Mancos’ Cedar Grove Cemetery has been selected as one of the spots on the Tour of Honor, a cross-country motorcycle tour commemorating veterans memorials.
Bikers take part in the tour from April through October, with the goal of visiting select memorials throughout all 50 states. The memorial at the Mancos site off County Road 41 is one of seven that are located in Colorado.
“The Tour of Honor is a great reason to hit the open road, honor our heroes, and contribute to a good cause,” said Steve Brooks, who co-founded the tour in 2011 with his brother Dave. “Our riders tell us the Tour of Honor has a profound and lasting effect upon them. Colorado is home to some of the finest motorcycle roads and spectacular scenery in the country. Bringing the Tour of Honor and Colorado together will create a powerful, memorable experience for our participants – and celebrate our men and women in the armed services.”
Janet Lennox, who has been the Colorado state sponsor for the Tour of Honor since 2014, is always on the lookout for veteran or first-responder memorials, she said. When she was in Mancos last year, Lennox asked a woman at the gas station if there were any veterans memorials in town, and she was directed to Cedar Grove Cemetery.
“What a beautiful site overlooking the Mancos area,” Lennox said. “The memorial itself is very well taken care of.”
Mancos joins other southwestern Colorado locations that have been Tour of Honor destinations. The tour visited Dove Creek last year, Cortez in 2016, and Ignacio in 2013.
The tour officially lasts from April through October. Riders create their own route, and are able to go to as many sites as they wish, snapping a photo at each memorial.
Trophies will be awarded to the first three riders to visit all the destinations in a state or region, while pins and certificates will be awarded to those who visit at least seven sites.
The person who visits the most memorial sites this year will receive a Jack Shoalmire Achievement Award.
Rider registration costs $25 per person, with proceeds benefiting the Fisher House Foundation, Operation Comfort Warriors, and Police and Fire: The Fallen Warriors.
ealvero@the-journal.com