Tour of Honor – Serendipity Riders

2023 Tour of Honor – September

September 3^rd

We got an early start. I had a short devotional with MaryJo before I left the house. Randy and I met at the Circle K. A quick last-minute check and top off the gas. By 8:00am, then we were off! My starting mileage on the odometer is: 16,197.

A quick stop in Rienzi so Randy to get a picture of one of the Mississippi’s Tour of Honor sites that Randy needs. Instead of a quick photo and go, we walk around and read the various signs. <picture(s) from Randy>

We spend about 5 miles on US45, then make a turn onto MS30. Winding backroads through Holly Springs National Forest to Oxford. We stop for the Tour of Honor site south of Oxford. Relaxed a bit and were ready to hit the road again. <picture from Randy>

About 1pm, we pull into Trace-Way in Mathison for lunch. MaryJo and I have eaten lunch here on a previous ride. We have the option for the buffet or to order off the menu. Burgers and Philly Steak sandwiches for us.

After lunch, we make a quick stop at the Tour of Honor site at the Police Station in Mathison. Randy gets the required picture and we are on the road again. <picture from Randy>

A quick stop at the North Mississippi Veterans Memorial Cemetery on US82 in Winona, MS. We both get out pictures here. Though it isn’t a primary Tour of honor site, it is a bonus site. I haven’t stopped here this year, so we both got pictures.

Kilmichael, MS – North Mississippi Veterans Memorial Cemetery

About 2 hours on US82 and we pull into Greenwood, MS. Many neat stories here; some good, some not as good. We get to the memorial for Randy to get his picture at the Tour of Honor site here. <pictures>

I do some checking on restaurants and hotels close by. The hotel I had planned to use for tonight was open, but they don’t have rooms available. Parking lot is totally empty! Oh well, we went to the site that I was using as a backup plan. Rivals Steak House was a short walk for supper. Great way to end the first day. A great burger and a couple of cold beers.

Today’s route on Spotwalla: click here

Randy is already talking about our trips for next year!

September 4^th

This morning, we visited several sites in Arkansas; Star City and Little Rock. Nice back roads, but nothing really spectacular. We made a quick stop at Beebe for a Gold Star Memorial visit.

We saw an ad for Freddie’s and agreed that it would be the backup if the diner we had planned to visit for lunch ended up being closed. Being Labor Day, the diner was closed; so, Freddie’s it was! At lunch, we talked about the afternoon to Fort Smith and avoiding interstate. US-64 follows near I-40, so we could start on US-64 then get on I-40 if we wanted to make up some time. Looking over the map, I mentioned that there was no real reason to stop in Fort Smith; no memorials along the way. I suggested that we take the back roads to Fayetteville. Nice twisty roads, small town, but there was a chance we could get hit with some rain. We adjusted our plans and Fayetteville was now our target for the night. But first, we make a quick stop at the Tour of Honor site in Searcy.

About an hour in, the skies turn dark. We pulled over for Randy to get his rain gear and for me to zip up my gear. We hit a few spots of light rain, but the skies had serious dark spots. When we saw lightning and heard thunder, we pulled over to let the storm pass. We checked the weather radar and decided to wait it out for about 30 minutes. I made a hotel reservation for Fayetteville.

Once the skies cleared, we were quickly enjoying some beautiful roads! We pulled into the hotel about 6:30pm and we were exhausted. Serranos Mexican Grill and Cantina was our supper stop.

Got the route planned for tomorrow and loaded into the GPS. I know that I will be spending a lot of time listening to “RECALCULATING” once we get on Route 66; maybe I will just mute the GPS on the bike.

Already talking about options for the ride back. A ride through Vegas may be on the agenda. We will see what happens.

Todays route on Spotwalla: click here

September 5^th

Short mileage, but long day.

We headed out from Fayetteville determined to stay off interstates; and we did it. Even with plenty of dark skies ahead of us, we managed to miss the rains.

First stop was Veteran Cemetery at Fort Gibson. Fairly easy access and we were in and out quickly. <pictures>

Next was the Tour of Honor site and Gold Star memorial in Broken Arrow. Since we wanted to stay off interstates and toll highways, this took about an hour longer; but the scenery was beautiful. <pictures>

If we had been willing to hop on the toll interstate, it would have taken less than 30 minutes to get to Happy Burgers in Sapulpa, but we enjoyed the 45 minutes going through towns. We were officially on Rt 66 as we neared Happy Burgers.

Was this the best burger we have ever had? Nope, but it was good. It was fresh and the fries were hand cut, not from a bag. We followed the signs which led us off the track that we wanted to take. I doubled back through town and got on the road I wanted to ride.

We got to the Heart of 66 Auto Museum less than 15 minutes after lunch. I had looked over their website and expected we would be in and out in about 15-20 minutes. Nope, we were there for over an hour. We may have even stayed longer if the curator hadn’t mentioned that the Seaba Motorcycle Museum was about an hour up the road and would be closed tomorrow. We were rolling.

The next hour was when it started getting hot. The temps were over 100 when we pulled into the parking lot of Seaba Motorcycle Museum. If the GPS had not given me warning, we would have ridden past. We stayed here for over an hour; both enjoying the motorcycles and enjoying the cool building. As we got ready to leave, we talked about how far we wanted to go today. We went through more drinks trying to stay hydrated.

I wanted to stop at Pops 66 and get a picture of the soda bottle out front. We decided to head there, get something cold to drink, and plot out where we would stay. We enjoyed Black Cherry Sodas while we decided to stay at the Sleep Inn in Edmond. I used points from other trips to give us a free night. Supper at the Mexican place next door was even better than last night, and the margarita was one of the best that I have had.

I had a scare since I couldn’t find my SpotX. I had put it in the front pocket of the cooler. Now I am trying to find the thumb-drive. I hope that I left it on the bike. I will check in the morning.

Todays route on Spotwalla: click here

September 6^th

The thumb-drive was on the bike. I got the route loaded and everything was great.

We started the day on the interstate heading toward downtown Oklahoma City. We veered off and headed west before we go too close to the downtown traffic. We were soon back on Route 66.

Because we were heading out earlier today, we scrapped one of the museums (the one in Fort Reno, OK). We got the picture of the doughboy in El Reno and were on our way.

We spent the morning trying to take as little interstate as possible. A few stretches of Route 66 were actually part of I-40. We got a little side trip due to the GPS routing, but eventually got back on track. We stopped for an early lunch after visiting Lucille’s Gas Station.

We talked about a museum that was nearby, so off we went. There was a Huey in front of the museum and we planned to get that picture after we did a quick view of the museum. The “quick view” ended up being over an hour and a half. This meant that the other museums would have to be scrapped for today. That was okay with us since this particular museum was fantastic!

We spent most of the afternoon on the interstate. We visited the Tour of Honor memorial in Sayre, OK. and filled up the bikes after that stop. Our sights now set on Amarillo, TX for the night. I went ahead and made a hotel reservation so we would know that we had a place for the night.

Supper was at The Big Texan steak house. The service for the wait was awful. Almost to the point that we started to leave. I think a few years ago I would have just left. BUT, the food made up for the wait. Randy had a sirloin and I had a ribeye. We were both members of the “clean plate club.”

Tomorrow, we will head to Taos, NM. We will be there for a few days, then start our trip home. So far, we have 1300 miles on this trip. More to come!

Todays route on Spotwalla: click here

September 7^th

Today’s ride was AWESOME! Had a few challenging moments, but overall, it was great. The day started with a beautiful sunrise!

We started the day heading to visit the Cadillac Ranch. At the intersection to get to the Cadillac Ranch was a statue that we wanted to get a picture of it with the bikes. Once we made the turn, it was about a mile or so to the Cadillac Ranch. After doing the visit, Randy realized that he lost his seat cushion. When we had stopped at the statue, he put it behind his spare helmet. It blew out while we drove to the Cadillac Ranch. We rode back up to the statue, both of us looking on the shoulders of the road for the seat cushion. Once we got back to the statue, neither of us had any luck. I was going to turn and get back on the interstate; Randy made a U-turn to get back on the road we had planned. As we got about halfway back to the Cadillac Ranch, we saw the cushion off to the side of the road. I pointed at it and stopped. Randy stopped behind me and I ran to pick it up. He was happy to have it back!

First half of the day was mostly interstate. We rode to Tucumcari for the Tour of Honor site, then on to Santa Rosa. We spent a little time at the museum. It was okay, be both like the museum from yesterday. It had about 30 cars, half of them were available for sale. Most were out of my budget.

I had scoped out a restaurant less than two miles up the road. We pulled into the lot and it was empty. I checked the sign and it didn’t open until 4pm. We decided to just continue on the route and pull into a spot that looked promising. That we did! Comet II was on the right about a mile up the road. We pulled into the parking lot and headed inside. Randy got the enchiladas; I got a cheese burger. Burger was better than most of the previous burgers. Randy liked the enchiladas. Once finished, they treated us with dessert. It was a flan like warm custard with nutmeg. VERY good!

The stop for lunch was much longer than planned. But like all the other diversions, worth it. We talked with the owner. He is a veteran and had moved back to Santa Rosa to take care of his aging parents (his dad had been sitting at the counter with another friend).

Our next stop was the hotel for the meet-up. We gassed up as we got close to Las Vegas, NM then enjoyed some twisty roads with great scenery. As I would enter a curve, I would check the mirror for Randy. At one point, I checked as I started into some tight turns that required a lot of concentration. When I came out of the curves, Randy was not behind me. There was no place for me to pull off the road, so I just sat close to the edge with my flashers on. I tried to wave down a few cars until I finally got one who stopped. I asked if they had seen a bike down within the last mile or two. They asked what color bike. I said that Randy was on a red bike. The lady in the car said that they had passed a red bike on the side of the road, but no rider. They offered to go back to check on him. A few minutes later, I saw Randy. The car that was checking on him was behind him. He had a nature call and had to stop.

We got checked into the hotel and relaxed at the bar for a bit. Randy and I talked, very good conversation. We ordered burgers from the bar. They were the best so far. Ran into Blaine, he talked about his move from Nashville to Phoenix. He loves it in Phoenix and his health is improving since he goes swimming almost every day. We are talking about a ride tomorrow.

Todays route on Spotwalla: click here

September 8^th

Randy keeps starting a movie that I haven’t seen, gets me interested, then we miss breakfast! Yeah, that’s my story and I am sticking to it.

Got a text from Blaine that he was going to head to Madrid to see Maggie’s Diner. It was the major location of the movie “Wild Hogs” and is a souvenir shop now. I call him and he was about a mile up the road stopped for gas and would wait for us to catch up. Blaine led the way, Randy in the middle, and I was in the rear.

I didn’t want Randy in the back. I didn’t want Blaine and me to run off without Randy. Or, something happen to Randy and we not notice it for a few miles. Me being in the rear also gave me a chance to view the scenery a little more.

Blaine led us to Madrid and we found Maggie’s Diner with an empty parking lot. We got parked and headed in. It was neat to just look around. I got a patch, a couple of magnets, and several stickers.

As we were ready to leave, the parking lot was now full. I wanted to go up the street to another gift shop to find a cookbook for MaryJo. No luck on the cookbook, but some of the bikes and the truck in the lot had left by the time we got back. I led to the Harley shop and the Tour of Honor event.

The road in Madrid led us less than a block from the dealership. The traffic picked up as we got close to Santa Fe, but not bad. We pulled into the parking lot with a few minutes to spare for the group photo. We went to help finish off the lunch of Frito Pie.

Blaine led us back to the hotel. We had one incident where a car was tailgating me as I was trying to pass a slower car. Once I was able to move over, they took off with Randy as their target. Sonn traffic was clear. Randy’s low fuel light began flash with over 200 miles on the tank, so a quick stop for him to get a splash of gas. Safely back at the hotel. I will fill up in the morning; I currently have a little over 240 on my tank with still a ¼ tank of gas according to the gauge.

Supper was fantastic! I got pictures and sent to MaryJo.

Relaxed and worked on the route home. I have a tentative route, but last day will have a LOT of miles. I will talk with Randy about a couple of options. We will get to Vegas and California, but Colorado and Utah may not be on the route.

Todays route on Spotwalla: click here

September 9^th

Had four delays due to construction. Two different areas, but we had to pass through going back and forth. They added about 45 minutes to our travel times.

Randy and I had breakfast across the street from the hotel at Taos Java. Good coffee and the breakfast empanadas were fantastic.

We started the day riding to Angel Fire, NM. On the way, we found our first construction area. We saw the sign that warned of construction delays and suggested we seek alternate routes. The alternates would have delayed us getting to the memorial in time for the group pictures, so we kept on. As we neared the construction site, we kept seeing bikes coming in the opposite direction; some even had Tour of Honor decals. I started to worry that the road would be closed. Once we got to the construction zone, only one lane of traffic could pass at a time; the pilot vehicle would lead a group through the area, then repeat in the opposite direction. We waited about 10 to 15 minutes.

At the delay, we met a local guy who wanted to know more about the Tour of Honor. He followed us to the memorial and even got his picture taken with us.

We opted for the same route to head back. The other route would have taken us much longer and we might have been later to the banquet. The spot with the delay was quick for us heading back; as we pulled up, we made the group to get through.

We made it back from the memorial in time for the banquet. Good food and great time with other riders. This will be the last Ride to Meet. The Brooks brothers would rather have regional area or states do a meet up. They asked me to consider doing something for Alabama and Mississippi. I will think about it.

It was about 4pm when we got back to the room. Randy asked if we could go to the site in Colorado. He didn’t have to force me into that! I called Blaine to ask if he wanted to go with us; he said that he was heading home early in the morning and would pass this time. The ride was beautiful. This led to the area with delays on our way to and from the site in Alamosa, Colorado.

We got back to the hotel after dark. With no light “pollution,” the stars were so beautiful on the road. We could see lights from towns about 30 miles before we got to them; though there weren’t many towns.

Todays route on Spotwalla: click here

September 10^th

Randy and I had breakfast across the street at Taos Java again. Their breakfast treats were fantastic. Truly a place that I want to visit again.

We rode to Albuquerque and visited a few sites in the park. We ran into another rider from the Tour of Honor, though he was in his car. He is the state sponsor for Georgia (Wes McCann) and was in Taos for the Ride to Meet. <pictures>

The ride through New Mexico and Arizona was windy! On the interstate, we were struggling at 5-10 mph below speed limit. We stopped in Laguna, NM for lunch. Another burger place on Route 66.

As we were just getting back on the interstate and had just crossed into Arizona, I got a call from Blaine. Well, it was Blaine’s phone. The lady on the other explained that the owner of the phone had been involved in a motorcycle accident. They found the phone and my number was the last call on his phone. I did my best to explain who he was and how to get in touch with his family. I couldn’t remember his wife’s name at the time. (That evening, I remembered it was Wilma.) I asked how badly was he hurt, the lady said pretty bad. I said I would try to get in touch with his family, or at least get some information.

We made it to Winslow, AZ. Randy and I were both excited to get our picture “standing on the corner.” <picture>

While in Winslow, I checked the phone and tried to call Blaine’s phone. It was now going directly to voicemail. I found Blaine’s wife on Facebook and sent her a message. I hoped that they had gotten in touch with her or that at least she had a way to know his location. (This is a reason that I had a tracker with me when I am on the bike. If something happens, MaryJo can find me.)

Over the next few days, I learned that Blaine was killed in the motorcycle accident. They medics had transported him from Holbrook area to Flagstaff to medivac him. He died before in the ambulance. He had turned off the interstate (I-40) and was heading to Phoenix on AZ-377. He passed a semi-truck, not sure if he clipped the truck he was passing or was clipped by a vehicle coming in the opposite direction. Either way, his bike hit another vehicle and he lost control, being tossed off the road. The truck he was passing was able to stop in time to keep from hitting him.

We stopped for the night in Williams, AZ. I have scoped out this town since it is 1,520 miles from my house. Google says I could get there in 22 hours. Being shifted by one or two time zones (depends on whether in Daylight Savings Time or not since Arizona does not shift to Daylight Savings Time), I could use this for a Bun Burner 1,500 Iron Butt Ride.

We stopped at the Comfort Inn at the west side of town and walked to the Frontier BBQ and Beer Garden. BBQ for supper and we each had a nice tall beverage. No pictures, food was gone before we could take a picture. We got clothes washed for the trip home.

Todays route on Spotwalla: click here

September 11^th

Started a few minutes later than planned, but we were rolling. Sun coming up made the ride even more beautiful. We spent about half of the day on the interstate.

A quick stop along US93 at about the 2-hour mark to stretch and drink water. The scenery even there was great.

We stopped at the visitor center near Lake Mead to get a view of the lake. Water levels are so far down that the intake is above the water level by several feet. We asked the ladies at the Visitor Center if they could recommend any places in Boulder City for lunch. They said there were several. Cornish Pasties was one that they both mentioned.

We got to Boulder City and stopped for a quick lunch. We parked a block from Cornish Pasties and walked over. We got a table outside and relaxed. Once we ordered, we were told that though the pasties were made fresh this morning, they would need to be heated about 20 minutes; much longer than expected. As we plotted the day, we decided to postpone the two sites in Boulder City until tomorrow. I made hotel reservations in Boulder City and we wouldn’t go to Pahrump.

Several sites that we thought about visiting that wouldn’t fit into our timeline, but we were going to visit Count’s Kustoms. We had some traffic in Las Vegas, but nothing too bad. We got to the showroom and we were in awe! Danny has some of his cars and other examples of the shop’s work on display. We found out that the crew had a signing session a few hours earlier. I teased Randy that his stomach caused us to miss Danny! We both got plenty of pictures. We also got some t-shirts. <pictures>

As we were loading things on Randy’s bike, Ryan (the painter) came out of the office and was walking across the parking lot. We got his attention and each got pictures. We saw a couple of the other guys from the show as we were leaving.

A little traffic as we headed back to Boulder City, but a quick shortcut reduced the trip by almost 10 minutes. Once checked into the room, I started working on tomorrow’s route and some other things while Randy got a nap.

Again, supper was good. We were expecting the Southwest Diner to be more of an old-style diner. It was more of a mom and pop. Food was good and decent price. The desserts looked fantastic, but neither of us had room for dessert.

I got in touch with Wilma’s (Blaine’s wife) and forwarded her information to a few others who she did not know how to contact, Robert Saunooke being one. She also gave me an update on the police report on the accident. Synopsis is that Blaine was passing a truck and clipped a car that was in the opposite lane, causing him to clip the truck. This sent his bike into a roll; the truck he was passing was able to stop to keep from running over Blaine. He was unconscious when the EMS arrived and he passed away while being transported to a waiting med-flight.

Blaine will be missed. A picture popped up on Robert’s timeline of the picture that Blaine, Jeff, and I had taken while we were on the ride three years ago today.

Todays route on Spotwalla: click here

September 12^th

Long hot day. Visited three Tour of Honor sites and one cemetery. 429 miles. Three states. We got pictures of the California and Nevada signs. We officially rode in California.

After breakfast, okay, it was a breakfast bar and a small cup of OJ, we hit the road. As for the breakfast, they are starting to open the breakfast in a few weeks after not having the full breakfast for a couple of years.

We visited the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery for both the Veteran Cemetery bonus and one of the state Tour of Honor sites. I have gotten to the point where I am no longer in a rush. We have a few places that we want to visit on the way home, but I think that we will have plenty of time to visit them and still not to have to rush like I usually do. So, we relaxed and enjoyed looking around the cemetery and the Tour of Honor site. There were a few other memorials with the one we need to have a picture with. <pictures>

Leaving Boulder City, we headed to California. Not that we had any sites to see in California, we just wanted to ride into the state to be able to say that we had been there. We parked behind the “Welcome to California” sign. I noticed that it even had and “America’ Ultimate Long Distance Riders” sticker. We also managed to get a picture of the “Welcome to Nevada” sign. <pictures>

We crossed into Arizona and headed to Bullhead City. We rode into the park. Once in the park, the GPS was saying that we passed the memorial. We walked through the park and got a few other pictures. Then I looked for the specific memorial that we wanted for this town. Yep, we had passed it. It was the small marker at the entrance to the park. We got our pictures and decided it was time to eat. <pictures>

Randy and I have both gotten into the habit of looking for local places to eat. We spotted one a few blocks from the park and had a great lunch. Lunch was pretty good at Coyote Café, service was a little slow.

Over 200 miles to our target in Phoenix. We spent a lot of time on two lane roads with little traffic. We got to Phoenix and I decided to scrap going to the Arizona State Capitol. Several memorials on the grounds, but we didn’t want to handle the traffic. We headed to Casa Grande.

It was getting late as we were getting the pictures at the memorial in Casa Grande. I got the reservations for the hotel on the north side go Tucson, only about 50 miles away. It was still light, and would get there just after sunset. <pictures>

We pulled into the hotel, unloaded, walked next door to Cracker Barrel for supper, and were ready for bed. Other than a mix up on the reservations, but we got that resolved with a quick phone call.

Great day, not a lot of interstate riding, and the scenes were beautiful!

Todays route on Spotwalla: click here

September 13^th

Today was a blast! We were behind schedule since the time we hit the road. We hit construction in Tucson that put us further behind.

We eventually made it to Fort Huachuca to visit the Veteran Cemetery and the Gold Star memorial. We spent some time in the chapel and got a picture of one particular quilt that was on the wall. It was a flag with the Huachuca Mountains in the background. This was the view from the chapel! This was supposed to be a 10-15 minute stop; we were there for about 30-45 minutes. <pictures>

Our next stop was Tombstone. We parked next to the historic courthouse. We took the tour of the courthouse. They said that since we paid for the courthouse tour, the bikes could stay in the courthouse parking lot.

We had lunch at the OK Café. We each had a Buffalo burger. It was very good. We took a stroll through town. We noticed the skies were getting dark, so we decided to hit the road.

We were able to stay just ahead of the rain storm. The road would turn to the east just as it would start to sprinkle. We got to the museum at Rodeo, NM where there was a memorial. We met another couple who were turning into the storm. We spent a few minutes at the memorial while Randy put on his rain gear. We got the picture for the Tour of Honor, and we were on the road just as the rain started. <picture>

Once we were on the road, we had only a few minutes of hard rain. A few miles down the road, we hit an area where gravel had been spread on the road. The first few miles it was rough; there was a lot of gravel and it was very loose. The last 10 miles wasn’t as bad. There was some gravel, but we could find a path to ride.

Once we were able to get on the interstate, we were able to get ahead of the rain. We made it to the hotel while the dinner area and bar were still open. We had 30 minutes to get our drinks and food for supper. We made it!

I worked on the route until late, I still have more work to do on it. There aren’t many options for places to stay on the route that was my primary route.

Overall, each day I am happier that Randy came with me. If he had not been with me, I might not have spent as much time in the chapel and seen the quilt. I am sure that I would not have stopped in Tombstone; though we missed seeing Boothill Cemetery. More importantly, Randy is forcing me to take breaks. I have tended to have blinders on that keep me focused on the next site instead of the trip.

Todays route on Spotwalla: click here

September 14^th

We got a late start because I had to finish up the route. I did some praying last night for guidance on the route. Last night I had worked on two options; this morning, a third option came up. It worked out great.

We started the day at the Veterans Park in Las Cruces, which was only a few miles from the hotel. We got pictures for the state memorial, a huey, and the Gold Star memorial. <pictures>

We spent all day on the interstate. We had some areas of construction, but we didn’t lose too much time. I had two options for tonight’s stop. As we got to the first option, I was already tired. I needed to stop. I explained to Randy and he was good with it.

Supper was at another Mexican restaurant. This one was a family restaurant. Supper was great!

The route for tomorrow and most of the route home is done!

Todays route on Spotwalla: click here

September 15^th

Overnight, a storm came through. I was sleeping well enough that I thought that MaryJo needed to check on Blue. When I realized where I was, I settled back to sleep, hoping that the rain would stop by the time we were ready to leave.

When we got up, the sun was out, though there were some clouds ahead of us. We agreed that we would stop at least every two hours. The plan was to leave at 8:00am. We were close, at least we were loading the bike at 8:00am. We rolled out about 8:15am.

We stopped about 10am for a stretch and a drink. That was a refreshing break and helped to keep us going. We got to the first stop of the day at noon. In Mineral Wells is the National Vietnam War Museum. There is a replica of “The Wall” which is in Washington, DC. This is the memorial that we were looking to find for the Tour of Honor. We also found the Huey and the War-Dog memorial. <pictures>

We stopped for lunch at Skinny’s Hamburgers in Weatherford. Another great hamburger. Though there was a line to place orders, it moved quickly. We got our food quickly, and it was great.

We headed to our next stop, Ennis, TX. We skirted Fort Worth, avoiding major traffic and only minor construction. We found the site. Randy went to use the restroom while I got the pictures we needed for the Tour of Honor and War-Dog memorials. <pictures>

When he got back, he noticed that there was an oil spot under his bike. We took some time to check that it was coming from his bike and not that he had just parked over an existing spot. As we talked, I told him a drop just fell from his bike. We called a couple of local shops. One didn’t even want to work on his bike. The other offered to at least take a look at the bike. We got the address in Waxahachie and headed to The Shop.

The owner looked over the bike and told Randy that he thinks it is the oil cooler. He doesn’t have the parts and would have to order them. The lines looked okay. Time to think about contingencies.

First option was that I would ask MaryJo to drive the truck to us in Waxahachie. Option two was for me to take off right away to pick up the truck and drive back to pick up Randy’s bike. Randy wanted to rent a truck and trailer to take the bike back. Though expensive, the wisest option was to get a truck here and take the bike back.

Randy called U-Haul, I called for a hotel room. We rode to the U-Haul store. If I had known where the store as located, I would have waited to get the hotel reservation. The hotel was only a few miles from the shop; the U-Haul was about 15 miles. We eventually got the bike loaded and Randy followed me back to the hotel.

MaryJo and I had talked earlier today that everything happens for a reason. I have gotten to know Randy and glad that we can now ride together. This trip has been fantastic, the best I can ever remember.

Randy and I talked about how God puts us where he needs us. I am glad that we saw the problem with Randy’s bike today when we could get a truck. What would have happened if the bike broke down tomorrow while we were in an isolated area?

Our plan for tomorrow is that I will follow Randy. He will set the pace in the truck with his bike on the trailer. We will see how tomorrow goes.

Todays route on Spotwalla: click here

September 16^th

We got up this morning and it was different. Packing was much easier for one thing. Not that we packed more or less, it seemed like everything knew where it was supposed to go. Randy put the cooler in the cab of the van; this saved me a huge problem of tying it down. I will work on a new plan for that in the future.

Randy’s tooth was bothering him today. He only ate some yogurt. Last night he only ate about half of the salad. He wasn’t very hungry, and the tooth kept him from chewing or opening his mouth very wide.

I led to the gas station; Randy led after we gassed up. At about our two-hour mark, I called to suggest that we take a quick break. He pulled into the rest area and we stretched our legs and I got a drink.

We were focused on getting home; no sightseeing, no meandering, and as few back roads as possible. We just wanted to get home. We still took breaks every two hours in addition to our gas stops. Randy was able to get 300 miles on the tank in the van, I was getting over 200 on the bike.

The plug in the van for Randy’s phone did not charge it. His phone was about dead. I offered him my charging pack, but that was dead too! Because of that, I took the lead about 50 miles from West Memphis, AR. I was glad that I did. The signs weren’t very clear about the construction once I-55 crosses into Memphis. I led via I-40, then down I-240; this may have saved us 30 minutes or more plus the frustration.

Total ride today was 633 miles. I had stopped to top of the gas near the local Harley shop and pee. We decided to officially end our trip at that point. We had 5013 miles on this trip. I got in about 650 miles more than Randy since we had to load his bike on the trailer.

I am glad that Randy joined me. I have said it before, but it is worth repeating; he has helped me to slow down and not ride with blinders on. He has also helped me to keep a watch for new places. I am glad that we rode together.

Glad to be home.

Todays route on Spotwalla: click here

Entire trip on Spotwalla: click here

2023 – ToH Extreme – Georgia / Iron Butt Ride #13

Ready for my 13^th Iron Butt Ride, the 9^th of the year!

I was up at 2am, showered, Bible reading, prayer, and got ready to ride. Today’s ride was my ninth Iron Butt ride of the year, yes, I said this YEAR! My original plan was to be a Bunn Burner Gold. Forecast of storms changed my plan at the last minute. With the last-minute change, I didn’t get to research the options as well as I usually do. The first part of the ride wasn’t a problem, but the last site was my downfall.

It wasn’t the site that was my downfall, it was the route to get to the site. I trusted the GPSs, using the time to the site as my priority. This wasn’t always the best option. Two GPSs arguing over the route, I had at least one going “Recalculating.”

I checked the weather, well, sort of. I checked the radar to see if there would be rain. No rain, I was good. I forgot to check the temperatures. I left home at 3am and it was about 70 degrees. Before I got across the state, it was in the 50s. I was only wearing a t-shirt under my jacket that was designed to keep me cool. I finally found a Walmart that was open (I thought some were open 24 hours, at least none where I stopped) and picked up a long sleeve t-shirt. That helped.

The first site actually had a bonus added. Summerville, GA had the state memorial, but also a Doughboy had been moved from a nearby Veterans Home which had been vacant for a few years. Only other person at the park was a lady walking laps. She passed as I parked, her next lap was as I was getting ready to leave.

The next site was at the Cedartown Library. I pulled into the parking lot. Only other person was a guy walking around the parking lot and grounds while on the phone. My paranoia kicked in and I watched him for a few minutes to make sure everything was okay. I wasn’t able to get the bike and the memorial in the same picture, so I had to get a second picture. That picture done, ready to roll!

The first two sites were fairly easy to get the pictures I needed, though I needed to get a second picture at each site. It was early enough that there were not any people to worry about. By the time I got to the third site, people were moving around. Streets were blocked at two of the next three sites. The other was easy to get the picture, but I was in a No Parking Zone to get the picture. I got the picture and left before anyone had a chance to call the police. The other two of those three sites had activity at the memorial sites. I couldn’t park near either memorial, so I got the picture at the memorial then a picture of the bike.

Between the second and third site, I had to get on the bypass around Atlanta. Another item I should have researched, construction. I spent over an hour walking the bike on the interstate. All day I would run into construction on the road which would slow me down.

The third site was Cornelia, GA. There was a fall festival going on in the downtown square. Luckily, the memorial I was looking to find was not in the town square, but a few blocks away. I still had to work my way around a few detours and road blocks. As I pulled into the parking lot of the memorial, I realized I was going to have to be very alert as to where I parked. The parking lot was very uneven, and there was an event at the center that was going to make finding a parking spot a challenge. There was a truck at a perfect spot where I could have gotten a picture of the bike with the memorial clearly in the background. But, I couldn’t get a good angle. I eventually found a workable parking spot, though I would need two pictures for this site.

The fourth location was fairly easy to find; but parking looked like it might be a challenge. As I sat waiting for the light to change to green, I decided to see if I could pull to the left shoulder since the road was one-way. I moved over and parked. Quickly jumping off the bike to work the rally flag and dodge traffic to stand back far enough to get the picture of the bike with the memorial in the background. Perfect? Nope, but good enough to meet the requirements.

It wasn’t too far for the next site, and Jeff and I have ridden to Washington in the past. We came while he was scouting sites for Georgia when he was the State Sponsor, then again the following year to visit all the sites in Georgia. I pulled into Washington and found roads blocked near the site. I managed to park at the same corner where the memorial was located, but not close enough to get a picture of the bike and the memorial together. There was another fall festival in progress. There was even a tent set up next to the site, but I managed to get a clear picture of the memorial. A second picture from the corner in a No Parking zone with a note to the scorers. I was gone before anyone complained.

Five sites down, Savannah and Donaldsonville were left.

Almost four hours from Washington to Savannah. About an hour and a half of interstate, then Savannah traffic. Savannah was as easy as could be expected to get to a memorial in the middle of a tourist and college area. No parking, lots of people walking and enjoying the park. Dodging construction, road blocks, and pedestrians who felt that the cross walk signs did not apply to them; they were too preoccupied with the cell phones. I managed to get close enough for a picture of the bike with the memorial in the background. I would have loved to have looked at the memorial, but I needed to move. I didn’t even submit that picture until later.

At the opposite side of the state is the last site, Donaldsonville. The trip was about 5 hours. I followed the GPS and some pleasant two-lane roads. It turned dark and I have no idea how the area looked on the way to Donaldsonville. Donaldsonville was the easiest to find and access. Parking was next to the group of memorials. I had to check them all to make sure I got my pictures of the correct one. There was both a 9-11 memorial, as well as the Tour of Honor memorial. It was dark, so I used the flash on the phone.

Seven sites visited in Georgia, but I am only at about 900 miles. I see that Dothan is 40 miles away, that will still leave me short. If I were to head home, a little over 300 miles, I would be about an hour over the 24-hour limit.

I started thinking about getting to the 1,000-mile mark and stopping for the night. I needed gas more than I needed a place to stay. If I didn’t get gas, I wasn’t going to have to worry about anything since I would have to stop.

Being about midnight, some gas stations were closed. While on my way, I hit another traffic delay. GPS said 30-minute delay. I kept on the current road since the detour on the GPS was dirt roads. I may have taken them during the day, but not at night. There was a serious accident which closed all lanes in both directions. By the time I arrived at the scene, the traffic in my direction was allowed to move. Traffic in the other direction was backed up for several miles. As I reached the end of that backup, I found an open gas station. I was over 1,000 miles! I gassed up and checked the map. I was only a few miles from the outskirts of Montgomery. I tried to make a reservation online. Since it was past midnight, the systems thought that I wanted to check in at 3pm this afternoon. I called one of the hotels directly and they had a room. I was on my way. A quick call to MaryJo to let her know I was stopping for the night.

No discount for last minute check-ins. I needed a room, so I wasn’t going to make an issue. I got a shower and made my notes. I didn’t have the laptop, so I had to just make notes. About 1050 miles in just over 21 hours.

Relaxing breakfast the next morning and I was on my way home. I avoided interstates on this final leg. I could have caught I-65 and been home in about 3 or 4 hours. I chose US231, am old familiar friend. I did vary from my usual trip, I made a left onto some county roads in Blountsville which led me to US278. Just outside Cullman, I made the right turn onto AL157. I knew I was close to home.

I pulled into the driveway just after 2pm. Tired, but not as tired as last night when I stopped. Glad to be home.

I checked the email and saw that the Tour of Honor had already sent me an email approving my ToH Extreme. Now I just need to get it submitted to the Iron Butt Association. I should have the certificate in a few days.

2023 Tour of Honor – August

Randy and I left on August 13th and returned on August 18th. Great ride. I will eventually get photos added.

13^th

Randy and I had a great ride. We left shortly after 8am. Luckily, we both had plenty of gas, so we could put an hour or so on the road before filling up. First stop was at the Sheffield Tour of Honor site. I learned of this site from a friend on Facebook. He does metal detecting and mentioned that he was searching behind this particular memorial. I asked him for information on the memorial and my research began for this site. Once I learned it would be accepted as a site this year, I contacted some local people. Not sure who was the main one, but soon the VFW and some other organizations were involved in cleaning it up. This is a success story since the site was starting to show some wear and neglect.

We got to Huntsville before we had to fill up. We headed on to Scottsboro for the Tour of Honor site and to get a picture of the Huey in the park. Next gas stop was close to I-20 on AL-73

We topped off again and we will fill up as we leave in the morning. Randy thinks that his tank is about 5 gallons, mine is 6 gallons. I will start looking for a gas station at about a half tank on mine.

We hit a short area of rain. We were just on the edge of it, sometimes the road was wet but no rain; other times we had rain but the roads were dry.

Rode past a few sites that I thought might have potential for coming years with the Tour of Honor and we found a new 9-11 memorial in Ashland.

We ended the day near Auburn. We made a stop at the Veterinarian School at Auburn University to get a picture of the K9 memorial.

Score for today: We visited 2 Tour of Honor memorials (Sheffield and Scottsboro), a Huey (Scottsboro), a K-9 memorial (Auburn), and submitted the new 9-11 (Ashland, AL). We checked a couple of potential memorials, but none really worth keeping on the list.

Today’s route on Spotwalla: click here.

Tomorrow will be the long day. 400 miles, 12 or 13 stops. We will visit 3 of the Tour of Honor sites in Alabama and a couple of potential sites for next year. A few Hueys and a doughboy are also on the list.

14^th

Long ride today, hot. We cut out a few sites, but enjoyed a great lunch.

We knew that today’s route was ambitious. There were a few places were we had to stop, but several that were far enough off the main route that we could save for another year.

We stopped at the VFW outside Eufala to visit the Huey, then on into town to visit the doughboy. Those who don’t know, the Doughboy is a memorial to the veterans of World War I. While getting the pictures, I mentioned to Randy that his front tire looked to be thin on tread, almost slick.

We rode into Dothan for the Tour of Honor site. I had seen a potential site for the future and a Huey near this year’s Tour of Honor site. We pulled in and got the required pictures.

Driving through towns you get to see the darnedest things. We say a person, wearing pajamas, with a small backpak, walking on the side of the street. And, not just walking, walking like they had a purpose! We later checked the video from the bike and talked about it some more.

Once rolling again, we made our way to Geneva and the Andalusia-Sanford airport to visit a couple of Hueys. It was starting to get warm, and our stomachs were letting both of us know that we needed to stop for lunch.

Stopped for lunch at Hook’s BBQ in Andalusia. FANTASTIC! That is all I need to say.

Heat wasn’t too bad until after lunch. It got hot, REAL HOT. I think one person said it was 105 degrees. And it was humid. We stopped a few times to get something to drink. It was about 4pm when we were going through Bay Minette. I did the loop around the courthouse and was going to stop at the next gas station for us to get something to drink. I looked in the mirror, Randy wasn’t there. I panicked, thinking that he may have dropped the bike when going around the courthouse. I back tracked, but didn’t see him. I went back to the gas station where I had stopped. I got a text from him. He had pulled over at a gas station just as I started to go around the courthouse. He tried to get my attention, but I wasn’t paying attention.

Once we were back together, we decided to cut the sites short for today and regroup in the morning.

Score for today: We visited 1 Tour of Honor memorial (Dothan), 4 Hueys (Andalusia-Sanford, Dothan, Eufaula, and Geneva), 1 Doughboy (Eufaula), and a couple of possible sites for future years.

Today’s route on Spotwalla: click here.

15^th

Today’s ride had its own set of challenges. I planned it to be aggressive, but not as aggressive as yesterday.

We set out a few minutes earlier than planned. Leaving a few minutes earlier, we decided to scrap the interstate and do as much back roads as possible. The first stop was a scouting site in Silverhill, AL. Very good site that I may submit for next year for Alabama.

A quick ride to Foley for the Tour of Honor site, and another short ride to Robertsdale’s 9-11. Then we were on our way to Uriah’s Tour of Honor site. On the way through Bay Minette, we stopped at Walmart to pick up a cooler. Once we got to Uriah, we picked up some drinks to put in the cooler. At our gas stop a few miles after Uriah, we got some ice. Each of these stops were from 15-45 minutes that added to our time.

We wanted to stay mostly on back roads to the next site in Eastabuchie. We stopped in Waynesboro, MS to get a bite for lunch. As we were sitting, eating, and enjoying the AC, I noticed that Randy’s front tire didn’t look right. We already knew that his front tire was “lacking tread,” but it looked like the tread was completely gone now. We went to check it over. It was bald, but the thread wasn’t showing… YET. I told Randy that he should get a new tire, NOW. We checked and there was a shop in Laurel, about 30 minutes away. He called and they had a tire waiting when we got there. An hour later, we were rolling again.

All of the stops added several hours to our trip. It would be almost 7pm before we would get to our planned stop for the night. We decided to cut it short and regroup. We made the stop in Eastabuchie for the Tour of Honor site, then made a hotel reservation in Hattiesburg to call it a day.

We worked on the route, I washed clothes. Eventually, we were both hungry. We went to Outback for a steak, but couldn’t get service. Randy had kept talking about Italian, so we walked to Mario’s across the parking lot. It was fantastic. The Veal Piccata was wonderful, it reminded me of Armetta’s in Virginia.

After 10:30 and we have another long day planned to try to get back on schedule, but will have to scrap a couple of sites that had been planned.

Score for today: We visited 3 Tour of Honor Memorials (Eastabuchie, Foley, Uriah) and a 9-11 memorial (Robertsdale).

Today’s route on Spotwalla: click here.

16^th

Another day with an aggressive ride planned to try to catch up, but that didn’t go as planned. One good thing was that we only spent a few miles on the interstate.

We visited a couple of sites in small towns that were really neat. First stop was in Wiggins for the Tour of Honor site there. Both Randy and I like going to the small towns to find what the locals do. Local places to eat are usually the best. And the people working there appreciate the customers.

We left Wiggins and stayed on back roads to Osyka. We thought that I might have a mechanical issue. As we neared Osyka, we crossed some railroad tracks. As usual, I slowed a little as I neared them. But just as I got there, I knew I was in for some excitement. The other side of the tracks were not at the same level as the tracks, it looked to be four or five inches higher. Randy was able to get slowed more when he saw me going airborne! I spent a lot of the day paying attention for vibration or any other indication that I had a problem. I looked over the front rim later that evening and saw a spot which turned out to be tape on the front rim. I couldn’t get a good look at the rear rim, but I hadn’t noticed any issues. We had lunch at Sandra’s Southern Cooking in Osyka. The food was great.

Today I rode off and left Randy again. We had passed a memorial that looked like a good potential for the future and I saw him waving in the mirror. I thought that he was pointing it out to me. Nope, he was trying to get my attention that he needed to stop. I got through town and looked in my mirrors and he wasn’t there. I pulled over and gave him a call. He needed to stop for a few minutes and I waited on the side of the road for him. I had a couple of people check on me which was nice.

Backroads through Louisiana to Mansura’s Tour of Honor site. Then on to Ball’s Veterans Park. In the park, there is a Huey, a 9-11 memorial, and one of the Tour of Honor sites for Louisiana.

The hotel were we stayed is one where I have visited several times. As the hotel ages, renovations are expected. We got a room that was halfway through renovation. Some of the furniture was old and stained. There were two TV’s, neither had a remote that would work either of the TV’s. They moved us to another room, it was slightly better, at least the remote would work both TV’s.

For supper in Pineville, LA we ate at Buckets. Neither of us could eat all our supper, but it was fantastic. I got a menu for Sandra’s, but forgot to get one from Buckets for MaryJo.

Getting to know Randy more is nice. He likes to ride, but has problems finding places to go unless he has a reason to go. I told him that the Tour of Honor is a great way to find new places. He agreed.

Score for today: We visited 4 Tour of Honor memorials (Ball, Mansura, Osyka, and Wiggins), a Huey (Ball), and a 9-11 memorial (Ball)

Today’s route on Spotwalla: click here.

17^th

Today has been the culmination of a lot of eye-opening experiences.

I was able to talk with Randy about a lot of things. And, he has forced me to enjoy the ride more. Riding with him, I have quit focusing so much on the timeline and when I would get the ride done. Today, we got to the first of the two planned stops. We ended up spending almost an hour touring the North Louisiana Military Museum in Ruston. I have been here a few times to get the picture of the Huey; but today we stopped to get the picture of the Tour of Honor site as well. As we were getting off the bikes, a dog came up, followed by the owner. Dolly is the unofficial mascot of the museum and she had come out to greet us. We got the pictures we needed, then went to tour the museum. On my previous visits, the museum was closed. I enjoyed visiting. Both Randy and I talked about our dads and their military service.

Our second stop was Bastrop. The info on the site mentioned a couple of places to eat. We got information to get to one and were headed there after the pictures of the memorial. We ate so much that we needed a nap before heading out. We stopped to top off for gas and agreed that we would stop at about halfway from our current location and the day ending destination to discuss if we would need to make on quick splash and go, and if we would make a stop at one of the bonus sites along the way.

We spent about half the day on interstates. Tomorrow it will be almost all backroads.

We had a few drinks at the hotel before heading for supper at the nearby steak place. I told Randy that I appreciated him joining me; and I explained why.

Now, I need to start focusing on checking for places to eat along the routes. I also need to set my rides to stop at 3pm, then slow down along the ride and be a tourist. Eat at hole in the wall places, talk to the locals (or at least stop and listen!), and look around. Stop being in a hurry.

Score for today: We visited 2 Tour of Honor Sites (Bastrop and Ruston) and a Huey (Ruston).

Today’s route on Spotwalla: click here.

18^th

Last night I finished the route for today’s ride. I finished everything I needed to do by about 9:30. The thought was that I would get a quick shower and head to bed.

The hotel room was a suite; the beds were in one room and I had been working at the desk in the other room. I went into the bedroom and Randy was watching a movie on TV. I watched for a few minutes while he gave me the background to the current spot in the movie. The movie went until 11pm. When the movie finished, I was totally beat. Randy went to take a shower before going to bed. I don’t remember him going to bed.

I woke up about 6:15. I went to take a shower. When I came out, Randy was already packed. He said that he woke up about 6:30. He didn’t see me in bed, and didn’t hear the shower. He panicked that I had left without him! Then he heard the shower.

He had the TV on, we watch “The Twilight Zone,” a new version of the original. We got interested in the episode and it was after 8am before we went to get breakfast. Randy wasn’t impressed with supper in the hotel, but I think that breakfast made up for it. We didn’t hit the road until 8:50.

The plan was only two Tour of Honor sites and a 9-11 site. This would put us at close to 400 miles for the day, and about 2,000 miles for the week.

We hit the road with temps in the upper 70’s; a huge different from earlier in the week. We were also running much later than planned. We made it to the first site with no problems. Since we were much later than planned, we decided to eat at some place local. Haynesville isn’t a very large town; just a few blocks. The gas station across the street was packed, and it had a little café/deli. We decided to eat there.

Service was terrible, and my food wasn’t much better. The peach cobbler was pretty good. The rest of the meal was awful. Glad that this town is not on my plans for the future. We were ready to roll.

We visited the Fire Academy in Tuscaloosa and the 9-11 memorial there. We relaxed for a bit and got something to drink. Sitting in the shade was nice.

Our final stop was in Guin. This was where Randy grew up. It was nice to hear him talk about the towns as we passed through. He was acting like a little kid telling me what he used to do, how things have changed, and how some things are the same.

Familiar roads from Guin to home. We got the Love’s for Randy to top off his tank before he headed home. We considered this as the end of our joint trip, even though we were going to head home on the same road. I got caught in some traffic and could see him off in the distance. I hope he enjoyed the trip as much as I did.

A few things that I will do before the next trip. First, I will get another bag for my clothes instead of just the saddlebags. This will leave the saddle bags free for the things that I would need quick access to use.

Second is that I need to work out a way to keep the cooler stable and working. If I use the strap on the cooler, it pulls the outer liner down and puts a strain on the Velcro fastening holding the lid down. This may be the reason that the ice thawed fast. I don’t think that just strapping the back rest will be enough to hold the cooler on the bike, especially if I hit rough roads.

Third is that I need to wire the GPS to the bike instead of using the accessory adapter (cigarette lighter plug). The plug kept coming out of the adapter and I would have to push it back in. Luckily, this was easy enough to see because the GPS would indicate that it lost power and I could just push the plug back in.

Lastly, I need new mirrors. The stock mirrors are low against the handle bars. Trying to check on someone behind me means I had to keep looking down at the mirrors. I like the mirrors that I put on the BMW; they are larger and are on a RAM Mount that raises them higher.

Tired and ready for bed. Glad to be in my own bed again.

Score for today: We visited 2 Tour of Honor memorials (Guin and Hayneville) and a 9-11 memorial (Tuscaloosa).

Today’s route on Spotwalla: click here.

Score for the trip: We visited 14 Tour of Honor memorials, 6 Hueys, 4 9-11 memorials, a Doughboy, and a K-9 memorial. Let’s be sure to add 2004 miles of great memorials with a good friend and Brother.

2023 National Parks Tour

This will be my 6th year riding with the Tour of Honor challenge. Last year I decided to step up and give myself a little more of a challenge. So, I decided that I wanted to visit at least 50 Veteran or National Cemeteries. On the last day of the challenge (September 30), I visited my 50th cemetery.

To give myself a little more of a challenge this year. Where the cemetery challenge could be any 50 cemeteries in any state, the National Parks Tour requires that I visit at least 25 states and that the list of possible parks is limited to those selected by the Tour of Honor.

The rules are a little more challenging than the Iron Butt National Parks tour. For the Iron Butt challenge, the rider has one year from start to finish. The Tour of Honor National Parks challenge can start no earlier than April 1 and must be finished by October 31 of the same year. The Iron Butt Association changed their rules that only a “selfie” at the park sign with the bike at each park is sufficient to validate that the rider visited the particular park, the Tour of Honor challenge requires that you get the a stamp from the visitor’s center. This means that you must visit the park when it is open to the public. Not every park is open every day and the hours are different at each park.

With all of that said, I will use this page to document my progress. I will include at least two pictures for each park; one will be of the bike at the sign and the other will be a picture of the stamp in the book from the visitor’s center.

So…here we go

May 13

Brice’s Crossroads National Battlefield (MS)

I decided to take a ride to start off the challenge. I am already a month into the challenge and I am just now getting the first site.

Today was one of the days when the Brice’s Crossroads center was open to stamp the book. I talked with the staff and picked up a challenge coin. Since I am rider number 46 for the Tour of Honor, I picked up coin number 46 (each coin has its own number).

Since the center is not at the battlefield and the sign to the battlefield, I took a ride to the sign. The staff told me that there were several signs along the road at each entrance to the battlefield. I saw several of the markers that are along the tour, but finally found the sign that is put up by the National Park Service. I go the picture with the Tour of Honor flag on the bike with the sign in the background. I was back on the road.

Tupelo National Battlefield (MS)

At Brice’s Crossroads, I had stamped my book for Tupelo National Battlefield, so I decided to make the short trip to Tupelo. I had visited this particular marker two years ago and knew about how to get there.

I was taking some back roads and suddenly I realized that I was passing my aunt and uncle’s house. I did a cursory wave as I passed but kept rolling. I took a turn onto the Natchez Trace Parkway and stopped at the Visitor’s Center. They have a different stamp than the one I had gotten at Brice’s Crossroads center. Talking with the staff, I learned that the center at Brice’s Crossroads Visitor’s Center is not a National Park Service property. I did a quick check on the Tour of Honor site and realized that I needed to get the stamp for Tupelo from the Natchez Trace Visitor’s Center. (note: Tupelo National Battlefield does not have any staff on site since the park is one square block in Tupelo.) I got the stamp in my book from this visitor center and headed into Tupelo.

Once at the site, the challenge of getting a picture is waiting until traffic clears to get the sign and the bike together without other vehicles blocking the signs. After getting the required picture, now I had to get into the traffic to make a left turn onto the main road.

I got home and noticed that the date on the stamps from Brice’s Crossroads were a day off. I was there on the 13th, the stamps say the 12th.

May 24

Booker T. Washington National Monument (VA)

Taking a few days to visit my family in Northern Virginia. I mapped out a few places to stop along the way.

I left Abingdon, VA and wanted to avoid I-81 on into the DC area. I made the trip to the Booker T. Washington National Monument. I was able to pull the bike in front of the Visitor’s Center for the quick picture, then parked to go inside.

The staff was very nice and kept wanting me to take the tour and watch the video. As usual, I was on too tight a schedule to watch a movie, though I did look around a bit and read some of the displays. I got my passport stamp and was back on the road.

Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Park (VA)

So much commercialization of the area. Yes, I know this is an important site, but there are too many people trying to sell “authentic replicas” everywhere. (Much like the signs in another area that says: “Antique Amish Furniture Made Daily.”) I follow the signs to the park and circle the parking lot a couple of times. I kept trying to find a sign. I managed to park the bike near the display, but it couldn’t be read. I walked to the visitor center for the passport stamp. Nice walk after being on the bike for several hours. Once back on the bike, I kept hoping to see a better sign where I could get a picture. As I was leaving the park, I found a sign at a parking area. I got the picture and was back on the road.

May 26

Manassas National Battlefield Park (VA)

I have a little time this morning before meeting my son and grand-daughters for lunch. I decide to make a quick run to Manassas National Battlefield Park. I lived in Dale City (across the county) and Centerville (less than 10 miles away on Rt 28) for about 30 years. I passed by the battlefield on a regular basis since it borders several highly travelled roads. If I have stopped in the Visitor’s Center in the past, I do not remember. Today, I make the trip to the Visitor’s Center to get my passport stamped and a picture at the main sign.

I head to see my son and grand-daughters. When lunch is over, it is nap-time. I decided to make a trip to visit a few other sites in the area.

Monocacy National Battlefield (MD)

I spend as much time on familiar backroads to get to Monocacy. Of the years living in Northern Virginia, I have never visited this particular site. I spend a few miles (more minutes that miles) on I-70 and I-270. It isn’t time for afternoon rush hour yet, but the traffic is starting to back up. Luckily, I only need to make a few miles to the exit to the battlefield.

I get a local map of the area and the staff give me some options to avoid I-70 and I-270 to get to Harpers Ferry. I get my passport stamped and my pictures then hit the road.

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (WV)

I know that the park’s Visitor’s Center closes at 5pm, I think about making a quick trip to one of the other National Parks in the area, but decide that I don’t want to take the chance. I am only in town for a few days and very tight schedule of events.

I decide to take the interstate for the few miles then back on familiar roads. I get to the main gate, show my Senior Pass, then head to the Visitor’s Center. When it is my turn, I simply ask to stamp my passport. He tells me that all their stamps are kept in the bookstore, which is several miles away in the historic area of Harpers Ferry. As I leave the Visitor’s Center, I get my picture of the sign with the bike.

Harpers Ferry is built on the side of a mountain. Roads are windy and often very steep. Parking isn’t easy to find for a motorcycle. I remembered a parking lot a few blocks from the bookstore and make my way to it. As I get there, it is now a private parking lot; both full and chains blocking the entrance. I ride to the front of the bookstore. Hoping I can park there for just a few minutes to get the passport stamped, another ranger tells me that not only can I not park, this is a no stopping area. I have to keep going. A mile later, I find the park’s parking lot.

I make the walk back to the bookstore. As I open the door, I notice that there is a handwritten sign on the door. The bookstore will be closing at 4pm today; it is 3:55 according to my watch. I walk in and the clerk tells me that they are now closed and I need to leave. I only have time to get my passport stamped.

I head back to the hotel before I head back to my son’s to head for supper with the entire family.

May 31

Shiloh National Military Park (TN)

Out for a day ride working on a couple of challenges. Just made a loop around the area to get the required pictures and get my passport stamped. Met a nice lady at the bookstore and talked with her for a bit.

July 10

Stone River National Battlefield

I grew up near Shiloh. Though not an expert, I knew about the battle and some of the local lore. Not to far from where I grew up is Nashville. I never knew about the Battle at Stone River. I spent some time with the ranger learning about the battle. While both sides were taking it easy for the Christmas and New Year holidays, the Union attacked at Stone River on December 31, 1862, both sides rested on January 1, and the Union attacked again on January 2, 1863. The importance of the area was access to the river and to the major railroads.

July 10

Stone River National Battlefield

I left Stone River and headed to Oak Ridge. My goal was to get to the Oak Ridge site before they closed at 4:30pm. I had checked the website and saw that they were open Monday through Saturday, 8am to 4:30pm. When I pulled to the lot, the doors were locked. The daycare center was open. I learned that the Oak Ridge site was open on Sundays but closed on Mondays. I also learned that they don’t open until 10:30am. I got to the hotel and checked the website. Seems that I had misread the days and times for the Oak Ridge site. It would be a long day ride to come back, but I could do it if I need the site later this year.

July 11

Camp Nelson National Monument

I stopped to visit the Camp Nelson National Cemetery last year and didn’t realize that the park was here. I stopped at the cemetery for my Tour of Honor picture, then rode over to the park.

Like Stone River, I did not know anything about this park. I talked with the ranger and learned about the site. Not only was it a center for negro soldiers, it was also a medical center.

2023 – ToH Extreme – Tennessee / Iron Butt #7

My 7^th Iron Butt ride and my 3^rd for the year.

The last week or so has been hectic. Personal issues, I’ll not go into details. I needed to get on the bike. I have had a couple of ToH Extreme routes in the works for Alabama and Mississippi, but decided to visit the sites in Tennessee. I could also manage to do a ride for Drew of the Mile Monsters.

I had checked and April 9 looked like a good day. Since it was Easter, I would spend the day in prayer on the bike, enjoying God’s creation and handiwork.

I was awake much earlier than I had planned. I moved quietly though the house, getting things ready for the trip. MaryJo had been with me the last few days, so I let her sleep. I rolled the bike out of the garage and went to top off the gas on the bike.

Official start time was 3:04am on April 9, 2023. The first stop was near Memphis, so I took US72 to the Memphis area. I managed to get a state sign picture as I crossed into Mississippi and into Tennessee; both part of the requirement for Drew’s Ride. A turn onto I-269 around Memphis got me to I-40. I had planned to the Brownsville exit, but I wasn’t paying close enough attention to my location and the GPS told me to exit at TN222.

The ride was nice as the sun was just starting to come up. I turned onto US-70 and got to the first Tour of Honor site in Brownsville, TN2. This required two pictures, though at this time of day, I could have gotten the bike and the memorial in the same picture. I summitted two different pictures as required. One of seven Tour of Honor sites done.

I continued on US-70 until I turned on US-79 to take a quick side trip to Trezevant. I was looking for something that indicated making a wish. There was a restaurant named “The Food Genie.” I knew it would be closed, but I would settle for a picture of the bike with the sign or front window.

As I neared the address, I started to get a sinking feeling in my gut. There is a fresh “Building for sale/lease” sign in the parking lot. As I pull in, I see that the sign on the door says “CLOSED” and the restaurant sign was cleaned off the window. Now I had to find something else that signified making a wish.

I gassed up while in town, then headed to the next stop, Huntington, TN, TN4. This was another site that required two pictures. I was able to park across the street to get the picture of the bike, and walked across to the park to get a good picture of the memorial.

As I was ready to leave Huntington, the GPS couldn’t decide which way it wanted me to go. I made a couple of u-turns before finally making it out of town and was back on US-79, heading to Fort Donelson.

Drew is a fan of Fort-nite. So, one of the pictures for his ride was to find something that was related to either Fort-nite or a fort. I chose Fort Donelson as my picture. When I pulled to the Visitor/Ranger Station, a Ranger came out. We talked a bit and I explained about both the Tour of Honor and the Mile Monsters. I got a picture, then the Park Ranger gave me a Junior Ranger Guidebook for Drew and the Junior Ranger’s badge. Usually, they wait until the person completes the guidebook before giving them the badge; but for him, they gave it to me to pass to him once he finishes the book. These will be sent to Drew with some other items when I get home.

The GPS wanted to play more tricks on me. Somehow, the settings had gotten changed to use the most direct route, not the quickest. This had me going through neighborhoods and even trying to send me through mountain gravel roads! My trip from Fort Donelson has me enjoying some of the neighborhoods in Clarksville.

I finally reached the Tour of Honor site for Clarksville, TN3. This is a Doughboy statue in front of the Veterans’ Home. I have visited the Doughboy every year that I have participated in the Tour of Honor. The first year was what really touched me. I’ll not repeat the story, I did write about it in 2018 when I visited.

I got my picture there and headed for Nashville, then next stop. I hadn’t changed the settings on the GPS so it was winding me through Clarkville to get me to the interstate. It also tried to have me exit the interstate to wind through the city streets of Nashville even though the memorial was only a few blocks from the interstate. I checked that I had not set the GPS to avoid interstates; I had not set that option.

I got to the memorial in Nashville, TN6. I had scoped out parking and was able to find the empty side street where I could park. This site also required two pictures, and I fully understood why! I got the picture of the bike at the top of the park entrance. I then walked down the stairs into the small park where the memorial is located.

I was a bit taken aback. The park looked almost like a homeless camp. I stepped in what I thought was run-off from one on the sprinklers, only to realize that there wasn’t a sprinkler. The area was the entrance to a VA office and a museum, with the memorial in the center of the small park. Not many visitors stayed very long, myself included. I was ready for my next stop.

I had remembered the planning software had a quick route to the interstate, which was only a few blocks away. I ignored the GPS, knowing the exit I needed off I-40. Once I got to the planned exit, I filled up again.

TN-111 took me right to the memorial in Livingston, TN5. The wind made it a challenge for me to display my flag. I got two pictures “just in case”, though only one was required. TN-84 got me back to I-40 and I was on my way to stop number six.

As I got closer to Knoxville, the traffic started picking up. It was getting to be mid-afternoon and I guess that those partiers from the night before were now ready to get up was well as those who went to the noon Easter service were getting out of church. The traffic and GPS convinced me that I should take US-11W from Knoxville to my next Tour of Honor site. The GPS was still set to the most direct route, so it kept “recalculating” each time I passed a road on my left. Several of those roads would signs that either “Not a GPS Route,” “No Trucks Over XX Ft,” and one said “No Vehicles With Trailers, Multiple Switchbacks.” As US-11 curved to the right, I took the left exit onto US-25E. Four lane, divided highway with beautiful mountain vistas and fast twisties. I kept a close watch on the GPS as I neared the memorial.

The memorial was at an overlook with a parking area. This site is officially listed as Thorn Hill, TN7. A couple of RV’s, a few families, and a some motorcycles were parked. I was able to park in front of the memorial since most people were focused on the view of the valley below.

I had planned to get a quick picture and back on the road. A couple of things changed the plan.

First, MaryJo sent me a text that I needed to call home. I had forwarded all my calls to her phone, so no one could call me. I called to find that the doctors were prepping mom for surgery in the morning. I needed to be there. We talked for a bit and I knew I had to scrap plans for other rides this week.

Second, as usual with a bunch of bikers and “former” bikers, people like to talk about their bikes and comment on yours. I took this as an opportunity to talk about both the Tour of Honor and Mile Monsters. One guy came up after watching me take the pictures of the memorial. He mentioned that his uncle had helped with the planning of this memorial.

I had one more site to visit before heading home. I also needed something that would meet the “wish” requirement for Drew. I realized that a leprechaun would grant wishes if you could catch one. But, how to catch a leprechaun…?

I followed the route from Knoxville to get back. It was such a pleasant road, I wanted to enjoy it more. As I got into Knoxville, I jumped back on the interstate. Just before taking I-75 south, I stopped for gas again. I was getting pretty good fuel mileage, even at interstate speeds.

It wasn’t as far as I had expected to the Athens exit. The last of the Tennessee Tour of Honor sites, Athens, TN1. This memorial was in a small park in town. I took a short rest to stretch my legs and rejoice that I had gotten all the sites. I still had plenty of daylight.

I got through Chattanooga as the sun was starting to set. the passes through the mountains seemed to all be facing directly into the sunset. Of course the speed limit was 70mph, which meant that most people were going well over that.

I pulled into the Welcome Center off I-59 once I entered back into Alabama. This was the fourth state I had ridden in today. The pictures for Mississippi and Tennessee weren’t very good due to no sunlight, light reflection, and movement of the camera. I think that Tennessee was recognizable because you could see the shape of the state. Though I rode in Georgia, there were no Welcome areas on I-59 and the signs were on the side of the interstate where I couldn’t pull over.

At this stop, I found the setting to change the GPS from most direct route to the fastest route. When I put in the route home, it would be give me close to 1,000 miles. I wanted to make sure that I have a few extra miles, so I adjusted the route and was ready to go.

I called MaryJo to let her know my planned route home. I also talked with her about grabbing me a leprechaun, some Lucky Charms cereal. She thought that was a good idea.

Once back on I-59, I was enjoying the taxpayer dollars with the road construction. I am looking forward to my next pass through there since I hope that I will get to be on the new pavement, this reminded me of the pot holes, tar snakes, and uneven pavement that is a staple of Memphis roads.

I exited at US-278, a familiar road. Light traffic, but the traffic I did meet was rather slow with few chances to pass. I made the turn on AL-157 to I-65. I would usually have stayed on AL-157, but that would have been the hypotenuse of the triangle and I needed the miles from the two legs to make sure I had more than 1,000 miles. I exited at US-72 in Athens, AL, and knew I would be home within a hour.

At the Circle K, I topped off the gas, got my receipts, and took a few minutes to relax. The ride was over, though I still needed the picture of the Lucky Charms. 1,035 miles in 19 hours and 31 minutes.

Picture of Lucky Charms, MaryJo had even found a box that had a leprechaun trap, and I was done.

The letter from the Tour of Honor Scorers took more patience than the IBA processing the certification. Though I did have a few things fogging my mind that caused me to have to keep adding things to the IBA submission, the team there got everything processed.

I then realized that I now qualified for Mile Eater Bronze! This required five IBA rides, of which two had to be GOLD or Extreme. This ride was my seventh IBA ride and my second Tour of Honor Extreme. Paperwork submitted and it was processed within a few days.

I have three IBA rides this year, this one is an Extreme. I have a couple of other rides planned for this year, two also being Tour of Honor Extreme rides. If I do five IBA rides, with two being GOLD of Extreme, within one year (365 days), I will qualify for Mile Eater SILVER! Not a certification that a lot of people earn. I think I will get that this year.

Here is the link to the track from Spotwalla (click here).

Ready for more rides soon.

2023 Tour of Honor Preparations

I didn’t post much in 2022, though I did get to visit a lot of sites. I just never sat down to write anything each day after the ride. I will try to be better this year.

A quick recap some of the events that happened at the end of 2023.

This marks my second year as state sponsor for Mississippi. Even before the Tour of Honor riding started for the 2022 year, I was out scouting sites for 2023. I like small towns a lot more than I like cities, especially when on a motorcycle and trying to get to memorials. Through out the year, I added a few to my reserves. I had a list of about 20. I decided to put them in my mapping software with all my note with each site. Halfway through the year, the mapping software database crashed, taking all my records down with it.

Luckily, I had some of the sites listed on scratch paper. Near the middle of the riding season, I get a note that the theme for 2023 will be Vietnam Veterans. This gave me reasons to go out to search for Vietnam Veteran Memorials. I add a couple to have enough to submit when the time comes, November 1!

The end of September comes and Hurricane Ian devastates the gulf coast of Florida. I get an email asking if I can help the state sponsor for Alabama. I send him a note and ask if he had any sites in mind or if I was going to be starting from scratch. He tells me that he had a lot of notes on several possible sites, all on his laptop. Great! I think this will be easy. Then he tells me that he has found part of his laptop, but not the hard drive. OH… Guess I am starting from scratch.

October’s weather was pleasant. I had gathered a list of possible sites from the internet, using satellite images to verify that things are where they are supposed to be. I take off for a few days with only a few areas that I was sure about. Long story short, I leave with a list of over 20 sites. Most turn out to not be as exciting as I had hoped. Riding to these sites did provide me the chance to ride through little towns. I found several more along the road; I think that four of the seven sites were found as I was just riding around in small towns.

I get all the write-ups and pictures submitted with a few days to spare. Last week, I get a note that one of the sites I had submitted for Alabama was showing “Closed” on Google maps. I made a few calls and learned that the Welcome Center where the memorial was located is closed for renovations; at 48 month project. (Yes, 4 YEARS!). I made a quick run to find another site instead of using one of the alternates that I had submitted.

Yesterday, my 2023 Tour of Honor package arrived. The flag and shirt with the usual paperwork. Beautiful shirt this year.

The new Harley Road Glide is working out great. I am still working to get familiar with the handling, it is a bit heavier than the Pan America or the BMW GS and handles a lot different at slow speeds. I don’t want to forget how to ride the GS by putting all my focus on the Road Glide. Though I have put almost 1,000 miles on the Road Glide in the last two weeks.

I am ready to ride!

2022 Tour of Honor – Arkansas Trophy Run

Wednesday, April 20th

I got up, packed for my trip, then loaded everything on the bike. I wasn’t rushing, nor was I taking my time. I was trying to be deliberate as I packed.

I couldn’t find my usual pack for the laptop, electronic cables, and books, so I just my old backpack. It is bigger than the one I have been using, and it weighs a little more. I got things loaded, then I saw the trackball. I just put it in the bag with my clothes and planned to move it tonight.

A prayer and goodbye kisses, I was on my way. The GPS wasn’t wanting to use the route I had planned, but I knew we would get on the same route once I was out of town. I stopped to top off gas and start all the trackers.

As I neared US-43, the GPS wanted me to eventually make a right on Woodward (US43N and US 72E), then immediately make a u-turn. I made the left turn onto US-43S and we started working together. I would have chosen a different route to Okolona, but I got there safely and easily.

I got the required picture. I thought that I might see the Chief, but I was in and out quickly.

I left the setting to use highways since I was more interested in putting miles on the bike and getting to the different sites as quickly as possible. Leaving Okolona, I hit I-55 for a few miles, then a lot of backroads. There are no interstates between some of the sites I wanted to visit.

I visited Charleston, MS, then on to Strong, AR. At Strong, the site is a Statue of Liberty replica. This also counted toward the Statue of Liberty visits.

From Strong, it was getting late so I scrapped visiting a couple of the locations in Louisiana and headed straight to the hotel. I pulled under the canopy, parked the bike, and made my reservation. I waited a couple of minutes then went to check in.

This was one of the friendliest check-ins that I have had in a while. The people were so nice and helpful.

I went to the restaurant next door. We had been to another of this chain’s locations in Virginia, so I thought I was familiar with the chain, WRONG. I ordered a margarita. Since it was Happy Hour, I got two for the price of one. I ordered a large cheese dip with beef to go with the chips. I wasn’t going to take the chance of getting sick with salsa again. I ordered steak flank over rice.

The margaritas were so watered down that they tasted awful. The chip dip was greasy. The steak and rice were not very appetizing. I drank less than half of one of the margaritas, not quite half of either the dip or the steak. I headed back to the hotel.

I planned the ride for tomorrow. The original plan had a lot of doubling back on interstate. I worked and found a way to spend some more time on AR-7, a very scenic and twisty road, with less time on the interstate.

Today’s ride:

Thursday, April 21st

Going to bed early last night meant that I was up early this morning. Of course, the person in one of the nearby rooms was making a lot of noise. I packed up and left about an hour and a half earlier than planned. I checked the breakfast area, but there was nothing there I wanted.

I started on the interstate, heading to Shreveport. The first memorial of the day was in Keithville, just south of Shreveport. I kept pace with the few trucks on the roads and had the cruise control at about 85, the speed limit was 75. Light traffic, until I hit Shreveport. The 15 minutes that I had saved off the trip was quickly eaten up in traffic. Once through town, the traffic lightened up.

I pulled to the first location and noticed it was in the Veterans Cemetery. I got the pictures to earn credit for the cemetery. I saw two different memorials, so I tried the check the app. I did not have cell coverage, so I was not sure which one to submit. I got pictures of both.

Initially, the GPS had indicated that I would be back-tracking almost to the point where I had gotten off the interstate. As I left, I noticed that I wasn’t turning at one intersection and was taking a new route. It was a pleasant trip through country areas, farms, and little towns. Once back on the interstate, I picked up speed and was quickly on my way back into Arkansas.

When I made my first stop of the day in Arkansas, I was still about an hour and a half ahead of schedule. The site in Fouke, AR was a memorial near the High School. It was at class change, and the kids were walking around. I rode past and stopped at the memorial. The phone still did not have cell coverage, but I was able to see the memorial and got my picture. I was not able to submit it, and the previous sites were still in limbo.

Fouke was only a few miles from Texarkana, so I took advantage and visited one of the sites from Texas. If was on State Street, which was along the line separating Arkansas and Texas. I was not able to park to get a picture similar to the picture with the bike, so I got one from the front and one from the back.

I was soon back on the interstate heading to Sheridan, AR. This memorial was a plane that had crash landed. I got a couple of pictures and made a donation to the memorial park. Again, still no cell coverage to see what I was to photograph, but I got enough that I later knew I had enough.

Heading to Benton was the stress of the day. The interstate was under construction and traffic was routed in different directions. Since I do not have the new GPS configured to show me the compass heading, I got turned around. When I finally got on the road, headed in the direction I wanted to go, I had spent about 30 minutes in Benton.

The backroads I have picked to avoid the interstate were beautiful. There was a little traffic, but most people were moving along. Near the end of AR-7, I got behind a car from Montana. They were doing 15-20 mph BELOW the speed limit! Even when it was just the warning to slow in tight curves, they even slowed down more. When I got to Paris, AR, I was about two hours ahead of schedule.

I checked the map at Paris and the best way to the hotel for the night was to double-back about 30 miles. It was a nice two-lane road through little towns, so I enjoyed the trip. Once I got close to the interstate, it was another 50 miles of interstate. I had set to visit two memorials in Conway before heading to the hotel. I decided to just head straight to the hotel.

The original route had been to leave at 8am and arrive at the hotel at 7:30pm with 570 miles of traveling today. I left at 6:45am, and made it to the hotel at 5:00pm. The ride was beautiful, the temps were in the mid to upper 70’s, and mostly cloudy. A few sprinkles, but no rain.

Supper tonight was a little walk, but it was worth it. And the walk helped me burn calories that I consumed! The place was Burgers, Pies, and Fries. It is a chain in the area, only three stores. Conway, Searcy, and Jacksonville, all in Arkansas. The burgers were a little different, but I couldn’t quite find the difference. The lady told me as I was leaving, they don’t use ground beef, then use brisket. I took a cherry fried pie and a chocolate shake back to the room for my dessert while I watch Young Sheldon and planned the route for tomorrow.

If I leave at 8am, I should be able to stop at Ash Flat, Jonesboro, and West Memphis while still getting home by shortly after 5pm.

Friday, April 22nd

I didn’t get a good night sleep last night. Putting it plainly, I over ate and was paying the price. And I am not sorry!

I was packed and rolling about 7am. I stopped at the 9-11 memorial at the fire station near the hotel. My route showed me an easy access in and out of the hotel on my next trip there. At 7am, the town was quiet. I rode past the local college and a few students were doing their morning logs. I got my picture at the fire station then headed to my next site.

I have been to the Gold Star Memorial in Beebe, so I knew the route a little better than the GPS. The GPS wanted me to take the highway, then double back to the memorial. I knew the backroad would be quicker and it would be easier to access the parking. As I started to submit the pictures, the apps notified me that I would need tow pictures. I got a second one while I was at the bike in the parking lot.

I spent a few minute on the interstate, then on the wonderful Arkansas backroads through the Ozarks. I stop at a local gas station. The attendant came out, wiped the gas spigot, then tipped it to make sure there was none of the other gas in the hose. We talked while I pumped the gas. There was not credit/debit charging on the gas pump. Once I filled the tank, I gave him the money. I followed him inside to get my receipt. I spoke with the manager/owner. This was the old style gas station, they had two bays to work on cars. This was just a gas station with a car shop, no convenience store. It was a fresh change.

Across town was the memorial park. I got my pictures of the memorial and the K-9 memorial. I left poker chips at each of these memorials.

The trip to Jonesboro was along roads that I travelled in previous years. I passed through Imboden. I had stopped for breakfast at Virgie’s Place. I had a pancake on my last visit, just one. It was huge, and thick. It was great and I was full for the day. Today, I kept rolling, but the memory gave my tummy a little smile.

I got to the memorial in Jonesboro. This was at the VFW next to the airport. The memorial was two tanks that were on display in front of the VFW. The winds were starting to pick up, I had to park the bike in gear so it wouldn’t start rolling. I got my picture and got it submitted.

The winds were a challenge on the ride to West Memphis. I got something (pollen probably) in my left eye. The eye started watering and it hurt if I opened it. All this while fighting some strong winds. I kept hoping for a rest stop where I could just go and rinse my eyes and wash my face. I managed to get to the memorial in West Memphis.

The winds had eased up a little since there were building around to help block the wind. The memorial was a static display of a fighter jet next to the VFW. The area was run down, though the area has been run down since I lived in Memphis 30 years ago. There was a “For Sale” in front of the building. The sign implied that the pool area was included. Since there was no pool outside, it must have been somewhere inside. I got a few pictures. Happy that someone is taking care of the jet, sad that the entire area has not been able to improve over the years.

My ride through West Memphis to get back to Memphis was along Broadway Blvd. There were a few newer buildings, but the area was mostly run-down older buildings. Many appeared empty, some were for sale. The roads didn’t appear to have been maintained over the years.

The ride on the interstate crossing the Mississippi River wasn’t as stressful as I had expected. The bridge seemed to block some of the wind so the vehicles weren’t blown around. My trip around Memphis was a familiar trip. I have travelled that route many times over the years. I thought about riding through town, but was more interested in getting back home. I stayed on the interstate.

Why Memphis puts up speed limit signs is beyond me. I was doing well over the speed limit just trying to keep from getting run over. I got a glimpse of what was once the Mall of Memphis. It looked like it has been completely torn down. Aerial view shows that it looks like a truck center, though most of what had been the mall had become a grassy area.

I made the turn onto US-72, I knew I was on my way home. I stopped for gas in Walnut. I thought about getting the picture of the Huey there. My photo from a few years ago is the picture that is used in the app. I have a few other pictures in the apps.

I turned onto the Trace. I love riding the Trace, even for 15 miles. I set the cruise and just relax. I turn onto AL-20, thinking about stopping at mom’s, but know it wouldn’t be a good idea. I ride home via AL-20, Savannah Highway. My bride is standing at the door when I pull into the drive. It is good to be home!

I make sure that all my memorials were posted. The next morning, I see that I had earned a 2nd place trophy for Arkansas. Someone must have been close behind me since there was also listed a recipient of the 3rd place trophy.

2022 Tour of Honor – Sunday Sanity Ride

I got up and got ready for today’s ride. The GPS reset and erased all user data. I reloaded today’s route, put the GPS on the bike and it looked okay. As I started the bike for the ride, the GPS reset again.

I headed off since I knew about where I was going for the first site. I pulled over and put the locations in the BMW app on my phone, which connects to the bike. I followed the directions to the first site. Along the way, the GPS reset and erased all the user data again.

I got to the first site and was ready to take a picture. I checked the memorial and found that I was looking for a small memorial that was behind the large memorial on the other side of the traffic circle. Not a problem, I rode to the other side and park where I could get a picture of the bike and the memorial. As I was ready to submit, this site needs a second picture of the memorial up close. I got that picture and was ready to head out.

I put the second GPS coordinates in both the BMW app and the GPS. They were fairly close in directions. I knew that I wanted to ride the Clifton Turnpike, the GPS had that on the map, the BMW app did not. The BMW kept recalculating and wanting me to turn into the woods.

The Clifton Turnpike was a beautiful ride. The entire ride to the second site was great, except for the car that ran a stop sign off the interstate. That was a close call.

As I got close to the second site, the GPS wanted me to turn to ride through a field. The BMW app told me to turn onto a road about a quarter mile up the road. I found my way to the Veteran’s Park where the memorial was located.

I got the picture and put the coordinates for the next site in the GPS and the BMW app.

Shortly after leaving the second site, I passed through a small town in Weakly County. There were signs of recent storm damage. One house looked fine; the house next door was only rubble on the foundation. Trees had been uprooted, huge trees! They have been cut to allow access to the road and even a few houses.

The wind started to pick up and would toss me back and forth across the road. The cars behind me were probably upset that I wasn’t going faster. The road had some nice twisties, but the wind made them challenging at reduced speed.

By the time I got to the last memorial, I had to pay a lot of attention. The memorial was on a gravel road in an open field. The winds were coming from the south, the road was headed due west. A serious crosswind. I was lucky that the memorial was at the end, with a few trees to help buffer the wind. There is a Civil War memorial up the hill. The winds were so strong that the flags had caused the poles to bend! I got my picture and put the address for the Circle K.

I started heading south into the wind. I pulled over to gas up the exit off US-51. The girl was confused giving me change, then she couldn’t figure out how to get a receipt. As I went out, I spoke with another biker who had stopped to gas up and have a smoke. Since I was there for a few minutes, I paused the Rever tracker. Later, I realized that I forgot to turn it back on.

The ride back home was very pleasant, other than fighting the winds. For about three hours I fought the winds. It finally eased up about the time I crossed into Alabama.

Back home, sore from the work out with the wind. A lot of things to do tomorrow, but all can be done inside away from the expected rain.

2022 Tour of Honor – Alabama

April 2, 2022

I conduct ham radio testing on the first Saturday of each month. This takes up a few hours that particular morning. I can usually get everything done, back home, and paperwork submitted by noon.

I take a quick look to see who has earned the trophies for Alabama. Hmm, I only see one person having earned a trophy. They award first, second, and third to the person/groups which are among the first three to complete a state. I have dreamed of earning one, but it seems that it is always just out of my grasp. Maybe this year will be my year.

I already had a couple of possible routes. With the exception of one or two sites, the others could be visited in a straight line. One exception happens to be in a line from our house to the southern most sites. I talk it over with the bride and she agrees that I need to be rolling.

Just before 1pm, she opens the garage door and I head out on the Harley Pan America. My plan is to spend the night in Mobile, AL. The memorial in Mobile is only available between 8am and 5pm. It would be pushing to get there by 5pm today, and I would like to spend a little more time at the USS Alabama Memorial Park. Mobile is a straight shot down US43 from Muscle Shoals.

The one site that is not in a straight line with the others is in Linden. Linden happens to be on US43, a little past halfway to Mobile. I plan to avoid interstates until I get to Mobile, then I will hop on the interstate to get around to the other side of town.

The GPS is loaded with the route, but I just follow the path that I know. I almost forgot that I had intended to stop in Linden. I managed to make the turn at the last second. I open the Tour of Honor app on the phone and see the memorial. It is Saturday, there are no other cars around the Courthouse. I park in front of the memorial and was ready to get the picture.

I didn’t pay attention to how to use the app when it was available for testing before the year started. I panicked, then realized what I needed to do. Unlike the last few years, the app does not take the picture. I got to use the camera app on the phone to get the required picture. Then, in the app, I pick the picture from the folder that I want to use. One reason I like this is that I can quickly find my Tour of Honor pictures when I want to look at them later.

Picture taken, saved on the phone, uploaded into the app, and submitted. Rather easy.

The ride along US43 is very pleasant. As I near Mobile, I get on I-65 to I-10, and pull into the hotel shortly after 7:30pm. A familiar hotel where I have stayed on most of my visits. I walk over to the Mexican restaurant nearby. I take a table outside, ordered a large margarita and a salad.

I took a little time to review the route for tomorrow. Got it uploaded into the GPS and was ready for bed.

April 3

Sunday morning, I do my Bible reading to start the day. I send Tim a text to ask where would be a good place for us to meet for supper. I tell him that I am planning to stay at a hotel in Gadsden. He says he knows of a great bed and breakfast which will also have supper for me. He sends me his address and tells me that he and Pam expect me to stay with them. Not being one to turn down a free meal and a friendly home to sleep, I accept their offer. I give him the link to be able to track my progress. I tell him my estimated ETA based on my schedule, I will confirm the arrival time as I get closer.

The farthest south area in Alabama is on Dauphine Island. That is also where one of the Tour of Honor sites is located. The main road to get there is at one exit on the interstate from my hotel. I will follow that road from the interstate to the memorial, then back to the interstate to head to the USS Alabama Memorial Park, where my next stop will be.

Early Sunday morning, the roads are empty. I see a bridge up ahead, and the winds start to pick up. I don’t see much of a barrier on the side of the bridge. I have to stay calm. I don’t like heights. As I get closer, the bridge isn’t as high as I had thought, but the winds are still fun to fight.

I cross into Dauphine Island. I see a few boats ready to go fishing. People are starting to gather along a local pier to fish in the bay. A parking lot has a sign for a bike show. Police are ready for the crowds. I keep the speed at the limit and find the memorial at the Town Hall. I park in the handicap parking, a policeman is across the street.

I quickly get the picture and head out. The GPS had other ideas about the route, but I followed the main roads instead of going through the neighborhoods.

This was the first overnight trip on the Pan America. It handles differently than the BMW-GS, which is normal. All bikes handle differently. This weekend is my chance to get familiar with the Pan America. We have named the Pan America Dirt Glyde, the tag is DRTGLYD.

Part way back to Mobile, the bike needs gas. I miss the side street and pull onto what I think is another entrance. It happens to be the sidewalk. It was too late to avoid hitting the curb. The bike jumps up the curb, then back down the other side without a problem. I was impressed, the bike handled the rough terrain with ease. I gas up, talk with a few of the local people who want to talk about the bike.

Back on the road toward Mobile. I get to the interstate and follow it to the tunnel which leads to the USS Alabama. I pull into the entrance. Today is the boat show. I am there early, the crowds haven’t arrived yet. I pull over to the various memorials.

I find the Tour of Honor main memorial. Behind it is a 9-11 memorial. A short walk away is a Huey and a K-9 memorial. I decide to go into the museum. There is another Huey, Army-1, a Huey that was used to transport one of the Presidents in the past. I spent about an hour walking around looking through the museum. In hind-sight, I realized that I walked past another 9-11 memorial which I could have submitted. I get plenty of pictures, load into the app, and submit them.

Next stop is Andalusia. I ride through downtown Mobile to make my way to I-65. North on I-65 to Evergreen. From Evergreen, west to Andalusia. I came to Andalusia two years ago. As I neared the site, as I was riding through the neighborhoods, I realized that the GPS was going to send me through the park. I make a turn and get to the parking lot. This was the same memorial from two years ago. on that visit, the GPS had lead me through the park and onto the walking path. I got a better picture on the last visit since I parked the bike directly in front of the memorial.

It is shortly after noon when I leave Andalusia. I head out on the backroads toward Montgomery. I could have gotten back on I-65, but I enjoy the backroads much more. My next stop is Talladega. There are several memorials in Talladega. I haven’t checked to see exactly where I am headed, but I will trust the GPS.

While I am taking the picture at Talladega another bike pulls up. He is over at another side of the corner taking his pictures. I walk over to meet him. I hand him a poker chip and a business card. He tells me that he was told that he might see me if he heads to get a trophy in Alabama. I ask which way he is heading. He is heading to Gadsden for the night. Once he gets checked into his hotel, he will make the ride to Fort Payne to finish Alabama and try to get the third place trophy (by now, the first two places have had already been earned by others).

He shakes my hand, jumps on his bike and rides off. I decide that I would rather enjoy the ride than to rush to try and get to the last two sites before him. I expect he will be taking the faster, but longer route. I opt for the slower two-lane roads.

I send a quick text to Tim to let him know that I was in Talladega and that I would be stopping in Gadsden before heading to his house. I gave him a time estimate then started rolling

AL-77 has become a familiar route, almost like an old friend. I enjoy the meandering ride on the country roads. Traffic picks up as I get closer to Gadsden. In Gadsden, the GPS has me winding through neighborhoods and business areas. Being Sunday, there is no traffic near the county courthouse. I park near the memorial and get a few pictures. I walk and look over the memorial. This is the first time I have seen this site and it looks to be a newer memorial.

I mount the bike and take off to Tim and Pam’s house.

Pam is out doing some last minute grocery shopping when I pull into the driveway. I know I am at Tim’s when I see his Pan America and Pam’s Can-Am under the carport. And their dogs are ready to greet me.

A pleasant evening and catching up with old friends. Hard to beat.

April 4

As soon as my head hit the bed, I was out! I had turned the lights off in the room, you would know you were in the country. No sounds of sirens, loud music, or any traffic; no street lights or any sort of light pollution. It was dark and quiet. Add the big bed with all the feather comforters I felt like I was back at Mama Neill’s.

I woke this morning very refreshed. I made my way to the kitchen and Pam offered me coffee. She was going to use a K-cup of Starbucks, I asked her to not be offended but I had some K-cups of Black Rifle Coffee. She was fine, knowing about Black Rifle Coffee.

Tim heated biscuits and some sausage, it was very good. Over breakfast, we all talked about them doing a “carb cleaning.” They are trying to get rid of all the carbohydrates that they have so they won’t be tempted to break the Keto diet they are starting.

I got my patch for the HOG chapter Points of Interest (POI) ride for 2022. I still had one more site to visit to make seven, but that was planned for the ride home.

They started getting ready to work. Tim works from home full time, though he does have to visit sites from time to time. Pam works from home almost every other week, this is her week to work from home. Pam sets up in the bedroom, Tim has a dedicated office in another building. He has two computers set up, each with multiple monitors, and he has a big screen TV on one wall.

I got things loaded up and said my goodbyes. It was a very pleasant evening, great night’s sleep, and refreshing breakfast with coffee.

As I started to leave, my low fuel light came on. I knew that there was a gas station just a few blocks away, so I wasn’t concerned. I gassed up and was ready to roll!

The closest I came to interstate was when I rode under I-59 and I-65. The mix of roads were about 50/50 2-lane vs. 4-lane. Slow sweeping curves, a few twisties, but the views were wonderful. I sang for a while. The most apropos song was How Great Thou Art.

I pulled into Fort Payne and followed the directions to the location from the Tour of Honor for the last site I needed to visit. Based on the background in the picture, I had found the spot, but the memorial I was searching was not to be found. There were a few others, but not that one. Since this was in front of the courthouse, I asked a deputy was leaving. He didn’t recognize the picture. As we talked, another deputy came out and said that the memorial I was looking for was at the VFW. The deputy gave me directions.

I arrived at the VFW, but didn’t see the memorial. Since the VFW was at the fairgrounds, I walked around a bit. I found that the VFW was not at the location where I was sent, but a few blocks away at the other side of the fairgrounds. I found this by walking all over the fairgrounds. I got the bike and headed over to the VFW and the memorial.

As I was leaving, I thought I was leaving via an exit from the parking lot. It was too late when I realized that I was leaving via the sidewalk and over the curb. A nice little drop-off, but by me staying calm, the bike handled it without a problem.

I rode over to the memorial and got the picture I needed. I stayed there a few minutes while I sent a note with my submission. This confirmed to me that the state sponsor had not visited the site. I will send him a note offering to help in verify the sites for next year. I will promise that since I will have privileged information, I will not attempt a trophy.

The ride home was partially on familiar roads, but the whole ride was so peaceful. Only bit of traffic was coming through Cullman, and that was only a couple of blocks. Even Moulton was light on traffic.

I gassed up and pulled into the garage at 2:30. About an hour later than I had planned last night, but given that I left a few minutes later than expected and I walked looking for the memorial in Fort Payne, I think I made pretty good time.

It was a great ride, but I am glad to be home.

2022 Tour of Honor – Introduction

Recap of 2021

As I write this, it is almost the end of April. I also noticed that it has been almost a year since I got my rides posted.

Let’s start with last year. Boy, was it a true dumpster fire. Many of my rides last year were cancelled at the last minute. Why? Various reasons, but usually because “something didn’t feel right.”

I mentioned that last year Jeff and I were planning to do an Iron Butt Saddle Sore Tour of Honor Extreme. This particular ride combines an Iron Butt Saddle Sore (1,000 miles in 24 hours) with visiting all 7 sites in a particular state. We were going to complete Georgia. I couldn’t sleep the night before the ride. We cancelled the plans for that ride and took a few days to ride through parts of Georgia and Alabama.

Another part of the problem last year was that the previous year I was a little too selfish about riding. To the point that MaryJo was getting upset. We had a long chat over the off season. I wanted to keep her happy, so I limited my rides by checking with her first. If she had any hesitation, I would not go on the ride.

Then, let’s add the pièce de résistance. Shortly after picking up the new Harley-Davidson Pan America, I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma. That brought my riding to a screeching halt the first week of September. About two weeks after the diagnosis, I was in the hospital having surgery to cut out the area and take out a lymph node. At the post-op, the doctor told me that they feel they got it all. He did say that I could ride the Spyder, but no two-wheeled riding for a few months. His parting words were, “I want you to go live life, but remember… You have Cancer!” Seems that type of cancer I have does have a chance of coming back, even if the particular area has been “cleaned.”

I did get a few rides on the Spyder. I visited Jeff so we could visit the Georgia sites. Since he was the sponsor, I went with him to also scope out a few new sites. I also became the sponsor for Mississippi, so I made several more rides through Mississippi. Some on the bike before surgery, some in the truck after the surgery.

2022 Preparations

Being a state sponsor, I can register early. This year, like last year, people could reserve a number for the following year. I have had number 46 since 2019, I had 506 my first year in 2018. I have poker chip and business cards with number 46, so I hope to keep it for many years.

I got my submissions for Mississippi in a few days before the deadline. I had a brief panic when I got an e-mail about a month after the deadline reminding me that I need to submit the sites. I contacted the organizers and they confirmed that my sites had been submitted. I have to submit 10 sites, I can list the seven that I would like as the sites, but they wanted the additional three as back-ups. They picked six of the seven I had recommended and picked one of my three back-up sites. The site they did not pick was in downtown Jackson, MS. It isn’t the easiest area to navigate through, so I was okay with them not selecting that site. Besides, there has been a site in Jackson almost every other year.

In December, I had another surgery. This was for a nerve reposition. I had previously had the same surgery on the right elbow, this time it was for the left elbow. This was the same arm where I had the cancer surgery. At my follow-up six weeks later, the doctor said I could ride, but not to push it.

I took a ride to scout out a few sites in Mississippi for the coming years. I am trying to build a little database of potential sites. I’ll not mention the locations, but I think that people will enjoy them for the next few years. I am trying to avoid using locations which have been previously used, especially within the last couple of years.

First part of March, I had another follow-up regarding my elbow surgery and with my dermatologist. Both gave me a clean bill of health. The dermatologist found a little spot, which proven to not be a concern. The orthopedic doctor who did the elbow said I was ready to go, no restrictions from him. The only restrictions that anyone has given me that I must wear long sleeve shirts, long pants, and a hat when I am outside. The helmet and riding suit meet those requirements.

Rain kept me inside most of March. As April 1 approached, I was ready.

I tried to take a name the afternoon of March 31. So much going through my head. I was up at 10:30, ready for the 2022 sites to be released at 11:01pm (Central Time). I had all the bonus sites already loaded into Basecamp. I just needed the primary sites to be released.

I watched the clock on the website. Once the countdown timer hit all zero’s, I waited a few seconds then went to the page with the sites and the GPX file with all the sites. I had already created a list in Basecamp for my Alabama ride. Once the GPX file was on the computer and loaded into Basecamp, I linked the Alabama sites in the folder. I was so excited and I started looking at the sites.

I could have gotten the trophy for Alabama. Really, I could have. But I was tired. I looked at the weather and it was going to be cold for the next few hours. I would rather get into a warm bed and give it a try later.

That gets you up to speed on things before the rides started. I will try to get the rides posted with pictures as quickly as I can after each ride (maybe I can get myself to post daily when on longer multi-day rides).

September 3rd

September 4th

September 5th

September 6th

September 7th

September 8th

September 9th

September 10th

September 11th

September 12th

September 13th

September 14th

September 15th

September 16th

13th

14th

15th

16th

17th

18th

May 13

May 24

May 26

May 31

July 10

July 10

July 11

Wednesday, April 20th

Thursday, April 21st

Friday, April 22nd

April 2, 2022

April 3

April 4

Recap of 2021

2022 Preparations

September 3^rd

September 4^th

September 5^th

September 6^th

September 7^th

September 8^th

September 9^th

September 10^th

September 11^th

September 12^th

September 13^th

September 14^th

September 15^th

September 16^th

13^th

14^th

15^th

16^th

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18^th