Family, Friends, and Food. Sometimes the lines between them are Blurry

[Redfish Hunter]

You idiots. We want to be treated like a boiled crawfish head. (I will let you goobers ponder on that one.)

In the meantime, where, Where, WHERE is the rest of the Ride Report?

 

[jonjonboo]

In the meantime, where, Where, WHERE is the rest of the Ride Report?

Andy, if a Yankee rides around with a Brakelight bulb inop and someone with a spare bulb, tools and a shop offers to help and said rider still refuses to replace bulb, you think he is going to finish his ride report.

No disrespect intended here Josh but your ride report kind of lacks a lot of content there at the last postings, several people have gone waaaay out there to help you. Please pull it together and make something more useful, informative and representing of your actual experiences.

Yes, a sport tour rider needs to consider safety and have the knowledge to replace a burnt out light bulb. Get it together man---no more teasing you here, hope all is well with you.

Jon

 

[Redfish Hunter]

There was a discussion on The Ever Annoying Group Text (which I maliciously started!) about that burned tail lamp. I did point out that you not only carried a spare bulb but that said bulb was freely offered during the ride. Our DYF (Dumb Yankee Friend) was intimidated, possibly even frightened of the daunting task of bulb replacement.

In other words, the DYF did not know how to change the bulb.

Had the young lad only been willing to address his fears in front of the group we would have gladly helped him.

The worst part of this discussion is that NONE of this dirty laundry would ever have been aired had the DYF simply completed his assignment and finished his Ride Report. He is supposed to be some sort of history teacher is he not? How do you suppose he reacts when one of his students turns in a report half finished? Is this how the educational system in LoveYourCousin Illinois works?

Okay Cav. I am done for now. I certainly understand how difficult these Ride Reports can be, especially when it is emotionally involving as yours certainly is. It would be nice if you could finish it though.

JSNS

 

[wheatonFJR]

You guys are relentless. The guy has a feckin job.

...plus he's at the gym 3 hours a night trying to work off his southern inspired pouch.

 

[Cav47]

Dang, Jon, you are killing me. Some of the content is hard to remember

As for the bulb, I should have taken yours(it was a genuine nice offer), but it was more about not tearing into it at the time, knowing what was involved at the time, unloading the bike, burdening anyone else more than I already was, it was time to party, and I had a bulb at home ready to go.

A bunch of relentless SOBs....LOL

Thanks Wheatie! I spent today convincing kids on who they should be telling their parents to vote for in the elections. (Sarcasm)

If I had any feelings, they would be hurt.

Okay back at it.

We left Jon's house in a little rain and it was time to check this rain gear out.

We rode for a while and stopped at an abandoned gas station. Joey was checking the weather and planning our sortie accordingly. We trailed behind it and never really got rained on hard. With all the rain previously, we did see quite a bit of wildlife near the road, but no close calls. I did see a wild pig and a decent size litter near the road. Not something we see around here ever. They ran off into the woods as Joey rolled by.

The History of Poverty Point is amazing. Hours upon Hours could be spent in the learning center. I never felt rushed, but also knew I could not get engrossed fully in the experience because I would never get out of there.

A quick movie was played in there and artifacts were provided to touch. Unlike many of the other museums that prohibit such learning.

Seriously, how does one create these items with no metal tools. Scrape rock against other rock until it dulls, then sharpen it against another rock. Start again on the original object again??? Amazing work.

Short walk up to the top of the largest mound was next.

From up top, the other construction was more noticeable.

I cannot help but wonder what made these peoples existence cease???

Maybe it was the possibility of seeing these two faces!!

So many good shots ruined by the camera, but still a great memory.

Some reflection was in order, but Joey made an executive decision. He said I may not agree with it, but he was making the call!!

We were heading back to the local convenience store a few miles back and getting some ice cream.

I was ready for a complete change in plans but all he was wanting was a damn drumstick!!! It hit the spot and we were off to the Memorial in Vicksburg.

The infamous bulb shown here in front of the National Military Park. Joey has a knack for getting great shots.

I am not a cryer, but the emotion of this place could easily have overwhelmed me at this moment.

To stand in these places and not imagine the horror that took place here was not repressible.

As we progressed from place to place, putting my helmet on gave me time to absorb just what could be taking place not all that long ago.

The business end of these weapons are horrifying to fathom.

The Irony here was not lost as well. You see, Illinois and Louisiana more or less were matched up in the battle. Regiment vs. regiment is how some of the battle worked out. This fact did not escape us as the day went on.

A long time ago, I could have been fighting my Cajun friends instead of partying with them. Such senselessness gave me pause.

The reminders of such atrocities were in more than one place. 2 of the very large monuments, Illinois and Louisiana are placed where the respective armies were on the battlefield. You can see the tall spire.....that is Louisiana's, I am standing on Illinois'.

The lines about friends and family here are the blurriest.

Looking back down from the monuments onto the battlefield....you could almost feel our ancestors there with you. Mine were still in Europe at the time of the War, but nevertheless, families and history were obliterated here.

Admittedly, not much leaves me speechless, but a brief ride through the South's trench lines caught me by surprise. I still cannot find the words to describe the feeling of emptiness I felt there.

Engineering magic.

Preserved by accident.

Astounding Craftsmanship

More in a few min.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

I almost, almost made a sarcastic comment about Illinois and its DFY soldiers... But I just cannot. All wars are hell. That war, a country divided, brother against brother, is just too horrible to imagine. I honestly have avoided these Civil War (what an oxymoron) battlefields because I do not want to feel some of what you were feeling.

You are doing good my pudgy friend. As a friendly suggestion, fewer pics of you and hppants and more pics of your bikes would be nice. There is enough ugly in a battlefield pic.

With regards to Poverty Point, I always wonder at how they moved all that dirt without a John Deere or Massey Fergusson. You would really, really want that dirt moved badly to do what they did in the manner that they did it.

 

[BlacknWhite23]

Still a great ride report. Looking forward to more. And just so you guys know, that bulb has been out since last year when I told him it was out.

 

[Cav47]

The ship, not us, was the craftsmanship I was talking about.

Lots of these sticking out the front and sides.

The steam engine part. I can only imagine the heat and fumes in such a place. Not thinking this job was OSHA compliant.

The paddle wheel was inside the structure of the ship. So it would not be as vulnerable from enemy fire.

Perspective of scale is difficult to judge without an object for scale. This thing was massive.

Joey is a XXL glove size.

The cannonry was manipulated by a winching system ran off of pulleys and winches, driven off of residual steam power. Engineering genius.

High above the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi

At the front entrance. Some of the pictures may seem out of order from when we took them. Kinda true but not really, We stayed as late as we could and went back and took some more pictures at the places that would not be locked up after hours.

Overlooking the actual cemeteries I did not walk among the graves as time did not permit. This might have pulled the tears out for sure.

In all the soberness, we were still able to flip the switch and be silly.

We asked a gentleman in an RV from Indiana to snap a pic. It turned out great. One of my fav for the report.

We headed over to the hotel.

Got some refreshments. Side cases are great.

Iced them down so they would be ready after diner

Headed back to the river to eat. The restaurant was closed, but the environment gave us a great chance for a photo. While the sun was going down over the river, so was the time on my adventure. Despite the ugly mugs here, it was a very fitting backdrop.

We got shut out of the place down on the river. Our choices were very limited because it was Easter Sunday.

Even the great Pants could not make closed restaurants open on this day. We would have to regroup.

Of all places we had ate and the awesome meals we had, this is where the streak would end......

The epic adventure was gonna end at a CRACKER BARREL. We laughed our way all through dinner.

We had a few drinks, looked at some maps for the journeys home, shared some laughs, made some future riding plans, and talked the night away. We planned for breakfast in the morning, said our goodbyes, and I hit the afterburners home. It was almost 650 miles home. I remember a few things on the way home, but mostly the time flew by as I flipped through all the memories of the trip. It was the easiest 650 I have ever done. Every mile had a memory.

I will have many lasting images from this report. I can not repost them all, but a few special ones stick out in my mind.

When you are feeling alone, Just cross the bridge​

​

It is not as scary as you think​

There you will find family​

and Friends​

after a while there is no difference between them​

​

Thanks to all of you that have made this trip so wonderful. It was about more than just riding with friends, seeing family, and eating amazing food. Some of it was about healing and setting things right in the soul. RIP Gramps

-Cav

Seek Adventure!

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Damn Well Done.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Nice job Cav, thanks for sharing the adventure with us!

--G

 

[Mihalis fjr]

Thanks for sharing with us this great ride report and pictures!!

 

[gapiob]

Very nice, thanks for sharing this good time

 

[BkerChuck]

Excellent! Great way to wrap up an already awesome RR!

 

[hppants]

Great stuff, man. Really cool. Once we split ways in Vicksburg on Monday morning, with only 250-ish miles to get home, I wiggled through south-central Mississippi on my beloved red horse, sniffing along the way. The Indian Clover, Buttercups, and other wildflowers were a wonderful distraction along the side of the highways.

This is on the Port Gibson Ferry Road, just me and the cows enjoying a beautiful Spring morning together.

The Vicksburg memorial was basically a blur because Pants is an ***** and can't tell time. As you know, I forgot to re-set my bike clock for daylight savings time and when we got there, I thought we had 2 hours to wander (still really not enough time), but we only had 1 hour. I guess you will just have to come back one day.

Like RFH, I'm not proud of some parts of our culture and history. I do however believe that we absolutely have to know where we came from in order to know where we are going.

It was wonderful reading about your thoughts on the trip. RFH and I were talking after you left about how much we take our home for granted. I suppose when you see anything perpetually, it starts to blur your perception. At times, I was embarrassed to lead you on highways with so much litter. That stuff REALLY pisses me off. I wish other Louisianans would treat their home like they are having company. Regardless, our land and culture are unique - like everyone else's home, I suspect.

On behalf of my Louisiana brethren, it was a real pleasure to have you Josh. I'll extend the invite to anyone else. You are more than welcome here. We'd highly recommend you visit between Halloween and Memorial Day, lest we send you home looking and feeling like a raisin. But we will have you any way we can, and if you will give us a chance, we will happily show you around and feed you like royalty.

 

[wheatonFJR]

Great report Josh, et al!

 

[jonjonboo]

Well well---finished it up very well .

I knew that Vicksburg would have a eerie effect on you, even if direct family lineage may have been in Europe at the time we all are somehow affected by that war. I am impressed with how you wrapped it up so nicely, might actually do a RR myself someday so you guys can bash the hell out of me.

 

[wheatonFJR]

I almost, almost made a sarcastic comment about Illinois and its DFY soldiers...

Just so you know, Illinois and some of their DFY soldiers were instrumental at their chosen time at Gettysburg.
Let's pray that war, civil or otherwise, never darkens this land again.

 

[gapiob]

and others lands

 

[Redfish Hunter]

I almost, almost made a sarcastic comment about Illinois and its DFY soldiers...

Just so you know, Illinois and some of their DFY soldiers were instrumental at their chosen time at Gettysburg.
Let's pray that war, civil or otherwise, never darkens this land again.

I am somewhat versed in the history of the conflict and do have great respect for the sacrifices made by the soldiers of EVERY state in that war. It only occurred to me to be sarcastic because I get such great pleasure from insulting Cav47. When I weighed it out, I decided that trying to make a joke out of something so serious was too low even for me.

And I will join you and our French friend in that prayer.

 

[steveoreno]

Great ride report! You really set the standard for everyone else. My great grandfather's regiment, 52nd In, was part of the siege of Vicksburg. Luckily for me he was not in the regiment until later or perhaps I might not be here.