It's May and Time to Roll

This week begins my serious preparation for the run. I put a lot of thinking into this preparation. What to pack? What goes where on the bike? When will I need this item?  How often will I need this item? Do I even need to bring this?  I also load all the overnight stop locations in my weather app so I know what to put on every morning, I hate to be cold! I pack tributes of those I am riding for that I will carry to the wall. I have stickers and pins to give to the children at the schools. I have Vietnam Commemoration stickers to give to the Vietnam Veterans we visit. It's a lot of thinking that goes into getting ready.

This year, I have added another task that needs careful thought. Every year I have been on the run I spend my nights staying up late blogging. I want to keep readers at home up to date on everything that happens on the run. I make sure to add the emotional parts of the day as well, I guess I am just emotional. This year, I have been asked to be the sit-rep writer for the Southern Route. This is a new job for me and I am a little uneasy about it. The sit-rep includes JUST THE FACTS. In my mind,  just the facts are, well, just so boring! This is going to require an even later bedtime. With this in the back of my mind, I want to do an even better job of packing. I want as many things as possible to be streamlined. It all has caused a great big THINK! 🤔

 On another note: This year's motto is MISSION > SELF which means, Mission greater than self. I love that! On the run we are working collectively towards one common goal. It is this goal that drives the run and remains the focus day in and day out. While on the run we are constantly thinking of the individual, making sure no one is left behind. Yet, the focus is the mission and what is best for the mission. In this day of ME-ME-ME it is a timely motto. I look forward to Ghostrider's leadership and working with him this year, it's gonna be great!

As we embark on this Journey to Washington D.C., we ask for your prayers of good weather and safe travels.

Day 6 - Crossing the Mississippi, bridges and friends

I consider the 6th day of the run the overpass or BRIDGE DAY. Driving through Louisiana and Mississippi there are a number of overpasses and just about every single one is lined with patriotic, flag waving Americans. Will Rogers said, "We can't all be heroes, some of us have to stand on the curb and clap as they go by".   The good people of Louisiana and Mississippi have got the standing on the curb down(or in this case overpass). We saw hundreds and hundreds of people on bridges, waving flags, and cheering as the veterans ride by. It sure gives one hope in America.



Some bridges only had one person. Sometimes they were saluting, holding a vest or waving.


There were firetrucks on a few bridges with a flag suspended from the the ladder. It is truly amazing the love and support shown to the veterans by the patriots of Louisiana and Mississippi.













Another highlight of the day: Because Don is the Assistant Platoon Leader for 1st Platoon he had 6 dignitaries riding into Jackson, Mississippi with him today. Pictures here is the Governor of Mississippi thanking him for a smooth ride into Jackson. (Never see that happen with Jerry Brown from California😜)











One of the best things about Run for the Wall is the opportunity to make new friends. This is one of the new friends I met this year. Very nice guy! He has one of the best road names I've ever heard. "On the Five"

First, he is from  California, near the 5 freeway. He and some buddies were going to ride down to Mexico. He was supposed to meet them on the five. Well, he was there waiting for them and they just rode on by and left him "on the five".

I was honored to give him a "Vietnam War, I served sticker". As a Department of Defense Vietnam Commemoration Partner and a Daughter of the American Revolution. I was shocked he put it on the windshield of his brand new, beautiful, shamrock green Harley.

Tomorrow is day 7 when we ride into Chattanooga, reminds me of riding in LA.

DAY 10 - ALL THE WAY

Day 10 dawned bright and beautiful. Tree of Life Ministries was our host for breakfast and the morning meeting. Many of the agencies and groups that supported us through Virginia were thanked. Jim Zellers, the Virginia State Coordinator did a great job arranging all the stops, food and gas, thanks Jim!

WE MADE IT ALL THE WAY! We pulled into Arlington with much fan fare. The midway route lined the curbs clapping and cheering us into the staging area. Such a bittersweet moment to have completed the mission. 10 days of being driven with one purpose, one goal and one target, Charlie Mike, Complete the Mission.

Pulling into Arlington, VA and the completion of the mission.

Tomorrow we will ride into Arlington National Cemetery and visit The Wall to pay our final respects.

Day 8 - Donut Day

Another great day on the mission. We travelled from Chattanooga, TN to Wytheville, VA a total of 285 miles done in just four legs. It was a little dicey getting out of Chattanooga. The Platoons stayed tight but with a lot of rubber banding which is not fun for a tail gunner.

The day began with a wreath laying ceremony at the Silverdale Cemetery. I purchased a cemetery patch for the second year in a row. It was half the price of last year's patch :)

Here is a link to the cemetery's Facebook page if you would like to learn more. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Silverdale-Confederate-Cemetery/202558459780441

Once we rolled out of Thunder Creek Harley Davidson we rode 79 miles to the Knoxville Truck Stop. This is one of my favorite stops on the entire route. The community comes out to show their patriotism and support of Run for the Wall. I must admit though, it's the donuts. Dunkin Donuts hands out hundreds of FREE donuts to all the riders. I love them, I ate two.  No calories on vacation, right?

 Last story for tonight, this was shared with me by Gonzo, the one on the right with his friend Weasel. They were telling me about the coin Weasel is wearing around his neck. It is a coin that their buddy was wearing when he was killed in Afghanistan. The coin was returned to his mother who asked Gonzo to take it on Run for the Wall with him. Gonzo carried it half the way and then handed it off to Weasel who will carry it the remainder of the way to the Vietnam Memorial.
A great tribute to the fallen because,  at Run For the Wall
"We ride for Those who Can't"

Day 4 - Mini Marines

Wow, another great day. We have been riding a day and a half and are still in Texas! What the heck?

Our first stop today was at the Permian Basin Vietnam Memorial. It is a beautiful place with very powerful visual displays that emotionally deliver a very hard punch to the Vietnam Veterans. Many shed a tear or two as memories came flooding back. I have provided a link to their website if you would like to pay a virtual visit.  http://www.veteransmemorial.us

At the basin the colors were presented by, I believe they are called Junior Marines, I call them Mini-Marines. Are they not the cutest things? I know, I know, Marines are not "cute" but these are!

I spoke with the youngest one's mother (Pictured here). His name is Rieker and he loves participating in the Junior Marines. He took his job as a member of the color guard very seriously, as you can see.

Also at the basin there is a Native American  that blesses the riders and all the bikes. 

I believe all of the gas today was donated, I can't remember giving the fuel team any money. All of the food is donated for all ten days. I will try to get a list of all the organizations that donate food and money for gas to post here to publicly thank them. 

I think I am getting the job of tail gunner down but every run it seems something comes up that I am not sure of. Old School (Platoon Leader) has got to be sick of my questions. He patiently answers them though. 

As we came into Colorado City today there was quite a bit of traffic. All the LA Riding paid off! Traffic is no big deal to this Southern California girl! 

Mileage today, 351 miles and yes we are STILL in Texas! Till tomorrow, God Speed and good night! 

#1 Tour of Honor - Hawaii

Wow, what a ride, we grabbed the #1 Hawaii title. 

We decided to participate in the Tour of Honor Motorcycle ride while we were in Hawaii. The Tour of Honor is a self-directed ride to memorials and monuments around the United States. You can visit as many sights as you want on any route that you choose. Trophies are awarded to the first three riders to visit seven destinations in each state. The #1 trophy had not yet been claimed for Hawaii so we decided, what the heck, let's do it! 

We rented bikes out of Waikiki and began our ride at 10:00 a.m. Luckily the young man working at the rental shop suggested we visit the sites in town last as we would be going against traffic at the end of the day.   

Today I am going to share with you the sites we visited and some of our experiences. To meet the rules of T of H you must take a picture of your rally flag and bike with the same view as posted on the T of H website. Which explains the unusual pictures. 

Please note: We were not prepared to ride motorcycles while we were in Hawaii so we did not have proper motorcycle clothing. Don't do as we do, do as we say! Wear long pants, gloves and a long sleeve shirt when you ride. 

Our first stop was to Punchbowl Cemetery. It is an ancient warrior cemetery located in a volcanic crater overlooking Honolulu. A wide staircase extends from the floor of the crater to the "Court of Honor" flanked on both sides of the staircase are ten "Courts of the Missing that include 28,778 etched names of soldiers MIA from World War II, the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War. 

From Punchbowl Onward to Pearl Harbor

Bikes aren't allow on the ferry boat to the Arizona Memorial so I had to get a picture of the bike and the rally flag in front of the sign. The ride organizers are very careful, NO CHEATING! 

 

The official photo to prove I was there. 

I

USS Missouri Memorial, required photo

The USS Missouri is moored on Ford Island. It served from World War II through Desert Storm and is a highly decorated battleship, best known for hosting the Japanese surrender ceremony that took place on Tokyo Bay, September 2, 1945

Now we ride to the opposite end of the island to Haleiwa.   

Wailua-Kahuku War Memorial located at Haleiwa Beach Park. 

This was the easiest of all the memorials to visit. It is located just off the side of the road, we pulled off the road and parked. No ferry ride, no shuttle...

This is a memorial to all the local veterans that gave their all in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

The most difficult photo was in Kaneohe at the Marine Corps Base

It might not look tricky but remember when I said "do as I say not as I do" well how we were dressed came into play here at the Marine Corps base. We rode up to the guard at the entrance and told him we wanted to see the Pacific War Memorial. He took one look at us and said, "I can't let you ride on base without, long pants, long sleeves, gloves..." We had to park our bikes outside and walk past the guard tower, obtain a visitor's pass and then walk over to the war memorial. When we received the visitor's pass we were told, "do not take pictures of anything but the war memorial".

This made it a little difficult to get a picture of our bikes anywhere on the base. Luckily the judges ok'd our entry with the photo we submitted.  Better luck to the next riders that try to get a picture on base.

Off we go to HUNT for the B-17 Memorial 

By the time we went looking for the B-17 Memorial, the sun was setting, the wind was picking up and it was getting cold. This monument is located at the Pali Lookout but we were  not sure exactly where. The monument is just a little plaque on the side of the ramp at the lookout. The road to the top of the lookout is one of the most scenic roads on the island. This is one spot we never would have ventured to if it weren't for Tour of Honor. 

I was  nearly blown off the side of the volcano trying to get this picture. 

Since we could not take our bikes to the monument we took this picture to prove we were really there.  I know the rental helmet and bike are dorky. Not at all like my Harley or Shoei.

The final stretch - back to Waikiki where the day began

   Hahahah, this picture could have gotten us a ticket or thrown in jail. Downtown Waikiki is very crowded in the evening. There was no place to park so we rode into the park on the sidewalks. Parked in front of the monument, snapped this picture and got the heck out of Dodge. Desperate times call for desperate measures. No way we were not going to get this last picture. I guess Hawaii Five-0 was busy somewhere else :)

This memorial honors four different regiments comprised totally of Japanese-Americans, who fought for the US in World War II.                

What a day, what an honor to visit the sights on Oahu that honor those that sacrificed so we can enjoy the freedom of living in this great country!!!
A big thank you to Jim McCrain and Robert Reavis for suggesting Tour of Honor to us.
I can't wait till the organizers list us as #1 for Hawaii.
Thank you to my great husband that willingly participates on these crazy patriotic adventures. You're the best of the best!!! 

Practice Run Tomorrow - 40 Days Out

40 Days Till RFTW 

Only 40 days till riders meet up in Ontario, California  at the Radisson Hotel.  That means, it's time to get super serious about practice runs. Tomorrow we head out for a 250 mile ride to Blythe, CA. Part of the ride will be exactly the same route as Day 1 of RFTW.  Riding conditions will be similar to what we will experience on the first day. Okay, maybe not quite as hot or structured but as close as we can get without the real deal. 

Looking forward to a great day of riding. I'll fill you in tomorrow night on how the ride went. 

For those of you wanting to join us for the start of the run, be at the Ontario Radisson Hotel on Wednesday, May 13, 2015. The ceremony begins at 6:45 a.m. Plan to arrive early as parking is a challenge but doable! 

I am looking forward to seeing DAR friends and ALR Post 716 friends at the send off. 

Ontario Radisson Hotel

2200 East Holt Blvd. 

Ontario, CA 

Time to get off the fence!

It looks as if the time for fence sitting is over. Fence sitting??? Yes, I have been sitting on the fence trying to decide whether to ride by own bike or once again ride on the back of my good hubby's bike.

This week I received an email from Chicken Joe, Assistant Route Coordinator, Southern Route, Run for the Wall, stating:

"Eyes,

You have been placed into a Tail Gunner position in the 4th Platoon with Robert "Old School" Reavis at the Platoon Leader.  He is excited to be able to take you into the platoon."

So that's it folks, I will be riding myself. The slow speed maneuvering has been my only struggle. It's a big bike and when it's slow going I feel like it's going to fall over. I have been out riding every Friday and Saturday for months and will continue to do so until May 13, when the run officially begins.
I am excited!!! Please follow along with us as we "Ride for Those That Can't" on our journey to the Vietnam Memorial.

Photo Selection

I have been looking at "Run for the Wall" photos almost all day to the point that I am dizzy. It is so hard to choose which photos will make the cut and which will not. I thought I'd share a few nice ones I came across today.

A park Ranger makes a rubbing at the Vietnam Wall

Paying Respects at The Wall

Every time I visit a National Cemetery I am reminded of the price of freedom. 

One little muffin

One little muffin can represent so much. The good folks of Meridian, MS served the riders breakfast at the Lauderdale County Agricultural Center. It didn't seem to be a very affluent community but these good people baked hundreds and hundreds of muffins for us. It was extremely touching.  Such a simple, humble gesture showed how much these good people appreciate the sacrifices made by our veterans.

Lost in a sea of Harleys

No matter how hard I tried to triangulate our location, after every lunch break I would lose our black Harley amidst the hundreds of other black Harleys on the ride.  This picture shows perfectly how easy it was to become lost in the sea of Harleys. Before next year I need to devise a new system cause triangulation didn't work so well.

Day 1 - Rancho Cucamonga, CA to Phoenix, AZ

Today was beyond belief. I have cried, laughed, sweated, met new friends and heard some incredible stories. It has been a long day and tomorrow is going to be the same. I have so much to share. I will try to be brief so I can sleep and you won't be bored. 

Let's start with the tip-of-the-day: when the 10 minute horn blows you better have a full tank of gas and an empty bladder. Good stuff to know. 

Our first gas up was an experience, truly an organizational miracle, 200+ bikes gassed and back on the road in 30 minutes.  There are so many bikes and they pull in so close, it gets a little hairy. When we stopped in Blythe while waiting in line to get gas, I jumped off the bike ran into the mini-market bought two Diet Cokes and was back on the bike before Don was finished gassing up. So happy to get my diet coke fix. 

I think I'll finish today's blog post with a:

Today's Heroes Board

Meet Sam-he served 32 years in Vietnam and Desert Storm. Recipient of 4 Purple Hearts. Sam is super friendly and has been very kind to us. 

Meet Cory - he served 10 tours in Afghanistan before suffering a serious injury. Cory was brought to the dinner in Phoenix by his parents. What a sacrifice this family has made. 

We met so many heroes today and heard so many stories. I can't blog them all. I will have to save some of them for "Riding For The Wall - The Book". Hopefully it will be out this year. 

I am grateful to participate in this year's ride to the wall. I am humbled to see and hear the sacrifices made by so many so I can enjoy the wonderful blessing of living in this free country. Please share the two heroes I have posted here don't let their service be forgotten or go unnoticed. Until tomorrow! 

It's Tuesday so we must be in Chattanooga

Sat down and made a list of what day we will be staying where. I can see it now, "it must be Sunday  so we must be in Louisiana, hahahaha. Kidding aside, after four or five days I will forget what day it is and where we are. I am hoping this will help. I might need to laminate it tape it to the windshield of the bike. Oh wait, like Don would ever let me put tape on his precious baby. 

We are going to start packing today. We are allowing ourselves one change of clothes so one to wear and one to wash. Yikes, that doesn't seem like enough. I might have to rethink that one. And only two pair of shoes, yeah right. I will at least need my riding boots, pair of flip-flops and a pair of Converse. That might get me through. 

Preparing for Extreme Weather Conditions on the Ride

Preparations continue. Riding 10 days,  across the United States requires serious planning. The ride begins in Rancho Cucamonga, California, passing through Arizona where it may or may not be blistering hot,  New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia and on into Washington DC. We will more than likely have super hot weather with temperatures above one hundred and on the flip side we may encounter rain, snow and hail. I don't like extreme temperatures in weather so I am preparing for any and every weather extreme we may encounter.

My neck gets very cold on rides, even warm rides.  I have tried wearing a scarf, but what do you do with the long tails. I am not trying to make a fashion statement and don't want a scarf tail whipping around behind me as we cruise down the road at 80 MPH.  So, in preparation I have knitted two cowls. This solves the tail problem but still gives me a nice warm wool covering for my neck.  I always like clothing options, so I knitted two cowls. One in typical motorcycle style, dark gray.  I chose a Possum/Wool blend from New Zealand. I think it will be warm and toasty. You may be wondering why I chose a Possum yarn and we may discuss that in a future post. Nasty pesky critters, especially the ones in New Zealand.

The other Cowl is knitted with an Aran weight yarn from Cascade Yarn Company in the color Liberty. Hahaha, yep, it's red, white and blue, my favorite color. Don't question it, Red White and Blue is one color in my world and they don't run!