Forward That's a new one... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I've never done this before. Never, prior to writing a blog or story have I ever officially felt the need for a forward. This time however, should all the information return to my memory and be published, well, maybe a bit of background. Often, when I begin a story or tale, I begin with, "let me lay this out for you first". So....let me lay this out for you first. The annual event that started with the two-wheeled road trip to spend time with my mother before her passing has grown. I hurriedly dug up time, money and packed and rode, all the while with the realization that I had never done that before. Since then, Memorial Weekend has turned into a Mom's Memorial Run. It has expanded to something that includes my departed brother in law and a group of heroes that have gone to their reward that I "carry" on my back in the form of name patches. I feel that wherever I roam, I carry them with me. I talk to them, imagine (?) that they talk back. They are a part of the adventure. The trip that just ended was a trip that was filled with more emotion and just plain humanity than any before. There was, as on every trip, the issue of the weather. Always unpredictable, always something to be prepared for. As with anything, expect the unexpected. There was time spent with family members not seen in decades. Spent in a house from my youth with the firestorm of memories permeating my thoughts even as I attempted communicating with those present. There was time spent with old friends, trying to catch up, all the while dreading the moment of departure. There was the experience of time spent with a band of brothers, that for a time, insisted that I was a part and belonged where I was...in the middle of them. The unexpected... There was the touch of an angel...... There was time spent on a path traveled before. The familiarity and memories from past trips. There was time spent, well, does the concept of taking the road less traveled specifically construe a road that has not been traveled by anyone or one that has not been traveled by you? There was music in the air, literally. I don't have a radio on my motorcycle, don't want the distraction, but, I do have music in my head. I can listen to whatever I want, whenever I want. Songs that were revisited from long ago. Maybe interpreted different. There was the sudden reality of home. All in all, quite a trip. One that will mist the eyes forever upon reflection. Can't wait to share it with you. Sorry about the lack of pictures, perhaps you will see what I saw in your minds' eye.