Honoring Vets, Plastic Knives & Broken Shifters

Our fearless Road Captain, John, started out at the beginning of the Vietnam Vets Memorial Run, Saturday, March 13 in Perryton. You can read about Day 1 & 2 on the linked website.

Carlton, Steve & I met on Monday and started our journey to meet up with the group in Junction. The day was beautiful, warm & sunny. We stopped for a late lunch in Kerrville and headed back out. The farther north we went, the colder & cloudier it got. Brrrr. No rain yet. Ooops - should have stopped to put on rain gear. A few sprinkles just outside of Junction.

We arrived in Junction just as the main group was coming in from the north. Hmmm, they all had rain gear & big jackets. Met up at the courthouse about 5 p.m. Windy, cold. Brrrr again. During a somewhat long ceremony, sprinkles turned into a light rain. We still had to ride to the motel. Just as we mounted up, the sky opened up. Oh, look, the 3 of us STILL don't have rain gear on. DUH. Soaked & cold we check into motel. Change clothes. Thankfully, church buses arrive to take us to the Methodist Church for dinner. Coffee anyone?

Back to the motel for a nice hot bath. It was Steve's & my anniversary and he walked to a convenience store to score a bottle of wine. What a guy!!!! No further info available. :-P

The next morning we muster at 7:30 for departure. Oh yes! Its freezing with a light rain. Look! Carlton, Kathy & Steve were smart enough to put on rain gear. A very busy day with lots of stops.

First stop was the Frio Canyon Motorcycle Shop for breakfast & shopping! Yay! Shopping. The breakfast was amazing. The Leakey Chamber of Commerce out did themselves. Steve & I purchase FrogTogs. They may not be stylish, but at this point waterproof & warm win out.

Next stop, Ulvalde. The County Judge aranged a reception with hot coffee (thank you, thank you).

On to Crystal City. This is the birthplace of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway. Great lunch (see below for plastic knives). A State Representative presented the proclamattion that State Highway 83 is the Official Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway.

Quick ride to Carrizo Springs for a ceremony at the Veterans Park. This was supposed to be about a 20 minute stop. Um, no. Lots of speakers, songs, etc. But their hearts are definitely in the right place. Thanks Carrizo Springs. You made most of us tear up!

Mount up and on to Laredo. A few more riders joined us on this leg. We headed into Texas Tourist Bureau on I-35 to meet up with our police escort. Quick stop at Laredo Harley for - you guessed it - SHOPPING!

On to our motels. Oopps. Yep. Steve & Kathy got lost. Sigh. But, in our defense, John (love 'ya buddy) told us the motel was the Ambassador. Nope. Americas Inn. No wonder we couldn't find it. Phone call to John. Ohhhh, okay right name. Thankfully Laredo PD guided us back to motel. We barely had time to check in, get out of rain gear, and head to Holiday Inn for meet up with the main group.

John. YOU ROCK! He held up the group for us. Yeah, yeah I know. We always seem to be last.

Headed out to the American Legion Post 59. These guys are awesome! A huge welcome, steak dinner & entertainment. We had a great time.

The next morning everyone headed out for Brownsville, the last leg of the trip. Steve & I headed home.

So, you're asking, what's up with the plastic knives & broken shifters.

Most of you know that Carlton is a chef. Can cook his way around all of us. The Saturday before the trip he catered a dinner for 100+ people, making beef tips. This required cutting lots of beef. Sorry, Carolton. Love 'ya buddy. Lunch in Carrizo Springs (which was awesome, by the way), Carlton manages to cut himself WITH A PLASTIC KNIFE. Heh. Like I said, love 'ya buddy.

Broken shifter? That's all on Steve & I. We are cruising north of Laredo and just as we hit the border patrol checkpoint (north), the shifter on the Glide breaks. Great. Long way to walk home.
We are "gliding" in (not in the correct lane/line) with border patrol agents/dogs heading our way. Uh oh. "Hey guys, we're broke!" They were great. Even supplied a hammer. What Harley owner doesn't have a hammer?!?!?! Fixed, off we go.

Just south of Lytle, it breaks again! For crying out loud! Luckily we were at an exit. Pull off and dozens of cars/trucks pass us and wave. What???? "Oh, hi. Yep, we're broke down but don't stop. Nah. No problem. That's just my husband crawling under the bike for his health." grrrrr Finally a very nice young man stops and lends us.....wait for it....a HAMMER! Steve fixes shifter. We go into town, stop and get hammer. Almost home. About a mile to go. Run out of gas. Of course! Luckily right at our exit. Hi there, Valero!

All in all, this was a great trip. We met some incredible people, ate some very yummy food & were awed by the reception in each town. Supporters met the group along the road with flags & salutes. Very touching.

As an added bonus, the Texas Legislature named Highway 83 the "official" Vietnam Veterans Highway. Kudos to you Texas!

Next year we plan on making the entire trip. Hope more of you join us.