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2018 Tour Of Honor

Texas T

LD Rider
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Location
Sun Lakes & Show Low, Arizona
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Brian
The new season has begun. Anyone else from here riding it? Check out all the details at www.tourofhonor.com

I managed to trophy again this year, but I wound up in 3rd place. I staged in Las Cruces thinking that I could go in any of the compass points from there, but the first site was in Lordsburg and I had to backtrack 100+ miles to get the site, then return back east to head to Tularosa; a waste of 200+ miles and 3 hours of time.

I missed out on 1st place by just 42 minutes, so if I had staged in Lordsburg "as I had originally planned" I would have aced it. Oh well. Live and learn. The couple that took 1st and 2nd live just 25 miles from Lordsburg so they were at the first site within the hour of the locations being release.

I did earn an Extreme SaddleSore 1000 for getting all 7 state sites within the 24 hours - took me about 19 hours - so there's that too.

Lordsburg was just a little sign in the middle of nowhere; very difficult to see and find at 1 in the morning.
https://scontent.frir1-1.fna.fbcdn....=ed7b7e8d62a7418c2317931e039f685d&oe=5B320FDA


Next up was a small Veterans park in the small town of Tularosa.
https://scontent.frir1-1.fna.fbcdn....=39e62efd508676d8c141c4a89b1edbd9&oe=5B680359


Then it was on to Albuq for a daylight shot. I stopped at the Rio Salado Rest Area on my way north and slept for about 45 minutes so the sun was already up when I woke up. They have covered picnic table areas with 6'+ benches which make for a perfect Iron Butt Motel nap. The ABQ photo has the memorial in the background behind the flowering trees.
https://scontent.frir1-1.fna.fbcdn....=64e4a79f764890311847275e84a3aacb&oe=5B3B6AF5


Next up was the Veteran's Cemetery in Sante Fe. This is a very nice final resting spot for our vets.
https://scontent.frir1-1.fna.fbcdn....=5d024542e2a1526d84eb94b13d77051b&oe=5B340A20


Then it was on to the Vietnam Vets memorial in Angel Fire. This is one of those rare memorials that makes it to the list year after year, just because it is so darn good. Please follow the link to read more about this site.
https://scontent.frir1-1.fna.fbcdn....=bf5767bfb24efe302c491ec8cad8782e&oe=5B3A0E51


Grants was next and this too has been on the list before.
https://scontent.frir1-1.fna.fbcdn....=0e299d47db97a746ceec966b06308bb3&oe=5B2C730B


Last up... Gallup. Downtown Gallup. Drug and alcohol addicted downtown Gallup. I'm sure glad I hit this one during daylight hours because I wasn't off the bike for 30 seconds when some crack w... errr... lady of the evening approached me. I just told her I had earplugs in and couldn't hear anything she was saying, but the way she was eyeing my GPS I was afraid that she was going to try to grab it off the RAM mount and run.
https://scontent.frir1-1.fna.fbcdn....=279662059390080c89fbf3867157c01c&oe=5B2CE4AB


I finished in Gallup with about 1005 odo miles, and since I have a run-flat car tire on there that reads faster than actual I was concerned I wouldn't have enough legit miles, so I back-tracked 18 miles to a Love's truck stop, got a receipt, and then rode another 15 miles back toward Gallup for my final fill-up and receipt.

Gallup is a scummy town, but if you ever have to stay there I recommend East Gallup on the north side of the freeway. There's fuel, a Denny's, and about a half dozen decent hotels (Marriott, Comfort Suites, LaQuinta, etc). The LaQuinta gets high marks from me because they "told" me to park my bike on the sidewalk next to their office. I normally ask to do this, but they didn't even wait to be asked.

This morning as I was checking out I discovered that they are a multi-year supporter of Run For The Wall, and the rider participants stay at that hotel. They will get my business in the future should I ever "have" to stay there again.

On the way to/from Angel Fire I passed this doe on the side. She was fresh, as were the locked up tire skid marks on the road, so it happened either that morning or the prior night. I'm just glad that I wasn't the one to encounter her. She had been shot in the head so I can only assume she lived past the accident and then was put out of her pain. She was small; roughly the size of my Wing.
https://scontent.frir1-1.fna.fbcdn....=2386ec22914cdea9cc0a1f0d1e3690d5&oe=5B701830


So all in all, a good weekend for me. Brenda and I will be riding a charity event rally in two weeks that will cover 4 of the AZ sites, and then she and I will take a long weekend and hit the 7 sites in Gallup so that she can get her points.


Oh, and just a reminder. This coming Saturday is the First Saturday In April. In other words, it's one of the two days in the year that you can gain entrance into the Trinity Test Site; the location of the very first Atomic bomb detonation. It's only open from 8 till 2, so if you're going make sure to check out their web site and plan your day well.

Thanks for reading.
 
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I didn't know about it but it looks like I will join in.
Very nice RR.
 
I visited the Angel Fire memorial couple years ago while participating in Tour of Honor. It is well worth the time to stop and see it if anyone is in the area.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
So I am signed up and waiting on my flag etc.... looking forward to seeing y’all out there.
 
So I am signed up and waiting on my flag etc.... looking forward to seeing y’all out there.

Glad to hear it.

The locations are released at midnight every April 1 if you're one of the nutcases like me that competes for a trophy. One of my friends took 1st in AZ and another took 2nd in AZ which is why I chose to ride in NM. :trust:

The one that took 2nd place has also completed NM, TX, LA, and hit MS today.

However, if you want to flower sniff and take the rest of the year to do just Texas, or to do just 1 memorial site and call it done, we're just happy to have you be a part of this and ask that you spread the word.

We will have a RTE in Branson in mid-September that you're more than welcome to attend. I will be giving away a custom made 16" metal plaque for your man cave or garage for the top Fundraiser for this year. Myself and 4 friends chip in each year to provide something similar.

https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=42b34bb6f2bcb4cd0a81d2f1d9e7b756&oe=5B6A42D7


The web site should be able to answer any questions you have, or the FB page, but feel free to ask here as well and I'll do my best to point you in the right direction.

Thanks again for helping to support our mission.
 
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Thanks. I will be hitting Tx , La Ark Mo Ok but don’t plan on any trophies. I’ll be doing it for fun and such.
I signed up for the forum but haven’t gotten approved yet. It’s been a few days.
 
Thanks. I will be hitting Tx , La Ark Mo Ok but don’t plan on any trophies. I’ll be doing it for fun and such.
I signed up for the forum but haven’t gotten approved yet. It’s been a few days.

Are you signed up under Carl, Traxx or another name?

Since you're hitting all those states, plan on hitting MO in the middle of Sept and join us at the RTE.
 
I am signed up as Traxx, I try to keep the same name across forums. It keeps the confusion down. I got the approval after sending admin a follow up email.
I will be heading up to Moms in Glasgow shortly, but depending on my work schedule I will try for the RTE. Well, maybe since I am not good with crowds.
 
I am signed up as Traxx, I try to keep the same name across forums. It keeps the confusion down. I got the approval after sending admin a follow up email.
I will be heading up to Moms in Glasgow shortly, but depending on my work schedule I will try for the RTE. Well, maybe since I am not good with crowds.

I doubt that it will be a large crowd, but if you watch the FB page starting around the 1st of Sept you'll get a better sense of how many will be there. I think we had less than 50 at the banquet in Cripple Creek last year, and that was a planned weekend event. This is just going to be a gathering at a picnic pavillion with BBQ for the attendees.

Glad you got added. We'll see you on the road somewhere.
 
Signed up! Looking forward to getting out.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 
Got 2 today, 443 miles.
IMG_0479-M.jpg

IMG_0476-M.jpg
 
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Does it start new every year? I may try to sign up next year? Looks like something I can get into?
 
Does it start new every year? I may try to sign up next year? Looks like something I can get into?

Marty, the TOH has been in existence since 2011. I wasn't aware of it until 2012 when a couple of friends told me about it during the 2012 Iron Butt Assoc meeting in Denver. I signed up right away and have been signed up every year since.

The ride begins April 1 and goes until Oct 31 so you can sign up at ANY time and start riding for this year if you like. If you are the competitive type you typcially can only compete for the trophies during the first week in the warmer states. Numerous "cold" states are still up for grab as I type this, so if you're interested you could head north and grab trophies here and there. We do accept snowmobile transportation in the snowbound states in lieu of motorcycles, but so far no one has stepped up to do that.

If you're more of a flower-sniffer than this ride is perfect for you. You can grab a site here, a site there, and take your time doing it. You can do all the Texas sites, or none at all and move on to other states.

We have a Ride To Eat planned for Sept in Branson MO, so I'll be riding from FL up to TN and then west to MO and then home from there. I plan to grab at least one site in each state along the way.

A local friend just did about a 10 day ride and picked up about 8-9 different full states.

How you do the ride is entirely up to you; we're just happy to have you be a part of the team.
 
Here's the TOH ride I did over the weekend. On Friday we rode from Phx to Kingman up in the NW corner of the state and did our tech inspection and odo test for the Kactus Kilo, a TOH ride designed to give new riders their first SaddleSore 1000 certificate and go to four different TOH sites in three different states.

At 6 am they released us two at a time, at 20 second intervals, and we proceeded eastward on I-40 with a starting temperature of 42 degrees. As we climbed in elevation to over 7000 feet the temps dropped to 32, but thank goodness the sun was up and prevented the temps from dropping lower.

Our first stop was the WWII plaque on the wall in Jerome AZ. For those of you who have ridden to Jerome you know it's one of the best and most scenic rides in the state, but it's not a fast ride due to the 15 and 20 mph curves. When you take a qualifying photo with your rally flag you need to have the motorcycle in the photo. If you can't get the moto AND the memorial in the photo you need to take a second photo of just the memorial/plaque with your flag in the photo.

Since this was a Kactus Kilo ride, we had to take photos that showed the KK flags as well as the TOH flags. In this shot Brenda is holding up just the KK flags but you can see the TOH flags on her lap. They were in the next photo so I could submit that to the TOH scorers.

https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...=a185aa73e8a9f605505a9c7aa3ab20fb&oe=5B63B92B

https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...=cc5367a8271439ed69b65d039928ca50&oe=5B71A884

From Jerome it was on to San Diego CA, where we arrived around 5 pm or so and the place was PACKED. A small Suzuki was occupying part of a parking space so I squeezed the Wing right in next to it and got my photos. If you look real close, you can see the tail of a Huey just in front of the Chinook up on the landing deck of the aircraft carrier. I'm going to ask if they will give me that point too. ;-)

https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...=cf7ad8a834a3f235473f1bbedf450f21&oe=5B63D6FB

From there it was up through the Riverside area, through Barstow, and into the desert of the Mojave National Preserve. 11 miles off of I-15 there is a small patch of dirt where I had to wrestle the Wing to in order to get my photo. By now it's around 11 pm. And cold.

https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...=fd03946ca6b5150a3dbf954c840cd1d6&oe=5B519741


Next up... the Veteran's Cemetery in Boulder City NV which we reached at about 1 am. We caught up with the front runners at this point which was surprising for me, because I thought as a 2-up bike we'd be near the back of the pack.

https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...=c9d1b4724e0382a7799026435a6ad1b9&oe=5B586822


That was the last of the four sites, and we still needed to hit our final checkpoint in Kingman which we reached at about 2:30 am. The scorers checked my odometer for mileage, checked my photos for validity and sent me on my way. I got to the hotel and got to bed about 3:30 am and then was up at 6:30 am.

Here's the route tracker.

https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...=e37ad46158f9a7ca89707e5eeac1739b&oe=5B5677E1


Again, these types of rides are NOT required for the Tour Of Honor. There is only a very small percentage of the riders that participate in these sorts of competitions, so don't feel any obligation to be one of the crazy ones. We're a very small group.

After everything was verified I picked up my certificate and sticker and headed for home. The Kactus Kilo sticker is in the upper left corner.

https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...=723663abb00c5acf3758f7a14bc41807&oe=5B544C34

Here's the TOH ride I did over the weekend. On Friday we rode from Phx to Kingman up in the NW corner of the state and did our tech inspection and odo test for the Kactus Kilo, a TOH ride designed to give new riders their first SaddleSore 1000 certificate and go to four different TOH sites in three different states.

At 6 am they released us two at a time, at 20 second intervals, and we proceeded eastward on I-40 with a starting temperature of 42 degrees. As we climbed in elevation to over 7000 feet the temps dropped to 32, but thank goodness the sun was up and prevented the temps from dropping lower.

Our first stop was the WWII plaque on the wall in Jerome AZ. For those of you who have ridden to Jerome you know it's one of the best and most scenic rides in the state, but it's not a fast ride due to the 15 and 20 mph curves. When you take a qualifying photo with your rally flag you need to have the motorcycle in the photo. If you can't get the moto AND the memorial in the photo you need to take a second photo of just the memorial/plaque with your flag in the photo.

Since this was a Kactus Kilo ride, we had to take photos that showed the KK flags as well as the TOH flags. In this shot Brenda is holding up just the KK flags but you can see the TOH flags on her lap. They were in the next photo so I could submit that to the TOH scorers.
https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...=a185aa73e8a9f605505a9c7aa3ab20fb&oe=5B63B92B

https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...=cc5367a8271439ed69b65d039928ca50&oe=5B71A884


From Jerome it was on to San Diego CA, where we arrived around 5 pm or so and the place was PACKED. A small Suzuki was occupying part of a parking space so I squeezed the Wing right in next to it and got my photos. If you look real close, you can see the tail of a Huey just in front of the Chinook up on the landing deck of the aircraft carrier. I'm going to ask if they will give me that point too. ;-)
https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...=cf7ad8a834a3f235473f1bbedf450f21&oe=5B63D6FB

From there it was up through the Riverside area, through Barstow, and into the desert of the Mojave National Preserve. 11 miles off of I-15 there is a small patch of dirt where I had to wrestle the Wing to in order to get my photo. By now it's around 11 pm. And cold.
https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...=fd03946ca6b5150a3dbf954c840cd1d6&oe=5B519741


Next up... the Veteran's Cemetery in Boulder City NV which we reached at about 1 am. We caught up with the front runners at this point which was surprising for me, because I thought as a 2-up bike we'd be near the back of the pack.
https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...=c9d1b4724e0382a7799026435a6ad1b9&oe=5B586822


That was the last of the four sites, and we still needed to hit our final checkpoint in Kingman which we reached at about 2:30 am. The scorers checked my odometer for mileage, checked my photos for validity and sent me on my way. I got to the hotel and got to bed about 3:30 am and then was up at 6:30 am.

Here's the route tracker.
https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...=e37ad46158f9a7ca89707e5eeac1739b&oe=5B5677E1


Again, these types of rides are NOT required for the Tour Of Honor. There is only a very small percentage of the riders that participate in these sorts of competitions, so don't feel any obligation to be one of the crazy ones. We're a very small group.

After everything was verified I picked up my certificate and sticker and headed for home. The Kactus Kilo sticker is in the upper left corner.
https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...=723663abb00c5acf3758f7a14bc41807&oe=5B544C34
 
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Well, I am up to 9 so far. I added 5 this week.
Lufkin, TX
IMG_0634-M.jpg

Many, LA
IMG_0639-M.jpg

Lewisville, AR
IMG_0648-M.jpg

Belcher, LA
IMG_0649-M.jpg

Hawkins, TX
IMG_0652-M.jpg
 
I'm slacking this year. It's been so incredibly hot and I've had some big rides that interferred with time to got site chasing.

I'm glad you posted though. It reminded me that I've got a bunch that I still haven't submitted since the Canada trip.

Will I see you in Branson next month? I'm doing a 50CC from SD to JAX, flying the wife into JAX, and then riding up to see friends in GA and TN before heading over to Branson on Thu or Fri before the meet. I think we're stayin until Monday morning and then heading for home.
 
I will have to wait and see when I get back in town. My Lovely Bride has a tendency to make plans when I am at sea. I was planning on a trip to MO to get some of the TOH sites and visit Mom. I am thinking it will be about a week long trip. I will look at a couple of different routes for Branson to be included in one of my stops.
 
I will have to wait and see when I get back in town. My Lovely Bride has a tendency to make plans when I am at sea. I was planning on a trip to MO to get some of the TOH sites and visit Mom. I am thinking it will be about a week long trip. I will look at a couple of different routes for Branson to be included in one of my stops.

Since one of the TOH sites IS in Branson, all you have to do is plan it to be that Saturday. :trust:
 
Oh, and I tried some of the cooling techniques you mentioned. Worked great when I was at traveling speed and okay at slower speeds. Granted nothing helps stopped in traffic @ 100+ degrees.
 
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