We saddled up our bikes and headed out on the morning of April 18; destination Panama City, Florida. A cheap night at a Comfort Inn and early get up on the 19th so as to travel to Pensacola, Florida in a short two hours and visit the Naval Aviation Museum at the Naval Air Station. Pensacola Naval Air station is the cradle of Naval Aviation and both Gus and I started our flying careers there way too many years ago. We had been here many times before, but on this trip we hoped to see the Blue Angels in their "spring training" and also get out on the flight line behind the museum to see a number of aircraft awaiting rework and introduction into a future display. On an earlier trip we met Howard Rundell, a fellow Naval Aviator, retired, and currently serving as a Docent at the museum. He was going to arrange a visit to see both the flight line and the "attic", a place where hundreds of objects are stored and which may or may not see the light of day in some future display.
Unfortunately, Howard had been involved in a motorcycle accident a couple days earlier . . . he was unhurt, but his wife had broken her leg and was to require surgery. Obviously his priority had to be to that situation so we weren't sure if we would even see him. Turns out that he was able to meet us for a brief tour that morning along with his son, Bill, and his grandson, Brady. Bill is an Air National Guard pilot serving in a squadron known as the "Red Devils". Coincidentally, both Gus and I served in VMFA-232 (at different times in Viet Nam) which is a historic Marine Corps squadron also known as the "Red Devils".
We missed the Blues . . . their practice was very early and we didn't arrive in time.
That night we stayed at the BOQ aboard the air base (nice digs and inexpensive) and arose early the next morning to return to the airfield and try again to watch the Blues. This time to no avail due to low ceilings and visibility which prevented their even taking off. So it was off to New Orleans and the National World War II museum.
In early afternoon we arrived, crossing the causeway on Lake Pontchartrain. As we got close to the center of town damage from hurricane Katrina was evident even though much of the city has been recovered and rebuilt. Rough stuff.
Our plan was to meet up with Doug Kloor and Albert Newman, local residents who Gus and his wife, Margaret, met on a river barge cruise in Europe.
Doug and Al are a little older than Gus and I, semi-retired and, because of their personal generosity are docents at the WWII museum. They were instrumental in recovering and bringing to the museum an original Higgins boat. For perspective: The museum was originally chartered as the national D-Day museum. The reason being that the Higgins boat company was native to New Orleans and Mr. Higgins designed and his company manufactured the thousands of boats which made the success of the D-Day invasion possible; they were the landing craft used by Allied Forces to assault Normandy in 1944.
In recent years the museum has been re-designated as the National WWII Museum and expanded widely.
We had an enjoyable dinner with Doug and Al and then retired to a hotel near the museum. The next day, April 21, they picked us up after breakfast and took us to the museum and arranged for our visit and a "surround" movie about the war. We toured all morning then went to the museum's theater for the movie; it was an incredible show hosted by Tom Hanks. Following the movie we met Doug and Al for lunch in the museum restaurant then returned for more touring of the museum. I found it to be an extraordinarily well presented history of that terrible war. To say it was an emotional experience would be an understatement and if I were King, I would insist that every young American high school student be required to visit it before they be allowed to graduate. The lessons to be learned are many and stark.
That night we dined with Doug and Al at a lovely french restaurant then thanked them and bid them adieu. Nice guys.
On the morning of the 22nd we saddled up and headed for Natchez, MS. Once there we found the home that Doug and Al are remodeling (they encouraged us to stop by and look at the landscaping), took some pictures (they have really done a beautiful job) and then rode over and joined the Natchez Trace Parkway. Another beautiful part of America, the Trace winds through rolling hills, forests and farmland, the road is smooth, well-maintained and free of commercial trucks and it is a gorgeous ride. It actually goes the entire distance to Nashville (over 400 miles total) although we got off after a little over 300 miles to spend the night at Iuka, MS near the border of Alabama and Tennessee. Our stay was cheap but was not the greatest of hotels . . . the fellow that checked us in, along with some of the guests having a few beers in the parking lot, reminded me by their appearance and behavior as some of the characters in the movie "Deliverance"!
On the 23rd we headed out of Iuka and rode to Leeds, Alabama, home of the Barber Motorsports Park and Museum. Some 1100 motorcycles of every type and vintage along with several Formula 1 cars and other antique automobiles all displayed in a bright, airy and purpose-built five-story building. Another really well thought out and designed museum. I could spend hours just looking at all the mechanical eye candy on display. In early afternoon we departed the museum and rode a couple more hours to Opelika, AL near Auburn university for our last RON. The next morning, Sunday April 24th, we had breakfast together at a local Waffle House then parted company; Gus heading back to Aiken, and me, home to DeLand. For me it was a little over 360 miles but almost all through beautiful farm country on well maintained two lane roads. Got home about 1630 in time for Easter dinner with my family.
There is no such thing as a bad motorcycle trip and I continue to believe it is always about the journey, not the destination. This time though I will concede that the destinations were pretty darn spectacular . . . I hope to visit every one of those museums again some day.
Click here for photos of 2011 Museum Ride
