Gettysburg trip wrap-up!

2 wheels, 13 states, 14 days, 3750 miles, a dozen friends and hundreds of stories!

 

Jumpmaster, L.F. Kickstand and Big Bird on Cherohala Skyway

What an extraordinary trip!  When I was discharged from active duty in the Navy in 1997, I realized when I came back to the States that I had visited and explored more countries than I had states in my own native land.  I vowed back then to seize every opportunity to travel and see this great land I call home.  This outing certainly added to my US of A experience!  Even though Gettysburg was obviously oozing with history that was close to our hearts as veterans, there were numerous sites along the way that brought the history of the formation of this country to life.  We learned so much about the land and people who once inhabited it from little markers with nuggets of intriguing information.

Me and Chief sightseeing

Beyond discovering great locations, I also discovered some great friendships.  Most of the chapter members that rode out to Gettysburg for the CVMA National meeting all ride together back here in Texas, so we all knew each other already.  The beauty of travel is that you make new friendships and strengthen old ones.  I had many one-on-one conversations and off-the-bike experiences that helped me to see the uniqueness amongst the similarities of my CVMA family.

I've said many times that I consider myself a collector of experiences.  With that world view, I love hearing other people's stories...and does this group have some stories!  We spent a lot of time story telling, laughing and relating to each other's life experiences over plentiful eating and tasty beverages :-)

A little parking lot bike maintenance

Most of us are home safe and sound, so hopefully it won't jinx anyone  at this point to say that there were only minor bike and riding issues during this trip.  When I turned the ignition switch to run on my bike one morning, I discovered a battery with no juice.  With that being the second time the battery left me "stranded", I pulled it out of the bike and got a new one at the local Harley-Davidson dealer.  Just as last time, I wasn't really stranded since I was surrounded by CVMA family who quickly offered a helping hand.  I feel that if you ride a bike, you should know how to do basic maintenance (like swapping out a battery), but I'm certainly not opposed to a ride to the dealership or some help push-starting my scoot (thank goodness we didn't have to resort to that this go-around!).  All in all, everyone's rides performed well and did nothing to detract from the great riding in which we found ourselves surrounded.



Mom and her great grand-daughter

As much as I love to travel and explore, no place tugs at my heart like home on the bayou.  As great as all these sights and experiences have been, the highlight was certainly hanging out and being a part of my blood family again.  I've lived more than one day's travel away from them for most of my adult life, so I savor the times I can share their lives in person.  On this trip, I got to meet my great-niece for the first time as well as see my nephew and wife's new house on family land.  They have a beautiful family and seem to fit right into life on the property.  As hectic as my brother and his children's lives are, they all made an effort to stop by and see me between prior obligations.  My parents  and sister spent a whole day hanging out with us.  My aunt and uncle, cousins and family friends all stopped by just to visit and catch up.  I do not take these efforts lightly; I fully recognize that they have lives that they attempt to rearrange whenever I'm in town to accommodate my visits. 

Monica enjoying her grand-daughter with Andy

Seeing my family live so close to each other and sharing meals together makes the homesickness of living so far away a little easier to bear.  Although I'm sad to not be there to share in their daily experiences, they're making memories and adding to the collective history of our family, and for that I am grateful and honored to be a part of every now and then.  My family epitomizes Southern hospitality, so it's always cool to see out-of-state friends experience a bit of Cajun life through their obvious love of South Louisiana.  As always, they made me proud of where I come from; both geographically and genetically.

Me on the move :-)

And so this journey has come to an end.  I consider these experiences as money in the bank.  Someday I may have to slow down and will need to withdraw from this memory bank to remind me what a charmed life I've lived.  If you're interested, stay tuned, there is already more shenanigans planned on which to post in the next week or so....