Bruce visited MOA headquarters on Sept. 23, as he was making his way to Memphis.

His route.

A crusty, bug-coated windshield.

Bruce demonstrates his packing skills before the trip.

Bruce at the BMW MOA sign in Ellisville, Missouri.

READ BRUCE'S BLOG

In the words of Bruce McKelvy, MAC-PAC and BMW MOA Member:

"The Compassion Corner 48 or (CC48) is a motorcycle mission trip I conceived to each of the lower 48 states in a 23 day period beginning September 6, 2011. The purpose of the trip is to raise money to support the BranchCreek Community Church Compassion Corner which is a food pantry that serves families in need in over 17 local communities.  

The inspiration for the trip came from a sermon this spring that focused on the parable of the "Talents" found in Matthew 25 14-30 of the Bible.  This parable tells of our need to make wise use of those blessings that have been provided to us. The wise servants in the story, made wise use of what had been entrusted to them by their master and returned to him multiples of what they had been given.  The unwise servant simply buried what he had been given and returned it to the master out of his fear of not doing the right thing.

I had recently seen the line of people seeking help at the food pantry and felt compelled to help in some way. Certainly I could give a donation, but then I would be only returning what I had been given. If however, I could find a way to multiply the blessings I have received in life, I felt as though I would be doing the right thing.  I like most people have never wanted for food and have always been able to provide for my needs and those of my family.  When I saw the wide age range of people that for various reasons, sometimes totally out of their control, simply could not meet their basic need for food, it went right to the core of my being.

I decided in short order that I would fund a motorcycle trip to raise money to support the Compassion Corner.  All expenses for the trip would come out of my pocket including the motorcycle, fuel, tolls, food, lodging, equipment, advertising, printing and the cost of a website to publicize and track the trip. I would seek corporate sponsors, as well as individual donors to raise the targeted $25,000 to help fund the cause.

The church has created a line item for the trip, so all funds raised go directly to purchasing food and household essentials that are given to those in need. Various ways to donate are outlined on this site, but all funds go directly to the cause and do not pass through me. I wanted it that way, so I can focus on getting the word out and not have to handle money.

I am hoping that through this site, many people that may never have the opportunity or inclination to take a trip like this will be able to follow along and enjoy the sights of this great country. I will be blogging each day and will be posting photographs and hopefully video taken from my helmet mounted camera. I will also be using a SPOT satellite transceiver to report my position every 10 minutes while riding. I hope you enjoy!"

BRUCE'S LINKS:

READ BRUCE'S BLOG - http://www.bmckelvy.blogspot.com/  (Some great stories here!)

CHECK OUT THE ROUTE - http://www.cc48.org/html/the_route.html

SEE WHERE BRUCE IS RIGHT NOW!  http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0I8urWhOYax6u5yaUgA2qQ3ZzTbqRyZbT

SUPPORT HIS CAUSE - http://www.cc48.org/html/how_to_give.html

BRUCE'S HOMEPAGE - http://www.cc48.org/index.html