……After doing my first trial run around the northern Kentucky area, making sure that the app for the Tour of Honor worked properly and that my pictures would be accepted, I decided that it was time to move out of the local area and seek out some further off sites. My wife had to go out of town for a few days and I had to drop her off at the airport one early Monday morning. The weather gods cooperated, and this was to be a rare April day where the temperatures would be in the upper 70’s and little or no chance of rain. Everything feel into place and I was off on my 1st real tour of the T of H. My route would take me south into Kentucky about 100 miles from Cincinnati before looping east and then back north. I expected it would take around 4-5 hours.
My 1st stop was just outside of Williamstown, Kentucky at one of our many state Veterans Cemetaries. If you haven’t visited one of these before, I suggest you do. The feeling of awe, gratitude, solemness mixed with the beauty and serenity of them is quite special.
Where there is also a Gold Star Family Memorial.
From Williamstown I took route 36 to Cynthiana. Route 36 is one of those wonderful Kentucky ridge roads that follow along the top of the folds in the Kentucky countryside. Curve after curve after curve past farm fields and small clusters of homes. Mile after mile of motorcycle bliss. My destination was the small town of Cynthiana and its memorial to 9/11.
Every 9/11 memorial that I have found has been different from the rest, but they seem to have 2 major themes. One is to have a replica of the twin towners and the other is to have a piece of steel I-beam from the actual towers. The Cynthiana one is the former. While the next stop in Paris, Kentucky would have the latter.
While at the Paris firehouse I had a great conversation with a couple of firemen that were sitting outside and enjoying the nice temperatures and breeze from under the shade of some trees. I explained what I was doing, and they responded that they had seen some other motorcycle riders stop by and wondered what it was all about. One of their wives was there and pointed me toward some other local memorials that aren’t on the T of H list, but I’ll keep in mind for another day. By now it was getting to be dinner time and I still had one more stop and then a nice backroad ride back to home. So after a snack bar and a sip of water I was back on the bike for my last stop and my favorite one from this afternoon. To Elizaville!
Not to visit a memorial, but to visit a gravesite that has a memorial as the headstone. I must first explain that I was a US History major in college and especially enjoy our colonial history and our WWII history. I’ve taken several classes on both and have read dozens and dozens of books since graduation many decades ago. This was to be a special stop for someone like me. The gravesite of one PFC Franklin R Sousley, USMCR, Company E, 2D Battalion, 28 Marines. Never heard of him? Well, what if I said he was part of the landing force on Iwo Jima? Yep, that Marine…PFC Sousley. Best known for being one of the solders that help raise Old Glory on top of Mount Suribachi. Unfortunately, he did not survive the battle and was killed only a few days after the famous photo was taken. But he is not forgotten and you can visit his gravesite near where he was born in Flemming County, Kentucky.
See, I told you that this Tour of Honor was not just a great excuse to go riding, but was also very educational, AND a wonderful and fun way to honor the great people that have sacrificed so much for us over the years.
After leaving the cemetery at Elizaville it was time to head north for home. No more T of H stops along the way, only about 75 miles of wonderful, fun, curvy, Kentucky ridge roads to traverse. So up Ky165 and Ky10 I did go. All the way back to my humble abode in Cold Spring, Kentucky with a smile on my face and a mixture of joy and sadness in my heart. Joy because of all I had seen and felt that day and sadness that so much good has to be lost along the way.
To be continued……