Monday, May 31, 2010

Day 5: Returning Home

We left Pittsburgh by 8:00 a.m. today. We had about 250 miles ahead before arriving at home. The weather forecast called for thunderstorms beginning in the afternoon. However, no weather forecast would give a time. We made good time with minimal stops for gas. I kept watching the weather on my XM satellite radio feed. It was clear that rain was just south of us as we entered into Ohio. We were within 7 miles of exiting the turnpike to head out separate ways when the rain began. We pulled over to the side of the road and donned our rain suites. We said good bye and exchanged hugs. Sad the weekend and ride was over, but looking forward to being home and sleeping in my own bed with a GOOD mattress. As we continued to travel toward our exit the rain lightened up. Hope was alive within me that we might make it home with just a little rain. Rounding the bend and heading toward our exit the sky opened and the rain beat down. I looked for the closest underpass only to find cars had hogged the underpass - come on folks - you are in a car with a top; you don't need the overpass like we on motorcycles do!!!!

The hard rain quickly ended and turned to a lighter rain. We agreed to head the remaining 8 miles home. The 8 miles passed quickly and we entered our garage to begin unpacking, cleaning and laundry and talking about all the great memories we just made.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Day 4: Rolling Thunder and Pittsburgh

Today is the big Rolling Thunder parade in Washington D.C. We got started about 10:00 a.m. and headed into D.C. only to find out that there was no way to get close to the parade. Every road was blocked off. There was no way to get from the north side of D.C. to the south side of D.C. or from the east side to the west side. It was very frustrating. It appeared that the blocked off streets were different than the ones published in the guide and papers. We later found out there was suspicious powered in Union Station that led to more and more streets blocked off and heighten security. After numerous attempts to get to where we wanted to park, I lead us to the Washington Byway. We kept looking for places to pull off and after a long, difficult attempt; we finally continued down the Byway for 495. We pulled off a scenic overlook, regrouped and agreed to forgo going downtown and just head to Pittsburgh, our final destination before heading home tomorrow.

I lead the way. We had come to rely on my GPS. I am not one who enjoys leading, but on the Interstate, leading is easy - no red lights. After my third day of leading, I was feeling more comfortable and people were feeling more familiar with me. We made a couple of stops for gas, but we were focused on getting to Pittsburgh so we would have some time to go into the downtown area and enjoy the city. We arrived at the hotel about 5:00 p.m. and were back on our bikes by 6:00 p.m.

We agreed that di
nner was to be at Pirmanti Brothers Restaurant. They are famous for their sandwiches that include meat, french fries and cole slaw. The restaurant was featured on the Food Channel. Three years ago two brothers began the restaurant. They severed many tr
uckers. Those truckers wanted there food all together. So they invented a sandwich that included the fries and coleslaw. Soon the sandwiches
became famous and now that is all they served. I split a cheese stake sandwich with a friend. Added a side of cheese fries, even with fries on the sandwich. We all split an order of coleslaw, even with slaw on the sandwich. Two people had the "Iron City" beer. Clearly Pittsburgh brewed. I stuck to diet coke.

After dinner we left. As evening came over the city, we didn't feel that hanging around was a good idea. We were going to leave for home in the morning and we wanted to get back to see if we could hear the weather. It appeared that storms were being predicted for Memorial Day Monday.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Day 3: Washington D.C.


We agreed to another late (9:00 a.m.) start. As we were in the parking lot we were greeted with a surprise - another riding budding and his wife drove in from Baltimore to have breakfast with us. They were going to join us on the ride, but health issues kept them from joining us. Instead they visit their daughter in Baltimore. We were delighted that they stopped by. We has breakfast at the Bob Evans across from the hotel. After hugs and well wishes our friends headed back to Baltimore. We headed to the Harley Davidson dealer of Washington D.C. for their Memorial Day cook out and party.

Attending biker rallies isn't something I have done much in the past. I have been to tw
o biker rallies in the five yea
rs I have been riding. Both were local. I wasn't sure what to ex
pect. There were at le
ast a thousand bikes at the dealer. There were 12-15 vendor booths selling anything and everything that a biker could consider. There was a lot of free food, and a band. There is NO alcohol. The crowd as controlled and polite. People were friendly. Many talked about why they came to participate in Rolling Thunder. Some have been to all 23. For other, like me, this was their first time at Rolling Thunder. We all admired each other's bikes. We purchased our Rolling Thunder memorial t-shirts and other items of memorabilia. I purchased a flag. It seemed appropriate to display a flag on my bike. After meandering
about for over an hour, we met up by our bikes, mounted and headed back into Washington D.C.

I lead us to our parking area near Constitution and 17th. We came to visit the WWII Memorial and Thunder ally. Thunder ally is a street near the memorial were many vendors set up their booths to sell anything and everything a biker might want. Clearly, the event has become a capitalist success story. There were far more bikes on and around the Mall then yesterday. It was so cool; and overwhelming. O
ne very interesting bike included a trailer for his dogs. He pulls the trailer everywhere he goes and his two big dogs ride in back. The trailer has windows, vents and a fan. I could just picture my dogs riding in one.
After a couple of hours on the Mall we found the Hard Rock Cafe of Washington D.C. We had dinner and shared our stories from the day. It was great to spend the evening with friends. After dinner we mounted our bikes and headed back to our hotel. We visited a local pub to listen to music before checking in for the evening. The local pub, "Apehangers", is named after a common type of handlebars used by motorcyclists. We were at the pub early and there were very few people there. The local band was very good. We packed it in after an hour and headed back to the hotel to turn in early so we could be up early and head to the Rolling Thunder parade.

When I laid on the bed I was both exhausted from the busy day and excited anticipating tomorrow. Many thoughts swirled. Thoughts of my family members who severed in WWII and Korea, a neighbor who served in Nam and the teachers I spent a week with in 2002 learning about Vietnam and the Memorial. What a moving, patriotic day!

Friday, May 28, 2010

Day 2: Waldorf, Md & The Mall

We began our day by sleeping in. For us that meant we were up at 7:00 a.m. and ready to leave for the next leg of the journey by 9:00 a.m. The morning was overcast and cool. The weather called for a slight chance of showers throughout the day. We didn't know what that meant, but it was clear the weather forecasters didn't know what that meant either. A prediction of scattered showers wasn't going to keep us off the road.Prior to heading out, we visited the Frederick Harley Davidson dealer. We often visit Harley Dealers to purchase our traditional t-shirt. Each shirt is unique and contains the dealer's "signature" picture. I am at a point where I can't not image owning another t-shirt so I have taken to purchasing the dealer's pin which also features the custom picture. But this trip was for more than the traditional T-shirt or pin; I needed to get my front fender light put back on my fender. Prior to leaving the house yesterday we discovered that the fender light had come off. We disconnected the light from the wiring and taped the wire to keep it from getting wet. However, driving without all possible lights just doesn't feel safe. We all figured it was a 10 minute job, so we thought that stopping at the dealer was a good idea. The dealer took it in, told us it would be an hour, and twenty minutes later it was fixed and ready to go. Of course, that was enough time for us to buy t-shirts and my pin.

So, we were good to go and headed out to find our next Days Inn in Waldorf, Md. Within an hour of leaving Frederick we were in Waldorf. The traffic in the Washington D.C. area is dense. Compared to what we all are use to on a daily basis, the traffic is a challenge. With a little help from my GPS we found our hotel, tucked off the main road. We checked in and met up to take our first ride to the Mall and see the monuments, most important - the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.

Washington D.C. was about a 15 mile ride from our hotel. Riding into the D.C. for
the first time was special for me. I've flown into Reagan National Airport so many times and each time I enjoyed looking out the window to see
the Washington Monument. However, riding into D.C. on a motorcycle and catching a glimpse of the Washington Monument and the Capitol for the first time was even more special and moving. I feeling a patriotism and love for coun
try was very present. But also a pride. There is a feeling of "freedom" that comes with riding a motorcycle. There
is a connection to my surroundings that I don't get when I am in my car. When I am on my bike I feel like I am riding within the area as when I'm in my car where the car keeps me disconnected to the area. As one bumper sticker says, "If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand". It defies understanding unless you have experienced it.

Getting from 395 to the mall was a bit more challenging that I expected. Several roads were blocked off for construction and other blocked off in preparation for the Memorial D
ay weekend events. We followed our leader into Dupont Circle. At that point we traveled down Embassy Row. Eventually we found a gas station and pulled up on the sidewalk to compare notes. At that point
I volunteered to lead. I have traveled enough to D.C. to be familiar with the city; and a bit dangerous when it comes to navigating the area. I explained to the group that I'd get them there, but that it wouldn't be the most direct route. I knew that I would be taking them to 3rd street and K and then finding Massachusetts and Constitution Avenue from there. I didn't tell them my plan. So, in the first round-about I lost two of our riders who couldn't get through the light. Remember my blog entry from May 27th about trusting and knowing your leader? Well, I don't usually lead AND running lights in D.C. is a bit more dangerous than in other cities. Two of us kept going. At the next light we agreed to get to the Vietnam Memorial and then we would call the others and help them find us.

We finally got to Constitution and 21st street. Stopped the bike. Got out the phone and there was a text from our
riding buddies. They were at the Smithsonian Castle. Well, getting them to us proved to be a bit m
ore challenging then I expected. First, I had to orient them t
o where they were in proximity to us. Trying to get them to face the Lincoln Memorial and explain to them to head toward that wasn't as easy as I expected. With some persistence we hung up. I was m
ildly optimistic that they would find us and in 10 minutes we saw our riding buddies cruising up Constitution Avenue. With some fancy flagging and waving moves they saw us, made a u-turn and were backing their bikes into a parking spot close by. Finally we were together by the Memorial!

From there we reviewed how we got separated and what we would do in the future. We got much better at trying to communicate a meeting point should we ever get separated.
Each ride we learn something about each other and what to do on our trip. Each tip, each lesson is valuable for making the rides more enjoyable and more important, s
afer!

We took a walk to the Memorial. It was Friday and people were already gathering at the Memorial. Flowers, gifts, notes, and other memorabilia lined the wall. People were rubbing names and taking pictures. Several wreaths were already placed a
t the base of the Memo
rial. While there were hundreds of people, there was silence. The silence was so respectful. It was a very moving first visit to the Memorial. All of us had been to the Memorial before and w
e each commented later that every visit is emotional and special, but no two visits have eve
r been the same.

We walked around and looked at the thousands of bikes th
at were already gathering around the Mall area. We often look for cool additions or paint jobs on bikes. It is fun to look and people watch. Motorcyclists are very friendly people. Everywhere we went we talked. While on our walk, a reporter from TV 7 stopped one of our group. She happened to be a veteran. The reporter asked her several questions about President Obama's absence from Washington D.C. during this Memorial Day weekend. After
she answered h
is questions, he asked her if she would be willing to be interviewed for a story. She did the interview. Later that night, back in our hotel room we were able to watch our friend on TV. You can check out the story by clicking on this TV7 link.

After the interview we headed back to the hotel and dinner. On the way it began to rain. The first rain of the day after scattered showers were predicted. At first the rain was slight, then it stopped, then it began to rain hard for 2 to 3 minutes. After that the rain was light, but steady. We didn't have an opportunity to put on our rain gear as we had just entered the expressway. Once off the expressway we pulled off into a gas station, got gas and put on our rain suits. I skipped the rain suite; I was already drenched. I was happy it was still a warm night and the rain was annoying. I haven't ridden much at night. Nor have I ridden much in the rain. So, here I was; in busy D.C. driving at night in the rain. I was quite nervous. However, the ride back to the hotel was enjoyable. However, I was never so thankful to be at the hotel then when we pulled in that night. We agreed to dry off, change, and get dinner. We soon discovered nothing was open. So we ordered pizza, wings and pasta and watched our friend's interview on TV.

A GREAT first day in D.C.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

First Trip: Washington D.C. & Rolling Thunder


Thursday, May 27, 2010: We began our adventure at 8:00 a.m. today. We are riding from Toledo to Washington D.C. to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and participate in "Rolling Thunder". It is also known as the "First Amendment Demonstration Run". According to the Rolling Thunder web site, "The major function of Rolling Thunder®, Inc. is to publicize POW-MIA issues: To educate the public that many American prisoners of war were left behind after all previous wars and to help correct the past and to protect future veterans from being left behind should they become prisoners of war-missing in action." For me, the purpose of going to DC for the Rolling Thunder event was to reflect upon a week I spent in DC in 2002, hosted by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, learning about the Vietnam war and the memorial. The event was entitled the "Teach Vietnam Teacher's Network". During that amazing week, I came to understand the bitter divide our nation experienced during the Vietnam War. That divide affected the veterans who returned home and the families of those who did not return home. I came to remember those who gave so much and to say thank you and welcome home to those who gave and returned.

Rolling Thunder has grown into a major annual event. It first began in 1987 with a few riders wanting to bring their concerns over the POW issues to the attention of lawmakers in Washington D.C. These individuals with a few of their friends rode into D.C. on Memorial Weekend. Each year the number of riders increased. In 1995 Rolling Thunder incorporated and the event of formalized.

We began the trip with a short ride to a meeting point where we were joined by two other bikes and three people. We jumped on the Ohio turnpike and headed east toward Pen
nsylvania. The weather was hot for May. It was a great day to ride. We spent the day making good time through Ohio and Pennsylvania. Our stops included gas and a lunch stop on the turnpike. We were focused on getting to our Fredrick, Maryland destination so we could make the most of our DC visit beginning on Friday. As riders, we have rode through the Blue Ridge Parkway a coup
le of summers ago. That time together helped us know how each other rides and made it easy to follow each other. Trust and confidence in your lead rider is so important. You have to have a little bit of familiarity with each other's riding style for those times when the three-way light turns yellow at an inopportune time. If you are following the leader, you can't be wondering if the person is going through the light or not because once you are committed to going forward or stopping there is not much of a SAFE opportunity to change your mind.

The traffic on Thursday seemed "normal". We saw a number of motorcycles heading east like us. Rolling Thunder pulls riders from all across the United States. I wasn't sure if the traffic would be heavy or not this Memorial Day. This Thursday it was not heavy. There is little to talk about on our ride to Fredrick, Md. The only real laugh we all had was our astonishment at the high tolls on the Pennsylvania turnpike. There were also a number of stretches along the PA Pike under construction - so it was hard to imagine that we PAID to ride on that road. Then again, they pr
obably needed the money to pay for the road work.

We arrived in Frederick, Md. and checked into our Days Inn. After 425 miles on the road a hot shower, a good meal and a great night sleep is much needed. We found each in Frederick. After dinner at the "Waffle
House" we hung outside our rooms and shared stories of our past year. Our jobs keep us busy and we often do not get a chance to visit during the winter months, so this trip is a great way to renew our friendships. As the stories slowed, we turned
to talking about the day ahead. We were all looking forward to our short (45 mile) journey into Waldorf, Md. tomorrow and then our first visit to the Mall and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.