Get to know more about our MC rides and recognitions through our tales below.
CLUB PATCHES
DEADMAN'S HAND WITH ROCKERS
The Club patch is based on the Dead Man´s Hand, which is the hand Wild Bill Hickok was holding when he was shot and killed in Saloon No. 10 in Deadwood, South Dakota, on August 2, 1876. Wild Bill is buried in Deadwood next to the infamous Calamity Jane. The skeleton fingers holding the hand are symbolic of David Cook holding the cards over the Club members, even in death. All Deacons know they better worry about where the other hand is, because knowing David, it’s in our wallets!
NINE OF DIAMONDS
According to local legend in Deadwood, the Deadman’s Hand was black aces, black eights and the nine of diamonds. The Nine of Diamonds Patch is worn by the first nine founding members of the Club. No more Nine of Diamonds patches will be issued.
ACE OF SPADES
This patch was awarded to all of the Deacons who rode (no trailers!) to Sturgis for the Rally in the Club’s first year. No more Ace of Spades patches will be issued.
10 YEAR CHARITY BALL PATCH
Commemorating our 10 year Charity Ball.
15 YEAR ANNIVERSARY PATCH
Celebrating 15 years as a motorcycle club.
ANNIVERSARY STARS
Awarded to Deacons who have attained their 5, 10, or 15 year anniversary with the Club.
SIX OF CLUBS
This patch was awarded to the first six Members that took their golf clubs on the Fort Clark Ride. No more Six of Clubs patches will be issued.
GREEN STAR
This is a patch that no Deacon wants as it is a memorial to a fallen brother with his Deacon number. This patch is given to all Deacons who rode with their late brother.
PATCHED RIDES
BANDERA RIDE
Annual ride to Bandera, Texas with ride on the Three Sisters and some of Texas’ best BBQ. We always stop off at the 11th Street Cowboy Bar.
BIG BEND RIDE - OCTOBER
This has become one of the most popular of the Deacons rides. It is taken in late October to the Big Bend area of West Texas near the Rio Grande. Big Bend offers some of the most beautiful rides in the country. In 2003, the ride was at the same time as the Terlingua Chili Cook Off, which is billed as the biggest chili cook off in the world. It also coincided with the Halloween party at the Gage Hotel in Marathon where Deacons were awarded first, second and third place in the a Halloween costume contest.
BIG EASY RIDE - MARCH
One of the newest patch rides developed by Past President, Steve Lamb and former Road Captain, David Reed, this ride was originally in the fall. With the Ball in late September and the Big Bend ride in October, this ride was moved to late March. Leaving out on Friday morning, we take a fun and leisurely ride through southeast Louisiana with a late afternoon arrival in New Orleans. We stay on Bourbon Street and spend the weekend doing what you do on Bourbon Street. This is a destination ride so the bikes are parked for the weekend with an early morning departure on Sunday which can be painful depending on your level of activity on Bourbon Street.
FORT CLARK RIDE - (RETIRED)
Started by one of our early members Orlando Sanchez, this April ride will take you to just outside of Bracketville to historic Fort Clark. Originally a frontier fort to guard the Mexican border, it eventually became the headquarters for the 2nd Cavalry Division. On the grounds is a natural spring fed pool that is just the ticket after a long ride while some Members hit the golf course.
DAYTONA MOTORCYCLE RALLY - MARCH
Annual ride to Florida for Daytona Bike Week.
DIXIE RIDE - MAY
Ride started by Past President, Steve Lamb and leaves on the Friday of the Memorial Day weekend and for the past few years has taken a similar route as the Hot Spring Ride riding to Hot Springs Arkansas for the first night and sometimes second night as this ride changes from year to year. On Saturday, you will ride on some of the best routes this country has to offer with stops in Eureka Springs (sometimes for the night) or on to Fayetteville or back to Hot Springs. Sunday is more riding in the hills of northwestern Arkansas with an early Monday morning departure home.
CASINO RIDE
The Deacons are not shy when it comes to casinos. We have visited Deadwood, South Dakota, along with Lake Charles and Shreveport, Louisiana.
HILL COUNTRY RIDE - MAY
Before the Deacons of Deadwood was formed, Sam Douglas, Preston Douglas and Fred Farner, who all became original members of the Club, started an annual ride to the Texas Hill Country. The ride started with about six riders, and has blossomed to over 75 riders every year. This ride usually is held on the weekend before Memorial Day.
HOT SPRINGS RIDE - (RETIRED)
Annual Ride to Hot Springs, Arkansas over the Fourth of July holiday. We stay at the historic Arlington Hotel with rides to Mount Magazine and on State Highway 7, voted one of the best motorcycle roads in the country.
HOUSTON LIVESTOCK SHOW & RODEO
We previously rented a suite at the Houston Rodeo for one of the night’s performances. This was an all-inclusive event with all the food and drinks you wanted. After breaking the bank for a few years, the powers that be with the Rodeo increased the price for the suite so much that it was not affordable for the Club to continue.
LACONIA MOTORCYCLE RALLY - JUNE
Annual ride to New Hampshire for the Laconia Motorcycle Rally.
LONESOME DOVE RIDE
This ride was organized by Past President Steve Lamb. The Lonesome Dove book and movie was about a cattle drive from Texas to Montana back in the late 1800’s. The plan was to trace the same route by motorcycle. However, if we went the same way, we would miss all of the great sites because cattle do not do well crossing mountains. The Deacons did not hit one single spot of the original route, but everyone had an amazing time. Credit Card Roulette was born on this ride.
PIKES PEAK RIDE
This ride is part of an annual trip through Colorado. The ride to the 14,110 summit is amazing.
PRESIDENTS RIDE - FEBRUARY
The Presidents Ride is always the second weekend in February to celebrate the election of our new President, whether new or incumbent. Leaving on Saturday we usually ride back roads to San Antonio and stay at the historic Menger Hotel on the Riverwalk where we’ll have dinner and libations. Sunday, we head up to Bandera, on through the Hill Country and make our way around to Austin for the night. Most stay at the Driskell Hotel and we spend the evening out on 6th Street for most of the night with an early Monday morning departure back home.
STURGIS RIDE - AUGUST
Every year, many Deacons of Deadwood travel to the Club’s adopted hometown of Deadwood, South Dakota, for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Some take rides that cover thousands of miles over a period of several weeks, while others take shorter rides or trailer their bikes. No matter how they get there, most of the Club seems to make it for at least part of Bike Week. Many members earn their Long Rider and Iron Butt Patches on this trip.
LONG RIDES
LOWER 48 STATES
Definitely a patch that will take you a while to earn. This patch requires that you ride in all lower 48 States and all rides must have been when you were a Deacon, so any states you rode in before you became a Member, are not counted.
IRON BUTT
Several members have made Iron Butt rides under the rules of the Iron Butt Association. These are long rides completed under stringent rules designed to assure that applicants really complete the rides.
Saddle Sore 1,000, which requires a 1,000-mile ride to be completed in under 24 hours,
Bun Burner 1,500, which requires a 1,500-mile ride to be completed in under 36 hours, and
Bun Burner Gold, which requires a 1,500-mile ride to be completed in under 24 hours.
LONG RIDER
The Club awards a Long Rider Patch to any Member who completes a 1,000-mile ride with any two other Members regardless of the amount of time it takes to complete the ride.
BORDER TO BORDER
This is a Border-to-Border Iron Butt ride, which requires going from the Mexican border to the Canadian border in under 48 hours.
HARD CORE
The hardest Deacons of Deadwood patch to earn is the Hard Core patch. To earn a Hard Core patch a Member must complete a Saddle Sore 1,000, a Bun Burner 1,500, a Bun Burner Gold, and also must ride 15,000 additional miles with other Members.
MILEAGE
Awarded annually for the total miles you rode in the previous year as a Deacon.
5,000 miles
10,000 miles
15,000 miles
20,000 miles
25,000 miles
With several Deacons attaining 30,000 miles in a year, we may have to add that patch in the future.
48 STATES IN 10 DAYS
Four Members took on the challenge of riding 48 states in 10 days, a feat that has been recorded in the Iron Butt Association records only 80 times since 1986. They averaged over 830 miles per day while getting only a couple of hours sleep a night. Their final odometer reading for the trip was over 9,300 miles.
COAST-TO-COAST
Members have done Iron Butt Coast-to-Coast Rides from Florida to California. Of course, they had to start in Houston before driving to Jacksonville, Florida, then drive the same route back (going past Houston) before stopping in Kerrville, Texas (which is 1,100 miles from Jacksonville). Day two was 1,300 miles to San Diego with a stop in Tucson, Arizona. Members took a “vacation” back with stops in Las Vegas, Zion National Park, Palisades, Colorado, over the Rockies, and ultimately touring Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico before getting back to Houston.