Here is a link to a story that will explain why we ride

I found this link on the rftw.org forum. I read the entire story by EVO RED. It is great. I am posting the link here so that you too can read it. I am also wondering if anyone thinks I should link this blog to the 2010 central route web page. If you do please post a comment so that I know. I am torn on whether or not to do this small thing.

Enjoy EVO's story it is awesome. It explains why we ride, why we are a family and why we get the rewards we get. So here is the link:


http://www.vietnam6bn31inf.com/special_event.htm

I hope you all enjoy it, and thanks for reading, much more to come I promise.

Bounce

So little time and so many thoughts

I first must apologize for not posting here in a while. I know that there are some folks that have enjoyed my (To quote my Sister-In-Law) "Rants" and writing. I pulled a lot of the older posts because I wrote something that I knew to be true, but that a lot of others did not either agree with or did not know. Anyway, I have gotten therapy, well I talked to Hammy a lot about it, and I am over it.

Now here is the rest of the story on the previous post. and it is truly important:

Nic Bush is a young Army medic who is stationed at Ft. Hood and arrived for duty just last month in October. Last Thursday he was one of the medics on duty in the Readiness Center during the shootings. While he has physically survived the attack, emotionally he is struggling.

Nic rides every year with myself and ~1,000 other riders across country with Run for the Wall (RFTW) to help raise awareness for the POW/MIA issues and help heal veterans. This group of riders is very close and consider each other family - and thus I consider Nic my family and a brother/son/friend to us all. He had to sell his bike before he came out to Ft. Hood last month and has been saving and planning to buy a new one before next year's Run in May.

I want to help Nic get his bike sooner as he could really use it right now. For those who ride, you know it is good for the soul and certainly would give Nic an outlet for those tough days ahead as he recovers from this tragedy. It certainly won't take away anything from that day, but might bring just a bit of happiness and distraction to his life right now.

If everyone could help pitch in just a bit (even $20 would help), then a little could go a long way and we can help ease at least one soldier get through this difficult time. You can contribute directly from here and see our progress: http://nicbush.chipin.com/nic-bush-ft-hood-soldier If by any chance we collect more than we need, we will put the additional funds together and ask Medic Bush how to direct how to best put the money to use to help other soldiers in need from this incident.

PLEASE PASS THIS ALONG to anyone and everyone in your address book you know who loves this country and who might want to help! Thank you!



If you are interested in helping Paula help Nic Bush copy the link and go to the site and chip in. I requires opening a Pay Pal account, but that is painless, and 100% of the money donated is going to the cause. They have almost $2000.00 now and need $10,000.00. If everyone donates about $10.00 they will make it. I have met this young man and he is a great guy. I chipped in, and will do it again, but I really think this is a good cause. Paula is great for doing this, and this guy was not only a first responder to the Foot Hood tragedy, he was also a target of this attack.
Thanks for reading, more light hearted things to come. I have said this before this blog is not dedicated to Run For The Wall, but the writer is. Hopefully any and all FNGs to the Run will get the answers to their questions, and May is only 6 months from now.

Bounce

This is important

http://nicbush.chipin.com/nic-bush-ft-hood-soldier


go here and chip in to help this man out. He is a member of the RFTW family and he is a true hero.

ENUFF SAID


Bounce

Dixie The Wander Dog update

For those of you who have read all my posts, you know about Dixie the Wander Dog. For those of you who do not know the story I will recap it a little. Last year in July I was in Alabama. I stopped at a truck stop there that I really do not like. The restaurant is usually closed and when it is open the service is bad, and the food is worse. The parking lot is so full of holes that you can break a shock or a spring just driving through it, and it is always very hot there. This day it was well over 100 degrees, and the tarmac was melting under the truck tires as I parked. I had to go to the rest room bad, but as I walked towards the main building I noticed another driver trying to feed a little dog. When I asked if she was his he said, no but I think she is sick.
I gave her a quick glance, and she looked like about a four or five month old Doberman puppy. She was clean, but looked like she had been running wild for a few days. I went inside, bought a couple of hot dogs (the restaurant was closed for remodeling) and a bottle of cold water. I walked back to my truck, and for some reason the little dog was walking along the same row of trucks. I offered her a piece of hot dog, and she took it but surprised me when she examined it pretty closely before chewing it up. She then followed me to my truck. I opened the door, and put the hot dogs on the passenger floor, turned my back long enough to find a bowl to give the little dog some water. When I turned around she was gone. I put the water on the ground under the steps of the truck and closed the door and walked around the truck and got in. Then I remembered the hot dogs, I leaned across the seats and picked the paper plate up. The hot dog that I had torn a piece off was gone. Then I looked down and on the floor in front of the sleeper Air Conditioning vent slowly chewing the hot dog was the little dog. She looked at me wagged her tail and that was the start of a great friendship.
Dixie traveled every where I went, I even stopped training drivers for about 9 months. That first day was a little rough, I spent about three hours pulling tics off her neck and back. She drank some water, and I called Judy and told her about the pup, and of course Judy said I had to bring her home. That first night she managed to gnaw through the power cord for my lap top, but once I got her a chew toy she left that alone.
We took her to the Vet when I got home and found out that she was almost a year old, and was indeed sick. $500.00 later I had a truck dog. Dixie is pretty smart, and because of her Judy has started a small dog rescue. Dixie was the first dog adopted out by this rescue, and of course the first time she was brought back. I do not think that will happen this time. She has found a home. I miss her, but am glad that I picked her up and the time I had with her was great. She learned to do high fives, leave food until told to eat it, speak on command (that one she is picky about, no food no talk) and chase anything thrown for her for hours. She alarm barks very loudly, and of course loves riding in a vehicle. Her new family is very happy with her, we will see how long that lasts. The first family that adopted her liked her too, but she can be a real handful. She needs to be exercised a lot and given something to do so that she does not get bored.
So Dixie the Wander dog Wanders no more, again. Same deal as last time, if it does not work out she will always have a home in Wisconsin, and on my truck. At least I know now why I pulled off at that truck stop that day. It was because this little dog needed help and because I needed a truck dog. It all worked out well for both of us. Judy is right saving even one dog is worth the effort.

Bounce

TX,OK,MO,IL,IN,OH,PA,NJ,PA,MD,WV,VA,TN,AR,TX,NM,AZ,CA,AZ,NM,TX

Those are the states I have been in in the order that I was in them in the last 14 days. Almost 8,000 miles. It was a fun two weeks. I had a student with me. This guy was pretty interesting. He was about ten years older than me, and he was and is a pilot. He told me that a 747 has 18 wheels and ten brakes, so driving a truck should be a snap for him. He was right. I really enjoyed the two weeks I had with this student. He did a great job, and I think he will be an asset to the company I drive for, or any company he decides to drive for.

Bounce.

There are still some honest folks out there

Yesterday while starting my big truck and pulling away from a loading dock I heard a loud snap. Then I noticed that my electrical system was discharging. I parked the truck out of the way and opened the hood. What I saw was pretty ugly. The main Serpentine belt that drives my Air Conditioning and alternator had busted. On further examination I noticed that my Air Conditioning compressor pulley was a little crooked, and of course it would not turn either. The Alternator, and other pulley that the belt goes around turned just fine. I called my company Road Rescue, and good old Elvis said he had a guy in the area that could fix it for me. This was good as a big truck will not go very far without an alternator. Well the guy came out, and did not have a belt that would fit. This in itself was amazing as he must have had at least sixty different belts with him. He made some measurements and said he would be back. He was gone for almost five hours, but when he came back he had the right size belt. When I asked him where he went, he told me that he had driven about 200 miles round trip looking for that belt. He then told me not to worry he takes care of the Owner Operators that let him work on their trucks. I was expecting a really big bill for this repair, but he charged me the minimum, and cut the miles that he drove down to what they were from his home to my truck. In short I was expecting it to cost about three times what he charged me. He told me that he wanted to be fair about it, and he wanted to keep my business. Well believe me I will be keeping his card, and if anyone in his area breaks down and asks I will give them his number. Elvis from our shop told me that this guy was great, and he was right. I do not have any Air Conditioning, but the truck runs great. This man could have charged over $500.00 and got it, but he charged less than half of that.
So what could have been a miserable day turned out to be a pretty good day.

Bounce

It is Hot in July in Kansas

Today I am in Kansas,
I do not have the hours to drive anywhere, and it is well over 100 degrees here. I am trying to not use fuel, or waste any but I am not being too successful. It is really hot, and the truck is like an oven. Stick a fork in me, if I don't bleed I am done.
Such is the life of a truck driver. I did find out today that the radio interview that I did last year on Land Line now won an award for best show on air last year. Reed Black did a great job, and OOIDA really supports the Run a lot. They have done a lot of articles about us, and posted both routes last year in May. I hope they keep it up we can use all the help we can get.

Bounce