Colorado USA
Woo Hoo! What a day! Of course, we started the day with the POW-MIA recognition ride. We rolled away from our cozy motel just before 7 am under bright blue skies with the temperature hovering just over 50 degrees. We could tell it was going to be a beautiful day. We had rain overnight and we could see where the road [Hwy 24] had been cleaned of a couple of minor mud slides in Waldo Canyon area.
a.jpg)
Finally, we got the call to mount up and roll toward Cripple Creek. Hundreds of bikes were still in line for registration. Bikes stretched out for miles in front of and behind us. The weather was perfect, the road and the scenery as beautiful as ever. Flag waving crowds lined the side of the road. It is a one of a kind experience - this ride. A patriotic proud-to-be-an-American biker experience.
Slide show of the POW-MIA Ride (120 photos):
a.jpg)
Slide show of riders still rolling in after we have parked and walked up the street (20 photos):
Soon we were strolling to the tiny park where the ceremonies are held every year. We listened to the excellent patriotic program mc'd by Jim Wear (promoter of the event). There is always music and testimony and stories of American heroism. There are flags snapping in the breeze and we were happy to see Bady the three legged Soldier Dog again. Bady is a military patrol dog who lost a leg in the service of our country and credited with saving over 100 US Soldiers. At the 2011 rally, we were honored to see Bady awarded with a US Army Honorary Combat Badge.
And then there are the flyovers. I love the planes zooming out of nowhere overhead. They are tricky to catch but I give it an effort every year.
Slide show of the flyovers (41 photos):
We had catfish, twisted taters and lemonade for lunch before shopping the vendor booths. We strolled the streets looking at bikes and bikers and veterans. Tim signed the Veteran's wall for himself. I signed for Dad. We met an 85 year old biker/veteran who had ridden in the POW-MIA ride that morning and enjoyed a chat with him. He told us he had wrecked the BMW he was riding only the year before and got pretty bunged up when a texter teen ran a stop sign and almost did them both [him and his bike] in. He said he put himself back together and then had the bike put back together and was keeping on - keeping on. He flirted a kiss on the cheek out of me and then sprinted off down the street before my feller caught up with him. Ha!
We spent sometime looking at war memorabilia in the Hall of Heroes upstairs at the Big Jim Saloon.
Slide show of the Rally (111 photos):
Thunder and clouds put a good many of us in mind to get on down the mountain. We rode part of the way in a nasty little rain shower with intermittent pea-size hail. We didn't stop to suit up as some did. The skies finally cleared, and we dried out as we rode along. The rest of the ride back to the motel went well.
It was about 5 pm when we decided to walk the short distance to a little dive we know called Mo's Diner. It's nothing fancy but the burgers are good and the beer is cold. The waitress brought us a sample of the green chili the diner is known to serve on their breakfast burritos. It was awesome. We had not been in the diner long, before a couple of trikes rolled up out front. We chatted at length with the two couples. The guys were Vietnam Veterans/ALR Riders from Kansas if I remember correctly. We love the stories and one of them had plenty to tell.
After wishing the old vets happy trails and safe travel home, we kicked back with a couple of beers in front of our room at the motel and chatted with some of the other guests until well after dark.
Today's ride = 87.1 miles
Yawn!
Salute to American Veterans Rally Information for 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment
Ride safe. Ride free. Thanks for visiting Our Harley Days. Your feedback is appreciated. -V- P.S. All comments are moderated - spammers get your jollies elsewhere.