CHAPTER ONE: ROLLING TO REMEMBER 2023 DON & BRETT ROAD TRIP

Get your motor runnin'

Head out on the highway

Lookin' for adventure

And whatever comes our way….fa la la la la 

Ahhh, when Mars Bonfire wrote those words WAY back in 1968, little did he know that it would become an anthem for the world of two wheels.  In 1970, when I first saw the move Easy and heard those words, little did I know that 53 years later I would have hundreds of thousands of motorcycle miles under my belt, that would be looking at mounting my motorized steed for another cross-country ride, and humming that tune.  Nevertheless, here I am, getting my nearly 75 year old body ready for another good ride.

To be honest, I really didn’t think that this trip was something that would actually happen.  My last big ride was from Daytona Beach to Wolverine, MI and that was way back in 2021, nearly two years ago.  All through 2022, I had pipe dreams of a 2023 ride (or two) but I wasn’t sure that anything would come from my dreams.  I don’t know about you but the pipes my pipe dreams are often corroded and  full of leaks.

A little backstory for you; I have made the ride from Daytona Beach to Washington, DC twice before to attend the Rolling Thunder rally that was, for years, held over the Memorial Day Weekend.  I motored to the nation’s capital once in 2017 and then again in 2019.  Both times was a solo ride.  Even though I was all by myself (sniff-sob),  I had a great time………AND with 2017 greeting me with LOTS of pouring rain.  I, emotionally, ventured through the various memorials, enjoyed sitting on the side of the road by the Lincoln Memorial watching the thousands of Rolling Thunder riders pass by, and spent part of Memorial Day at the Arlington National Cemetery.  The ride is to support the memory of wartime POWs and MIAs.  Thousands and thousands of motorcycles take part.  It took over 3 hours for the entire ride to pass by me and the tens of thousands of other biker and non-biker spectators lining the streets.

Even though I enjoyed it…..I was still (sniff-sob) alone.  I know that sounds weird considering there were a quarter million plus people attending the rally.  I met lots of people, had many good conversations, loved the events, and visited all the war memorials……fun and emotional but, still, I was (sniff-sob) alone.  After returning home from the 2019 event, I made the decision that I would not do the Washington, DC rally again if I couldn’t find a friend or relative to join with me in the Nation’s Capital.  I don’t mind riding by myself but I was…for lack of another word…..lonely (sniff-sob) at the event itself.  I know that you will probably find this hard to believe, but at 75 years of age I don’t have very many motorcycle riding friends or relatives that can spend the time and/or the money for a 7 day two-wheeled romp.

Fast forward to the fall of 2022.  It was then that I met up with my nephew, Brett, in St. Augustine, FL.  He was having a little R&R in the Sunshine state and he wanted my wife and I to meet him for a lunch.  Being a rider himself it was no surprise that the conversation found its way to motorcycling.  I talked about a couple of trips and told him that I felt bad that I probably would never do the Memorial Day Weekend in Washington again for lack of company.  He said that he would love to go to that event.  We ended the day saying that we would do it.  I’m pretty sure that both of us took that proclamation with a grain of salt.  BUT…..the proverbial seed was planted.  Post Script: there were months of silence on the subject by the both of us.

Out of nowhere in mid-April Brett sent me a message asking if I was still interested.  I have to admit that it caught me by surprise…..a pleasant surprise but a surprise nonetheless..  Over the next couple of days and a few message exchanges to insure that we were both serious about the venture……we started to set the wheels into motion.

As for me, the first thing that I did was to check out the hotel in Arlington, VA to see if we still secure a room during the event.  In fact, I went ahead and made reservations ( AND, just to be safe, I did make sure that all the reservations could be canceled…just in case…….I am, after all, a Social Security recipient Baby Boomer).

I also had to go over our calendar.  I know, you’re all thinking that I am Mr. Social, a man on the town, and that I have social commitments filling every waking hour.  I do have the occasional doctor appointment but that’s about it.  However, since I was thinking that I would have a bunch of free time I had set up some home improvement projects.  The “projects” are being performed by others who are FAR MORE talented than I am.  The effect on my calendar is if I am available to sit in a lawn chair, sipping ice tea, and keeping an eye on the “project progress”.  After a bit of a review and a little adjusting the Memorial Day Weekend was all freed up. 

The next element was getting the “wife affirmation”.  We guys like to think that we are the boss but between you, me, and the lamppost……I am pretty sure we know better.  After making a few faces, groaning a bit, and getting through the normal “wife questions” (i.e. what are you getting me) I got the spousal “okie dokie”.

Last thing was to get the scooter ready.  I gave it the once over and it all looked pretty good except for one thing……I realized that the bike needed to be more like me    …….RETIRED!  The tires on the bike were, uh, ok.  Under normal circumstances “ok” tires would have been good for another 2 to 3 months.  I would not, however, want to use “ok” tires a 2,000 mile road trip.  I made that mistake in 2017 and had to buy tires at a dealership in Savannah.  I ran over to the good old J&P Cycles superstore in Ormond Beach and they took care of me with tires and mounting.  I am happy to report that, as far as I can tell,  the old scoot is ready to go.  We are both happily RETIRED!

The basic plan is for both me and Brett to leave our respective homes on Thursday morning May 25^th.  Brett will leave from Ortonville, MI and I will leave from Daytona Beach, Fl. with the intention of returning to our homes on Wednesday May 31^st.  I will do my very best to chronicle the rides and our activities during the event for you.  What I need from each of you is to collectively butter up Ma Nature to give us bright, sunny, rain free days.  I’m sure that will work……….right?

Coming up in a few days I’ll go over all the various things we will do to prep and pack for the ride and for the event.  There WILL be more postings…………………………….So pack up the babies and grab the old ladies and everyone reads ‘cause everyone needs Bova Don Bova’s traveling motorcycle show.

Talk to you again real soon.