mini-journey 2016 - FL and fallen hero memorial ride completion
#1
03-10-2016, 12:13 PM
mini-journey 2016 - FL and fallen hero memorial ride completion
Mini Journey 2016 - Remember and Respect Rally - Ft McCoy, FL
3/2/2016 thru 3/8/2016
7 days - 2,140 miles
Here is the route:
http://rideplanner.harley-davidson.c...5&locale=en_US
Day 1 - Allen, TX to Natchez, MS 409 miles
On the road about 8am. About 45 with sun and got into mid-60's. Pretty nice day. Got a chuckle in Mansfield, LA when I stopped for a break.
guy - Hey, nice bike
me - Thanks!
guy - You from around here?
me - No, Dallas area
guy - Well, I wouldn't want to be from around here either.
I think they were an oil service crew from somewhere else apparently.
Stopped at the Best Western in Natchez. I had enough reward points for a free night. Cool. I joked with the gal at check in about riding the scooter down the hall to unload my stuff. She laughed and said I could park it under the carport next to the door. More cool. I don't have to unload the tour pak or camping gear and it's covered in case it rains. Walked to the hotel next door to their restaurant for dinner. Thought about catfish but didn't want anything that heavy or greasy. Ordered a cheeseburger and fries. Burger was really good and should be for 11 bucks, but the fries were coated in grease and tasted like fish so I had fish fries. Only ate a few of them which met the minimum daily requirement for grease. Back to hotel and out early. Rain in the forecast for tomorrow. Oh, joy. Heard from Alan a newer Springer guy from Mobile, Al who said he would meet up with me tomorrow in Defuniak Springs, FL. Cool. Have someone to ride with on the last leg in FL.
Day 2 - Natchez, MS to Defuniak Springs, FL 397 miles
Up early. Yep, it's raining. Bike was dry so that makes packing up easier. Also got to put on rain gear in the hotel instead of the side of the road. Light rain off and on all day and temps in the 50's. Not a great combination but at least it wasn't raining sideways. Got to Laurel, MS and had some navigational difficulties. Laurel has a confluence of several major roads where you get on one road then immediately exit to get to another. Well, I was watching traffic and missed an exit. The road just didn't look right and it wasn't - I-59 instead of US84. Pulled off on an exit and found a backroad to get me where I needed to be. Nice little road but it was in the middle of nowhere and I started having the desire to find a restroom pretty soon. That desire increased where I had to find the nearest collection of bushes and/or trees. I found a spot and used my machete to hack my way through the growth. I thought it will probably start raining while the business is happening. Well, it did, fortunately not too much. I had someone ask me one time why I packed toilet paper. There's your answer!
Heard from Alan and he said he had to cancel the meetup. He was going to ride on into FL from Mobile.
Before the trip I had looked for a Veterans Memorial somewhere in AL that was close to my route. I found a new memorial in Evergreen, AL where I could get a few pictures with the mini-banner I made for our four fallen heroes. The city/county did a really nice job with this memorial. My glasses kept getting blurry at the memorial and now this stupid monitor is getting blurry...
With the weather I decided not to camp at Defuniak and found a mom/pop motel instead. Decent place and clean. Looks like an old motor court from the 1950's. The camping place wanted $40 for a tent site. I got the hotel with bed, heat, and bathroom for 50. Unpacked all the stuff from the scooter and put it in the room. I'm getting pretty good at this.
There was food right next door which also looked like something from the 1950's. Anything you want as long as it's beef or chicken and grilled or fried. Pretty good but wouldn't want a steady diet of it. Busy place, too. Big thunderstorm rolled through right after I got back to the motel. Hope this stops before morning. Shower and out pretty early again.
Day 3 - Defuniak Springs, FL to near Ft. McCoy, FL 314 miles
Up about 5am to pack up. On road and stopped at Mickey-D's for food and coffee. I got the senior coffee discount without asking. I don't know how they knew I qualified. On the road about 7am. It's cold and damp with temps in the low 50's and stayed like that until about two hours before I got to my destination. From Defuniak to Perry it's a pretty scenic ride with hills and lots of trees so that offset some of the cold and damp. The sun came out about two hours from my destination and made a pretty nice day. Got to the Kamp of Klowns as we call it mid-afternoon. Great just hanging out with these guys and gals, putting faces with names you've known for several years, and meeting a few new Springer folks. We built a campfire and had the meet and greet for introductions. I had set up my tent earlier along with some others in the area we started calling the migrant village. Out about 10:30.
Day 4 - Ft McCoy - no riding
Kirk, the host of this shindig fixed biscuits and gravy this morning. Good stuff, breakfast of champions! Most of the crew rode over to Bike Week at Daytona today. I have no interest in riding in traffic or big crowds. Stayed at Kamp and hung out with about a dozen others and told stories most of which were gross exaggerations or outright lies. Love this group! Nice day, sunshine, 70's. The ride crew returned late in the afternoon. They all said they had a good ride which I believe to be true. Any day on a motorcycle especially a Sweet Heritage Springer is a good day! Richard took charge of the grill and cooked burgers and dogs and some others put together the fixin's like tater salad and baked beans. Thanks!
The gross exaggerations and outright lies continued into the night. We built a large bonfire which could be seen from outer space. At least no one threw gasoline on it like at Hot Springs the other year. That one could be seen from the Moon. M-O-O-N that spells moon, laws yes.
Mike, the uncle of one of the fallen heroes (Scotty) and I said a few words about the memorial ride. I'm emotionally drained after working with this ride but it's also been one of the best things I've ever done in my life especially with this great group of guys and gals. Stupid monitor is getting blurry again... Here is a link to the public page on our forum with info about the memorial ride. Fallen Hero Memorial Ride
Heading home early tomorrow. Called it a night about 11pm. Not quite as cold as it was last night. I crawl into my tent like an animal into it's burrow.
Day 5 - Ft McCoy, FL to Evergreen, AL 394 miles
Up about 6am and packing up tent and stuff. Get coffee and hang out a bit before hitting the road. Alan and I will ride together to Defuniak Springs where we plan to spend the night. We say goodbyes and get on the road about 8:30.
Kirk, Sheila - Thanks for hosting this rally. Excellent time and great folks! Thanks to Richard for running the grill and thanks to all the folks behind the scenes that made it happen.
Nice day today! 60's and 70's and sun all day! We got to Defuniak Springs about 3pm. Too early to get a hotel. Alan decided to head on home to Mobile about 3-4 hrs away and I decided to go on to Evergreen, AL. Alan, great meeting you and riding with you on this trip!
Headed on up to Evergreen and found a hotel. I have to use a luggage cart to carry all my stuff to the room. Stuff would probably grow legs and walk off if I left it on the scooter. There are food places within walking distance. I used the term "food places" as I don't think the choices are restaurants. Having inside tables and chairs doesn't make it a restaurant.
Day 6 - Evergreen, AL to Winnfield, LA 380 miles
Up early as usual and on the road about 7am. Low 50's up to the 70's. Nice day! The last couple of hours were a little tough with the wind. Got to Winnfield about 4:30 and decided to call it quits for the day. Clouds are rolling in ahead of the storms that are expected tomorrow and a few sprinkles already. Found a hotel and used the luggage cart to move stuff again. When is someone going to invent the transporter?
One food place within walking distance - Burger King. Oh well. They had a high tech soda machine. Touch screen with four choices on the menu - All drinks, Coke, Dr Pepper, and fruit flavored. Touch All Drinks and get another menu with about 50 choices - really. Touch Dr Pepper and get another menu with three choices. Touch Dr Pepper (again) and the drink squirts out. Holy cow. I didn't realize getting a drink was so complicated. Maybe they should add a confirmation screen - Did your drink dispense correctly? YES, NO, CANCEL. lol.
Showered and out early once again. Weather not looking good for tomorrow for east LA and TX. Hope to get as close to home as I can before I hit rain.
Day 7 - Winnfield, LA to Allen, TX 304 miles
Up about 5am grab the luggage cart and pack up the scooter. Have coffee and check the weather forecast. Not good, big storms cooking in TX. At least I can put on the rain gear at the hotel again. Temps in the 60's this morning, solid clouds and wind. Got on the road about 7. Called to check in with TWC (Tonya's Weather Center) about 11am at my stop in Longview, TX about 4 hrs from home. She said some big storms rolled through and the power was out. Just a few sprinkles in Longview. I'm checking the radar on my tablet and it's clear between here and Tyler about 30 mins away. I rode on to Tyler and it started raining just I got off I-20. Stopped at a Mickey-D's to check in and see what the radar looked like. Big storms started rolling in. Tonya said the rain was moving away from Allen but there was a strong line of storms between me and home. I waited it out for about 3.5 hrs. Light rain when I left Tyler but it stopped after about 30 mins. Actually saw some sun about an hour away from home. Rolled in the driveway about 6pm. Sure glad this day is over and nice to be home to my Sweetie! This is still the best part of any trip.
3/2/2016 thru 3/8/2016
7 days - 2,140 miles
Here is the route:
http://rideplanner.harley-davidson.c...5&locale=en_US
Day 1 - Allen, TX to Natchez, MS 409 miles
On the road about 8am. About 45 with sun and got into mid-60's. Pretty nice day. Got a chuckle in Mansfield, LA when I stopped for a break.
guy - Hey, nice bike
me - Thanks!
guy - You from around here?
me - No, Dallas area
guy - Well, I wouldn't want to be from around here either.
I think they were an oil service crew from somewhere else apparently.
Stopped at the Best Western in Natchez. I had enough reward points for a free night. Cool. I joked with the gal at check in about riding the scooter down the hall to unload my stuff. She laughed and said I could park it under the carport next to the door. More cool. I don't have to unload the tour pak or camping gear and it's covered in case it rains. Walked to the hotel next door to their restaurant for dinner. Thought about catfish but didn't want anything that heavy or greasy. Ordered a cheeseburger and fries. Burger was really good and should be for 11 bucks, but the fries were coated in grease and tasted like fish so I had fish fries. Only ate a few of them which met the minimum daily requirement for grease. Back to hotel and out early. Rain in the forecast for tomorrow. Oh, joy. Heard from Alan a newer Springer guy from Mobile, Al who said he would meet up with me tomorrow in Defuniak Springs, FL. Cool. Have someone to ride with on the last leg in FL.
Day 2 - Natchez, MS to Defuniak Springs, FL 397 miles
Up early. Yep, it's raining. Bike was dry so that makes packing up easier. Also got to put on rain gear in the hotel instead of the side of the road. Light rain off and on all day and temps in the 50's. Not a great combination but at least it wasn't raining sideways. Got to Laurel, MS and had some navigational difficulties. Laurel has a confluence of several major roads where you get on one road then immediately exit to get to another. Well, I was watching traffic and missed an exit. The road just didn't look right and it wasn't - I-59 instead of US84. Pulled off on an exit and found a backroad to get me where I needed to be. Nice little road but it was in the middle of nowhere and I started having the desire to find a restroom pretty soon. That desire increased where I had to find the nearest collection of bushes and/or trees. I found a spot and used my machete to hack my way through the growth. I thought it will probably start raining while the business is happening. Well, it did, fortunately not too much. I had someone ask me one time why I packed toilet paper. There's your answer!
Heard from Alan and he said he had to cancel the meetup. He was going to ride on into FL from Mobile.
Before the trip I had looked for a Veterans Memorial somewhere in AL that was close to my route. I found a new memorial in Evergreen, AL where I could get a few pictures with the mini-banner I made for our four fallen heroes. The city/county did a really nice job with this memorial. My glasses kept getting blurry at the memorial and now this stupid monitor is getting blurry...
With the weather I decided not to camp at Defuniak and found a mom/pop motel instead. Decent place and clean. Looks like an old motor court from the 1950's. The camping place wanted $40 for a tent site. I got the hotel with bed, heat, and bathroom for 50. Unpacked all the stuff from the scooter and put it in the room. I'm getting pretty good at this.
There was food right next door which also looked like something from the 1950's. Anything you want as long as it's beef or chicken and grilled or fried. Pretty good but wouldn't want a steady diet of it. Busy place, too. Big thunderstorm rolled through right after I got back to the motel. Hope this stops before morning. Shower and out pretty early again.
Day 3 - Defuniak Springs, FL to near Ft. McCoy, FL 314 miles
Up about 5am to pack up. On road and stopped at Mickey-D's for food and coffee. I got the senior coffee discount without asking. I don't know how they knew I qualified. On the road about 7am. It's cold and damp with temps in the low 50's and stayed like that until about two hours before I got to my destination. From Defuniak to Perry it's a pretty scenic ride with hills and lots of trees so that offset some of the cold and damp. The sun came out about two hours from my destination and made a pretty nice day. Got to the Kamp of Klowns as we call it mid-afternoon. Great just hanging out with these guys and gals, putting faces with names you've known for several years, and meeting a few new Springer folks. We built a campfire and had the meet and greet for introductions. I had set up my tent earlier along with some others in the area we started calling the migrant village. Out about 10:30.
Day 4 - Ft McCoy - no riding
Kirk, the host of this shindig fixed biscuits and gravy this morning. Good stuff, breakfast of champions! Most of the crew rode over to Bike Week at Daytona today. I have no interest in riding in traffic or big crowds. Stayed at Kamp and hung out with about a dozen others and told stories most of which were gross exaggerations or outright lies. Love this group! Nice day, sunshine, 70's. The ride crew returned late in the afternoon. They all said they had a good ride which I believe to be true. Any day on a motorcycle especially a Sweet Heritage Springer is a good day! Richard took charge of the grill and cooked burgers and dogs and some others put together the fixin's like tater salad and baked beans. Thanks!
The gross exaggerations and outright lies continued into the night. We built a large bonfire which could be seen from outer space. At least no one threw gasoline on it like at Hot Springs the other year. That one could be seen from the Moon. M-O-O-N that spells moon, laws yes.
Mike, the uncle of one of the fallen heroes (Scotty) and I said a few words about the memorial ride. I'm emotionally drained after working with this ride but it's also been one of the best things I've ever done in my life especially with this great group of guys and gals. Stupid monitor is getting blurry again... Here is a link to the public page on our forum with info about the memorial ride. Fallen Hero Memorial Ride
Heading home early tomorrow. Called it a night about 11pm. Not quite as cold as it was last night. I crawl into my tent like an animal into it's burrow.
Day 5 - Ft McCoy, FL to Evergreen, AL 394 miles
Up about 6am and packing up tent and stuff. Get coffee and hang out a bit before hitting the road. Alan and I will ride together to Defuniak Springs where we plan to spend the night. We say goodbyes and get on the road about 8:30.
Kirk, Sheila - Thanks for hosting this rally. Excellent time and great folks! Thanks to Richard for running the grill and thanks to all the folks behind the scenes that made it happen.
Nice day today! 60's and 70's and sun all day! We got to Defuniak Springs about 3pm. Too early to get a hotel. Alan decided to head on home to Mobile about 3-4 hrs away and I decided to go on to Evergreen, AL. Alan, great meeting you and riding with you on this trip!
Headed on up to Evergreen and found a hotel. I have to use a luggage cart to carry all my stuff to the room. Stuff would probably grow legs and walk off if I left it on the scooter. There are food places within walking distance. I used the term "food places" as I don't think the choices are restaurants. Having inside tables and chairs doesn't make it a restaurant.
Day 6 - Evergreen, AL to Winnfield, LA 380 miles
Up early as usual and on the road about 7am. Low 50's up to the 70's. Nice day! The last couple of hours were a little tough with the wind. Got to Winnfield about 4:30 and decided to call it quits for the day. Clouds are rolling in ahead of the storms that are expected tomorrow and a few sprinkles already. Found a hotel and used the luggage cart to move stuff again. When is someone going to invent the transporter?
One food place within walking distance - Burger King. Oh well. They had a high tech soda machine. Touch screen with four choices on the menu - All drinks, Coke, Dr Pepper, and fruit flavored. Touch All Drinks and get another menu with about 50 choices - really. Touch Dr Pepper and get another menu with three choices. Touch Dr Pepper (again) and the drink squirts out. Holy cow. I didn't realize getting a drink was so complicated. Maybe they should add a confirmation screen - Did your drink dispense correctly? YES, NO, CANCEL. lol.
Showered and out early once again. Weather not looking good for tomorrow for east LA and TX. Hope to get as close to home as I can before I hit rain.
Day 7 - Winnfield, LA to Allen, TX 304 miles
Up about 5am grab the luggage cart and pack up the scooter. Have coffee and check the weather forecast. Not good, big storms cooking in TX. At least I can put on the rain gear at the hotel again. Temps in the 60's this morning, solid clouds and wind. Got on the road about 7. Called to check in with TWC (Tonya's Weather Center) about 11am at my stop in Longview, TX about 4 hrs from home. She said some big storms rolled through and the power was out. Just a few sprinkles in Longview. I'm checking the radar on my tablet and it's clear between here and Tyler about 30 mins away. I rode on to Tyler and it started raining just I got off I-20. Stopped at a Mickey-D's to check in and see what the radar looked like. Big storms started rolling in. Tonya said the rain was moving away from Allen but there was a strong line of storms between me and home. I waited it out for about 3.5 hrs. Light rain when I left Tyler but it stopped after about 30 mins. Actually saw some sun about an hour away from home. Rolled in the driveway about 6pm. Sure glad this day is over and nice to be home to my Sweetie! This is still the best part of any trip.
Last edited by gtmalone; 03-10-2016 at 12:16 PM.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post