Updated
Friday May 06, 2011
Valkyrie Relay
Updated
Friday May 06, 2011
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NEWS BOX
July 15
July1
Here are the pictures I took at Quaker Steak and
Lube in Cranberry PA
June 9 - June 11
Thor's Hammer
Final Route Through Maine
May 31
May 28
Thor's Hammer was
handed off by Hoosier Daddy to Solo1 and Gary Kruger just north of
Alexandria on 69 at 5PM, Friday28th
Presently in New
Haven Indiana scheduled to be handed off at 4:30pm Indiana time today,
Saturday, by Fudgie and others to Michigan riders at Angola Indiana
Solo1 (Wayne)
May 16 Got some more pictures of the Hammer & Banner in Iowa
This last one on the right is in front of the
old capital building in Iowa City. Top picture, Jim Claybaugh,
Steve Kolsto, Frank Flickinger, Oh boy, I'm in trouble, can't
Hopefully I'll get Cameron's pictures of the
handoff to Wisconsin. This was the handoff from Central Iowa to
Eastern Iowa for delivery to Richard in
Milwaukee on May 19th. RJ
May 26 It was 2:30 PM, and the skies were darkening. The mission: to deliver "Thor’s Hammer" to the Indiana VRCC. How important was this mission? I missed going on the Rolling Thunder ride to Washington D.C. to finally visit the Wall that I have avoided for so long. My friends had left the area at 9:00 AM that very morning. The night before, I had wished Richard a safe journey and told him if all went well, I might catch up with him in a few days. Today, my mission was to deliver "the hammer." If I wanted to, I could have taken my tent, clothes, etc. and easily caught them in Indiana, but I decided there is always next year. Perhaps it was just another excuse to avoid facing that Wall, but what would happen on this day would, perhaps, have greater significance for me. I was to meet two Valkyrie Riders at the Honda dealer in Freeburg, IL, about a two hour ride from DuQuoin, and we would ride the back roads to Indiana. Weather reports had been predicting thunderstorms, a 40% chance, all week, but it had not rained a drop in my immediate area, so it was a go. About an hour into the trip, it started to rain – buckets of rain. I was not wearing my rain suit, but as luck would have it, a rest area was at hand. I quickly guided "The Quickening" down the 30 MPH ramp off I-64 at very high speeds, skidding to a stop in the large puddles of water that appeared instantly, jammed down the side stand, jumped off the bike and dashed to the shelter to don the protective nylon and rubber shield. That’s when I heard the familiar, "That boy ain’t right" as I ran out to the bike, started her up, and headed back out into the rain a few moments later. Having not gone into the rest area proper, and using a sheltered picnic area to put on the rain gear, I was unaware of the tornado warning in effect. It sure was windy for some reason. The 40% looked like a sure bet today as there was no letup in sight. All I could think of were the beautiful back roads I was forced to ignore in favor of the interstate in order to avoid flooding roads. As I approached the exit for Fairfield, the rain suddenly ceased. I imagined that I had run through it and out the other side. As the result of my high speed anticipation of running through the storm, it was dry when I pulled in to meet Bill Hay of Charleston, IL. He had been waiting for almost two hours, electing to leave home early to avoid what I had been riding through. We had over an hour before Adam Leonberger would show with the hammer, so we decided to run to the local Dairy Queen for a quick desert. It started to rain as we started on the three mile ride. It grew progressively harder as we neared our goal. The folks inside could not believe their eyes. When we told them we were headed to Vincennes, Indiana, we both got that "these boys ain’t right look. "Guess you did not hear the tornado alert sirens in those helmets," one of the ladies said. "Is it a tornado watch, or warning," I asked, which drew a funny expression from my new -found co-rider, Bill Hay. "How did you know to ask that," he inquired. "Oh, I used to be in charge of the storm watch team in DuQuoin. We tracked them visually from hill tops surrounding the town, day or night. We had a great team, and could locate any transmitted radio signal within 30 minutes if it was strong enough." You should have seen the look on his face. "I used to be a storm chaser in Michigan," he said. The lady behind the counter informed us that a tornado had been sighted in Mount Vernon, where I had jumped onto I-64 just 30 minutes before. I must have been just ahead of the funnel. Having finished the desert, we thanked the ladies for the weather information and headed out the door. The eerie noise of the warning alert again sounded on their radio heralding yet another tornado warning. We looked at each other and jumped on the bikes to head back to the dealer. The rain was so bad that visibility was sometimes iffy at best. 40% was looking more like 400% right then. Adam was waiting with the banner and the replica hammer from "Thor" in Tennessee. Adam has not had his Valkyrie for a full year yet, so he is relatively new to the VRCC. However, it was Adam and Bill Hay who rode to Springfield to pick it up from the Northern Illinois VRCC the previous Sunday. So when he said he could not make this trek, I kidded him a little, but well understood. That left two. I looked at Bill and asked if he was game. "Yep" he answered. We were of the same era, both Air Force vets, both aircraft weapons specialists of the Vietnam War era. I knew this because Bill placed his Vietnam pin on the bag containing the banner. We would later discuss these similarities when we stopped for gas, some hour and a half down the road. Adam led us to a remote country road, gave me two directions, and we were off again. The trees were bent over double as the winds twisted their delicate limbs to the breaking point. The underside of the leaves pointed heavenward-- not a good sign. We were headed north and east of the tornado, but we both kept watchful eyes on the clouds. One of the main problems we faced was visibility. Whenever Bill lost sight of my taillight, he slowed so as not to run up on me unexpectedly. When I saw him drop back I slowed. This was the procedure through the tight country roads and two lane highways. The lightning intensified, coming in bunches. There is something strange about an individual who sits atop a metal framed vehicle with little protection from the elements, with a tank of highly flammable liquid nestled between their thighs, dashing between the bright sinewy flashes of static electricity. There simply was no shelter in sight, so we were forced to push on. On the vast prairie, we could see the lightning strike the ground. As we neared Mt. Eres, IL, we actually saw it strike a barn in the distance. We rounded a sweeping curve to the left, then another back to the right, a long straight section followed by a 10 MPH curve that almost bent back on itself, and then we smelled and saw the barn. What had once been a majestic symbol of a bygone era, hewed by hand from sturdy timber, was now a pile of smoldering rubble about three feet high. I am not even sure if the owners were aware that the barn was on fire yet, but as hard as it was raining, there was no danger of the fire spreading, and the fire department could not have possibly added and assist to natures own drenching waters. We could not pull over, because the ditches on either side of the road were about to crest, covering the road completely. We pushed on. We had ridden a total of 45 miles and had not seen shelter. The sign said Olney, Illinois-- home of the white squirrels. Finally a truck stop. We both gassed up under the protective awning. The guys inside hurried outside to stare in awe at the Valkyries. The folks inside just looked at up and shook their heads. We entered, paid for out gas, and asked: "How far to Vincennes, Indiana?" "Bout 38 miles," a trucker answered. He then gave us very good directions to the Lewis and Clark monument, so we were again on our way, but not before the cell phone alerted us to a call from John Q in Vincennes. He was worried we had turned back. We assured him we were very close and right on schedule. He thought we were an hour behind because he lives in Eastern Indiana, and there is a time difference. We had a good laugh and headed out the door. The rain seemed to ease as we hit US 50 East. Only 332 miles and we would be there. Once in Vincennes, we stopped at a gas station for directions to be sure we were headed in the right direction. By this time, the rain gear was working, but losing the battle from the constant bombardment of the steady flood of waters from above. Only three blocks to go. We entered the park and there sat a lone Valkyrie. The rider was under the sheltering awning of the closed visitor center. He had been waiting for us for two hours. Now that is a Valkyrie rider. He had left early to avoid what we brought to him. He would have to ride in the rain the two hours home. We stopped at a great restaurant to get some nourishment for the long ride home. The discussion of the sights we had seen was punctuated by the description of the flaming barn and the drenching rains, and we wished him good luck on his solo journey homeward with the hammer. I doubt if any other riders on any other bikes would have even considered venturing into rain and winds, but the Valkyrie does not seen to mind, so why should we? I rode with Bill until we reached the intersection of 130 North. He headed for Charleston, and I continued across US 50 to Salem. As I rode along I could see stars to my left but lightning to the right. It was the direction Bill had headed. I found comfort in the fact that Bill was aboard the Valkyrie, and she would keep him safe. We found we were cut from the same cloth, and I cannot forget the emotion that flashed across Bill’s countenance as he gingerly placed the Vietnam campaign ribbon on the banner bag with all of the state pins. The pin had meant a great deal to him, and I am sure that he would not have entrusted just any symbol of himself with just any banner. It appeared as if he was thanking the Valkyrie – giving up the old memories for the joyful new memories of the last bike he will ever ride – the Honda Valkyrie. Where we had been stripped of honor, and spat upon by our own countrymen during the Vietnam conflict, the Valkyrie had brought us together as brothers again these many years later. Manufactured only from 1997 until 2003-- six short years of production, but not much shorter than the conflict that changed the lives of veterans and foes of the war, alike-- the Valkyrie had given us hope and freedom again. And like the honor that escaped us so long ago, Honda has chosen to strip us of the best all around motorcycle we have ever ridden. I found Bill’s words echoing my words: "I will ride this motorcycle until I die." Now, I too am at peace with the past. On the quest to deliver "Thor’s Hammer," I had met another Valkyrie rider who feels as I feel, and that is all that matters. "Highlander"
May 23
MN to IA handoff..& In Clear Lake IA.
May 15
Saturday, May 15th, RJ and Frank left Des Moines, IA for Clear Lake, IA
to meet up with Ebony Rider (MN) to take possession of the Banner and
the Hammer. Kirk from Orygun had to mail RJ the hammer bag, bless his
little pointed head, he forgot to hand it off. LOL.
Took possession of everything at noon, and since the MN bunch had already ate, Frank & I headed for Thor, IA to get a picture of the hammer with the Thor, IA sign.
Got that accomplished and we then headed in a SW direction on 2 lane
roads to get to Casey, IA to get pictures of the Banner and the
paintings Bubba Johnson had done on the exterior walls in remembering
the wars.
He also painted a rock at the entrance of a gravel pit on Hwy # 25 South
of I-80. He repaints this rock with new murals every year around
Memorial Day, well he has them completed by Memorial Day. So they were
in the act of being redid when we passed. We did stop and get a picture
of the start of the new Mural.
Returned back to home base for the night.
Next morning Frank met me again and we proceeded to the Capital building
for a photo shoot. Got that done and we headed for Iowa City, IA to do
a photo shoot of the Old Capital building of Iowa. Also to hand the
Banner and Hammer off to the VRCC riders on the East side of the state.
Cameron is going to get some photo's over around Davenport and then he
and SteveK will hand the Banner and Hammer off to Wisconsin about 11:00
AM on Wednesday May 19th around Dodgeville, WI, about 50 miles NE of
Dubuque, IA. The WI recipients are traveling over from
Milwaukee......
Hope to have all of our pictures up somewhere on the Internet by the
middle of next week......
Carry on my good friends, and thanks to all the Iowa VRCC members who
helped out with the Banner and Hammer. We had fun, and those who missed
out, don't know what they missed.
Frank & I logged over 700 miles the 2 days we were after and in
possession of the items. Frank logged 140 miles more than I did. He
lives South of me 35 miles, we met at my house both days.
Respectfully submitted
and writ by hand
RJ, VRCC - Iowa State Rep
May 12
Picked up Thors hammer
today May 12, 2004
Jerry (Ebony Rider)
May 8   
May 8 Thor's Hammer was handed off to Arlo
"Scooby" Schubert in Sioux Falls, SD on 5-8-04. Arlo and Nancy Schubert
and Jerry Werner accepted the Hammer and Banner and Arlo and Jerry will
deliver them to Minnesota on 5-12-04.
May 2 The banner was handed to South Dakota riders by North Dakota rider Guy McDonald about 8:00 pm on Sunday May 2nd at the Prairie Knights Casino, 45 miles south of Bismarck. The banner is now in Aberdeen, SD at Jerry's, who will take it to Scooby later in the week. We picked the hammer up at Portal, ND and traveled Highway 8 south through Stanley Guy McDonald .
May1
Thor's Hammer Crosses from Montana to Alberta
The Alberta contingent started as a small
group of four on three Valks in Calgary on this cool (3°C) but sunny
Saturday morning. We headed south, picking up one rider in Claresholm,
then four more on three Valks in Lethbridge, taking the opportunity to
chat at every stop. As we pulled into the parking lot on the
Canadian side of the border near Del Bonita, Alberta, we were greeted by
the cameras of the Montana delegation: five smiling faces who traveled
on two Valks and a GoldWing.
After greetings were
exchanged, Montana's representative, Jim Coffman, handed Thor's Hammer
and the Banner to Kevin Dick, representing Alberta. We unfurled the
banner for group photos, and managed to find a local lady to snap
pictures with each of our cameras.
The entire group then took a one hour
ride to Lethbridge for lunch at the Blarney Stone Pub, where we all
yakked about motorcycles, grandchildren, and other things while the
Flames were losing to the Red Wings on the big screen.
Bellies full of bite and beer, we
headed back from whence we came. The Hammer headed for Calgary in Roy
Stellar's care, eagerly anticipating a Sunday handoff in Red Deer, then
several days in the Edmonton area.
April 24
April 24th; Montana riders, Jim & Susan
Coffman, Russ & Judy Tempel and Sandy Anderson(GL 1800), left Joplin and
Chester MT to meet the Alberta folks at Del Bonita port of entry north
of Cut Bank MT. It was about 40 degrees at 10am when we left, but did
warm up to about 57 by late afternoon. Not bad except the wind was
blowing (as usual for this area) so it got a little chilly for the girls
on back. Suz had to put on my snowmobile coat over her leather and break
open some chem hand warmers on the way home. Judy just turned up her "Widder"!
We got to the border a little before 1pm
and chatted with the Canadian Customs agent for awhile. Asked him to be
in the pictures but he said he might loose his job! He did have his wife
come out and take the group pics for us. The Alberta riders ( 7 Valks )
showed up right on time, we did the meet and greet, the hand off and
lots of photos. They were thoughtful enough to give us a hat and pin.
Good people! We didn't want to take the same road home so we rode
North with them an hour to Lethbridge. Had some good food and B.S. and
it was time to head out. The Hammer headed for Calgary with Kevin Dick,
Roy Stellar and the gang (sorry guys, I don't remember all your
names!) and we turned south for the border at Sweetgrass port of entry.
I was lucky to get a good customs guy on the U.S. side because I'd
forgotten my birth certificate. He could have made me stay in Canada!
Suz thought she might have to ride the FATLDY home without me! We made
it home before dark with 330 miles on the clock. It was great to meet
new people and hopefully we can ride together again. I'm very glad to
have been a part of this event! It's one of those things that, if you
have to ask the reason why, you wouldn't understand!
Good Luck to the rest of the Hammer
carriers!
Jim and Susan Coffman (C5 INC)
April 24 Thor's Hammer will be in Edmonton,
Alberta, Canada from 25 Apr to 28 Apr.
MT Hammer
April 21
Signing the Banner April 20 Subject: Handoff
pics
April 20 Big Dave Hoffman (WA) hands off to Jeff Coffman (MT) at the $10,000
Silver Dollar Saloon in Montana.
April 19 Date: 4/19/2004 at 06:45:58
The Hammer was picked up in Oroville, WA
at the Canadian/US boarder Big Dave
April 18 April 16 Had a great ride from Willow Creek to Hopland on Friday. Met Brice &
daughter Samantha from the GSV early Saturday morning for the
exchange.
April 14
Hondasan and Ostrich met Moose and Dusty at the Canadian border crossing in
Victoria B.C. this morning and passed the hammer and banner to the first of
hopefully many foreign countries.The hammer will travel to the northern end of
Vancouver Island tomorrow and on Friday will head east to hook up with the
Eastern Washington group on Saturday morning in Oroville Washington. I will post
some pics tomorrow nite
Posted By: Big Dave aka "Taz" <DragonRider@televar.com>
April 12 Picked it up from SloPoke today. Here's a shot of me and Berserker at our place of employ, the Nike World Campus. Just a note to those yet to recieve the hammer. Take note of where the handle has been. BTW, I'm the one on the RIGHT. Posted By: KirkB (Orygun) VPLA MIGP <kirk@baucomm.com> Date: 4/12/2004 at 19:25:05
Dusty March 25 Riders Gary “Borto” Bortolussi, Sam Sanders, “Big John” Bristol,
Walter Bresnahan and Dennis Holm met at the Fred Myers parking lot in
Salt Lake City, Utah at 02:30pm to ready for the short ride up the
canyon to Evanston Wyoming. With a beautiful 58 degree, partly cloudy day we headed up the
Interstate 80 through some high speed canyon roads and got to Wyoming in
record time to meet with “Sixguns” Larry for the handoff. Around an hour later we all finished up with Larry heading back to Little America for a luxurious stay in the presidential suite and us for a ride back down to Salt Lake. We did get a chance to stop for a view of the mountain snow at sunset in Park City. Nothing like ridin through the curves at 90+ We are going to pass the hammer around until our ride to Nevada for the hand off April 3 at Mesquite. Weather should be very unstable for us but we got BIG bikes and the HAMMER!!!
March 28 Hey, sorry for the delay but these are old pictures Feb 27 & 28 from Florida.
Handoff from Fla Jim to TC 17888 at YeeHaw Junction
March 24
Thor's Hammer and
the VRCC Banner have been passed along to WYOMING from
March 24 Hello, I am Popsmcwhly from Colorado. I have just delivered the hammer to Sixguns in Wyoming. We had a great time with it here in Colorado.
March 22 Report on Thor's Hammer relay from
The day dawned wet, foggy and cold. The thermometer registering a frigid 24 degrees at 7:00 am. "What kind of a fool would ride on a day like today?" Was the thought on my mind while I prepared to meet my fellow fool, Phil Edgar in Odessa Missouri to make the official hand off for the legendary Thor's Hammer National event. At the time I signed up, it seemed like an honor to participate in such an event, but looking at the conditions that would have to be endured, I felt much like a man who volunteered for a Polar Bear Dive without first asking what it was. Yes, Fool comes to mind. Making the best of a rugged situation, I spoke with Phil on the phone, making arrangements for a meeting place that neither of us had even seen. Phil sounded just as skeptical as I about riding such distances in this weather. For Phil the trip would wind up being 96 miles one way and for me a paltry 91 each way. Damn honor and obligation, I did not want to do this! Cold is cold and brother This was it! However, we both agreed to take our place among the few that could lay claim to hauling the hammer and haul it we would. Bundled in the best leather he could find, Phil stoically started out from Columbia, Missouri. His route was simple, West on Interstate 70 from Mile marker 128 to 38 and hook up with me in Odessa for the hand off. I also had started out from north of Kansas City to our meeting in Odessa clad in an extremely warm Chiefs coat, a full face helmet and the warmest two pairs of gloves I owned. I was counting on the natural wind block of the famous F6 engine to block a lot of the air off of my legs as I do not own a pair of thermals. Heavy jeans would have to do. The first 30 miles were a pleasant surprise. Yes it was cold, yes it was damp and yes better conditions were expected, BUT, This ride was certainly possible! After I hit 70 miles, I saw that I very much needed two things. Fuel, and a large box of warm air to go! The fuel was easy, but the clerk dashed my hopes for heat stating she had just sold the last box of warm air to some crazed lunatic on a Harley trying to get to Key West. After I learned that he had left over 4 hours previously and I had no hope of catching up with him, I opted to continue with the Hammer. Thoughts of palm trees, bikinis and warm ocean breezes just made my ride even more bitter. No help there! "Hooowwww muucchhh farrrthherrr" I shivered to myself as I finally passed the sign that said Odessa 5 Miles. I knew that in the summer it was five miles, but today I was certain that the distance was easily 20 miles due to the swelling of the planet from such extreme cold. I was right too! Phil called from his cell saying he had stopped at a gas station so he could get something warm to drink and for me to meet him there. We hooked up and had a good laugh at the things two fools will do for an adventure. Sharing the tale of our mornings ride and hot beverages supplied by the extremely nice staff at the Odessa Missouri Conoco we quickly created a small stir in the sleepy town. I had been scouting for several weeks for riding partners to accompany me on this trip, but to no avail. At the Conoco, a man walked up and announced that he rode a 99 interstate and was wondering what two valks were doing out and about in such weather. No Valk riders for weeks when I am looking for help and when I am not, they are coming out of the woodwork! He even introduced us to another local F6Rider who helped Phll out with a better set of riding gloves. All in all, we managed to promote the VRCC to some Valkyrie riders and Motorcycling in general to some very nice folks who were in and out of the gas station. After a photo or two of the banner and of the hammer itself (Thanks Thor!) we parted company for the ride home. The 34 degree weather did not feel nearly as cold after the friendship and warmth we had exchanged. Surprisingly, the trip was over in a couple of hours rather than the days I had endured on the outbound side of the journey. Pulling into the garage with the hammer and banner firmly in hand, I was filled with a sense of satisfaction in meeting an obligation and the warmth of making a new friend. Phil, my brother, anytime, anywhere any reason. You call , I'll be there! Don't Miss the next episode of the Stirring Missouri Saga ......
March 21
Sunday, March 21st, 2004 (by Valkster)
Late yesterday (Saturday) Thor's Hammer was handed over by the Nebraska to the Colorado Valk Riders -- this momentous event occurred in Ogallala, NE. After traveling about 350-400 miles in beautiful Colorado weather today, Thor's Hammer will spend this week in northern Colorado before traveling on to Wyoming on Saturday, March 27th. Four of us traveled from the Denver and Colorado Springs areas yesterday to meet up with the Nebraska folks in Ogallala. You think Nebraskans are a "tame" lot -- hardly!!! Aaron was doing major burnouts in the EconoLodge parking lot only moments after arriving (photos to follow later). After some good eats we retired to the motel for a little visiting and BS'ing before the deliver of the Hammer from NE to CO, which occurred after dark. The four of us from Colorado (Valkster, Smoky, Suzirider [on a Valk], and Terry) hit the road this morning (Sunday) at 6:30am in order to deliver the Hammer and Banner in Denver during today's High Country Cruisers' meeting. Although the sun had just come up, a couple of us removed our seats and brought them inside to warm up and let the frost melt -- since the temperature was only 18degrees. It SLOWLY warmed up to around 50 as we approached Denver, some 200 miles later. We arrived at one of our largest HCC meetings, with about 50+ folks in attendance to welcome Thor's Hammer. It was quite an event. After discussions of the history of the Hammer and some signings (we added one of our HCC pins and will add a Colorado pin) about 30 bikes headed to the foothills west of Denver -- Red Rocks Park. It was a beautiful day and temps had warmed up to the low 60s. We took lots of photos and hung out, then some went home while some of us headed down south through the Rampart Range Mountains, Deckers, Woodland Park (Valkster's home), along the base of Pikes Peak, Manitou Springs, through Garden of the Gods (Colorado Springs), and stopping for a photo of a couple of us with the Hammer and Banner with Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak in the background. A couple of our members and Valk riders that live north of Denver then headed that way with the Hammer and Banner. It will spend this week in Northern Colorado and will probably get in a little riding and sightseeing before moving on to Wyoming next Saturday, 27th. It looks like the great wx will continue this week and the Hammer and Banner make their trek though Colorado.
Of note to us HCCers, at least one member of the KS, NE, CO, and WY
contingents are members of the High Country Cruisers. We have a great
time riding here in the beautiful Rocky Mountains (unless it is snowing,
of course).
Photos:
Turnover of Thor's Hammer and the Banner from Nebraska to Colorado -- 20
March 2004
Colorado High Country Cruisers on the way to Red Rocks Park with Thor's
Hammer
About 30 bikes (mostly Valks,
but a few Wings and others) made the trek to Red Rocks with Thor's
Hammer
The HCC gang with Thor's Hammer at Red Rocks Park, Colorado -- 21 March
2004
February 27-28
Hey, sorry for the delay but these are old pictures Feb 27 & 28 from Florida.
Handoff from Fla Jim to TC 17888 at YeeHaw Junction
 March 19 March 18 March 16 March 15
Here is the Missouri group. The pictures
were taken at Ford's Custom Bikes in Cape Girardeau, and the Thor's
Hammer, which is seen in the picture, was made by Steve Silvas, the
state rep from Tennessee. Missouri will be the first state that it will
be carried through along with the banner. In the pictures are VRCC
members Leander Seuell, Clay Hunter, Mike Wilson and Mike Sheehan. The
hammer was picked up in Caruthersville, MO that morning and brought to
Cape Girardeau, and then transported to St. Louis that evening. It is
now in Columbia, MO, and pictures of the ride from St. Louis to Columbia
will be forthcoming.
Mike Sheehan
March 14 Actual Hammer Debuts March 13
THE MISSOURI VALKYRIE RIDERS SEMO CHAPTER MET THIS MORNING WITH TWO
TENNESSEE RIDERS.
WE MET IN CARUTHERSVILLE MO. AND RIGHT NOW THE BANNER IS ON ITS WAY TO
ST. LOUIS MO.
THERE THE SEMO CHAPTER WILL MEET WITH THE ST. LOUIS SLAYERS CHAPTER AND
HAND OFF THE BANNER AND HAMMER. FROM CARUTHERSVILLE MO TO ST.
LOUIS IS ABOUT 200 MILES
SATURDAY MARCH 13, THE BANNER ARRIVED IN CARUTHERSVILLE MO FROM THE
TENNESSEE RIDERS.
FROM THERE THE BANNER WENT NORTH TO CAPE GIRARDEAU MO. AND THEN PASSED
OFF TO THE ST. LOUIS CHAPTER TO CONTINUE THE JOURNEY IN MISSOURI.
March 10
The Saga of THOR's Hammer continues. Yesterday (March 10th) I (THOR
before there was a THOR's Hammer) left Nashville on my way to the Smokey
Mountains to hook up with the North Carolina Representative Bill Potter
"Still Kicken" for the transfer of the Banner.
On the way I stopped in Cookeville and met up with fellow VRCC member
Sid Dixon, "RDD" (Ringa Ding Ding). We had to make a short stop at a
local Bike shop to pick up a face mask and some glove liners, (it was a
bit nippy). Then on to Knoxville and then to Exit 447 just before
Ashville NC to meet up with Bill. It was a beautiful ride (especially
after the temp climbed into the 50's). When all was said and done I had
clocked 490 miles and the Hammer was safe and sound in Nashville at 8:15
PM.
For those of you who might be interested, I will be meeting a few riders
to continue the journey to the MO state line on Sat. March 13th. We
will be hooking up at the Starbucks on Old Hickory Boulevard. 3 miles
EAST of I-65 at Nippers Corner Starbucks. I will be there from 7:00 AM
until 8 Drinking Coffee and letting fellow riders sign the Banner. All
are welcome to sign and or join us for part or all of the ride to
MO. We will be going out Rt. 65 to 440 west to 40 west towards Memphis.
We will travel 126 miles to Exit # 79 and pick up US 412 west to I-155/ALAmo/Dyersburg.
Continue 62.9 miles to a rest stop just over the MO border for the
exchange, hopefully before 1:00 PM. Picture will be taken and anyone
who knows of a different route back to I-40 and or Nashville please let
me know. The full ride from Nashville will be 208 miles, 416 or more
round trip.. All are welcome. Call me at 615-243-6331 and let me know
who and where you want to hook up... Ride safe but ride..!
Steve Silva (aka THOR)
March 10 March 6 March 4 I strapped on the Hammer I touched and signed the banner today in Columbia and it rode on my bike for 30 miles. Then I sent her on up your way with Wayne. Good guy, hope to meet him again someday. You guys have fun and take care of it. ZekeValk
March 3 March 3 Thor's Banner in South Carolina The banner will probably leave out around 9:00 AM tomorrow for the trip
to our State Capital of Columbia, where it will be handed off to other
riders. There is still plenty of room for signatures since the banner has
two sides. Oh well, can’t wait until the morning ride. Will update again
at that time……. March 3 Thors Banner resting in SC
March 3 Colorado makes plans Posted By: SIXGUNS <lfloud@yahoo.com> Posted By: Borto <ghborto@earthlink.net> Posted By: MarkT <make-up-a-name@horseapple.com> Posted By: valkster <Dave.T@starband.net> March 2 Up date on Thor's Hammer Georgia March 1 Georgia, I added a pin to the Hammer February 29 Macon Handoff February 29 February 28 Thor's Hammer is resting in Sylvester Ga tonight. Will go north
tomorrow. Thor will be in Atlanta at 3pm on Sunday, Feb 29
http://vrcc.photostash.com/vrcc_8997/P2280020a.jpg
February 27 Thor's Hammer in Indiana and Michigan February 26 February 25 Woody February 24 February 23 MaryJo and I then headed off to Tally to meet
with Ding for lunch at SMOKEY BONES and hand off the HAMMER. I just get to the top of the bridge and then it
hits me a gust out of nowhere and me knee is on the concrete arms streched
out to the left trying to hold her up....Out of nowhere this man in
Fatigues comes up to help me and we get the bike up ( it never did
actually touch down) and he explains to me how he rides a ROADKING he can
relate. All the while we are at a snailpace and when we are stopped he
runs up to give me kimwipes to wipe off my glasses and the windshield PLUS
straddles the center lane to keep traffic off of me WHAT A HELLVA DECENT
MAN!!!! Anyway you all be careful the next few days while riding to get this hammer through the state. Take lots of pictures and we will all have stories. SEE MORE PHOTOS just got back from Thor handoff to Dothan team...
here are some pics, first....the gang and the banner
at Lake Martin...Redvalk
 
February 19 Due to WEATHER I [Ron Moore] handed off to "TB" and
"John" at Natchitoches, Louisiana at noon today. John is from Lake Charles
and will carry Thor's Banner into Lake Charles, Louisiana for the night at
least. I took the Banner by G & C HONDA this am for a pic or two and it
was a little "nippy" on the road. Thanks all for the FUN and see all on
the road. Announcement: Larry Bahr 1-701-439-24444 could run from Canadian border on I-29 South Dakota border or anyplace in between Bismarck ND to St Cloud MN 0n I-94 I ride a Valkyrie Trike and 100% disabled Nam Vet Call 18887346296 or 17014392444 February 12
Tomorrow I [Ron Moore//2-CUP] will pick up the Banner
from Gregg at the Ark. La. line just north of Springhill,La. on Hwy 371.
and bring it back to Shreveport,La. Friday I will take a few pic's at G
& C Honda and Sat am Myself and Bruce Pincock will take the Banner south
to Leesville,La. to hand off to the south La. group headed up by J.P.
Sonnier.
We might have to do all this by boat as there has been
some rain.
Ron
I was handed the Banner
today From Gregg Buchanan [Curley Wolf ] of Ark. at around 1300 hours and
I will pass it on Sat to a group of South Louisiana Valk Riders. The
Banner is in Shreveport, Louisiana for now. Had a great visit and lunch
with Gregg and if we
would have talked much longer we would have found KIN-FOLKS. WOW, WHAT A DAY!!! Had a
great ride to meet 2 CUP in Springhill, LA. And, Ron, you're right, if
we'd visited any longer----Who knows???? On way home, I stopped off and
visited with my old College football coach. Had such a good time, I just
got home a few minutes ago. Yes, it was a little bit cold riding in after
dark---BUT WELL WORTH
IT!!
BTW, the Banner
is now in Shreveport, LA. This has been really great even though the
weather was really cold riding Sunday from the northern part of Arkansas
south to El Dorado where I live. Today wasn't near as bad. The GREAT
part is the chance to meet some other VRCC members in OK, AR and LA that
I'd not have met without the relay
February 9
February 8
February 7-8 February 6 W0QNX(Raymond) is off chasing bikini's down in Florida while his wife
is in a training class down there. He left me with the keys to drive the
banner location page. I just wanted to say thanks to Jimmy Curtin, WinterHawk, and the rest
of the Texas group for a great lunch and banner handoff this weekend. February 5
January 28, Thor's Relay handed off to New Mexico
Click
Here to See New Mexico Hand Off Picks January 26 Hand-Off at California/Arizona Border January 25 HAND-OFF IN BLYTHE, CA. January 24, 2004 FIRST LEG: Next up George runs it to the California border town of Blythe, where he hands the goods off to "Dennis from Blythe"... He documents his travels with a Sharpie Permanent Marker pen adds his signature and it's Dennis's responsibility. Dennis will move the relay into Arizona were folks there including F6Gal and Psycho will move it on to New Mexico..... in time. The relay is now at rest in Laguna Niguel Information
for the Map Dude to update the map tomorrow evening the Relay will be in
Blythe California for the evening.
Watch for more news and information... Oh by the way based on a suggestion off the board I signed the Banner in the upper right hand corner Click on photos below to see higher resolutions. May take a minute to load as I kept these kind of HiRes. Special thanks to Lyn and Mark of CAT Specialties for
gifts and coordination and to Andy and Justin of Viking Motorcycle for
supporting the day's events and big thanks to Joe for planning and
managing the event, and while I'm at it great job Stump (Ed Banaka) for
the web support. Oh, and I'm famous for forgetting this, thanks Connie
a.k.a. F6Gal for working so hard on all of this! Got to mention Psycho who
rode here from Arizona to make sure all went well and Dan for keeping an
eye on him.Oh yea I almost forgot Big BF was there keeping and eye on Dan
keeping an eye on Psycho. |
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Documentation Explanation:
I realize it is a little late to get this started (unless someone is already
doing it). But I'm going to volunteer to be the 'recording secretary' for the
Hammer Run.
If each member who has carried the banner will send me an email (jhhccs@bellsouth.net)
with the subject "VRCC Hammer Run" and the following information:
Name & Handle of the Hammer Bearer
Starting city
Ending city
Miles traveled
Names & Handles of those in the escort
Optionally the route you took
I'll record the route in Streets & Maps and create a spreadsheet or some such to
record the other information. That is if someone is not already doing it...
Whaddya think?
Jack in Bama TOP
The Valkyrie
Relay Across America is up and running! 
