This year’s Gypsy Tour was split up into multiple shorter venues. A sizeable group traveled to Sturgis and convened at a planned meeting sight with GREYSTONE FILM & TV crew to assist in making a documentary for the HISTORY CHANNEL. `Dancer’ and `Diesel’ headed up that deal and a short ditty plus pictures are posted on our cover page. See Dancer holding up our BFMC patch.

Another trip was organized by `9-Toes’ as our annual “BEDROLL RUN” to Oklahoma. See related story with our September PROFILES.

There will be another trip this weekend to College Station (Texas A&M). We’ll get that story posted by next month.

Last and the most least (in numbers of riders) was a more traditional Gypsy Tour. It was more typical in day after day travel events. It consisted of `RUNNING BEAR’ and his lady JENNIE joining up with JQ `HISTORY’ and his lady PQ in the great state of Missouri.

As JQ relates: They came down from Minnesota and we from Texas hooked up and did a pretty fair number on Missouri. We did a sure enough back road adventure ride on pig trails and switch backs through out the Deltas and up into the Ozark Mountains. We went to some places so remote…we still ain’t sure where all we wazz!

With map in hand we followed state and county routs along the Mississippi river banks. We rode on some trails that weren’t even listed on a map. We found “THE TRAIL OF TEARS” where back in the 1800’s US Troops force marched around 20,000 Native American Indians from their home lands back East to a relocation reservation now known as Oklahoma. Over 2000 Indians died in rout.

Pat’s (PQ) Great Grand-Mother and some others escaped along the way and ended up settling in Tennessee. There she met a white man, he took her for a wife and they moved up to the Missouri boot-heel and became farmers, acquiring vast land holdings. That Indian lady became one of the wealthiest Indians in the state. I’d guess that is one reason Pat inherited a determined stubborn “SHOW ME” streak.

You know – I think some of those Indians got the last laugh…when oil was discovered on their new God forsaken reservations in Oklahoma.

You’re really on vacation when one of the group asks what day this is? And you know for sure you’ve escaped the fast pace rat race when it takes a lot of discussion and you have to resort to a calendar to settle the issue.

And another good clue you’ve succeeded in getting away from your regimented daily grind is when you can forget schedules and alter plans. When you can improvise spur of the moment decisions. Make a pit stop at a little country store along the highway and take time to smell the salami.

We did that in-rout to Osage Beach. Got some hard salami and sharp cheddar cheese, dug into Running Bear’s beer box and had a “TAILPIPE PARTY.” A local hillbilly joined in and started telling jokes.

“Did ya hear bout that guy that got his Vaseline confused wiff his window putty?” No – what happened? “ALL HIS WINDOWS FELL OUT” he replied with a big laugh. That cute one started it. A humorous dialog of jokes and stories lasted for about three beers. We learned a lot about the local area and its history in the process. Plus we learned about some scenic time saving short cut that turned out to be well worth while.

From St. Louis to Memphis, Cape Girardeau to Poplar Bluff, lake Wappapello to Osage Beach we thoroughly had a ball. A very relaxing adventures good time. I won’t bore you with all the fantastic details. The pictures pretty well speak to that. But one thing we learned to appreciate…doing a take your time – laid back – play it by ear Gypsy tour is the most enjoyable way of all.

JQ `HISTORY’