What does Ashville have to offer 700 motorcyclists on their way from California to Washington, D.C.? Not much, some would say, just gasoline for their bikes and hotdogs for their bellies.

And something more intangible, a welcome, an appreciation of their effort.

The bikers came through Ashville last week for the third time in three years. Their annual Run for the Wall takes them cross country to draw attention to Vietnam veterans and to refresh memories of soldiers still missing from that war. Most of the riders are themselves Vietnam veterans. Their ride takes them to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the black granite wall of names on the Mall in the nation’s capital.

The trip from California to Washington takes 10 days, with stops along the way to lay wreaths at cemeteries, visit veterans hospitals and have their bikes blessed by Native Americans. Once in Washington, the riders spend two more days in organized activities, culminating in a Rolling Thunder parade starting at the Pentagon the Sunday before Memorial Day.

Their stop in Ashland came in the middle of day seven of the trip, a day that started in Meridian, Miss., and ended in Chattanooga, Tenn. They call Ashland their “hotdog stop.”

Although Alabama coordinator Steve Mozier said the hotdogs from Piggly Wiggly are the best in the U.S., the riders could get fuel and lunch anywhere along their route. It’s the welcome that Ashland dishes out that keeps the bikers coming back.