DAY FOURTEEN - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Today was a cooler day riding.  However I started out the day with a tank top thinking that it would warm up.  It did the opposite and as we headed through some fog later on in the morning it was time to put a jacket on!  Allan from HOG said later tonight that he had to give me props!  He said:  "here I was freezing my butt off and you passed me with a tank top on!"  And of course I said:  "Well you know I am from Canada!"  Too funny.  It wasn't that bad when we passed him on the bikes but it was about an hour later that I did put my jacket on.

Later in the morning we stopped at another Harley dealer in Dover.  I purchased some new boots and threw out my old ones as the sole was split on both of them!  Must be all that tippy toeing I do on the bike!  It wasn't long after the dealer that we ran into some rain and had to stop to put on some rain gear to ride the rest of the way to the hotel. 

Tonight we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!  Wow what a spot.  We had the whole museum to ourselves with a band playing all kinds of rock and roll music.  They served us drinks and treats!  It was really nice to finish off such a wonderful trip at a great place. 

I have decided to head out early in the morning hoping to beat some of the rain rather than the heat!! It is shorter going towards Syracuse than it is going to Toronto so I am going to stick with Miles and Patti on the way back which gives me some company for most of the trip and if the weather is bad I have a place to stay which is great. 

HOG did a wonderful trip and deserve a big round of applause for making another vacation one to remember!!

DAY THIRTEEN - Goodbye Nashville

Most people headed out early today to beat the heat!  Most motorcycles were revving to go around 7:00 a.m. this morning.   We had about 400 miles to do today and it was better to leave early to try to get a good portion of the day under our belt before the heat hit. 

The ride was mostly uneventful - a little rain but nothing major just enough to make our bikes terribly dirty!  We made one stop at a nearly new Harley Davidson in London, Kentucky which is well worth the stop.  Beautiful building with great staff and great stock.  It was funny as we arrived in an area of Kentucky called Floyd County all our minds turned to the great gal we met in Virginia in Floyd at the Blue Ridge Restaurant.  Ladonna has certainly been the topic of conversation most of this trip.  She certainly made an impression on all three of us!

The Harley Davidson dealer here in Charleston, West Virgina had a wonderful supper for us as we arrived.  Barbecue beef on a bun, beans, potato salad and coleslaw was amazing.  Tomorrow the final leg to Cleveland and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Looking forward to it!!

DAY TWELVE - Nashville CMA Opening Parade

This morning the Harley Davidson dealer put on a wonderful breakfast for us before we headed out to the staging area for the parade.  The staging area was a parking lot which we filled with Harley Davidson’s.  The people in the office buildings around were quite surprised to find all these Harley’s pulling into an area that is normally quiet in downtown Nashville.  We had a lot of people come out of their office’s to check out all the bikes and find out what was going on.  There was lots of time to mingle and to find some much needed shade from the crazy heat that we are getting on this trip.

The parade was well organized from the time we left the parking lot all the way to the start of the parade.  There was a police escort and police directing traffic for approximately eight blocks as we made our way through downtown to the parade itself where all the floats we pulled over for us to pass through to the start of the parade and help lead the parade through the main street of Nashville.  The motorcycles were four abreast as we travelled the parade route honking, waving and of course revving our engines to the people all along the route.  There were lots of people taking pictures of all the bikes and little did they know it was just us crazy HOG folks having a blast with big smiles on our faces.  Once the parade route was complete we were quickly escorted back to the parking lot and we were able to walk back to the parade route and watch the rest of the parade come through.  This all in all seemed a little surreal as we had just been in it!!

Lunch was served at the Wildhorse Saloon as the second and third floor of the bar was set aside for us.  Great food was appreciated by everyone.  I took in the line dancing lesson and had fun with Paula trying to keep up as the music got faster and faster.  After walking a slow pace back to our bikes we headed back to the hotel to enjoy the pool.  This afternoon was very quiet for most of us as I took a nap and then Skip, Miles, Patty and I order pizza for supper at the pool.  The pool at the Ramada is indoors away from the heat!

Tomorrow we head to Charleston, West Virginia on our way to Cleveland which is about 400 miles.  So we are “kick stands up” by 7:00 a.m. again to beat some of this heat! 

DAY ELEVEN - Memphis to Nashville

This morning we headed out early to beat the heat!  7:00 a.m. was very early after breakfast; however it certainly made a difference for the first part of the morning.

On our way to Nashville we have been involved in a little draw for the chance of winning $1,000; so we have had to go to 4 out of 5 dealerships that belong to Bumpus!  Of course we made all five and perhaps even bought something in each of them.

Tonight was the Grand Ole Opry and we saw some great performances all of which I can't seem to remember right now other than Carrie Underwood and the Oakridge Brothers!  Everyone was amazing and everyone had a great time.  The Harley Owner Group was announced and then Harley Davidson did a little commercial during the change of sets with Allan coming out on his motorcycle right onto the stage.  What a treat for him I am sure as he came on just after Carrie Underwood!

Very tired tonight so I am heading to bed as it will be a big day tomorrow.  More to follow tomorrow!

DAY TEN - Memphis

Memphis is an awesome city to visit!  Graceland was worthwhile!  It is easy to imagine all that went on in Graceland in its’ hay day!   What was a mansion back in the 1970’s clearly is not anything like we would consider a mansion now.  However, having said that it is important to put yourself back in that era to experience the full effect of Graceland.  The panelling, the shag carpet are truly tell-tale signs of the 1970’s.  What a treat to see that they have preserved that culture in Graceland.  The blue velvet sofas and chairs are truly amazing when looked at back then.  To have the mirrors and shag on the ceiling is pretty funny now but was basically the cat’s meow back then!

After Miles picked up Patty at the airport we met them at Graceland and had an amazing tour.  Stopping at the gift shops and the Harley Davidson Graceland store was fun!  After leaving Graceland we proceeded to Bumpus Harley-Davidson in Memphis to get our stamp in order to be eligible for the $1,000 prize!  So of course we had to shop.  It is nice to have Patty along in order to shop the girls stuff and to have reinforcements to bug the guys!  Too much fun!

We met for supper at 5:00 p.m. to catch the trolley to the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King was shot.  They are just in the midst of renovations and it is truly a historical place to visit for all people that appreciate life!  One of the sayings in the store I really enjoyed was:  “Good women don’t make history.”  How true is that! 

We then walked back to Beale Street to enjoy a wonderful supper at Blues City Cafe & Club again!  Tonight I tried the catfish and enjoyed the ribs again.  I also tried the apple cobbler – WOW!   Very good!

The band that was playing was one of the better blues bands in Memphis and I enjoyed their music very much.  One of the girls on the tour, Cindy and I went looking for a blues hat for her and went to some gift shops and I enjoyed the music so much in one of the shops that I purchased a CD.  While I was deciding on which CD to purchase the manager came out and had a little dance with me!  What fun is that!  Needless to say he recommended a great CD that I cannot wait to listen to on our way to Nashville tomorrow night. 

Tomorrow I look forward to the Grand Ole Opry which reminds me of the actual Grand Ole Opry shutting down the Cobden Grand Ole Opry – hard to imagine that Nashville actually heard about the Cobden one!  In any event we will see if the original lives up to the Cobden one – hope it does!!

DAY NINE - Tupelo and then Memphis - Elvis Lives!!

Leaving Meridian this morning early was an attempt to get some miles under us before the heat hit again.  We were on the road by 7:00 a.m. and the full heat held off for a couple of hours anyway.  It is truly hot down here and travelling along the interstate there is no break from the heat.

On the way we travelled the Natchez Trace Parkway which is similar to the Blue Ridge Parkway but without all the corners or the mountainous view.  Very little traffic and no transports along the road was very nice.  Arriving at Tupelo, MS – the birthplace of Elvis Presley was very special.  The museum was not open when we arrived but we toured the property and saw the house where Elvis was born and the renovated church where his family would go for church.  A quick stop for lunch and then we hit the road again.  This afternoon the interstate was unbearably hot. 

Today was the first day of a passport stop for a chance to win $1,000 from Bumpus Harley-Davidson.  The Bumpus Harley shops have four stores and as we stop at each one we are getting a passport stamped for a chance to win the $1,000.  That would be awesome – odds are pretty good that someone I know will win – hopefully it will be me!!

We arrived in Memphis at around 4:00 p.m. where a shower could have been worth a million dollars!  Miles, Skip and I took the trolley to Beale Street where we found a restaurant that was recommended by the hotel staff – Blues City Café has the best ribs I have ever tasted.  After we filled our bellies then we headed down Beale Street to take in all the sites.  Lots of bars with blues playing fighting for your attention.  One was playing on the sidewalk and one was playing in the park. 

Tomorrow Graceland and more Beale Street.  Looking forward to tomorrow!!

DAY EIGHT - On our way to Memphis - stop in Meridian

This morning we said good-bye to New Orleans and started our travel north to Memphis.  The picture on the left was taken as I was travelling along the bridge across the mighty Mississippi.  As you can see the water is almost as high as the bridge itself.  Today we rode on Hwy 11 through the Irish Bayou towards Memphis.  Once we were close to Hattiesburg we decided that it was too hot and we hit the interstate 59 which cut our trip by at least an hour.  Our planned stop today was in Meridian, Mississippi for a dealer party at Chunky River Harley Davidson.  We arrived just in time for their free lunch on Saturdays.  The guys went to the Jimmie Rodgers Museum and I stayed at the hotel to enjoy the pool and have a nap!  The weather is so hot it just takes the energy right out of me - of course it had nothing to do with the party the night before! 

Supper was served at the Chunky River Harley Davidson where they served catfish or pulled pork along with coleslaw, potato salad.  Delicious (did not eat the catfish!).  While I was there I had the manager for parts check out my tire to make sure I didn't need one and he said I was good - hard to imagine - still the original tire and I have 23,000 km on it!!  I did however have some highway pegs installed and hopefully that helps with the long rides we are still in for later this week.

Tomorrow we end up in Memphis and have one stop at Elvis Presley's birthplace so I am looking forward to that stop! Memphis will be a two night stop so Monday there is going to be lots of time to check out Graceland before the big party on Beale Street! 

DAY SEVEN - New Orleans Party - Part Two

Today was an eventful day!  This morning we went to the D-day Museum and spent three hours learning more about the D-Day mission.  Awesome exhibits well worth the admission to spend some time learning about the history of the World War.  It really hit me today that it wasn’t that long ago!  Perhaps as you get older you start to realize that 65 years ago really wasn’t that long ago!  When you put it in perspective and you know someone other than your grandparents that were in that era it really hits home that it wasn’t that long ago.  And I say that because until we hit an age we put our grandparents in a different era all together which really isn't the case at all!

This afternoon at lunch we rode to the dealership where they put on a nice lunch of roast beef on a bun.  There was a wedding performed during the festivities and was being filmed by the local TV station as well as a number of amateur video fanatics!  This afternoon was spent out by the pool with all the girls – Susan, Beth, Jackie as well as a few others!  The strawberry daiquiris started there and continued on into the night! 

We then met at 5:00 for our parade to the waterfront with a police escort and a marching band from a local high school.  What a blast.  Some of the HOG members were throwing out beads to the people along the way who really got a kick out of us dancing and marching along!  We had our group picture taken in front of the Creole Queen River boat with all of our masks and boas on!  Too funny – of course I had to be up front with another friend Jolene to make sure we could find ourselves.  As if, me in my red and white representing our fine country of Canada!!

We had enough time to have another drink before our boat left for our dinner cruise.  Wow, then one of the girls decided to send her husband out for more drinks!  The captain informed us we had to drink them before the boat left, which was in fifteen minutes!  They were huge glasses of frozen daiquiris!  Wow the crew really got a kick out of us!! 

On the dinner cruise there was a couple John and Jacquie that had got married today from Scotland!  Jacquie’s mother was there too!  They had such a hoot with us – we really broke this ice with them.  Once we started everyone on the first deck wanted to talk to them.  John and Jacquie really appreciated that and we had an absolute blast with them.  The girls were checking out his kilt and praising him up!  He came back over with some tartan pieces and butterflies.  Then Jacquie came over with some roses out of her bouquet!  What fun!  Jacquie`s mother came over and sat with us and she gained a number of new daughters - Canadian and American!  Jacquie also gained some sisters in the process.  What fun we had.

On the way back to the hotel we were singing ``When the saints come marching in``!  Too crazy. Susan is an absolute blast.  What a crazy girl she is!  A friend forever is for sure.

Tomorrow we leave at 8:00 a.m. and I hope that I am able to get up and get going!  Could be very interesting!

PS – Kyle turns 21 today and wishes he could have been here to celebrate with his crazy mother – he would have had a blast! 

DAY SIX - New Orleans Party Part One

New Orleans is hot today. Unbelievably hot – of course they have to hit a record for today –almost 100 degrees.It was laundry day for me before I ran out of clean clothes then a walk around downtown New Orleans.We took a walk down Bourbon Street to the water front and visited Jackson Square and the St. Louis Cathedral.There was a statue of General Andrew Jackson who won the battle of New Orleans in Jackson Square.

We had lunch today at a nice little bistro and then went for dessert, Beignets which were truly sinful!  Icing sugar by the pound, I am sure, covering deep fried pastry.  Yummy!  It was a good thing I was walking today and not riding so I could walk off a few of those calories.

Around Jackson Square there were a number of artists painting or just pretending to be statues.  I couldn't imagine hanging around acting like a statue in this heat.  They must really be serious about their art!

I have met more people from Route 66 and am always amazed when they remember my name - very nice.  Today we had the opening meeting for the tour and all the different places were introduced.  There are two people from Australia riding with us.  There are six people from Canada!!  Three guys from Simcoe area and they actually knew where Renfrew County was!!  I had actually met them downtown at the Voodoo Harley Davidson store.  They try to do a HOG trip each year and have been coming to HOG events for a number of years together.  The other people were from Alberta and I have not actually spoken to them yet.  It was nice getting introduced at the meeting today from Canada and of course Allan (from HOG) actually knew my name as well – it makes you feel special when people remember you.  I must have made an impression on Route 66 – hope it was a good one!!  Perhaps it was my smile from ear to ear as I enjoy my ride and meeting all these fabulous people.

Tonight we had our first party in New Orleans (Part One) with supper and a fantastic Jazz band.  Tomorrow (Part Two) will be unforgettable I am sure as we are going to be paraded down Bourbon Street by a band and a police escort.  We will be walking or dancing all the way to the boat where we will have our picture taken and then I have booked the dinner cruise with my friends from Route 66.  Of course I had to buy a mask and boa (red and white of course to represent Canada).  Should be a blast but hope it won’t be as hot as today!

DAY FIVE - Chattanooga to New Orleans

We left Chattanooga this morning around 8:30 a.m. with the sun shining brightly again! Too hot - wow. I wore a long sleeve shirt today as my arms couldn't take any more sun. (Imagine that!!). The interstate was hot, flat and long. We rode at 120 km/hr and was able to get all the way to New Orleans today which was unexpected. We drove 870 km today!!

New Orleans is very neat - streets are very narrow and full of life. We had supper at Deanie's Seafood which was delicious. Check it out at: http://www.deanies.com/restaurants/

Arriving at the hotel was awesome! Met up with a number of people from Route 66. John and Susan, Reg and Beth, Jim, Drew and Alan. It was like old home week. Great people! I look forward to spending the next 10 days with all these great bikers. 

Tomorrow is registration and the first event!  Can't wait to get this party started!!