Day 24 (Decompression Day) The People I Met!

For those of you that have followed my blog and remember my comments about the aftermath of the airplane crash in Reno, I felt I needed to offer more about this amazing experience. Right after the crash everyone was kind of just mulling around in the temporary campground set up at the catholic church outside the main entrance to the airport. People were obviously shook and everyone had a cell phone to their ear trying to make calls out to loved ones. I was obviously all alone, my Verizon service would not work for anything but text, and I was kind of feeling lost. I was invited to sit with two couples that were there in rented motor homes for the event. They were both from Atlanta. I could not help but notice the severe scars all over the body of one of the guys named Matt. Matt was missing most of the fingers on both of his hands, his legs showed signs of serious injury and burns, but he had this amazing presence about him that you could just feel. In the course of the conversation I mentioned that I was a pilot and accidents like we had just witnessed always struck home with me. His friend offered that Matt was also a pilot and had in fact been in a serious aircraft crash himself where there were many fatalities. Matt spoke little, but his friend had a few glasses of wine in him and told more than Matt would ever have spoken himself. Matt spoke only very briefly about the accident, but I got enough to learn that he had been the co-pilot of a commuter airline for Delta back in 1995 and had crashed a twin engine turboprop aircraft after a propeller parted ways and destroyed the left engine of the plane he was flying. They fell from 18,000 feet and crashed at over 400 mph in a hay field in Georgia. I knew I would be able to learn more about this incident from the internet and NTSB records, so I filed it away in my memory for when I got home.

Later that evening Matt insisted on making a donation to the Compassion Corner. I tried to steer him to the website, but he insisted on putting a bill in my one zip bags anyway. At the time I never opened it to see what the bill had been. Days later when I opened the bag to retrieve a charger that was in it, I learned that he had given me a $100. In the course of the evening , as we were recounting the details of the accident we had all witnessed, Matt suggested we all hold hands and pray for those killed and injured. I cannot explain the energy I felt when I held his man’s mangled hand, yet the warmth of his personality and the sincerity of the words he spoke were beyond description. He prayed for my safe travels and I knew right there that I would be safe for the rest of my trip.

Today as I was sitting here decompressing, I decided to learn more about this “Matt” that had invited me into his campsite. I learn that his full name is Matt Warmerdam. He was one of the three flight crew on board that ill-fated Atlantic South East Flight 529 back in August of 1995. Eight people died in that plane including the pilot sitting next to Matt that was unconscious after the plane broke into three parts and burned in a hay field in Georgia. Matt was severely injured from the impact and was engulfed in flames. He was trying in vain to chop his way out through the thick windshield with a cockpit axe when rescue workers got to him. He was burned over 55 percent of his body. He has had over 50 reconstructive surgeries and in 2002, seven years after his crash, he was back in the seat flying commuter flights for Delta. He only flies in the cool months because his body lacks the sweat glands to handle the heat and humidity of the summers there, but he is flying commercially the rest of the year. The plastic surgeon’s organization has awarded him a national award at one of their conventions for his courage and tenacity. A book has been written about the crash by Gary Pomerantz called “Nine Minutes Twenty Seconds”. I will download it to our Kindle and probably read it in one sitting.

I said in my blog, this trip has not been about me or the motorcycle or the miles, the scenery or the challenge, it was about the people I met along the way. I will never forget Matt and I hope that our paths will cross again someday. If you ever fly on Delta and you see him, rest assured that you are in good hands and that there is an angel watching over your flight. Matts wife was there as well and the final words Matt uttered as captured by the flight recorder were "Amy I love you". Talk about a couple that realize that every day is a gift and live each day to the limit, you could just feel that love and energy as I sat there with them that evening.

Day 23 (9/28/11)

Well, today was the final day, as I had planned. Although I did not have a specific reason to keep to the original plan, there is something in me that takes pride in executing a plan precisely as I had drawn it up. I guess that is why I used to enjoy flying so much. I would work up a flight plan and then take great pride in going out and flying it exactly as planned and arriving at my destination on time. In another life, I think I would have made a good airline pilot. :-)
Last night when I arrived at our marina in Rock Hall, MD, I made the decision to sleep in the Library as mentioned in yesterday's blog. It was dark so I could not take a picture of the alternative. Here is a picture of the boat covered up. You can imagine how hot and humid sleeping in that would have been compared to the air conditioned library at the marina. Sometimes my mother would be proud that she did not raise a fool, at other times I have kept her humble. Thanks Mom... I know you were smiling down on this trip! Today as I was packing up I received a text message from Mac Kirkpatrick who is a fellow Mac Pac member. He said he wanted to meet me and join me for the final part of the ride. Mac and I have traveled together before and he has that sense of adventure that it takes to put on all the rain gear and make the decision to ride on a day like today. He and his son Clark just returned this summer from a father/son trip to Alaska on motorcycles.
Clark is now in his first year at VMI and wants to become a marine officer. I wish him well and hope he remains safe. These are tough times to be a marine and fortunately there are people out there that do that job willingly. So after meeting Mac at a pre-arranged meeting point, we transited my final state, Delaware. I had made arrangements to meet Heidi Pickens' classes at 2:00 at the A.M. Kulp Elementary School in the North Penn District. Mac and I had a quick lunch at a local place and arrived on time. The classes were all assembled on the steps outside the shool when we arrived. The kids were very excited to see us and finally meet in person the guy they had been following on the computer. Heidi had a list of questions they had written up and I took a bunch of others off the cuff. These kids asked really good questions and it was clear that they got not only the geography of the ride, but the reason behind it. I tried to instill in them that each of us has to look for ways to help those less fortunate than us. It does not have to be something as complex as a ride like this, it might simply be helping an elderly neighbor rake their leaves, or shovel a sidewalk. Little things done locally can have a big impact to those that need our help. I hope they came away with some ideas on things they can do to help others. I would be remiss if I did not thank the corporate sponsors and individuals that helped by donating to the Compassion Corner. The website is still open for those that just did not get around to it yet. I understand things get hectic and sometimes good intentions get overlooked. Special thanks to my corporate sponsors: TD Bank, Balford Farms, Hermy's BMW Triumph Motorcycles, Metal Finishing Systems Inc, The Rubber Chicken Racing Garage, and Power Seal Inc. These folks stepped up and really helped to make this effort a success. I hope you will support them and visit their websites that are linked to my site for this ride.

People have asked what will I remember most about this trip. Although I was blessed with magnificent scenery, challenged by long days in the saddle, days of heavy rain and reduced visibility, the searing heat of Death Valley, the chalenges of lonely twisty mountain roads and heavy traffic in places, it will be the PEOPLE I met along the way that will remain with me far longer. It will be Frank Vouk and his family that welcomed me to their home in the dark when my Garmin fed me a wrong location for a campground. It will be Mike the Delta Airlines Pilot that had been severely injured saving many people aboard his commuter plane that crashed in 1995, that suggested we hold hands and pray for the people killed and injured yards away from us at the Reno Air Races. I will be Nicky from Nicky's Bar-B-Q in Kentucky that would not let me pay for my dinner at his resturant. It will be Mike Ormont and his wife that took me in on a rainy night in New Hampshire. It will be Joe Badecki's inlaws that welcomed me to their home for the second time in New York state. It will be Linda Cole's Sister Carolyn and her husband Tom that provided me with a great home cooked meal and a comfortable bed to sleep in at Pensacola. It will be the hours Tom and I spent talking about his flying experiences as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam and his SCUBA diving experiences. Yes, it will be about the people that opened up their hearts and homes to me. It will be the folks out in Warren PA that donated to a cause that is totally outside their area. The Canadian family in Buffalo on their way to a family vacation that donated to the cause. There are too many to mention, and I could go on for hours, but it is the people of this great nation that truly care about those less fortunate than themselves. I will take those memories to my grave long after the details of the trip are forgotten. I hope this trip will inspire others to find a need albiet small or large and work to help the less fortunate in any way they can. To the students at Kulp school. Thanks for being there and caring about this trip. You guys are the best and I hope to read some day about something you have done to help others. One final thanks to the folks in the BranchCreek Community Church and the CC48 Team. Mike Allebach for his digital and computer expertise, Chuck Faber our executive pastor for his support,Rick Martin our finnancial pastor for making sure every penny gets to where it helps those in need, Nikki Holcroft and the team that run the Compassion Corner for their endless hours of work to make sure the money is used wisely and to the benefit of the greatest number of people possible. David Flaherty for his writing and PR expertise, Allyson Amsterdam for her inspiration and spiritual nurturing, my wife Adele for supporting me on endeavors such as this, and last but not least my son David for his endless work building the website, making all the seemingly constant changes and updates and for responding to frantic calls from me. It truly was a team effort. I would also like to thank God for watching over me and for touching people's hearts to support a cause like this at a time when finances for many are being stretched to the limits. Thanks everyone for following along. I will probably do one final blog entry once I find out what the final total will be. May God bless you and be with you as he has been with me!

Day 22 (9/27/11)

Well, I am getting close to home and in familiar territory. I barely looked at the GPs today and the few times I did glance at it, it was just to see how many miles were remaining and if I was going to hit the Washington Beltway at rush hour. Of course I did, what should I have expected..... and in the rain too. When I left the motel this morning, it was spitting rain, and the clouds looked pretty ominous, so I donned the rain gear immediately. Anyone who has ever ridden will tell you that the best insurance AGAINST rain, is to put on your rain gear. You guessed it. It did not rain, the clouds dissipated and I cooked while riding along. Several times I thought of stopping and taking it off and each time, the clouds looked darker and more like rain any minute. My route took me up into the very South East corner of West Virginia. I exited I-81 took VA Rte 100 north until I hit U.S. Rte 219 and then headed north on it until I hit I-64 E. That took me back over to I-81. I had accomplished my goal of hitting WVA. I have ridden extensively in WVA and it never ceases to amaze me how nice their roads are. I guess it helps a lot to have a long tenured Senator on the right committees to get federal highway dollars. In any event, I enjoyed my brief time in the state, zooming up and over tree covered mountains and around beautiful sweeping turns. It was short lived though and I ended up back on the interstates. I was getting really hot and dehydrated, so I stopped for a quick snack and filled my camelback bladder with ice and some ice tea. I decided that despite the dark clouds, I would take off the rain suit. You guessed it... It rained. OH well, it actually felt good and the only thing that got very wet was my lower pant legs. They eventually dried as I rode along, but not nearly as fast as they would have in the 5% humidity of death valley. My mouth was watering for dinner at Chick & Ruth's Deli in Annapolis, so I decided to push on and transit the DC area at rush hour. Traffic was heavy, but I have to say not as bad as I expected. Drivers stayed in their lanes, signaled when changing and did not make abrupt maneuvers. Totally unlike the South Carolina traffic, where everyone was on a cell phone, and thought they were a NASCAR driver. The VA and MD police must really have cracked down on cell phone use, as It was rare to see anyone with a phone to their ear and I did not see a single person texting. These folks one way or another have found out what it takes to survive in heavy traffic on a daily basis. There were lots of ear buds, but I have to say, it was not a bad trip at all. I have found taht rush hour traffic is totally different than other times of the day. People know where they are going and for the most part, drive well. I did not take any pictures along the way as I was feeling the pressure to do my part to be safe, besides there was nothing I wanted a picture of so badly that was worth risking my life for. I arrive in Annapolis and had a fellow on the street take my picture in front of Chick & Ruth's. He asked about trip. I gave him a card and he said he was going to donate. Pretty amazing! Annapolis, and specifically Chick & Ruth's always brings back great memories of the many times we have sailed into Annapolis or came down to watch David play water polo when he was at the Naval Academy. We always would make a point to eat here at least once. Often we would have half of the water polo team along with us. The owner Ted Levitt has become a friend and he is an inspiration to anyone that wants to raise money for a charity. He has donated many hundreds of thousands of dollars for cancer research from tips people have given him for performing magic tricks in the resturant. He also organizes a charity each year called "Faces of Valor" to support the families of sercicemen and women and first responders that have suffered or died while serving our country. He is one of a kind, and a person to be admired. My dinner was delectable as always, and a fitting last evening meal for my trip. As a side note... on my way around Washington today, I saw the largest ambulance I have ever seen. It had the cab of an 18 wheeler and a huge ambulance behind it that was at least 40 feet long. The markings on the side said Walter Reed Hospital. I wondered if it might be used to ferry severly wounded servicemen flown into Andrews AirForce Base to the hospital? While I was sitting having dinner, I called David to see how things were at his home with Jess and the grandkids. He said that Jess had a bad day as a close friend and someone she had dated in highschool had stepped on a landmine in Afghanistan and lost parts of both legs and an arm. He had just been transported to Walter Reed. I have no way of knowing if it was him in the huge ambulance or not, but what a coincidence. Our prayers go out to him and his family. They can work wonders there, but the trauma these young men and women go through we can't even imagine. The next time you see or meet one, please thank them for their service! After dinner, I headed over for our boat in Rock Hall, MD. When I arrived it was quite humid and the marina manager suggested I might be more comfortable in the marina's library with the air conditioning as opposed to my boat which has been covered up in the sun all summer. I did not give that one much thought.... I am rolling out my sleeping bag in the marina library and game room tonight. I am really going to miss coming down here. I have been coming to this marina since the early 70's and these folks feel like family. The facilities are immaculate and it is just one of my "happy places". In many ways, I will hate to see the boat go. Life moves on I guess. One more day left in the ride, one more state(Delaware) and a short day at that! I plan to ride to the A.M. Kulp elementary school and visit with the kids there that have been following my trip. That should be a lot of fun.

Day 21 (9/26/11)

Last night was a short night for me as Tom and I stayed up late sharing stories and hanger flying. We had a great time and it seemed like the middle of the night when I heard people starting to stir in the Meehan home. Tom and Carolyn were getting ready for work, so it was time for me to pack up and be on my way. Other than my first day when we left at 4:30 a.m. this was my earliest start of the trip. It helps not having to pack up a tent and sleeping bag when getting ready in the morning. I pulled out of Pennsacola at about 6:15 a.m. and immediately changed my clocks to Eastern Standard time. I lost an hour before I had gone 40 miles. Oh well, it would be a big mileage day anyway and most of it on interstate highways. My bike quickly found its "sweet spot" at about 73 mph and the miles began to tick away quickly. About mid morning I stopped for a sausage McMuffin and a cup of coffee. It was warm and humid which is not my favorite riding conditions. I much prefer the low humidity and cool temperatures I had experienced in much of the west. I passed through Montgomery Alabama and then Atlanta Georgia. Traffic was not as bad as I had expected, but things would get worse as I got into South Carolina. I can tell you that the economy in South Carolina is booming. Everywhere you look you see big name manufacturing plants and automobile assembly plants. I passed a Nissan plant back in Jackson Mississippi yesterday. Today I passed a Kia plant and a Hyundai plant. I know BMW has one in Spartansburg and I think there is a Mercedes one down here somewhere. They are huge and the parking lots are full of late model cars owned by the workers. The highways are filled with trucks of all shapes and sizes delivering to the various plants. Signs of commerce and prosperity are everywhere. There are plenty of high priced cars on the roads. BMW's, Mercedes, Hummers, you name it they are here. I crossed parts of Lake Lanier and there were new boats everywhere. It is clear that the worlds automakers have abandoned the union mentality of the upper mid-west and Northeast in favor of the non-union workers of the south. When I drove across the upper midwest the signs were everywhere of states in decline. AND... I have not paid a single toll since Chicago. I did see signs for an "Express Lane" that will be toll in Atlanta as of October 1. I am not sure what this is, but it looks like you will be able to pay a toll to go into a high speed express lane to avoid traffic congestion, I guess? I will have to do more research on that, but there are no toll booths for all the lanes that I saw anywhere. It looks like the toll for the express lane will be paid only by the "Peach Pass". I did not see any markings that it would be compatible with E-Z Pass. I only took two pictures today. One of the huge Kia plant and the other of the textile plant that makes the Sunbrella cloth that I sew boat covers and sail covers from. I just happened to spot it while getting gas and needed to take a picture. The guard at the gate was proud to tell me that not only do they make Sunbrella, they also made the flag that flies on the moon to this day. Pretty cool!
Well, I stopped short of Charlotte for dinner. I decided to let their "rush minutes" pass before transiting the city. As it was, there is a new bypass that is not in my 5 year old GPS that took me around the city in short order and put me on I-77 North toward Virginia. Since it was still light I decided to ride until dark and put more miles behind me. This will make tomorrow a shorter day and allow me a dinner stop at my favorite place in Annapolis tomorrow night. I will leave you in suspense until then. I ended up regretting my decision to keep driving as it started to rain and got very foggy. Fortunately, I had donned my rain gear at the dinner stop so I was prepared. The fog on the other hand was not fun at all. At one point, I was down to 35 mph with my 4 way flashers on to give the trucks on my tail something to aim for. :-( As soon as I came to an exit with motels, I stopped and called it a day. Miles for the day was somewhere about 675. Let's hope the fog clears tomorrow morning. Two days left!

Day 20, 9/25/11)

Today was a day I have been looking forward to for the entire trip. Not that I am anxious for it to be nearing the end, but because I have been looking forward to visiting the Naval Air Museum at Pensacola. I never got down here when David was stationed here and I have heard so much about it. Because I had driven some extra miles yesterday, it was a short 100 or so miles over to the base. I was able to spend the afternoon admiring aircraft of every era and all in immaculate condition. The museum deserves far more time that I had to totally see it all, but I watched two IMAX movies, one about the Blue Angels and one about the fighter pilot traning that goes on in Nellis AirForce Base in Nevada where I had been a few short days before. This used to be called the "Top Gun" program. Needless to say, I got my fix of the need for speed and some hard flying. The IMAX photography is amazing and you feel like you are in the fighter doing the maneuvers. Totally awsome! I hope to be able to come back here some day and spend more time, but Linda Cole had called her sister and arranged for me to stay at their home in Pensacola tonight. Tom and Carolyn are great folks and dinner was an amazing shrimp dish over pasta. I have not had home cooking in over two weeks and it really felt good to be siting at a table and eating a great home cooked meal with other people. As it turns out, Tom and I have so many common interests that it was hard to stop sharing stories. Tom had been a helicopter pilot in Vietnam and I really enjoyed hearing some of his exploits. I did not serve in the armed forces, but I am faciniated with the Vietnam era and especially the exploits of the helicopters and their crews. Tom has also been an aircraft controller for the FAA and now teaches school. He has taught Aerospace which I have as well, and he is an avid SCUBA diver with experience in deep diving and mixed gases. We had so much in the way of common interests that we could have talked for hours. What a blessing to get to spend the evening with he and Carolyn and their grandaughter Lauren. Like I have said before, it is not about the miles I have covered or the states I have seen, it is about the interesting people I have met along the way. I sure hope Tom and Carolyn get up to visit Linda and Harvey and we can get to talk some more. The time flew by so quickly, that I need to scramble to get my blog done and get some sleep. Tomorrow is a work day for them and I need to be getting on my way for a big 650 mile day. Pensacola is a beautiful area and even more so than I had expected. Now I see why many Navy folks elect it as their retirement home after they are done serving. I have only included a few pictures of planes, but remember, these are full size real planes, not models. The museum is chocked full of them as well as interactive exhibits and fully articulated simulators for those with a strong stomach. I took a picture of a young father with his son sitting in a Blue Angel cockpit. They were elated. Who knows, this is where the seeds of the next generation of pilots is being born. You could just see the gleam in that young boys eyes when he settled into the cramped cockpit. I remember the first time I sat in a real plane and I vowed that someday I would be a pilot and soon after we were married I got my liscese. Flying is something that gets in your blood and I still miss it today. I used their camera to take the picture, so I am sorry I can not show the look on that boys face here. Well, tomorrow it is off to the interstate highways and Charlotte. UGH! I hate interstates, but I need to cover ground fast. I hope the weather stays nice. It is much more humid that I like, but I can't complain, as I have been very lucky weather wise, except for the second and third days.

Day 19 (9/24/11)

After a good nights sleep I packed up and headed back across the Mississippi River to Memphis and then headed south on I-55. Normally, on this trip I have tried to avoid Interstate Highways for the most part, but sometimes they are just the ones going where you want to go. One thing that struck me though is the lack of tolls. Once I left the Chicago area I have not paid a toll to cross a bridge or drive on any highway. I can't count the number of rivers I have crossed and scenic highways I have ridden and not a single toll. I would like to have someone explain to me why in the Northeast, the various entities are in our pockets all the time for simple river crossings, let alone the "privledge" to drive highways that on their best days are poor in comparison to what they have out west and in the south. These states can't possibly have the money that ours in the east have, yet their roads are beautifully maintained and free. Something is wrong with this picture. I think it costs us $26 in tolls between highways and bridges to go visit our son on Long Island, EACH WAY. Todays ride was kind of mindless, as the road was straight and beautiful and I did not see one single police car monitoring speeds. Everyone drove sensibly and moved along at a pace of about 70, which for the road was very moderate. As some of you know, I am a fan of the Blue Collar Comedy guys. I had to think of Jeff Foxworthy and his redneck jokes when I saw a couple of road signs. In Pennsylvania and most northern states there are caution signs before some bridges and overpasses that warn "Caution, bridges may freeze before road surfaces". Well down here in Mississippi they read "Bridge May Ice in Cold Weather". I can just picture Bubba and Billy-Bob driving down the road and the conversation going something like this: "Gee Bubba we are dang lucky today, these bridges don't freeze on hot days". :-) Was it really necessary to mention that they freeze on COLD days? I also saw a lot of signs prohibiting tractors on slopes so steep that a mountain goat would have trouble standing up. Do their state mowing workers really need to be reminded which slopes are too steep to mow! I have done a lot of mowing in my day and I THINK I could figure that one out.
What can I say..... I am definitely in the deep south. Two motorcycles passed me today with their riders wearing side arms on their belts in plain view and they definitely were not police moto's. I try to catch a picture of most unusual things, but decided not to try to take a picture in this instance. Sometimes it pays to think before you snap a picture. :-) I-55 deposited me right onto I-10 and it was a quick 20 miles or so into New Orleans. I passed the Superdome and did my obligatory pass down to Burbon Street. I once stayed at The Royal Sonesta Hotel here for an HR conference, so I had to snap a picture. I remember not getting a lot of sleep and trying my best to keep my eyes open as the presenters did their thing. Today it was early afternoon and people were all over the place walking the streets with drinks in their hands. The Hurricane is the drink of choice and they are killers with about 5 kinds of rum in them. I have been here and done that, but not today! I have a rule of never driving aything and drinking... even just one beer. Life is too much fun and I really don't need or enjoy it, so it has never been a hardship. Besides, I preached that rule to both of my sons and to do otherwise would make me a hypocrit. I was going to try to drive to the 9th ward and see some of the Katrina damage that has never been repaired, so I stopped and talked to a local Law Enforcement Officer on a scooter. He advised against it, saying it is not a nice part of town and really not a place to be especially on a BMW. I remembered the guys with the sidearms and heeded his warning and headed back to I-10 East to put some miles behind me and make tomorrow a shorter day. Besides, I wanted to drive along the beaches in Biloxi and see what they looked like after Katrina and the oil spill. I could see no evidence of any damage or oil at all. The sand is almost pure white and very fine. People were going about their business swimming and walking the beaches just like any shore town. I did notice that back from the beach every now and then, you would see a foundation and no house on it. Usually, a forsale sign was in the lawn. Some of these people just have decided not to rebuild and there are a large number of beachfront lots sitting vacant. Next to them you will often find a beautiful home worth severl million dollars back in New Jersey. I guess some had flood insurance and some did not. Many of the homes were having reconstruction work done. Well, tomorrow will be a short day. I hope to get to tour the Navy Flight Museum at Pensacola. It is supposedly one of the best museums in the country for aircraft, and I have been to just about all of them, so I am looking forward to it.

Day 18 (9/23/11)

Well, my string of dry cloudless days ended today. As I was packing up to head off to the BMW Motorcycle Owners Association Head Quarters this morning it was raining slightly. So, I broke out the rain gear again. I really can't complain, as it has been stowed since Chicago on day 3. The BMW OA is essentially a large club of BMW enthusiasts that is made up of smaller local clubs around the world. The head quarters ataff are the paid employees that tend to the business of the club and produce the monthly Owner's New Magazine. This magazine is one of the best motorcycle magazines out there and is chocked full of interesting ride reports, product reviews and regular articles on a number of topics of interest to the enthusiast. Several members of the Mac Pac are regular contributors to the effort, and others have supplied articles of interest over the years. It was great to meet the staff, take a few pictures and share the story about my mission trip. Vince has already linked my website to the BMWMOA website and written a short story about my trip. Thanks folks and I look forward to seeing you at next year's rally.
From Ellisville, Mo. I headed south and crossed the Mississippi into Illinois. I changed my route slightly to hug the river and ride through some of the low lands behind the levies. This route made sure I hit the very western edge of Kentucky which was my goal. Also on my list for the day was to sample some "Memphis Bar-B-Q". Well my stomach was growling and it was clear that I would need to eat before I got to Memphis. The first place I stopped had an outdoor pit and the smell of the burning wood was fantastic, but the cigarette smoking, beer drinking owner quickly told me he was all out of Bar-B-Q. Obviously he was not much of a business man as Bar-B-Q was all he sold. Oh well, sometimes fate has something better in store for us and today it did! About 20 miles down the road I saw a small place called Nicky's Bar-B-Q. Nicky was sitting at the counter tending to his papework and I was the only customer. I asked if I could have a sample plater of each of the kinds of meat he smokes. He said "sure we can do that". The two waitresses quickly had a heaping plate of smoked pork ribs, pulled pork, ham, bologna, and beef briskit along with a side of cole slaw and a piece of pecan pie ready for me. This was a real man's platter and not for the"Calfornia Vegan Crowd". :-) I was up for the task today and it was fabulous. There is something about hickory smoked meat that just sends the taste buds into overdrive. I got talking to Nicky (Imagine that ) about the certificate on his wall relating to the "winter storm of 09". It seems these parts had a terrible ice storm that deposited 3 to 4 inches of ice on everything including wires telephone poles and trees. He showed me pictures of the damage and it was like nothing I have ever seen. He said parts of the are were without power for 27 days. Crews came from all over the country to clean up the mess and restore electric to the region. I told Nicky about my ride and our compassion corner. As I was getting ready to leave he handed me a card with $50 stapled to it. I insisted that I did not want to take money as I preferred people send it directly to the church. I left him with the website and I am sure he will probably make a donation. When it came time for me to pay for my dinner, he would not allow me to pay. This trip has instilled in me a new faith in America. Lately I have been pretty down about the goings on in Washington with politicians that have forgotten what this country is all about. When you get out here and meet people like Nicky and the countless folks I have met along the way that have opened their homes to me, made donations to the cause and offered assistance and encouragement, you realize what a great country this is. I would encourage everyone to take on a cause and do something like this once in their life. It is truly an inspiration and something you will never forget. If you are ever in very western Kentucky please stop and have some of the best Bar-B-Q this land has to offer at Nicky's. He can be found at 3243 US HWY 51N. Clinton, KY 42031. You won't be disappointed. As a side note, I mentioned to Nicky that I had never seen a Pecan Tree. He quickly took me outside and showed me one I had almost parked my motorcycle under. This tree was 15 years old and he had grafted it onto another stem when it was young. He told me that for some reason, grafted trees produce nuts usually befor ungrafted trees do. Isn't nature amazing? I then headed south, crossed over the Ohio River into Tennessee and teen back across the Missippi into Arkansas. It gets confusing down here as there seem to be rivers everywhere, but it is easy to keep them straight because the Mississippi is muddy and the Ohio is clear. Hmmm never knew that, but it makes sense. I decided to stop in Arkansas across the river from Memphis as it seems a little safer to park a motorcycle over here and the motels are cheaper. I was able to find one for less than a camping spot at the local KOA, so I will sleep in a bed again tonight. YES! No "Iron Butt" hotel for me. The sky has cleared, so hopefully I will not have to wear the rain gear again tomorrow. One of these days it will surely warm up and it is so much more bearable if you don't have to wear that extra rain gear. It sounds like the east coast is still getting hammered by rain. I hope it all clears out before I start heading up that way. I am ready for a nice clear cool fall! I am having trouble adding pictures. Will try to edit them in when I have a better connection tomorrow.

Day 17 (9/22/11)

Today dawned in Liberal, Kansas clear and cold. Some time during the night it rained, but I did not hear it, so it could not have been too bad. I hate to even mention it, but my string of clear riding days with no rain, extends back to Day 4. It looks like today will be a carbon copy of bright blue sky and cold temperatures again. I will take the cold anytime compared to hot and humid. My route today was planned to take me to the northeast on US 54 to Witchita,KS and then on the interstate to Kansas City and over to the Saint Louis area. South Western Kansas looks just like the panhandle of Texas and Oklahoma in that it is extremely flat from horizon to horizon with nothing but wheat and corn fields. Wheat must be able to grow with less water as the fields are huge and are not irrigated. Corn on the other hand must require more water, so it is grown in what I will call "crop circles". If you look at the satellite pictures of the area on Google Earth, you will see circles of green, depending on when the satellite picture was taken. They use huge moving irrigation booms that rotate around the well head and out to about 800 feet as best I can estimate. I didn't do the math to determine how many acres are in each circle, but it has to be a lot by the looks of them. They dot the horizon in all directions. The grain harvest must have been good this year because the roads are full of trucks hauling it to the grain elevators. By all indications the elevators must be full already, as they are piling it up on the ground in piles about twice the size of football fields and there are one after the other. I assume it eventually gets loaded into railroad cars as the railroad is located right beside most of the elevators. The trucks dump it from the bottom into a low hopper and a conveyor takes it up and onto the pile. Each truck is emptied in a matter of minutes and they are lined up to dump. I wish I had the time to go out to the field and see the combines working and possibly talk myself into a ride, but with 650 miles to cover today, it was not possible. Each pile is about 50 feet high as you can see from the picture. US 54 was a beautiful highway and ran right through Americana, so I decided to stay on it and avoid the interstate. In the beginning the towns were about 40 miles apart and although it is basically a two lane road it is speed limited at 65 and everyone cruised 75. My bike has a sweet spot at 73 and that is where I ran most of the day. As the day grew on, the towns became closer together and going got slower. In the towns, they limit the speed to 35 or 25 and it appears it is enforced strictly. I saw more State Troopers in Kansas than I have seen collectively on the whole trip. They must have a huge police force in this state. I took US 54 all the way up to Jefferson City, MO then took US 50 East to the town of Union, MO. Where I will spend the night. Almost everyone that transits Kansas does so on Interstate 70. I highly recommend getting off the interstate and take some of these old US routes. Last year on my way to Oregon, I rode across the northern part of the state on Rte 36 which traces the old Pony Express route. Although these roads are less traveled, you get a glimpse of what it must have been like to travel across this great country before the days of the Interstates with their fast food chains and truck stops. Here you see small towns, locally owned businesses and real people. I am close to Ellisville and the headquarters of the BMW Motorcycle Owners Association HQ. I plan to stop tomorrow and say hi and pay my dues. Along the way I passed through Lake of the Ozarks, which is a huge tourist area. The lake is lined with beautiful homes and resorts. This appears to be where many of these surrounding city residents from Kansas City and Saint Louis escape the summer heat and head to the water. It looks like a boating wonderland here in the middle of the country. I would like to come back and spend some time in this area. Well, I have access to a washer and dryer tonight, so it is laundry day. My capacity to carry clothing is limited, so thought I would be nice to the people riding behind me and do a load tonight before I go to bed. If you have ever followed along behind one of the hog trucks headed to Hatfield Quality Meats, you will know what I mean. :-) I did not take a lot of pictures today, as I had a lot of miles to cover. As it was, I rode about an hour in the dark. My driving lights worked perfectly and lit the road like daylight. I love them. Enjoy the few pictures I attached.

Day 16 (9/21/11)

It felt really good to have electric last night for my CPAP machine. I slept great and took a nice hot shower this morning before heading off for the day's ride. It is amazing how good a hot shower can feel when you camping and covering a lot of miles each day. I got a little later start than I wanted, but I felt that I could make up some time in the wide open spaces. The ride from Druango over to Pagosa Springs. Colorado and from there through Taos New Mexico was fantastic. For some reason, I never have been to this part of Colorado or New Mexico and the mountains were something to behold. I was not aware that the elevation was so high. At one point I stopped to take a picture of my GPS at over 10,500 feet. I think I climed about another 300 feet before I started to drop down out of the Rockies. Rte 64 east of Taos is one of those roads that ranks right up there with Deals Gap in North Carolina and the Cherahoala Skyway in Tennessee. It is very twisty with lots of elevation changes and the tall pine trees along the route and covering the mountains just add to the beauty. Although it is posted at 25 and 35 MPH in places, there was no traffic to speak of and a quick blip of the throttle dispatched what little traffic I encountered. It definitely will be on my list of places to visit again. Taos is an art community and they say some of Hollywood's finest have places there. I did not see any and it just seemed to be expensive and snobby. I stopped in a little town near there called Eagles Nest just to get a quick lunch. It was a"dive" pizza shop and the lady behind the counter said it was $6.00 a slice. That was after the ashes from the cigarette hanging out of her mouth fell on the preparation table. I said "$6.00 really"? She pulled one of the slices out of the oven for me to see and it looked like a piece of dried up cardboard. I politely said NO THANKS! and rode on. I later found a nice little place that had killer Chili and a good cheese burger for only a dollar more than that piece of pizza would have been. As they say, it pays to shop around. As I headed from NM toward the Texas line, I said goodbye to the Rockies and things became extremely flat and arid. I hate leaving the mountains. There is something about the thin air and scenery that puts me in my happy place. When I say it flattened out I mean FLAT! Nothing as far as the eye could see except ranch land. I saw my first Antelope here, but they were too far off the road to get any pictures. I filed that away though in my mind as it was becoming evident that I would finish the last hour of my ride today in the dark. Not to worry, my new high intensity driving lights would handle that nicely. NOT... They worked the whole trip and tonight when I really wanted them, they would not come on. ARGH! Oh well, the old trusty technique of finding a big truck to follow that is traveling at my speed and plant myself about 100 yards behind him worked fine. I do this a lot in deer country on interstates. I figure it increases my odds. Any animal that darts in front of him will be reduced to a mist of blood and small body parts by the time I come along. Plus I get a chance to hit the brakes hard and avoid most of the gore. It sounds prety gory, but I have seen it happen more than once and have been spared being the "Hammer". No problem tonight and I quickly transited the 55 or so miles of Oklahoma that lies between Texas and Kansas. As I was approaching Liberal, KS I saw big lightening in the distance to the west. I have no idea which way it is moving, but out here it is to be respected. The good thing is you can see it for a long way off, the bad thing is there is nowhere to hide. I decided to get a cheap motel for the night and diagnose my driving light issue. It was a simple broken wire where it enters the Centec distribution panel I installed for accessories. I unpacked the tools and electrical supplies and quickly fixed it. Hopefully, I won't have to ride in the dark or rain the rest of the trip, but I want that extra light if I do. Tomorrow is one of my two longest days at about 650 miles, so not having to pack up a tent and sleeping bag helps get me on my way more quickly. IF I can get myself out of a nice comfortable bed. Oh well, one thing you learn on a trip like this is that the unexpected will happen and you need to deal with it. No problem, that is why they call it "adventure motorcycle riding". I had to take a picture of the Texas welcome sign as they take great pride in their state down here. While stopped getting some icecream, I was talking to a local foreman on a pipe laying job. He said his company lays pipelines to connect all the gas wells in the area to the mains. He said the economy is booming and they can't find enough workers. And we have 9+% unemployment in this country? The pay is good and the work steady, but all the crews are working short handed, because they can't find enough people that can pass the DOT drug test. He said 40 percent of the applicants fail and they do random testing, so people are always getting terminated for testing positive. He said it is disheartening, as many of them are family men with wives and children and people he has worked along side for years and would never have expected. It is a sad commentary on our workforce in this country today. I was amazed at the number of people that failed the drug tests we gave at the bank. There is work in this country in industries that are doing well, but it involves traveling and keeping away from distructive behaviors. Let's hope any storms pass by if they are in the area and I can have another dry day of riding. 650 miles is tiring, but 650 in the rain and wind that comes along with it out here is REALLY tiring.

Day 15 (9/21/11)

Well, it had to happen some time on this trip. You see, I have a reputation for staying at the "Iron Butt Hotel" on some of my trips. What this means is that I don't have proper camping locations or I don't elect to use them. At times this has meant sleeping along side my bike at a rest stop. Last night was not quite as bad, but by the time I finished watching the sunset over the canyon and then looking at the stars until nearly midnight the camp offices were closed. Well actually, they were closed by the time I arrived, but no matter. In any event, I took a spin through the trailer camping area looking for a site where I could plug my CPAP machine in. I could not find one so I deciced to stay in the tent area... with no electricity. The stars were so amazing and the humidity so low, I decided to sleep on my sleeping pad on the picnic table in the site instead of fumbling setting up the tent in the dark. it was cold, but my sleeping bag was comfy. Walla!!! The Iron Butt Hotel again. Needless to say without the machine, I did not get a good nights sleep and besides the shooting stars were not to be missed. I awoke early at about 6:00 packed up and went to take a few more pictures of the canyon in the early morning light. What can I say, it was beautiful. I then headed for the East exit of the park to start heading toward Monument Valley, Four Corners and Durango, CO. I have not been to Monument Valley since I was a teenager, and it still is as beautiul as ever. For those of you old enough to remember Chevrolet had a commercial with one of their cars perched on top of a red rock spire here. I think the lyrics to the music were "See the USA in your Chevrolet". I am sure the spire is still there, but my memory dims as to which one it was. Oh well, they are all very impressive. From there I doubled back south to hit Four Corners. This is the only spot in the United States where four states come together at one point. (Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah). It is basically in the middle of nowhere, but there are some Native Americans selling jewelry and other trinkets there. I think they were the same ones that were here every time I have ever passed through by the looks of their skin. For some reason, it is always windy at this spot. After leaving Four Corners, I worked my way past Mesa Verde National Park and on into the rockies and Durango. I did not stop at Mesa Verde as it is about 30 miles back off the highway and I have been there many times before. The cliff dwellings are interesting, but my butt was draging and I wanted to get to Durango set up camp, get a good meal and sleep. I am camped north of town along the route to Silverton. Durango's main attraction other than the off road meca for Jeep owners is the Durango to Silverton Train. This is a narrow guage steam railroad that traverses some of the most beautiful canyons as it winds its way up to Silverton which is about 50 miles away and at about 11,000 feet. If you ever get out this way, you need to take the trip. It is an all day affair, but you will not be disapointed. Not on this trip for me, but I have done it as a child and then with our kids when they were young. I still looks the same. Enjoy the pictures and tomorrow it is off on day 16 and I get to pick up a couple of neew states.

Day 14 (9/19/11)

Today was a day to sleep in and not push too hard. I stayed at Circus Circus and the bed just felt like I should enjoy it as long as I could. The hotel really has nice accomodations for motorcycle parking, as they are under the portico and right near the valet stand, so someone is there around the clock. It was nice not to have to worry about it here in this busy city. After packing up, I headed out to Hoover Dam. I wanted to see the new bridge that was built over the Colorado River just below the dam. Since it was my day to Skype Ms. Pickens classes back in PA, I set up my computer right on the tail bag of my motorcycle in the parking garage there. It was shaded etc. This is the first time I powered my phone from the bike to use it as a mobile hotspot without being plugged into an outlet, but it worked fine and I was able to talk with the students for about 20 minutes before packing up and moving along. Pictures are enclosed of the site I spoke with the class from, as well as the dam and the new bridge. From there I headed south to Kingman, AZ switched back to Mountain time and headed across a stretch of old Rte 66 to Selligman, AZ. While there I had lunch with two cross country bicyclists from Santa Cruiz California on their way to Key West. They are really nice guys (Mike and Bobby) and we shared travel stories. I was highly impressed with their level of conditioning as they had traversed California and climbed Tioga Pass out of Yosemite. I have done that in a car and it climbs to well over 10,000 feet. From there they dropped down and followed the same route I had. I asked how they could ride across Death Valley in that heat. They said they did it at night. Water is their limiting factor, as they need it about every 40 miles or it is really stretching themselves. My obvious question is where do you stay at night and they said "along side the road". I hear people all the time say they would never even pull their motorhomes off beside the road and sleep. These guys didn't even have a tent that I could see. Folks it can be done if you have a little zest for life and are not afraid of your shaddow. It is inspirational for me to be around people like this as they are making memories that will last a life time and only people that have done it themselves can understand. Safe travels to them. I asked them why they were doing it and their reply was "it seemed like a good idea". I like that spirit. We need more of that in youth today. Surely that is the spirit of the settlers that started off in covered wagons. It is lost in many of the youth of today that never stretch themselves and take any risks at all. After leaving them I headed up Rte 64 to the South rim of the Grand Canyon. I have been here many times before having ridding a mule down to the river once and having hiked to the bottom twice in past trips, but it never ceases to amaze me. I got here just as the sun was setting on a clear night. What color and beauty. Unfortunately, I think I will have to take some pictures in the morning to give you a better idea of how vast the canyon is. Well, I better head off and see if I can find a place to camp. It won't be as comfortable as last night, but the stars are sure to be spectacular. Day 14 is in the books. Tomorrow it is off to Monument Valley, Four Corners and then Durango Colorado. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Day 13 (9/18/11)

Today dawned early. I seem to have pulled a muscle in my back and sleeping on the ground in my tent did not straighten things out. I was up relatively early and started packing up my tent. It was a shame to leave this beautiful spot as Camp Richardson's camping area looks like Sherwood Forest with all of the tall Ponderosa Pines. Actually, I was in the trailer motorhome section again, as I asked for an electrical outlet. My neighbor was a quiet fellow that is working construction here in the Tahoe Basin. He lives in his trailer and in his spare time carves bears and eagles from tree trunks with a chainsaw. Here are shots of my campsite and one of his pieces of art. Pretty talented guy I would say.
After breaking camp, I headed for Las Vegas. This involved exiting the basin at the south end and taking the road over Monarch Pass to Rte 395. Temps at the top of the pass were about 38 degrees. YES... I love these cool temperatures at high elevations early in the morning. It would not stay this way long though. Rte 395 travels along the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Even at this late date after a long hot summer, there is still snow on the tops of some of them. The road is at about 4,700 feet of elevation, so these mountains reach up to 10 or 11,000 feet or more. Majestic is all I can say. Just below Long Pine, CA I took a hard left and stopped at the visitor center to make sure I knew where my gas stop would be in Death Valley. My range on a tank of gas is about 225 miles if the terrain is not too steep, so I knew I could not make it all the way to Las Vegas. I asked a fellow passing by to take this picture for me with the mountains in the background. Once you leave the visitor center it is like going into another world. The scenery is immense and void of almost all signs of civilization. My gas stop would be about 80 miles into the ride at Stovepipe Mills. They only had 87 octane gas at 5.25 per gallon, but who is picky in these desolate areas. After that it would be nothing until Pahrump, NV. Although I have transited Death Valley 3 times before, twice in a car and once on a motorcycle, this would be the first time I did it alone. It is hard to explain what it feels like to head out across this vast expanse of desert alone. I can't imagine what the gold rush folks felt like with wagon trains. Brave souls to say the least. The name alone keeps you humble, this it is a dangerous place to be. Signs are everywhere to be conscious of the "extreme heat". Air temperatures today reached 108 in the part of the valley that is below sea level. For protection I wear kevlar backed jeans which are very hot, a heavy black jacket, leather riding gloves, boots and a helmet. All this gear was quite comfortable at 38degrees in Monarch Pass, not so comfortable for the 100 plus miles at 108 degrees in the afternoon. I continually took sips from my camelback drinking bladder, but warm water is hardly refreshing. Being an ex-biology teacher, kept reminding me of the effects of dehydration and the tricks it can play on your mind and balance. Extreme heat like extreme cold is nothing to mess with, especially when riding a motorcycle at 70 mph. A camera does not do justice to the vast expanses of these valleys, nor the colors of the desert. Professionals can capture it with good lenses and the patience to be there at the proper time for the perfect light. I was not about to linger any longer than necessary. I was slowly cooking inside my riding gear. It is at times like this that you are intimately tuned into every sound and movement of the bike. Hoping that everything keeps ticking along and nothing fails. The closest thing I can describe is that first solo flight that all fledgling pilots experience when the instructor gets out of the plane and you take off for the first time by yourself. Suddenly you realize that there is no one but you to get the thing back on the ground in one piece. You are truly all alone with your fate in your own hands. It is exhilarating, but scary at the same time. The engine makes noises you never noticed before, the plane performs differently without the weight of the second person and you hear and feel every creak of the airframe. That is how I felt today riding across "Death Valley". My trusty BMW performed flawlessly and never missed a beat. I have been blessed with good fortune so far this trip. If the Reno Air Race situation was not enough to make me thankful, a safe transit of Death Valley today sure uplifted my faith. If you ever wondered what your GPS would read for altitude if you were below sea level, well here is the answer. YES..it does read negative numbers. I took a shot of mine while rolling down the highway at about -181 feet below sea level. I saw numbers as low as -271 at one point in the lower valley. I was impressed. Well all went well and I arrived at Sin City. Adele had done some internet work for me and found me a reasonable room at Circus Circus. $44 and all the ice tea I could drink! I hope tomorrow is cooler as I head off to the new bridge over the Colorado River by the Hoover Dam. I am sure it will be cooler at the Grand Canyon as the rim is about 7,000 feet in elevation which translates to about 18 degrees cooler than sea level just because of adiabatic cooling with the decreased pressure. Enough science. Hopefully more miles and smiles tomorrow. Now let's hope my connection is good enough to upload some pictures.

Day 12 (9/17/11)

Well, I am sure you all have been bombarded by the events of yesterday afternoon at the Reno Air Races. Just after I prepared my blog and thought I had posted it, I headed over to the airport which was only a block away from where I was camped. The sport class qualifyin heat was in progress while I was walking. They come overhead at about 100 feet off the ground at nearly 300 mph wing to wing and banked over to almost 90 degrees. The sound like a swarm of angry hornets at full throttle. The race ended and I continued to walk toward the viewing area when the unlimited class came in over the field. I did not get to see them take off, but apparently they go around behind the mountain and warm up their engines and then come into the race course lined up and at full tilt. This is a collection of heavily modified warbirds from WWII and some one of a kind specially built race planes. It is hard to describe the noise they other than to say they sound like Indy cars on steroids. Some of them have 16 cylinder engines with superchargers, straight exhausts and preped to scream. Well the thrill ended after about 3 laps when one the planes pulled up suddenly while making his turn over the airport. Something small appeared to come off the plane. It looked like possibly a piece of the elevator. In any event he pulled up abrubtly when inverted and then headed straight for the ground and the VIP box seat viewing area. All you could do was watch and try to judge if you were going to be in the wrong spot or not. I was abut 500 feet away from the crash site and still walking. Everyone froze and people started running in all directions. The airplane literally disintigrated on impact and there was no fire. I am not sure why, as it had to have some amount of high octane racing fuel or alcohol in its tanks. Shrapnel spread in all directions from the impact site, but fortunately the worst of it went out toward the runway. There were people all over the ground that has been hit by the flying shards of aluminum. The announcers quickly told everyone except for people with medical credentials such as doctors, nurses and EMT's to leave the grounds immediately. Amazingly everyone did exactly that. I have been to car races where people ran to the scene of a crash to oggle at the carnage. Not at this site. Everyone quietly and quickly left the premises. It is a totally different kind of crowd that comes to avaiation events I have concluded. There is no trash, no litter, and everyone did exactly as instructed. The area immediately errupted with fire trucks, ambulances, helicopters etc. I have heard conflicting reports of how many were injured, so I will leave that up to the professionals. On the way back to the church I saw a man in sneakers take off his shoes, drop them in a trash barrel and walk off in his bare feet. Another fellow walking near by asked him why and he said they were all coverd with blood as he had been near the point of impact. The mood in the campground was somber to say the least. Everyone had cell phones to their ears and mine would not work. No verizon coverage worked except text messaging for about 3 hours. Other services seemed to work, so someone offered their phone co I could call home and let Adele know I was OK. Prayers are definitely in order for those that lost their lives and were injured. Since the air races are canceled, my first order of business today was to get my oil changed. The BMW dealer in Sparks, NV could not fit me in for a quick oil change. I have been to many dealerships in my travels and have always found them to be very accomodating to people passing through. Not this dealership. I will write to the owner when I get home and let him know that his service manager does not think like an owner and does not understand how small and well connected teh BMW community really is. I used the BMW anonymous book and called another rider here in South Lake Tahoe. He recommended a small shop "The Road Rash Cafe" here in South Lake Tahoe. They did the change for me for $16.50. They did not have my filter or oil type, so I supplied them at their suggestion, but they were very willing to do the work. They are genuinely nice people. Thanks Guys. Hear that Mac Pac and BMW Owners Group folks. If you are in this area, you know who to avoid and who to support. I have been in Hermy's BMW of Port Clinton PA many times when transient riders would pass through despirately in need of a tire mounted or their oil changed and they were always helped with a smile. Some people just get good business and some don't. It is no wonder that dealerships come and go, but the ones that understand customer service always seem to thrive.
As I was packing up my tent this morning I met the two young Airforce pilots that were in the tent beside me. They are stationed in Oklahoma and are almost finished their flight training. I asked them where they were from and one was from Hatfield, PA. Imagine that. The Phillies shirt should have been a dead give away but I am slow. He was an Airforce Academy graduate and had attended LaSalle High School. His hame is Don Huber and it turns out, I had his uncle Oscar Huber (of Oscar Huber Furniture Company fame) in my 8th grade science class, my first year of teaching in Abington back in 1971. Talk about 6 degrees of separation. Don's friend was from Montana. Two very nice young men that we can all be proud of serving their country.
The short ride to Lake Tahoe was welcomed. I just can't describe the beauty of this place. I am camped at Camp Richardson which is where I spent three days last year on the way to Oregon. It just feels like home and I love camping here. Well, this post was way too wordy but I know a lot of folks knew I was going to be at the airshow and I just wanted to pass along my account. Tomorrow it is off for a 500 mile day to Death Valley and Vegas.