The official tour name was “Battle Cry Touring Rally.” The ride itinerary included a few Civil War sites and various Harley-Davidson dealerships along the way. The route to each attraction had participants riding on some of the most beautiful roads and scenic byways in the USA. The next few pages touch on some highlights of the trip.
When starting a tour, here is an image that you do NOT want to see in your rear view mirror:
Happily, this was only traffic control for the expected 300 or so motorcycles that would converge on Richmond Harley-Davidson the morning of departure.
The tour coordinators and Richmond H-D controlled traffic around the building and put on a swell breakfast.
Look carefully and you can see a flagman directing riders around the building on the sidewalk. As I approached, I thought he was about to send me into the front door!
Eating well in the morning is a theme that the HOG tour reps managed pretty well throughout the 4 days of riding.
Our first stop was Appomattox. Re-enactors explained the tools of war:
And the tools of 19th century surgery:
Sadly, soldiering hasn’t changed much through time. Happily, doctoring has.
While the presentations were interesting and educational there was no real joy in being reminded of the horrors of war.
In Salisbury, North Carolina we visited the site where in 1864 thru 1865 a Confederate prison was located and now what is known as The National Cemetery Trenches.
Riders viewed the green fields, white gravestones, read inscriptions, snapped a few photos, and wandered away quietly. There was a eeriness about the place even in broad daylight that dampened the spirit. Personally, that was about all the Civil War themed activity that I could handle.
The next two days would be filled with riding the byways, appreciating the scenic vistas, enjoying “owning” the road as there was no traffic, and finally bit of “time travel” as we visited the Wheels Through Time Museum.
To be continued…
