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My Dad, brother, nephew and I are planning to criss-cross the country this summer on the motorcycles. Since I know my wrists wont be able to handle 10,000 to 12,000 miles in 5 weeks, Bert (my brother), Johnny (my nephew who is a NEW rider), and I are going to swap out on the two Harley’s. We will all be pulling trailers and will camp out almost every night we are on the trip. We will have two camcorders, several cameras, and one laptop with us on the trip. I hope that I will be able to post something every night or every other night that we are on this trip. Of course there will be the mobile shots that I upload to Facebook and MySpace during the day. So be sure to watch out for those.
To my truck driving and biker friends, please stay in touch while I am on this trip. If we are going to cross paths maybe we can stop for a few minuets and visit. If anyone would like to ride part of the trip with us, you are more than welcome to. Please just understand that we are going to be on a bit of a schedule. My brother is flying in from Israel on a certain day and has to fly back on a certain day. So if you want to ride with us, you will need to meet us some where on our route. We will be spending a couple of days in the northeast for Johnny’s graduation and down around Del Rio, TX to see my niece, Taylor.
Here is our schedule:
Saturday June 12: Drive from MS through AL and FL to North GA
Sunday June 13: Drive from GA up to start of the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC and into VA with short trip to SC
Monday June 14: Blue Ridge Parkway takes us to Harpers Ferry in WV and into DC Maybe
Tuesday June 15: DC Area into MY and DW and up to PA to Dutch Country
Wednesday June 16: PA to NJ and NY and into CT to the Boys House.
Thursday June 17: Day trip from CT through RI, MA and NH and into ME for lunch then back to CT
Friday June 18: Dinner with the Boys
Saturday June 19: Johnny’s Graduation
Sunday June 20: Day with the Boys
Monday June 21: Drive from CT through MA and VT then into NY to Cooperstown
Tuesday June 22: Baseball Hall of Fame then down to State Park outside NYC
Wednesday June 23: Trip into City to the Statue of Liberty
Thursday June 24: Drive up to Niagara Falls
Friday June 25: Drive from Niagara to Detroit through Canada
Saturday June 26: Leave MI drive through Waldron MI into OH then over to Waldron, IN and down to Louisville KY
Sunday June 27: KY to Cave in Rock IL then over to Paducah and down to TN Maybe in MO but at least to AR
Monday June 28: AR down into LA and over into TX
Tuesday June 29: Over to the Alamo and into Del Rio
Wednesday June 30: Camping with Taylor
Thursday July 1: Camping with Taylor
Friday July 2: Camping with Taylor
Saturday July 3: Camping with Taylor
Sunday July 4: Camping with Taylor
Monday July 5: Up to El Paso and maybe into NM
Tuesday July 6: NM to AZ
Wednesday July 7: AZ to Hoover Dam Area and NV
Thursday July 8: Death Valley up to Lake Tahoe CA
Friday July 9: Out to the PCH
Saturday July 10: PCH up into OR
Sunday July 11: PCH inward to ?
Monday July 12: up into WA or over into ID
Tuesday July 13:through ID and up to Glacier Park in MN
Wednesday July 14: drive toward WY and Yellowstone
Thursday July 15: Yellowstone
Friday July 16: down to UT
Saturday July 17: UT over to Denver CO.
Sunday July 18: Drive through NE and into KS
Monday July 19: KS to OK
Tuesday July 20: OK and Mo then into AR (I will be splitting off at Harrison, AR and going to Dover, AR for about a week then will ride home)
Wednesday July 21: Day in DeWitt
Thursday July 22:Drive to Biloxi
Friday July 23: Drive to Lucedale
I get many emails pointing me here and there toward all sorts of subjects, but this one I had to look at. My grand-daughter is around 17 months old and I am always teasing my son that I am going to make a ‘biker chick’ out of her. When I saw this email and looked around the site, I decided that I am going to have to get this book for her.
From the site:
Short Description:
“BIKERS are ANIMALS” – A Children’s Book on Motorcycling” by Paul Jamiol is a unique and fun way to introduce young readers to the world of motorcycling. Using a menagerie of cartoon animals in motorcycle dress and riding “cool” motorcycles, the author shows children and parents alike that motorcycle riding is fun and that motorcyclists are intelligent, appealing, hardworking, independent and family-oriented individuals. They are concerned with helping others and working together, regardless of who or what they are.
The characters in this riding adventure speak to the child by what they do. Their brief little stories tell of what they love, and how motorcycles and riding enhance their lives and their relationships. The emphasis is on safety, working together and caring about yourself, others and your motorcycle. read more
Excerpt:
Thor is one of the founding members of the Bears Motorcycle Club. He can be seen riding the highways of Maine on most days in the late afternoon and evening. read more
About the Author:
Paul Jamiol, an avid motorcyclist, has been cartooning and illustrating for the past 40 plus years. He has been recognized for his work locally, nationally and internationally. His cartoons and illustrations have been featured in various motorcycle magazines and mainstream newspapers.
He produced the Classic Motorcycle Calendar© (a collection of his pencil drawings of classic motorcycles) and has illustrated a children’s book on motorcycling, Patrick Wants to Ride. He created a 30-ft mural, Women in Motorcycling, for the opening of the American Motorcyclist Association Heritage Museum in Westerville, OH. In addition, Paul’s award-winning editorial cartoons have been seen and appreciated worldwide. Read More
Women Riders Now
Getting Past The Road Blocks
Physical handicaps aren’t stopping her
Cynthia Morgan, Lucedale, Mississippi
8/26/2009
I am a flatbed truck driver. I ride a 2002 Harley-Davidson Road King that I bought from my brother and put 16,000 miles on in the first 13 months I had it. I have only been riding on my own for less than 2 years.
Cynthia standing with her two favorite machines — her flatbed truck and her motorcycle. |
Last November I fell from the top of a loaded flatbed, 7 feet in the air, head first. I shattered both my wrists, broke my nose and took 10 stitches in three places on my face. I had pins and external fixators on both my wrists for 10 weeks and lost all strength and flexibility on both. The doctor said that she doubted that I would be able to return to work till this coming November, if then. She also said that she doesn’t know if I will be able to continue pulling a flatbed because of the physical nature of the job. I may have to go back to pulling a box.
read the rest -> Getting Past The Road Blocks |
As most of ya’ll know, I saw Dr Waguespack about a month ago. She did an x-ray and said that my bones are not fully healed yet! That sucks! After 5 months you would think they would be healed. She decided to put me in bone growth simulators to help in forming the needed bone. I have have it for a couple of weeks and it is a real pain in the tail. I have to wear it 3 hours on one wrist and then 3 hours on the other. I can move around and do things, but it is a bit bulky and uncomfortable. The worst part of it is that she doesn’t want me on my bike yet. At first she said I could, then after thinking about it she said no. She didn’t think that riding my bike with the braces on would be safe and with the bones not healed yet, if I went down I would re-break my wrist. She says that if I re-break them, then I will never go back to my job. So, I have done my best to stay off the bike, but this week I just could not stand it any more! I have been out a couple of times, with my braces on and everything seems to be OK. I have not ventured off to far, only about 30 miles from the house, and I am doing good with it all. I am in hopes that when I go see her at the end of May that she will OK my riding, course, it really wont matter by then because I am going to ride anyway. I am working the bike show with the PGR at the Gulf Port Blowout and I have a couple of trips planned this summer on my bike.
First I am going to ride to Phoenix, then Hollywood, CA and on to Lompoc, CA to meet my brother. Then we are going to ride to Texas and see my niece, then to Arkansas to my mom’s and then home. I will be gone about 3 weeks, home for about 2 weeks and off again. I am going to ride to Ogden, UT for the PGR’s “Gathering of the Guard” and plan on riding through Yellowstone on my way there. I will be in Ogden for 2 days and then ride to Sturgis and meet up with the rest of the Road Dogs on Hogs. I will leave there the following Saturday. If my wrists are still holding up, then I am going to ride up to Oregon and ride Hells Canyon. On my way home from there I plan of hitting the north side of Colorado and riding across hwy14 between Steamboat Springs and Ft Collins. I have a trucker/biker friend that lives in that area and he says it is a GREAT ride. Then I will come home. I am thinking that is going to take me about 4 to 5 weeks.
So as ya’ll see, I need to get healed up enough to do all the riding. If anyone is going to be at any of these events or in my path, give me a holler and maybe we can meet!
Road Dogs on Hogs arrived at Sturgis Saturday night around midnight and had one heel of a great time!!
Jimmy the Junk-man and I packed our bikes and left my house in Mississippi early Wednesday morning. We had a great ride to Helena, AR to see my new grand baby and then went on up to Jonesboro, AR for the night. Thursday started with rain and we had to dig out the rain gear for a couple of hours.
We rode up hwy63 out of Arkansas into Missouri and grabbed hwy14. I have to tell ya, that was a great stretch of road to run. We lost a little time, but it was well worth it. The hills and curves were great to run. It was one of those roads that you fight with yourself over how fast to run….go slow and enjoy the scenery, or go fast and hang in the curves to get the adrenaline rush!!! We even stopped for a break at the White River and watch some Salmon swim up stream.
We arrived in Springfield, MO with time to spare before we had to meet Loose Nut, Strychnine, Bubble head, and Brit Brat. I took that time to visit some old friends. Then it was off to Clinton, MO to camp for the night. We met up with 96Ultra at his hotel before getting to our camp site. After putting up 3 tents in the dark we sat around and chatted for a while before hitting the sack.
The next day started about 0600 as we packed up our tents and headed out. We crossed into Kansas on hwy2 so we could miss the Kansas City traffic. 96 Ultra caught up to us in Ottawa, KS and we ran on over to hwy 99 and started north to Buzzards house. We arrived there late in the evening to a house full of people. Slider had flown in from Pennsylvania that afternoon and Derrick had ridden up from Lincoln, NE. Hugs went round and round. It was so cool to finally meet people that I have heard on Carl P., Freewheelin’, and Jonesey.
Saturday started out kind of crappy. Buzzard’s party wagon had a break problem and we were delayed for several hours. Finally we unloaded the party wagon into the back of the pickup and headed out of town around noon. We arrived in Mitchell, SD where Old Dog, Thumper, Mutt, were waiting on us. Once again, hug went round and the connections were made. We saddled up, 10 bikes, and 4 cages and headed west.
We arrived at the Iron Horse Campground around midnight. We had great fun in setting up that many tents in the dark, but you know how truck drivers are, we got it done. Everyone sat around a visited a bit and then hit the sack.
Sunday started with a trip to town. We did the bike walk down the street in the middle of town and went to the store to pick up all those things we all had forgotten. Then some came back to camp, some hit main street, and some went for a ride. Idaho Hunter showed up during the day and we got the phone calls from people that were going to be arriving later.
We all met back up at camp that evening and went to the bar to hear the Band and for some dancing and the Wet T-shirt contest. Congrats to Strychnine for winning! We danced and drank, and partied till about 0300 in the morning. That is when I was dropped on my head!! I hit the nape of my neck on the rim of a 5 gallon bucket! That kind of ended things for everyone. Truckin’ Up Chick and Jimmy walked me back to my tent, put ice on the back of my head, and put me to bed. Even with that in mind, it was a great day! But the next day you could tell who were the drunks from the night before and who stayed sober. The Sober people made a ride to Mont Rushmore and the drunks stayed in camp. Course, I was made to go to the hospital to get my head checked out by Jimmy and Buzzard. As I told them, as long as I land on my head I will be OK! Hey I still got second place!
We even had a small bout with the weather on Tuesday evening. We call it Hurrican Meredith!! The wind and rain came in hard and fast. It laid our tents down and even snapped the pole of a couple of them. That night, many of us slept in water soaked tents and bed rolls.
All through the week we had people arriving and leaving, riding, partying, and just having great fun.
I don’t know how to put into words the feelings I have on how all of this has come together. I had a crazy idea and it has become everything I had hope it would. Don’t tell me that truck drivers can’t come together on anything. Don’t tell me that truck drivers can’t get along. Don’t tell me that there is no camaraderie in trucking anymore. Today, I see all that in our little group. We have truck drivers here from all over the country, from different backgrounds, and different aspects of trucking, and we had a great time!
Who knew that 30 people that listen to a trucking channel on a radio, who had never met before coming to Sturgis, could come together and have this much fun?! The world is a smaller place today because of these people and their love of trucks and motorcycles. Who says that truck drivers are not just one big family? I don’t! Because this group of gear jammers just proved them WRONG!
WOW, what a turnout we had for the 1st annual Freedom Ride in the Mississippi coast! There were over 800 bikes there with around 150 of them being current PatriotGuard Riders (PGR).
Every time I do something with the PGR I see new faces, this was no different….
Well, I saw more new faces than ever before, but ti was great. Old friends and new friends, it was just great. We talked about everything under the sun and marveled at the turn out. For this being the first year for this ride, it was a great turnout.
Course, with 800 bikes, we had to make a stop in the middle of the ride to let the tail catch up. This gave several of us time to snap a few pictures.
Yeap, that is me in the middle picture there, but look at all those bikes!! I know it is going to be hard to see the line of bikes in this next picture, but what can ya expect. You try taking a picture while moving on a motorcycle and making sure you don’t run into anyone!!!
All in all, it was a great day, we had a great turnout of bikers and PGR members. I enjoined meeting everyone. But the biggest thing is that we got a chance to show our respect, love and support for our Country and our Troops!
Happy Birthday to the USA, and thank you to all those that HAVE served, ARE serving, and WILL serve out great Nation!
