Motorcycle Ministry Group Ride to A Christian Childrens Home, SpaceX Launch, And Much More

February and March were fun filled and exciting months and I rode across Florida on several long rides with interesting people.
I was having trouble with my laptop computer and failed to get a new BLOG post up for two months.
I am sorry about that, but not a bit sorry about the rides that kept me away from the faulty computer.
Here then, is an update.

February was a busy and fun filled month of my winter-Florida-Adventure
I'll try and work my way backwards through this Leap Year 29 day Journey.

 Rode to Mims, Floria on March 2nd to meet Chuck & Ruth Ninos from North Carolina.
They are here for Bike Week and volunteer with Christian Motorcyclist Association.
They had purchased a copy of my book on line and wanted it signed. I was honored to be asked.
Chuck was riding his Honda with Hannigan sidecar and Ruth was riding her Goldwing Trike.

 Next as we work our way backward through February was the launch of SpaceX

NOT!

LAUNCH SCRUBBED at 8pm,
No launch today.
But what a good day visiting with people, many of whom had never been to a launch and many from the Area who see them all.
Nice ride, nice people, nice KOA to camp at.
Beautiful sunset!

SpaceX Launch visitor

Jack is from Ontario, Canada.Retired and is traveling the USA, 30,000 miles in 6 months.
Put their things in storage, bought an RV and are spending a year touring the US.
Having a ball, with a Capital B he says.

Met a couple of guys from Quebec, Canada.

One spoke English, the other French.

Jean Claude Dussalult and Yoland Roberg, were having a fun visit traveling across the USA in their RV camper.

We had a fun visit with Jean Claude interpreting for Yoland

More SpaceX visitors, this time from England.
Two couples from Blackpool, England stopped to see my camper. Nice folks. We had a good visit.


Never a dull moment.

Titusville, FL waiting for the
6:46pm EDT SpaceX launch.
NASA towers across the bay.
Pretty hot out so I put up the tent.
Nice cool breeze blowing through.
I hope it goes up on time. 













Mid Month I joined the Motorcycle Ministry Group from
Northland Church in Orlando for a  visit to the Christian Children's Home.

The girl in red was having her 
13th birthday with her 
sister beside her.

Most of the kids wanted to sit inside the tent when I set it up.

These two sisters were no different.





 
Kids are kids, no matter where they are and they all had a great time sitting on motorcycles and in the sidecar. 













Lori Landers is the leader of the Motorcycle Ministry and led this ride on her new CanAm Spyder. 
This was a great day and the kids weren't the only ones who had a good time.

















I have always wondered what it would be like to be a Street Entertainer.
Someone who sits on a park bench or stands on a street corner and performs.
Grand Daughter Jenny Sacramento, owner of LePetite Pies lived in Paris for a couple of years and informed that in Europe these entertainers are called Buskers and do this as a full time job.
Busking it is called and I wondered ... could I do that?
At the Lake Eola Park in Orlando, Florida I determined I would find out.
I had a wonderful time playing the banjo, singing songs and visiting with passersby.

Four hours later I had 74 One Dollar bills in my 
motorcycle helmet and found out that ... YES! 
I could make it as a Busker, a street entertainer earning the admiration (and the dollars) of families out for a Sunday afternoon stroll through the Lake Eola Park.

Well there's one more scratched off the Bucket List.  And it was great fun.

Busy, fun filled and exciting week.
Busking at Orlando's Lake Eola Park on Sunday.
Great view of Orlando skyline from my Busker park bench








I did a program at the Spring Hills Retirement Center in Lake Mary, Florida and had a great time. Good fun and the residents all seemed to enjoy it. and 15 residents purchased copies of Discovering Life After Alzheimer's - The 26,000 Mile Ride.
Reporter Stephanie Muniz joined us for the day and did a video report on her BLOG.

She posted it to You Tube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Leb4NILDM






Lorna, Rosario, Lilly and Allie
came for a visit and we all went to
Blue Spring Manatee Park.
As I took a picture
 they were joined by a big blue Manatee.
Lorna and Rosario seemed to enjoy it.
The girls? Not so much!

 


 
 

 
The Magic Kingdom, however, was where they had a fun filled and exciting day.




And they seemed to have plenty of energy left as they slipped their hands through the "stocks."

Coffee on the Lanai with music by Lorna. Great way to begin a sunshine filled Florida morning.

Riding with the ladies in Lake Mary, Florida

 The Florida winter included many great rides across the state.
Now though, the time was coming for the long ride home to Montana.
Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, California, Nevada, and Idaho all lay ahead.
What great adventures lay just ahead?

In my next BLOG post I'll share with you a great ride and great adventures meeting exciting motorcycle riders
Watch for me, I'll be in the Right Lane America,
Del "Lonnie" Lonnquist

On The Road Agan - Life Is Good

 The ride began with an Email from Dale Coyner, owner of The Open Road Outfitters who provides books and supplies to help campers from novice to expert with their camping experience.
He also offers Mini Mate campers, and several other brands for sale nationwide.
He suggested a meeting of Mini Mate camper owners at the Highlands Hammock Florida State Campgrounds near Sebring, Florida.
This is an unusual state park with a unique history which is chronicled in pictures in a most unusual museum.
 
The museum covers a period of American History that is mostly forgotten in today's modern classroom history lessons.
It was a desperate time for America, a time known as The Great Depression.
During the 1930's unemployment rose to as high as 40% in many areas of the nation. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, as part of his WPA, Works Progress Administration, formed the department known as The CCC.


The Civilian Conservation Corps put thousands of  young men, including teenagers, to work on public projects like trails in state and national parks.
Even today, Bikers, and others who wander across America may find public parks, swimming pools, lakes and other recreation facilities whose construction gave work to these young men who were so desperate for a job to help their families back home.
The Highlands Hammock Florida State Park is one of these places.
It is perhaps the Gold Standard for work done by the nations youth during this troubled time in the countries history.
This history should be told in every classroom so that people, young and old will know their story.
The Highlands Hammock CCC Museum tells this story in pictures, some of which I will present in this BLOG report.
It all began with the Presidents Fireside Chats, which were broadcast on the countries Radio Networks. These Networks were themselves in their formative years having come into existence only a few years earlier. A National Broadcast by President Roosevelt was something that had to be listened to, even if you had to go to the local grocery store or gas station to hear it, since many homes did not yet have a radio.
He explained the New Deal, which he had presented to the country during the election campaign which swept him into office.


The New Deal had many facets including plans to build dams, bridges, buildings and anything that would put the nation back to work.
The Civilian Conservation Corp was just one part of the plan to heal the nation.
Through the 1930's millions of men and women were offered opportunities to do productive work, in  return for pay checks that would help their families survive.
For the thousands of young people who enlisted into the CCC, the pay checks gave them a chance to help Mom & Dad back home with a small amount of money sent each month.
The $25.00 each family received was probably a large part of that families income for the month and went a long way toward providing groceries and fuel to heat their homes.

The museum, through the many pictures, provides insight and information on some of the Florida projects many of which were duplicated in other states.













The state of Florida was able to complete work of parks and other recreation projects and the people administering the program assisted in creating what has become one of the nations greatest state park systems while teaching thousands of young people skills they were able to use in later years to support families and help the nation recover from the dark period of the Depression.The nation which had lived high through the Roaring Twenties, was brought to it's low point during the depression years and recovery took a decade or more.

As the darkness of the depression lifted from the nation, the darkness of segregation and racism continued to haunt many areas of the country.
Separate camps were set up for black youth and young people from Indian Reservations.
Despite operating in a segregated world, all groups received full health care including dental and eye care which was unavailable in many areas for young people of any race. There were integrated CCC camps in many areas of the country, but none were formed in Florida.
The Highlands Hammock CCC Museum should be on the must see list of anyone interested in this period of American history. The displays, stories and pictures are well maintained and provide a well documented chronicle of The Great Depression of he 1930's

The visit to Sebring also gave me an opportunity to visit the church where my Grandson Brian Klebig had spent his first 8 years as a Lutheran Minister.
Although he moved from Sebring a number of years ago, I did find his picture on the New Life Lutheran churches Wall of Honor. The pictures of of their past and present pastor's.
Grandson Brian is the tall scholarly looking one of the lower left in the picture.
The church is beautiful both inside and out with 
well maintained lawns and shrubs on the outside and a neat and quiet interior.
Our apologies to young Pastor Willitz for interrupting his class, but I'm sure he would agree that my "Selfie" made it worth while. (at least for me)



A quick visit to a McDees to use their WiFi to update the FB page Where In The World Is Grandpa or WITWIG for short and a nutritious #2 breakfast brought our visit to a close.
Well, almost anyway.
As I moved out on Highway 27 Northbound, I reached 60 MPH before I heard a loud crashing, scraping, this-is-not-what-I-wanted-to-hear kind noise and looking back I saw the Gas Can Rack on the back of the sidecar had broken loose and was dragging on the asphalt.
A shower of sparks seemed to surround the red gas can, and gave renewed impetus to my efforts in getting the rig over to the shoulder and coming to a quick stop.
A weld holding the rack to the underside of the sidecar had broken and dropped it to the pavement.
It was a quick fix to place the gas can inside the sidecar and using the Long Distance Bikers best friend, a large bungee cord, I soon had the rack fastened up and was on my my way back to Lake Mary and a room with Diana & Ilidio.


What a wonderful weekend visiting with Dale and his friend Fritz who also had a Mini Mate camper traveling behind his Goldwing.
Good fun, good food and Dale proved his camping prowess by getting the fire to burn the damp logs by the end of the second evening.
Thanks Fritz and Dale for a great weekend and thanks to the state of Florida for a fun and educational experience. I will highly recommend the park and museum visit to everyone.
Watch for me, I'll be in the Right Lane America.

Del "Lonnie" Lonnquist

Ten Days Without A Ride - BUMMER!

I guess I knew that at some point I would have to give up the luxury of coffee on the lanai at Hotel Sacramento, which is what we call the home of Diana and Ilidio in Lake Mary, Florida, and spend a few days taking care of business back home in Montana.
The flight from Orlando International to Minneapolis was a smooth ride.
I knew I was back in the the Great Northwest when I saw the De-Icing truck moving toward us prior to take off for the last leg of the flight from the Twin Cities to Helena, Montana.
Those guys knew what they were doing and soon had the wings and tail section flooded with whatever it is they spray on planes prior to take off.
Clouds of liquid splashed high in the air and even covered the window through which I was observing this strange winter time dance of the Boom Truck Operators.
 It was, I am sure, a lot more fun for me than the folks running the trucks and sprayers.

The Midnight arrival in Helena brought Iron Butt Association member, Linda Darelius out to offer me a ride home and son Roger was there too so we headed for Shellie's Truck Stop restaurant for an early, early morning breakfast.
She had even stopped by the grocery store to stock my refrigerator, before picking me up at the airport.
Linda had three months of mail spread out on the dining room table.
The bright red Priority Mail folder caught my eyes first. It meant Certificates, Badges and signs from the Iron Butt Association commemorating my 50 Hour Coast to Coast ride in October which brought me the honor of being the oldest person in the Iron Butt Association record book to complete the ride.

 The annual Christmas Party of the Helena, Montana Last Chance Riders MC was great with lots of stories to be listened to and shared. A crazy Pirate Gift Exchange brought howls of laughter as someone received a gift and someone else took it away from them.
A tip of the hat to Bob and all the members who put the shindig together.

I couldn't wait to place the "Throw" Janis and Mike had sent me for Christmas on the Yamaha Keyboard in the Living Room.
"Del On Wheels," pretty well summed up the last 18 months of motorcycle riding. Thanks Janis & Mike.

The first ten days of my trip are over and most of the business I needed to handle is complete.
Now, as the end of the two week visit draws closer I occasionally feel the fingers of my right hand drawing together as if to roll that throttle and the left hand twitches as it slips the clutch and I move smoothly and rapidly onto I-95 for a morning ride.
As I watch Hogan's Hero's on Roger's ME TV station I squeeze the arm rest of the recliner and imagine myself on the open road ... and , oh well, you know the North Country winter biker dreams.

Ahh well, only a few more days and with the sun shining on my back I will be heading south in Florida to Fort Meyers for a quick visit to the Minnesota Twins training camp and a visit with Minnesota relatives who spend the warm days of spring cheering Paul Molitor and his Twins as they prepare for the coming season.
There will be a lot of Florida riding in the next few weeks before the long ride home to Montana in late March or early April
Trails to follow, people to meet, Bike Week at Daytona Beach and the annual Bike Week dinner of the Iron Butt Association in Jacksonville.
All good times to come and I have enjoyed these days of winter in Montana.
The mountain snows have created a winter wonderland and even though the ride is in a car instead of on a bike, it is still a good ride.
The sunshine, the morning coffee on the lanai, the visits with Ilidio's friends, Jack, John, Jeff and the rest all make the return to Florida for the remainder of the winter very appealing.

Watch for me,
I'll be in the Right Lane America.
Del "Lonnie" Lonnquist

The Last Ride of The Year - 2015 Farewell

  December 31st, 10:30AM, the ride begins with a slow ride down Lake Mary Boulevard, through the heart of Lake Mary, past Sanford International Airport to Highway 46.
46 will take me East to Mims, Florida where I can begin my ride south along the coast.
I ride slowly by Space View Park, through Titusville and a few miles down the road I am prompted to make a left turn to reach A1A, the Coastal Highway.
This was, of course, my goal A slow ride down the coast with rolling surf, crashing waves and sandy beaches.
The reality is slight;y different and includes miles of Surf Shops, Pizzerias, Condos and hundreds of people going to or coming from the beaches which are hidden away behind commercial buildings.
Of course there are miles of open areas where the sand and water make for a beautiful ride.
Th last ride of 2015 was taking place in  80 degree temperatures and was a fantastic way to bring this exciting and fun filled year to a close.

Patrick Air Force Base is on my right and I wonder if all AF personnel are trying to get posted here.
Only a short distance to the beaches and what appears to be plenty of base housing.
As I near Melbourne I watch for a sign that will point me toward I-95 North which I will need to take if I plan on getting back to Lake Mary by 4PM for the traditional, Burn Your Christmas Tree On New Smyrna Beach On New Years Eve Party.
Jenny Sacramento has the party planned as she did last year.
Cut the Christmas Tree up in small pieces, bring her Home Depot Fire Pit and set up on the beach just before dark.
But first, I have to get back to Lake Mary.
The 95 is a speedway this afternoon and traffic is heavy, but I am enjoying this fantastic ride.
So much so that I fly right by the I-4 cut off into Lake Mary and find myself 60 miles North by Ormond Beach
Can this be?
Have I actually ridden 60 miles past my destination.
YES! Of course I have.
Now the question is, can I still make it back it back in time for the trip to New Smyrna Beach.
I moved off I-95 onto the LPGA Boulevard and turned onto the 95 south ramp.
I was riding my age now and making good time.
And this time I was watching for the I-4 cut off.
Shortly after moving onto the 4, a loud clanging in my bluetooth helmet speaker alerted me to an incoming call.
I've had this thing in my helmet for a year and this is my first phone call.
It was Diana asking, "Where are you Dad, we are ready to leave!"
Not knowing if the microphone would work I shouted loudly, as if that would help, "I'm coming up to the Lake Mary exit on 4."
She told me they would wait for me and  moments later I was turning onto Lake Mary Boulevard.
Excited that I had received a call and answered back.
 The microphone had pulled loose from it's Velcro strip and blown in the wind a couple of
times so I had no way of knowing if it would actually work.
Being technologically adept would be helpful when you are an Octogenarian +1 Long Distance Rider.
With Jenny at the wheel of Ilidio's truck we were soon heading for New Smyrna Beach, a half hour late because of my tardy arrival home..
Well, what can I say, the last ride of the year was 264 miles long and a great adventure to end this year with.
During my 80th year on this wonderful planet I had completed four SaddleSore 1000 rides, one of which I haven't even submitted yet, and one of which included daughter Linda as a passenger in the sidecar so she could get her own Iron Butt Association certificate and patch.
A highlight of the year was of course meeting Shareef AsSadiq who became the Start Witness for my 50cc, fifty hour ride across the country from the beach at San Diego to the beach at Jacksonville, Florida.
Thanks again Shareef, and thanks also to the many IBA riders who offered support as I became the Oldest Rider to complete the 50cc ride.
And what a ride it was as I rode through 12 hours of rain the first night, got stuck in a traffic jam in Houston, blew a tire on my Mini Mate tent trailer near the Mississippi border and overslept while taking a nap near Tallahassee, Florida.
I was sure I had come up short until son-in-law Ilidio pointed out that I was figuring the time zones wrong and had finished the 2,240 mile marathon with 13 minutes to spare.
The ride which many IBA Long Distance riders complete in 45 hours or less, took me a little longer but was very satisfying in the end. 
Close enough.
What a fantastic year it has been.

New Smyrna Beach at night is a marvelous place to be.
The light cloud cover was soon carried away by the breezes blowing over the ocean and the stars above us were brilliant. From Orion's Belt to, oh you know the rest of them, they were shining between the fast disappearing clouds.
As if the stars were not enough, other beach goers were sending what the young people called, Chinese Lanterns into the air. The small hot air balloon type flyer's would glow brightly as they rose into the air and were carried higher and higher as they sailed out to sea and disappeared into the night.
Jenny and Diana quickly built a fast burning fire out of the Christmas tree.
The kettle of Clam Chowder Jenny had prepared at home, was placed on the fire and within the hour we were lunching on a piping hot feast while listening to music, watching the fireworks other partiers were sending into the sky enjoying a New Years Eve Beach Party.
The Nine O'clock fireworks display just above us on Flagler Street brought our Beach party to a close and we packed up gear for the ride back to Lake  Mary.
The forty pound pig that Ilidio was roasting in the new Caja China pig roasting box his son Jared sent him for Christmas was perfection.
Everyone agreed that it was better then the traditional roasting on a spit over a hot fire.
Th pig and all of the other food was eaten, a good time was had and the ball dropped to mark the end of a great New Years Eve celebration.
I slept until Noon on New Years Day as plans for the first ride of the new year were placed on  hold.
The Last Ride of 2015 was great and the first ride of 2016 will have to wait for a few days as this 81 year old Long Distance Rider rests his weary bones and gets ready for the 2016 challenge, The Bun Burner Gold 1500 miles in 24 hours Extreme ride.
What a ride that will be.
But first a flight north to visit Montana family and Grace before the BBG and a ride west to Houston, Phoenix,San Diego and San Jose and then, as the North Country warms, a ride back to he mountains and prairies of Montana for the summer.
Watch for me,
I'll be in the Right Lane America.
Del "Lonnie" Lonnquist

On And Off The Road Again

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all and to all a good ride.

Back on the road again after repairing a broken strut on the side car and then breaking it again.
The lower front strut on the sidecar was broken during my coast to coast ride in October.
It was repaired in time for the Houston trip in November, but was re-broken in December.
Thanks to Ilidio and his friend Bill who brought his special welder to the house and repaired the strut with what appears to be an unbreakable fix. The strut looks great and should be ready to last through another 30,000 miles.
The Houston visit with Daughter Joni and family and with Brother-in-law Stan Smith was great and the ride home uneventful, just a nice thousand mile ride.
Returning to daughter Diana & Ilidio's house in Lake Mary I began planning for my first attempt at a BBG, the coveted Bun Burner Gold 1500 miles in 24 hours ride.
The plans were made.
Lake Mary to Jacksonville, Florida and then a straight shot to Lafayette, Louisiana on I-10 and back.
I began the ride at 11AM and expected to be back by 11AM the following day with BBG complete.
300 miles into the ride my speedometer stopped working, along with the odometer and all other instruments.
The Iron Butt Association always emphasizes that when a ride threatening problem arises you should pull off the highway, get a motel and a good nights sleep and try the ride again at a later date.
That's what I did.
Pulled off the highway, checked into a Super 8 with a Denny's Restaurant next door and got a good nights sleep before making my way back to St. Mary in daylight hours with out instruments.
Ilidio wasted no time in finding the problem, a frayed wire that blew the key fuses.
The following weekend a ride with the Motorcycle Ministry of Northland Church went well until I hit a bump and watched in disbelief as the repaired strut cracked again causing the bike and the sidecar to lean towards each other in a precarious manner.



 It began as a trip to Fort Christmas to drop off toys for the community Christmas toy give away. The road into Fort Christmas had a two mile long line of cars waiting to get in. We turned back and headed for Grills Restaurant at Cape Canaveral for lunch. The lunch at this famous seafood restaurant was great and we watched a couple of cruise ships that were docked and loading guests for the next cruise.
The deep sea fishing company next to the restaurant had several places for those who were successful in their fishing to clean their fish. We all wondered about the strange sign above each carcass disposal hole which read Please Poke Eyes before disposing of carcass. I had never seen that sign before. Strange indeed.
I made it home and that's when Ilidio called in his friend Bill with his special welder and they repaired it for good.
The Sunday before Christmas dawned sunny and bright, and looked like a perfect day for a ride.

I headed out on State Highway 46 and ended up in Titusville, famous for being the prime spot for viewing NASA launches from.
I found the Space Park where they have pictures of all of the Astronauts mounted on small marble columns, along with the astronauts hand prints in the concrete base of the column. .
Took a while but I found Deke Slayton's column.
My son Roger will remember him as the astronaut who carried his banjo across a muddy road to the stage where we sang for the Sunday morning church service at the 1974 National High School Rodeo Finals in Tomah, WI. 
Deke Slayton was the main speaker and High School Rodeo contestants and their families heard an inspiring message from the astronaut whose home town of Sparta,WI was only a few miles west of the fairgrounds where he was speaking.
Roger's sisters Linda, Diana, Janis and Joni remember the astronaut helping them over the fence which surrounded the stage.
Deke was one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts and a humble, gracious gentleman.
Although a heart murmur kept him from flying in the Mercury Space Capsule, he later reached his dream of going into space with the Apollo/Soyuz program.   
Nice memories while visiting this beautiful park and memorial.
Now Christmas week is here and no rides are planned until we have a chance to redo the set up on the sidecar.
After welding the strut for the second time, the machine has developed a front wheel wobble both at low and high speeds. Ilidio has a plan to do the set up over and get the machines lined up correctly. Both he and I are learning a lot about proper set up and the dynamic response we get from having the sidecar slightly out of sync with the motorcycle.
There are lots of helpful reports on the Internet so we should enter the new year with a good set up and be ready for the trip from Florida to California to Montana as spring warms the north lands and the mountains of Montana beckon an itinerant biker home from the sunny south.

This has been a great riding year with over 30,000 miles of great travel across the nation.
There have been four Iron Butt Association Saddle Sore 1000 mile rides, one of which awaits certification.

Special thanks to Sidecar Bill Ryder for his work on my machine, Michael Kneebone IBA President and Shareef AsSadiq for guiding me through the 50cc Quest, cross country ride from the Pacific beach at San Diego, California to the Atlantic beach in Jacksonville, Florida, allowing me to become the oldest IBA rider to make this fifty hour ride. 
And end-of-year thanks to all of my family, Grace and many friends who have supported me through a year of great rides. 
May your rides be long and the new year full of blessings for each of you.
 Watch for me, I'll be in the Right Lane America
 Del "Lonnie" Lonnquist

The Florida Long Riders 8th Annual Grand Tour and Digital Scavenger Hunt and The Texas Tour

  

 First came the pre-event dinner with lots of tire-kicking and get acquainted-with-everybody  time, followed by a short meeting which included handing out the packets of information and the official Rally Tee Shirts.

Old friends who have ridden many miles together in IBA rallies visited, talked about  bikes and the latest farkles.

It was a fun filled get-together and brought back memories galore of past rides, as well as a chance to see vests, patches, logos and share ideas from local clubs and riders groups from across the country.

The after dinner meeting brought together people who were ready to ride.
Some were handed packets with routes and GPS coordinates for the Florida Grand Tour and over 50 riders received packets of Digital Scavenger Hunt directions.

At 7:15AM the next morning riders began gathering at the Fort Island Gulf Beach Park for the pre-ride meeting. Bikes lined up ready for the official start at 8AM.
The variety of machines in the line up brought together everything from the latest rides to a few vintage machines.

It was a great morning with lots of tire kicking and visiting.

Ray King and his volunteer team checked everyone in and after a short meeting and group photo the days adventure began.



 It was a great ride beginning at 8AM at Crystal River on the Florida West Coast and ending at 5:30PM at Flagler's Beach on the East Coast.
Although I didn't follow all of the directions I did visit many interesting places during the six hour ride, including The Villages retirement Northwest of Orlando and made an extra effort to reach St. Augustine North of Flagler Beach.
 
Pulled off in one small town, whose name I don't remember and saw local folks putting on a Pre-Veterans Day celebration. It was partly sponsored by the local motorcycle dealer. Their were bikers from Northern Florida and Georgia all joining forces to honor veterans and their families.
I got a few of the visitors to pose for pictures when they stopped to see the sidecar and tent trailer rig.
What a good time visiting with people from all over the world who travel through on their vacations.
They included a group attending a witches after Halloween event in one town and people selling Tee Shirts at Fairs and Festivals all over the south.

I spotted some unique (to me anyway) beach houses along the way and enjoyed miles of beach side riding on Florida's A1A sea coast highway.
These houses rose from behind the sand dunes, raised high in the air by beams and columns.
The space beneath the homes provides storage areas for cars, bikes, boats and more.
For someone from the Montana mountains they were strange looking indeed.

The end-of-ride dinner and awards program at Martin's Restaurant was a good time, dampened by the news that two of the volunteers for the event, Ron and Tammy Allen had been injured in an accident in which their Honda Gold Wing had apparently been rear ended by a pick up truck. The group sent get well wishes.
The evening ended with awards for the rally riders with much laughter and fun as some recounted stories about their days ride.
I received a plaque for being the oldest rider in the group.
I may not be fast, but I AM OLD!
Thanks to Ray King and his team for the many hours of work they put in planning and putting this great day together.

TEXAS!
Leaving daughter Diana and Ilidio to their remodeling project I headed for Texas two days after the tour event.
I rode out on a foggy morning with a good cloud cover.
A welcome relief after the heat wave which had engulfed Florida for the past couple of weeks.
The fog lifted by mid-morning, but the cloud cover stayed with me for most of the day.
It was a great 530 mile ride across the pan handle of Florida to the KOA camp at Milton.
The morning ride took me through Mobile, Alabama where the view of Battleship Park is always beautiful to see and the ride through the tunnel on I-10 is always exciting on the back of a motorcycle as some drivers ignore posted speed limits and zoom past the old guy on the bike with the sidecar.
One biker passed me and I have to admit, he had a great set of pipes on that Harley.
In the middle of the tunnel they really resonated. Great sound.
Mississippi has a great welcome center and the nice lady behind the counter came out to take a picture of me with an old friend. (well, Elvis always seemed like a friend to those of us from the 50's.)

The target for the days ride was the KOA camp at Lafayette, Louisiana. It was a short 265 mile jaunt and with sunny skies I made good time arriving by mid-afternoon.
Shortly after setting up the tent for the night, the rains came.
Seems like every time I stop in this area, it rains.
And not just showers either. It really rained and  continued far into the night.
The next morning started with a few sprinkles.
Well, maybe they were showers.
I got out the rain gear.

As I got closer to the Texas border the rain eased off and finally stopped altogether.
The big Texas Welcome Center had lots of  construction going on, but the folks were friendly.

I did try out my new Blue Tooth Selfie stick for a picture.
After seeing the results I'm not sure I want to do that anymore.
The ride into Houston on the Sam Houston Toll road was much faster, now that I am the proud owner of a Texas EZ Sticker.
Riding the toll road is much easier when you don't have to stop and fumble for change at each toll booth.
Brother-in-law Stan was ready for me and had the garage cleaned out and ready to store the bike and gear. A text message from daughter Joni said they would be buying dinner.
It was a fun dinner with Joni & Gary, and Stan's daughter Shellie and his Grandson Johnnie.
Life is good.
Grand Daughter Jerusha wasn't able to make it since she was riding to the dinner with her boy friend who discovered too late that he was working and couldn't  come.
I think he might be in trouble with either Jerusha, her Mom, or her Dad, or all of the above.
We'll see them before we head back to Florida next week.

So many people have brought good things into my life as I  continue my border-to-border and coast-to-coast sojourn around this wonderful country we call America.
Thanks to you all.

Watch for me, I'll be in the Right Lane America.
Del "Lonnie" Lonnquist