I’ve been interested in motorcycles for most of my life, but didn’t learn how to ride until 2015 when I took a MSF basic rider course through St. Louis Community College. I immediately got my endorsement after passing the class, and then started honing my skills on a friend’s Honda CBR. A few years later I bought “Miss Tress”, my 2016 H-D Road King and joined St. Charles HOG chapter.
On May 15, 2023, I headed out to attempt the Long Distance Rider’s ‘Easy Rider’ designation consisting of 500 miles in 12 hours. This trip was my longest solo trip to date by far. It was a round trip from St. Louis Missouri metro area down to Baton Rouge Louisiana that allowed me to add 4 states to my USA map patch.
I dealt with thunder storms and tornado warnings on the way down through Arkansas and Mississippi, so I stuck to interstates as much as possible, but had to take a couple weather breaks. By the time I neared my destination, I learned my current rain gear works well enough for light rain, but I’m going to have to make a bigger/better investment in near future. The weather for the trip back home was near perfect. My total mileage for the two days of travel was a little more 1,400 miles.
The best part of the trip was seeing my youngest brother graduate from Southeastern Louisiana University, and hanging with all 4 of my blood-related siblings (and other relatives) for the first time in a long time.