The View From Here

Run For The Wall In Five Minutes

2011-07-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

I have now made a short five minute version of the documentary I am making. I plan on making a longer version. Thank you all who let me interview them. enjoy!

Run for the Wall in five Minutes from Zachary Hubbell on Vimeo.

This is a five minute summary of Run For The Wall, a run I have ridden on for three years. I plan on making a longer version sometime soon...

Run For The Wall: a Documentary

2011-06-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

Many who were on the Run may have been asked by me if they could "answer a few questions for a documentary I'm making." If you were wondering when that will be coming out, here is an update.
The filming process was easy enough, but post production has always been difficult for me. I recently bought a new laptop that was supposed to be great for video editing but it is having technical troubles so severe I can no longer even open my editing program for very long, so it has to be shipped to the manufacturer to be fixed, which will take a couple of weeks.

Also, since I was not able to finish the Run, I have asked a fellow Chaplain to provide me with footage from the Wall and other parts of the Run--that way I can have footage from the whole trip.

Editing may take a while, but I have some great interviews and shots and would hate to let them go to waste. It may take longer than I'd like, but I plan on getting it done as soon as possible.

Thanks to all who let me interview them--no one ever rejected me when I asked!

A New Challenge

2011-05-23T14:43:00.000-07:00

In my first year going on Run For The Wall, I was going on it because it was a tough challenge and learning experience that Dad wanted me to do in order to prove that I was becoming a young man. In the years that followed, I did not think I would come up against many new challenges. But this year I think I have come to a harder challenge than any in the years before.

It was a cold morning, but definitely better than the one in Williams, AZ. I kept comparing Angel Fire to Williams and it might just be me but I think it was warmer in Angel Fire the whole way through.

We had breakfast in the same building that we had eaten dinner in the night before. The rider's meeting was just outside the door in a parking lot.

The meeting itself was pretty routine, but at the end there was an announcement that it was Mr. Kevin's Birthday. We had fun humiliating him as we sang happy birthday to him. I also noticed throughout the day everybody referred to him as the birthday boy. I think we had a better time than he did.

I thought the ride would be miserably cold, but it wasn't bad for very long. As we got lower down the mountain it warmed up. It was probably the best day of riding I had the whole Run.

We arrived at Raton with no problems. I remembered that on my last run this was the only leg we had had with rain on the Run. And I had thought that was bad.

We fuelled there and afterward the Independent Riders of Raton held a small ceremony for us. They were the ones who provided the free fuel at this stop. The Mayor of Raton came up and said a few words. Of course, plaques were given, and shortly after that we took off again.

We paraded through Trinidad, where we used to get fuel years ago. However, the people there did not think that was a reason not to let us parade on through. There were lots and lots of people with lots and lots of flags.

The ride was starting to get hot now. We had a hard time at the lunch stop in La Junta keeping cool. However, I wasn't thinking much about the heat because my Mom had come over along with extra supplies. We unpacked the bike, added what was new, repacked the bike and tried to fit lunch in. We barely got on the bike in time to leave with the pack.

The last leg was nice. The mountains came in and out of sight and the hills rolled along endlessly. It was a nice ride, a little too hot at first but as evening set in it got cooler. We stopped in Limon at a truck stop for fuel. As we got off the bike for a break, Pastor Arnie Swift came up to me and asked if I heard a clicking noise on the motorcycle. I wasn't really listening to the bike but hadn't noticed a difference, so I just said no.

Well, it turns out he was right. Dad heard the noise too and started looking the bike over. When I had finished my break and was walking out to the bike Arnie and Pastor Dan came to me and started saying they were sorry and would miss me. I wasn't sure what they meant until Dad and them explained that the bike was having engine troubles. We couldn't fix it in time to join back with the Run and had nothing else that would work this year. I couldn't continue the Run.

There have been a lot of hard times on the Run For The Wall--riding through rain (and snow), camping for days, staying up late and then waking up early to name a few of them. But this was the hardest part this year: watching the entire pack slowly ride away, platoon by platoon, without me.

We rolled the bike back out of the parking lot and put it next to the building. Dad bought a lunch of corn dogs, chips and soda and had me get the computer off the bike. We were both having a hard time coping with this huge change of plans. Dad was really sad. I was disappointed. We tried to get the Run off our minds with movies from the Internet while we waited for some people from Dad's church to come from Pueblo with a trailer and pick us up. Those were some hard hours of waiting.

Eventually, the trailer came and we loaded the bike. The drive back was quite different, even though we were on the same roads. Not only was the scenery different when viewed inside a car, but looking on it from the other side of the Run just isn't the same.

It was late when we stopped. We dropped the bike off at Dad's mechanic's house. When we got home, it was very late. I hadn't thought I'd be sleeping in my own bed that night.

The Run was fun, even though hard. I didn't make it all the way, but I know that if I could have, I would have. It would have been easier for me to have finished, but then again, being a man sometimes means just getting through it even when it's hard.

I already asked Dad and he has confirmed that Emily, my little sister, is coming on the Run next year, so the next time I am on the Run I will be on my own bike. I'm not sure what year I'll be able to join again, but I just know I want to complete my trip to the Wall someday.

Day 8: Angel Fire (New Mexico)

2011-05-20T21:53:00.000-07:00

The pattern is setting in. Wake up, pack up cords and clothes, get breakfast, go to the meeting and ride, ride, ride. Of course, this morning was a little different than the others. For the first time, there was neither rain or snow on the ground. Also, the meeting was at a movie theatre that was heated, so when we wanted to we could go inside and get warm.

The meeting went about as usual. When we took off, it was not as cold as previous mornings. New Mexico was doing its best to be warm but the clouds that had covered the sky yesterday followed us today as well.

We stopped at the Route 66 Casino Hotel. It has always been a great stop for a couple of reasons. First of all, the fuel for everyone on the Run is free. Second, they don't hold back on the snacks. They had beef jerky, peanuts, different candies, soda and more.

We continued into Albuquerque and turned North. We now took a different route than the one we had used to get to the Run and eventually ended up at the Camel Rock Casino, where we had lunch.

I needed to get in front of the bikes when we rolled into Angelfire, so I asked the Advance team if I could tag along with them for one leg in their car. I was a little disappointed I would have to be off the bike for a leg, but there was no other way to get ahead of the Run.

I think the ride on the bike might have been easier. We finished lunch in a hurry and got into the car just after the five minute departure alarm had been called. We got out of the parking lot just before it was too late and started on our way to Angelfire. It looked like we wouldn't be able to get ahead for a while because the police escort almost had us pull over so that the Run could go ahead. But they saw the Advance Team sticker on the windshield and let us pass. Soon we were well ahead.

The road was full of twists and turns. Going up and down mountainsides required these kinds of roads and was a hazard to the bikes. Luckily everyone came through safely as far as I have heard.

As soon as we reached the memorial I got out of the car with my equipment and set up the cameras for filming and taking pictures. It was incredible, watching every bike come up out of the valley and onto the mountain-like hill the memorial is built on.

When everyone was there, I picked up my cameras and went in the memorial. There were people all over, both veterans and citizens, looking at the pictures, items, models, books and rooms. Many people were very emotional as they took it all in.

As for me it was a humbling experience to see the dedication and sacrifice our troops displayed in their service. The pictures stuck out to me. Pictures of soldiers in Vietnam doing many things, from playing with children to taking cover from enemy fire. I remembered the pictures from previous years, but that did not take away from their effect this year.

The Chapel was a quiet place where people lit candles at the far corner and could sit and think. I tried to stay as quiet as I could with my noisy camera.

After looking around some more, Dad and I left for dinner, which was served a few miles away for free. The building was a little cramped, but we were all glad to eat. Someone volunteered to give free back massages and many people took advantage of it.

When dinner had finished, Mr. Kevin joined us again and we all went to the hotel. It is pretty fancy; I always feel kind of bad when we're at such a nice place to leave it so early in the morning the next day. Tomorrow we have to get up as early as 4:45 in the morning, so I'll try to get some hard sleep before the next big day. We will pass Colorado in one day and end up in Kansas according to the plan.

Day 7: Arizona-New Mexico

2011-05-19T22:08:00.000-07:00

I was not looking forward to going outside again. There was a lot of snow on the ground and it was still pretty cold. But we needed to get out there at some point, so after breakfast at the hotel we got loaded and left.

It wasn't as cold as I was afraid it would be, but it was still chilly. We rode a few minutes and then got to where we had the morning rider's meeting. We all stayed there for an hour or two, talking and waiting for it to start. It wasn't very cold now. The meeting was fine, but I knew it would be a lot colder during the ride.

I had been worried the road might be icy and the weather would be terrible, but it was pretty good compared to the day before. The roads were clear and we had just a little fog. We got out of mountains and it cleared up immediately. In fact, I almost got warm for a few minutes.

By the time we stopped for gas it was cloudy again. It was a short day, so we had lunch after a thirty mile leg. Dozens of people lined the streets, welcoming the Veterans home. We stopped at a Veterans of Foreign Wars post. Lots of people had flags. What stuck out to me was that all the people, from the ones saluting us to the ones serving the food, were happy while they worked. I was shown once again the appreciation people have for their vets.

The last leg of the day was longer than the others, at just over 100 miles. Someone pulled over on the way and Dad hadn't seen a thumbs up sign (which means they're okay), so we stopped as well. We were about walk over and see what the problem was but just then we saw the bike pull away and continue as usual.

The rest of the ride was spent catching up to the pack. A few miles after we got in place, we arrived in Gallup. I had thought people were enthusiastic at the lunch stop, but here in Gallup there were far more people waving hundreds of flags. The city went on and on, with people waving and welcoming veterans home.

Then we rounded a corner and I saw a giant flag hung by fire trucks. Most of the people were grouped here, forming a walled path to the parking lot. We got off the bikes and gathered in a large circle. In the middle there were some drummers and people doing native Indian dances. A man played bagpipes and many came and spoke about the Run and the city's heritage, not to mention the plaques that were given away. During all this the weather changed from cloudy to hailing to raining and then back to just cloudy. It was hard to stand out there in the hail but we stayed.

Afterwards we had some of the free steak dinner and went to our hotel. It was starting to hail again, and we were all sick of the wet weather.

Day 6: The Run Begins (California-Arizona)

2011-05-19T21:58:00.000-07:00

We got up at five this morning so we could get packed up and be at the daily mandatory rider’s meeting by six. We were lost for a while, until we found someone who knew where to go.

It was lightly raining and very cloudy. We got breakfast, free at the meeting, and talked while people got the meeting ready.

The meeting included, among other things, an introduction to RFTW and many tips on safety. After that meeting the Platoon leaders had a meeting with their platoons (or in the case of the chaplains we had a prayer meeting), and then we got on our bikes and prepared to leave. The procession of moving all the hundreds of bikes took some time, but we got through it and soon were on our way.

The first leg of the run was much like when we were going to Rancho Cucamonga. Since the road we used was the same, the effect was even more pronounced. Mist had set in heavily again and was mixed with a little rain now and then. As we climbed up mountains, it got more clear until we could see the end of the mist. It was pretty clear the rest of the way.

Our first stop brought back a few memories. The bikes lined up into a huge parking lot, sorted by platoons. We gassed up in order and were done relatively quickly--at least, quickly for hundreds of bikes.

We had a little time to just wait and have a break from riding, but soon it was time to go again. It is always amazing to watch so many bikes hit the Highway, one by one in order until the entire parking lot was emptied.

We went on like this for many hours. The next stop the refreshment trailer was open and almost everyone went to grab a bottle of water or a snack. I found slim jims and made sure to grab a few.

A little after we got into Arizona we stopped for lunch at Kingman. Something seemed wrong. Every year I had been here it was really, really hot. This year it seemed fine. Then I heard it was snowing ahead, which explained the cool temperature. I had never seen snow on the Run except at Angelfire, New Mexico, which is in the mountains and is usually the coldest point on the Run. I also heard it was supposed to be thirty degrees. Suddenly I didn’t want to leave the lunch area.

The next leg was fine, but it started cooling more. We barely had fuelled when everyone started to leave again. There was supposed to be a chance of rain ahead, so Dad took some time to get ready for it rather than hurrying to keep up. And when we did take off, it was not long until we found all the others.

The weather cooled even more. It was getting really cold, but when we came to where it had snowed it got miserable. We just wanted to finish the ride. Luckily, this was the last leg of the day, but Dad had gotten so cold we went straight to a hotel after coming into Williams.

We took a long time warming up in the hotel and were really glad we could. The storm looks like it may continue tomorrow and it’s hard to say how we’ll get through it with ice on the roads. The rider’s meeting tomorrow has been delayed an hour already. I hope that’s all we have to wait for the roads to become ridable.

Day 5: Last Day Before the Run

2011-05-18T02:12:00.000-07:00

We got to sleep in and have a slow breakfast one more time. Chaplain Duane Gryder came and joined us, along with "Road Thing," the Central Route Senior Chaplain this year. It was raining lightly, so I was glad we could stay inside.

Dad needed a few giant safety pins to get his chaplain armband on his vest. The pins were actually kilt pins, or something like that, but they looked like they wouldn't come loose like the little safety pins we had used in the past. Chaplain Gryder bought his at a craft store about a mile away. Dad had me walk over there, but I got lost for just a little while. Eventually, I figured out where I was and where I needed to be and found the store. I felt awkward in my biker leathers next to a bunch of sewing people with "kilt pins" and was glad to be walking back to the hotel.

When it came around lunch time, Dad and I went to a Barbecue pit to talk for a while, but we didn't want to blow a bunch of cash there, so we just walked a little way over to Carl's Jr. to eat.

The FNG* meeting followed soon after. There were many new people coming to the Run this year, so the meeting was very crowded. The Route Coordinator and others discussed the basics of the Run--what to do, how to ride, things to avoid and more.

Then there was a bike blessing. Dad gave away a lot of bike blessing stickers. A free dinner was served afterward. With almost all of the riders there, the line was extremely long. I just waited until most of the people had eaten before I got in line.

While we all ate, there were free giveaways and many people talked on a trailer with speakers hooked up. Dad went up and talked about RFTA, which stands for Run For Them All, and organization Dad has helped start. The goal of the organization is to get new people on the Run so when Vietnam era vets cannot continue the ride it does not end. They helped five FNG's afford going on the ride this year and are raising funds by selling patches.

After that there wasn't much left to do but go to bed and get ready for the start of the Run For The Wall.

*New people to the Run are called FNG's. In Vietnam, this was a name for new soldiers. On the Run, many refer to FNG as Fine New Guy.

Day 4: Registration

2011-05-17T06:08:00.000-07:00

We slept in this morning and did not hurry through breakfast. It was pretty uneventful, although I felt a little sick for a while.

Mr. Kevin asked if I could help with registration. He needed me around noon, so I got up and went to the Hotel across the parking lot, where everyone would gather to sign up for RFTW. Most of the bikers had come by now and there were plenty of opportunities to talk to people.

I spent some time labeling papers and tags with numbers 1-200, and by the time I had finished with that the registration line was very long. It took a long time for very much progress to be made at all.

The line did not end all day. Just as soon as it got close another group would arrive, making the registration workers busy for hours on end.

Dad and I eventually got registered after the line had shortened quite a bit. It seemed strange to me that after all this, we were only just now on the Run officially.

After that, we were invited to eat dinner at a spaghetti restaurant. We had a great time talking with many people. The portions of spaghetti were so large that many of us did not finish our meals, although Dad and I did.

We went back to the hotel, very sleepy from a busy day and a huge dinner.

Day 3: Rancho Cucamunga

2011-05-15T22:44:00.000-07:00

We got up and left by six. It was cool outside, which meant the ride was a little cold. Things were going pretty smoothly. We only had a couple hundred miles and it looked like we would be there in no time.

Then we saw clouds--lots of clouds. Big, dark, cold and soaking wet black clouds. We stopped for gas before we hit them and thought about what to do. I think all of us wanted to stay at the gas station and wait it out, but Dad decided we should just go for it in case it only got worse. We only had one more leg and we weren't sure we would hit the storm anyway.

Keeping a close eye on those clouds, we set off again, keeping ready for the worst. We seemed to be headed straight for the storm, but the road turned in time and we avoided it, at least for a little while. Then it turned again and we faced a thick wall of water. It looked a bit like heavy rain, but as we got closer it turned out to be really thick fog. The change from clear air to the worst of the fog was abrupt. As soon as we entered the fog, I looked back and could not see anything else.

It was better than rain, but it was still miserable. Water didn't fall on us; it just got us wet as we rode through it. Thankfully our electronic gear stayed dry.

It also got really cold. I don't think it was quite as bad as Trinidad, but it got close. I'm not sure how long we were in the fog; it seemed somewhere around a half hour. I was so happy to see a sign saying Rancho Cucamonga was five miles away.

It started raining lightly as we pulled into the hotel parking lot. We couldn't find the entrance at first, but after we circled the building we figured out where it was. Finally, we parked and I was able to get off the bike. We went inside as soon as we could to check in. When we did, we heard that breakfast was still open for another ten minutes. We hadn't eaten yet, so me hurried and got some. Being some of the first bikers to have arrived at the hotel, most of everyone else there were "normal" people with suits and ties. Our hands were still clumsy from the cold, and while we made a bit of a mess of our breakfast people starting giving us weird looks.

We did not come out to get our stuff until we had gone into our room and settled in a bit. It rained some more while we were indoors, but eventually we went outside to move the luggage and the bikes.

We stayed in the room for a few hours, waiting for Dad's meeting at one. When it came around, Dad left and I stayed in the room for a couple hours longer.

When he came back, he let me leave the hotel and talk to the people who had come since the last time I was outside. People were arriving pretty steadily for it being this early. I talked to many people I recognized, and the rest of the day was mostly spent talking.

In the evening, Dad, Mr. Kevin, Chaplain Gryder (who rode with Dad, me and Chaplain Dean last year) and another friend walked around for a few minutes. We found a Carl's Jr. where we ate dinner. We all talked a while, and when we were done we all went home for the night. Tomorrow more bikers will arrive and will be filling out paperwork to sign up for RFTW.

Day 2: New Mexico-Arizona

2011-05-15T14:24:00.000-07:00

We started out again much like the day before. We did not have to get up early again, so we took it pretty easy while we got packed and ate breakfast. Dad had a good time talking with DC before we took off again.

It was hot and windy as we rode across Arizona on Highway 40. I enjoyed recognizing a lot of the same places we stop on the Run For The Wall route. We stuck with each other for most of the day, but we weren't stopping in Las Vegas, so when we had lunch at McDonald's we parted ways. It was a bit of a letdown to be back to two bikes, but I knew we would see each other the next day.

We continued on our way to Needles, CA. It got a lot hotter right after stopping at Kingman. I was glad we were moving fast as the wind kept me relatively cool.

Soon we stopped for the day. Gas was ridiculous in California, at $4.89 a gallon for the cheap stuff! I hated to stop at all, because when the wind quit blowing it was hotter than before. We quickly checked into a Motel 6 and turned the air conditioning on. I was glad we rode so hard the day before so that we didn't have to go far today. Better yet, tomorrow is going to be even shorter. However, Dad needs to be at Rancho Cucamunga by 11AM for a meeting, so we won't have quite as much time to be slow. After that, we can relax for a few days before the Run starts.

Day 1: The Trip Begins...Again.

2011-05-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

A few days ago Mr. Kevin came to our house. He is riding with Dad and I this year, so he stayed with us at the house until today. We got everything loaded on (including all three of my cameras/camcorders) and said goodbye. We prayed briefly for safety on the road and that things would go well at home, too.

Then we were off. We had waited to leave until eight because the temperature was twenty degrees colder at six, but when we did get on the road it was still cold. The temperature itself wasn't so bad, but we were on motorcycles, which meant a lot of windchill. I figured out right away what I had forgotten to take. Gloves. My hands felt so cold, but there was nothing to do.

We stopped in Avondale, just a few minutes West of our house, to make sure we had enough gas for the ride. From there, we went through Pueblo and got on I-25. We traveled for a while just fine, but the it got colder. Dad only had fingerless gloves on, and he didn't want to put his winter gloves on until our next fuel stop. The only thing for us to do was to tough through it.

Finally, we made it to Trinidad and stopped. Dad was barely able to use the gas pump, but after he did we went inside and got coffee. We stayed for a half hour, but our hands were numb for most of that time. We were all glad for the break.

Reluctantly we pulled ourselves away from the indoors and took off again. Dad had his winter gloves on now, but it turned out he didn't need them much. The weather got warmer the further South we went. Soon it was almost hot.

We crossed into New Mexico and made it to Albuquerque, where we stopped again for gas. But we weren't expecting to recognize anyone. When we pulled in, I recognised DC, who has been on the Run for several years, and two others. They were going the same route we were, so we just rode together for the rest of the day.

Someone else on a motorcycle with a large bag strapped to the back of his bike tried following us. He had a bright greenish-yellow safety vest, so I guessed that was a road guard. However, we were going pretty fast and he just couldn't keep up, so he eventually fell out of site. For a while, though, it seemed like we were leading our own run!

We finally stopped in Gallup, where we found a hotel to stay in. I was glad that we ate at Denny's for dinner after a long and hard day of riding. We talked a while before heading off to our rooms again. We had covered 500 miles today and the plan is to go 300 miles tomorrow, then 200 miles the day after to get us to Rancho Cucamunga, CA, where the Run begins. We should have a couple days to rest there before the Run begins. As always, I can't wait!

I'm Back

2011-04-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since my last post on this blog. I've had to skip Run For The Wall for a year while my Mom, Teresa Hubbell, went. But now my Dad has let me come back to finish my third and final year (that is, until I learn how to ride and get a bike, etc.)

I'm getting very excited about seeing everyone again. Last time I was on the Run, I had a little Sony camera I used to take the pictures for the blog. In the aspect of photography, I've gotten a little more ambitious. I now own a Canon Rebel T1i, an SLR camera that I was only dreaming of earlier. Also my Dad has a camcorder and I have a Flip video camera loaned to me, so not only will I be taking pictures but I will also shoot video. I hope to be able to put together a documentary of some sort when it's all said and done...

In the meantime, I have to prepare for the ride. With all of my new equipment, I have to find something to put it all in. SLR cameras take up a lot of room so I'll have to get creative.

That said, I can't wait to ride again!

The Missionary Kid

2009-06-29T19:18:00.001-07:00

To read about further adventures of my life, visit my new blog The Missionary Kid at

themissionarykid-spidey.blogspot.com

I hope you enjoyed reading about my trip on Run For The Wall and I also hope you will enjoy reading my new blog.

--Spidey

Conclusion

2009-06-23T11:16:00.000-07:00

From Colorado to California, from Washington, DC to Canada, from New Hampshire to home, this whole ride has been one of the most memorable times of my life. Though the hardships of bike trouble, bad weather, changed plans and much more have made the ride difficult, I do not regret going. I will do it again next year if I can and I can't wait to go on the Run once more. But until then, I wait and treasure the memories of the ride that I have completed already. Memories like being a part of NCOM and seeing all the presentations there, or finishing the Run and going to the Wall, staying at the church in Arlington and being able to see DC at night, riding to bike events and serving free coffee, seeing Niagara Falls in Canada and traveling home with the Vicories in their car--those are the memories that are embedded in me for life. I will not forget them.

Finishing the Run was a fulfilling experience, full of fun, hardships, friends and so much more. Some day I hope I will be able to do it on a motorcycle of my own--but for now, I am content to be on the back of my dad's bike.

If all goes well, I will be blogging again next year. Until then...

--Zach

Day 47

2009-06-23T11:04:00.000-07:00

In the morning we talked with Pastor Arnie and got ready for the day. We would not be riding on the bike because we did not think it could make it the hundreds of miles we had left to get home. Instead, our friends the Vicories came in their car and picked us up. We got our things packed up, loaded the bike onto the trailer and soon we were ready to go.

We had an enjoyable ride in the car. Since we had no air conditioning, we rolled down the windows and let the air in. I was grateful that we did not have to battle the ever-present winds of Kansas or get sprayed with oil. We didn't have to stop so often for gas, either.

I ate snacks for lunch. We looked at the scenery, listened to music and talked all day. It was nice, but both Dad and I were eager to get home.

After hours of driving, we finally crossed into Colorado! We were sure it would not be long until we got home.

But we were wrong.

Suddenly we heard a bang followed by several repetitive thumping noises. I thought we had blown a tire, but when we got out we found it was much more complicated. Immediately everyone was on their phones, calling insurance companies, tow trucks, family and more. But at the end of it all we were in almost the same spot as before.

Luckily Mr. Russell, who had been driving the whole time, came up with a solution. He took out what had snapped and, since the rear wheels would not be able to accelerate, put it into four-wheel drive! It worked, and we drove all the way home using the method. Not only had our bike broken down, but the car had, too.

We had barely gotten home--but we had arrived.
We were greeted by the rest of the family. It felt so good to be back! We got our bags in the house, said goodbye to the Vicories and enjoyed the rest of the evening with the family. For the first time in about a month and a half, I actually got to sleep in my own bed.

Our journey had ended. The trip was over. Our mission is complete.

Day 46

2009-06-18T18:59:00.001-07:00

In the morning it was raining very hard and we could hear loud thunder. It did not look like a fun day to ride.

We got some breakfast and waited in the motel, hoping the rain would let up before we had to check out. And luckily, it did! It stayed cloudy, but the rain and thunder had quit coming down.

Dad took the opportunity to work on the bike and see if he could stop the huge oil leak that had started up a couple days before.

After Dad had finished tinkering with the bike and had put it back together we got packed and set off. It started heating up quickly and before we knew what had happened we were unzipping or taking off our jackets.

We crossed from the East side of the US to the West and had left Illinois. We rode most of the day in Missouri and got hot dogs for lunch. We rode a few hundred miles, but it felt much longer in the heat. Each time we stopped we had to clean the bike because oil was still flying everywhere.

My leg was constantly covered with the slippery substance and I could not keep my foot on the floorboards.

Finally we crossed into Kansas. We did not have to ride long before we got to Pastor Arnie's house where we would be staying the night. But first, being that he was not home yet, we tried to clean the oil off ourselves. We got our bags in and waited a while. When Pastor Arnie came home, we got pizza for dinner and enjoyed the evening with him.

Day 45

2009-06-18T15:38:00.000-07:00

We got packed quickly and set off for a long day of riding. We wanted to get home in three days at latest, which meant about five hundred miles a day.

Soon it was raining hard, so we got our rain gear on and kept riding. For lunch we got corn dogs. When we were out of New York, the rain cleared up, so we took our rain gear off.

The day went by slowly. It was filled with much riding and stopping for gas. We also got much oil because the bike was leaking a lot. By the end of the day my right leg was covered in oil!

Soon it got late, so we checked into a motel. I picked up some dinner and we spent a good night after a long, hard day.

Day 44

2009-06-18T15:15:00.000-07:00

In the morning we got some breakfast, packed everything up and headed back to the Harley Dealership. It was a long, hot walk, but we eventually made it. There, we found that all the parts we needed for the bike had come in. Now all the bike needed was a bit of work to get the parts in and then we could leave!

We had to wait for a few hours before it would be ready, so we walked to a nearby fish store and looked around. We soon got tired of that so we went back. Dad got out the computer and was on the Internet for most of the time. I watched him a lot and looked at bikes. It was a long morning.
Finally the bike was finished. We got to see what was wrong with it and found that one rod that was very important had burned and broken into several pieces!

We got on the road again after putting the last bags on the bike. The day was clear and enjoyed the good weather. We traveled a little, then stopped and got some dinner. After that we went on a bit more and stopped for some oil and gas.

When we stopped again we were at the Canadian border. It took some time to get across and there was so much security I was not even allowed to take pictures! First we got our passports checked and there were questions constantly--where are you going, what are you doing, how long will you be here, and much more. Then we waited in a big room and took papers and gave them back and all sorts of things.

Finally, we got through. After a bit of riding around we found a spot to park and looked at Niagara Falls. Thick mist covered us and got everything wet. Tons of water all came gushing down in unbelievable constant amounts. It was really something to look at.

When we had finished getting soaked with mist and looking at the Falls we walked indoors. Most everything was closed but I was able to get a molded penny with a Niagara falls design on it.

Then bad news came. When we had walked back to the bike Dad decided we would not go any farther into Canada because among other reasons the bike was leaking oil badly and the last thing we wanted was to be stranded in a foreign country hundreds and hundreds of miles away from home.

So we rode back. By the time we crossed back over into America the Falls were lit up and it was getting dark quickly. Going back into the USA was a lot easier than leaving and soon we were back in our homeland.

We looked for some camping but it was really expensive, so we rode away from the Falls and found a cheap motel room, where we spent the night.

Day 43

2009-06-15T18:55:00.000-07:00

After the long night before, I woke up rather late. We immediately started packing and got some breakfast in the lobby. Being that the bike would not work, we did not get on it and ride another few hundred miles that day--instead, we waited for a tow truck to pick us up. When it arrived Dad and the tow truck man (plus with a tiny bit of help from me) got the bike into a trailer, along with our luggage. Then we climbed into the truck and were driven to the nearest Harley Davidson dealership, where we got the bike into the shop.

In the best case scenario we would not be able to leave until the afternoon of the following day. First, the mechanics would have to make sure they knew that the problem was what they thought it was. After that, they would have to order and over-night the right parts because they did not have them at the time. In addition to all that, two other bikers were broken down there and we would have to come last. We were in for a long stay in Rome, NY.

Someone graciously gave us and our luggage a ride in his car. We were going to go to the nearest cheap motel, but Dad thought we might as well rent a car if we were to stay for a while with no transportation. So at the last second Dad got us stopped at an Enterprise car rental. Once in the building, we found our error: no cars were available at the time.

Our ride was gone. We were left with our bags. The nearest motel was at least a mile away. And we had no choice but to pick up our bags and walk all the way on what would seem like the longest mile of the whole trip.

After much walking and sweating in the hot sun we finally got to the motel. I felt hot and tired, but I knew Dad must have been feeling worse because he was carrying the heavier bag.

When we found how expensive it was for a room, we walked to another motel. But that one's prices were even worse, so we went back to the first one and got a room. We almost stayed there for the rest of the day except when we got some fried chicken for lunch and when we got a few snacks at a pharmacy nearby. We also did laundry.

Hopefully we could make it home soon--but for the night we knew we would have to wait a few extra days.

Day 42

2009-06-14T19:50:00.001-07:00

It was raining hard when I woke up. That was not good, being that we had to leave for home that day. But first, we tried to pack up a little. We got most of our things ready, but there were a few details left after we had to go to church.

Dad preached another good sermon, even though it lasted until
nearly noon.

Afterwards we had lunch in the Pastor's house. We had a good time and when it was time to leave we said goodbye. After that we finished packing for the trip home. We put on our rain gear and got on the bike. The trip home had begun.

It was cold and raining hard. Our rain suits kept us mostly dry. We stopped for gas not long after leaving. We did not spend much time at the stop. We had had a late start to the day and we wanted to make some good mileage before the night came. As we rode, the rain started to clear. Blue sky peaked out of the gray and black clouds and we took off our rain gear.

In one leg we crossed through Vermont. We saw the Battle of Bennington Monument again and we got to see the Hubbell Homestead as well. When we stopped again we were in New York. At the big truck station we fueled up and got dinner. It was already getting late in the day, so we rode on for one more leg.

It went by fine until the end. We had just gotten off an exit and passed through a toll booth when something went wrong with the bike. We came to a sudden stop with some quick jolts and bumps. Dad broke out the tools and tried to see what was wrong. The problem was too complicated to fix right then, so we tried to get the bike to run a few more miles to the gas station. We barely got it there. Dad called to see if we could get towed to a motorcycle shop, but he decided it would be better to try and go to the nearby hotel--pushing the bike there if we needed to. Luckily, the bike started up one more time and we somehow got to the hotel. It completely stopped right in the parking lot. We had somehow made it. Even though the room was expensive, we spent the night there. We had no choice--there was nothing to take us anywhere else.

Day 41

2009-06-14T19:46:00.000-07:00

We got up early in the morning and both of us took showers. After that we rode for a while then stopped in a church parking lot where several other bikes had gathered. We got to see Mr. Mark Rittermeyer and his wife along with Mr. Keith and his wife. It was good to see them, brief as the visit was. They were doing another free coffee tent for the Laconia event. For the moment they were going on a run with the other bikes and needed to go. Since we weren't doing it with them, we just went off on our own after saying goodbye. We wouldn't see them again on the run.

We went to a Harley Davidson dealership, where vendors were set up everywhere. We looked around a little bit and bought a thing or two, then moved on.

The next place we went was a long ride away. We were trying to get to a Christian Unity Meeting, but found only ourselves and one other person there. We found that we had arrived on the wrong Saturday--the meeting would happen in a week! So we just went back. When we got to where all the vendors were set up at, we found the road jam packed! Traffic was hardly moving, so we stopped by an ice cream shop near a lake to wait out the traffic.

We also got some ice cream. We watched the motor boats speed by and had a good time. But we eventually had to keep going.

We finally got to all the vendors. We parked and walked around. It was very hot. We got some t-shirts and stopped to get some soda and rest. We also talked with the family back at home.

We went back home after that and ate what fried chicken we had left over from a day or two before. After that we went to bed.

Day 40

2009-06-14T19:43:00.000-07:00

We started the day with playing some video games that the Pastor had let us borrow. He also invited us for breakfast and the Pastor's wife cooked us some eggs.

After breakfast we rode to many stores. We went to a different Harley Davidson dealership than we had been in the day before and looked at more bikes. We also bought another tent that looked pretty good and was cheap.

We got fried chicken for lunch and had some left over for later. We rode around a little while more, then went back to the church. We nearly ran out of gas on the way, but luckily we found a gas station before we were stranded. Meanwhile the weather had finally cleared and it was even hot!

We sat and played video games most of the day. We had another dinner that the Pastor gave us and then went to bed.

Day 39

2009-06-14T19:40:00.000-07:00

In the morning it looked like the weather had cleared up, but when I got out of the tent I found it was still cloudy. We packed up the camp and once again got on the road.

We had sixty miles to travel. It was a little cold, but not that bad. The riding was okay, however tolls seemed to be placed on the road every few miles. Other cars also crowded the road. We stopped halfway through the trip and got some breakfast. We stayed a while, enjoying the warmth of the indoors and talking to the family back at home. Homesickness was starting to attack us both.

We traveled the other half of the trip and got to a church. The pastor and his family lived in a separate section of the church.

They were busy getting our RV guest house ready. We helped out a little, then went on the bike again to see the town. We rode to a Harley Davidson dealership, then went over to a WalMart, where we returned the tent we had just bought. Dad wasn't satisfied with the design and knew it would let rain in. So we just got our money back and hoped for another tent that would work for us. After that we went to another store and got some groceries.

The Pastor provided lunch and we greatfully took it. When the day came to a close, we had some snacks and went to bed.

Day 38

2009-06-14T19:35:00.001-07:00

Clouds covered the sky in the morning, but there was no rain. So we started packing.

I ate some breakfast, then we finished packing, checked out of the motel, and set off. It was pretty cold and the wind in my face did not help.

We rode a very short distance, but by the end of the day we had been in three states! First we rode one leg and had to stop for gas. We were still in New Hampshire then.

After that we rode a little more distance to a store, where we bought dinner and a couple of other things. We wanted to camp near a beach, so we moved on. We crossed over into Maine, where we only stayed a few minutes. We looked for state parks that would allow camping, but found none. So we turned around and went back into New Hampshire. There we stopped at an RV park right next to the Atlantic Ocean. We tried to get a spot there, but it was for RV's only--no campsites there. The manager directed us to a camping place about four or five miles down the road. When we got there, we found ourselves in Massachusetts! We paid for the spot, got set up and Dad started heating up dinner.

He had bought seafood and asparagus. It was really good, with squid, shrimp and imitation crab meat. Although I liked it, I have to admit I won't want it again for a little while. Too much of one thing is never good--and that goes for seafood as well.

Afterwards I rinsed off the pans and bowls, then Dad and I went for a short walk on the beach. We found shells and a dead crab, walked on top of boulders, sat on a log and talked and just had a great time together. It's one of those things you can't really explain; it's just a father and son type of thing. Short as it was, the walk was just great.

Dad topped off the bike's engine oil before we got into the tent and went to bed early. It had been a great, fun day. And the clouds that were above us the whole time could not stop us from enjoying it.

Day 37

2009-06-09T16:31:00.000-07:00

When we got up in the morning it was raining hard outside. I was getting our bags packed to, but Dad stopped me. We got a special deal from the manager so we could stay the day in the motel. And when Dad looked at the intense rain out of the window, he agreed. We would spend the day in a motel room.

We had a pretty good breakfast--not as good as in the big hotel,
but still pretty big.

I spent the day mostly by watching television. It is a treat at first, but after a few hours I got tired of looking at a screen. I ran errands for Dad occasionally, like getting some ice from the ice machine or buying some soda for him.

Dad had saved me an English muffin, peanut butter and jelly for lunch. Pretty clever, I thought. Before then I didn't think there were ingredients for a PB&J at the breakfast table. Dad ate pizza left over from the day before. He also had me get some burgers and snacks from the neighboring McDonald's.

The hours slowly drug on by. The rain cleared up some, but it moved to where we would be heading if we got on the bike. So we still were not tempted to leave.

We took a walk to buy dinner and some other things when the day was getting close to ending. It was raining very lightly. We checked out a couple of stores, then went back to the motel.

After I heated up dinner Dad also had me get some more burgers. He was still a little hungry. We finished those up and then went to bed, hoping the rain would clear by the next morning.

Day 36

2009-06-08T16:31:00.000-07:00

Because we had asked for a late check-out time, we did not hurry to get packed. First we got another wonderful breakfast. After that we started packing and we left soon afterwards.

It was a great day for riding. Only a few clouds dotted the sky from what I could see. The temperature was perfect, the scenery was great and we did not need to ride far at all.

We crossed the border into Vermont. The hills were covered with green trees. Mountains rose up out of the ground and the road was not all that straight. Soon we started to see houses that were hundreds of years old! We rode by the Hubbell Homestead and just had to turn around. Since our last name is Hubbell, we rode into the driveway and looked at the building. We later found that the door is said to have been shot with a bullet by a Hessian spy in the battle of Bennington. We stopped at a nearby store to see if the locals knew much about the building, but we did not get much information.

In the distance I saw a long, greyish looking structure that looked much like the Washington Monument. I wondered what it was and as we rode through an old town I realized we were riding toward it!

Finally I saw it from base to the top. The Bennington Battle Monument towered above us. The battle itself was a major turning point in the Revolutionary War with one of the first big victories for the States and it took place in 1777. The monument was built from 1887 to 1891 and was a total of 306 feet and 4 and a half inches tall. It was one of the biggest monuments I had ever seen! We drove around it on a circular road and I got to see it from all sides. Two statues surrounded it. As I was looking up at it I got kind of dizzy.

We parked and looked around. The gift shop sold tickets to go up into the structure and we both got to go in for three dollars. I wanted to walk up the stairs as far as they went, but it was closed off and I don't think Dad was too enthusiastic to go with me. So we got in the elevator. It took quite a while to get very high and there was still much more until the top--but visitors were only allowed so far.

Through slits I saw the huge hills and thousands of trees of Vermont. The town looked small under me and it was a great view. It was worth the three dollars and much more.

Eventually we had to go back down. After some more sight-seeing we stopped by the gift shop again. Dad had been told that someone knew more about the Hubbell Homestead and their involvement in the Bennington Battle. We found that five Hubbells had fought in the battle!

After this adventure we took off again. We stopped at a fast food restaurant and had lunch there, then got a room at a motel. Dad had planned on camping that night, but we just wanted to relax. So we spent the evening in the motel. We had pizza for dinner that evening and did nothing else but watch TV and relax.

Day 35

2009-06-07T18:36:00.000-07:00

We were in no hurry to get up in the morning and did not want to climb out of a soft bed. We both had separate beds, making oversleeping even more tempting.

Eventually we did get up and went down to the lobby for some breakfast. It was the fanciest breakfast I had ever seen in a hotel! Chefs waited for an order, then cooked up whatever was wanted. We also got more from a table. I stuffed myself! Even then, I had to leave some of my breakfast at the table to get ready for church.

I thought we were leaving the hotel that morning, so I got busy packing our bags. But Dad finally told me a little before we had to leave that we would be staying the night there again! So I just got ready and we left.

We arrived an hour early and spent it talking with the pastor. When the service started we had to get out to the sanctuary.

Dad preached a good sermon (as usual). Afterward people came to him and commented on it many times and the pastor took us out to lunch, too. We went to a big fancy restaurant and stayed long after everyone else had left. Of course Dad was talking the whole time.

Back at the hotel we just rested the day away. I was tempted to go swimming but since other people were already in there and since Dad didn't want to go with me I didn't go either.

We ate on leftover pizza and food from lunch for dinner. I took another shower, then went to bed.

Day 34

2009-06-07T18:30:00.000-07:00

In the morning I found a note explaining that Mr. Nathan and his family had to leave before we got up. So we just packed up and left without any goodbyes. While packing we had to leave being our old tent to make room for the new one.

We stopped by the coffee tent one last time and talked for a few hours. It was the last day of the event so after the visit we left early.

It was a great ride to the hotel. Not too hot or cold, the scenery was nice and it was not a long trip.

We arrived at a big hotel. We had some trouble checking in but soon entered a comfortable room. We ordered some pizza and stayed in the room for the rest of the day.

Both of us took hot showers. We also set up the new tent briefly to see how it worked and it was nicer than we had thought. It was not a big day at all.

We got to sleep at a time that was not very late and tried to rest so we could be ready for the next day, in which Dad would speak at a church.

Day 33

2009-06-06T16:09:00.001-07:00

Since we would be leaving the next morning, we washed the laundry and stayed at the house for a long time before going to the ministry tent.

We also dropped by a store and purchased a camping tent. I bought some ink for my patch so I could fill in all the states I had been in. Then we finally rode to the ministry tent.

It was a busy day. Many people got coffee. For lunch Mrs. Mary Anne made us some sandwiches.

I was asking Dad if he would ever buy more patches for his vest to see if I had done well in buying him one. But with that he said that he would go and get the Panhead patch I had already bought him! So I told him I had already bought it, and we just got it sewn on instead. Meanwhile, I got some of my new patches sewn onto my vest as well.

Later Mr. Mark took me to get some ice cream. It was funny to see bikers crowded around, all eating ice cream. Definitely not something you see every day.

When the day was just about over Dad and I went back to Mr. Nathan's house. We had dinner there again and I finally got to fill in my patch.

When it got dark Dad and I went with Mr. Nathan's family and watched a movie at a drive-in. It was nice and we stayed up once again very late.

I was so glad to crawl into bed that night.

Day 32

2009-06-06T15:27:00.000-07:00

In the morning we got going too quickly for me to get any breakfast, but I was able to get some food at the tent after a short ride.

Dad took me around the rally to see some of the many vendors and countless bikes. While at a patch booth I saw a patch that said "Panhead," which is my dad's road name. He had never gotten a patch like that before and I told myself then and there that I had to buy him that patch.

I did not want Dad to know about it because I was going to surprise him with it on Father's Day or his birthday. So I worked out a plan: I would ask Mr. Mark to take me around to see the vendors like Dad had just done and I would buy the patch then. So we left again. Mr. Mark left the opposite way of the patch booth to fool Dad if he was watching. Then we doubled back and I got it. But we did not come back just then. To make it seem like we had been gone a long time and had seen more vendors than just the patch vendor, Mr. Mark took me to the other side of the rally. We stopped at a beef jerky booth and Mr. Mark bought some expensive beef jerky. He gave me some and we walked back.

When business got very slow Mrs. Mary Anne and I played and solved a puzzle to pass the time. We also played a crossword but were not able to do much because I soon left with Dad to go back to Mr. Nathan's house for the night.

We had a great dinner and later a small group meeting was held. We watched a video and talked late into the night. In fact, by the time I got to bed it was a new day!

Day 31

2009-06-04T06:28:00.000-07:00

When I got up in the morning no one was in the house but us. I got some breakfast quickly and was ready in a short time. Dad was working on the bike. He modified the starter and it worked perfectly! If the bike did not start, all we had to do is push on the new, makeshift button.

Of course, the bike started without any trouble, so the button was not needed for a while.
We got to the tent for another long day. We had a few more people come for free coffee. Many times we were offered tips, but we turn them down because if we took tips the coffee would not really be free.

When it was time for lunch Dad lent me five dollars to buy some food at the neighboring booth. I gave the order, the food was cooked and I took it back to Dad. But something was missing. I had forgotten to pay! I ran back over and tried to give him the five dollar bill, but he did not take it. He said we helped his business. We gave the customers a place to sit and coffee to drink. As a result, people were attracted to his booth. So he gave us lunch.

Mr. Mark also gave us some canned meat for desert. It was very good, especially on raisin bread, provided by Mr. Kieth and Mrs. Lynn, who were working with us.

We talked the day away and soon we closed down. The church that was only a few blocks away was having church and Mr. Mark was preaching there. So we got some dinner at a restaurant, then rode to the church.

After singing many songs Mr. Mark came up and said a few words before taking an offering. He said that whatever money he got he would give back to the church! And he didn't pray for the
offering.

He called me up and I prayed for the offering. By this time I had been on stages and spoken to large groups so much that I wasn't very nervous with this rather small congregation.

After I prayed I took a plate and people piled money on it. When I had gone through everyone I went back to my seat and for the rest of the service stayed there.

After a good sermon and a very long prayer, we went our ways and I got to bed.

Day 30

2009-06-03T07:53:00.000-07:00

In the morning Dad and I got ready. I ate some breakfast and we attempted to leave--but the bike would not start. Dad took off a cover and pushed on something that made the bike start. Then, after putting the cover back on, we did ride out of the driveway and away from Mr. Nathan's house.

When we stopped I found we were in the middle of the Americade event. Motorcycles were parked anywhere there was an open space. I saw the tent I would be in for the next few days. Near the top was a banner that read "free coffee." This was going to be a very caffeine-filled day.

We met Mr. Mark Rittermeyer, his wife (who I call Panda Bear, but that's another story) and a few others under the tent. The day went very slowly. Only a few people took our free coffee. We talked a lot to pass the time. I got to put letters in a billboard and spelled out "free coffee! Thank you!" It was a new and fun experience, looking through dozens and dozens of letters, then putting them on the sign. When I was done, it was put by the road for everybody to see.

For lunch we had some pasta and fruit from the Rittermeyers' RV, which was parked nearby.

Once in a while we went to the nearby military surplus tent and looked around. Dad took me to a parts store, where he got a screw and a nut. I wondered what it was for...

The day eventually passed by and we put everything away. Then we rode to Mr. Nathan's Dad's house. The year before he had given me a pocket watch, made in 1914 to 1915. Now I thanked him on his 60th birthday.

For a while we sat and talked, but dinner was soon ready. There was so much good food! I couldn't eat much dessert, but there were four pies, ice cream and more! I just had to get a little.

Afterwards we sat down in the living room and talked about what was new in the year. Then we prayed and left. It was late and I saw 11 PM come around before I got to sleep.

Day 29

2009-06-01T19:52:00.001-07:00

Dad had finally preached and now it was time to leave, so we got packed and hit the road. We had a big day of riding ahead of us.

As we left DC for Lake George in New York State we felt the traffic slowly disappear. A few times when we stopped for gas the bike did not want to start again, like when we stopped for lunch. So he took some pieces apart, pushed this or screwed on that and soon it was running again.

It was chilly most of the day. We had to pay tolls along the road often. The long, five-hundred mile trip was wearing us down.

Finally we arrived at a friend's house and got our stuff in. Then, after starting the bike with some trouble, we looked for some dinner. The whole town of Lake George was packed. We could not park to eat anywhere because bikers had swarmed in for an event called Americade. We bought some things at a gas station and ate it at the house.

Before going to bed we talked to Mr. Nathan, who had come back to his house. But, being very tired, we did not talk long and soon we found ourselves in bed.

Day 28

2009-06-01T18:44:00.000-07:00

We began the Sunday morning by doing something unusual. The night before, Pastor Lynn had brought us some cherries from a tree nearby. We found the tree along with another one and had a breakfast of bittersweet fresh cherries while Sunday school started. But when that ended, we had to go in the church because Dad was preaching.

For once I didn't have to join Dad on the stage and I was relieved. He spoke a few words, then there was a baby dedication. After that Dad started up again and he preached until after noon!

We both were hungry after church and were glad to hear that there would be lunch at the house of the dedicated baby's parents. Pastor Lynn drove us there. It was crowded but the food was worth it--clams, mussels, crab, fish, many strange desserts and more exotic foods were at the table that day. When I was done I was absolutely stuffed! I had not been so full in quite a while.

We got home and rested for two hours. I felt too full to do anything else anyway.

The evening service was about to begin and Dad was preaching again. There was almost no one at the church any more and Pastor Lynn had made a rule: There has to be more people in the pews than on the platform before church begins. We slowly started when the service was twenty minutes late. Pastor Lynn asked both Dad and I to come up on the platform, where people asked us questions and we answered them. I was not very nervous because only a few people were there.

Then Dad preached some more. There was still some daylight left when he was done and we snuck back to the cherry trees. We found a third tree that was almost bare. Those cherries were the sweetest, but there was only a few.

When we got done with our snacking Pastor Lynn took us to dinner. We had such a good time talking that we stayed up until midnight!

When I finally crawled into bed I was totally exhausted, ready for a long sleep.

Day 27

2009-05-31T04:21:00.000-07:00

When we got moving around Dad and I found Reverend Mark busy cleaning his bike. We made breakfast for ourselves and him. It was pretty good.

Dad had found an abandoned cot with one corner ripped. Seeing that it was compact enough to fit on the bike, he took it in and tried to sew it up.

We also washed our laundry, being that we would soon be leaving the church.

When it was time for lunch, I got out some clam chowder. Pastor Lynn dropped by with some burgers, giving me a double lunch. Soon after that Reverend Mark had us go with him for some fried chicken. By this time I was stuffed, so I just got some soda and pies.

Dad worked on his bike a little and we had another restful day. I was still full by the time we started dinner, but I ate some of the BBQ that appeared out of nowhere in the fridge. It had been labeled, "For Curtis and Zach." The people at the church are very nice.

Reverend Mark was leaving the next morning for a bike event, so we said goodbye to him and then also to Pastor Lynn, who was going to bed. With that we got to bed ourselves after a restful and not too eventful day.

Day 26

2009-05-30T08:23:00.001-07:00

We started the morning as usual, making breakfast by ourselves again before Reverend Mark was able to join us. Pastor Lynn was with us as well, because the kitchen had been locked and she had had to open it. Then Pastor Neubauer came, bringing extra food from McDonald's. We had quite a breakfast.

Dad wanted to see a movie in at the theater that day, so Pastor Lynn drove us to the gigantic mall of Arlington. There we went up three floors to the theater. None of the movies we really wanted to see were playing and the one that we thought might be worth watching didn't start until hours later! So we walked around in the mall for a while, checking out the numerous stores in the building.

We entered a video game arcade, but prices were so high we stopped after one game. After more walking around, Dad stopped at a group of massage chairs. He gave me a dollar and we both sat down for three minutes of relaxation.

At least Dad enjoyed it. For me it was like someone was poking me in the back. It felt kind of good when it massaged the lower back, but when it did the neck I thought the chair was trying to strangle me!

After some time Dad gave up on the movie and Reverend Mark picked us up. The movie tickets were expensive anyway, Dad reasoned. Reverend Mark took us to a guitar shop, where we played some guitars for a while. It was fun, but the day was ending and we needed to go back to the church. We stopped at the grocery store, but ended up buying only some ice cream.

It was raining the hardest I had seen yet. It had already been thick earlier, but now it seemed like whole sheets of rain came dumping down in flood-like conditions. We had dinner at Reverend Mark's house. I got to meet the rest of his family over a dinner of take-out Chinese food. Then, after of course a long conversation, we walked downstairs to see another movie. While we sat down there Reverend Mark gave me a belt with a Harley Davidson logo on it!

The rain had stopped by the time the movie ended. I was just about ready for bed, but as we got outside I noticed three people following us--Reverend Mark and two of his three daughters. We all got into his car and it dawned on me. Earlier he had commented on seeing DC at night. And that was what we were going to do!

The cool air was perfect and a small bit of the moon glowed, giving the night a certain feeling that something special was happening.
The Lincoln Memorial was very different. The large structure was lit up and Lincoln himself was pure bright white. As we walked up the steps Reverend Mark showed us that in the steps was writing. It said in big letters "I have a dream." He told me that this was where Martin Luther King Jr. gave that speech.

After a while we looked at the Vietnam Wall. The sober feeling that surrounded it was not lost with lights. It was very dimly lit so that I could make out letters and names but my camera could not--at least not without a flash.

From there we moved on to the Korean War Memorial. This was the first time I had ever seen it. The white, life-sized statues, also dimly lit, looked like ghosts. Their faces were not very detailed except, my Dad said, for one. I thought I might have seen the one, but I'm not sure.

There was also a wall. It looked like any other wall until I got close up to it. Then I saw faces appearing everywhere. Etched in stone were real pictures from the war, faces that now could probably only be seen in memory or on this wall.

We made our way back to the car and drove along the Reflection Pool until we found the World War II Memorial. We found a large arch and walked under it onto a ledge that overlooked a huge pool of water with a fountain in the middle. Fifty pillars surrounded it, one for each state. Lights were everywhere, making the memorial as a whole beautiful, a place that I will not forget.

With that we got into the car and drove back to the church. I saw the Iwo Jima Memorial on the way, dramatically lit up in the night. Then it was gone as we drove away.

Day 25

2009-05-29T07:48:00.000-07:00

We slept in until eight-thirty in the morning! When I looked at the clock I was startled. Dad and I got up and quickly started breakfast. It wasn't like we had a busy schedule, but we didn't want to sleep through the day.

Dad and I made breakfast, but Reverend Mark was not there until the job was done. We had the usual breakfast we had been eating for days now: eggs, sausage, toast. But instead of toast I made mini pancakes, which worked just as well.

After breakfast Reverend Mark took us to the National Firearms Museum. We got to see centuries-old guns with complex ways of firing. Some designs looked more like a knife with a trigger than an actual firearm! Computers placed here and there let us type in a gun that we wanted information about--first, we would put in the number on the glass case it was in. Then, we would type in the number next to the gun. Once that was done, they usually had a few paragraphs explaining what the gun was, when it was made, who made it and all that good stuff. We saw a gigantic gun that looked like a cannon! I looked it up and the computer said that it could take down one hundred birds in one shot! I also saw an elephant gun, used in the search for David Livingstone.

We spent about an hour there, then went back to the church. We helped Pastor Neubauer by helping him move some computers and other things from one room to another. While doing that, the pastor handed me a high quality leather wallet with a chain that could attach to my jeans so I would not lose it. It looked like my Dad's, but a little smaller-sized, just right for me. I have been wearing it ever since.

Then we got tacos for lunch and had a great time. When we got back we rested a while. A meeting of the board of the church was about to start, so we left with Reverend Mark to a nearby store. There we got chips, salsa, soda and more. We went inside his
house and watched a movie before we went to bed.

Day 24

2009-05-28T07:15:00.001-07:00

Breakfast that morning was particularly good. Dad, Mr. Mark and I all worked on it together. It did not take much time to eat, but at two in the afternoon we were still talking!

Finally we stopped talking long enough for us to get into Reverend Mark's car and go to a different Harley Davidson Dealer. We looked around a lot and talked about bikes for a little while. Then we moved on and went to a Target store, where Dad looked for a tent and I looked for a certain ink that will not wash off of the patch that I had bought at the beginning of the Run For The Wall. Neither of us found what we were looking for, so we looked in one more store. We had no luck there, either.

We rode back "home" to the church in the car and arrived about an hour before the Wednesday night church service began. In that time Dad and I went back to the office basement and got some rest.

We got some dinner that the church was serving, then walked into the room where we had church. Because it was church for kids that night, we sang songs made for kids. We used hand motions and repeated the songs faster than before, things that I think were used so that the kids would not get distracted.

Dad and I then walked up on the platform where we would both speak. I talked to the kids about what it is like to be a missionary kid (because I get to travel with him on missions trips). I was nervous, but not nearly as nervous as when I had to speak to the adults on Sunday. Later Dad said I did okay. I hope so.

Then Dad preached a sermon he had many times before. But this time he added a few more jokes and played around a little more. The kids seemed entranced, being happy when the story he was telling was happy, and when it was sad the kids were, too.

After an hour or so we went back into the dining room of the church, where we had cake to celebrate both a birthday and an anniversary.

Pastor Lynn, Dad and I were the last ones in the church, talking late into the night.

Day 23

2009-05-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

We started the day much like the one before--we got up slowly, then Dad and Reverend Briley made breakfast. Then Mr. Mark got his car out and he drove us around DC a while.

We saw historic buildings such as the Capitol, the Library of Congress and more. We stopped and walked over to the White House, where some protest was going on. Mr. Mark commented, "There's always a protest going on here."

We moved on and stopped at the Smithsonian American History Museum. We had been planning on going there since the beginning of the trip.

As we walked in I was glad to get out of the cool and rainy weather we had had to walk in near the White House. The first thing I saw was a giant mass of mirrors all placed along the wall and at different angles so that it looked like a shiny, waving flag!

But the day would go by fast, so we had to get to business. We entered an opening in the wall that led us behind where the glass flag was. I would have taken some pictures, but a man next to the entrance told me I could not in this area.

We saw artifacts from the Revolutionary War--pieces of wood from a ship, scraps of the Star Spangled Banner, cannon balls, then the flag itself.
The Star-Spangled Banner, the centuries-old flag that our National Anthem was written about lay there in front of me. It was much larger than had I thought it was, and much more worn, too. There were holes in it. Some pieces were cut out and other parts looked stained. Yet there it was in front of me, still together and surviving after all these years. It was amazing.

We had to move on. We saw the statue of George Washington, holding the hilt of his sword out as if he was giving his defenses to the people.

Then we got to a room that showed recent inventions like bullet-proof material. We did not spend much time there because we needed to hurry to see most of the museum. Some places we would slow down if we were really interested, but this was not quite one of those places.

We passed through a maze of a room. Hallways and walls and little areas set aside were everywhere. The one we were walking through was about technology like electricity, then generators, then light bulbs. We even got to see one of Thomas Edison's notebooks!

Then we moved on. Cars of all sorts dotted the room. Then I saw one car that we owned! One that back at home we used regularly! If our van is old enough to be in the Smithsonian Museum, maybe it's time to get a new one.

We also saw one that my grandparents used to have, but I think they had gotten rid of it by now.

We traveled up to the third floor. We saw The Philadelphia, a boat that had been sunk in the Revolutionary War. It stayed under water in an upright position for centuries before it was found!

We stopped for lunch. Our two burgers, the fries and a drink ended up as a $20 bill! But what can you expect in Washington, DC? Or what's more, a Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC?

Then we entered an exhibit called The Price Of Freedom. It was one of the most memorable parts of the museum for me.

There I saw information and artifacts from the wars that America had been in--from the Revolutionary War to the war in Iraq. I saw George Washington's suit and his sword, a submarine from the Revolutionary War, a tree that had been completely split in two by the bullets of the Civil War, artifacts of the Spanish-American War, many televisions stacked on top of each other that all helped tell the story of the Vietnam War, packets of food that are dropped in Iraq and so many other things that it would take days to write about. I learned new things about the World Wars and the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the Korean War and many others. I don't think I will ever forget that part of the museum, because I really had seen just a little bit of the Price Of Freedom.

Then we went into the Abraham Lincoln Exhibit. I saw many things like his hat, suit, two molds of his face and more. I compared my hand with a mold of his and found that his are pretty large!

But when I got to the part where John Wilkes Boothe killed Lincoln, I was surprised to feel kind of angry. Before it had been a simple fact: After the Civil War, Lincoln was assassinated near the end of his Presidency. But now, when I saw his life with such detail, it became a reality: Just when life was getting good for Lincoln, when he could stop worrying, be happy, have the burden of the country lifted from his back, a vengeful man with a hatred of the North and of Lincoln killed him while he was finally doing something for himself rather than for others--relaxing at a theatre. And now he was dead.

But the killer could not undo what Lincoln had done and slavery was gone. With that thought, I left the Lincoln exhibit satisfied, with a new appreciation for our 16th President.

It was near closing time now. The day had gone by so fast! We got to see a few last things on the 2nd floor before leaving, like the Kermit the Frog puppet, a live-scale house from the pioneer days and more. My head ached from all the new information.

Mr. Mark picked us up and we went back to the church. On the way he ordered pizza. We walked to his house across the parking lot from the church and watched a movie while eating dinner there. It was a great way to end the day.

Finally we climbed into bed, exhausted and full of new memories.

Day 22

2009-05-26T06:34:00.001-07:00

We stayed in bed until nine in the morning, but I still felt tired. Then Dad made breakfast from some of the supplies in the church. Mr. Mark Briley came over and we talked a while before getting the shuttle ready for a trip to the Patriot Harley Davidson dealership, a short drive away.

Some other people temporarily staying near the church in tents tagged along. At the Harley Davidson store we looked around and Dad got some parts for the bike.

Then Mr. Mark took us to the Iwo Jima memorial. I recognized it immediately. It was much larger than I had thought it was. A marine agreed to let me have a picture with him while Mr. Mark took the picture!

Then we went back to the church and got Dad's bike in a shed. He worked on it for most of the day.

Someone bought tacos for lunch and I was glad to grab a few.

Once Dad was done with the bike (which was quite a while later) we went inside to make a dinner of ravioli. Then we planned on watching a movie that evening, but suddenly everyone was feeling very tired, so we just went to bed. It was a very restful day. Not much happened and I was grateful. Sometimes it's nice to take a day off.

Day 21: Lingering In DC

2009-05-25T11:32:00.000-07:00

Once again Dad and I did not have to go anywhere soon that morning, but Pastor Arnie Swift, the assistant route coordinator who had let us stay in his hotel room, was leaving for home. We said goodbye to him and he left. Then we spent much time saying goodbye to Chaplain Dean, who had now been with us for about two weeks. Then he left for Texas to go home.

We got packed on the bike and left for Arlington Assembly of God, where we would be staying for the next week.

We arrived a little before Sunday morning church began. We met our good friend Reverend Mark--not the Mark who was on Run For The Wall, but a different one we had met the year before.

Then we saw Pastor Neubauer, who had taken us to Amish country last year. And then Pastor Lynn, who showed us around and let us stay in the office both this year and last. I meet a lot of pastors and chaplains.

While church was getting ready Pastor Neubauer asked me if I would like to talk about what it is like to be riding on this trip. I figured this would end up like when I had to say the Pledge of Allegiance at the Kentucky Memorial, so I reluctantly agreed.

For about an hour I dreaded it. In Kentucky I just had to quote words that I knew and could repeat easily. But this time I had to think about the words.

Finally I found myself on the stage with the microphone pointed at me. Dad and I had been introduced and Dad was going to speak after me. But now it was my turn.

In a few words I talked about the ride, how great it was and the places I got to go. It was weird at the end. I was searching for words to say: "Sometimes when I see other kids I think to myself, 'Their Dad should take them on a trip like this.'" I'm not sure how it all came out because I kind of blacked out for a few seconds. But somehow I said it and with those last words I finished.

Dad spoke, then several others spoke including a girl my age. I could tell she was nervous too.

We went through seven other speakers before we got to Mr. Russ Cockrum, who was the official speaker of the day. After all of us he only had a few minutes left!

Then Pastor Neubauer took us to "Metro 29," his favorite restaurant in the area. I got stuffed as much as I could, then we went back to the office, where we rested before the evening service began.

There, a guitarist sang and played many Christian songs then preached a little.

After that we went to the same place we had had lunch and stayed up late talking. Finally we went to bed in the office.

Day 20: The Wall

2009-05-23T19:29:00.000-07:00

I slowly woke up, happy to be in a warm hotel rather than a tent. I had nothing to take down, no morning meeting deadline, no long motorcycle rides. In some ways I was glad we had finished the Run.

But we had one or two last things to do. After getting ready for the day we got on the bike and left for the Vietnam Memorial--the long black wall that I so looked forward to visiting each year.

The day was perfect for riding. The temperature was great, the sky was clear and we were on our way to DC. We crossed the historical bridge that took us into DC right behind the Lincoln Memorial. I saw statues along the road. This was no ordinary bridge.

We parked on the grass across the street from the Lincoln Memorial. Then we headed for the Vietnam Wall, where we would finally finish the "mission" of Run For The Wall.

It was longer and taller than I remembered from last time. As we walked along the black wall I saw all the tens of thousands of names. All those people died for my freedom, I reflected. It was humbling to see all those names.

Even at such a memorable place I could not hardly stand the heat--black walkways, the huge black wall and the crowding people increased the heat and I felt like I was baking. But those men on the Wall had suffered so much more than heat, I reminded myself. I could stand it, if I thought of it that way.

Dad ripped both arm bands off my arm and lay them at the wall. Finally I had something to drop off at the wall, unlike the year before.
We quickly got some lunch at a nearby gift shop. It was very expensive, being located near all the memorials.

We then went to the Lincoln Memorial, where we got pictures with the rest of the Run members on the numerous steps. Then we actually went inside the memorial, which we had failed to do the year before in our excitement to get to the Wall.

The statue of Lincoln was larger than I had thought. We gazed up at it for some time before moving on.

We met with Chaplain Dean and once again visited the Wall, this time with him. He had left earlier to visit the Arlington Cemetery.

We looked at the men's and the women's memorial statues near the Wall. Then we walked among the trees on a path, cooling down. After that we went back to the hotel, where I got a nap before dinner.

We went outside after a couple of hours and were picked up. So many people got in the small bus that the back end was weighed down and rubbed against the tires. By the time we reached the church one of the tires had blown!

We had a great dinner of ribs. Then we went to the last Run For The Wall ceremony, held in the church parking lot. And no ceremony is complete without plaques...

Then we went back to the hotel for the night, ready to get to bed.

Day 19: The Final Day of The Run

2009-05-22T17:30:00.000-07:00

When we got up it was cold, but not very wet. We had camped in grassy fields at a state fairgrounds and the tent had mostly dried off from the night before.

We got repacked and went to a hotel parking lot, where the last morning meeting was held. After it ended we got on the road. We had three eighty-mile long legs of the trip to go.

The first one was pretty nice. We stopped and, since we figured out the refreshments truck would not be with us any more, stocked up on the free snacks. We had to take off soon.

It was hot on the next leg. Chaplain Dean's bike was acting up and he rode in the back near us until we stopped again for lunch. Dad fueled up quickly and tinkered with the bike a little. The clutch was not working right and it looked like it might stop working completely on the next leg.
We got some lunch and took off, hoping we could make it to Washington DC on this very last leg of Run For The Wall. I prayed the whole way, with Dean and Dad both having bike problems.
We had the smoothest, most weather cooperative ride into DC there had been in years. The bikes worked well too.

We rode into DC, parked and were there. We had finished the ride from LA to DC in ten days. The Run was over.

But not the mission of the Run--we still had to go to the Vietnam Memorial. But that we could do later. For the day, we just got into the hotel room we were sharing with Chaplain Arnie Swift, the assistant coordinator. We bought some pizza and spent the day there, trying to get some rest after ten long, hard days of riding across the country. We had started with over 100 bikes. But as we rode into DC there were around 1,000 people, all riding their motorcycles!

We had finished the long trip to DC.

Day 18

2009-05-22T16:50:00.000-07:00

In the morning we got up, took down the tent and got some of the typical Run-For-The-Wall breakfast, consisting of biscuits and gravy, donuts and coffee. Then we got to the riders' meeting. Afterward we were delayed by a huge crash and some young people were killed. So we waited in the parking lot and, much off schedule, we all rolled out.

We went through a short leg and stopped at the West Virginia State Capitol. We got a huge picture with the whole Run gathered on the steps of the gigantic building. We would have gone inside, but we had to catch up and left soon after the picture.

The ride started to get interesting as we went into the mountainous forest. The road twisted and curved in fun but sometimes dangerous ways.

Then we turned around for the best accident we had ever had.

One person's bike quit running. I didn't get all the details, but I know that the person was not hurt at all, the bike only had a few scratches and that this was not a bad accident at all.

This gave us the opportunity to ride back alone. On the way Dad stopped for some ice cream. It was a nice break before returning to the stressful pack.

When we got to the school of Rainelle, where we stayed for much of the day, bikes filled the road. Children filled the schoolyard and we went among them, passing out tracts and signing papers. It is a big event for the kids because they have much respect for the Run. All year they look forward to this day. We went inside for lunch. While we waited in line I noticed several essays were posted along the wall about "the price of freedom." They were interesting and sometimes cute when you could figure out it was written by an eight-year-old.

We ate lunch in a gym and talked with Chaplain Dean, who had by then found us, until we were some of the last people still eating in the room.

Then we rode away to Lewisburg, West Virginia, and into a store where we looked for a new tent again. And, again, we walked out, dissatisfied with the high prices and the awkward shapes of the tents. Maybe the zipper could hold out for one more night.

We set up the tent, rested awhile, then went and got dinner. Then, exhausted, went to bed.

Day 17

2009-05-22T16:10:00.000-07:00

It was cold and wet when I got up. Dew had gathered all over the tent and outside the grass was soaked. But we had to get up and go.

At the meeting Dad got me set up with the computer and I tried to get an internet connection so I could post all my blogs. I missed the meeting and was not able to get on the internet, but Dad kindly got me some breakfast while I was at work.

Then we took off. Everything was very green--grass, trees and bushes everywhere. Unfortunately Chaplain Dean was still having allergic reactions, but he was doing a little better and could ride with the rest of the bikers.

We passed through Louisville, one of the largest and most dangerous cities between us and Washington DC. We had no crashes and we made it through fine.

It was not a long ride to the Veterans Administration Medical Center, where of course there was a ceremony and plaques to give out. We skipped most of it so that Dean, Dad and I could pass out shirts to veterans. Some of them had fought in World War II! We talked to one vet who had air-raided multiple times in Germany.

We left and, ten miles and one state line later, we stopped again at the Kentucky Vietnam Veteran's memorial. It is a giant sundial. Surrounding it is cement with the names of Vietnam Vets from Kentucky. The shadow of the sundial rests on the name of a vet who had died at that time of day. There was a ceremony, but this one I will not forget. The man heading it asked me before it started if I would like to help with saying the Pledge of Allegiance on the stage. I thought he was joking, so I just said no. But when Dad said that he wanted me to do it, I figured out that this was no joke.

So I got up to the microphone and repeated the phrases I knew so well. Looking back, I think I did okay.

Dad opened up in prayer and some people came and spoke. One talked about his son whose name was in the cement in the memorial. It did not belong there because he was still alive. He talked about the needs of making another search to recover and identify those who we did not know about or who had been misplaced in Vietnam.

We left once it closed. We rode for over forty miles before stopping again. We got lunch at a fast-food place because no lunch was provided by the Run. Then we fueled up and set off again.

It was a long leg in the heat of the day. It was also getting late, so we were tired as well. But we made it off of I-64 East and stopped at a water park in Wentzville, West Virginia, after being paraded by people again.

We had a nice dinner, set up the tent, took showers and got to bed.

Day 16

2009-05-21T17:17:00.000-07:00

In the morning we woke up to the sound of our alarms. It was five in the morning as usual. We remembered we could sleep in half an hour more, so we stayed in bed. Only fifteen minutes later we were up and getting packed.
We ate a large breakfast at the same VFW outpost that we had used the night before, then hurried over to the morning riders' meeting. We did the opening ceremonies but were mostly occupied with talking and getting ready before our first leg.
It was two miles long!
We stopped at the Wentzville fire station. Before the first long leg we watched firemen hold up flags and a band played the national anthem. We all looked up the the flag, towering above us all. It was memorable.
Then most of the Run members gathered together in front of the fire station and I and many others got pictures of them. Some of those in the crowd even let me take pictures of the group with their cameras! I got to us a huge camera with a zoom that was worked by hand, rather than buttons. It was much different from my digital one.
Then we set off again. We went through a large, crowded city. We were constantly aware of all the cars around us.
We had gotten out of it pretty far when four cars got into a wreck. I was looking the other way at the time, but when I turned around I saw a car turned upside-down and a man crawling out of it. I later heard that the cars had hit each other and that one of them flipped over--which was the one I saw. It could have gotten very dangerous for Dad, I and the others around us had the cars tumbled toward us in the crash. Chaplan Dan broke off from us to see if he could help (even though it was not related to the Run). We rode on.
Just before crossing the Mississippi River into Illinois, we stopped at a nursing home where they had veterans only. Some had fought in World War II! Dad was able to say a few words to a couple of them and he prayed for one.
Before leaving we had to get some fuel from a gas can because we could not fuel up at a station for the moment and the bike did not hold enough gas for two legs.
It was not long before we went over the Mississippi River on a large bridge after getting on our bikes and leaving the hospital. Trees, grass and all kinds of new vegetation opened up to me in Illinois. I was used to the prairie, so this was very different. There was hardly a breeze from the wind and the day was absolutely perfect for riding.
We stopped for lunch at a large gas station near Mt. Vernon. Someone sang up on a stage all the time we were there. We had a good lunch, but there was no shade from the sun.
We got some more water, then left. We had no accidents, no bad weather, just over an hour of good riding.
We stopped again. Chaplain Dean was having allergic reactions to all the vegetation of the East. His eyes were swelling and he did not feel good enough to ride with the larger group of bikes. So first he was going to ride behind the trucks. But when Dad saw him, he got Chaplain Dean in a truck for the last leg and his bike was put on a trailer for the last leg.
Someone spilled off his bike and as we rode by it looked scary, but Pastor Dan (who had, after catching up from the first time, once again stopped) later said that there were no injuries.
We got to the dinner and camping site. The line was very long, but we eventually got some fish and some sides. We ate in the bleachers at a stadium in fairgrounds and, after some discussion between Chaplain Dean and Dad, we set up our tents and went to bed.

Day 15

2009-05-21T17:00:00.000-07:00

I couldn't believe how tired I was that morning, but somehow we managed to get the camp closed up and on the bike. Chaplain Dean had to leave early to go to the VA hospital in Topeka, Kansas. We left just after he did and, on the way to the morning meeting, fueled up.
We had a breakfast prepared by the army workers there and then we went to the meeting. For the sixth time we prayed and pledged allegiance to the flag of the US. Then we were told that we were all doing better in riding, but that it would also get harder.
We found this to be true as we rode down Interstate 70. It wasn't as windy as before, but there was much more traffic. The growing amount of trees we passed as the day went on helped to break the wind.
We passed through a toll booth and met Chaplain Dean and the rest of his platoon at Topeka, where we stopped for fuel.
Our longest leg of the day took 114 miles to complete and lasted for over two hours. We entered Missouri on the long ride. We were well rewarded for our efforts because we had lunch there at Concordia. While we waited in line an Apache helicopter landed in the field next to us! It was close and loud. I thought it might hit a nearby tree and crash--but it didn't. We had a great lunch, though we wished it could have lasted longer.
The last two legs were short but they seemed to last for a long time. Not much happened besides us all going down the road. One person stopped on the side of the road beside a rail. The bike leaned on him, trapping him between the rail and his seat! Two of the chaplains helped him out and no one was hurt. They were even laughing about it on the end.
We got to the campground, paraded by people with hundreds of flags. One gigantic flag hung over the entrance of the grassy area, held up by two firetrucks. We passed through, parked and got some dinner before the line got too big. Then we set up our tents. We were able to get showers at a GM van manufacturing plant. We hoped to see the plant in work, but it was closed off at the time.
When we got back I had one last thing to do. We stopped by the patch station and I got a red and black patch made with the name "Spidey" (which is my road name) on it. Then I watched it get sewn on my vest!
And after that and a talk with the family at home, we went to sleep.

Day 14

2009-05-21T16:12:00.000-07:00

We started the day by taking down the tents with the rest if the family. It was easier with the added help, even though we had more tents.
Then we rode to the nearby VFW outpost. I got some breakfast there and we started to get Bibles and stickers out to give away after Dad preached that morning. His message was encouraging the men to let God lead their life.
Then after the Rider's meeting, which went on very much like the others had, I said goodbye to family and friends and got on the bike with Dad.
It was a great ride besides the strong wind that hit us hard on the mostly flat prairie. We entered Kansas. The wind went on even stronger than before. I think we were all glad when we arrived at the first fuel stop. Then we rode a bit more and got to the place where we ate lunch. It was right next to a museum and in our few spare minutes we went inside.
We found skeletons, pictures and more. I had been there the year before but to chaplain Dean this was all new. We did not have much time, so we left soon after getting there.
We set off again. We picked up a few day riders who had come between us and the chase truck. We tried to get some road guards to get them out of there, but in the Rider's meeting Mr. Russ Cockrin said that we could not get them out like that because, he said, it was too dangerous. So we put a different plan into action.
The way we are set up in the back is this: The four Chaplains are usually side-by-side on the road, making two horizontal groups. Then some distance back we have the chase truck and behind it the support vehicle. What we did was this: first, Dad and the chaplain lagged behind some, creating a large gap in the middle of the chaplain Corp. Then the chase truck passed us and and got into the gap. After that Dad and the other chaplain beside us sped back in front of the truck, leaving the day riders behind.
But they came right back into the wrong place, apparently not getting the hint. So the chase truck and the support vehicle leap-frogged like we had just done and were back in the right positions.
This time they got the hint and left us alone.
We stopped again and got ready for the next hundred miles in the wind.
For two more hours we rode with the wind blasting our faces off. Then we finally got to the destination. People paraded with hundreds of flags. This seemed like the most incredible parade we had gotten the whole time. When we stopped Dad confirmed my lingering suspicion: the parade was not for us. We just happened to be riding with dozens and dozens of veterans. The parade was for those who had done so much and lost so much for our freedom. We were just along for the ride.
We got some free shirts and other stuff at the event. Dad found Chaplain Dean and we talked while most of it went on, so I didn't see much of what it was.
After that we went to a hotel and had dinner. Of course, another event went on while we ate and lots and lots of plaques were handed out. Dad was honored as well as the many others for his being a chaplain.
After that we went to a store to look for a tent, because our tent's zipper was breaking. Once that's gone, the rest of the tent doesn't work well. We couldn't find the right one, though, so we just tried to get the zipper on the first tent to work and we slept in that at the campground that night.

Day 13

2009-05-21T16:05:00.001-07:00

I woke up in a warm room. It was still early and I felt tired but not cold. We did the morning routine of getting everything packed up and onto the bike. It was extremely cold in the mountain air and in the distance clouds met with mountains in a white mist.
The morning riders' meeting proceeded in the freezing cold. Dad opened it up in prayer and it started after the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. It went by quickly and before I knew what was happening we were getting ready for the road.
All the chaplains had come back from the accident the day before. Now all four of us were on our bikes, ready to confront the freezing cold weather and the hundreds of miles that lay ahead.
We set off and the wind that blasted our faces was filled with moisture, making the ride more miserable. I had my hands in my coat the whole time.
We got through the mountains and to the plains, where it warmed very little. But now our concern was the rain that was straight ahead, so thick it almost looked like fog.
We did not stop. We did not get our rain gear on. We just kept riding.
Somehow we missed it, just barely, and got to Raton, where we stopped. I got some breakfast there and put my rain gear on.
The sky finally cleared and it warmed up enough to be comfortable. We crossed into Colorado and the desert became prairie. I was in my home state.
We stopped in La Junta for lunch. The rest of my family and some friends had come to meet us, since we were so close to home. Even my Grandmother and Grandfather, who had been in their winter home in Texas for months came and surprised us! We had a great time and when we left, the family followed along with some friends as well. They would camp with us that evening.
As we left my three very best friends and their mom said hello and goodbye with one wave as we turned the corner heading north to Limon. I hadn't even thought they knew about Run For The Wall! But apparently they did, and I was happy to know they had come as well.
The next leg was nice with an even temperature and clear skies. We stopped after a hundred miles for gas and things were going well. I got my rain gear off in the time I had before we left.
But the wind kicked up and we were cold all the way to Burlington, where we had dinner, talked some more with the family, and got tents set up for the night. Since family was with us that night, the parents got their own tent, my sister got her own tent and my brother and I shared one. It looks like a good end for the day.

Day 12

2009-05-15T21:13:00.000-07:00

The morning started much like the others had: cold and very early. We took down the tents again and got everything on the bikes and hurried out of the campsite.

We stopped at a theater parking lot where we had our third riders' meeting. We got breakfast and ate it inside the theater, warming ourselves up and taking a break from the cold outdoors.

We prayed for a platoon leader because he couldn't hear well, then prayed for each other and especially for one of the chaplains who was having knee troubles. Then the riders' meeting also began with prayer. It wasn't a very long meeting and we heard the basic things: safety tips, a story of another brave soldier, and the daily ceremonies, including the pledge to the flag.

Then we took off! We filed out of the parking lot and before the first leg of the trip was over, it was hot.

We stopped at a casino with a large gas station and got some snacks and drinks. Sometimes we poured the ice cold water down our sleeves and on our heads to keep cool.

The next leg was not long. On the way someone crashed. As we rode by my heart skipped a beat. It never looks right when a motorcycle is turned over on its side and laying on the ground. The scene looked even scarier with a biker on the ground. Two of the chaplains broke off from the pack of riders to help with the accident.

We stopped for lunch at a Harley Davidson dealership. While there Dad traded in the mirror that he had bought in Rancho Cucamonga for one that was a little longer than we wanted, but would work. We ate our lunch quickly before we ran out of time and set off again for 25 miles. Then we stopped for gas right next to Camel Rock, a rock that looked like--what else?--a camel.

At this station Dad addressed the problem that had been going on all day. Many people had been coming in between us and the "Last Man" vehicle. The reason this was a problem was that we are supposed to be the very last motorcycles right in front of the "Last Man" vehicle so we can see if a rider goes down and assist him. Plus many of the bikers were not registered and would just be making it harder for the Run. Finally Dad got things sorted out and the problem was fixed.

Then we got on the last leg of the day. I noticed the land changed and we saw mountains in the distance. After days of flatness, I was excited to see such a change.

Within an hour or two we were in those mountains. As we swerved down the curving road I saw the exact place someone had spilled his bike the year before. I was glad no one spilled going down the mountain this year.

When we got off the mountain we entered a wide valley. I saw a Vietnam Veteran memorial in the distance and we rode there. My Dad and Mom had both had worked on the memorial, digging up rocks, laying down bricks and planting one tree that I always saw when I came to the memorial.

We entered the chapel, a solemn place where one person was at the moment praying. Then we went into another building. There a room was filled with pictures of fighting soldiers from Vietnam. Flags were hung all over the room and statues were placed here and there. Some took pictures and talked of happy times. Others stayed quiet in memory. Other just broke down, crying as quietly as they could. I could tell there were deep wounds and deep memories in this room.

We looked around the memorial a little more, then got some dinner at the Angel Fire Resort. Thanks to some friends who were on the Run with us, we slept on the floor in a room of the hotel for the night, glad we would not have to tear down a tent in the morning.

Day 11

2009-05-15T15:18:00.000-07:00

I found it was freezing cold when I peeked out of the sleeping bag. The alarm had gone off at 5 in the morning. It was time to get up.
We were camping next to a school, so we could get in there and brush our teeth and do the other morning routines. Then we started tearing down the camp. Chaplain Dean had been camping right beside us and now he was up and about too. When we had all somehow stuffed our whole campsites onto the bikes we took off.
We arrived at a baseball park, where we would have the morning rider's meeting. Free breakfast was available at a nearby Mexican restaurant, and we took advantage of it. Soon we had eaten burritos and were back at the meeting. It began shortly.
We went over safety issues again and told the story of an American soldier who died taking back wounded soldiers from an ambush in Vietnam. The story was written on a card and a person who was new to the Run was asked to take it to the Wall. We prayed a few prayers and did a couple of other things. Then we got on our bikes and road guards showed us the way out of the park and into the interstate.
It was cold as we started out, but the Arizona heat soon warmed our hands. Much changed in the landscape since yesterday. Trees were everywhere for quite a while--but then they cleared out and we were in desert again. I had plenty of time to daydream. Sometimes I would get sleepy. Something about the continuous noise of the motorcycle and the comfortable seat I sit in has a way of getting me sleepy. Thankfully, I had been able to get some meat sticks that I could eat when that happens. Doing that helps me to stay awake usually.
It was a short day with only 224 miles to ride and three stops in between. Because the first leg of the journey was ninety miles long and the next leg was thirty two miles long, Dad skipped fueling up at the first stop, knowing that the bike could make it those last miles to the second one.
We stopped again after a short ride. Hundreds of people welcomed us in and we waved back gratefully. We were supposed to get some lunch at the American Legion Outpost, but we went with Pastor Dan (another chaplain who rides near us on the Run) to a gas station, skipping the long line for lunch. We just happened to ride to a really old-style gas station with mechanical pumps instead of digital screens. Pastor Dan paid for the gas then took us inside to the A&W. He bought himself and I rootbeer floats and Dad got a soda too!
When we got back from our extra long "fuel stop" the line for lunch was almost gone. We got what else we could cram into our stomachs and talked a little.
But the time to leave crept up on us and bikes were flooding out of the area before we knew what was going on. Yet with one or two difficulties quickly dealt with, we were back on the road with the pack.
It was very hot again and I unzipped my coat and left my vest open to let the breeze come in as we rushed down the road. We crossed over to New Mexico, leaving Arizona behind. The time was set back an hour and I knew we would have get up earlier than the morning before.
One hundred miles later we got to Gallop. This time we were welcomed by what seemed to me thousands of people in the most Run For The Wall-patriotic city yet. They waved hands as well as flags, crowded on the sidewalks, recorded our whole group riding by on video and a few even got on rooftops! We had police escorts take us to a certain part in town where we got dinner and a show.
But before we could attend we had to deal with a problem. Chaplain Duane Gryder had left Dad, Chaplain Dean and I so that he could go on a different route of the Run that got closer to his home. But another Duane who was also a chaplain was on the Run with us and his bike had something wrong with it. We stayed behind to help him fix it and by the time we got to where the meeting was being held we had missed much of it. Thankfully we had been there last year and I had seen it. First there were Native American dances and songs for a while. We missed that part but we did see many people come and speak. Russ Cockrum, the Route Coordinator of the Run told us of a time when he asked one of the Native Americans why they treated our military so well after they had driven them out of their homes many years ago. He answered, "Because we forgave them." Plaques, medals and more were given between Mr. Russ and some of the important people of the city we had stopped at. It was like watching an ancient peace treaty reenacted.
When it had ended we had dinner, then went to the campsite. We set up our tents again and got all ready for bed. We spent the rest of the evening there.

Day 10: The Run Begins

2009-05-13T21:27:00.000-07:00

We got up early this morning at 5 a.m. and got packed quickly. By 6 a.m. we we had our things on the bike and half an hour later we were in a large parking lot talking with the other chaplains. We made sure we knew who was doing what and where to go and what to do if someone got hurt on the Run.

Then we got breakfast and talked to a few people until the first meeting of Run For The Wall began. Some of the things talked about that morning were hand signals, stories of Vietnam Troops who never got back home and more.

Then we started riding. It took a while for the hundreds of bikes to file out in groups, but eventually it was done and we were on our way.

The Run had begun.

It was cold and crowded at first, but as we got out of the city the smog cleared, the sun shone and there was less traffic. Here and there people would gather on bridges and cheer us on as we rode under them. We went through our first leg of the journey and stopped for fuel sixty miles out. By then it was getting hot and since there were not many gas stations and there were many fuel-hungry motorcycles, it took half an hour to get done.

When we left again the countryside of Arizona opened up to us. We had passed the border of California. As the day went on it continued to get warmer.

This leg was short, so we soon got a break from the heat. Going indoors seemed like entering a refrigerator and leaving an oven. Plus the refreshments truck was there. People crowded around it to get free peanuts, bottles of water, cookies and much more. It was all for those going on the Run and Dad and I never took it for granted. Being in desert-like conditions, we kept a good supply of water bottles. As much as we didn't want to, we soon had to leave for the longest leg of the trip yet.

It was almost 100 miles--or two hours--in the baking sun. The scenery was nice, but was spoiled by the heat. Besides that, though, the Run had been doing pretty well. The cars had treated us good for the past few legs and the only casualty we had was one man feeling a bit sick.

Finally we got to another stop. We fueled up but did not get back on the highway. Instead we went to a very grassy area near a train station and had lunch there. It was a nice break and we were able to get cool under the trees. Before leaving we stocked up on water bottles. It was so hot that I left my jacket open as we went down the road, trying to get a bit cooler.

On the last leg of the day it cooled off and we started seeing trees. It was over 100 miles and when we reached our destination I did not feel that I was in a desert any more. We all paraded through Williams, Arizona. Crowds greeted us, waving flags and cheering us on as we slowly rode through the town. It was touching.

I was hungry just two hours after our lunch stop and was grateful for the meal provided at the Veterans of Foreign Wars outpost. Dad and I ate quickly and, after fueling up once more, went to the school where we were allowed to camp.

We set up the tent and got everything ready. I helped Chaplain Dean, who had followed us, with his tent and by the time it was dark we were mostly ready for bed.

Day 9

2009-05-12T21:50:00.000-07:00

When I woke up I found that Chaplain Dean had gone out and already bought us a breakfast of burritos. Then they left me in the hotel while they went and took care of some business. Meanwhile I had to clean up the hotel room and get ready.

When they got back Dad took me with him and we went over to the patch booth. There we were finally able to buy the patch I had wanted yesterday. The man at the sewing machine got it sewed onto the vest, I paid him and then it was over. All I had to do now was fill in the states I had ridden in with ink.

We got some lunch with the others, then went to the nearby Harley Davidson Dealership. Chaplain Dean had to get his tire replaced and Chaplain Duane needed his bike tuned up before we got on the ten day cross country trip, Run For the Wall. A mirror had broken on the way to Rancho Cucamonga and now Dad wanted it replaced while we were still there.

Dad got his mirror and we went to the Chaplains' meeting without the other two, who were still busy with their bikes. When there, we met with the other Run chaplains and discussed things like which of us would pray for who in the mornings and who would stay with someone if they got hurt during the Run. It is the Chaplains' duty on the Run to stay with someone and pray for them when they get in an accident.

Then we went into a large building and had our first dinner completely supplied by the Run. It was very large and good. Then a program opened up with a pledge to the American Flag and an invocation, followed by a welcoming by Mr. Mark Rittermeyer.

Then another person came and sang "Run For The Wall," a song completely made for the Run. Then a few others came up to the stage and spoke a bit. Two of them spoke about soldiers they were related to that had never returned from missions in Vietnam. Run For The Wall is a cross country motorcycle run to raise awareness for P.O.W.'s and M.I.A.'s, which stand for Prisoners Of War and Missing In Action. All that is to help those people.

They sang another song and did a few other things. But I saw on a pamphlet Robley Rex, a 107 year old man I had met last year on the Run. I had gotten to shake his hand and talk to him briefly, but now I saw on the pamphlet that he had died. I got to meet him just in time.

But then something good happened. Raffle tickets were being drawn and just as Dad reminded me to take out my ticket, it was called! I went up and got a shirt. It was pretty cool.

After that it was just about over. We fueled up and went back to the hotel.

When Dad tried putting on the other mirror that evening he found that it wasn't the right size and that we would have to take it back to the store. But it was too late that night, so we just got into the hotel and went to bed.

Day 8

2009-05-11T21:30:00.000-07:00

Being that we had nothing to do today, we felt no need to get up immediately. We eventually drifted out of the room and I got to see some of the people I had met on the Run the year before.
We walked a little way to the McDonald's we had seen the night earlier and had breakfast there. It was 11:30 before we stopped talking and went back to the hotel!

After a couple of hours we were able to sign in for the Run. It didn't take long, but the lobby of the hotel where the sign-in tables were was packed! When Dad and I got to the end of the line we saw Mark Rittermeyer. He had promised me last year that if I wore the Run For The Wall arm band all year, he would pay the ten dollar fee to get registered for this year. And, true to his word, just before they asked for the money he came up and handed me two five dollar bills. The fee was paid and I got my second arm band snapped into place right next to the first one. I told myself that once I got to the Vietnam
Wall I would cut them both off right there.

Once that was all taken care of we went to go get lunch. But somehow the time had passed by so quickly some of the stores had their dinner menus up! We had some huge burritos and after that got some ice cream. By the time we had finished with all that I was stuffed and content.

Last year on the Run a man walked up to me and gave me twenty dollars to buy myself a patch. I never did buy one that year, but saved it until this year so I could get one. As we walked back to the hotel I got another chance. We had earlier agreed on what I should get: a patch with the USA on it and all the states lined out. Whenever I went into one of those states on a motorcycle I could color it in. We found a large patch like that for six dollars (plus a sewing fee that totaled it out to ten dollars). This was much cheaper than I had expected and I was thrilled. But I could not buy it at the time because there were too many customers and some technical difficulties. So we looked around for another of that kind of patch, but we could not find one that was cheaper. Dad decided we could wait until the next day or even later--after all, we had the whole Run to get it.

When evening was coming on we walked back to the hotel room. The lunch had been a little late and so large that I was not even hungry that night when I got into bed.

Day 7

2009-05-11T14:35:00.000-07:00

Today we got up and packed our bags. We were going to go to the last meeting of NCOM--the bike blessing.

Before we left the hotel casino Dad got a cup of coffee at the lobby, where we met with Chaplain Dean and Chaplain Gryder. We got on our bikes and as a group set off for the park, where the blessing was to be held. Unfortunately we left Dad's coffee--but at least it wasn't like running out of gas fifteen minutes into the ride.

When we got to the park we started the blessing by praying. Only a few people had come, but that did not make us quit.

After that one chaplain (not one of ours) would walk up to a bike, pray over it and then dab it with a bit of oil. Everyone's bikes were blessed, including ours.

Then it was time to get back to riding. Dad, Chaplain Dean and I planned on taking it easy, since we would have two days to go 500 miles down California into Rancho Caucamonga, CA, where the Run For The Wall begins. We were going to split with Chaplain Gryder, who had a hotel reserved at Rancho Cucamonga. Then we would take a route through some of California's countryside and camp in one of the state parks.

But things did not go quite as planned. In addition to the already high California temperature, the road we were taking through California got very close to Death Valley. As a result, it was very hot. Not even the wind blasting me in the face cooled me down.

We got a hundred miles through the trip and stopped. We fueled up, got some drinks, did the usual gas station routine. But then we did something else. We found a shade tree and parked our bikes under it. Then we sat down and just talked for a whole hour or so. I don't think any of us had really planned on doing this and I don't think any of us had done this before. We just sat and talked and enjoyed the coolness of the shade. We all found it thoroughly comfortable and it was the perfect kind of a break from the road.

But soon we had to get up and ride on the road.

The land was beautiful, with sloping snow capped mountains to our right and to the left a flat plain with more mountains at the edge of the horizon. I looked at what seemed to me water, then found that I had seen a mirage. The heat made the plains shiver and wiggle and it looked strange.

We also came close to a lake briefly. It almost looked like a huge mirage, but when I saw the beaches I knew it couldn't be.

When we finally came to the next stop we looked for a way to get to some of the campgrounds. The man at the gas station said that the roads were closed and would not be open until June. We looked for any open roads, but the only one we could find was near Rancho Cucamonga. We might as well go there because Chaplain Gryder said that he had an extra bed at the hotel and we could stay with him there--if we could squeeze Chaplain Dean in with an air mattress like we did in the hotel during NCOM.

After an expensive lunch (the burgers cost five dollars!) we set off again. The trip was still hot, but evening was finally coming. And with it, cool air.

We found a problem at the next gas stop. Chaplain Dean's rear tire was nearly worn out! There was no tire service anywhere near and since the roads were all closed we could not camp! There was only one thing to do: keep riding and pray that the tire would last for two and a half more hours.

It was definitely getting cooler. I was no longer hot and, as the sun sank below the mountains to the west, I started to get cold.

Dusk was here. Traffic picked up. It was getting really dangerous. If Chaplain Dean's rear tire were to blow now, he could easily get run over by the increasing number of semi trucks, some of the most dangerous vehicles to encounter when riding a motorcycle--especially when it was dark and the bikes were even less visible.

One car went into the opposite traffic lane. The driver chose a really bad time to try and pass, because many cars were coming toward the driver now. It quickly swerved back into our lane, nearly hitting the cars, then nearly hitting us and then cutting off Chaplain Dean from us. I suddenly knew that this was what NCOM had been trying to prevent--close crashes and close calls, like the one I had just experienced.

We stopped at the final gas station before Rancho Cucamonga. Chaplain Dean's rear wheel looked really close to burning out. We could now see the small, thin wires that held the tire together. We hoped it would last the final fifty miles.

I watched and prayed for Chaplain Dean the whole way, looking backwards every few minutes (and soon every few seconds) as the traffic got tighter and tighter and filled with more semi trucks. If the tire wore out now he was almost sure to get hurt--or worse.

But as we finally rolled into the hotel parking lot at about 9:30 that night, we knew everything would be okay.

And still the day (or night, by now) was not over. Because it was a Sunday night we had to search for fifteen minutes on foot. Finally we found a place to eat. We had not eaten since midday and now we were starving.

After dinner we finally got to bed at 11:30 that night.

Day 6

2009-05-11T12:20:00.000-07:00

We had a small breakfast at the Soldiers For Jesus hospitality room that I had not known about until today.

Then we went to another meeting that turned out to be a memorial meeting. The same man who had presided over the Christian Unity Meeting opened up with a prayer. After that the Mayor of Sparks, Nevada (where we were staying) told us how pleased he was that we had come to his town to hold NCOM and that he hoped we would come again.

Then the memorial began. Person after person stepped up to the microphone and spoke about people that they loved who had passed away, sometimes near tears. Some of those passed away had helped to start NCOM. Then a long list of names that had been submitted for the memorial was read off. After every name was read another person rang a bell. Sadly, this continued for a long time. Then after the list was all read off, there were a few more words and announcements and the meeting ended.

We took a break for an hour, then went to the next meeting. In this one bikers from several different regions gathered and reported how they were doing, if unfair laws were being put into effect, what they were doing about it and so on. In Oregon, Washington and California, bikers reported careless drivers, policemen judging bikers by their clubs, patches and looks. Mostly these were fought by campaigns and laws. Bikers were making an overall effort to gain recognition and NCOM was one of their ways to do it.

As I took part in these meetings I began to understand what this was really about. At the beginning of NCOM I saw a shirt that said, "It is not illegal to be a biker." Then, I had thought, "Well, obviously. You can't get arrested for getting on a motorcycle and going out for a ride." But now I realize that through small laws and little rights being taken away, it is getting harder and harder to be a biker. And if NCOM can help bikers be a little more free, then I am glad to have been a part in it.

A banquet was being held that night. Most of our group left, leaving only Dad and I with each other. We walked to the In 'N' Out restaurant again. Along with a burger Dad bought me a shake!
When we had finished we went back to the hotel--but not to our room. First, we played some games in the arcade. We played pool, pinball, air hockey and more. It was awesome, especially since only my Dad was with me.

And then we went to our room.

Day 5

2009-05-11T12:07:00.000-07:00

In the morning the four of us--Chaplain Duane, Mr. Dean, Dad and I--started getting ready for the day. Meanwhile we talked all the way from when we woke up through breakfast.

Then we went up to the second level of the casino hotel. It was all business up there. We got signed in for NCOM, or the National Coalition Of Motorcyclists. NCOM is a great big meeting where bikers from all over come and discuss some of the issues in the biker world--and, as I would be learning later, it was created for unity among bikers. We would be listening to these discussions for most of the day.

Dad checked the mail for his new phone that had been over-nighted to the hotel the day before. It was there, so in the few minutes left before the first meeting of the day began, I rushed back to our room and plugged in the brand-new phone to the wall charger so it would be ready for Dad when the meeting was over.

When I came back, the meeting had started. I quietly slid into my seat and started listening. What the bikers in front of us all were talking about was bikers' rights. Every once in a while some biker in the rows of seats among us would stand up and tell his opinion to the rest of us. Right then the bikers up front were saying that they didn't like having helmet laws pressed down on them.

Then they moved on to people grouping bikers with terrorists and that their rights were being taken away. I did not know how much of this was true, but if it was true I knew it could lead up to no good.

One man stood up in the crowd and said that if some of our rights as bikers were being taken away, then they might make more laws that would continue to make the biker life harder to live. Like the right to have guns, travel in large groups, etc. One club's patch was even taken away by the government.

My Dad pointed out that loud pipes are necessary for the safety of the biker. People in cars sometimes know where bikers are only because they hear the loud pipes, and so are able to prevent hitting them. If loud pipes were to be outlawed, it might be harmful to bikers.

One person wondered if it would help to have all the bikers gather up and go to the state capitals to raise awareness for bikers. But one person at the front said that one individual standing up for what he believes in can be more effective than a thousand others chipping in a bit for something they want.
We stopped for lunch. We got out of the hotel and walked to a burger diner called "In 'N' Out," a kind of fast food place that appears only near California. I got a burger there--"the best burger in the world," Dad commented as we walked away when we had finished.

We reopened with a pledge to the American flag. Then came more complaints about unfair treatment by the police, friends getting hurt or killed in accidents and nothing changing to prevent that from happening again and more. Then two men came, one after the other, and explained how to "fight" a ticket. When charged with something that a biker thought was not right, like a speeding ticket when the biker knows he wasn't speeding, they showed what to do--like ask the officer to check if his instruments for checking speed were working properly. But one thing stood out. The biker was always supposed to be respectful to the police and not give them a hard time.

Just as a lady came up to do another speech, we left because we knew we would see her presentation later.

We went up to the room for a break, but Mr. Duane stayed behind. Dad got his new phone to start working in the few minutes we had in between meetings. But then we had to hurry to the Christian Unity Meeting.

The first speaker was Mr. Ron Baptiste. He spoke about his ministry in giving health care to bikers. He also gave tips for those who wanted to go into the same kind of ministry.

Then came Chaplain Duane Gryder. He told everybody one story about when he had had a welding job. He was doing a particularly dangerous one in which he had to weld together gas pipe lines. Three other welders were with him, but they were just sitting down doing nothing. He asked his boss why they were there if he was the only one welding. His boss said that they were there to replace him when he got hurt.
Chaplain Gryder said he wouldn't do the job unless his boss stood right beside him the whole time--but the boss wouldn't, knowing he could get hurt. Only when they had made the job completely safe did his boss stay with him.
Unlike the One who is really in authority, Chaplain Gryder said. If the bikers couldn't follow the authority, they shouldn't wear their patches.

Then came Reverend Todd Kezerian, who spoke of (among other things) obeying God and working, without worrying about the result.

Then the last speaker came. Mrs. Denise Nobs, who we had seen earlier, came and we heard the rest of her presentation about the government hiding chips into parking passes, books and even (somehow) tattoo ink! It was all very strange.

We ended the meeting with awarding plaques to certain people: one person called Peter, two people, both with the name Mike, Richard Lester, and one more person named Peter. They all came up, spoke a little, received the plaques, and went down. The last told a humourous poem about faith, then we closed in prayer.

We had dinner later that night at another casino where we thought we might get a better deal. After that we went to bed.

Day 4

2009-05-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

In the morning we packed up and quickly got on the road. We took the same road we had been following yesterday, a road that was called "The Loneliest Road."

We rode 100 miles before we ate. I had been enjoying the ride so much that I hadn't even thought about breakfast, but now that we had stopped I realized how hungry I really was. I got biscuits and gravy (for the second time on the trip) and Dad got hash browns, eggs and toast. It was a very good breakfast.

We also fueled up the bike before we left. It was a 325 mile day, which was shorter than usual. As we rode all across Nevada headed West to Reno I found that Nevada was not completely the desert-like state I had thought it was. Instead, it was full of snow-capped mountains and wide, flat valleys.

We got to Reno and went into a large building full of parking spaces. We went up three floors before we found a spot!
Gathering our bags together, we went into the hotel lobby. On the way we passed full halls of casino machines.

We were going to share our room with Mr. Duane Gryder, who had not yet arrived. We waited for two hours in the lobby, hoping he would show up. But eventually, we decided that since we could not get into the room without him, and since it did not look like he would be here any time soon, we would just rent a room in a Motel. So, once again, we grabbed our bags and went all the way back up to the bike. But just as we got on the bike Mr. Duane called, saying he had arrived at the hotel. So for the third time we got our bags and went into the hotel. Just our luck.

We got into the room and to our dismay, there was only one bed. We needed two. Thanks to Mr. Duane this was quickly resolved and soon we were moved in. We got lunch (or dinner, being that it was a little late for lunch) at a fancy restaurant in the hotel.

Then we went back to our room and spent the rest of the evening there. But before we went to bed Mr. Dean, a friend of my father's, came to the hotel. He would be staying the night with us, too. So he got out his inflatable mattress and slept on the ground. Now there were four of us.

Day 3

2009-05-06T20:47:00.001-07:00

In the morning we started packing immediately. After a quick breakfast and one last discussion with my Uncle my Dad was ready to go. By 9:30 we were on the road.

When we had gone a hundred miles we got lunch and fueled up before we headed into Utah. Soon we started seeing beautiful rock formations and the roads got more interesting, swerving around some cliffs and drilling through others. The area looked much like the painted desert--and felt like it, too. Even the wind from the fast moving bike did not make me feel cool, much less cold as it many times does.

This was the longest riding day yet, so I got to look around a lot. Every hundred miles or less we stopped for fuel. Gas stations were getting sparse, so we did not usually pass one.

We covered a total of about 500 miles and had crossed all of Utah, ending up in Nevada at the end of the day. We fueled up one last time and rented a motel room. For dinner we went to the nearby grocery and bought a basket of cold chicken. We spent the rest of the evening eating the chicken, taking showers and finally getting to bed.

Day 2

2009-05-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

After a great night of sleep we got up at 6:30 AM. A breakfast of biscuits & gravy along with some eggs was waiting. We quickly ate and were on the road by 7:30.

We had a short ride in the cool morning air and got to "House Of Promise," a Teen Challenge rehabilitation center for moms with young children. We were shown around, seeing the nursery where the kids could be taken care of, the storehouses filled with food and supplies, the playground with swings and other toys, the dorms, with one to two beds in each, and the chapel. My Dad spoke to the ladies for about half an hour. Afterward everybody commented on how they were encouraged and liked his sermon.

After talking a little more with the people who worked there (including the lady that cooked us breakfast) we were once again on our way.

The 60 mile ride to Grand Junction was beautiful, filled with mountains in the distance, hills we rode on and around, plains and beautiful views. But it was not long before the ride ended. We got to my Uncle's house, where we spent the rest of the day.

Day 1

2009-05-04T20:47:00.000-07:00

After a weekend of cold days, motorcycle rallies and packing, we were finally ready to leave. I was more excited about the Run than I had ever been, but I was nervous about leaving most of the family for several weeks. I knew that I could do it, though, because I had done it the year before.

We took off, hoping we hadn't left anything important. I knew that with each pound of the engine I was that much farther from home. Yet I anticipated what lie ahead.

Within fifteen minutes of leaving home we realized what we had been missing: gas. So we called home and waited for the rest of the family to save us. We looked at some nearby railroad tracks while we waited and soon the car had come. We fueled up the bike some and then were escorted to the nearest gas station. And so went our first two fuel stops.

We said goodbye for the last time and set off again. We went through a small bit of rain as we went through Pueblo, but it did not get us very wet.

After we went through Canyon City and about 100 miles of uneven countryside we stopped to rest, eat and give the bike more gas. Then came the worst part.

Higher and higher we went as we ascended the Rocky Mountains, where snow was piled up to ten feet! Immediately I wished I had brought along gloves because my wrists were stiff and I was rubbing my hands together to try to keep them from going more numb than they were.

I found it hard to believe that in the same day I had been wanting to take off my jacket as I waited on the side of the road for gas, I now could hardly stand the cold of the mountains!

It warmed up a little as we got lower in elevation. Finally, after hundreds of miles of riding, we reached our destination--the house of a colleage of Dad's. After a wonderful dinner I was able to go across a lake in a paddle boat with their son. We then went to bed, done with the day's adventures and ready for some sleep.

Getting Ready For The Run

2009-04-27T08:39:00.000-07:00

It's getting busy as my Dad and I get ready for Run For The Wall, the longest road trip I have ever gone on. This will be my second time going and I'm more excited than ever about this cross country road trip that will take several weeks to finish. In addition to that, we'll also go through Canada on the way home.

Before we leave my Dad and I have to get packed, a large undertaking considering that we have to stuff a tent onto a motorcycle along with our own baggage. We also have to remember to pack light so that it can all fit.

We have two bike events this weekend and then Monday the adventure begins!

The Unforgettable Ride

2009-04-27T07:44:00.000-07:00

By Zachary Hubbell

The roar of the engine pounds in your ears and the ground flies by faster than you can see as you blast down the road at 60 miles an hour. On the motorcycle, the world changes and is set out before you so that you can go anywhere in it. You feel free.

That's how I felt May 2008. I had been on Run For The Wall, a motorcycle trip that starts in Los Angeles, CA, and ends in Washington, DC. It is a 6,000 mile ride and, besides the time it takes to get to the Run and back home, takes ten days. Hundreds of people join this tough but fulfilling ride every year.

Last year my father challenged me to go on this amazing trip. If I could make it all the way without complaining or making him stop, he thought that was enough to call me a young man. I agreed.

More quickly than I thought it could happen, we went through the dry, desert-like roads of Arizona and back through Colorado, where we changed motorcycles because the first one broke down. We then sped along through the Great Plains into the Midwest, through Kentucky (the chicken tasted about the same) and many other historical states like West Virginia, and soon we were in DC.

The morning before we arrived in DC, my Dad took me up in front of all the bikers and explained why I had come. He presented me with a vest which had the Run For the Wall colors (a large back patch) on it already and as I put it on I noticed that it was several sizes too large for me. He later explained that that vest would fit better as I grew more into a man.

Now looking back my Dad comments, “If you ever want to make Marines cry, try honoring your son in front of them.” And as I remember all the emotional responses I got that day from what my Dad did, I must agree.

All the memorials, all the roads, and all the memories made it the greatest trip of my life. And now, one year later, I am ready to do it again. But this time, I will be a man all the way.