Pinky's Motorcycle Passion
August 2011
|
Posted on Tuesday, August 23, 2011 8:12 PM
 Seven road weary travelers who made the long trip home from Sturgis, South Dakota, after attending the Black Hills Motorcycle Rally, the largest motorcycle rally in the world, rolled in to Shreveport last week with stories to tell and fond memories of their trek. The brainchild of Mr. Don Ehrman, Deputy Director of 2 FSS, the Sturgis rally trip was designed for military members to experience the ultimate in motorcycle riding through Barksdale AFB's Information, Tickets and Travel Office. As far as we can tell, a trip of this magnitude has never been pulled off by the 2FSS squadron or any other Force Support Squadron, for that matter.
The nearly 2,500 mile round trip was eventful and the group of people will never forget their time together, as they rode some of the most scenic rides in the world including Needle's Highway, Spearfish Canyon and Iron Mountain Road, where they were stopped by a stampeding herd of buffalo. They visited the majestic monuments of Mt. Rushmore, Devil's Tower (America's first National Monument), Crazy Horse, and the historic western town of Deadwood where Wild Bill Hickok met his demise, and the aces and eights dead man's hand was born. Hickok was holding this hand when he was shot in the back of the head by a coward. Today, visitors can play poker at the casinos lining Deadwood, or shop for memorabilia of the famous historic event. They traveled to Wall Drug, a famous drug store in operation since the 1930's that offers up free ice water and nickel coffee, while giving a free donut to all military veterans. In the evenings, they camped at the Legendary Buffalo Chip and enjoyed concerts every night with performers like Buck Cherry, Poison, Tesla, Stevie Nicks, George Thorogood, and a moving performance by Toby Keith as he culminated with "American Soldier". At the campground they visited the traveling Vietnam wall, a 1/2 size replica of the original memorial in Washington D.C., surrounded by a sea of red, white and blue flags waving majestically in the breeze. Great memories were made by all and as they look back, they will always savor the experience, and are already making plans for next year.
|
|
|
Posted on Sunday, August 21, 2011 5:46 AM
I had the opportunity and good fortune to meet the Demented Cycles, Bridgeport, Texas, Bike Builders, Charlie and Kevin Russell, this weekend. I even had the privilege of riding with business manager, Jon Magill. We rode Interstate 20 from Shreveport to Minden, where we switched over to Hwy 79 and headed to Homer. In Homer, we visited the antebellum, Greek revival architecture of the Courthouse on the town square. This courthouse is one of the oldest public buildings in continuous use in the state, and has an imposing statue dedicated to the soldiers of the Confederate States.  From the town square, we doubled back to visit Valhalla motorcycle campground and biker bar. Curt, owner and caretaker (along with his wife, Tana), showed us around the property. He promptly turned on the water cooled fan for us that sprayed a mist so satisfying to us who had been riding in the intense Louisiana heat. After a cool down in front of the fan, Curt showed us the bar and the grounds. I've spent some time at Valhalla, but it was a first for Jon and he was treated like family. I'm proud to say that our motorcycle community in Shreveport and Bossier and surrounding areas, welcomes and befriends all bikers, local or visitors. I'm reminded that it's riders like Curt who have set the stage for all riders of our generation and generations to come. And, Jon likened the grounds of Valhalla to those at Luckenbach, Texas, near his home of Bridgeport. Together, we will work to hold a future fund raising event at Valhalla featuring the bikes and builders of Demented Cycles. Please support Demented Cycles by visiting their website, friending them on Facebook and supporting their store in Bridgeport and New Braunfels, TX whenever you're in the Austin or San Antonio areas, or riding the Hill Country of Texas.
After our visit at Valhalla, we rode to Minden and had a delicious lunch at Pepe's Mexican restaurant, a family owned establishment. Supporting small businesses and family owned locations is a passion of mine, and there are plenty of them in our area struggling to stay open in this declining economy.
An approximate 40 mile ride later, we found ourselves at Coyote's Bar and Grill, and our choice of drink was water. Yes, water! In the oppressive heat, we needed to rehydrate and let our bodies recover. Finally, cooled off, we were ready for a cold beer and a quick stop in to Mad Dog's shop to browse his wares and say hello to his wife, Mona, who was busy on the sewing machine, taking care of her customers, as always. Mad Dog's is yet another small business I support, and if you're ever in need of leathers or would like some awesome, custom made jewelry, stop by his shop, located behind Coyote's Bar. And, if you need sewing, alterations or custom made clothing, Mona is the person to visit.
Finally, it was time to say goodbye to Jon, who was getting ready for the big night at Centurylink Center where the Demented Cycles custom motorcycle would be on display at the CBR (Championship Bull Riding) event. Visit the CBR website to sign up to win the motorcycle. Demented Cycles is entrenched in the motorcycle community and have many events and fund raisers planned. Their next event is scheduled for Sep 25, 2011 in New Braunfels. They have teamed up with Stoney LaRue and other musical artists to put on "Ridin' for a Reason", a motorcycle ride and concert to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and provide an easy way for everyone to show that they care about lives touched by cancer. A small business started by two brothers, Demented Cycles makes custom motorcycles individualized and unique to each owner. If you're in the market for a custom cycle, these are the folks to visit first! |
|
|
Posted on Thursday, August 04, 2011 10:07 PM
 Last night a group of like minded people with one thing in mind got together to put the final plans in action for a long anticipated trip to the biggest motorcycle rally in the world; the Sturgis rally. This year, the 71st year will offer a full line up of entertainment, plenty of rides and sites to see, and new friends to make. The early bird rally is already happening. The campgrounds are open, the streets of Sturgis are filling up and there's a steady stream of motorcycles heading North to the Badlands. The social networks, Twitter and especially Facebook are streaming with posts of the excitement and fun that the riders are sharing. Some are still making the trek, some have arrived, and others, like me and my group from Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, Louisiana, are putting the final touches on plans that have been in formulation for almost a year. One common theme this year has been the weather. The Missouri river floods have left an impact on riders who planned to use Interstate 29 as part of their route. The major floods, shortly after the devastating tornado in Joplin, caused un-forseeable damage and road closures along major routes. We met last night and just two days before our departure, decided we needed to change our route, too. I've created a Sturgis page on my website , pinkysmotorcyclepassion.com, and will post our route and travel adventures along the way. The intense heat has been a major consideration that we'll be dealing with when riding through the south, and will likely hamper our ability to make good time. And, finally, the 71st year of the rally has not exactly been blessed with great weather. For sure, it will be cooler, in the mid 60's at night and mid 80's during the day, but there will be rain and thunderstorms, too. Fortunately the forecast calls for the rain to taper off by Wednesday, and the second half of the rally will have sunny skies and clear riding weather. Even with the obstacles, our excitement is rising, and we're ready to make the time honored trek to the Sturgis rally. Follow me on facebook , my blog and the Sturgis page!
|
|
|
