Riders pull into Jackson Hole as they prepare to ride across Wyoming.
By Kyle Petty, Special to Turner Sports Interactive
June 25, 2002
9:37 AM EDT (1337 GMT)
Greetings from Jackson Hole, Wyoming!
Today was my first day on the road with the ride. Every chance I have, I ride my bike, no matter if it is to the track, to the shop or just to the store.
That's what makes this week so great. We are just traveling cross-country by motorcycle, enjoying the amazing sights and great people in every town we visit. I've always said the Charity Ride is a great excuse to do what we love - ride our bikes for a week straight - and not get in trouble with our wives.
Today we traveled 322 miles, which is about half of what the group traveled yesterday. The scenery along today's leg was just absolutely incredible. We started the morning traveling from Jackpot, Nev., up to American Falls, Idaho. We drove the entire route up there along the Snake River - really amazing.
We continued through Idaho into Alpine, Wyo. My father has a ranch up in Alpine and I can understand why he wants to spend so much time here.
The people in the town are just great. The local fire station hosted a lunch today for all 250 riders and I think the entire town of Alpine came out to greet us as we made our way in.
Local volunteers cooked and served lunch and the Alpine Boy Scout Troop even bussed the tables. During our visit, we presented the local Alpine Fire Department with a check for $5,000.
They do so much for this community and we just wanted to show how much we appreciate it. Following lunch we traveled up Interstate 89 to Jackson Hole, where we caught a great glimpse of the Grand Tetons and paraded our bikes through the town square in front of a bunch of locals and tourists who cheered us on.
The one thing that amazes me every year is the fans' support. Mile after mile is filled with fans out on the side of the road, cheering us along. Their support is so encouraging, especially on our long travel days.
This year, we really wanted to create more opportunities for fans across the country to get involved with the charity ride. So, we decided to create an auction on eBay to raise money for the Victory Junction Gang Camp.
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| Richard Petty (left) and Kyle (right) present a check to the Alpine (Wyo.) Fire Department. |
We launched our auction site last Wednesday. The first item up on the block is a trip to Petty Enterprises that includes a ride with me at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte in my #45 Sprint Dodge. They'll also get to meet my father, Richard, and get a tour of our race shop.
The last day to bid on this item is Saturday, so be sure to go to eBay.com's charity page to check it out. We'll be updating the site with items throughout the year. The highlight of the auction is a specially-designed Victory motorcycle that's traveling with the charity ride, collecting autographs from some of the biggest names in sports.
While at the Giants game last week, Barry Bonds became the first person to sign the bike. John's uncle, Mario Andretti, also added his signature to the bike while out at Sears Point Raceway. The bike will be auctioned off later this year, but you can get updates on who's signed it on the site.
Tuesday we will spend the entire day traveling through the state of Wyoming on our way to Cheyenne.
Until tomorrow,
Kyle
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