Ride to see the Travelling Vietnam Wall

April 27, 2018
Friday
Bowie TX

Well Tim has to work tonight and through the weekend so he should have been snoozing this afternoon. Instead, we decided to roll out with Dad for a short trip to Bowie to see the Travelling Vietnam Wall. Today was our last opportunity to see it.

It was a pleasant ride starting off cool and warming up nicely in the afternoon. Skies were clear. Winds were light.

No matter how many times we see the Wall it is always a memorable and heart-wrenching and humbling experience. We looked up a couple of the names that we know personally connected to friends. We paid our respects.

On the way back to our rides, Dad ran across an old acquaintance. Monica Harvey aka Lil' Sis whom he met years ago at a memorial mission. Monica is from Nebraska but she follows the Wall all over the USA. She said she stopped counting somewhere around mission 250. She sang a "Welcome Home" song to Dad. Her musical ministry is often referred to as Band-aid for your Heart. She gifted us with the vest pin with that logo. When we got back to our rides, Dad showed me his original pin still pinned to his vest.

The ride home was interrupted only by a stop at the Dairy Queen in Henrietta.

Approximate s'miles for this ride is 100 round trip.

Slide show of today's ride about 26 photos - no music.

Bandaid for your Heart

Veterans Music Ministry - Monica Harvey - aka Lil' Sis

Lil' Sis on Facebook

Quick Country Ride

April 26, 2018
Thursday
Texas

Today's ride was just a hop on and burn up a few miles before bad weather sets in. 50 some odd s'miles I think.

That grin on his face that say let's go...

Bluebonnets

Look for the spec - that's a pilot in training from Sheppard AFB

Another spec - pilot in training - looks like he's having as much fun as we are - ha!

Dad rides over mile marker 82

April 18, 2018
Wednesday
Texas/Oklahoma

It does not look like Mother Nature is going to cooperate on April 21st so we tagged along on a pre-82nd birthday ride with Dad to log over 82 windy s'miles! It is cool today as Spring mornings in Texas are so we rode out in jackets and hoodies. There is a promise of sun and warmth later but we are not counting on it as the winds have the flags standing straight out today.

It is Dad's birthday ride so it was Dad's call where we rode. We never really have a destination in mind but darn if his rowdy red ride didn't find it's way to a favorite breakfast and pie stop just over the river in Waurika Oklahoma.

JW's Travel Stop (truck stop with a cafe) is at the intersection of US 81 and US 70.

Our travels today took us along familiar roads and state highways in Oklahoma and Texas. We rode across the old river bridge thinking this may be one of the last times we cross it as a new bridge is under construction. The bluebonnets (Texas State Wildflower) are like a carpet of blue on the roadside. The countryside is greening up.

It is perhaps a coincidence that we traveled west on Hwy 82 on Dad's 82nd birthday ride. About Brown Road on Hwy 287 Dad pulled away from us for a bit. I reckon that's where he got a stretch in at 82 mph (legal speed limit is 75 mph).

Breakaway Monday ride

April 16, 2018
Monday
Texas

Yep. Today's ride was a breakaway ride. We closed on a cozy little cottage in late March and we have been down-sizing and moving and settling in. Whew! There's still lots to do and will be for a while but riding season is upon us and the whole point of down-sizing was to make time for what is important so here we are doing that for the first time since the move. We travelled familiar country roads that took us by a dirt road and an old farmhouse where we lived once upon time, past the bridge near the Red River where swallows nest, past a pecan orchard, and bluebonnets and prickly pear cactus patches. And, we stopped to explore the new truck stop at the intersection of Hwy 148 and Hwy 287. Kool! Gas and eats and ice cream! We took the long way around to home... out past the lake this time. We have some sun on our noses and we are certainly happy about it.

We called this a freedom cloud because it looks like an eagle to us

Checking out a new truck stop in Henrietta

Bluebonnets

S'miles = 113

Slide show 23 photos - no music

Probably too cold to ride - nah!

March 8, 2018
Thursday
Texas

It's probably too cold to ride but we rode out anyway. We just needed to clear a few cobwebs out of our heads. The last few months have been hectic. And busy will be the word of the day for the foreseeable future so we are taking advantage of a little downtime. The biggest thrill of the day was nearly having our heads took off by a turkey. Ha! It was a big loop around ride under mostly gray skies - but... we noticed the trees are beginning to bloom. So... it's all better now.

Gas tank portrait

Hole in the clouds

Our favorite road sign

The shadow riders make a brief appearance

Rear view mirror nonsense

Where did that sucker come from!

Bradford Pears are blooming!

Exact number of s'miles today unknown but it was enough to take the edge off a day!

Sometimes you get a perfect shot...

March 3, 2018
Saturday
Texas/Oklahoma

Saddle up! We're going for donuts.

Every Saturday our excellent local dealership, Red River Harley-Davidson serves up coffee and donuts. Some of us are regulars earning a label - Donut Posse. We hope that's an affectionate term. Ha! Today, we are shaking off a bit of cabin fever as we have been house bound since mid-January because Tim had back surgery. He's been out solo a couple of times but not very far. He thinks he is good to ride. We are happy to report we have indeed confirmed that he - make that we - are good to go.

A number anomaly (that's what we call them) rolled up on the odometer as we cruised the few miles to RRHD, registering 83083.

After donuts, we escorted one of our friends part way home. Mike is from Bowie. We rode with him to Henrietta. And sometimes you get the perfect shot from the back of the bike. You gotta love digital cameras!

We peeled off and wound our way north into Oklahoma and home - taking the long way around of course. It is chilly despite the sun. The landscape is still mostly brown and winter is far from gone.

Today's s'miles = 134.3

Slide show with a few pics (approx. 20) - no music.

Recovery Ride - Yep! Good to Go!

February 15, 2018
Thursday
Texas

This pic pretty much says it all... This is the first ride about a month after back surgery. Tim rolled out with Dad earlier today to make a short ride. They logged 49 s'miles.

It's official. We're good to go. Yay!

Friday After Turkey Day Ride

November 24, 2017
Thursday
Texas

I cannot think of a better thing to do than ride with Dad the day after Thanksgiving - no black Friday sales where we were - no crowds and crazy shoppers - no traffic - just blue skies, mostly clear country roads and ice cream. And the lakes are blue!

S'miles = 129

Slide show = 23 photos with music

Keeping it short and simple

November 6, 2017
Monday
Texas

Any ride is a good ride. Today we rode out a few miles to clear our heads. Our world has lost its summer color. We travelled country roads where not much was going on except the sound of jets flying out of SAFB over our heads. Look closely at the cloud pics I caught a couple of them.

Our world has lost its summer color

Hard to catch!

Missed it!

Gotcha!

S'miles = 42

Lazy Mid-Week Picnic Ride

November 2, 2017
Thursday
Texas

We have a day off and we have decided to be off. There's always something to do you know but today we will not be detained by the mediocre. No today we ride.

We rolled out about 10 am lazy-time. It was a bit chilly and the flags are already standing straight out but skies are clear and the whole day is ahead of us. We roll south on Hwy 281 toward Jacksboro TX. It's not long before we make our first stop at a roadside park where we picnic on packaged grocery store sandwiches and chips and odd and end snacks from the house. You will note in the photos that a Witch is tagging along. She did not get her Hallowe'en ride so we are making it up to her. Ha!

Our picnic spot for today

Our companion finally gets a ride

The historical marker on the site names the area Lost Valley, a 20 square mile section of rolling hills and prairie where in the mid to late 1800s settlers, wagon trains and Texas Rangers met with Indian and white renegade trouble. This is a bit of local Texas history we were unaware of so we learned something new today.

Historical Marker - Lost Valley

The next stop is just a few miles up the road at Dairy Queen in Jacksboro. We were having a cone for you, Dad.

Ice Cream Stop - for Dad you know.

The remainder of the ride found us rolling south and west through assorted small towns including Gibtown (Tim and Dad stood the flag-line at the Gibtown Cemetery a few years back during a Daughters of the Confederacy dedication.), Perrin, Mineral Wells, Weatherford and on through the Possom Kingdom Lake/Reservoir area where I snapped a few photos of the Dam on the Brazos River.

The Dam at Possom Kingdom

Trees are showing autumn colors. Grasses are turning. And the light has an amber hue. Oh the seasons they are a changing, The Ride rolled over 82444 in the PK area today. We took a lazy circuitous route home and rolled in just before dark. We are calling it a good day - a good ride.

S'miles logged today = 230.4

Slide show (about 47 pics)