Let’s recap the rides and happenings of 2022!
Seems like yesterday we were sitting at the Pecan Grove. Our conversation moved to Daytona Beach, Bike Week. Rick says, let’s go! We all agree, why not!
Rick secures a room on the beach. Just a waiting game now. Before you know it march rolls around. We pull out in freezing conditions. Get to Louisiana, and rain hits. Three days of rain. A trip to remember. When we reach Florida, the rain gets harder, So hard you can’t see the vehicle in front of you! Even had to pull over and let the rain pass for a bit.
Once we made the race track all was forgotten. Three days of meeting up with old friends and catching all the activities were all worth the rainy trip. Rick and R. T. had some bike breakdowns, but they were solvable. The return trip was much better, pretty laid back. Perry and I stopped off in Gainesville to see an old friend. Rick and R.T. headed back together. We arrive back in Texas at about the same time. About 2600 miles logged.
At the end of April, time for the next adventure. New Mexico and Arizona, are always good to run west. Less traffic and great scenery. Running north out of El Paso we catch Hatch New Mexico. World famous for Hatch chilis. We try and make Silver City, There is a major fire in the area. Detour time, Instead run down thru Lordsburg. We catch Route 666, which was known as the Devil’s Hwy. back many years ago. Mysterious accidents on the route.
The Morenci copper mine is on this road. One of the largest copper mines in the world. This road runs through Alpine, with such gorgeous views. Pinetop is our stop for the night. Always a good stay, a log cabin motel, just super. At Showlow we turn west down to the Salt River. Just an incredible ride. Cruz down through Tucson. Catch I-10 to Tombstone, Kinda where time stands still! Many movies were shot in this town This town brings back memories of days gone by.
We did make a side trip on the way home. Took the route thru Cloudcroft. We hit Artesia and Carlsbad. We catch the western edge of Texas. Nothing but flat land and jackrabbits. Another 3 thousand-mile trip. No breakdowns, everybody is healthy, all good.
Late June, sitting on the couch watching TV, Sever pain between the shoulder blades. Hoping this will pass in a little bit. My neighbor hauls me to the ER in Fredericksburg. Sure enough Heart attack! Airlifted to Austin Heart. Installed 2 stints in the heart. Two days later released. Just a little speed bump in life!
Last of July, time for the next trip, South Carolina and Maggie Valley N. C. Weather was great on this trip. Ran the Natchez Trace through Mississippi. Very few stops on this road. We wind through north Georgia, switchbacks, and winding roads. This is our type of road. We make it to Cowpens South Carolina, the home of the Carolina Boys. Settle in for some good South Carolina peaches.
From this point, we travel up to Maggie Valley, the home of one of the best motorcycle museums in the country. I think all the motorcycles will start and run. You can spend hours and days at this place. We move west to the famous Dragons Tail. 318 curves in 11 miles. That’s a bunch.
Every rider should experience this at least once in her lifetime. We travel north from this area to Kentucky. Home to the Makers Mark Distillery. Wonderful area, off the beaten path.
Traveling south we reach Memphis Tenn. home of the Blues and BBQ. Beal St. located right downtown is the scene of the crime! What a great evening we had to eat BBQ and listen to music.
We return to Texas, splitting up at different points along the route. Each one going their way. Again another great ride!
The next trip comes in September. This time a solo trip. Make stops when you like, or keep traveling. Route 66 the Mother Road, I didn’t have the time to make the entire ride from Chicago to L.A. I chose to connect at Okla. City and run west. A smooth ride it was. Great museums and points of interest in western Oklahoma. The Big Texan in Amarillo was a good stop.
I enjoyed Gallup New Mexico. The home of the EL Rancho Hotel. Built in the early 1900s, many movies were shot here. The hotel has many pictures from that era. The next stop was Winslow, Arizona. Made famous from the Eagle’s song, ‘Take it Easy’ Has a flatbed Ford truck on the corner as well as a statue of Glen Frey who sang the song and wrote it.
At Flagstaff, I detoured down to Sedona and Jerome. Stayed in Williams, Arizona. The last town on Route 66 was bypassed by the interstate. One of the better examples of Route 66. Sleighman, just west of Williams, is probably the best example. A few old motels and gas stations still exist. Kingman, Arizona was surprised. Great museum and the home of the actor Andy Devine. He starred in many movies in the ’50s.
Oatman, Arizona, is one of the most interesting. Donkeys still roaming the streets, left over from gold mining days. From Oatman kinda got off course and went to see the London Bridge. Traveled to California to see the entrance to Death Valley. Caught Vegas for a couple of days, but that was enough. Hoover Dam, Lake Meade, and Valley of Fire Park were very interesting and beautiful.
Rode Zion National Park and Grand Staircase which leads down to Page and Lake Powell. From this point, I kinda backtracked to New Mexico. Cut off at Vaughn, New Mexico. Caught Clovis and sideswiped Lubbock. Down through Lemessa, Big Spring, and Junction. Four thousand mile trip no drips or errors.
Second week of October, guess what it’s Pig Roast time in Johnson City. Located at the Rodeo grounds along the Pedernales River. A fundraiser for the Cherokee Children’s Home in Cherokee. I was told that 34 thousand bucks were brought in. Great job! The Christmas ride was held on Dec. 3 . About 75 bikes met at Pecan Grove in Fredericksburg for the ride to Cherokee. The weather was nice and clear, a little cool but good for December. WE depart around 11 am. Make Cherokee for the final staging of bikes.
All the bikes pull out together with Santa leading the way. We are met with waving children and staff members from the home. It’s a happy occasion. Once we are seated for food, the children give testimonials of how the home has helped them. Such a great cause. The food was excellent also. Especially the desserts!
Another great year for riding.
On a sad note, We lost 2 riding buddies this year. First, we lost Olin from Odessa. We rode several times to Big Bend Park. He was an old cowboy that turned into a biker! What a concept.
He will be truly missed! RIP.
We lost “ Flipping Bob” from Leakey in September. He encountered a deer on his bike. I rode several trips with “Flippin”, Two trips to Big Bend and two trips to Arkansas. Bob always had fixings for a Bloody Mary! He also will be truly missed! RIP.
All in all, it was an exciting 2022, saw some beautiful country and enjoyed my friends. Looking forward to the new year, more exciting adventures to be had! Till next time always remember, Enjoy life to the hilt because you never know when it might be your last trip.
RIDE FREE AND RIDE OFTEN!
“DAD”
HDDadsTravels.com
Dad@HDDadsTravels.com
