Family Traditions
May 25 - June 1, 2002
2002 - The saga continues . . . .
The 2001 Trip was so much fun that Garrett and I decided to make it a yearly event. For 2002 we decided to make it interesting by bringing along Tonya. In the year since the Las Vegas trip, Tonya and I had moved from Texas to Florida and Tonya had gotten her motorcycle license. Tonya and I had been doing some fairly long runs averaging 4 or 5 hours, with one or two that were 12 hours long. We were working her up to the big 12 hour cross country trip for the 2002 Bike Run.
Making things even more interesting, I was able to contact my uncle Tim. Tim is my father's brother (thus being my uncle) and neither Garrett nor I have seen him since our father died in 1980. Over the last year I had contacted Tim, learned that he was also a motorcycle rider, and scheduled our vacations around a trip to meet him in Tunica MS. The plan was to meet Tim in Tunica MS and try to catch up 20 years of lost time in a single week. I can't say that I was that excited about Tunica, so much as the opportunity to ride with my uncle, my brother, and my wife.
On our last trip, Garrett and I had roughed it more than once. In addition to roughing it, it was our first cross country and we hadn't learned the proper pace or the tell-tale signs that it was time to stop, eat and rest. Bluntly, Tonya wasn't having any of that - and I was glad. No sleeping in public, regular showers, normal accommodations, and extra time to rest and recuperate.
We had scheduled two days to get from Tampa to Hammond since it was almost 700 miles via Yahoo: Yahoo Map - Florida to Hammond. On the second to last day, however, we found a different route that shortened the trip. Instead of taking the highway the entire route - we elected to take FL-19 North to Tallahassee, and then pick up I-10 there. We kept the hotel reservations open, just in case - but I was quietly hoping we could make it to Hammond, Louisiana in one day.
I was a little worried about Tonya - 13+ hours in the saddle is enough to wear anyone out. Doing 13 hours on a 650cc motorcycle was a little daunting. Luckily, not only did I not have anything to worry about, Tonya had a blast.
Last year's trip mentioned a knife, and the "knife incident" in the Tattoo Parlour. This year I brought the tools from last year, plus a few extra.
Now, I know what you are thinking - and I don't really care. I am a law abiding citizen, and I have absolutely no intention of letting myself of my family become the victims of an overzealous Muslim, or an overzealous Redneck, or of some dumb poor bastard who is looking for an easier way to get paid (or laid) than actually getting a job. Everything I carry is discrete and it is within easy reach.