Loveland, CO
The Rally
Labor Day Weekend was a busy one for us... mostly about motorcycles.
Saturday morning after a good breakfast at the Village Inn in Fort Collins we drove to the Budweiser Event Center (aka The Ranch) in Loveland, Colorado for the Thunder in the Rockies Motorcycle Rally.
We were there before the gates officially opened so we wandered through the Harley-Davidson Demo Bikes and watched a huge variety of bikes pulling into the parking lot. We received our first rally pins from HOG at the pin stop tent. They are really nice. The bike show was right inside the gate so we wandered though it and took a few pics... those pics are in another post.
Saturday was Military Day at the rally. As sky divers circled lazily in a clear blue sky, we watched about a dozen or more new Army recruits, and an ROTC group line up along with a Patriot Guard flag line to welcome at least another dozen or more Marine recruits (coming in on a bus) with a Patriot Guard and Fire Engine escort. Lots of other military and otherwise patriotic people, and a local high school band were on hand as well to witness the arrival of the recruits in a bus that drove through the gates down a flag-lined path to a stage where later, we witnessed a mass swearing in of the recruits.
We watched a talented youth MIME group on stage perform a couple of patriotic skits and listened to a choir group sing patriotic songs.
There was a live television feed to soldiers in Iraq who watched the ceremonies and later got to talk to family, friends and well-wishers.
Then we got to see a WWII Navajo Code Talker, Marine Sgt. Allen Dale June and his wife. His wife told the story of how June became a code talker, enlisting when he was only 16 by lying about his age. He is the only code talker among the Navajos to become a sergeant.
Military and rent-a-ride helicopters buzzed the crowd from time-to-time.
We got to see the Balls of Steel Stunt Show, young bikers in some amazing stunts, including Cody Ives. Cody holds a record in the Guinness Book of world records for the youngest rider in the Globe of Death. http://www.codyives.com/
And we roamed through the vendor booths, shopping for leathers (found a jacket), toy haulers, and we finally got to see a Harley-Davidson trike (tri-glide) conversion up close. Oh me... I love them!
We listened to local bands play classic rock tunes, had lemonade and just generally enjoyed the warm Colorado day and the whole rally experience. It was our first.
When we left there were thousands of bikes in the parking lot and more gliding in. Tim estimates about 4000-5000 bikes were on site when we left late in the afternoon.
The unofficial attendance tally - 40,000 to 50,000.
See other posts for more pics of the Rally
We listened to local bands play classic rock tunes, had lemonade and just generally enjoyed the warm Colorado day and the whole rally experience. It was our first.
When we left there were thousands of bikes in the parking lot and more gliding in. Tim estimates about 4000-5000 bikes were on site when we left late in the afternoon.
The unofficial attendance tally - 40,000 to 50,000.
See other posts for more pics of the Rally
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