Independence Day

The 4th of July has always been my favorite holiday. It started as a kid with cook-outs, watermelon, corn-on-the-cob, cut offs, bare feet, catching lightening bugs and of course, fireworks. All of those things go with summer and the July 4th holiday just condenses it all into a perfect celebration.

I can't always tell you what I did on Christmas but I can usually tell you how I celebrated the 4th of July.

One of my favorites in recent history was our first long journey on our Gold Wing in 2007. We left Atlanta, headed west through Alabama, Mississippi, north through Arkansas, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming & into Montana. We were headed to Wing Ding - the annual Gold Wing rally that is always held over July 4th.

Mind you, we were going up there to work. Eddie was working for "Ride For Kids" and had to man the booth in the vendor area of the rally. I HAD to go with him. Riding the bike across the country to Montana over July 4th? Are you kidding?

If you are a fan of Christopher Guest than you will understand this - Through our days at Wing Ding I just kept telling Eddie that it would make the best Christopher Guest movie. "Best In Show" and "A Mighty Wind" set to matching flag pants, chrome, wheels of fire and finally culminating in the crowning of "Couple of the Year". It is a different world at Wing Ding - not like any other motorcycle rally I've been to before or since. Surreal in it's absurdity.

On July 4th we rode the Beartooth Highway. Later that night we were wandering about in the hills above Billings and came upon a brush fire. It was quickly burning out of control and there was little we could do other than call 911. We waited until the fire trucks came and left it in their hands.

We left the next day and started the trip home - Devil's Tower, Badlands (114 degrees - like riding through the gates of hell), a night at the Two Rivers in Niobrara (one year before we found ourselves owning the place) - and finally winding our way south back to Atlanta. Nine days, over 5,000 miles, one argument and many laughs.

This July 4th weekend I wanted something low-key and relaxing. So I rented a cabin on Lookout Mountain near Mentone, AL. My good friends of over 30 years - Ann & Kathy, joined Jake and I. We spent a lot of time sitting on the deck, looking out over the valley and watching fireworks popping up for miles and miles in the distance.

It was exactly what I hoped for this July 4th.

But, I wonder who won "Couple of the Year"?