The day started early in Forrest City with sleepy riders, hotel coffee, and everybody slowly trying to come back to life before kickoff. Huge shoutout to Comfort Inn & Suites for opening breakfast early just for us because that was VERY appreciated this morning. The weather also gave us a rare little gift for once: partially cloudy skies, an amazing breeze, and temperatures that somehow weren’t trying to personally attack us yet. Spirits were high, bikes were rolling, and it felt like the kind of morning that makes you excited to knock out another day on the road.

Before departure, Siren sang The Star-Spangled Banner, and hearing it early in the morning surrounded by bikes, veterans, and flags was one of those moments that gives you chills no matter how tired you are. We also got an update on the fundraising competition, and somehow the Patriots are STILL winning at $713. The fundraising supports the Midway mission along with schools, memorials, and veterans homes, so even the competition side of things is helping a bigger cause. Tomorrow’s Day 7 outreach opportunities were announced too, including visits to the memorial built by Charles Webb, an elementary school, and a VA home.

This morning, the person we honored and spoke about was Colonel Charles William Burkart Jr., a United States Air Force pilot who was declared Missing in Action after a mission over Laos in 1966. Seeing his photo and hearing his story this morning stayed with me throughout the entire day. During the long hot stretches of road, it became a reminder that this ride is about so much more than motorcycles or making it to the next fuel stop. Every name shared on this run belonged to a real person with a family, a story, and people who still remember them decades later. Carrying those stories across the country feels like one of the most meaningful parts of this experience.

Pipes and Ivan went over hand signals this morning, which definitely came in handy throughout the ride, especially with all the LEO support we had from Dixon, Tennessee helping escort us safely through traffic.

Fuel stop number one felt great. It was still partly cloudy and somehow not unbearably hot yet. That quickly changed. The ride to fuel stop number two took about two hours, and by the time we arrived, you could tell the heat and humidity were getting to everyone. We’re all trying to stay as hydrated as possible, but the humidity makes it feel like you’re sweating out water faster than you can drink it.

One of our amazing medics taught us a hydration life hack this morning though. If you pinch the skin on the top of your left hand using your throttle hand and the skin snaps back quickly, you’re hydrated. If it stays up or slowly goes back down, you’re dehydrated. Safe to say half the group immediately started pinching their hands in parking lots.

Lunch at Cumberland Presbyterian Church felt like a reset button for the entire group. They served pulled pork, a loaded baked potato bar, salad bar, cakes, pecan pie, apple pie…basically every comfort food imaginable for a bunch of exhausted riders running on fumes and electrolytes. But as incredible as the food was, the real hero was the blasting AC. After baking in the Tennessee heat almost as long as those potatoes, stepping into that freezing cold church felt like entering another dimension. You could literally see people coming back to life one bite and one blast of cold air at a time.

Unfortunately, we had to leave the blessed air conditioning and head back into the heat for the last fuel stop of the day. By then it was brutally hot, humid, and sunny. At the stop, riders were literally hiding in the tiny strip of shade beside an 18 wheeler trailer trying to cool off. Some people were laying on the ground resting, and multiple riders said that was the “shortest 45 minute break ever” because everyone was just exhausted and trying to recover before getting back on the road.

Then came the final ride into Cookeville, and somehow the entire mood shifted. The scenery got greener, the temperatures cooled just a tiny bit, and the massive trees finally started giving us a little shade after baking in the sun all day. Every single stop on this route has been incredible, and we are beyond grateful for every town, church, school, police department, and volunteer who welcomes us with open arms. But Cookeville completely caught all of us off guard in the best way possible. We rode through almost the entire town, and everywhere we looked there were people lined up waving flags, cheering, filming videos, and welcoming riders with nonstop energy and support. It felt like the whole city came outside for Run For The Wall. There was even a helicopter flying overhead following the pack into town, which made the arrival feel even more surreal.

Tonight’s dinner was held at the Leslie Town Centre in Cookeville, and Life Church took care of the dinner for us tonight. After a day of brutal heat, humidity, and exhaustion, it felt like exactly what everyone needed. They served chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, rolls, and chocolate cake, which already would have been enough to make a bunch of tired riders happy. Riders finally got a chance to sit down, cool off, laugh together, and reflect on the day instead of just focusing on the next fuel stop.

We heard from Shan Stout and Mayor Wheaton tonight, and tomorrow Mayor Randy Porter will be joining events as well. Between the support from veterans, churches, schools, police escorts, and entire communities shutting down streets just to welcome us in, it’s impossible not to feel emotional about what this ride means to so many people.

The evening also included a silent auction and cheesecake auction supporting local elementary schools, VA homes, memorials, and fuel. Clint Conner ran the auction tonight and somehow managed to keep the entire room laughing while also creating complete chaos every time someone raised the bid another hundred dollars. One minute people were relaxed eating dinner, and the next minute entire tables were teaming up and whispering game plans trying to secure the cheesecake.

Clint mentioned that last year’s cheesecake sold for $7,100, which already sounded wild to everybody in the room. Then this year’s special limited edition strawberry cheesecake with the dark chocolate Oreo crust and American flag decoration came out, and suddenly the bidding just kept climbing higher and higher. People were pooling money together, yelling bids across the room, cheering each other on, and fully committing to the moment.So how much did it end up going for?

Can you guess?

…Guess Again. wink wink

Ten thousand dollars.

And the coolest part was that everybody knew it was about way more than just cheesecake. Watching people get that excited to support veterans, schools, memorials, and this mission was such an incredible thing to witness. Still though…that has got to be one of the most expensive cheesecakes in America tonight.

Day 6 tested everybody with the heat, humidity, and exhaustion, but somehow the mission keeps pushing us forward mile after mile.

Now it’s time to cool off, hydrate, and mentally prepare ourselves to do it all again tomorrow.

Goodnight from Cookeville, where the riders are exhausted, the cheesecake costs more than somebody’s motorcycle payment, and the memories somehow keep getting better every single day.

— Natalie “Guess Again 2” Fielding

– Photos by Ben ‘Stitch’ Noyce

The morning started with cool air and gray skies hanging over Shawnee while riders enjoyed the

last few comfortable hours before the humidity finally caught up to us later in the day.

The weather almost felt misleading at first. Cool air drifted through the parking lot while gray

clouds covered the sunrise and kept the temperatures comfortable for the first part of the ride.

Riders actually got to enjoy those early morning miles without immediately feeling cooked inside

riding jackets. But everybody knew it would not last forever. Somewhere further east, the

humidity was waiting patiently for us.

Before the sun even fully came up, hotel parking lots were already alive with motorcycle

engines, radio chatter, coffee runs, and riders trying to convince themselves they were fully

awake. Some people looked ready to conquer the day. Others looked like they were surviving

entirely on caffeine and vibes.

Honestly, most of us were probably somewhere in the middle.

Before the morning meeting, church services were held for riders wanting a peaceful start

before another long day eastbound. Meanwhile, Walmart turned into temporary Run For The

Wall headquarters as riders wandered the aisles hunting breakfast sandwiches, ibuprofen, beef

jerky, rain gear they forgot they packed, and enough energy drinks to medically concern at least

three doctors and a cardiologist.

Back outside, headlights slowly filled the parking lot as platoons lined up row by row. Chrome

reflected off damp pavement while conversations floated through the cool morning air. Some

riders refreshed weather radar apps every five seconds while others joked about how long it

would take before the humidity humbled all of us.

Then came the prayer.

Then the announcements.

Then everybody’s favorite words.

“Kickstands up.

”

And just like that, the quiet morning exploded into the sound of hundreds of motorcycles rolling

east together out of Shawnee.

There is honestly nothing like hearing that many bikes come alive at once. You do not just hear

it. You feel it.

The first fuel stop came quickly, but like every stop on this route, it became way more than just

gas pumps and snacks. Local law enforcement helped escort Midway safely through towns and

intersections while firefighters, first responders, and community members stood outside wavingflags as the pack rolled through. At nearly every stop, people gathered just to watch the

motorcycles arrive, thank riders for the mission, or simply show support however they could.

And somehow, no matter how many towns we pass through, it is still surprising to see how

many people come out just to support the mission and welcome us into their communities.

As the miles stretched east, riders slowly melted into the rhythm of the road. Fuel stops became

places to stretch sore backs, refill hydration packs, clean windshields absolutely destroyed by

bugs, and laugh through the exhaustion. Somewhere between Oklahoma and Arkansas,

strangers had fully turned into family.

The second fuel stop honestly felt more like a reunion than a gas station.

That is Midway magic.

By the time Midway rolled into Russellville for lunch, clouds still hovered overhead while the air

slowly started feeling heavier. Lunch was set up outdoors, and the smell of southern cooking

reached riders before most of us even had our kickstands down. After hours on the highway,

people practically floated toward the serving lines. Volunteers piled plates high with fried

chicken, mac and cheese, coleslaw, rolls, and homemade desserts that tasted like they came

straight out of somebody’s grandmother’s kitchen. The banana pudding ended up being one of

the biggest hits of the entire meal, and honestly, I completely understand why.

For a little while, riders stood around outside laughing, swapping stories, comparing bug

collections on windshields, and soaking in the kind of hospitality that makes Run For The Wall

impossible to explain unless you experience it yourself.

Set up nearby during lunch were the brothers of Captain James Wayne Herrick Jr., known as

Jim, who went missing in Laos in 1969 while serving during the Vietnam War. Paul and Jerry

spent time talking with riders and handing out patches in honor of their brother and his memory.

And even without a microphone or formal speech, the weight of it was still felt.

Because suddenly the mission becomes incredibly real.

Not statistics.

Not names in history books.

Not something distant from the past.

A brother.

A son.

A family still waiting for answers.

Those are the moments that stay with riders long after the engines shut off for the night.Eventually, reality returned, engines fired back to life, and Midway launched east once again

toward Forrest City.

And that is when the humidity finally decided to make itself known.

The afternoon air turned thick and heavy while dark storm clouds slowly built beside the

interstate. Riding jackets suddenly felt much warmer, fuel stops became hydration stops, and

every little patch of shade started looking like luxury real estate.

By the end of the afternoon, riders were sweaty, bug covered, road tired, and probably operating

on at least 15% banana pudding.

As Midway entered Forrest City, local law enforcement once again helped escort the pack safely

through town while supporters lined portions of the route waving flags as motorcycles rolled past

in formation.

Dinner waited at Ridgewood Baptist Church where Mayor Larry Bryant welcomed the riders and

thanked everyone for carrying the mission across the country. The church provided a huge

Popeyes dinner for the entire route with over 900 pieces of chicken along with all the fixings

waiting for riders after nearly 400 miles on the road.

And after a full day riding, that chicken absolutely disappeared.

Christian artist Eric Horner closed out the evening with live music that turned a room full of

exhausted riders into something that honestly just felt special. Riders sang along together,

people swayed side to side with arms around friends they had only met days earlier, and for a

little while nobody seemed worried about the miles waiting for us tomorrow morning. Helmets

sat stacked beside tables while laughter, music, and voices singing together echoed through the

church.

Stories were told.

Road grime was worn proudly.

And another day of Midway memories was officially in the books.

Day 5 reminded everyone once again that Run For The Wall has never just been about

motorcycles.

It is about the people standing outside waving flags in the heat.

The first responders helping protect every mile.

The volunteers feeding hundreds of strangers like family.

The families still waiting after decades.

And the riders carrying those stories mile after mile toward Washington, D.C.

Goodnight from Midway, where friendships form fast and banana pudding disappears faster.

— Guess Again 2 (Natalie Fielding)