Destruction Bay - James

Long days, short nights. Rain. Gravel. Construction. Stunning views. And some of the most amazing people.

There are a lot of things you don't see when you're watching the live feed - when it's live which I'm sure it hasn't been for a couple of days. 

You miss the little puffs of dust or water that tell you the riders ahead have just hit gravel, or puddles, or both. You miss the sudden flashing of taillights that might mean anything from HOLY COW IT'S A BUMP to a herd of bison in the road. You miss seeing a string of 16 motorcycles in perfect formation, leaning into a sweeping turn, with a lake or mountain in the background.

And you miss a lot of the laughter and teasing that happens when 18 guys are stuck with each other for weeks on end. I'v written a lot (mostly on previous Rides - see the comment about long days above) about the camaraderie in this group. Whether it's sitting in the Chinese restaurant in the middle of nowhere, waiting for dinner (and how does a Chinese restaurant run out of fried rice?), or the scramble to help when a motorcycle tips over, the fun never ends.

Even when it's 50 degrees and raining, and the road is 50% washboard gravel, we seem to find something to laugh about. And there's always something new, just around the corner.

We're stopped tonight at what was founded as a workers camp in WWII, when the US Army was building the road to carry supplies and men to Alaska. It's a little slice of history that they probably tried to teach me in school, but standing here, looking at the mountains and the lake, and thinking about hard-living men, hacking a passage through the wilderness, makes it come alive in ways no textbook ever did for me. 

I find myself thinking about those early explorers a lot while we ride. What must it have been like for the first surveyors, facing the same wind, rain, and cold we're facing, with the added challenges of figuring out which pass could support a highway; which hills to carve a road into? We ooh and aahh when we see bison or bears on the side of the road. For those early explorers, those were dinner - one way or the other.

We think we're pretty hardy because we can cover 500 miles in a day, no matter the weather. In 1942, t took 10,000 men almost seven months to build the AlCan's 1700 miles. There have  been a lot of improvements since then, and believe me, there is still plenty of room for improvement.

Tomorrow, we arrive in Fairbanks (after another 400+ mile day), then it's on to the Arctic Circle, and the official turn for home. It seems many of us just can't get enough riding, so some will continue on to Coldfoot, THEN turn for home.

It's already been an adventure, and the scenery promises to keep taking my breath away. 

If you haven't already, please hit the Donate button - and if you have, THANK YOU!

Love, Time, Support

Whew...today was unique. I'll let the others give you the details, but, I survived. Today I offer you more perspective. Perspective I don't have so I asked for help. This is from Ginny Patterson, otherwise know as Mamma Cat's daughter. 

When growing up, I felt like I had a normal childhood and family. My dad was in the Army and my mom stayed at home. We moved about every 3 years, which was hard but we got used to it. Throughout all the moves, and weeks or months at a time that my dad was in the field, my mom was home with us. My parents had a good partnership, but honestly, my mom was in charge. 😃 She not only cooked, cleaned, and shuttled my sisters and I to activities, she mowed grass, plunged clogged toilets, and fixed sinks. She could do anything that needed to get done and knew the answers to all my questions. The world today sometimes gets really worked up about letting girls know they can do anything they want, and having women in certain roles. This seemed odd to me at first because but I NEVER thought I couldn't do something because I was a girl. That's because I know my mom can do anything, and she raised me, so I can do anything. 

When I became a mom, my husband and I had our own parenting style, but I still sought my mom's thoughts and opinions on parenting. I have 2 girls of my own and pray that I can be as great a mom to them as my mom is to me. This is no easy task with all the new articles, blogs, and studies there are on how to be a good mother. Technology, gadgets, social media, and society opinions are hard to ignore.  Despite all that, I learned (from my mom) that the best thing I can give my kids is my love, my time, and my support.   She may not know it, but she continues to remind of that as my girls get older. 

Love, time, support......These are the things that the children, who are supported by The Methodist Youth Home, need too. Supporting this ride helps children receive the best we can offer them and set them up for an amazing future. 

So I get to choose the song of the day...no brainer...867-5309...let me know when you get it...

Brian

Alaskan Highway - Scott

We have been on the road for 6 days and this morning as I write this we have traveled 2371 miles or so, depends on who you ask. If you look at where the tracker places us on the map you will see that puts us a little over half way. As hard as we have been riding that does not even seem possible. At around 5 pm local time (which is 8 pm back in the world time ) we made a turn and there it was ( I only know this cause a big sign said so) Alaskan Highway. I'm not sure if it was the anticipation or if was just the way I was looking at it. It seemed to instantly change. The landscape became dramatic and the road became well let's just say a challenge. First you have frost heaves, that's not what happens when you drink a Coke slushy too fast for you Southern's. A frost heave is when it get so damn cold and the ground freezes 5 feet deep and pushes the ground up then summer comes and it thaws and it sinks back down. I know this does not seem like a big deal but when it sinks about a foot lower then the rest of the road. Let's just say you get air between your tires and the road, air between your seat and your butt and air between your underwear and your skin. I will leave you to your imagination what fills that spot between skin and underwear as you fly thru the air. Then you have the bugs. I just thought we were hitting bugs in lower part of the states. They come in all sorts of colors, I have the spots on my shirt to prove it. When you hit them some have green goo some have yellow goo, a few just leave a black spot. When you hit one that leaves red you know it without a doubt. Any bug that can bleed is a damn big bug and he will about knock you off the bike. The first one I hit and looked at my shirt I was afraid it was my blood and thought about pulling over and having Brice administer first aid. I sure hope I don't hit one of them at the exact same time that I hit a frost heave. God only knows what will be in that space between my shorts and skin. All of this was in the first 5 miles. I love it. 

Day 6, Mike Hamby

For the last two days we have been making our way up through Canada's Provinces. At first the terrain is much like North Dakota, flat as a fritter, but gradually gave way to gently rolling hills. It goes without saying that it is all, with exception to the mining and oil drilling, absolutely breath taking. Green verdant hills, and lots and lots and lots of canola seeds, except they are beautiful yellow carpets of canola seeds. Go look in your kitchen cabinets right now, ill bet you have a bottle of canola oil. Well chances are it came from Canada, and I saw it.

We covered another 560 miles today, and even though I'm tired and dirty and ready to hit the sack, I sit here and ponder what it must be like for kids .

To have parents that do not and cannot love them, to the point of having to be removed from the home, and its worth every mile to try and let them know how much we Love and care for them, and support them.

As we journey to Alaska I hope you will check out these rider blogs, and find it in your hearts to make a donation in order to make a difference in one Childs life

Mike Hamby

Day 5 - Mike Hamby

Day 5 and I'm just now writing ? What's up with that? I'll tell you what. My butt is being kicked... but in a good way, like the kind of tired you get after a good work out tired.

I joined this "Band of Desperados" back in 2010, cause I like the way Scott thinks.

Make a difference in one Child's Life, its just that simple.

We as a band of Brothers are riding over 500 miles a day to do one thing, draw attention to Our House, Inc

I've had all sorts of comments from, y'all are crazy, to anybody can just sit there and ride a motor for 21 days.

REALLY ?

We are on a mission, and with a little luck and God we will finish on time. 5 days out and tonight in Lloydminister, Alberta.

I know this is short but I'm falling asleep here....

Keep reading the blogs spread the word so everyone is aware and go to www.scottsride.com

Day 5 - Meridian Alberta - James L.

Today we crossed Saskatchewan, which may not sound like much except we took nearly the shortest route, and it still took 470 miles and several (that is, about 10) hours. We hit a couple of construction zones (including the one where a rock kicked up from the road and cracked my gopro lens- bummer!), and passed two HUGE cylindrical things on trucks. By huge, I mean the truck was straddling the edge of the road, and we still had to move all the way to the left to get around them.

I also learned today about canola. We saw canola fields yesterday in North Dakota, but I didn't know what they were. The fields are brilliant yellow - like, brighter than a yellow crayon - and huge. Today, some of the fields stretched from one horizon to the other. I took a bunch of photos, but they just don't do the color justice. Canola is a fast-growing crop that works well in the short growing season they have up here, and because it's "heart-healthy," the oil is very popular in the food-service industry. It boggles my mind to realize how many thousands of bushels we've ridden by, and there is still more demand than supply for the oil.

Yes, that's the kind of thing that I think about when I'm riding through the no-data zone (and have no music because no data = no Spotify).

I also thought a lot about how I got started with the Ride - an anonymous ride-along on the trip in from Macon, riding out to Montgomery one year, then chatting with Scott about whether I could go. Scott's a pretty amazing guy: there are several of us on the Ride who he didn't know at all before we joined the cause. And now, because of a shared passion for kids and motorcycles, we're a family (as cliche as that sounds). 

I heard tonight about Ronnie's first trip. You'd never know it now, but I'm told Ronnie was a very timid rider, especially in the corners. Now, he's one of the leaders (from the back of the pack), and shares his earned wisdom freely with us whenever the need arises. 

It's just one more way we improve with every ride ...

James

ps: I learned yesterday not to announce to this crowd when my boss is watching (and listening to) the live feed at lunch. As far as I know, I still have a job, but lesson learned.

Siblings - Brian

Math, lots and lots of math. That's what we had to do all day here in Canada. What is 110 kilometers per hour? (66 MPH) How far is 71 kilometers? (42 miles) I can't even try to figure the money conversion rate and what the heck is a looney? (Not me)

I told you I don't have all the perspective. But, I know people. I asked my daughter Katie for her perspective. Here it is...

Growing up with siblings was like having built-in teammates. We were working towards the same goals like, “just five more minutes!”, “do we have to go to bed now?”, and my favorite, “but you let HER do it!”. Although my brother John and I are only a little over two years apart, we have been in different schools ever since he finished 5th grade. We attended different middle schools and high schools. A lot of those experiences that siblings would share in school, we didn’t get to share, but that’s okay. We rarely took the same paths; in fact, there are only two things I can think of that I did, “because my brother did it”. One being collecting Pokémon cards (but we won’t get into that here) and the second was working at Chick-Fil-A. 

My brother has always been reserved and not easily excitable. We didn’t have many knockdown, drag-outs growing up, partly because John was so laid back. He had been working at Chick-Fil-A for about a year before I got the bright idea to go pester him there.  Working at Chick-Fil-A allowed us to both exist in the same social circle for the first time and I believe this is when we truly became friends. We became teammates in the literal sense. Being great siblings, like any great relationship, is strengthened by a solid friendship. Those years working closely together set the tone for the rest of our lives. 

We’re there cheering each other on through life’s exciting milestones and helping each other through the hard times. We get each other’s jokes and he picks up on all of my sarcasm. The children at The Methodist Youth Home may not have that built-in teammate or may have had them ripped away from them unexpectedly, but through the generous support of the community they can have opportunities to enrich their lives in other ways. 

Today’s song is You’ve Got a Friend in Me by Randy Newman.

You've got troubles, and I've got 'em too
There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you
We stick together and can see it through
'Cause you've got a friend in me, 

You've got a friend in me.

Man I love her...AND she picked a song of the day...

Border Crossing - Scott

It was on our mind all day. Would we all make it across, but more importantly would the trailer make it across? At every gas stop it was the topic of conversation. Who would make it thru with just a few questions and who would have to go to the back room and get the interrogation? Now you can only imagine the stories of the back room interrogations that were being told from the guys. You could see the whites of their eyes when stripped search was brought up and all the numerous places they would have to look. After all we have all been told about Mike J and Ronnie's last adventure across the boarder. Mike just being Mike cost him and Ronnie a few hours in the back room according to Ronnie. I'm not sure but I bet they both were just being their self and joking at the border check in station. Either way it was two hours in the back room which neither one of them say much about what happened back there which in turn has made us all nervous. The only thing said from either one of them is they don't play.
We have had several conversations on the best way to cross and came to the conclusion that we will go across as a group, not sure why but that is the plan. Now this border crossing is in the middle of no where so if we or one of us gets turned back I'm not sure where we will have to go to find a place to sleep. I'm the first in line at the check point and I don't see any Gaurd dogs or machine guns like some of the stories that were told. What I did see was a very young fellow ( I'm old so they all look young)with a big smile and a funny accent who said welcome to Canada. 
After a few more questions he told me to have a good day and a good trip AEH
Only three more boader crossings. 
Side note!!! I'm sure when we get back there will be a few stories of the back room interrogations. 

Happy Birthday

Today was my roomies birthday. It was kick stands up at 7:00 AM. Precisely at 6:00 AM Steve Tennant started the avalanche of texts to Brad wishing him a happy birthday. Brad was hoping to avoid all the attention...not in this group buddy...thanks Steve. I was able to find a picture on line of Brad riding...I wasn't even out of bed and told him sorry...I gotta share this picture.

This year having a July ride has changed so much. It just doesn't feel right, this should be May. But, here we are, in Canada...heading to Alaska.

Birthdays mean a lot to me. Time together means a lot to me. Missing time together kills me. As you read this I will be missing my son's birthday for the first time in 31 years. I'm out here with his blessing. He knows and understands. Is it sacrifice or commitment? More on that later.

John I miss you, and love you. Beers at your house when I get home.

Brian

Today's song of the day...Enter Sandman by Metallica...I still get chicken skin from the concert...

Day 3 - Mackinaw City to Grand Rapids,MN

More rain today. It was raining as we left this morning and crossed the Mackinac Bridge. We rode in rain and fog through the entire states of Michigan and Wisconsin. We did not see the sun until Duluth, Minnesota and that was 5:30pm central time. The temperature never got to 60 degrees until the sun came out in Duluth.

The route today took us west on Hwy 2 just on the other side of the Mackinac Bridge. The road hugs the north side of Lake Michigan for quite a ways. It is a pretty ride but would have been so much better without the rain. Somewhere in that stretch of road you could smell the spruce/pine trees. Someone hollered on the CB, "It smells like Christmas!" Farther down the road was the smell of smoked fish and beef jerky. You would not have gotten those smells from riding in a ca

I'm having trouble finding words to describe the rest of the ride today. It is all about the rain. On a motorcycle in the rain, you are hunkered down, water is spraying up under your face shield onto your glasses, looking through a windshield with no windshield wiper and paying attention to rain on the road. It was a wet day but any day on a motorcycle is good day.

Brad

scottsride.com

Decisions

We are all faced with them everyday. Let's just say I have made some good ones and I have made some bad ones. I'm sure who ever reads this will have to agree with the that about their own life. Riding with this group of guys has definitely been one of my better one's. Now let's talk about yesterday's decision, not so good. We woke up to light clouds with a storm off to the west. Being the meteorologist that I am, I made the decision to have breakfast first and then hit the road. My radar skills told me that the storm would pass by the time we were done eating. We finished breakfast and headed across the Bridge with just a light mist in the air. Just as we made it over the bridge we made a turn to the west and that's when it just didn't look just right. I fired up the ol weather radar on the phone and it confirmed what I was looking at, big dark clouds, Where did those come from? After further studying and calculations I made the decision that we would most likely get a little wet. The way the storm was moving in contrast to way the road looked on the radar we would be out of in just a few minutes. So my decision was to ride thru it without stopping to put on rain suits, bad decision!!!!! I got wet in places that I didn't think it was possible to get wet in. To make matters even worse I swear I think that I must have had a homing device on my bike because that dark cloud started moving west over the top of us for 150 miles, which was our first gas stop. At the stop I told the guys it might be a good idea to put on our rain suits, really bad decision. The looks said it all as they were their dripping water from places I didn't think you could get wet. So much for my weather career

Scott

Normal

"The sea was angry that day my friend"..,today started wet, stayed wet until late in the afternoon. Our Skipper took us on a beautiful tour of the U P. Sheriff was whistling the theme to Gilligan's Island...very fitting.

The ride we are on creates a different sense of “normal”. Each day it’s the same routine. You get up, get on your bike, ride all day, get off your bike have dinner and go to bed. Same thing, day after day after day. I didn’t say it was bad, just different. The guys are a blast, the food is always unique. The only thing that changes is the view. And we can thank God for that.

Growing up for me was normal. If you’ve read my posts from a few years ago you’ll have a sense for how it was growing up in rural Indiana. I’m the youngest, and five years separate me from the oldest, my brother John. My Dad was a hardworking man. He worked outside, and when he got home all he wanted to do was read the paper and watch TV. I didn’t understand when I was little. I wanted him to come out and play catch, ride a bike, do something. But he had been outside all day. Sometimes hot, sometimes very cold and he was tired. I do remember going up through Scouts with him. I remember lots of camping trips, even after Scouting. So we did things, just not at the pace a seven year old would want. Later in life we enjoyed going to races. He was a big Bill Elliott fan and in the spring of 1988 I got to take my Dad to the Elliott’s race shop in Dawsonville. I had a work relationship with Bill’s brother Dan. Dan jumped in the car with us and had a nice conversation, then gave us a personal tour of the shop. I think that was a highlight in my Dad’s life. My Dad passed away in June of that year. And in November I’m at the race in Atlanta when Bill Elliott won the NASCAR championship. I cried a little that day. He worked hard. The bills were paid, we had food on the table and a safe secure place to lay my head every night. Except that one night I came home very late after “bad pizza”. I was scared, but the fear was in the house with me that night. I tell you this so you know I had a normal childhood, in normal surroundings, doing normal things. My Dad was a good Dad to me.

When I had children I knew I was going to do it a little different. When the kids wanted to play, I would play. Even today if they call and ask if I want to do something, no matter how tired or busy I am, I’m gonna go. That goes for the dog too, she wants to play, on the floor we go. I hope that I was a good Dad. I hope the home provided was adequate. I hope that my children have memories of normal. I know when I see my son interact with his son I see a good Dad. I would like to think I had some influence of how a good Dad should operate. 

The children we are supporting on the ride this year have not really had normal in the sense that most of us know. The normal that is provided to them by The Methodist Youth Home will give them a foundation where they know they are loved. Where they will receive support, guidance and direction. So being on this ride is another opportunity for me to provide some normal to children that just need a chance. I only have perspective on the normal a Father can provide. I cannot give the perspective of a mother. But I bet I know someone who can.

Today’s song of the day…."Say a prayer for the little man, cause he’s gonna need a helping hand now and then, and I won’t be around can you just let me knowthere’s an angel looking down"...Blackberry Smoke, Prayer For The Little Man…go to iTunes and get it, don’t read the whole lyrics on line, go get the song and understand how life doesn’t always work out the way we planned.

Brian

Andrew, somewhere in Alaska

 We are off on our 7 day cruise from Juneau! So far we have encountered several humpback whales , a black tail deer and countless bald eagles. The scenery is one of a kind along with the crew taking care of us. We are on a small yacht that is carrying about 15 people. So far we have made friends with everyone on the cruise and have created friendships that will grow stronger over the course of our cruise. Cell service is rare and wifi isn't available so I'll update as much as possible when I get service. We have yet to see any bears but still have plenty of time to do so. I'll update whenever possible ! Thank you 😊

Here We Go - Brian Brock

First off I want thank ALL the employees of Synovus. Thank you so much for what you do to support us. Also a big thanks to ALL the employees of The Wade Companies...my sponsor...I have already taken you to Key West and as I sit in upper Michigan, I'm looking forward to taking you to The Arctic Circle.

What a send off, but why July, whew, was it HOT!!! Had a little bike problem...day 1!!! Thanks to my fellow Blue Knights Jerry and Joel they had my back. Today it was not as hot, but wet.

So much has happened since I last wrote. I got to take my grandson Brody, he calls me Paco, to his first race at East Alabama, and his first Braves game. I miss that boy. I've got a video of me teaching him the chop. My son and I saw Metallica before we left. I took Linda to Hawaii, got a little more than we wanted, but I got to ride my buddy Kenny's bike, so in a few days I will have all 50 states. Had a panic attack Wednesday night...had to buy a new iPod....could not do 10,000 miles with no tunes.

To provide perspective, leave Columbus and go to L.A., then back to Columbus. That will be half way to what we are doing. This is not for everyone, but it is a commitment gladly taken. I've got a lot more to share with you. Please come back to the page often. And share your thoughts on the posts from the guys, we feed on your comments, it helps us stay in touch with home. I hope to make you laugh and reflect. I've got a lot to share. Life is not easy.

Today's song of the day...Beast of Burdenby The Rolling Stones...I had to drum that out Thursday night before we left..ask Linda...

Day 3, James Leatherwood

Day 2 is in the books - 560 or so miles, through Ohio and Michigan. The temperatures were a lot cooler today, even when it wasn't raining. Today was the second time I've experienced McDonald;s fast food on a Scott's Ride, and I'm hoping the trend stops here. A big part of the fun is discovering new places to eat, and sharing local food with the guys. But when we're stopped for gas, and Scott can't find a BBQ restaurant, there aren't a whole lot of options. Especially in rural Michigan,

I knew it was going to be a rough day when Gary was bent over at the rain stop by the side of the road. While the rest of us were suiting up, he was ... well, you'll have to ask him about that. Let's just say that I was the unofficial videographer, because Gary was relaxing in the truck. We'll see whether he can make a daily video with the footage I shot. 

It's a great ride, of course, and the fellowship on the road is the best part.  I love the solitude of riding a motorcycle - just me, the bike and the road. but pulling into a gas staion, or the Jerky Outlet, and sharing the laughs and camaraderie, just cant'be matched. And getting to tell the story about why we're riding - for Arabella House and Carpenter's Way - well, there's just nothing like it

Tomorrow's another day - pray for us, and if you haven't already, hit the Donate button!

James

What a first day of riding!! Doug Colburn

We covered 560 miles from Columbus, Georgia to Cincinnati, Ohio complete with fuel stops that doubled as a multi course meal (one course for each gas station) of conveniently prepackaged foods, frozen drinks and Gatorade. The weather was very hot and turned a little nasty on the last 30 miles into Cincinnati.  We experienced a bit of lightning, torrential downpours of rain and even some hail.  All arrived safely at the hotel about 8:00 pm.  A little Waffle House dinner, some sleep and we will do it again at 7:00 am tomorrow. Mackinaw City, We are coming to you tomorrow.

Scott - Day 1

Long day lots of miles = short blog. What an incredible send off. We can not thank Synovus enough for putting on such a great event. 570 miles and the new motor is running great. I can't thank everyone enough at Chattahoochee Harley for all the time and extra effort they put into getting me on the road. Just a quick note about the new guy. I think he might be a little shell shocked. I think this might be the most miles in one sitting that he has done then end that with a down pour and bolts of lightning with a bit of hail thrown in. It's was a hell of a first day. 

ADVENTURE AWAITS!

I think the spirit of adventure is something that is in us all, for some it might be deep down in your soul for others it right at the surface and ready to bust out.

In 2009, the year I would turn 50 would set in motion the adventure of a lifetime. It all started so simple, a solo trip across America on my motorcycle. In my mind it was a once and a lifetime trip, little did I know that for the next seven years I would take that same trip and crisscross these states until I set foot in each one of them all seven years. I also had no idea that in the process I would come to have 33 new brothers. Then to top that off I damn sure did not think that my 33 new brothers and myself would be able to raise over a million dollars for the sick and injured kids in our community. All of this was supposed to come to an end in 2015 the year we would reach our goal. In 2016 we were high on life. We felt like we might have accomplished what our adventure had turned into. I think it would be safe to say that we made a difference in one child's life. The other side of that coin is that as the miles went by it made a difference in our lives.

About the first half of 2016 the adventure beast in me was stating to awaken. I craved the need to be back on the open road. I guess it could be easy and go and do the same thing that we have done in the past or should I come up with a new plan. So the ones of you who know me know that I'm not going to do anything easy in life. I have all the scars and lumps to prove that. So the hard question to me was what would be something that would be epic? Then the next question who would we ride for? The first question turned out to be the hardest to answer. The second I knew, that was going to be easy. The Miracle Riders and myself have all agreed that every time we put on our dusters and hit the road it will be for the benefit of kids in our area. The Methodists youth homes in our area is a perfect fit for us. These are kids that have been taken out of their homes for reasons they have no control over. The stories of neglect will bring a tear to the eyes of the hardest of these riders. As a group we felt like this is a story that needs to be told. To show these kids that people are good and that someone loves you enough to share your life story in hopes of making it a better life for you. So back to the hard question what is epic? We all have said that we were only missing two states and one of them still does not have a bridge for us to get there on. So Alaska seems like the ideal choice. Remember that part about not doing anything easy and scars and bumps? Anybody can ride to Alaska and what is epic about that, now the Arctic Circle that's a whole different kind of trip. I could not wait to tell the guys. Yep you guessed it they all thought I had lost my mind; perfect then its settled Coldfoot Alaska here we come. Yes I know that is about 70 miles further north than the Arctic Circle but why stop there? We all ask that you join us on our adventure and check back with our blog page and hear the stories of the road as we make our way north on our Arctic expedition. We will pull out the morning of July 21 at 9:30 am from in front of the Synovus building on Bay Ave. We will be bring the ‘bank of here along’ with us every mile of the way.

Scott Ressmeyer