Former Sheriff Mixon’s e-mails to, from Alaska
July 26, 2009
By Ebony Horton
The former Dale County Sheriff rode his motorcycle with at least 13 others to Alaska on July 1 in order to raise money for hearing-impaired children with the Ski-Hi Institute in Utah. Here are the e-mails Mixon sent about his trip.
July 1
!st day ...left ozk @ 9am to mtgy ihop earl bankston, buddy wegman, mike bruhm,buzz from dothn., cliff brown,john gaudet and yours truly.
Pleasant ride and temp to mtgy…Very hot to tuscaloosa… 192 miles today,
only 11,000 more to go!!!
One bike down in centreville only pride suffered major damage…will not name said embarasee…Catfish rest. tonite…too hot to eat!!!
Early to bed at best value inn…then off we go to ft. smith, ark….500+ miles.
bryant july 1, 2009
July 1
war eagle from t-town
Mexican food tonite…la caliente…good! Of course i have never met a food
i didn’t like…
Follow dr sign’s blog on alaskabikerun.com
He is one of the most unusual , smart and likeable guys you could hope to meet.
The cast of characters are arriving with 5 present now..
5:30 b’fast then we are off!
Bro earl bankston just called and they made it back to ozk safe and sound.
I am much relieved as the heat is difficult today. I appreciate the escort by such good friends…and thank you all for all the money we raised…we did good!!!
bryant
July 2
Dateline ft smith, ark 8:31 pm
Early departure from tusc. ..beautiful mc road thru fayette, wynnfield , hamilton on to tupelo and then thru hellsville (Memphis) traffic awful and that mc seemed mighty small between the kenworth trucks. I 40 over
the Miss river thick traffic but no problem…I really dreaded Memphis…Little Rock easy thru but ft smith
another matter…I will be nice and keep this family but the best description rhymes with witch…Tired, sore but
having a ball! MC cruises @ 70 no problem…the problem is keeping the speed down. This was supposed
to be a hard, hot day and it was…If you bet against me making it you better get ready to pay up.
Check out Butt’s boar restuarant in Wynnfield! Bet they can’t beat Dobb’s or Larry’s.Well my body wash decided to wash all my clothes while traveling…cleanup time!!!
Tomorro,
bryant
July 3
Hot !!! Today was oven hot and traffic filled…521 miles today…back shoulders and other muscles are making themselves known ibuprofen nite for me. From ft smith to tulsa to wichita to pratt to dodge city to garden city…quite a ride ...heavy truck motorcycle and vacationers on rd…Passed by an old kansas veteran hm still operational but very old. Exhausted but having fun looking at the country up close…You get the flowers and stockyards on
a mc. Tell wally not to let them blow up the courthouse while am gone..On to craig , colorado!!!
jbm
July 4
Greetings from Craig, Colorado July 4 9:48 pm mountain time..
551 miles today ...I got to know this mc very well…we can lean and twist and turn and run faster than the wind.
We had flat land from kansas to pueblo in a cool comfortable ride…blast furnace days are done for a while.
We ate bbq in pueblo then on to salida, eagle rock ,finger rock and gorgeous steamboat springs then to Craig for the night @ a better best western…It has a fireplace and we almost need it tonight.
We rode thru some of the most beautiful valleys I have ever seen and too fast…no time for pics…I guess we are going to slow down in alaska…we ride very long days and too fast. We have assembled a cast that could do
the fonz and his happy days crowd justice. Our leader is dr. mike tucelli…a small man in physical stature but handles a big mc without any fear! And we needed to be fearless today in the mountains…rain, rain, rain and then a mud road for three miles…don,t sound like much , try it on a motorcycle. Happy 4th!!! jbm
July 5
Howdy Folks, from Logan, Utah…you crimson tide folks should recognize this place. Utah State is a beautiful campus overlooking a lush green valley. Today’s ride was about as pretty as the best old calendar photo we use to see.
Started cool and pleasant but right toward the end the sun did shine. Our fearless leader bumped another mc and dodged a 30 foot drop into a ravine by inches. What a funeral story that would h ave been! I am dropping back a little behind the crowd tomorro as I don’t do ravines very well! On to Great Falls, Montana in the a.m. Scenic route Interstate 15 so says the govt. Great welcoming ceremony and picnic with Ski-Hi officials that run the charity we are riding for…not too late to donate!!! ski-hi.com…read about it!
July 7
Greetings from great falls, montana…Early start and beautiful ride from Logan, Utah on hwy 91 then Int 15 thru
pocatella, Butte and on in to GREAT FALLS. This is Great country!!! You think Utah is spectacular then you hit Idaho and that’s very nice and then Montana and it gets even prettier..I don’t know the words to discribe the beauty of this country and you can really read an excellent narrative by Dr. Mike Tucelli ( Dr Sign) @ alaskabikerun.com as he does a daily blog. The weather was beautiful as we started the day then 3pm bama time it all went to hell with high winds. lightning and hail! Hail at 65 mph gets your attention! Towns are few and far between so you just ride on…Why 65mph? The wind cleans your helmet visor so you can see! I think they call this “adventure riding” and I agree. As dangerous as it can be, it was a BLAST!
Tomorro we hit Canada and then ON TO ALASKA! Forgive the grammar etc.. It is always late when I am able to email and I am exhausted from the days events.
Bryant Cliff, I need MB’s email…The one I have is being denied.
Bryant
July 8
Severe storms shut us down in Red Deer , Canada…RD is just past Smashed-in-head and Buffalo jump..good old south ala names eh! Left Great Falls early this am and immediate trouble. for my Harley friend Doug from Fla. The Little trailer he was pulling decided to come apart and we had to return to GF and get him a big bag for his bike and dispose of the trailer. We crossed into Canada w/o incident and proceeded to Calgary and fought high winds for three hours. Northern Montana and southern Canada are mostly rolling hills mixed with vast stretches of beautiful green grazing land. The rivers are clear and a pleasure to see. The guy sharing the rm with me tonite is from Colo. and use to be a pilot @ Ft. Rucker! How about that for coincidence. Also, Doug from
Fla. stopped in Ozk to get a tire fixed…look out, we are going to be kin to somebody on this trip yet. Exhausted, but having fun! ON TO ALASKA!!!
July 8
Dawson City is mile 0 of the alcan highway and is a fairly nice city with much of the amenities of a med. size city. A cold wet 40 something degree ride with showers along the way. The farms, timber and range land keep getting more green and thick with tall grass. Great for the elk, deer and moose. I saw approx. 100 elk in one spot. Generally you don’t see wildlife after early morn or early evening. They are like our deer and are called edge feeders. It is strange to see huge images of moose by the road instead of deer warnings like we have back home…They do have deer warnings as well. Tomorro we head to Muncho Lake where we have a gourmet high dollar dinner awaiting our ragged band of riders. Hope all is well with all back home…ON TO ALASKA!
July 12
I MADE IT! I entered alaska today July 12th near the town of Tok…Have been so deep in the hills and valleys of British Columbia(Muncho Springs) and Haines Junction Yukon. My share of a hotel @ HJ was $100 and
gas is $5 to 7 per gallon…glad I am not on a motorhome. Anyhow, could not get an internet hook up to give you a report. British Columbia is where you get the feeling you are deep in the new west . Jesse Bowman would love this country as there are thousands of good fishing holes near the road. Doug, Buck, Don and Coolidge could never cut all these trees. Trees,Lakes , rivers and wildlife abound. This is a hunting and fishing paradise until old man winter arrives!
We have traveled the roads of Alberta. British Columbia ,the Yukon and now find ourselves in the last frontier.
The Yukon signs say it is “larger than life.“ They may be right.! We have battled 100+temp. days and rode on through hail storms with lightning. High winds took a strong shot to no avail. Along the roadway we saw deer, mountain sheep, bison, bear up close. My motorcycle carried me past a grizzly bear ten yards by the road. I saw numerous black bear grazing along our route. They hardly gave us a look. We drove within ten feet of bison as they met us on the road. On occasion a moose would show itself and would be completely unpredictable. Elk were on our route. Many critters to dodge on a motorcycle. I have seen minor mc accidents and one that had potential for disaster. Thed roads we traveled in the Yukon would make 231 look silky smooth. You have frost heaves and miles of loose rock to take two wheels through. One of our guys hit a dip in the road (frost heave) so hard it bounced his luggage off his motorcycle.
All those who bet I would not make it to Alaska it is time to pay up! Send your check to Ski-Hi Institue in Logan, Utah. Your donation will be greatly appreciated. You might be proud to know money has come in from several cities in the wiregrass. Debi Breedlove and my friends @ Wallace Comm. College gave me the first big donation as did the folks @ the Dale Co. Sheriff’ Office. Your signs are now posted @ Watson Lake !
I thank all of you who donated for this worthy project. The wiregrass area raised more money than any other
region. I never doubted it. Sarah, ebony and that nice young lady from wtvy really had am impact on fund raising. Everytime you did something the money rolled in…THANK YOU!
I dedicate this ride to the memory of James Bo Logan and a dog named Jake. They both added to my life greatly.
Well that’s about it. I said I was going to do this ride to Alaska and I did…Now, can we make it back?
Any bets?
Bryant
July 12
I thought y’all would be tired of this trip by now, but, evidently not.
After arriving in Tok on Saturday, I traveled to anchorage and was treated to the most gorgeous scenery imaginable…Mountains, rivers and a glacier and all the fireweed along the way. Actually, I am in Wasilla for a couple of days to visit former fbi natl acad roomate John Murphy and his lovely wife Arlene and their three dogs. John was the public safety director for alaska and then the U.S. marshal and now semi-retired. Arlene used to set up world tours for groups and now does hand written greeting cards as she is retired. Two of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet much less be a house guest of , And oh those salmon patties Arlene makes. This lady can cook and tends her own large garden.
I saw an eagle today and later it’s mate and nest. What a sight! Alaska is rich and green with beautiful grass, fireweed, mountains and streams. Most of the people I talk with love the place.
Tomorro a little motorcycle maintenance and then on to Fairbanks. starting the second loop in of three. The third run from Fairbanks to Tok heads me home.
jbm
July 14
Today I rode from Anchorage (Wasilla) to Fairbanks by way of Denali. An eyepopping drive in cool then warm temperatures. As pretty as this drive is I have not seen a prettier area than when I rode from Tok to Wasilla. It is one breath taking scene after another. A little mc checkup in Wasilla then on to the Univ. Of Alaska with it’s beautiful bldgs. I am sleeping in a college Dorm rm tonight. Tomorro we will explore the Fairbanks area a bit and I hope to see Sam and Dorrine Barranco’s son. He is serving our country in a far away place and it will be an honor to visit with him. My trip to the artic circle probably won’t happen as I understand the roads are terrible at the moment. Oh well, next time. The Fairbanks area has been hit with forest fires and it affects the sky several hundred miles to the east.
Denny’s restuarant has the fartherest most north location in Fairbanks. I may give them a try in the morning. The north pole (town) is close and we may have to check on Santa for Landon Bryson Joseph and his sweet little sister.
Highlight of the trip so far? That’s easy! Visiting John and Arlene Murphy, hanging around with them and their three beautiful dogs. Of course, Arlene makes a mean salmon pattie and gets you twice with chocolate chip cookies. I may have to do this trip again. I am still in Alaska and already miss them!
That’s a wrap for today…Hope to see you soon as I head hm the 15th!
Bryant
July 14
Folks this can’t be Alaska…I am sweating profusely…must be in the eighties…and the sky is filled with eye burning smoke that covers Fairbanks. Forest fires are miles away but felt strongly here.
On the good news front…made a new friend today! Samuel Braxton Barranco who is the son of Vince and Jennifer Barranco, the grandson of Rick Barranco and great grandson of Sam and Dorine Barranco. I think Jennifer is kin to Billy Smith and Harold Smith of Ozark…too much to remember but I know he is a grandson or great grandson of my friends the Smith family of Ozark and Skipperville. Anyhow today is a special day for him as he is one yr. old. We had lunch with his proud Daddy who took the week off to celebrate. Poor Jennifer had to work and missed a fine lunch. I sent her home some food if Vince did’nt eat it on the way. Of course Braxton got a gift of an Alabama Sheriff’s badge. We had a good time and I have the photos of a goodlooking, happy one yr. old on his birthday. Sam and Dorine will have to let me rest a few days before they see them.
Had b’fast at Denny’s the most northern one in the world. Went across the street and had coffee with three bmw bikers from British Columbia. They are now Ala. Sheriffs. We had a great time , laughed a lot and they were nonplussed that I rode a motorcycle from the deep south. How did you do that,they asked…My answer, Budreaus butte paste and a donut from cvs pharmacy…THANK YOU CVS!!!
Leaving early am for home…ten travel days…will be out of touch for at least two of those starting tomorro.
STILL HAVING FUN!!!
My best to all,
Bryant
July 14
A quick update! I forgot to tell y’all there is really a place called North Pole, Alaska. Zip code and all! I toured the town but reckon Santa and Mrs. Claus were in Hawaii. Don,t have room for the been there t-shirt but did had photo made at North Pole post office.
jbm
July 19
Well folks,
Out of Hyder, Stewart BC and the big mountains and leaving the glaciers to their pleasure,
we are off to Prince George. Cool , cool, cool early morning ride stopping in a little trailer
for breakfast. If you are ever in Kitwanga go to the Kitwanga coffee shop and order a breakfast.
You will not find a menu, but will be asked to tell the cook what you want whereupon she will
disappear only only to reappear with the finest meal you could hope for. Only Francis maund and
my sister-in-law Betty can beat her…still got a little of that politician residue left I suppose.
Four bear and one eagle spotted today. Oddly enough the eagle was sitting on the edge of
a road looking like a fancy Bama buzzard. I didn’t realize what it was until just a few yards
away. Missed that photo op.
We left at 5:30 am today and rode 140 miles before b’fast. Only saw one vehicle in 124
miles. We were in the wild! Break down out in the wilderness and you are on your own.
Good roads for the most part until we reached a five mile section with a sign alerting you
to a GROOVE road. For you who mc ride, it is like being on a long grated bridge.
On to Edmunton early tomorro…We are headed east across Canada looking for that
dip south over Michigan.
Bryant
July 20
Monday Night…Edmunton, Alberta
Goldilocks was safe this morning at 7:15 because the big bad wolf was in front of my motorcycle.
He was long, dark and awesome to behold. I had to hit my brakes rather hard to avoid hitting him.
That is two procedures before “laying her down.“ A bear has an evil sort of dumb look. a WOLF
however, looks sharp and savy from the moment you see him untilo he disappears. A class act all
the way. A brief look at a small bear, followed by two mountain goats and one moose. A slow day
up here!
We are easing our way back home on the yellowhead highway. Prince George to Edmunton today
and on to Yorkton, Saskatchewan. We are slowly working our way home.
Jasper National Forest is about as good as it gets. Beautiful Panama City Bch. green water with
moon crater mountains. All that with green mtns with snow in July. Not to mention Lake Louise.
If you can ,GO!
Ramada Inn is our very accomadating host tonight. Parked mc’s right up front…Haddock, veggies and
mashed potatoes for supper. That would be dinner this far north.
500 miles today of good riding. We are starting to hit the slab now. That’s another mc term for
four lane highways that may or may not be Interstate. I am learning a new term daily. Some I probably
should quickly forget and certainly not share.
It’ a fun trip. Hard work at times but I am glad to be on this odyssey.
On to East Canada, then homeward bound
bryant
July 21
21 Tuesday 09
Yorkton, Saskatchewan
Made it to Howard Johnson’s motel in Yorkton…No Mr. Paul’s BBQ sauce to be found. Cool, pleasant
ride this a.m. Saw Mr. Bison right off the bat…That’ s buffalo for you Roy Rogers fans. Wily coyote was
standing by the road watching traffic…never moved. Three buck deer ran along the fence after giving
me a photo op. Saw a dead porcupine the obvious victim of a hit and run…Let’s call that quill kill. Numerous
duck, geese and a few white swan. If we call two or more goose , geese…why not two or more moose,
meese? One of life’ puzzling questions…I’ll bet Mrs. Knight knows.
This part of Canada is referred to as the grasslands. Think Kansas but with more trees, greenery and thousands of little ponds and lakes. Where it is not green it is yellow. This is canola country. Black gold
is in evidence as well.
We rode 500 plus miles today which is hard on us all…350 to 401 would be better. I’ think I will have
a word with the tour director. Saw a first today…a Greyhound bus pulling a trailer…you never know
what you will see on the road.
Met some nice people on this trip and bagetized them all! They have an Alabama Sheriff’s pin thanks
to Mr. Bobby Timmons in Mtgy. The fun of traveling for me is seeing the scenery and those few moments
in which you get to interact with perfect strangers. They make great memories. It really is about people.
There are the Gem and Jerks in the world I mostly meet gems.
Tomorro on thru Manitoba and into Ontario. Life is good! Wish you were here!
Bryant
July 22
Hello from Ignace, Ontario!
Hard, windy but beautiful ride today thru Manitoba . We are riding too far everyday. The rooms are booked
in advance so we must keep moving. We skirted Wynnipeg, Manitoba and it brought back memories of
Cliff Barrows of the Billy Graham crusades. He always mentioned Wynnipeg.
We are still in green grass and canola country. Someone check and see if canoli is correct. It all sounds
like an Italian dish to me. More rocky and hilly in Manitoba. It seems odd to see horses and cows grazing
in grass to their shoulders.
Only one wildlife sighting to report…a large coyote on the highway…no threat! We ended the day in Ontario
cold , hungry and exhausted. A subway with coffee followed by a hot shower never felt so good. We start
our day with a chilly hundred mile ride then have a big b’fast. Food taste better when you are cold and
hungry.
Tomorro up early and on to Thunder Bay. A visit to the Motorcycle tire shop. Seems my rear tire is wearing
thin from hauling so much weight. Of course. it must be the luggage!
Bryant
July 24
24 July 09
Ft. Wayne, Indiana
How good it was to cross the border into Michigan at Sault Ste. Marie. We left Wawa, Ontario in a
dense and chilly fog. It did not lift until we got close to the USA. Maybe a good omen. The Sun
popped out, the sky turned blue and I finally warmed up a little. If you come to this part of the world
in July, don’t think southern summer. It can get downright cold.
I forgot to tell you. In a little restaurant near nowhere, we had another gourmet meal. These little communities
attract some of the best chefs you will find. The food easily compares with the best of New Orleans
without the spice. I took photos of the menu as it is unbelievable.
The roads are much better on this side of the border. I find the people in Michigan most pleasant and
helpful. Michigan is a beautiful state! The temps are pleasant for July. They grow a lot of corn and the
crops are behind ours in growth, but very green and healthy. The mosquitos are smaller here than
Canada and Alaska. The Far North skeeter reminds you of a hushpuppie with wings and legs. When
they hit my windshield I think back to the CHS biology class with Mr. Baker. He let us look at what I
see up close for miles…body parts…I know all I want to know about the inner workings of the mosquito.
Now there are just three…Most are dropping off and headed in other directions on their way home.
Some one has suggested that this may eclipse a world record for a motorcycle charity run. I don’t
know and am too tired to research it tonight.
On to Knoxville, Home of Calhoun’s baby back ribs!
Bryant
July 25
25 July 09
Knoxville, Tennessee
Rode US 27 thru Indiana and enjoyed all the small towns, old bldgs., colonial type farm houses and
beautiful farms. One of my five senses tells me hog farming is in vogue in Indiana. We encountered
rain and decided to ride the slab or Interstate.
Kentucky welcomed us with a storm that had folks pulling off the road and one car passed us only
to hydropane and turn upside down. Just for a brief moment it occurred to me that riding in a vehicle
with four wheels my be a tad safer. The weatherman said severe storms were probable and was
he ever correct. We hit two ferocious storms where we simply had to stop and hold our position
until they blew by. We were in rain most all day.
I now know the joy of sitting by the road waiting for a wrecker to come and pick up a motorcycle.
Not mine, but my riding partner’s simply quit after such a long trip. Thank god we were’t in Yukon
territory or somewhere similar.
There are many inherent dangers traveling by motorcycle. It is a lot of fun but you have to be very careful, lucky and blessed. I thank The Good Lord for a safe trip so far and Mike,
Kyle, and the Beasley Honda crowd for working hard to make sure I did not have major problems. You to Cliff!
My little machine is still going everyday and I am thankful because a few guys in our group had
to have expensive work done on their cycles.
The Lord willing…ON TO DALE COUNTY!!!
Bryant
