Strike Force Behind The Book: strikeforce.mp3 Writers Roundtable Interview With Dale Brown ATARI ACT OF WAR: DIRECT ACTION LINKS Dale Brown Interview With: Peter Anthony Holder When a former pilot turns his hand to thrillers you can take their authenticity for granted. His writing is exceptional and the dialogue, plots and characters are first-class... far too good to be missed.' --Sunday Mirror ‘Dale Brown is a superb storyteller’ --WASHINGTON POST ‘Dale Brown is the best military adventure writer in the country’ --CLIVE CUSSLER

Back Home From Laughlin
by Dale Brown, 2008

ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED AT TheBigFiveOh.com Blog @ Yahoo.Com, April 27, 2008

Michael and I started home from Laughlin early Saturday morning. Unlike the trip out, it was already warm even at 0730 and only got warmer as the ride went on.

Michael is just a plain bike-riding demon. I had my full-dress fairings, wind deflectors, XM radio piped into my helmet's headphones, cup holder with Sugar Free Red Bull, and ultra-quiet engine; Michael had none of that but still rode hard and never squawked. I think he and his bike handled cross-winds better than the wide, more upright profile of the Gold Wing trike.

On Interstate-5 heading north to the CA-152 turnoff I started noticing the mileage signs to Sacramento and got the urge to head home, so on a fuel stop I told Michael I was going to stay on I-5 and go home. Four hours later, just an hour or so after sunset, I was home...in time for my son's birthday party/sleepover with a house full of kids.

Total after 28 hours of riding: 1,551 miles. Except for a broken latch on the Champion trike trunk and a missing inspection cover, no mechanical problems. Most importantly, no incidents or accidents.

The Laughlin River Run was a pretty good time. Next time I think I'd like to do one of the poker runs and tour the area. Because of its wide avenues and no parking on the streets, it didn't make quite the spectacle as Sturgis or Virginia City, but the great restaurants, casinos, hotels, and the Colorado River more than made up for that.

What's our next trip? Depending on how I'm doing on book #21, it might be the 25th Love Ride in Los Angeles on October 25, a charity run which has raised over $20 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and other charities.

Any more lessons learned?

The old addage "Bring twice the money and half the clothes" is still true, although we really didn't spend that much money on the trip. I would probably add "Bring three times the sunscreen" when referring to Laughlin!

I spoke with several folks who were impressed with the trike; there were also about as many who wanted to know why I didn't ride a REAL motorcycle.

I tell them I'm too cutting-edge--and too SHORT--to ride a two-wheeler!

Welcome to AirBattleForce.Com Lake Tahoe, Nevada, USA Cyberspace home of: Dale Brown readermail@dalebrown.info