Seven pair of dirty underwear, seven days of killing bugs,
seven days spent traveling by motorcycle as a result of a phone call from my
sister, Diane, who informed me that our brother John would be making a once in
a blue moon, one-night visit to her house.
I debated whether to drive my old service truck or borrow my
wife’s fuel-efficient car for the trip.
Then, I remembered my nearly forty-year-old motorcycle.
I mentioned this half-baked idea to my
son, Jason, who lit up with excitement over the idea of a possible road
trip.
Now, it was too late to back
out…once the bell had been rung…I couldn’t un-ring it.
So we packed our saddlebags, checked the oil, kicked the
tires and we were off.
Day One (4/28/2015):
551 miles (Victoria to Hot Springs)
Leaving Victoria, TX. It was a beautiful spring morning with
a high broken overcast…perfect in every way.
We stopped at the bakery in Hallettsville for a "grab and
go" breakfast, descended the bluffs of the Colorado River, into La Grange.
We motored past out-of the-way places
like Dime Box, punched through a cold front and reached Bryan/College
Station.
The rain and fog added excitement and discomfort to the
adventure, not to mention regret for not packing cold weather gear. The remainder of the day, the
thunderstorms either chased us...or we chased them. Upon leaving "Whataburger Country" we barreled up I-30 into Arkansas skirting the rain showers...on our way
to Hot Springs. The purchase of Walmart
sweatshirts and Subway sandwiches ended the day after traveling 551 miles.
Day Two (4/29/2015):
374 miles (Hot Springs to Rolla)
48*F and morning fog
North on Arkansas’ scenic Highway 7 through the Ouachita
National Forest, Russellville and the Ozark National Forest to its northern terminus
at Bull Shoals Lake...where we took the Peel Ferry across the lake to Missouri.
Traveling north on Missouri’s Hwy 125 we traversed the Mark Twain
National Forest. It was the best roller coaster ride ever...a perfect road surface, mile
after mile of third gear only…full throttle one minute and hard braking the
next. We definitely scrubbed off
some rubber. Ava, MO for gas and
on to Cabool, MO then we turned north...and it happened...in the middle
of nowhere. My trusty, never let me
down, antique motorcycle just quit.
I couldn't figure it out. Could it be a coil wire? What could cause such a catastrophic
ignition failure? It was just like
someone had turned off the key.
When Jason realized I was no longer following him...he turned around to find me.
After
explaining the symptoms to him, he looked the situation over and pointed out the
obvious.
Oh! It's that emergency “off” switch that I never use.
Apparently, I unknowingly had accidently bumped it and turned it off.
Ok…Ok… we will not tell anybody about this.
So, I cranked up “Ole Reliable” and we headed for Rolla.
After another 12 hr day and 374 miles of killing bugs we
ordered Pizza and turned in.
Day Three (4/30/2015):
35 miles (Rolla to Bland)
An easy 35 miles to Bland...Diane’s house
We finally arrived at the “The Funny Farm” or as she calls it
“Manure Manor”.
Jason fixed
stuff…I fixed stuff.
We played with the horses.
We played like horses.
The only place cell service was available was under the weather vain.
We showed Diane the latest technology...cell phones that take pictures.
My famous brother, John, sports writer/columnist and adjunct
professor…entertained us with storys of his world wide travels and we discussed painful recollections of childhood that have become laughable with the passing of time.
Day Four (5/1/2015):
198 miles (Bland to Mt. Vernon)
After a hearty breakfast of wild asparagus, home grown
chicken eggs and oatmeal/pecan waffles we said our good-byes, mounted up and followed
the foot steps of Lewis and Clark along the north bank of the Missouri River to
the St Louis Arch...Gateway To The West.
After a quick stop for pictures we crossed the mighty Mississippi into Illinois leaving the St. Louis traffic behind.
Stopping at Mt. Vernon, IL we treated yourselves to a Holiday
Inn with real pillows and air-conditioner that worked.
198 miles traveled
on Day Four.
Day Five
(5/2/2015) 474 miles (Mt. Vernon to Tupelo)
Destination...the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green,
KY.
We passed the dirt brown Illinois farmlands being plowed and
planted with big green and yellow tractors. Then zipped through Indiana and across the Ohio River into Kentucky…the
blue grass state…known for its racehorses.
How appropriate that the Corvette assemble plant and National Corvette Museum
be located in Kentucky.
We saw all the different generations and models of
Corvettes, the sinkhole exhibits; a mangled mess of fiberglass and metal (kinda
sad)…had a hamburger at the museum café and hit the road for Nashville, Tennessee.
The next stop is the Loveless Café located just west of
Nashville at the northern terminus of the Natchez Trace.
Then down the “Trace”. An incredibly beautiful National
Parkway that spans a distance of 444 miles
from Natchez to Nashville...with a
posted speed limit of 50 MPH. It
would be the perfect motorcycle road if the speed limit was 75 or 85 MPH. We passed by Gringer's Stand, the final resting place of Meriwether Lewis. Following the trace south out of Tennessee
to Alabama then to Mississippi we stopped in Tupelo, Mississippi after doing a 474 mile day.
Day Six (5/3/2015)
425 miles (Tupelo to Leesville)
Sunday the Lord’s Day.
We started the day at St. James Catholic Church for Mass and to say: "Thank You, Lord, for all our blessings".
Tupelo, Jacksonville, Natchez Mississippi then over that mighty river to Louisiana.
Stopped in Effie, LA to visit my 93 year old aunt...then on
to Alexandra and rushed to Leesville before the nightfall.
Day Seven
(5/4/2015)
367miles (Leesville to Victoria)
Headed home…The Ten State Tour took us back to the
number
one state, Texas…but, not without incident.
A nail let the air out of our plans.
after several failed attempts to plug the tire we decide I
would ride ahead to Victoria get the truck and trailer and return to retrieve
Jason and his red Honda. So he entertained himself with a nap in the park while I made the 400 mile round trip.
On day seven I logged 367 miles on the old BMW
and 2,423 total miles for the Seven Day Ten State Tour.
Plus another 400 with the truck and trailer.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for a safe trip and an exciting adventure.
Amen.
