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 2 - Riding Sideways

I have never ridden a motorcycle sideways, didn't even know it was possible. Crossing the Arizona desert into New Mexico there was a strong wind warning. Hahaha, we found the wind and rode right through it. All the bikes were riding sideways trying to counter act the wind gusts that were trying to blow us over. Woohoo, what a ride!!!!

We have enjoyed catching up with friends we met last year, like Sergeant Major, out of Texas. He served 34 years as a Marine, three time purple heart recipient.  Picture below. I guess he is happy to see me too :)

Photo by Ron Stewart Photography, thanks Ron!

The police escorts are so helpful and make the trip across a state go so much smoother. New Mexico had six police escorts guiding us into Las Cruces. These six guys worked hard riding from one freeway on ramp to another, shutting it down until all the bikes passed and then riding ahead to block the next on ramp. They did this for roughly 100 miles. I think they have fun doing it as much as we enjoy watching them.

Funny thing, I am the tail gunner for fourth platoon. Every time a police bike would pass into my view, I would hear someone on the radio say 4. I finally figured out someone was stating that the police escorts were approaching the 4th platoon, roughly the middle of the pack. While riding I couldn't imagine that the police were transmitting on Channel 2, the channel we were using.  When we stopped for dinner I asked if it was them saying 4 every time they passed me. Sure enough, it was. I guess they didn't want to clutter up the airwaves saying 4 over and over on the police bands.  Pretty cute boys I think.

We traveled 398 miles today, serious wind, a little rain, a little wind storm and a nice cloud cover that kept things cool. I am so busy herding the platoon down the road I don't have too much time for visiting. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have a little more time for stories. Tomorrow, 345 miles, Las Cruces, NM to Odessa, TX

RFTW -2 days, check-in & Meetings

Hahaha, check out that outfit. This is what I will be wearing for the next 13 days.

We arrived at the host hotel in Ontario, checked in and attended the Platoon 4 leadership meeting. Super informative, and well run. I think Platoon 4 has the best Platoon Leader of any Platoon and am thankful I was assigned as tailgunner to "Old School" he was organized, gave clear instructions and expectations.

He shared with us his story, actually many stories. I will share them at some point but not tonight.

As a tail gunner I have a few jobs. Check the gear on every bike in our platoon, make sure nothing is going to fly off while on the road and to stay alert to road conditions, traffic and that the platoon is moving down the road without any issues. The tail gunners are also to  give the Platoon Leader a count of how many bikes are in the platoon every morning. Relay any messages from the front of the pack to the back. That's incase the CB radios can't transmit the distance, we might be spread out for a couple of miles.

Tonight I have to memorize ALL the hand signals, there WILL be a test in the morning. I also had to hook the orange sleeves onto my vest. I am not to leave my hotel room without the lovely orange hat and orange sleeves. (putting those on my vest was a bit of a challenge).

Well, off to bed, we have another meeting at 8:00 AM and at 9:00 AM.  Then we have to add the Platoon stickers, tail gunner stickers and registration tie to our bikes.

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. 

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! 

Check-In

Tip-of-the-day:  Forget about mascara for the next 10 days and carry a handkerchief. I was told this as I stood there crying. 

Shirley, a very kind efficient volunteer checked us in. When she was done placing our wristbands on and explaining the rules of the road she handed me a sticker and said, 

"this is why we ride" The sticker (pictured below) Is of a young man named Bowe who was captured in Afghanistan June 30, 2009. Shirley went on to tell us the terrorists bring him out and parade him around occasionally. 

My eyes welled up with tears. Imagine if this were your son. I would move heaven and earth for my child. I don't understand why something can't be done to help this young man who has been in captivity for nearly 5 years. Breaks my heart. I also don't understand why every tree in America does not have a yellow ribbon tied around it. What am I missing? 

Then I was given a plastic arm band with the name, Sgt Joseph A. Matejov, living casulaty, USAF 2-5-73 Laos. What the heck is a living casualty? Makes me sad for the loved ones that have no closure. 

Just a couple stories that we heard today. So I am leaving the mascara in the make-up bag and keeping my handkerchief close. 

Staging tomorrow at 5:45 am :( I am not a morning person, it's gonna be a challenge. 

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!