The Good.......(to be followed by "The Bad")

   Well race fans, it's been a few crazy weeks. Ever since returning from my roadtrip to Michigan, Motorcycle Cannonball prep has taken over full force. As of today, July 6th, a mere 62 days remain until I'm lining up on the start line in Newburgh. Wow...just writing that puts chills of excitement down my back. Honestly, it still feels hard to believe that I'm really getting to do this. Over the past few weeks, countless numbers of people have told me how envious they are of me. After all, not everyone gets the chance to take a coast-to-coast motorcycle trip, especially not on an 85 year old motorcycle. Perhaps because not everyone is a bit insane, like I am....

Thanks to the staff of the SHSU Communications
 Department for this great photo

  Anyway, plenty of things have happened recently. My last post talked about the addition of Steve Norton to the team, as well as our new sponsors. I've been making some pretty good headway lately on 'Ball stuff... My lovely contact in the Sam Houston State University Communications Department sent me over a preview of the Motorcycle Cannonball story that will be posted to the main website in the coming weeks--great stuff. She also then helped me out immensely by sending the story to a great deal of contacts in Houston-area television, radio, and print media, as well as a few places in College Station. Since the story hasn't been "officially" released by the university yet I can't share it with everyone, but it really turned out great!

What a spread!

  In addition to Houston-area media, my dad and I also recently had an interview with our local newspaper. They published a really great article on our team and the CB, and we've gotten a lot of attention from it. Sort of funny, the vintage-looking sepia picture of me in "race mode" was printed in two consecutive issues of the paper. The second printing described a new local helmet law, as compared to the protective clothing that a rider from the 1920s would sport. Publicity is being covered pretty well overall, though more would be nice. I must always stay true to my original goal of getting more people interested in the vintage motorcycle world. So far, it seems to be working, as a lot of interest has been generated by the press, as well as word of mouth. A good example was on July 4th, or the American Independence Day.

   Just a few short days after the article appeared, the BSA and I made an appearance at a local festival in Livingston, where we set up a booth for the Motorcycle Cannonball. I also brought the team trailer along (for the record.....this rig is massively sized, and one must really pay attention when driving it.) and a couple of vintage Harley Davidsons from the collection. I was surprised at the great deal of people who had read the article and came up to show their support. Our team also received about $75 in donations over the course of 3 short hours, which meant a lot! A big thank you to our local community for all the support.

Not the best shot, but here was the set up...fans could take a
walk-through of the trailer, and check out a few
pieces of American Iron on the way out

  While at the festival, I also got the chance to see some of my dear friends from the local American Legion Post 402, namely the Legion Riders. Post 402 is instrumental in supporting the local community, and the Legion Riders can usually be found lending a helping hand all over town. It's hard to beat the golden hearts that these men and women have, and they never cease to surprise me. Post Commander Reb pulled me to the side and told me that the article from the paper had already been framed and put on the Post wall, which means a lot. He also mentioned the possibility of a sponsorship for the team. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, and can't wait to see all of them again.

It appears that Elvis wanted to trade in his Blue
 Suede Shoes for our 1942 Harley Davidson WLA
(Photo Credit to Carole Merka)

Buck Carson
Confirmed Cannonballer #3
Carson Classic Motors Race Team