Tour Update
Newsletter
November 15, 2022
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One benefit I get from running the tour is that I get to hear some interesting stories from the riders. Rider 127, Darwin Slaughter, mentioned to me that he made a side trip when he headed to Cuero, TX to get the picture at stop no. 41. He unveiled some history to me that I knew nothing about. So, I asked Darwin to draft an article to share his story with y'all. |
An Extra Stop
By Darwin Slaughter (Rider 127)
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Riding the Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas has been quite an experience. Fifty stops covered all over this great state of ours! All the stops were interesting. For me, one stop was particularly meaningful and it was not even on the tour. On the south Texas loop, my eldest son Sean (rider 848) rode with me on his BMW R1250GS/A. We stopped at the MSgt Roy Benavidez memorial in Cuero, which honors this remarkable soldier. The monument includes a plaque with the citation for the Sergeant's Medal of Honor. My son, a retired Air Force LTC, was especially touched and agreed the stop was well selected. |
Darwin and son Sean at stop no. 1
(Riders 127 and 848)
However, we had another stop to make that was not on the tour. During World War II, there was an airfield (Cuero Field) just outside Cuero, where the Army contracted with a civilian flying school to train pilots. There is little left to identify the property as a former airfield...an old hangar, the concrete ramp where rows of Fairchild PT-19 trainers were parked, and remnants of the grass runways. That's about it. But, there is history in this place. My father was one of the instructors who flew there. Dad was based in Cuero for a year or two starting in mid-1941. He then went on to "fly the Hump" (the Himalaya Mountains from India to China) for 1,000 hours crammed into a year of flying. After the war, he flew corporate aviation for his career accumulating over 20,000 flight hours. It was a privilege to be able to walk the same ramp Dad walked 80 years before.
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Darwin's father, Robert D. Slaughter Sr. (AKA "Slick") |
Cuero Field during WW II
Dad was not a motorcycle guy, although he told me a story of the one bike he had for a while...a Triumph. It seems he was on a base in India they shared with the British. He and some other pilots found the triumph in a trash pile and liberated it from its previous owners. They reassembled/restored the bike with parts scavenged from, well, somewhere and then rode it around the base and into a nearby town. The Brit commander saw them and demanded that the motorcycle be returned. It was returned in the same condition in which it was found, disassembled with parts missing. I can just see my Dad doing that!
I think the flying gene is pretty strong in our family. My Dad flew for a career, I fly for fun, both sons are pilots, the eldest is an airline captain after his Air Force career, and two of my grandsons fly. My elder son and I are the only motorcyclists in the family so far. I came to it fairly late in life in my late 20s. I've ridden mostly BMWs the past 40 years and currently have an R1200RT. Riding blends well with flying in a lot of ways. They are quite similar, requiring trip planning, preflight inspection and focus to stay safe. Like an airplane, one must stay ahead of the bike or the machine might turn and bite you.
As we were preparing to leave the airfield, the gentleman who now owns the property stopped to visit. He was very nice when I told him our story. It seems his uncle was also an instructor and later flew the Hump. It was very possible he and my Dad had known each other. And now, here we were, another generation with a shared history on the windswept ramp of an abandoned airfield in south Texas. I think Dad would have liked that.
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We have some great tour sponsors in the lodging business. Click the button below to check their rates and availability.
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Red Roof (use VP+ code 628641 for discount)
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Hotel Texan (book directly with the hotel and let them know you are on the tour to get a 10% discount)
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Riders Who Made All 50 Stops |
As of November 14th, 87 riders made all 50 tour stops. When the tour ends, I will issue a Tour Update Newsletter that lists all tour finishers (25 or more tour stops). |
Riders who submit 25 to 49 qualifying tour stop pictures will receive a rocker patch like the one shown above. If this is your first year qualifying on the tour, you will also receive the round logo patch.
As of November 14th, 337 riders have submitted 25 or more qualifying tour stop pictures. You can check your status with the button below (as of the review date indicated).
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Be sure to save the following dates on your calendar for these events.
November 15, 2022 - Last day to submit tour stop pictures for the 2022 tour.
Jan 1, 2023 - Feb 28, 2023 - Registration for the 2023 tour.
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Have a question?
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Have a question about the tour? Be sure to check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) web page with the button below. If not answered there, you can also contact me at the Contact Tour Director button. |
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Small businesses (like our sponsors) employ Texans. If you can, buy from a Texas based small business and help keep fellow Texans employed in these challenging times. On-line ordering for merchandise, gift cards, future lodging, etc. is often an option. |
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