Summer 2022 Trip to the MOA Rally in Springfield, MO

By Joe Tatulli

Steve (Forand) walked over to where Bill and I were standing near the end of the Monday night monthly club meeting and said, “You guys are going to the (MOA) rally in Springfield (MO) right? Would you be willing to take the club banner with you and put it up on the tent we are sharing with the Yankee Beemers?” Bill quickly said sure, and it rode there and back attached to the Mosko Duffle Pac on Bill’s RT. We were indeed heading out the following morning for the round-trip ride to Springfield, MO, and the MOA National Rally, about 3200 miles there and back.

The trip out was finalized that night and we met at 6:45 AM at the DD at 102/6. We have done this before. Valentina was packed and ready to go. This trip felt like it needed a little more room, so I had attached my Aerostitch Soft Panniers right behind my front pegs, resting on the rears. They are not waterproof, so I had stuffed a waterproof backpack cover down inside each bag, and then put my gear inside those covers and just rolled and folded them up at the top. Drier than without I thought. The only rain I saw was on Friday, June 24^th, almost two weeks later, riding across the RI border on my way home. Just as I hit the BJ’s at the Coventry line down it came. It poured, with the full complement of thunder and lightning, for about five minutes. The sun was out at the merge with RT4, and everything was dry when I got into the garage in Warwick. My plan had worked… but that’s the end of the story.

The ride out and back was great. Great weather. Great roads. Two mediocre hotels and one very nice one. It was the Ritz (the Oasis in Springfield, MO) of the Radisson brand where we had a huge deluxe room with a view of the pool, and a short easy walk from the room to the bikes.

The ride out took us through CT on RT84 and into NY just beyond Danbury, then across the Newburgh/Beacon Bridge straddling the Hudson, and eventually to Port Jarvis where we crossed the Delaware River into PA. We headed towards Scranton and then grabbed RT380S to RT80W and a brief stretch (on 80) through Pennsylvania. Someone named Brandon must have done something noteworthy because we saw a lot of signs that said Go Brandon. Who knows.

Where RT80 crosses the Susquehanna River, we hit RT522S and then a little of RT70 to RT220S through the edge of Maryland and into West Virginia. The plan wanted us to cover the 1600-mile trip in two and half days so we would arrive on Thursday mid-day. That meant two six hundred plus mile days and a 400-mile day to finish. At the end of day one we found a nice spot in Morgantown, WV at about 630 miles. Billy had thought that the secondary roads he had chosen while picking the route were more like 116 when in fact, they were very nice rural roads but more like RT4 on the way to Razee’s. We clipped along at 75 and sometimes even 80 when that was called for.

Day two would cover some new territory eventually putting us right into the very bottom of Ohio and into Kentucky, and then a westerly route across the southern edge of the entire state of Kentucky, right into Missouri. At one point, near Paducah, KY, we crossed the Tennessee, Ohio, and Mississippi Rivers all in the space of about fifty miles (that was on day three). Many of the rivers in our great country are huge and navigable by large vessels; and at one time were the natural transportation channels for American industry and the shipping of every kind of commodity produced from east to west. But you all know that. Seeing it with one’s own eyes is a real treat. Day two ended in Princeton, KY, a small town just east of Lake Barkley and the famous “Land Between the Lakes” National Recreation area. No we did not stop.

Day three took us through Paducah, KY and on to Cairo, IL on RT 60 right on the Mississippi River. This past year I continued reading about the Second World War and the American Civil War. Two books, Donald Miller’s Vicksburg, and Ron Chernow’s GRANT, both explored the amazing year long siege of Vicksburg, MS, and Ulysses S. Grant’s rise to Lieutenant General, and Commander of all Union Forces after his victory there. Cairo, IL was the main depot for the Union army with it’s strategic position at the confluence of the east west Ohio and north south Mississippi Rivers. After the decisive victory at Vicksburg, MS two key things happened. The Union owned the Mississippi from Minnesota to New Orleans preventing the Confederacy from using it to supply their armies, and General Grant began to use the phrase “It’s only a matter of time,” as he quickly moved east to tackle R. E. Lee and end the war. The southern retreat from Vicksburg happened over the same three days as the battle of Gettysburg in the east. In the summer of 2022 Cairo was a ghost town, a shadow of its former self. Not even a gas station or small store could be found.

Day three also provided the best riding of the trip so far. Route 60 and especially route 160 were twisty asphalt through woodlands and farms with very little traffic or constabulary interruption. We arrived with little fanfare at the hotel Oasis and the rally fairly early Thursday afternoon. It was hot… about 95 in the shade, but thankfully not too humid. After checking into our deluxe accommodations at the Oasis Hotel and Convention Center in Springfield, and taking a brief break, we headed over to Rally Central at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds. After signing in and getting our wristbands and bikebands we headed over to see all our friends at “The Tent”.

We had expectations (at least I did) that we would see the usual suspects hanging out in the shade of the tent that was under some nice trees. There was no one there. In fact, there was never anyone there. We put up the banner and departed for some supper. Both of us traveled to the tent over the next day or two and no one ever arrived. No one! Very strange indeed. Walt Sabastianelli had said he would see us there, but we never saw him. We did see and speak with Pete Mikolaitis working as a volunteer but that was it. It was disappointing but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

There were two large indoor vendor spaces that were air conditioned, and we traveled that road both days we were there. Bill spent thousands. I bought a candy bar and a new seat cushion for Valentina and my butt, which after 600 miles can get a bit sore. So far it works great.

Rallys are great, for about a day-or-two. This one, with no other riding buddies from RI or MA to chat, eat or hang out with, and no good riding close by just didn’t feel like a big-league event. No offense to the MOA who did a sterling job providing a great space for campers, vendors, entertainment, etc., but after two days of high heat we called it a weekend and decided to head home on Saturday morning. I had looked at a route from Springfield through Arkansas to Vicksburg, Mississippi via Louisiana, and then over to Appomattox where I had a small place near my son in Lynchburg. Bill had agreed for part of that southern detour but decided to blast straight home instead. Saturday morning at 7AM we said our goodbyes with the typical “Have fun,” and “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” (which gives us each a lot of leeway). I went south, Bill headed east.

Saturday was a beautiful day in Arkansas. Route 65 runs diagonally from the northwest corner of AR, just outside of Springfield, to the southeast corner of the state where it crosses into Louisiana. Lots of blooming native pink Mimosa trees along the highway. Branson looked like a place I wouldn’t want to visit. Too many magicians and dog and pony shows for me. There were at least five places with gigantic billboards that all claimed to be the “closest and cheapest place to stay” when visiting. It felt like Vegas without the gambling.

I kept moving southeast and was soon headed into Louisiana about forty miles south to Tallulah, LA and then east into Mississippi right at Vicksburg on the Mississippi River. It was an experience I had thought about since I read the two books I had mentioned earlier. I’m glad I got to see the actual distance of the slope that runs from the river up to the city center almost a mile away. It was 96° in Vicksburg.

A couple of years ago Jeff Jenke had mentioned a trip he took that traveled the Natchez Trace Parkway. Pierce Pettis, a Nashville songwriter and “roots folk” artist also added to my interest in riding on this historic parkway with his song Natchez Trace. Here’s the opening stanza… “A tunnel cuts into this greenness; Under the roof of this wild place; Down into the heart of darkness; Along the Natchez Trace.”

I knew the Trace ran from Natchez, MS to Nashville, TN but I wasn’t exactly sure how to get from Vicksburg proper to the Trace itself… and I wasn’t going to ask anyone for directions. I thought I would head east toward Jackson, MS on RT20 and then stop and figure it out. To my great delight about thirty miles out on RT20, just outside of Jackson, I see this huge brown sign…  “Natchez Trace Parkway Entrance EXIT 39 1 Mile.” All I could say was Praise the Lord! When I got on the Trace there was a sign that told me where I was going. Tupelo – 180 Miles.

The Natchez Trace, if you haven’t ridden on it, is a narrow two-lane asphalt parkway through an old wilderness area. No commercial vehicles allowed. I saw a couple of other motorcycles, all going south, and a dozen cars and pickup trucks, some going south and a few I passed going north. I also saw two Park Rangers in SUVs going south. What else did I see? A few deer, some birds, a heron and a huge thunderstorm to my right heading east. Besides the beauty of the scenery and the obvious tranquility all around me the air temperature dropped to a very refreshing 74°. Just above the city of Jackson is the Ross Barnett Reservoir a large body of water that was very stirred up by the storm. The Trace runs alongside the reservoir for about 18 miles.

When I finally arrived in Tupelo, the birthplace of Elvis Presley, I quickly found a hotel room and headed next door (literally) to my favorite “road trip” restaurant, Texas Roadhouse. This is SEC and specifically Ole Miss country. The people at the bar were watching the Ole Miss Rebels play and beat the nationally ranked Auburn Tigers in the first round of the College Baseball World Series. After the win I asked the gentleman (and his lovely wife) sitting across from me if Ole Miss had a chance to win the world series. He said, “Absolutely, they’re not nationally ranked but they can win.” I said, “Well I can tell you are a big fan, but what’s your professional opinion about their chances?” He straightened up, thought for a split second, and said, “That is my professional opinion!” and we all started laughing. It was good to be in Tupelo, and yes, I said Hi to Elvis for all of you.

BTW… Ole Miss did in fact win the 2022 College World Series beating Oklahoma. It was the school’s first ever NCAA College World Series Championship. I guess that fan knew something after all.

My next stop was Appomattox, VA only 680 miles away. To say the least it was a hot day that ended on a cooler note, with the only tough spot a twenty-minute crawl through Chattanooga, TN. I stayed in APPO for a few days, saw my son and his wife, cut the grass, missed my dog, and then rode home on Friday, June 24^th.

At the end of the day it was a relaxing and therapeutic trip of 3,700 miles with zero issues with the bike or anything else for that matter. Can’t wait for the next trip.