May from the shores of Ghana. The People Make the Places shares the complexity of traveling as a blind person, something at which everyone can benefit from improving. Here is a link to more details and a full list of all episodes and background on the People Make the Places podcast. http://crashingthrough.com/the-people-make-the-places-mike-may-and-friends/

Notes go here

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Show Notes Scotland and UK, Episode 4, 2002-2024 38 Minutes in length

This episode continues the Sendero WayFun group’s trip from Ireland to Scotland in 2004 plus current comments from Valorie Stanard, from the WayFun group. It includes a TechShare conference Mike and Gena attended around 2014 in Glasgow.

Mike gives the mic to his son Carson, age 10, along with his mother OJ, to narrate their trip around the UK where they just happened to be in front of Buckingham Palace from the Queen Mom’s funeral procession.

Mike and his childhood friend Mark Pighin join some Brits for a dining in the dark experience in London.

In 2011, Mike and Gena went to London on their 3rd date. Three years later, they were married at Enchanted Hills Camp in the Napa foothills. We hear the voice of Carson May at the wedding, one of the last recordings of his voice before he was killed in an avalanche in 2016.

Sneak peek, Episode 5 will take us to West Africa with recordings of Mike’s trip to Ghana in 1976 and a 2024 trip to Ghana on White Cane day by a mom and her 10 year old blind son. For more on Carson May, http://www.carsonmay.org/ For more on Ori Jean May, http://www.2OJ.net

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Show Notes for Episode 3 Three trips exploring Ireland over 19 years Please rate and share!

This 36 minute episode includes over 20 blind people exploring Dublin and Cork in 2004, two couples walking the Great Western Greenway in 2015 and Mike May and Gena Harper exploring Dublin in 2023. You will hear some original audio as well as some of the original travelers reflecting on the trips today. The communication and navigation tools changed during this time but the zest for exploring and meeting people is a common thread on these three trips. A subsequent episode will continue the second half of this 2004 Ireland WayFun trip to Scotland.

Here is a link to more details and a full list of all episodes and background on the podcast. http://crashingthrough.com/the-people-make-the-places-mike-may-and-friends/

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