The 2018 National Veterans Awareness Ride (NVAR)

Any ride for those who can’t is a good ride!

I followed my tracks from years past as far as Gillette WY, where a winter storm forced me south, and then west, away from the Big Horn Mts., Wind River Canyon, and the Grand Tetons, then into Pocatello from the south. In the middle of Idaho,  I rode north, behind the storm, through Sun Valley and then south into Boise; a great trail with sweeping turns through forest and down the mountains. Although, it wasn’t without it’s 10 and 15 mph twisties, too! The sun shined strong from there to the coast, except for the Bay Area, where it was a little foggy at the Golden Gate.

After visits with friends and family, through OR where Don and JoEl took me out for four wheeling fun in the dunes above Coos Bay and a feast with steamed oysters, and then down to CA for rock’n’roll with an old buddy and beers with my nephew Billy, I met up with my NVAR Brothers and Sisters in Auburn for our annual mission; to visit veterans in hospitals and homes across America, to pay respect to those who made the ultimate sacrifice, none are forgotten. We visit schools, also, to share our mission objectives with the kids. The ride across America on I80 and a multiple of two lanes is an emotional roller-coaster; it brings out the greatest and deepest senses of camaraderie, patriotism, and compassion.

(I wrote the daily blogs for the ride, which you can find at www.nvao.us )

A winter storm in WY took a day from us for the 2nd year in a row, and Bill Luft, the NE State Coordinator, has scheduled a make-up visit in mid-July to the Grand Island  (GI) Veteran’s Home. That will be a great visit before they move from their beloved and historic home in central GI, and move to a new home in Kearney. He’s also arranged a Poker Run on Saturday to help out with a Brother’s cancer treatment expenses. GI and St. Libory will rock that weekend!

The Mid-East Conflict Wall in Marseilles Il.
This memorial, unknown to many, holds the spirits of all who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice in the War on Terror. The memorial and museum sit below a dam on the Illinois River. Sadly, a growing list of names, 7,000 and counting, cut into fifteen walls set on the river’s bank. The eternal rage of the river’s current adds a peaceful sense of solitude to the realm. Like another Wall we ride to, there are strong connections to it.

Our ride continued through the heartland to our nation’s capital, where we joined hundreds of thousands more like-minded people. In Arlington National Cemetery, we had two wreath laying ceremonies; one at the Tomb of the Unknowns, and one for the son of one of our Brothers, who gave all in the War on Terror. The 911 memorial at the Pentagon was worth the walk while we waited to roll out for Rolling Thunder.

Please, browse through harleytracks, and then nvao.us
And don’t forget to buy a book.

Check back for more news from on Harley Tracks activities; the Patriot Ride June 30, the Traveling Wall in Princeton July 4, 5, 6, the Grand Island visit; then Sturgis, and more.
Thank you & Never Forget
Mike

I’m going to piggy back this post for my convenience: May is a month I commit to honoring our veterans across America. I’m currently 3,400 miles into the ride, with another 5,000 to go.

Please visit www.nvao.us to follow our ride.

Thank you & Never Forget

The best rides are those that “just happen”, like mine in Harley Tracks, and the best ideas come in their own time, like those in the fresh paint job on my Fat Boy. Thanks to three talented painters, I’ll ride with a greater pride with this paint job for posterity. These photos are from it’s debut at the Donnie Smith Bike Show in St. Paul MN.

If this is your first time to my site, after you’ve checked out these photos, please browse around and check out the readers comments page, after which, please hit a Buy the Book icon and join the ride. Harley Tracks is available in an ebook from amazon, bn, and kobo.

In five weeks I’ll make tracks over those I’ve laid for the past five years on my sixth ride to Oregon, and then to California to meet my National Veterans Awareness Ride (NVAR) family for our annual pilgrimage across America; for 10 days we visit veterans in homes and hospitals across America, visit schools to share our gratitude toward our veterans, and perform ceremonies at cemeteries and memorials before we arrive in Washington D.C. for Rolling Thunder. It’s a fantastic, emotional, and memorable ride every rider should make at least once if at all possible.

For more about that ride, please click on the NVAO link at the right side of this page.

Scroll below these photos for the previous photos of paint in progress, other stuff, and the archives hold a lot of cool stuff also.

Thank you, Thank a Vet, & Never Forget

Welcome to my web site,

Recognition to Harley Tracks: Across Vietnam to The Wall builds with an 8-page article in the March issue of Easyriders magazine. Whoohoo!

Editors at the Vietnam Veterans of America magazine, also, recommend my book; veterans & non-veterans, riders & non-riders, young & otherwise connect with my story. Check out their comments, order your copy and join a ride like no other.

Harley Tracks started 2017 at a Tribute to the Troops event, then to Daytona, Rolling Thunder, the Patriot Guard Ride, Algona, Thank the SEALS, Sturgis, Kokomo, Columbus Expo, and a few others in-between, and closed the year with dusty renovations for the Eagles Healing Nest; a lot events with a lot of people enjoying their freedom with huge support for veterans and veterans families.

I look forward to a lot of miles in 2018 with more horsepower and fresh paint.

I’ve posted a few photos below, and the first couple are self-explanatory!

Then it’s me & Mickey at the Eagles Healing Nest; renovating an old state hospital to make homes for homeless veterans. Mickey smears the mud on, and I sand it off. A lot of community support in these projects.

Tom sprayed fresh anniversary paint on all my tin, and Leah will lay down some awesome graphics for posterity.

Harley Tracks happenings:

Book signings first,

Mar 3, Noon – 2 pm at Blaine Barnes & Noble

Mar 10, 4 – 6 pm at Maple Grove Barnes & Noble

Mar 17 & 18, FM Crusaders Bike Show, pending.

Mar 24 & 25, Donnie Smith Bike Show at the In Country Veterans Motorcycle Club (ICVMC) booth, in the back left corner.

Chats on a couple motorcycle radio shows are in being scheduled, one on 2/25 at 6 pm pacific time. (at the moment, I can’t remember the stations.)

I also have an internet presentation to a senior center in Mechanicsburg PA 2/26, and on site presentations in the Jackson County libraries in April 25.

About May 1, I’ll head west to meet the National Veterans Awareness Ride (aka NVAR) in Auburn CA for a 10 day ride across America and visit veterans in hospitals and homes each day. This is an item for any riders bucket list, and it’ll be my 6th ride. Please, check out my archives from past ride. Hit the NVAR link for more on the ride.

Browse the site, and check out my Harley Tracks facebook link for a lot of photo albums. Give it a LIKE, I post to it almost quarterly, or thirdly.

Thank you, Thank a Vet, & Never Forget

Mike “Track” Rinowski

Recognition to Harley Tracks grows.

Through the year, I’ve introduced my story at national and local events. My thanks to new readers, and I was humbled from the comments of others who’ve read it.  But it’s those I rode for, and their Brothers who came home, who deserve a greater recognition.

I didn’t intend to make that ride, but when the opportunity presented itself, I felt an obligation as you would have. Unlike many, I was in a position to risk much in my life to fulfill it, although, I didn’t know what that would take, and that’s where faith fit into my journey.

After 6,000+ hours of writing, and re-writing, I published Harley Tracks with professional guidance, after which, I learned that’s only 5% of getting a story to it’s audience.  As I rode in faith, I wrote in faith, and those I hoped would find it worthy have encouraged me to push hard to promote it. However, the outgoing nature to market something has been only a sliver in my character, but I’ve gotten better. Many people who don’t read books have been fascinated with my story told at events.

Since you are still with me in this post, I know we have some very important things in common, and you would relate to my story much as I did, and readers have. It’s a unique story that surprised me as much as them. Who would have imagined a ride like that?  It’s a story that many people want to read, only they don’t know it yet!

Please check out the Reader’s Comments page, and keep an eye out for my story in the March 2018 issue of Easyrider magazine; available Jan. 30. The editor has planned for a lengthy article.

I proudly add that the Fat Boy passed the 100,000 mile mark on a recent road trip, which include the Kokomo, Indiana, Vietnam Veterans Reunion, and a motorcycle expo in Columbus, Ohio, where I caught up with Daniel, a fellow I met in Vientiane, Laos, 7 years ago. He’s a part of the Laos Intermission chapter in my book. Between those two events, I spent time with my friend, JT, near Ft. Wayne, Indiana. He’s a retired jet engine mechanic who now repairs Harleys. We rolled my bike onto a lift for an exploratory inspection: 180 psi in both cylinders and the leak-down was 5%, that was thrilling to find. We then found the cam chain tensioners, cams, and oil pump good for about another 30 – 40 K miles, and I decided, with JT on the wrench, it was an opportune time to change them all out for Feuling 525 cams and plate assembly with a high volume oil pump.

I look forward to the next 100,000 miles.

To start those miles, I’m in the process of a paint job, just a touch up to go along with some graphics on the front and rear fenders. I’ll take pride in presenting the bike at the IMS and Donnie Smith bike shows this Dec and Feb., and one day, giving it to it’s rightful owners, those whose names cut into The Wall. But first, I’ve got more miles to ride for them.

Thanks for the visit.

Never Forget.

Click the place markers below to follow the story.

View Harley Tracks Across Vietnam in a larger map