2017 Travel Plans

It is April 1st once again. While others are either perpetrating or guarding against the jokes of the day, I am going to lay out the planned and potential travel plans for the season. What better way to celebrate the end of winter?

The first trip was going to be a car only run to Illinois for the Moonshine Lunch Run on April 8th. We would have gone to Springfield to see Zeke and Hang and then gone over together to partake of those awesome burgers. Plus Zeke promised to introduce me to the famous Horseshoe Sandwich. All I had to do was avoid talking about my thoughts on Abraham Lincoln and the US Constitution (Land of Lincoln, after all).

Unfortunately, when I was in for my echocardiogram on March 23rd, the office told me that the follow-up with my cardiologist had been moved to April 10th and there was no way we would be able to make it back from Illinois in time. Cardiologist scheduling is hectic and a reschedule would have delayed finding the results until June, I am concerned about how the calcified aortic valve is doing so I cancelled the trip. Not an auspicious start to the season.

Trip two will involve the annual trek to North Carolina. We'll leave May 12th towing the bike. Friday night, we will babysit the granddaughters Jolene and Robyn in Cambridge while their Mom and Dad have a night away. Then, on Saturday, we will help celebrate granddaughter Fiona's first birthday in Woodstock. Sunday, we head south to Maggie Valley NC for SEVROC (The Southeast Vulcan Riders and Owners Club rally). We'll be staying at A Holiday Motel from Monday through Saturday while we enjoy roads, meals and camaraderie with fellow VROCers. Sunday, we will move to Two Rivers Lodge in Bryson City where a few Freedom Riders will join us until we head home the following Friday. The trip back should take two days, putting us back home on May 28th, unless we decide to explore along the way.

We will arrive in Boscobel, Wisconsin on June 14th for the 20th Annual VROC Midwest Great River Rally. Although we stopped by on our way west last year, we haven't actually attended this rally for a number of years. It will be nice to explore southwest Wisconsin again.

When Boscobel winds up Sunday, we'll have to make some choices. Sherm and I had talked about an informal get together in Solvang California. If we decide to make the long trek, I would like to stop and ride a couple of days in the Black Hills of South Dakota and maybe a couple of more days in the Sierra Nevada Mountains around Topaz Lake, Nevada. These are both sites of prior VROC rallies and we really bonded with both areas. If Solvang doesn't happen, we might still do one or both of these destinations. After Solvang, a visit to Kingman Arizona might be in order, and then a trip back through Moab Utah and maybe a visit to Mal and Yvette in Silt, Colorado.

Regardless, we need to be back in Sudbury by mid July to prepare for the 24th Annual Freedom Rally on the Civic Holiday long weekend (first Monday in August), where I have confined myself to the Treasurer's role this year.

We won't be able to attend the VROC Interlochen Rally in Michigan this year because it has been scheduled on the same weekend as the Freedom Rally.  There is nothing scheduled for the rest of August, but I think we might plan a couple of informal trips somewhere or other.

September, we will be attending the VROC Wolfman's Wandering Rally XI in St. Clair, Missouri from September 4th to 9th. All we know about St Clair before this was that it had a McDonald's and a gas station where we usually stop on our way to Arkansas. The WWR commemorates Rick 'Wolfman' Jakubas VROC #3 and changes places and dates each year. For 2017, Kopperhed and Flash have taken on the organizing task.

After WWR, we will roll a little ways down the road for the Annual VROC Reunion in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. The season windup rally will keep us occupied from September 12th to the 17th. On the way, we might spend a night or so at The Dutton Inn in Branson and take in a show or two. Or maybe go zip lining.

Between the trips, I hope to get enough time in on the golf course to improve my game. This will involve some disciple on the driving range to work through my sway and over the top flaws. I will also be working with some ultra low compression balls that are supposed to work better for those of us with slower swing speeds. Additionally, I need to be more regular in the gym at the YMCA because my doctor says this is the best thing I can do to live longer.

I will be looking for a replacement for the Equinox before the end of the year. The power train warranty expires in early 2018, and after the camshaft and differential issues that cost me $7,000 on the Avalanche not long after the warranty expired, I will let someone else worry about it. I really enjoy this vehicle and hope I will be able to find a suitable replacement.

I keep the travel blog for my own amusement, but many folks have told me they follow our journeys. I am thinking a new camera might be in order and this year might involve more photos and captions and a little less rambling. We'll see how that goes.