
Making miles and leaving smiles!
Today was a good day! It started out with some fine, cool temperatures and clear skies. Who could ask for better riding weather? (Okay, I thought it was fine. At about 50 degrees, some people thought it was cold, but I liked it!)
Our day actually began with a “morning meeting.” This is when we discuss the days itinerary, any weather concerns, upcoming road conditions and how we will handle them, and a review of the hand signals that we use while riding. We also introduce any guest that might be visiting, and ask all of our FNGs to come up front so we can welcome them into our Family again. (We actually do that to them every day!) We also like to recognize any Active Duty personnel, including Reservists, that might be joining us, as well as Blue Star Families. Each of these groups gets a round of applause. But then we honor our Gold Star Families with a moment of silence. There is no applause for a Family that has lost a loved one in the service of our country. The moment of silence seems much more fitting.
When we finally started up our bikes and got out on the road, I lead a group of Ambassadors and Outreach Team Members over to Winslow, Arizona. We were such a fine site to see!
Our reason for this little excursion was officially to Thank the people of Winslow for allowing us to parade through their town. This was a first for the Midway Route, and I was so glad to see it. You see, there are several nice little souvenir shops right there at “Standing on a Corner” park. One of them is owned by a very ardent Patriot. He has been known to buy hundreds of American Flags and give them out to the Winslow Citizens, free of charge, for the Fourth of July and other patriotic holidays. I have been stopping into his store every time that I ride through Winslow.
For others, the stop was kind of a “pilgrimage” to recapture memories of their younger days. (If you don’t understand the fascination with Winslow, please listen to the song “Take it Easy” by the Eagles. This song was an anthem for many of us in years gone by!) Of course, that is just an excuse to visit. Another real reason was to see the 9-11 Memorial just on the outskirts of town. It was just a really cool side-trip! We like to have fun when we can!
There would be more fun to come, as we were heading to Milan Elementary School for lunch. The kids there are really amazing! They aren’t just growing up in their town, they are being raised as American Patriots! They are polite, well educated, and enthusiastic. So enthusiastic that I learned something very valuable today: When you put 300 kids in an auditorium and then add 250 Riders and they are all chanting “USA! USA! USA!” it is easy to get exhausted! And the “noise” level was intense! I shouldn’t call it “noise” because it wasn’t. It was pure youthful patriotism, and I liked it!
Immediately after we left the Kids at Milan, we headed to Grants (New Mexico) and laid a wreath at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Four of our Riders did a very nice job with the ceremony. Even on days when we are supposed to just be traveling and having fun, we take the time to do some serious things.
Oh wait! I forgot something! Before we got to Milan, at one of our fuel stops, someone asked if I knew a guy Joseph Hudson. I said “Nope! But I know a guy that we call Gump!” Joe and Gump are the same person in reality. We call him Gump because, just like Forrest Gump, he got shot in the buttocks in Iraq. He was also taken Prisoner and held for 22 days! His story is amazing to hear.
Anyway, I was told that there were two people in the store that were there with Gump when he was wounded and captured. I immediately went over to meet them, just to find myself face-to-face with Gump himself! Imagine my surprise to see my good friend, because he rides with the Southern Route! Standing next to him were two of his fellow soldiers, both of whom had been wounded and captured with him. What an honor it was for us to have these former POWs here with us. They weren’t riding with us, they just drove out to visit!
Remember that I said we like to have fun? Imagine the look on Shawna’s face when I told her that I had been to her house and seen her in her pajamas! It took her a minute to remember the time that Gump and I went to visit her, unannounced and unlooked for! She was such a gracious host! And she has invited me back for another visit.
Today we also got another look at the organized chaos that we call a fuel stop. Our first for the day was truly chaotic, not because of anything bad, just the fact that the fuel station was an incredibly busy truck stop. WE had to wind our way through a maze of trucks, circle around a couple of parking lots, and THEN make our way to the pumps. I shouldn’t call it chaotic. It is much more of an orchestrated dance. (Even though it could look like we have two left feet, to those that don’t know what we are doing.) We made it through the “ordeal” and even had time to go inside for some donated donuts and coffee.
Have you noticed that I have said “donated” several times already? We use that term because the items aren’t “free.” Someone had to pay for them, but then they give them to us. We like to thank them by using the term donated. It reminds us that there is a cost to everything, even if it isn’t to us.
Our last stop of the day was Thunderbird Harley Davidson in Albuquerque. You know where it is: just go down the highway, curve left onto another interstate, make your way through the rush-hour traffic, and then … … What happened to all of the traffic? The roads were completely empty! The side roads had cars stacked up, all wanting to get on the highways. The oncoming traffic was at a standstill. But our side of the roads were completely devoid of any vehicles. Except for the twenty-eight motorcycle officers, six police cruisers, and an untold number of other service vehicles that were giving us a “Presidential Escort.” It was an amazing site to see and experience!
And I had a very nice surprise. I got to experience this escort from the very front line, as one of the leading positions of the Missing Man Formation! When I was asked by “10-a-See”, our Route Coordinator, if I would like to ride next to him at the front of the Formation, I immediately said YES! It is ALWAYS an honor to be a part of the Missing Man Formation, but with a Presidential Escort, it was even more meaningful. The people stopped on the side of the road had no idea what was going on, I am sure. But WE did, and just like that moment of silence that we gave for our Gold Star Families this morning, the empty highways just seemed to make our Formation a little more poignant. I was able to put down my cameras for a few miles, and reflect on the names of so many Men that never made it back home, their families that have become as dear as my own family, and the sacrifices made by the comrades of the former POWs that we visited just a few hours earlier. Thank You, Don King, for giving me that honor.
Some of our group had a different destination for the evening. Three of our Platoons, plus the Ambassador and Outreach Teams, had dinner at the local VFW hall. The guest of honor was a 99-year old Veteran of World War II, Korea, and the Berlin Airlift. He served in the Navy, Army Air Corps, and Air Force. I wasn’t there to hear his stories, but I am hoping that some of the people that did meet him can relate what he said to them. They must be bursting with pride to have met such an amazing American Hero!
See? It was a very good day!
Tomorrow will be another long day of riding, with just a “splash” of fun. Tune in tomorrow to find out what I am talking about!
Cheers!
Jim “Hoofer” McCrain
Midway Route Photographer and SITREP Author

Follow this link to see a few photos from todays journey. And come back once the Run is over. I will upload several hundred more for each day!