Run for the Wall - Day 6

I didn't post Day 6 yesterday when it happened because I was so tired by the end of the day that I fell asleep before I could even turn on the computer.

Day 6 may not have been a whole lot of miles, but it was hot, and the riding was stressful. We had a semi-truck get a flat tire while driving past our platoon, and as the truck rolled by me, I was eye-to-eye with a flapping truck tire. That is a scary experience when in a car, it is so much more frightening when on a motorcycle. Luckily, the truck driver realized very quickly he had a flat, and managed to get off the highway before the whole tire tread (which was flapping dangerously close to us) flung off the rim. Those treads are very heavy, and if it came flying off, it could very easily have seriously injured at least one rider. We were very blessed to only be pelted with small pieces of rubber from the sidewalls and bits of tire belting.

I am not normally a superstitious person, but prior to the run, some of us were blessed enough to receive small ceramic tokens made by a Nun in Oregon. This Nun made them and prayed over them for our safe travels. I would like to believe that that token, along with the regular blessings of the bikes that we receive at several stops kept us from serious harm. All the prayers were put to the test when that tire blew...

The big event for us was the visit to Jackson, Mississippi. We spend almost 5 hours at the Jackson Harley-Davidson dealership there because the owner, Earl, makes sure there is more than enough for us to see. Of significant note is his "Trail of Honor - A Tribute to American Veterans". The "Trail of Honor" is created only for three days, and Earl makes sure it is there for Run for the Wall. The "Trail of Honor" is a walk through the forest behind the Harley dealership and it includes representatives and replicas of all wars that the United States has been involved with, up to and including the War on Terror. What is really neat about this Trail of Honor is that there are period re-enactors at each station, with implements from that period of time. All you have to do is to stop and begin asking questions. The people at each of the spots are extremely knowledgeable about the period that they are in. It is a wonderful course in American History. I could easily spend all day walking around the trail asking all kinds of questions and still not get enough.

If you ever have the opportunity to visit Jackson Harley-Davidson right before Memorial Day, try to come by when Earl has the Trail of Honor open for all to see. It is an awe-inspiring sight and an awesome education. I wish that we could spend more time there visiting, but we still have so many miles to cover, we can't stay too long in Jackson, Mississippi. Each year, Earl makes an effort to out-do what he has done in prior years. It is awe inspiring to see how he consistently improves the experience for everyone visiting his dealership.

If you would like more information and pictures on the Southern Route Run for the Wall, please visit http://www.rftwsr-2010.us/.

Until tomorrow...

Back to the Day 6, today we