Five Corners Run: Hello from Mike/ Five Corners

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Hello from Mike/ Five Corners

Well, I've finally gotten access to a laptop so I can update all the great new friends we've made on the 5 Corners Ride 2010 so far.

I have to start with Jim and Mike of Santa Barbara Harley Davidson where I desperately needed a 1000 mile service on the 2010 Classic Ultra Limited before continuing on the ride. Not only did they complete the service while I waiting but re-mapped the computer and installed the new air cleaner needed for the performance I'm enjoying now. Thanks to both of them and the folks there to keep us on the road in fast mode.

Next was THE GREAT Marine we met in the parking lot of the hotel in San Diego as we were loading the bikes for the day's travel. He was the controller for the Marine Corps League (I think - I lost the card, sorry sir). When Bobby and I mentioned our Marine Corps experience, he welcomed us home and provided a Marine Corps Challenge Coin to both of us.

When we got to Galvenston, TX, we took a ride in Old town and stopped at the Loading Dock and Galvenston's only Harley repair facility, Galvenston Custom Cycles. It is owned by Mark Swan who told us all about the Loading Dock (A bar NEXT TO A HARLEY SHOP - LIFE DOES NOT GET BETTER THAT THAT!). The owner was there pouring drinks for a couple with all the bar stools on the bar, not even open yet. Valerie Perez "AKA Denali" pointed out the tags at the bar for seats labeling the customers' chairs. After 3 drinks and great friends she is arranging to have the 5 Corners tags on one of the bar stool places with our names on it. If you are ever in Galvenston go see "Denali" at the Loading Dock and say hi for us.

We are now in New Orleans about to spend our first night on the town. We got here via the highways and byways along the coast seeing the damage and new construction compliments of Katrina thanks to Bud's navagation efforts. More to follow in the next few days.

BTW, I talked to Joe Thomas (retired OPD) who is going to meet us in Florida and ride with us for awhile. To all my OPD Family and my Calaveras County SO family, I'm alive and well - don't pay the ransome - we escaped from Texas, Arizona and California on the way to Florida.

Mike "Hammer" Oliveira
Retired OPD Motors
5 Corners Run Dude

1 comment:

AnonymousMay 24, 2010 at 2:14 PM
We saw your group waiting in line for the one operating ferry in Galveston (May 22). We had a nice chat with Bob. Have a great trip!
Louis and Bonita Williams, Nacogdoches, TX
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How it came to be...

For the past twenty plus years, a group of young (now not so young), enterprising men have followed that creed. They have ridden Harley-Davidson motorcycles in virtually every state in the Untied States, including Hawaii and Alaska. They have crossed the United States' mainland several times, stopping at infamous motorcycle rallies like Sturgis, The Love Ride, The Redwood Run, and The 100th Anniversary of Harley-Davidson in Milwaukee. They have dipped their toes in the waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and the Sea of Cortez. They have traversed the Canadian Rockies and crossed over Baja, Mexico. Europe and other exotic places have extended their welcome to these "Yanks", as they cruised the countryside.

Twelve years ago, two of these enterprising men were sitting at a local establishment where spirits were rumored to be served. Ralph had just turned 50, and Bud- proud of his youth, brought to Ralph's attention that at four trips a year, assuming he would stop riding at 70 years of age, he only had about eighty trips left. The "ETL (eighty trips left) Club" was born. They then discovered that the rumors were true, toasted the new name, and talked about the adventures yet to come.

Over the years, their numbers grew as the trips became more extreme. With the passage of time however, some got "too old", "too busy", and some just lost interest. Sadly, two left the adventure entirely. Don Potts and Rod Curtis ride with the group today, but in spirit and memory. As their numbers declined, a hardcore group was left who never gave up their keys or left their bikes to rust in a garage.

During the Presidential campaign in 2008, there was some discussion about how different people were who lived in different areas of the United States. The ETL Club, having traveled the highways and backroads of the United States more than most, believe that people are pretty much the same no matter where they live. They believe most people are decent, law abiding sorts, even the so-called "bikers" encountered virtually every day on their trips. Whether on the West coast, in the deep South, the Northeast, or Midwest, most people they've met along the way seem to have the same core beliefs, the same wants and needs, concerns, and desire for freedom. An idea was born. Why not travel the entire United States? Not just across the Untied States, but around the United States. Why not meet and talk with as many people as possible, from Southern California to the Southern border of Texas; through the "Redneck Riviera" of Mississippi and Alabama to Key West; to the Canadian border with Maine to the Northern shore of Washington state? The five "corners" of the United States. Why not talk to people at the Alamo- the birthplace of Texas independence and at "The Wall" in Washington DC-honoring those who died preserving our freedom and independence?

Why not?

Trip Calendar

WE ARE TWO DAYS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE!

Day	Date	Destination	Day	Date	Destination
1	May 12	San Luis Obispo, CA	29	June 16	Boston, MA
2	May 13	San Diego, CA	30	June 17	Laconia, NH
3	May 14	Tucson, AZ	31	June 18	Laconia, NH
4	May 15	Las Cruces, NM	32	June 19	Camden, ME
5	May 16	Del Rio, TX	33	June 20	Camden, ME
6	May 17	Laredo, TX	34	June 21	Caribou, ME
7	May 18	Brownsville, TX	35	June 22	Madison, ME
8	May 19	San Antonio, TX	36	June 23	Burlington, VT
9	May 20	Austin, TX	37	June 24	Watertown, NY
10	May 21	Galveston, TX	38	June 25	Dunkirk, NY
11	May 22	Lake Charles, LA	39	June 26	Norwalk, OH
12	May 23	New Orleans, LA	40	June 27	Harbor Beach, MI
13	May 24	New Orleans, LA	41	June 28	Mackinaw City, MI
14	May 25	Pensacola, FL	42	June 29	Wawa, Canada
15	May 26	St. Marks, FL	43	June 30	Thunderbay, Canada
16	May 27	Cape Coral, FL	44	July 1	International Falls, Canada
17	May 28	Key West, FL	45	July 2	Devils Lake, ND
18	May 29	Key West, FL	46	July 3	Minot, ND
19	May 30	West Palm Beach, FL	47	July 4	Glasgow, MT
20	May 31	Daytona, FL	48	July 5	Shelby, MT
21	June 1	Savannah, GA	49	July 6	Glacier National Park, MT
22	June 2	Charleston, SC	50	July 7	Coeur d'Alene, ID
23	June 3	Myrtle Beach, SC	51	July 8	Coeur d'Alene, ID
24	June 4	Jacksonville, NC	52	July 9	Grand Coulee, WA
25	June 5	Virginia Beach, VA	53	July 10	Portland, OR
26	June 6	Washington, D.C.	54	July 11	Bandon, OR
27	June 7	New York, NY	55	July 12	Bandon, OR
28	June 8	Boston, MA	56	July 13	Trinidad, CA
		Home for break.	57	July 14	Mendocino, CA
			58	July 15	Home (2 days ahead of schedule!)
			59	July 16
				July 17

The Five Corners Run 2010

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Hello from Mike/ Five Corners

1 comment:

How it came to be...

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Ralph "Rufus" Hughes

Ulysses "Bud" Early

Mike "Hammer" Oliveira

Bob "Bobby D" D'Ambrosio

Gary "MacGyver" Cose

Trip Calendar