Its 5.45 am, and time to get out of bed. By 6, I have the coffee going, and am already in the shower. check my emails real quick to see if there are any last minute changes, and then start getting ready for the cold weather. Now what coud get me up and outside so early in the morning? Well-today is Veterans Day, and we are having a ride to celebrate. So at 7.30 am, I am on my way out the door, dressed in layers. No frost, but that is only because the humidity is down. It is COLD out there. Push the bike out of the garage, and get her running. Takes a couple of minutes to get warmed up, and I want that oil thinned out just a bit before I start heading up the road. Kickstands up at 7.45 am, and I am off! Only takes me about 1 minute to figure out that the gloves I grabbed and were fine for standing around, aren't going to work for riding-just a bit thin, and ventilated -fingers are already getting tingly. Suck it up! I keep riding-I have endured worse than this, and there are MY countrymen in much worse conditions as I ride. By 8.15, I am at the first meet point. Dodad is there already-just getting off his bike. We are meeting at a farm store (thankfully). I pull in, say good morning to Dodad, and run inside real quick to buy me another pair of gloves. got them, identical to the pair I didn't bring, and set back another 8 dollars. Get outside, and back to the bikes. just getting saddled up again, when Paula arrives. Say good morning to her, and we are all ready. head up the interstate, and 15 minutes later, we meet with more of our friends. Now we are 6 bikes. Off we go again. 10 more minutes, and we are at Mama Lou's. Already a bunch more of our friends there, and more arriving. By the time we are ready to head to the Skyline, we have over 20 bikes. When we get to the Skyline, I am a bit shocked! This place is BIG! Think a truck stop but without the fuel pumps. Room for plenty of big rigs! And there is only one in the entire parking lot. No room for more, because everywhere you look, there are motorcycles. I saw harleys, hondas, kawasakis, suzikis, buells, bmw, indians, trikes-store bought, and home made! one trike was a three seater! There were bikes there I have never heard of, and a few I have heard of but never seen. If the sun had been shining brighter, I would have been blinded by the chrome! There were way too many for me to even try and count! We find our spot, and await the movement order. Only about 15 minutes go by, and here it comes-we saddle up, and start the engines. now people-if you have never before heard it, it may come as a bit of a shock. For those who have been to auto races, you have come close. There is NOTHING in this world that sounds like hundreds of bikes starting at once! The ground is vibrating with the rumble of those V-twins, and for those people who weren't aware of what was happening, they sure found out quick enough! Kickstands up, and they start pulling out. We have roadguards blocking the road, and it is gonna be a wait for those in their cages. from the time the first bike pulled out, until it is our turn to pull out, at least 15 minutes have passed, and we are only about 2/3 of the way toward the rear.
As we are riding, and I see the people lining the streets, I am filled with pride. I am proud to be an American, proud to have served my country, proud to be a part of such a wonderful organization as BACA. Little kids run to the curb , the older ones stay back a bit, and some don't even leave their porches. But one thing remains-American pride! most of these people weren't aware we were going to be running nothing but the city streets to get to the capital, but they found out quick enough when the pictures of their walls started shaking!
Have you ever heard the sound of a dozen bikes? gets a bit loud. Fifty bikes? Even louder. A hundred bikes? Cover your ears! Rolling thunder is what you have-a steady throbbing roar that just gets louded, and doesn't recede! As we passed by, any who had remained in bed for a bit too long, were awakened, and the thunder rolling along the city streets was a constant-noblody would be able to go back to sleep after this! There were a lot of children that would have indelibly imprinted on their minds, that they have seen what most people have only heard, THUNDER!!!
It isn't till after we have arrived at the state capital that we get a bike count-between 440 and 450 bikes in out parade! Damn I am proud of my brothers and sisters! We have a guest speaker, an Air Force colonel, and he tells us something not on the news yet. One of our fallen brothers was awarded teh Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously. He threw his body on a live grenade to save the rest of his crew. He was medevac'd, had plenty of surgeries, but still succombed to his wounds after 8 days. After the colonel is finsihed speaking, Pickle leads us in prayer again, and we have a dedication ceremony, then it is off to Charlies Last Stand for chili dogs and a bit of socializing. I have to pass on that- head towards the house-got a busted throttle return spring that needs fixed before I have a runaway engine.
To all by brothers and sisters that I rode with yesterday, thanks! Ride safe!
