21 days and 2,325 miles later, the Dads Honor Ride 2015 has come to an end. It’s been an amazing experience from a physical, emotional and spiritual perspective. What are the odds a 54 year old of moderate athletic ability could average 112 miles a day, everyday, for 21 days? Many of the days were very long, but the time overall went by very quickly. There were two or three points along the route I thought to myself: “I don’t know if I have what it takes, but short of being hospitalized, I’m not giving up.” No one really accomplishes

21 days and 2,325 miles later, the Dads Honor Ride has come to an end.  It’s been an amazing experience from a physical, emotional and spiritual perspective. We had a total of six riders the last day including Dariusz Cupial, Patryck Wierzchucki, Jorge Solorio, Bob Lee as well as David and Peggy Hirsch.  It was a comfortable 37 mile ride from Monee to Chicago with modest temperatures, slightly overcast skies and no rain!!  Special thanks to the Chicago Police Department for providing a police escort to ensure an extra element of safety and the ability to keep rolling through red

Day number 17. Rained on and off during the day. No planned activities along the way today. I was moved by the sign outside of Westside Baptist Church, which read: “Fathers – What Kind Of Legacy Are You Leaving?” This was by most standards the most rural of rural days. If you’ve seen one Meramec Caverns sign you’ve seen a hundred of them. We arrived at the luxurious Baymont Inn & Suites (only $76/night) by 8pm. We had a low key pizza dinner around the indoor pool and called it a night. Another good day. Sadly, the end of DHR15

Greetings from Lebanon, MO and the conclusion of Day 16 of the Dads Honor Ride. We started the day in Joplin and rode 70 miles to be at PPD for a warm welcome and to do a press conference to help promote their Boot Camp For New Dads program. From there it was another 50 miles to Lebanon. We stopped short due to the lack of day light for dinner at the rather famous Rocking Horse Restaurant in Conway. We did have a bit of an incident with the RV (see below). No one was hurt, except for a bruised

Greetings from Joplin, which is in the southwest corner of MO.  We arrived here after riding through 3-4 hours of rain and the 10 mile segment of Route 66 that also passes through Kansas.  One of the highlights of the day was having lunch at Clantons in Vinita, OK.  I noticed a photo of former Illinois governor Jim Edgar hanging on the wall.  Turns out he was born and raised in Vinita and his cousins Dennis & Melissa Clanton-Patrick are the fourth generation owners of Clantons. Another highlight was talking live with Joel & Victoria Osteen on their SiriusXM Radio

Greetings from Claremore, OK and the completion of day 14 of the Dads Honor Ride. We’ve traveled just over 1,600 miles since leaving Santa Monica on June 1st. The days have been long, but the time is going by quickly. Started the day just west of Chandler. We rode for an hour and then decided to have breakfast at the iconic Rock Cafe (in Stroud, OK), one of a dozen famous Route 66 restaurants listed in a guide. See below. Cloudy but no rain today. We discovered one of the sources for father absence. See yard sign below. Made it

Check out this new video created by the Dads Honor Ride team.

Greetings from Chandler, OK, which is just east of Oklahoma City.  We have covered just over 1,500 miles in the first 13 days of the Dads Honor Ride and we’re on schedule to arrive in Chicago on Sunday, June 21st at noon at  US Cellular Field before the Chicago White Sox baseball game.  The days have been long, but the time is going fast.  Included below are some photos from the recent experience. Special thanks to all who have participated or donated.  For those who have yet to do so, please go to: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/DavidHirsch/2015-dads-honor-ride  Only 8 more days to go 🙂

Greetings from Weatherford, OK. It’s been 12 days since leaving Santa Monica and we have covered 1,383 miles on the Dads Honor Ride. It’s been an amazing journey both physically and mentally. We’ve honored hundreds of dads, raised a good amount of awareness for local fatherhood organizations and raised some funds.  Young Dave and I pushed off this morning from from the Best Western in Shamrock, TX, suited up in our rain gear, just as it started to rain. The storm clouds were all around us throughout the day, but we only had to ride in the rain for a

Greetings from Amarillo. Riding conditions were good and we were making good progress until Route 66 became and very old and bumpy road. We had to hoof it over to US 40 and jump the barb wire fence to continue the journey on US 40. I had a random encounter with a young lady and her grand uncle and made a Great Dad Coin presentation at the NM/TX boarder. I’m pleased to report we passed the halfway point of the Route 66 ride from Santa Monica to Chicago, which is officially marked in Adrian, TX about 50 miles west of

The day started out on a good note. The scenery and landscapes approaching Sedona and beyond are second to none. The morning rain wasn’t as big an obstacle as the climb up to Flagstaff. I’m not sure if it was more or less difficult getting up to Prescott, but it was challenging none the less. We arrived on schedule, at noon, at Flagstaff Medical Center to meet with the folks who run the Boot Camp for New Dads program and were fortune to get some media coverage. We also met with Albert Pooley, founder of the Native American Fathers &

Greetings from Wickenberg, AZ. Here after three days of riding 394 miles. Feeling much better after day 3, than day 2. The day started with a 34 mile ride on the shoulder of US10 and the remaining 80 miles along route 110 to Wickenburg. Along the way we crossed paths with another group of bikers and their crew – from Clearbrook Baptist Church in Roanoke, VA – going cross country from San Diego to St. Augustine, FL. Their lead biker is Pastor Bryan Ratliff and their website is: biketheUSA.org. Along the way we stopped for lunch at the Salome Cafe &

Day 2 started in Palm Springs CA and after riding for eight hours, not including stops for food and media we made it to Blythe, CA. There was a bit more elevation today than yesterday and the heat was a big factor, 100+ degrees most of the ride.   Frequent hydration stops were key. The 72 of the 130 miles today were ridden on the shoulder of US 10.  Along the way NBC local affiliate, KMIR News, Eddie Luna, caught up to us for an interview~link below~ and we had a random encounter with a local business man/sports caster/bike rider

Our group got an early start at Santa Monica Pier. We were greeted by six Santa Moinca motor cycle police who escorted us through the streets of Santa Monica. From there it was off to St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, about 22 miles away.  We arrived to a cheering group of hospital employees.  David Hirsch and Greg Bishop, founder of Boot Camp for New Dads, made brief remarks about the Dads Honor Ride and new BCFNDs program at St. Francis.  Many Great Dads Coins were presented to those present. Telemundo covered the event in both English and Spanish. The

Hard to believe it’s less than 24 hours from the start of the Dads Honor Ride.  Two of our crew members; daughter Addie and Tuskegee Airman & friend Lawton “Wilk” WIlkerson made the uneventful trip with me from ORD to LAX.  We headed to Hollywood, where we were greeted by good friend Jamie Masada, founder of the the world famous Laugh Factory, LA’s oldest (36 years) stand up comedy club.  We had some good laughs and a nice reception including some heartfelt remarks from those in attendance, including Tom Dreesen, Allison & Greg Bishop, Lincoln Baker, Courtney Riley, Chris Miller,