The Parade

As noon arrived we made our way through an ocean of bikes to find our ride. In short order we heard the sirens of the Police bikes making their up out of the staging lot and onto the street, signaling the start or the parade. In short order, bikes were starting up and began departing in columns of two.

As we rolled out onto the exit road, already we were seeing people that had come to see us. We then turn onto Memorial Bridge crossing the Potomac River and see an impressive view of Lincoln Memorial ahead of us. By now the walk ways on the bridge are filling with more onlookers.

As we progress the scene becomes increasingly overwhelming. People waving, some giving thumbs up, lots of applauding, smiles and cheering. On the back of my bike I am flying two large 3 ft x 5 ft flags, one American, one POW/MIA, many obviously being veterans would salute the nations colors as I rode by. Approaching the corner to turn onto Constitution Ave, stood a Marine in dress blue uniform, at attention, in the middle of the street, saluting the entire parade as they rode on either side of him. He remains there for the several hours it takes the procession to pass.



Rounding the corner on to Constitution Ave presents an incredible sight, even larger numbers of people lining the street, motorcycles now forming to four abreast formation and the dome of the Capitol Building in the distance. My minds overflows with many many thoughts, memories, and deep humility. Here I am, grew up a simple farm boy, served in my countries military, extremely blessed with quality of life and family, enjoy freedoms beyond the imaginations of most of the world. And I get the extreme honor to ride through the capitol of the greatest nation on earth to pay tribute to her military veterans, living and dead, and continue the awareness of those who have never returned. Yes, the emotions and feelings are running high.

The parade route takes us up to the Capitol building on Constitution Ave and then back westbound on Independence Drive. Even the names of the streets seem to have an extra special meaning on this day.

In what seemed like just a few brief moments, the parade ride is over. There are still thousands of others behind us, thousands still waiting at the Pentagon to depart. More and more riders doing their participation, the entire spectacle will go on for hours. For us, we gather our thoughts, our impressions, feelings and emotions and begin to look toward preparing for our journey home.

We leave Washington with many things in our hearts and minds that were not there when we arrived on Friday. We travel out through Virginia following old US 50, taking us through the country side where there are still many glimpses of what it was like when originally settled. On into West Virginia through the mountains with winding road and spectacular views. We stop for the night in Clarksburg having one last dinner together with our traveling friends. The experiences of the last several days has formed a bond amongst us that will not soon be lost. Much of what we have seen and experienced together will never be capable of being contained by words. To make this journey with great friends that truly love their country; that truly understand the value of freedom and the price that has and is still being paid for it, is a great privilege.

The motors are purring,

The pipes bellow that sweet sweet sound,

All in formation,

We are homeward bound.

Rolling Thunder

Its Sunday morning, we make our way through Arlington to the Pentagon parking lot for staging in the Rolling Thunder Parade. As we roll into the lot to join the other thousands of bikes with the Pentagon building providing an awesome backdrop, one cannot help but feel a lump in the throat at the sight of such a gathering.

As the morning continues on, thousands of bikes are constantly arriving. We have been here for 4 hours and they are still pouring in. An amazing outpouring of support and participation. Our total staging time was 5 hours. However, the time goes by amazingly fast. There plenty of places in the shade to rest and visit with other participants. For many of us veterans it affords a great opportunity for us to move about and meet other vets. Many times I have met other vets that had served in Vietnam at the same time and in some of the same areas where I had. And of course that has led to the sharing of many stories and experiences. It is impossible to put into words the connecting and bonding that takes place in that staging area each year. There is no doubt there has been much healing take place there.

Arlington

Saturday morning we rolled out the bikes and rode to the Arlington National Cementary. Doing this independent of RFTW afforded us the opportunity to take in more of Arlington than we would have other wise. Of all there is to see there nothing is more impressive than visiting the Tomb of the Unkown. To witness the impeccable precision of the guards, especially the "Changing of the Guard" is truly an amazing site. Add to that watching a "Laying of the Wreath" ceremony, accompanied by the solo bugle playing of Taps. Such a scene stirs one deep in the heart, to the point of tears.

The balance of the day was available to allow each of us to pursue our individual interests. There are endless things of great interest for one to take in. We each took advantage of the opportunity to do a large variety of things, some visiting memorials, some taking in the sights around the Capitol, others exploring locations outside the immediate area. Many of us found fatigue catching up with us as the afternoon wore on and returned to the hotel to get a bit of rest before having some dinner.

Tomorrow is the Rolling Thunder Parade, staging begins very early in the morning, so avoiding late night activities was in order. Immediately following the parade, we will begin our journey home.

Many of us have had deeply moving experiences while here, certainly our love and passion for our nation and its people has been greatly bolstered. Hopefully in some way we will be able to share this with all our friends and family. If we seem to be overly enthused at times, please be patient with us.

Crusing the Skyline

Friday morning brought a brilliant sunrise breaking over the Shenandoah Mountains. Today's schedule is a bit more relaxed than the last couple of days. Took the luxury of a sit down breakfast Cracker Barrel style, then off to a brief shopping visit to Shenandoah Harley Davidson. With those critical pieces of business properly dispatched, it was time to saddle up and head off to the Shenandoah National Park and a morning ride on the Skyline. Skyline Drive is a 107 mile drive along the ridges of the mountains offering splendid views of the valley floors on ether side. Adding to the beauty of the mountains was the morning light filtering its way through the leaves and branches surrounding the road. With a keen eye one was able to see a few deer as well.



Completion of the Skyline brought us to Front Royal for topping off the gas and a great lunch at a local eatery. Back on the road put us to the other extreme of travel, joining I-66 for the remainder of the ride into Arlington, VA. What a shock that was, back into the world of seriously aggressive urban driving. However, we arrive at our hotel without incident, checked in, and headed ahead into Washington for a late afternoon/early evening visit to many of the memorials. As the sun move toward it's setting, the light of dusk settling over the scene, created a unique feeling to add to the meaning of the memorials. It was particularly moving to observe a group called, "Carry the Torch". Their primary mission is to recognize and honor Blue Star and Gold Star mothers. Blue Star moms are those with children actively serving in the military. Gold Star moms are those that have lost children while serving. There was a very touching vigil at the "Wall" on their behalf. It is truly amazing how Americans continually seek out impactful means by which to remember and honor those who have given so much to our nation. Both through active involvement and also by personal sacrifice. Journeys such as this constantly amaze me and make me so thankful and appreciative for the incredible opportunity to live in a nation of such remarkable people.



As the day came to a close, we were given the unique opportunity to see the transition of the memorials from day to night observation. What a beautiful sight to behold.

Rest stop time

First stop on the way

Rainelle

Thursday morning we awoke greeted by a brilliant sunrise and surrounded by beautiful hills and mist filled valleys. Grabbing our stuff, we loaded bikes, and made our way to the morning rider's meeting. The whole scene was quite an impressive sight, hundreds of motorcycles gathering in the staging area, riders, passengers, veterans, patriotic non vets, all together, all there to honor and recognize those that have served and purchased our precious freedom with their lives. The morning meeting recognized many that had worked extremely hard to make an event such as this possible, and to dispense the instructions and proceedings of the day.

The pledge of Allegiance, a chaplain's prayer, and it was time to saddle up. The whole process was well organized, the bikes had been staged in platoons and rolled out accordingly, getting us out and onto the road most efficiently. Soon we were thundering along toward Charleston, WV for a visit to the state capitol. There we were greeted by the Governor and others, all expressing their respect and appreciation for the purpose of Run for the Wall, and for those that have given so much for our nation. At that time the Governor decreed May 22, 2008, Run for the Wall Day in West Virginia. Following the presentations, another pledge of allegiance, reverence for the nations veterans and those who have died, followed by a solo bagpipe playing a truly touching rendition of Amazing Grace. Surely the enormous grace of God is poured out on those that have made such sacrifices. For sure there were very few dry eyes in the crowd. A gathering for group photo on the steps of the state capitol building, and again we were cranking up those bikes and making our way out onto the road again.

The next phase of our journey had us traveling east on US 60, a two lane road making its way through the mountains of West Virginia, through many small towns and villages that in some ways time may have passed by, the evidence of hard earned life being everywhere, in the buildings, the roads, vehicles and the faces of the people living there. Yet, they came out to greet us, waving their hands, some waving little American flags, occasionally you could read the lips of someone saying "thank you". In one small town, on older gentleman was standing out along the road, wearing his WWII helmet, holding a large pole, displaying a large American flag. Sometimes the hardest part of the ride was driving the bike with tears in the eyes. School children would be out along the fences waving their little hands and flags. The evidence of the love of Americans for there country was never more explicit. Much of the road ran a long the river adding more to the splendor of the setting. Ultimately we arrived at our destination, Rainelle WV. It seems the entire town had taken the day off to come greet us. They lined the streets, spilling out onto the street, barely leaving enough room to make our way through. We rode side by side in parade formation through the entire town, turned around and back to the school. The school yard was filled with children, all ages, all grades, greeting us, cheering us. We had barely got our kickstands down when surrounded by them, wanting autographs in their little books or on shirts. The riders were being swarmed, and the riders loved it. Many a hardened old vet was down on his knees, meeting the kids on their level. The electricity of the connection between them was overpowering. Eventually we made our way into the school lunchroom where they fed us with an unbelievable amount of food, all paid for by donations and fund raising by the children, nothing from the school budget. Shortly thereafter was a ceremony, more recognition of individuals working hard to make such an event possible, concluded by a cash gift from Run for the Wall to the school for a little over $20,000. All made possible by donations of the participants of the ride and 50/50 ticket sales. With our hearts overwhelmed by the kindness, appreciation and genuine hospitality of the children and people of Rainelle, we gathered up ourselves and made our way back to the bikes for the ride on into Virginia with a stop in Waynesboro for food and a night's rest.

This day was truly an incredible, experiencing such an outpouring of respect between people for each other and their country. All in the setting of the beautiful mountains of West Virginia, a masterpiece of God's own handiwork

On the Road

Wednesday morning found us gathering at IHOP the minute they opened (5:30 a.m.). The bikes already fueled and ready, all we needed was some filling of the bellies and be on our way. We left St. Charles with 14 bikes and 19 people all eager for the journey. Later along the way we gained 2 more bikes and 3 more people. Mother nature was very kind and provided perfect weather with clear skies and just cool enough temperature to need a good jacket. We made our way through St. Louis as it was beginning to bustle and start another busy frantic day. Shortly we were rolling through the open country of Illinois, taking in the beauty of the farmland along the way. A glance in the mirror confirmed the presence of 13 other Harleys, running in formation, announcing their presence with that unmistakable rumble of the pipes.

Following I-64, we made our way into Indiana, stopped for a quick lunch in the historic town of Corydon, topped off those fuel tanks again and on into Kentucky. We made our first stop there at Frankfort to visit the Kentucky Vietnam Veterans Memorial. One of the most truly unique memorials anywhere. As you make your way up the winding road all you can see in the distance is the arm of a giant sundial in its very characteristic angle reaching skyward. Once at the sight, one notices that the floor of the sundial is made up of large granite blocks, several with names of Kentuckians that were killed in Vietnam engraved in them and arranged by year and month. Each of the blocks is laid out such that with the passing of the sun across the sky and the corresponding movement of the arm's shadow across the floor, the tip of the shadow will point to the name of the person on the anniversary of their death. The amazing impression of this memorial is that no matter what, the sun and the earth together never forgets those that are represented there. No matter the brevity of their lives, the timelessness of the universe never takes a day off from visiting them.

Following that impressive visit, we topped off tanks, emptied bladders and again took our chorus of thundering scooters back out onto the Interstate and made our way into Hurricane, West Virginia. A motel room, some good food, a hot shower and a night's sleep, and we are ready to join the Central Route group of Run for the Wall.

The beginning

Lining up to register for RFTW ride.

Getting Ready

It appears that weather may be smiling on us. Today was awesome and the forecast is looking very good.

Today some of us took part in ERC (Experienced Rider Course) training getting our skills tuned up for some serious riding. Woody and Wade did an awesome job of making sure we getting the best possible instruction.

I am using this posting as a chance to train myself on udating the blog using my phone. This will allow me to keep things up to date without hauling around a computer.

I invite you to share your comments as well. My desire is for this blog to be a two way shared experience.

Stay tuned,

Kickstand Up

The serious part of the riding season is about to start. At my son's encouragement, this year I will be journaling our adventures of traveling on the Harley via this blog. "Bagger On The Go", you ask? Bagger is an old bikers term describing a motorcycle that is equipped with saddlebags, most commonly used for the purpose of traveling. That is what we are into, loading up the ole Harley, stuffing the saddlebags and exploring the country.

The progress of my recent knee replacement surgery has been very good, and now I am able to ride the bike for extended periods of travel comfortably. We have done some local riding just to make sure that the leg and all else are in good working order. "Two up", is another biker phrase describing two people traveling on the bike. That is how we travel, Barb and I together, on the bike, loaded down, cruising down the roads and back roads of the countryside.

Our first serious trip of the year will take off next Wednesday, May 21st, for Washington DC. We will be participating in part with an organized event called "Run for the Wall". The objective being traveling across the US by bike to visit the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington for the Memorial holiday. We will not make the entire cross country journey, instead leaving from St. Charles, MO and joining them along the way. Going with us this year from the local HOG (Harley Owners Group) chapter will be 22 others on 17 bikes.

We are looking forward to a memorable and reverent ride to Washington and participation in the Rolling Thunder parade at the Nations Capitol. More to come later.