Letters from the Land of the Rising Sun

Dear Rich,

I have arrived safely in Tokyo after only an 11-hour flight for 5,612 miles. We landed an hour ahead of schedule, which gave us plenty of time to exchange money and purchase bus tickets to our home for the next four days.

I was pleasantly surprised by Malaysia Airlines and I’ll tell you more about them later, but my favorite part of the beginning of our trip was the remodeled Tom Bradley Int’l Terminal.

Seats at LAX’s new Bradley International terminal have power outlets.

The facilities look great and I’ve included a photo of my favorite new feature. I remember crowds sitting on the floor in the middle of the terminal, huddling around a few precious outlets, and I made a few travel acquaintances myself that way.

Now every couple of seats at the gate has an outlet, making it more difficult for traveling Romeos but accommodating those tech-heads who are dreading the limited battery life of their iDevices on a 12-hour flight.

Hope all is well at home,
Tanaka-san

Natchez is the oldest settlement on the Mississippi River, even beating New Orleans by a couple years, according to the visitor’s bureau. Founded on the bluffs of the river in 1790, Natchez became the first capital of the Mississippi Territory in 1798.

It became known for the beautiful mansions built by the wealthy plantation owners. The center for high society in the South, Natchez had the largest number of millionaires in the country besides New York before the Civil War.

Today, it offers one of the largest collections of antebellum homes in the United States. Be sure to stop by the Natchez Visitors Center to learn about this historic town. The center is located next to the head of the Mississippi River Bridge.

The center has some very nice exhibits tracing the rich history of the area. From slavery to the Civil War, the visitors center explains the events that shaped this great town.

Stay for the 20-minute video, which does a great job of telling the human stories from rich to poor, free to slaves. It is very well done. Here’s the welcome video.

The visitor center offers one stop shopping for tickets to tour the antebellum homes of Natchez, local events and travel information

Residents were getting ready for the annual Great Mississippi Balloon Race, when colorful balloons fill the skies over Natchez. The popular October festival features live music as well as a carnival with rides and games.

A month ago, I flew nonstop from LAX to New Orleans to join the Wild Hogs for a ride through Mississippi. The grand adventure began when we picked up our rentals from Harley-Davidson of New Orleans only four miles from the airport.

Soon we mounted up for the 170-mile ride to Natchez. Cutting across Louisiana, we rumbled through Baton Rouge before turning north into Mississippi. That’s when it started raining, forcing us to the berm so we could don our rain suits. We were already wet, so the falling temperatures soon had us shivering.

That one of the drawbacks from a motorcycle tour. You are at the mercy of the elements, but if you pack right you can alleviate such suffering. 

We were off to a rocky start, arriving tired and wet in Natchez hours behind schedule. But the friendly folks at the historic Eola Hotel soon booked us into our rooms where we could warm up and dry off.

Built in 1927, this grand hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It combines the charm of the Old South with modern day amenities.

I loved the grand hall with its antiques, original oil paintings, statues and fountains.This historic property features stately columns, balcony views of the Mississippi River, and a New Orleans style courtyard with a fascinating fire-and-water fountain.How do they do that?

Famished, we pigged out at the Pig Out Inn Barbecue only a couple blocks away. It was our introduction to Southern barbecue at its best.

Pork quickly became a staple in our diet. As one waitress quipped “Do you want the pork or the pork?” The Wild Hogs soon became culinary hogs.

Tired but well fed, we returned to our hotel to rest up for our first day in Natchez, Mississippi.

Rich Irwin rolls down Mississippi road on Tri Glide Ultra

My brothers and I have owned motorcycles since we were teens. Over the years, the bikes grew with us. Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda we had them all as we graduated from off-road riding in the hills of Pittsburgh to suburban streets.

My last motorcycle was a sweet shaft-drive, water-cooled Honda 500. It was a great urban bike with enough power for a little touring.

But when I moved to California, I sold my precious bike to a nephew. And after learning how to drive on the freeways, I decided motorcycles might not be the safest investment for me in Southern California.

Meanwhile, my brothers had graduated to Harley-Davidsons, ending up with huge, custom touring monsters. Now, they travel in style on scenic motorcycle rides around the country.

They loved Montana, they liked the Blue Ridge Mountains, and they’re planning a trip to Portland. The only question is whether to rent there or ship your bike to the starting point. Rental prices vary greatly, but average $99 a day plus insurance and tax.

So I jumped at the chance to tour Mississippi and see if I could handle a Harley-Davidson touring bike. It would give me a taste of their passion for open touring.

I was worried about operating a touring bike. I struggle to get my brothers’ bikes off their kickstands. So I thought I should stay in my weight class and rent the smaller Sportster.

They weigh almost 300 pounds lighter than the touring bikes. But most don’t have any luggage space, only one comes with two small leather saddlebags.

And a lot of dealerships don’t even rent the smaller Harleys. I tried to rent one at my brother’s favorite dealership in Greensburg as well as Laidlaw’s in West Covina. No go.

Driving into work on the LA freeways, I saw the solution to my dilemma as a shiny new Harley-Davidson Tri Glide Ultra rumbled by. True, they weigh nearly 1,200 pounds, but the weight is spread over three wheels, not one leg.

And they more than enough storage space. I almost got my small carry-on bag in the little trunk of the trike.

Driving a trike is very different, but I figured that out in the parking lot at the Harley-Davidson of New Orleans. They call it active driving, which is quite different than leaning into the curve with a regular motorcycle.

We loaded up our rentals and hit the road. Ready to explore Mississippi on two wheels.

It was a movie moment. A small group of middle-aged men and women gathered by our Harley-Davidsons for a group picture in Mississippi.

We decided to call ourselves “Wild Hogs” in honor of the so-named film in which a group of suburban biker wannabes looking for adventure hit the open road.

While we’re not John Travolta, Tim Allen, William Macy or Martin Lawrence, as weekend warriors we too got much more than we had bargained for. We were a Denver couple, a guy from Seal Beach and a fellow from New Orleans, and a pair from New York City. 

And along the nearly 1,000-mile trip through Mississippi, we learned as much about each other as we did this great Southern state.

There’s always been something special about touring on a motorcycle. Especially on a crisp fall day, when you become part of the scenery, enjoying all the sights, sounds and smells.

Join us as we rumble across Ole Miss! Let’s roll!

Welcome to our new travel blog. Join us as we travel around the world, bringing you interesting stories and news from our staff writers. Come enjoy the ride as we explore different cultures around the globe.

Join us on a romantic weekend getaway only a short drive away, or a month long trip down under to New Zealand and Australia. Europe’s always a popular destination, while Asia tourism is growing by leaps and bounds.

So take the leap and join us on this lifetime adventure. You’ll be glad you did.