The First Annual Iron & Ash Ride is an Epic cross country ride to raise awareness for Veterans, Cigars for Warriors and Veterans Outreach.
To read more:
First Annual Iron & Ash Ride, and First Annual Iron & Ash Ride Kicks Off
First Annual Iron & Ash Ride – Along the Way
First Annual Iron & Ash Ride – Dothan, Alabama
We started Sunday heading to Cigar Hustlers in Deltona FL, 350 miles from Dothan for the next Iron & Ash event. Storm and Aaron from Cigars for Warriors and Rick Beasley the event coordinator for Florida met us there. Rick Beasley is a fireman and a veteran supporter, he is a truly wonderful man with a huge heart. He is a veteran lover like myself and has worked with Cigars for Warriors for 2 years now. What most people don’t know is these coordinators do these events on their own dime. They support and assist with events and most of them are just average people trying to get by financially without huge amounts of money to support their efforts. This is the type of folks I so enjoy, its not about having money and helping, that it is not always the important part. I’m talking about going without so you can help someone else, giving even when it hurts you.
We met up with Ben Edmondson who is a wonderful asset to CFW, as well as Robert Allan, Justin Trancosa, Mike (Cigar Hustler Owner) and Drew Estates were there, it was wonderful. Storm Boen and Aaron Taylor beat us there due to a slight route delay. Overall, other than the rain it was very nice.
Monday was a hammer down day, and 728 miles later we arrived in Midlothian, VA at Winston Humidor. We left early to meet our deadline to be there between 4 and 6 pm. We met the police a few times along the way; one came up on my right side and looked at my helmet which says ‘OneLeggedBlonde’, then he came across Rogue’s bike which says ‘Press’ across the back! Somewhere in the Carolina’s we picked up another rider who clearly could keep up with us. Although he said he had to do about 95 to catch us. Hum, Scott really?
Dr. Ruth is my road captain and has been my riding partner for the last 5 years and I would not have wanted to do this trip without her. She is a stabilizing force for my TBI brain. Dr. Ruth had to catch up when she lagged behind for the police for the 3rd or 4th time, I can’t quite remember, she thought she might have to take one for the team! We were running so hard and the deal was I stayed with Rogue, Ruth and Darryl so that way we would not get too lost. Darryl, thank goodness for Darryl, he had to run the wrong interstate to find me when I went the wrong way a couple of times, guess I am directionally challenged for sure!
Darryl was a great addition to our crew! He jumped on in Lake Charles and stayed with us all the way until West Virginia. He is great guy, Navy, and 20 year Navy Veteran.
We arrived at 4:30 and were met by Tim Morris who organized both events in VA. He is a super sweet guy and a very hard worker. He had some goodies for us to take along and it was mighty fine, that’s all I have to say about that!
Rosanne had a spread of homemade goodies, awesome BBQ and the owner of Quesada with their 40th anniversary cigar. He is a gentle lovely soul. The family has been in the cigar business 140 years. He had sold out of his anniversary cigar but he had a couple tucked away that he kept especially for us.
It was a fun evening; we met up with some of the Booze Fighters MC who came out to show support. The local BMW club and HOG members were also there it was truly a lovely evening at Winston Humidor.
Wednesday brought us to The Cigar Palace, a female owned cigar store. The owner Sawsan Mahdi, was born in Iraq and I must say intrigued my curiosity. We arrived to be met by this beautiful woman coming out as soon as she heard the bikes. She hugged us and welcomed us to her store.
We had a wonderful fun filled evening. The Pipe Hitters MC came out to show support, a body guard for the Pentagon and the locals were wonderful. Tim again met us there, as well as the Phantom Zev Kaminetsky of Drew Estates, a funny guy with great tattoos.
He is a soft hearted man sharing the plight of his brother and the need for an upcoming amputation.
The Pipe Hitters were a truly cool group of guys, veterans and police officers a neat crew.
It was a fun, heartwarming evening shared amongst the cigar lovers. We very much enjoyed this stop!
Sunday morning we started off early from WV with 538 miles to go to Chicago and a slight detour, the GPS settings were a little confusing as we hit the pavement hard. Heading towards our last stop seemed slightly strange since Darryl who had become a natural addition for the majority of the ride had to head home. We rode hard and fast, the wind was almost as brutal as the pavement. We were dodging pot holes big enough to swallow a tank! We rolled into Chicago in the late afternoon to find Tesa Cigars in downtown Chicago. They have a beautiful building and their interior is done in an industrial design.
My husband ‘Cowboy’ and one of the crew that takes most excellent care of my bike – Greg from Custom Services of Lake Geneva, WI met us outside. We went in to be met by Tom Navarro from Drew Estate and his lovely wife Gloria, along with Aaron and Anna Taylor, Dean Morgan and a few others from the Widows sons. The place was filled and we were able to take a few more pictures before our Dr. Ruth was going to try to hit Minnesota – home was calling her.
It was an incredible adventure; each place had its own personality, its own flare of who to do things. The people both non-veteran and veteran and all the personalities in each location were very different. Not in a bad way, actually a cool dynamic and totally different way of doing things. I love diversity. I love it when people come together to do a good thing, all different but the results still to do a good thing. The crew I started with each bought to the table a different personality, a unique flair that was all their own. We traveled thousands of miles of asphalt, through about 23 states, 3 weeks on the road to make this happen. Thousands of cigars raised and thousands of dollars were raised as well for both Cigars for Warriors and Veterans Outreach. It was a life changing event with incredible memories made, met up with old friends and made new ones! I cannot thank Rogue and Dr. Ruth enough for believing in me and coming along! Life is good, actually it is great!
Can’t Get Better: Huge selection, good prices, super fast shipping, excellent customer service! This is the place to shop online!
At Winston’s Humidor our Tobacconists appreciate the artistry, history and tradition which go into the making of cigars. Our passion for cigars is evident, as is our commitment to the cigar smoking community. Winston’s Humidor isn’t “About Us” – it’s all “About You” and providing you with the best cigar smoking environment. As the number of cigar friendly establishments dwindles, Winston’s Humidor welcomes cigar enthusiasts with a variety of services and events. From weekly card games and dominoes to coffee, we offer unique opportunities for cigar camaraderie. With three flat screen HDTV’s you can be assured that if the game is broadcast locally then we will have it for you to enjoy with a cigar. For those seeking a place to read and relax with a cigar we have local and national newspapers along with current magazines. Winston’s Humidor is the place to escape with a cigar.
The Cigar Palace is owned by the Alhaery Family and has been in business for over 10 years. It has been and continues to be their pleasure to provide the widest selection of the finest cigars at the best prices. So come and enjoy fine cigars after work, after dinner and any evening of the week.
Tesa Cigar Co. has been manufacturing cigars in Esteli, Nicaragua since 2002 and we have been tobacconists for far longer than that. Blending and producing the finest representations of premium cigars has become our life’s work and passion. The idea of providing the catalyst for a special moment shared between family or friends is what makes us tick.
