May 5, 2026 - Day 2 to Ontario

May 5, 2026 – Day 2 to Ontario

Today started out cloudy and stayed that way all day. We dodged the rain ALL day, but kept watching it and stayed in rain gear. Rain gear was more for warmth.

First was stop was supposed to be to Table Rock Lake, 

the birth place of Bass Pro Shops.

Unfortunately they did not open until 9:00 (we got there are 8:00)

We could see the lake

Here was our day.

Yesterday at the end of the day, Larry broke one of the hinges on the lid on one of his compartments.

Then today, the rest of it came off.

He is not a happy camper since the bike was new this year.😭😭

Larry and Ron have the same bikes. Here is how it is supposed to look...

Here is Larry's. Things happen....

We started on back roads thru Missouri and Arkansas.

Then we stayed on highway the rest of the day.  

All day on I-40 thru Oklahoma, the road had these hash marks.

Trivia question:  Why are there black and white hash lines?

Answer: they are called "contrast pavement markings". Designed to 

improve visibility especially on lighter-colored pavements and during

various weather conditions.

Thing that come up on boring parts of the ride.  Make you go "hmmmm".

They guys also practiced riding side by side.  

Some of the groups ride this way other ride staggered.  

(More on this later)

During the day, Ron got a text from another Run rider.  He said right before they got to Oklahoma City the weather dropped 12 degrees and the wind was howling.  Since we are usually ready for temp changes, the thought was ok.....UNTIL we hit that spot.  We were passing a semi and as we got in front of it, the temps went from a comfortable 78 to 67 and the winds almost knocked us off the bikes.  At first I thought it was one of the refrigerator trucks that caused it.  That was not the case.  Immediately I am really cold, let's stop at next exit.  This was about 10 miles down the road.  By the time we got there it was down to 55.  Yikes .... what a crazy, fast weather change.  It stayed like Kansas winds for the rest of the day.  

Twin bike, different colors....boys and their toys.

I thought I would share. It came from the Route Coordinator.

Destination: Shamrock ,TX
Temps: 62-78-54    

Route: I-62w, I-65s, SR62w, SR412s, AR45, AR265s, AR16w, I-49s, I-40w
Miles: 510

Flag:

May 3 and 4, 2026 - Day 1 to Ontario

May 3 and 4, 2026 – Day 1 to Ontario

Welcome back to all those that have followed me before.  And "Welcome" to all the newcomers.  I am Jean and I will be submitting an entry every day on our journey from Loveland, OH to Ontario, California.  I am riding west with my husband, Larry, and my brother, Ron.  Then riding from Ontario to Washington DC with the RFTW family.

 May 13-22, 2026

 We ride for those who can’t.

 

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This will be our 10th year.  The ride is called “Run For The Wall”.  (RFTW.us)
The ride will start in Ontario May 13 and end May 22 in Washington DC.  
Please go to the web site for more details.  My blog will attempt to capture each day the events of this mission once the Run starts.

Mission Statement of RFTW : To promote healing among ALL veterans and their families and friends,

to call for an accounting of all Prisoners of War and those Missing in

Action (POW/MIA), to honor the memory of those Killed in Action (KIA)

from all wars, and to support our military personnel all over the world.

 

Philosophy:

We strive to maintain a safe, supportive, and private atmosphere in

which all participants can reflect and heal on their journey to the Vietnam

Memorial in Washington, DC in the hope that they can return

home to a new beginning.

 

Goals:

1) To guide the participants across America. 

2) To educate future generations as to the importance of accountability

in wartime actions emphasizing that no one should be left behind.

 
I am sure many of you have family member that serve.

We have a brother, brother-in-law, and uncle that served in
Vietnam. Our fathers served in WWII and in Korea. Also, a few
cousins are active today.  

 

Not all of those that served were on the front line or even in the country

where the war/conflict happened.  This does not minimize the fact that

they have given their time from their lives and families to serve to keep us safe. 

 

Any time you see a service man or woman, police or fireman, please

take a few minutes to go over to them and thank them for their service. 

It only takes a few seconds.  Let them know you appreciate what they are doing. 

This trip will end at the Vietnam Memorial Wall but the support we need to give to everyone that serves should never end.  Keep us, and all the riders we will be riding with, in your prayers for a safe ride and nice weather (we ride in rain, wind, and hail 😊 )

=================================================================

So let's get started:

We started on Sunday May 3 to get a few hours in. The day was sunny and 60.

We had a few on hand to wish us safe travels.

Even the little ones want to get into the act of taking pictures. Hahaha 

As we head out, about the only thing picture worthy was all the bridges in Louisville.

As we got about 1/2 thru Indiana, and we all thought we were in Kansas. The wind was crazy and we got pushed a lot. 3 tired people for the day that felt like we had wipe lash.  

Destination: Mt. Vernon, IL        
Temps: 60-65
Route: I71, I64
Miles: 313

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May 4, 2026 – Day 1a to Ontario

Nice start of the day at 62 degrees. Pretty cool pic with the clouds.

We tried to stay off the highways as much as possible.

We ended up on some pretty nice riding roads.

At times however, the GPS had a mind of its own. Ron ended up winning

on this by resetting some of the options.

This road with no lines was a bit bouncy for awhile.

One of the ones the GPS sent us on.

Cross into Missouri on an interesting structured bridge.

As soon as we crossed the bridge, Larry and Ron kept talking about "The Dexter Inn".

This is where they stay for hunting.  They say you need a tetanus shot to stay here.  HAHA

We stopped for lunch at River House BBQ. We try to ask the locals of places to see.

The waitress directed us to Big Spring in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways where

that water is blue.

The water is "boiling" or "bubbling" up from underground.

Hope you can read this. Very interesting .

This is another fun fact.

We decide to stop in Branson MO for the night. Again, had some great back roads.

This was across the street from our hotel.

I cannot imagine the architects that created this.

(If you cannot tell, it is upside down)

Went to a show... Family run and many of them performing or back stage.

We just looked at the weather for tomorrow. UGH... looks like rain.

Destination: Branson, MO      
Temps: 62-78
Route: I-57, lots of back road, SR160, MO21 (to blue stream), SR60, SR99, SR160
Miles: 445

Flag of the Day:

August 22, 2025- Hannibal MO to Loveland OH

August 22, 2025- Hannibal MO to Loveland OH        

After a long last day, we finally got home to Loveland OH.  Crossing the Mississippi River within the first 5 minutes of our ride today. Pretty nice sun rise.

But not too far down the road, lots of fog....slow down boys.

Finally, blue skies as we cross the Illinois River.

We still have corn and soybean fields but not as many.  

So..... only thing left is to look at the cool formation of all the clouds over the next 4 hours.

Blue skies trying to get thru.

Last water for the trip..... our pond in the front yard.

Destination: Loveland, OH

Temps: 63-80

Miles: 436

Route: I-72, I-55, I-74, I-275

This has been an absolutely fabulous trip.  

Here are some of the stats.

Number of States = 15

Number of days = 19

Number of National Parks = 8

Temperature Range = 42-102

Elevation = 0 - 11,200

Total Miles = 7900

We had many route changes and lots of people along the way making suggestions.

I want to thank all the RFTW family member that welcomed us and guided us to the best possible roads and local areas to visit along out way.

Thanks to Ron and Larry for a beautiful, unforgettable trip.  

Goal Accomplished:  We now have ridden in all 50 states!!!