The Route and Sights for the Fisher House Ride

Hopefully, I can work out details with the various Fisher Houses to pop in for a visit and snap a quick picture with the staff, but I need to work out those details with each of the individual directors. I also have to try and get to their location at some relatively decent time of day and that might be a challenge given some of the distances I need to travel each day. Regardless, I'll work out what I can and go from there. Here's the plan for the Fisher House Ride, so far (you know I'll change several more times between now and the end of April...)

I hope to visit Fisher Houses (FH) at Walter Reed and Bethesda Naval Center on the evening of April 29th to allow me to avoid going into DC on the 30th. If I can pull that off, I'll shave 100 miles off the trip on day 1 and get at least an hour or two head start on the 30th.

Day 1 Route
(Sorry about the small maps, but assuming you can see it, the route is highlighted in purple.)

Friday, April 30th - Leave at the crack of dawn and head west on I-66 and north on I-81 to Winchester, VA where I'll catch US-50 west across West Virginia and most of Ohio. I slip off US-50 in Chillicothe, OH and go northwest to Dayton where I visit the FH at Wright-Patterson AFB. From Wright-Patterson, it's south on I-75 for an hour or so to the FH at the VA Hospital in Cincinnati. I stay in Cincinnati to visit the Roebling Suspension Bridge that crosses the Ohio River, then back on US-50 to that night's destination in Seymour, Indiana. This day should cover a little more than 600 miles.

Day 2 Route

Saturday, May 1st - Leave Seymour at the crack of dawn and continue west on US-50 across what's left of Indiana and all of Illinois. First stop, other than for gas, is the Gateway Arch in St Louis, Missouri. I'll jump on I-70 in St Louis so I can make good time. No FH stops on this day, but the goal is to get across Indiana, Illinois, Missouri (with a lunch stop at Hooters in Columbia) and about a third of Kansas by day's end covering about 685 miles. Hopefully, getting to Salina, Kansas for the night.

Day 3 Route

Sunday, May 2nd - Leave Salina at the crack of dawn (I sense a theme here) and continue west on I-70 to the FH at the VA Hospital in Denver, Colorado. After my visit at the FH, I'll grab lunch/dinner at the Hooters a couple of miles down the street, then slink my way out of Denver via US-285 and work my way southwest where I will ultimately hook back up with US-50 and spend the night in Montrose, Colorado. That will mean almost 700 miles on this day, but the first 400-plus are all interstate riding on I-70. Assuming I can make good time on that portion, I hope to be able to enjoy the ride through the mountains to Montrose before it gets too dark.

Day 4 Route

Monday, May 3rd - You guessed it...leave Montrose at the crack of dawn and head south on US-550 and then state highways SH-62 and SH-145 down to Cortez, Colorado. In Cortez, I'll grab US-160 west and take it to my first planned stop at Four Corners. Since there are four states that come together here, I'll refrain from giving this location a state as no matter what I do, I'm going to aggravate three other states. I assume it's just Four Corners. US-160 will carry me across a large portion of northeast Arizona until I make the the couple of turns (south on US-89 and west on SH-64) for a visit to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. From the Grand Canyon, I'll be looking to make up some time (US-180 south, I-40 west, US-93 north). I'll stop at Hoover Dam for a quick photo-op and then straight into Las Vegas. Another 685 mile day, but I'll be in Vegas a day early to hang out with Jeremy and Casey before their big day on the 5th.

Tuesday, May 4th - Wednesday, May 5th - We'll be playing in Vegas and celebrating Jeremy's and Casey's wedding for a couple of days.

Return Day 1 Route

Thursday, May 6th - Roll out of Vegas as soon as I can and head back through Arizona the same way I came in from the Grand Canyon. This means if I miss the photo-op at Hoover Dam coming into town, maybe I can get it coming out of town. It's I-40 across much of Arizona with the first planned stop to be in Winslow. I have to pass Meteor Crater, but I'm not sure I want to go out of my way to get a picture of a hole in the earth. If anyone has been there or has an opinion about whether I should stop or not, let me know your thoughts. Right now, the plan is to pass it by.

In Winslow, I will get a picture at the corner of 2nd and Tinsley because this is supposedly the corner referenced in the Eagles "Take It Easy" song. We'll see if "there's a girl, my lord, in a flat bed Ford, slowing down to take a look at me." I'll keep using I-40 for the sake of speed until Holbrook where I plan to exit the interstate and make my way south and east (SH-77 south, US-60 east, US-180 south/east) to Silver City, New Mexico. A quick sight-seeing visit in Silver City and then it's back in US-180 south to I-10 east and on into El Paso, Texas to visit the FH at the Beaumont Medical Center at Fort Bliss (hopefully, I can arrive there at a decent hour). I'll spend the night in El Paso after covering 750 miles that day.

Return Day 2 Route

Friday, May 7th - This day will be a mad dash across Texas on I-10. I hate riding I-10, but speed is a necessity today as I have a lot of ground to cover (800 miles) and three FH locations to visit. Other than gas and butt breaks, the first stop will be at the FH at Wilford Hall at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, TX. The next stop is also in San Antonio at the FH at the Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston. Then, it's back on I-10 for the run to my old home town of Houston. Assuming it's not too late in the day, I'll visit the FH at the DeBakey VA Medical Center. The ride won't be much fun, but visiting three FH locations and spending an evening with family and friends will make it worthwhile.

Return Day 3 Route

Saturday, May 8th - Another day of I-10, ugh! Interstate again for the day, but a much shorter day (only about 490 miles) with one visit to the FH at Keesler AFB in Mississippi. Also, another pass through an old home town (this time Mobile, Alabama) and another visit with friends. I'll spend the night at my parents' house in Foley. Not much sightseeing today either. I've covered this ground many times on my rides, so unless the road decides to throw me some excitement, I'll have to make this day interesting by the visit with FH, friends and family. I might be able to take the ferry across Mobile Bay and grab some shots of Fort Morgan (Civil War fort that guarded the entrance to the bay). I'll have to play that by ear though.

Sunday, May 9th - I have two routes laid out for this day. Both leave Foley at the crack of dawn and the destination on both is Augusta, Georgia. Here are the two options:

Return Day 4 Option 1 Route

• Option 1 - Haul butt up I-65 to Montgomery then take I-85 over to Opelika, Alabama where I depart from the interstates and slide across Georgia with as little interstate use as possible arriving in Augusta about 500 miles later for a visit at the FH at the Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Fort Gordan.

Return Day 4 Option 2 Route

• Option 2 - Take I-10 east to the Florida panhandle, dart north to Dothan, Alabama, then make my way across Georgia on the back roads, again, with limited exposure to interstates. This option is about 20 miles longer, but either day is only going to be about 500 miles and both include the stop at the Fort Gordon FH and the potential for dinner at Hooters in Augusta.
  

I'm leaning toward option 2 for one simple reason. It passes through Riddleville, Georgia and I need to get a picture of me and my bike with the Riddleville sign! Let me know what you think.

Depending on the time of day when I get to Augusta, I'll either spend the night there or try to make my way a little further down the road. I'll be on I-20 across South Carolina, so I'm not sure I care much about whether I ride it in the daylight or the night.

Return Day 5 Route

Monday, May 10th - Assuming I spend the night in Augusta, I'll take I-20 east across South Carolina to Florence where I will pick up the worst interstate in the US, I-95 north. Luckily, I only have to tolerate I-95 for about 80 miles where I'll exit to visit the FH at the Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina. After my FH visit, I'll head for the coast and spend the night on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in Kill Devil Hills (another 60 miles of I-95 north, then US-264 east, US-13 north, US-64 east). This day will be about 520 miles. I know I could go further, but I want to catch the sunrise on the beach the next day.

Return Day 6 Route

Tuesday, May 11th - A short day today to get home (360 miles), but three FH stops. After I get that sunrise pic in Kill Devil Hills, I'll make my way up US-158 north toward Virginia. I have a quick detour on SH-34 to go south and see if I can get another picture of me and the bike with a town sign. This time it's Riddle, NC. Then it's due north out of Riddle to Portsmouth, Virginia and a visit at the FH at the Naval Medical Center. I'll head west out of Portsmouth on US-460 to Richmond and a visit at the FH at MacGuire VA Medical Center. Then it's more of I-95 north as I ride to the DC area and my last FH visit at the Malcolm Grow Medical Center at Andrews AFB. From Andrews, it's a 50 mile ride home around the Capitol Beltway and I-66 west.

The total trip will be somewhere around 6100 miles with visits to 13 FH locations. I can't wait!