Road Trip #3 - Texas HOG Rally - Day 4 - PGR Mission and more Rally fun

September 4, 2010
Colorado, USA

Wichita Falls, TX -- Yawn! We got in late from Casino Night which is the way it should be - right? No one wants to say I went to the casino last night and was home and in bed by 8:00... We don't have to worry about that - I think it was nearly 1 am before my head hit the pillow.

Today we rose early to join Dad and other North Texas Patriot Guard Riders for a Mission. The mission was for the funeral of Sgt Raymond Walker of Nocona. US Army/Vietnam Veteran (Hamburger Hill). Walker, a well respected businessman in the area was killed in a head on motorcycle/SUV collision in Oregon in August.

Several new riders joined our group this morning, among them members of the Shockers RC. Young people, all of them now proud Patriot Guard Riders. They rode well, were respectful and very helpful. It is a great thing to see young people involved with an organization like the PGR. On the way, vehicles pulled over to let us pass and on-coming riders and drivers saluted as we passed. That's Texas for ya. A good many PGR from the surrounding area were already present and parked north of the church. Over 70 people stood the flag line in front of the First Baptist Church in Nocona. The services were packed and overflowed into standing room only in the gymnasium. Several people walked the flag line and thanked us for our presence. Not a one among us questioned for even a single moment why we were there...

We did not participate in the graveside services part of the mission. Over 50 stood the flag line at the cemetery. Dad cut his participation short so we could enjoy the last day of the rally. Dad, Tim and myself along with Charlie rode back to Wichita Falls, stopping at the DQ in Nocona first -- where else?

PGR Mission slide show (34 photos) several photos compliments of Kirby Pacheco:

After a great lunch which Mom had on the table when we rode in, Tim and I rode to the rally and watched a couple of biker games. We got to see the panty race (funny) and the Slow Ride. I have video of the two best slow riders - stay tuned for that upload. Afterwards we moseyed inside, admiring the ride in bike show entrants along the way. One of those entrants was Gary Fortner's patriotic bike. We shopped and visited with friends Ray and Laura. We learned my brother rode in the downtown motorcycle parade that morning. The parade was led by our friend Joe Vacarella, with friend Gary Fortner following right behind. Later, we rode with Laura and Tex to Red River H-D so they could pick up their historical marker pins.

The Folks called while we were at RRHD. They were at the rally. So we all rode back there one more time. We shopped and visited more, picking up those last few items we needed to carry home with us. We decided to visit with the Folks that evening rather than attend the Lone Star concert.

Nezzie & Ted (Mom and Dad) goofing off at the Jalapeno Tree

After an excellent dinner at The Jalapeno Tree, shared with Mom and Dad, Ray and Laura, we spent the evening visiting with the Folks.

Slide show (11 photos):

We called it an early night, all of us having trouble keeping our eyes open long enough to watch the 10:00 news. The Texas State HOG Rally is over. We've had a good time. Now we have some family stuff to do so stay tuned...

Road Trip #3 - Texas HOG Rally - Day 3 - Historical Ride and Casino Night

September 3, 2010
Colorado, USA

Wichita Falls, TX -- Dad was assigned to work at the rally this morning registering people for the dart run (a PC name for poker run), so we followed him in and spent some time wandering around at the rally and visiting. My brother wandered in not long after and later Mom joined us.

When Dad got loose, we rode with him and my brother (Teddy) on a Texas Historical Marker Pin Run sponsored by Red River Harley-Davidson. That was fun. Dad led us through the boonies in and around Wichita Falls, TX through small towns and communities to markers located near Burkburnett, Kadane Corner, Mankins, Henrietta and Petrolia. Red River required answers to five questions that would be answered from the information obtained from the markers. They awarded really nice historical marker pins to the first 500 people to turn in the correct answers. These were fairly obscure markers, containing information about places and people and times I had never heard about. We loved it. It was fun to ride with both Dad and my brother on Texas roads, portions of which Tim and I could not remember ever traveling. Of course, the ride included an extra stop (let's call it a Ted-Stop) at the DQ (Dairy Queen) in Holliday. What decent ride in North Texas would not include a stop at the DQ?


The three T's ready for a ride... Teddy, Ted and Tim

We ran into David and Tate (cousins) at the courthouse in Henrietta where one of the markers was located. They had spotted Dad on his ride waiting for us to get the info from the marker. We visited for a few minutes, but soon we were off to the last marker near Petrolia. We followed Dad's lead, rolling up the pavement back to Red River Harley-Davidson where we collected our pins from Ed at the parts counter.

We had just enough time to ride in, clean up and head out to Kiowa Casino in Oklahoma for Casino Night. We spent most of our time there in line to register for the free $10 play card, bike give-away and free buffet supper. The casino was not prepared for the number of bikers that showed up. I believe they said over 1300 HOG members registered for the free bike give-away. We arrived just before 6 pm. We did not get seated for supper until after 10 pm. The buffet was good or at least I think it was. It sort of reminded me of something I usually say when a meal doesn't get to the table on time at my house - if you keep 'em waiting long enough - they will eat anything. Ha!

After supper, we hung out with friends Tex and Laura and visited with other friends. The casino extended the drawing for the free bike from 10 pm to 12 pm. Many of us a lingered. One woman did not and missed her chance for the free 2010 Harley-Davidson Sportster. The second name called belong to a man who could not believe his good fortune! Neither could we as we all thought ours was the winning ticket.

Oh and I gambled for the first time ever. Laura instructed me and Mom how to use the $10 play card in the penny machine. I played my card and doubled my money and some. I played Tim's card up and then down to just under what he started with. Mom and I both walked out with a little something extra in our pockets feeling fairly pleased with ourselves. That was fun and we told Laura we might just try that again sometime. I believe Dad said he thought we had been properly corrupted.. smiling all the while.

Here's a slide show of today's activities (77 photos):

Veterans Rally Article 2010

Veterans Rally Returns To Cripple Creek
Submitted by theboss on Fri, 09/03/2010 - 11:56am. Features

By Tim Anderson

Who says you can’t go home again?

After a three-year hiatus, Colorado’s 18th Annual Salute to American Veterans returned to Cripple Creek in force.

Some 35,000 people—most of them riding motorcycles—swarmed the small valley that is home to the historic gold camp. It was a homecoming.

There was a familiar feeling riding up highway 67 towards Cripple Creek. The soothing rumble of motorcycles bounced off the hillsides, warm sunshine bathed everything, and the occasional mine remnant peeked through the aspens. What were not familiar, was the groups of people all along highway 67. They waved and cheered the hundreds--thousands—of bikers, as they roared past. Closer to town, a couple sat on the side of the road, strategically perched in a curve, holding a big home made sign that read, “WELCOME BACK.”

Then, cresting the hill above the old mining camp, and rolling down the hill towards town, it hits: this does feel like home.

Cripple Creek sat at the bottom of the hill, arms open, welcoming back the bike rally that had made its home there for so long.

“I can’t begin to tell you how happy we are to be back in Cripple Creek,” said event organizer Jim Wear of Pro Promotions. “It felt like coming home. This is something that was meant to be.”

Once, Cripple Creek was the richest town in the west. On August 20th, 21st, and 22nd, it was again. The riches were not minerals, measured in weight and carat, but were hospitality and goodwill, measured in genuineness and gratitude.

“I don’t know why they ever left Cripple Creek and went to Winter Park,” said Al Mulvane, a navy Vet who served in Vietnam. “This has always been a great place to come. There’s something honest about it (Cripple Creek). Hopefully, they’ve got all their problems worked out and we can just come back up here every year. Winter Park was OK, but we need to be in Cripple Creek.”

The Salute to American Veterans Rally was held in Cripple Creek for many years, until 2007, when difficulties between the then mayor, mayor pro-tem and the event organizers resulted in a three-year move to Winter Park.

“Looking at it now, after we’ve come back to Cripple Creek, going to Winter Park and coming back now might be the best thing that could have happened for the rally,” Wear explained. “The way it’s all worked out, we’re much more comfortable and enthused about Cripple Creek than we’ve ever been. There was a genuine spirit of cooperation this year. We all were working to accomplish the same thing.”

“We are very excited to have the rally come back,” said Cripple Creek City Administrator Ray White. “It was a great success. We’ve had lots of positive feedback, and all the events were first rate.”

White said the community wanted the rally back.

“We’ve hosted the rally for so long we felt like we had some ownership,” White said. “We’re happy to have it back. It’s a good fit, really. When all those bikes came rolling into town it was like seeing family you haven’t seen for a long time. And then, we were able to have a great, safe event.”

It was a great event. While the mining camp quickly filled up with bikes and bikers and veterans of every sort, another gathering was taking place 37 miles away in Woodland Park. There, at least 5000 bikes staged for the 23rd Annual POW/MIA Remembrance Ride.

“This is friggin’ awesome!” exclaimed Mary Beth Lewis of Aurora. “How cool is this? All these bikes, and all these people, here to pay tribute to all our veterans and prisoners of war…. This is just cool, man!”

Lewis served four years in the Air Force before marrying her husband of 23 years, Mike, a now-retired Army sergeant first class.

The police-escorted ride followed Highway 24 and Colorado 67 to Cripple Creek, before descending into town, leaving no doubt this is a veteran’s event…and a bike event. The Colorado State Patrol measured the ride this year at eleven miles of bikes, riding two abreast, in tight formation. By any measure, that’s a lot of motorcycles.

While the POW/MIA Ride was snaking towards Cripple Creek, the traditional parade made its way down the main drag. Several thousand people lined Bennett Avenue for the parade, which featured former WW II Prisoners Of War, visiting dignitaries, active duty military personnel, the Fort Carson Mounted Honor Guard, and bits of Cripple Creek’s colorful history, among other attractions.

At the end of the parade, the POW/MIA Ride fell into line, setting off a loud, thundering, and crowd-pleasing announcement of arrival home.

“There were people lined up five or six deep all the way down the street to get a look at the ride coming in,” said White. “It was really something else.”

“We had bikes coming in for a full 40 minutes,” said Wear. “It seemed like forever. I don’t know where they all parked, but there were a lot of ‘em.”

The lengthy parade of bikes delayed the ceremony in City Park by a few minutes. The ceremony featured an escort by the US NORAD/NORTHCOM Joint Color Guard, a Marine rifle escort, the POW/MIA Remembrance Ceremony, the recognition of the original Patriot Guard Riders from Kansas, recognition of POWs from WWII, and Korea, an address by Fort Carson Chief of Staff Colonel Lee Fetterman, and the recognition of four Wounded Warriors from A Company, 4th Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, from Fort Carson. All four were wounded in Afghanistan.

“I’ve got to tell you,” said Colonel Fetterman, “I’ve been to several events like this, and this is the best executed event of this size I’ve ever been to.”

As the city park ceremony continued, a bright red MIG-17, owned and piloted by 83-year-old Air Force Vet Jack Wilhite, made a couple passes overhead, throwing in a barrel roll while trailing smoke as he left. Another aircraft owned by Wilhite, a WWII era Navy T-6 Warbird, lingered overhead in perfect blue skies.

When the ceremony wrapped up, everyone drifted off to different parts of town, pursuing whatever interested them. It also meant a little bit of partying was going to get started.

About seven miles away, over in Victor, a gold town that once surpassed Cripple Creek in both riches and population, there was a slightly more somber tone out in the Gold Bowl--the town athletic field. There, the city allowed the Traveling Vietnam Memorial to be set up, creating a different mood...one slightly different from what was taking hold in Cripple Creek. The wall was nestled in against a hillside, keeping the low profile that makes the memorial in Washington DC so unique and powerful.

Just the presence of the replica wall drew those making their private pilgrimage, and others who came out of curiosity, or for, unknowingly, an education.

Retired CW4 Russell Stott came to visit the wall from Colorado Springs. He is a three-tour Vietnam vet, now retired after a career in the Army. His visit to the wall was personal, and private. He piloted choppers, and was shot down three times. It is hard to imagine the feelings he dealt with at The Wall. While he didn’t talk about his personal feelings, he did like that the wall was in the Victor Gold Bowl.

“This is nice,” he said. Bringing it close to a lot of people is good.”

Another visitor, an older middle-aged man wearing a leather vest and bandanna, stood a few feet away from the wall, staring intently. Robert Jackson stood there for more than half an hour, staring at his brother’s name.

“He was drafted, and I volunteered about 18 months later,” Jackson said, choking through tears. “My big brother died while I was in boot camp. It still tears me up.”

Not all stories at the wall were so heart-rending though. In a surprising story, Cecilia Eastman left an upbeat handwritten note for her friend Orval Baldwin. The note explained that a church had been built in his name in his Wisconsin hometown.

“I wanted to let Orval know that good things were happening here,” Eastman explained. “It still makes me sad that his name is on The Wall, but I think maybe I’ve made peace with it, and I want him to know that things are OK.”

Perhaps one of the most curious events at The Wall occurred when a group of high school girls—local cheerleaders who’d been practicing—were trying to take in the memorial. As it was explained to them the more than 58,000 names were the men and women who died in Vietnam, a war they have no recollection of, and many of the visitors that day had fought there, they all fell silent, and even looked a little scared. One girl, who appeared to truly absorb the full impact of what she was seeing, had a look of shock ad horror on her face as she whispered to her friend, making the comparison to the 5700-plus gold dog tags marking the KIA’s in the Global War On Terror that were displayed on the other side of the field. They whispered to each other about how many of these fallen soldiers were not much older than they are. Sobered, they walked off the field.

The Wall continued drawing visitors as the sun moved to the western horizon, even as the nightlife in Victor, which is considerable, began to stir.

Back in Cripple Creek, with the sun setting in a perfect Colorado sky, the party kicked into high gear, as vets, soldiers, bikers, and everyone else, enjoyed the welcoming hospitality and happy atmosphere. It was going to be a good night in the mountains.

“I don’t know how things could have gone any better,” Wear said. “From our standpoint it was a rousing success. No serious police action, things went as planned, a good crowd, only one accident, and everyone seemed real happy to be there. It really is good to be back in Cripple Creek.”

White echoed that sentiment.

I’m not sure things could have gone any more smoothly,” he said. There were no real problems, everyone was enjoying themselves, and all of us—city government, residents, businesses—were real happy to have everyone here.”

And everyone seemed happy to be in Cripple Creek. After all, there’s no place like home.

Southwest Scooter News http://www.scooternews.net/node/2902 (dead link)

Road Trip #3 - Texas HOG Rally - Day 2 - Checking in at the rally

September 2, 2010
Colorado, USA

Wichita Falls, TX -- So much for a good night's rest at our scuzzy motel in Memphis, TX. Well, Tim rested - he can sleep through anything. The trains (tracks were just across the highway) were on an hourly schedule throughout the night. They came through at the 24th minute of the hour, except for the 3:24 am train which ran two minutes late. Tsk. Tsk. At 5:24 two trains came through as we were getting ready to ride out. Their loud and boisterous greeting to each other was enough to wake the dead and every baby in six counties. I cannot imagine how anyone gets any sleep in that town.

After last nights rain, the morning was warm and muggy. The rain stopped sometime around midnight I think. We stopped for gas and a $1 menu breakfast at McDonald's in Childress, TX before riding on to Wichita Falls, TX arriving in plenty of time to wash the bike, grab a shower and some lunch. It was great to see the Folks! Registration check in at the rally was at 1 pm. We were there shortly after that. It was very warm and I noticed as we rode up to the MPEC (the rally site) that bikes were scattered helter-skelter throughout the parking lot under whatever shade tree was available. A steady stream of people filed in all afternoon and sales appeared to be brisk for the extremely limited quantities of rally merchandise. We said hello to friends Joe at the registration desk, Charlie and Brenda at the no-one-but-HOG-members-beyond-this-point desk, ran into Greg Burt and his wife, Nubbin, Tex, Laura and a few others.

We spent some time at the rally, visiting with people we knew, standing in line at the Red River H-D booth to buy a couple of t-shirts, roaming through the vendor booths and looking at motorcycles. It was a decent selection of vendors, most offering motorcycle related items including pins and patches, hats, shirts and leather goods, pin-striping and more. We went to dinner with the Folks at Pioneer (P3) where Dad treated us to Famous Enchiladas. Yum! Afterwards we rode over to Red River H-D to attend the welcome party. Lots of riders were already there and the line was long for the BBQ/Burger feed. It was HOT! We were glad we had stopped elsewhere for dinner.


Dad arriving RRHD Welcome Party - Texas State HOG Rally 2010

Ran into friend John at the welcome party at RRHD. John generously shares photos of the Folks when he catches them out and about and writes an excellent motorcycle blog called North Texas Bikers. You'll find lots more rally photos over there.

When I found out Malford Milligan was performing at Red RIver H-D a few weeks ago, we adjusted our ride in by a day so we could catch his concert. Malford is a homegrown Texas bluesy/jazzy/southern rock singer who has fronted or helped form many bands including Storyville. Tim purchased the CD available on site for little ol' me... An Evening With the Songs of Stephen Bruton (1948-2009). It's a good one. The Folks left early, because an ornery looking cloud was approaching quickly. We stayed for most of the concert. I enjoyed every minute of it. Friends Tex, Laura, Gary and Jean Ann hung around, too.

Photo on right - Malford Milligan concert - RRHD - that's me in the black H-D t-shirt in the middle, Tex (in white) and Laura (in orange) on either side, Gary and Jean Ann in the background

I think Malford had about fifteen minutes left when the cloud turned black on top of us. We all got the heck out of there. The Folks said they were worried we would not make it in. Rightfully so. About half an hour after we tucked The Ride in next to Dad's Ride for the night, that nasty little storm came through. We didn't get the lightning out of it that Oklahoma got, or the hail that other parts of town got, high winds and rain was enough.

We were up late visiting. Did I mention? It is great to see the Folks!
Tim - The Folks and Me - RRHD - Texas State HOG Rally - photo compliments of John Bailey

Here is the slide show for today (36 photos):

And a few photos of the Malford Milligan Concert - close-ups compliments of Tim (11 photos):

Here's a link to a video clip - if you watch it to the end you'll see me and Tim ride off with a wave... ha! http://www.timesrecordnews.com/videos/detail/hog-state-motorcycle-rally/

Road Trip #3 - Texas HOG Rally - Day 1 - The road to Texas

September 1, 2010
Colorado, USA

Memphis, TX -- In for the night after a good day of riding...

We rolled out of Fort Collins about 4:30 this morning, maybe a few minutes before that. It was dark and chilly. The odometer read 11,256. The temperature was in the low 50s. We got through Denver and then Colorado Springs with no problem. Despite the sun, it was cold in the valleys on both sides of Monument Hill and riding through the Springs. First stop was for breakfast and plenty of coffee at the Southwest Grill in Pueblo. After refueling ourselves and The Ride we rode on through Trinidad where bridge construction is still on-going and up beautiful Raton Pass. I called The folks from the McDonald's (coffee break) in Raton to let them know the ride was going well and we were making good time. Mom said it was hot in Texas already. We rode out from Raton in leathers.

The ride across New Mexico went by without incident. By the time we reached Clayton, NM, the day had warmed considerably and we were ready to peel out of our jackets. I came out of my chaps and put on my half chaps. We had clear skies and lots of sunshine as we rolled through Texline, TX. We stopped for gas and our first taste of BlueBell ice cream in Dalhart, TX.

We noticed a few clouds building on the horizon just past Dumas. The clouds started looking like storms as we rode through Amarillo. It was about 3:30 pm. We ran into rain around Clarendon, TX and sheltered in a car wash there, watching a nasty little wall cloud develop and listened to the weather band radio. Not good. We decided to see if we could make it through a slight break in the clouds. At this point in time we had Childress, TX in mind where we knew there were decent motels and catfish. We got as far as Memphis, TX when we ran into harder rain and hail. We are spending the night in Memphis at a scuzzy little motel (the choice here is scuzzy and scuzzier). We are one of two tenants for the night. Supper was a sandwich at a Subway attached to a convenience store where we sheltered from the rain for a while hoping for a break.

After speaking with the Folks who told us about a line of storms between us and them, we have called it a day. No WIFI. And, I did not pack a book or magazine for this trip. Guess we will watch reruns on TV. It is still raining. Some of our clothing is damp, the leathers (which are hanging all over the room) are drenched.

If not for the rain and hail, we would have made the ride of 750 miles between Fort Collins, CO and Wichita Falls, TX easily. Good to know.

Tomorrow is the first day of the Texas State HOG Rally... we are looking forward to it.

Here are a few pics from the day's ride (26 photos):

Veterans Rally Article 2010

Just sharing...

They are not forgotten: Annual ride honors military, remembers

by Jeanne Mazerall

Published: August 27th, 2010

Story and photos (see link) by Spc. Andrew Ingram
4th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office
CRIPPLE CREEK - A wall of sound blasted down the main street of Cripple Creek. The ground trembled. The waiting masses saw the first hogs pulling into town.

The riders wore leather, black with chains - hard-looking men with scruffy beards and women with tattoos.

As they approached, the crowd cheered, making way for the riders as they passed through town and under the huge American flag that hung at the end of Bennett Avenue.

Approximately 5,000 motorcycle enthusiast from across the United States came together to pay tribute to the military and honor our country’s

servicemembers, missing in action or held captive, during the 18th annual Salute to American Veterans Rally and Festival at Cripple Creek, last weekend.

Before the riders arrived, the citizens of Cripple Creek began the festivities early, putting on their own remembrance parade, showing their support to the country’s veterans.

The Fort Carson Mounted Color Guard, Ivy Division Band, and Soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division led Cripple Creek organizations and community members down Bennett Avenue.

Bill Martin, one of the event organizers, explained the town of Cripple Creek hosts the event every year because its citizens believe it is their duty to support the troops.

“This is our salute to the veterans,” Martin said. “It is our way of saying thank you.”

Pat Martin, marketing and events coordinator for Cripple Creek, said he is proud of his town’s patriotism and involvement with veterans.

“We try to do what we can as a community for the military,” Martin said. “We want to make sure past and present veterans are being honored.”

Shortly after the parade concluded Saturday the motorcycles began to arrive.

Beginning in Woodland Park, the procession of motorcyclists stretched for more than nine miles.

Steve Dupont, a disabled Operation Desert Storm veteran who took part in the ride, stressed the importance of showing this generation of veterans support for their bravery and sacrifices.

“We go on these rides to show pride in our country and our military,” Dupont said. “I try to go to as many I can. I want these servicemen and women to know they are not forgotten.”

Following the ride, a memorial and remembrance ceremony was held to honor veterans both old and new, especially those missing in action or who remained steadfast while the prisoner of a hostile power.

Three veterans, former prisoners of war who have made Cripple Creek their home were honored guests at the ceremony.

Col. Lee Fetterman, chief of staff for the 4th Inf. Div. and Fort Carson, who served as the ceremonies keynote speaker, thanked the brave men for their sacrifices and the sacrifices of thousands of other POWs and MIAs from throughout American history.

“All of us are stronger when we have our friends with us,” Fetterman said. “But you suffered alone and we owe you a debt of gratitude for what you have done.”

The Salute to American Veterans Rally-Memorial Wall Dedication was held Sunday at the war memorial at Mt. Pisgah Cemetery in Cripple Creek. The Pikes Peak Region’s Memorial Wall is constructed of Colorado Red granite and other native materials and is open daily. All members of the Armed Forces who were killed in action after Sept. 11, 2001 and were stationed at one of the five area installations, had a home of record in El Paso or Teller County, or were Air Force Academy graduates are listed on the wall. Brig. Gen. James Pasquarette, deputy commanding general for support, 4th Inf. Div. and Fort Carson, and Air Force Col. Tamra Rank, vice superintendent, United States Air Force Academy, spoke to the guests and placed a wreath at the memorial site.

Jim Wear, the event coordinator closed the ceremony by saying he believed it is the duty of citizens to give back to the Soldiers who protect them.

“While the debt of gratitude that we owe to every United States veteran, both living and passed on, can never be repaid,” Wear said. “This gathering is one small effort to show how much we appreciate your sacrifice to our nation, and to our freedom.”

Source: http://csmng.com/blog/2010/08/27/they-are-not-forgotten-annual-ride-honors-military-remembers/

Mini Road Trip - Day 3 - The Wall, Victor CO and one last look at the rally

August 22, 2010
Colorado, USA

Fort Collins, CO -- Another great day! Given the rainy season Colorado has had lately, we are counting our lucky stars that we had three perfect days for the Salute to American Veterans Rally. We could not have asked for better.

After yet another good night's rest at the Mecca Motel, we were ready to get up and get rolling. Getting out of the motel a little later than we normally do, we rode with David and Megan two blocks west to the Manitou Pancake and Steak House where three of us dined on the excellent breakfast buffet. Megan's catfish breakfast looked yummy, but took a good while to prepare. Manitou Pancake and Steak House was neat and clean and busy although we were immediately seated. The decor was cozy, exactly what you would expect for a dining establishment in this part of town. The entire staff (including management) was bustling, wait staff was cheerful and efficient and vacated tables were bussed immediately. The food on the buffet was fresh, hot and tasty. Containers were not allowed to dwindle down to the dregs. The buffet included a fruit bar with a good variety which we enjoyed. We liked this restaurant and will return again.

After breakfast, we topped off our tanks. It was nearly noon before we headed back up to The Wall and Victor, CO. We rode out in light jackets and hoodies, which was a smart move as cloud cover and the shade of the mountain made for a chilly ride in spots. It was a beautiful morning though. Lots of people, vehicles, campers and motorcycles were heading down.

I believe it was near the first 30 mph curve, that we ran upon a person by the side of the road, waving at us to slow down as we passed the scene of a motorcycle accident on a graveled pull-out. It looked like a couple riding two-up on 105th Anniversary touring model H-D had gone down hard. The man was talking to the woman who lay prone, nearly face down and was not moving. We assessed the situation. Several vehicles were pulled over and people were offering assistance as they waited for emergency response vehicles. We rode on, perhaps a bit more carefully and definitely with a keener eye to the road. We hope the riders are OK. I was unable to find a police/state patrol or accident report to confirm it.

A short while later we rode into Victor, CO. David and Megan chose to explore main street while we walked down to visit The Wall. It was quiet when we first arrived. We could not find Gary C Johnston yesterday. We found him this morning first thing and said hello for his brother, our friend Nubbin. We revisited other names on the wall and on The Price of Freedom memorial.

While Tim browsed through the patches and pins near the trailer, I watched as a grandfather, obviously a Veteran, spent some time talking in earnest to his grandson about the wars listed on The Price of Freedom memorial. The youngster looked up and caught my eye. I asked them if I could take their photo. They agreed. I asked the youngster if he was learning about the wars. He nodded in the affirmative but had nothing to say. Bashful I think. The Veteran said it was hard to make the youngster understand. I nodded and said, the important thing is, you are sharing it with him. I looked at the youngster and said Listen well. One of these days you will understand. One of these days you will know that the people listed on these walls and the man standing beside you are heroes and champions of freedom. I thanked the Veteran for his service with a pat on his shoulder and said in a low voice teach him well. We parted ways... both the Vet and I trying to get a grip on our emotions.

Walking back up the hill toward town, we decided to explore downtown some. Victor looks about the same as I remembered it. Most of the buildings are still vacant although some have been remodeled. It is a charming setting... and it is easy to get a sense of the gold rush era history of the place simply by strolling past buildings where weeds have sprung up through the cracks in the sidewalks, where the streets while paved remain dusty, where a glance up reveals casement windows and excessively ornamental architectural features reminiscent of a century and more of days gone by. Many of the buildings are dated 1899/1900 and house a variety of businesses from cafes to bars to antique shops. Many of the brick buildings were built after a devastating fire in August of 1899. David and Megan toured the historic and beautifully restored Victor Hotel and The Lowell Thomas Museum which is still under renovation.

Tim and I went in search of a cup of coffee and then discovered that the Victor Trading Co. was still in business. The last time I visited this store was in the mid-eighties. I remember it because of the broom maker. The brooms are one of a kind and are of the highest quality. Karen and Sam are still in business, still making brooms and apparently doing well.

Karen - Broom Maker - Victor Trading Company

David and Megan had commitments at home this afternoon so about 2 pm, we rode out of Victor and with them as far as the split in the road. They headed down the mountain, we headed up the mountain toward Cripple Creek for a final look at the Salute to American Veterans Rally. At the Cripple Creek overlook, we stopped to admire the view and for a photo op before riding on down into town.

The Ride - Cripple Creek Overlook

Lots of bikes still lined the streets and people were still milling around in the booths and casinos. We thought a good many people were hanging around waiting for the finals of the tattoo competition and for Bronco Billy's to announce the winner of the motorcycle and gift certificates they were giving away.

POW-MIA Sand Sculpture - Cripple Creek, CO

As we slowly made our way down Bennett Ave again, we stopped to admire the sand sculpture which was finally completed and simply amazing. There is always some sort of sand sculpture in Cripple Creek, but I think this one with Uncle Sam is one of the best I've seen. These are sculpted by the artists of Team Sandtastic. We rode under that giant flag at the end of the street one more time. We parked on the back street and walked up and strolled for a little while, just taking in all of it. While we were standing on a high point, we felt a cool breeze kick up and the temperature dropped quickly. The clouds rolling in over the mountains to the west got darker and more solid. We took our time before deciding to point The Ride in the direction of home.

Once down the mountain the view to the north looked like we would ride under partly cloudy skies even if we took the long way home. Turning north on Hwy 67 out of Woodland Park, we traveled the twisting turning road which winds along the Platte River and through the small, historic resort towns of Deckers, Buffalo Creek and Pine Valley. It also winds through the part of the Hayman burn area (the scene of Colorado's largest wildfire in 2002). We stopped at a scenic pullout to shed jackets, stretch our legs and drink some water. We were amused at a couple of other bikers sitting there when we arrived. A light breeze brought us the distinct whiff of some funky tobacco while they tried to dicreetly share a joint. We let them ride on down the mountain a good ways before we followed. The clouds spit on us intermittently during this part of the ride, but otherwise the roads remained dry.

Once on Hwy 285, we were abruptly returned to reality, traveling along at a hectic pace, with most of the rest of the world trying to get back to Denver. As usual, we turned off just west of Denver, near Morrison and followed the back roads home, stopping for an ice cream along the way. We rolled into our driveway about 7:30 pm.

This weekend's trip was 679 miles, putting us over 11,000 miles on our new Ride. We enjoyed the rally, and wandering the streets of Cripple Creek and staying in the Springs but participating in the POW-MIA Recognition Ride was the high point of the weekend. We loved every minute of it and we were proud to show our support for America's Veterans.

Here is today's slide show (95 photos):

Mini Road Trip - Day 2 - POW-MIA Recognition Ride, Veterans Rally & The Wall

August 21, 2010
Colorado, USA

Colorado Springs, CO -- Yesterday was a great day. Today was a fantastic day! After a restful night at our super motel, we rolled out at 7:30 am to travel the few miles between Colorado Springs and Woodland Park where we would register for the 23rd Annual POW-MIA Recognition Ride. We rode in this ride for the first time last year in Winter Park. After a three year absence, the Recognition Ride would return to its roots in Cripple Creek, CO. From the looks of it, we would have perfect riding weather.

When we arrived, over 100 bikes were already in line. That might be a conservative estimate as the Patriot Guard bikes from Kansas and other big flag bikes were parked in another lot. They were packing us in like sardines... We shed our hoodies and pulled on our vests, surveying our surroundings. We spoke with an older Vet who rode in from Michigan. He said his family was worried because he rode off so far with a heart condition. He said he felt great and was having a great time. He looked it. We admired him and said as much. The pancake breakfast line was fairly long so we got in line and chatted with the people around us. We talked with another Vet who was in line for a cup of coffee. He asked if he could cut in front of me. I said for your service to our country sir, I will escort you to the front of the line. He laughed and proceeded to regale us with stories about his glory days in the Navy and talked about his Dad. Tim bought the man a cup of coffee when we finally got to that point. The pancakes were good and fresh off the grill. They served them up with little sausages so we made pancake burritos. YUM!

Shortly afterwards, we were glad we had arrived early. The registration area was congested and backed up for several blocks and continued that way the rest of the morning. The parking lot where we were located filled to overflowing. Registration began advising bikers to just ride on to the rally. We saddled up at 10:15 am, right on schedule. We were rolling just after 10:30, again right on schedule. Still more bikes were rolling in to register as we were rolling out.

Tim - POW-MIA Recognition Ride staging area - Woodland Park, CO -- I could have taken this picture four or five times and not capture the same bike twice over Tim's shoulder

We had a police escort which made getting through town easy. Streets were lined with people cheering and waving flags. We found that to be the case all along the way, where there was a pullout or drive or hillside, people were out to watch us ride by. Patriotism is not dead in the USA - it is alive and well in small town America and roaring in the hearts of thousands of bikers and Veterans all across the land. I have no idea how long the procession was behind us. I never saw the end of it. The procession in front of us stretched out for about a mile, maybe more. We were in about the first 25 percent of riders who had actually gotten registered before the ride commenced. I don't have the numbers yet on the number of registered riders, but it was far more than we saw last year in Winter Park.

POW-MIA Recognition Riders stretched out behind us further than we can see... wow!

The ride up went well. The day had warmed so we rode in shirt sleeves and our vests. I think rolling around the corner into Cripple Creek and seeing the streets lined with bikes and people - lots of people - took us totally by surprise. The crowd was huge and animated. People were screaming - rev 'em up. So, we did. Riding through that patriotic crowd... several of them reaching out to slap an open hand... many of them saluting or standing with hand over heart... and finally rolling under that giant flag at the end of the street is about as proud a moment as we've ever had.

Huge crowd cheers as POW-MIA Recognition Ride arrives at Salute to American Veterans Rally Cripple Creek, CO. The crowd screamed rev 'em up - so we did - grin.

Rolling down the next street, we found still others waving us on. And the bikes just kept coming. We found a spot to park on Myers Ave or what used to be Myers Ave. It is now called Masonic Ave. Our friends David and Megan were somewhere in the crowd we knew so we gave David a call. They were a few blocks back on the same street. We hooked up with them in a matter of minutes. They said the Veterans Parade was great and we are sorry we missed it, especially the fly-overs -- but we would not have missed that ride for anything.

FYI: Not all of the following pics are in focus (they are taken from the back of a motorcycle), but I included them anyway because those people standing on the side of the road cheering us on deserve as much recognition as we riders... they are patriots one-and-all. Here is a slide show of the POW-MIA Recognition Ride (100 photos):

Soon, we were listening to military speeches and patriotic songs and tributes to fallen and wounded soldiers. Members (I think it was 23) of the original group of people who founded The Patriot Guard in Kansas stood the flag line. Several wounded soldiers from Fort Carson were on-hand. Facts about their wounds and heroism were related. They were all Purple Heart recipients.

We found the speech given by retired Army Colonel, Bill McPherson about Huey helicopters really interesting. McPherson is a highly decorated combat veteran having served in Vietnam - both as an Infantry Officer and as a helicopter pilot, flying combat missions in the UH-1 “Huey” Gunship. He said Huey pilots back in the Vietnam era were known as "cowboys" and he related several stories that served to explain how they had acquired that label. He has completely restored a Huey and had it on display. It rolled through the parade that morning. Later in the day, that Huey would lead an honor guard of riders to The Wall in Victor.

I believe it was Pro-Promotions rally coordinator Jim Wear who read aloud a letter from a soldier named Kory who lost friends during the terrorist attack at Fort Hood, Texas November of last year. The soldier told the horrific story of that day from his perspective and then asked if Wear would see that something was done to remember his fallen friends at the rally. Roll call for the fallen soldiers was called including the unborn baby of one. A bell was rung after each name and a dove was released. It was very touching.

Near the end of the patriotic ceremonies, we ambled over to a food vendor and ordered lunch. David and Megan had already had lunch. David said the ribs weren't bad at one of the BBQ vendors. We ordered catfish and twisted potatoes (these were great) and a couple lemonades. After that, we spent the rest of the afternoon roaming up and down the hills of downtown Cripple Creek, wandering through the vendors, peering inside the casinos and generally enjoying the crowd. We purchased ice-cream from a group trying to raise money for something - I don't remember what. We watched an Old West shoot-out. Victorian-era strollers posed for photos. The sand sculptor was still hard at work on the sculpture.

Tim got a handshake and a thank you for your service from a man who passed by while we were sitting on a wall near the sand sculpture resting in the shade. Tim signed the Veterans Wall that will go up in the Motorcycle Museum in Colorado Springs. Since signing by proxy was allowed, I signed the wall for Dad.

Here is the slide show of the Salute to American Veterans Rally (55 photos):

Late in the afternoon, we decided it was time to ride to The Wall. This display was set up in the football field in the nearby town of Victor. We enjoyed the ride over. It has been many years since we visited historic Victor. We had forgotten the great road with the remains of the mining history scattered along the road and on the hillsides. We had forgotten the wonderful architecture of the buildings downtown.

Tim and Vickie at The Wall, Victor CO 2010

We parked in town across from a building whose side was decorated with the names of veterans from the area. It was called the Roll of Honor. Then we walked the short distance down to The Wall. As always, it is a moving sight. This was a first Wall experience for David and Megan and after explaining a couple of things about the displays, we left them on their own to explore it. Tim and I located the dog tag for Gary S Johnston, the son of our friends Nubbin and Angela who fell in Iraq in 2007. We said hello. Gary S is the reason many of us joined The Patriot Guard. We searched for Gary C Johnston on The Wall but we did not find him. I had the dates wrong in my head. We will say hello to Gary C in the morning when we return to The Wall. Gary C is Nubbin's brother who fell in Vietnam in 1970. We found Tex's guys and said hello to them. Tex (PGR buddy) lost many Blue Spader friends in a battle known as the Ambush of Srok Rung in 1967. Having recently read a book called Common Valor by S.T. Simms about the battle and those who fell during it, made finding them to pay our respects important.

While Tim was walking The Wall, he happened to stop near a man who was taking it pretty hard... Tim said the man tried to pull himself together and quietly apologized for losing it. Tim said, don't apologize - those guys you are visiting would be proud to know you remember.

Here is the slide show of The Wall (43 photos):

It was tempting to return to Cripple Creek for the night life of the rally, but we decided to ride down the mountain and find some dinner. The trip down went well and before long we were sitting at The Mason Jar Restaurant having a great meal with our friends. David and Megan will spend the night at the Mecca Motel as well. He stopped in this morning on his way through and booked a room. One of the owners, made certain they had the room next to us as soon as she discovered we were together. Like I said - this is a great motel. After a few beers and conversation enjoyed from those chairs in front of our rooms, we called it a night. Tim and I watched the end of American Graffiti while I shot off a couple of emails.

Tomorrow, we will return to The Wall and the rally before riding home. So far, this has been an amazing experience. And, we are proud to be part of it.

Mini Road Trip - Day 1 - Veterans Rally & More

August 20, 2010
Colorado, USA

Colorado Springs, CO -- It was a great day! We rolled out of Fort Collins this morning about half an hour later than we normally do. We had no place to be early and Tim got in late, so we slept until 4:30 am. That half hour makes all the difference in a weekday commute that takes us on I-25 through Denver. We will back the clock up to our usual time next trip out and catch our z's on the tail end of the day. We had cloud cover starting out but they quickly burned off as the sun rose. Still, with cloud cover and temps in the 50s we rode out in leathers.

First stop was a traffic jam only a few miles out that had south bound traffic backed up for miles. When we finally passed the scene of the accident, we were dismayed to see a bunged up motorcycle and motorcycle parts, gear and luggage scattered everywhere. We saw the rider (he appeared to be OK) walking with a highway patrol officer. It looked like a couple of cars had an accident and the rider laid his bike down to avoid contact with the other vehicles. The bike was standing up, but it was not going to roll under its own power. We are glad the rider was motivating under his own power.

Next stop was gas and then we made our way through Denver s-l-o-w-l-y because the traffic jam delay put us smack in the middle of the Friday morning commute. The plan was to ride on through Colorado Springs another 37 miles to Pueblo then ride back to the Springs where we would stay a couple of nights. The first part of our day we would spend on passport rides to the last three dealerships we needed to complete the H-D Rockies Tour.

In Pueblo, we decided on breakfast at the Southwest Grill before riding a few blocks to Outpost Harley-Davidson. Breakfast was tasty and the coffee strong and hot. We both had the special which included ham, sausage, bacon, eggs, hash browns and pancakes. YUM!

The Pueblo dealership [Outpost] is always a pleasant stop and usually busy. We browsed for a few minutes and then rode on.

Next on the passport tour was back to the east side of Colorado Springs to Colorado Springs Harley-Davidson. This dealership is hard to get to from the south as there is no turn in. By the time you see it [dealership], you have to ride up a few blocks, turn around somewhere (we used a parking lot) and ride back to a service street. We didn't linger at this dealership more than a few minutes, long enough to cool off and rehydrate as the day was warming and we were still in leathers.

Our third and final stop on the passport tour took us back to the north side of Colorado Springs to Pikes Peak Harley-Davidson. This is where we discovered that the eighteen extra tickets (prize entries) awarded for completing the tour had to be filled out at the last dealership. Had I known that particular detail of the contest in advance, I would not have chosen Pikes Peak (my least favorite dealership -- long story) as our last stop. Nevertheless, we made quick work of filling out the last eighteen entries for both Tim and myself and shaking off writer's cramp got the heck out of there. The passport tour of eighteen dealerships in three states was fun. We discovered a few dealerships we liked very much and will visit again. We found others that we will never visit again unless out of necessity.

Passport mission accomplished, we rode to Old Colorado City (Hwy 24/West Colorado Ave) to a motel I had booked just the day before. I cancelled reservations at a motel near downtown after reading too many bad reviews about it. The Mecca Motel was a great choice and put us on the side of town we wanted to be. It is small but delivers much. First of all, it is an American-owned motel and the owners are about as nice as they can be. We rode in just after 1 pm and our room was ready. Second, it is neat and clean, both outside and inside. Our room, non-smoking with a king bed was roomy enough and immaculate. I'm talking clean. And no stale smoke stench. We have stayed in up-scale chain motels that were not this clean. Third, The Mecca also offered WIFI. The TV was small but worked fine. TV in a motel is usually something we use to check the weather and that's about it, no big screen needed for that. Just outside our room (and every other room) were two metal chairs, perfect for lounging around on a cool Springs evening. We looked forward to it. We could put The Ride to bed in the parking spot just outside our room and that suited us fine. Just across the street, was Bob's West Side Liquor Store. Tim wasted no time walking across to purchase the evening's libations which we temporarily iced down in one of the room's plastic trash cans.

The Ride parked in front of the Little Ike Tunnel near Cripple Creek, CO. The road to Cripple Creek once passed through this one lane tunnel. It was closed in 1994 when the new road was built to accomodate casino traffic.

With most of the day still well ahead of us, we got back on The Ride, gassed up and headed out toward Cripple Creek, traveling Hwy 24 through beautiful Fountain Creek Canyon to busy Woodland Park and on to Divide where we turned south on scenic Hwy 67 which would take us to our destination. The remainder of the weekend will be spent riding to and from Cripple Creek in the various activities associated with the 18th Annual Salute to American Veterans Rally. Tomorrow we will ride in the 23rd Annual POW/MIA Recognition Ride.

It was partly cloudy and warm as we rode out in hoodies which we appreciated as the road took us up to near 10,000 in elevation, eventually winding down into Cripple Creek which sits just below 9494 elevation designated at the city limit sign. Rounding the last turn into town revealed the Wildwood Casino, one of the sponsors of the rally. On the left riding in is the Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad train station and museum and just to right of those is Bennet Ave (aka Main Street). We found a place to park at the top of the hill and came out of our gear. Lots of bikes lined the streets and people were shopping among the vendor tents, many of which were still setting up. We strolled among the tents and purchased a few things (a couple of novelty helmets, half chaps and a new cap for me, a few pins). We also purchased a rally shirt for Tim and our rally patches, mostly to avoid the line for those items tomorrow. We registered to win SuckerPunch Sally's custom motorcycle designed for Flo of Progressive Insurance fame. We admired the sand sculpture in progress - always an amazing sight.

Sand Sculpture in Progress - Cripple Creek

Vik - Friday at the Veterans Rally - Cripple Creek, CO

Tim - Friday at the Veterans Rally - Cripple Creek, CO

Having checked out the town and vendors, we decided it was time to mosey back down to the Springs, grab a bite to eat and relax. Tim stopped at a grocery store on the way back to look for a cooler. When he came walking out of the store with a large styrofoam cooler and a bag of ice -- I remember thinking - good grief - where are we going to put that? Well, I am sure you can guess where. We rode out of the parking lot with that monstrosity sitting on my leg. A woman hopped out of a pickup at the light and offered to carry it to Cripple Creek for us since they were headed that way. I explained we were only traveling two blocks with it. I will be shopping for a collapsible cooler real soon. Ha! Back at the motel, we rid ourselves of road dust, relaxed with a couple of beers (Tim) and a Mikes (me) before strolling across the street to a mexican food restaurant. Amanda's Fonda.

It seemed nice enough and was crowded. We put our names on the list for a table, purchased a couple of margaritas at the bar and seated ourselves at a table by the creek as instructed by the hostess. Our drinks were supposed to include complimentary chips and salsa. After a few minutes, a waitress said we would have to move from the table by the creek as she had a party waiting for it. Now wait a minute - we were told seating on the patio was first come, first serve. Seating was limited, but she found us a table by the parking lot we could use temporarily. Still no chips and salsa. We were annoyed - if we had wanted to sit in the dusty parking lot, we would have done so in the first place. We were displaced by a group of people who were not dining, merely enjoying a cocktail as we were. I say enjoy because I hope their drinks were better than ours. I make better margaritas at home. Jose Cuervo straight out of the bottle is a better margarita. Tim went in search of chips and salsa a third time and came back empty-handed. The waitress who moved us the first time was hovering and about to unseat us again with no table in sight. Bad margaritas, inconsiderate service, who needs it? We walked out - nope, did not leave a tip. I have no idea if the food at this restaurant was worth waiting for as we never so much as sniffed the chips and salsa or glimpsed a menu. We strolled a few blocks west in search of another restaurant. We found one tucked away beside a motel called Castaways where we were immediately and courteously seated and promptly served. Tim had steak. I had shrimp. The food was great, delivered up in generous portions and the service was excellent.

By the time we had strolled back to our motel, we were ready to call it a day. We will get a good night's rest before riding out early to join the POW-MIA Recognition Ride. Stay tuned...

Slide show of today's ride (75 photos):

Cripple Creek here we come - Ol' Glory flying proud behind us

August 20, 2010
Colorado, USA

Gonna be a fun weekend in these parts.

Salute to American Veterans Rally - Cripple Creek, CO

POW-MIA Recognition Ride from Woodlank Park, CO to Cripple Creek, CO

American Veterans Traveling Tribute - The Wall - Victor, CO

Tejon Street Bike Fest w/Friends Ride

June 27, 2010
Colorado, USA

Fort Collins, CO -- Today we rode to the Tejon Street Bike Fest in Colorado Springs, Colorado. About 6:30 am (mileage 4856) we rolled out of the drive to meet up with friends at Johnson's Corner for breakfast. Five of us on three bikes would ride together today. (Tim and myself, David, Raul who works with Tim and his wife, Vicky.) It's rare to meet another Vickie. After a great get-to-know-each-other breakfast we rode south through Denver without encountering heavy traffic or any other problems. It was chilly riding across the Palmer Divide and over Monument Hill Pass (elev 7350). Tim and I were fine riding in our long sleeve denim shirts, but the others were riding in lighter clothing or short sleeves. Sorry for the goose bumps guys! We should have mentioned it might get chilly on the Divide and probably through Monument Valley.

We stopped once for fuel. Raul's bike doesn't have the fuel capacity of the Ultras. It was good timing as I think we all needed a stretch of the legs and a quick bathroom break. We arrived in Colorado Springs, found our way to Bijou Street and the rally site with no problems. We expected a traffic jam and were relieved when it didn't materialize. Lots of riders were already on site. We were directed to park in a near perfect location on the east side of the intersection of Tejon and Kiowa, just about dead center for the event. Looking west down Tejon Street, Pikes Peak dominates the view. I noted clouds were building as I snapped a pic, but was hoping they would hold off for a little while.

According to the web site the stats on the 2009 event: ...the final count was 50,000 people, 20,000 bikes, 50 kegs of beer, 10 city blocks, 3 bands, 1 day and not 1 single PD or fire issue of any note.

Raul and Vicky disappeared quickly to hook up with their son somewhere in the growing crowd. That left me, Tim and David to roam the streets, checking out the vendors, the motorcycles both parked and riding by, the bike show and a bevy of half clad beauties. We were walking by the stage just as the opening ceremonies commenced. Veteran Marines on stage and veterans and active duty members in the crowd saluted as the flag was presented by the NORAD joint service Color Guard. The National Anthem was sung and the crowd was asked to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. An announcement was made that the Pikes Peak Chapter of the Marine Corp League was collecting donations to erect a Marine monument in Colorado Springs Memorial Park. It seems like a glaring omission - one that sucked ten bucks out of Tim's pocket for the cause.

Radio London took the stage shortly after. I enjoyed listening to their bluesy-rock offerings as we strolled the streets. The beer garden and bars close by were already doing a booming business. Food vendors were cooking up grilled items like assorted sausages and turkey legs, BBQ and hamburgers could be found and an assortment of other foods and beverages.

The three of us wandered through the small, but interesting ride-in bike show. We admired the beautiful bikes and some of us admired some other beauties decorating the bikes.

There were a good many small vendors set up. We had hoped some of the larger leather and bike apparel vendors might be present. We did not find the couple of items we were looking for although a couple of vest pins came home with us. Still, we enjoyed roaming through the booths and chatting with some of the vendors.

About the time the bike games and other afternoon activities were scheduled to begin, that pesky cloud that had been brewing all morning decided to roll over Pikes Peak. We gathered on a street corner and talked about the cloud and what to do for lunch.


None of us really wanted festival food, so we thought about riding to The Mason Jar, but that choice would have put us directly under that cloud which grew more ominous by the minute. We finally came to a consensus, the choice being ride back to Denver and eat somewhere. Tim led the group along scenic Hwy 83 which runs parallel to I-25 with lots less traffic. The skies darkened behind us. Soon Pikes Peak was totally obscured by blue-gray clouds. I have not heard whether it rained or hailed on the rally. I hope not. I know there were several bike accidents reported in the area late in the afternoon and evening. I hope all those riders are fairing well.

Just as we rode out of the Springs the odometer on the Ride clicked over to 5000 miles. Tomorrow The Ride will be two months old. We made a fuel stop on the way and further food deliberations resulted in a decision to ride for Jose O'Shea's for a late lunch. Jose O'Shea's is one of our favorite restaurants in the Denver area. All of us were hungry. All of us left satisfied.

Heading home under cotton ball skies, along roads Tim and I travel often, we eventually rode out from under the threatening hail clouds. I heard later on the news that a community just west of Denver had five inches of hail out of those clouds. Yikes!


We had fun today, riding with friends. We don't normally ride with other people (except in Texas) so it was a refreshing change. Thanks guys for enduring our company. We certainly enjoyed yours. What part of the rally we saw was fun. That's another thing we rarely do - purposely put ourselves in a big crowd. This too, was a great experience. There are at least a couple of other rallies we will likely attend this summer including the Texas HOG Rally in our hometown Labor Day weekend. I'm sorry we missed the bike games today... and the other concerts... but, just looking at hundreds of bikes and people watching was well worth the ride. Tim reports our round trip was 312 miles.

Here are a few pics (just over 90) in a slide show...

Salute to American Veterans Rally

August 15, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

Rolling out of the drive this morning just after 5 am we found ourselves in high spirits, eager to make tracks toward the Salute to American Veterans Rally in Winter Park, Colorado. We have heard about it for years but have never been to it. The forecast for the weekend was dour (mid-August is known as Monsoon season here), but we told ourselves last night - if it is dry here in the morning - we ride.

To save a little time, we zipped down I-25 (south) to the outskirts of Denver before heading west on I-70 into the mountains just as the sun became a presence in the sky. Eighteen miles or so later we pulled into a Shell station in Idaho Springs for gas and to share a cup of thermos coffee. The morning was chilly, but not unbearably so. The clouds looked threatening one minute and not so the next. It's hard to say what's going on just over the mountain or around the next bend when riding in a canyon. Across the street, sat Marions of the Rockies Restaurant. It was tempting to walk over and have breakfast, but we had planned to support the Lions Club Pancake Breakfast in Granby so we stuck to our guns and rode on.

As we rode further west then north on Hwy 40 and up in elevation, the morning in the mountains went from chilly to cold. We stopped outside of Empire (elevation approx 8600) to change to full finger gloves. Fort Collins sits at just over 5000 feet elevation so we had already climbed 3600 feet. Heading up Berthoud Pass (elevation 11,307) the weather went from cold to damn cold. The road up Berthoud Pass is rife with hard twisties, numerous hairpin curves and breathtaking views that will simply amaze. The road is never the same from one day to the next. Today the road was sloppy wet and slick from a morning rain, that we luckily, just missed. We rode the top of the pass in high clouds and fog. Despite the slimy conditions - it was still amazing.

Part 1 - The Ride to Granby

Riding into Winter Park, we were passed by another couple two up on a Harley who had apparently just ridden over the same pass. They were wearing light wind-breaker type jackets, no gloves, no chaps, no head wear. And they looked frozen. (More on that later.) It was early and the town was busily gearing up for the day's festivities. We made a quick pit-stop at the McDonald's and continued our journey to Granby. The ride to the rally would begin in Granby, run back through Fraser (where the Wall was set up) to return us to Winter Park where the main rally festivities would be, cleverly incorporating three towns into the weekend event.

The Salute to American Veterans Rally originated out of Colorado Springs I believe, and for a good many years was held in Cripple Creek. Cripple Creek has evolved from a sleepy, charmingly historic mountain town to casino chaos and while it is one of the best rides in the state, the town simply isn't as much fun as it once was. We much prefer the former status. In 2007, the Rally Officials and the city of Cripple Creek got cross-ways (something about the look of the rally was more motorcycle than veteran - hmmmm...) and the Rally moved to Winter Park. Last year, it came a freak August snowstorm in Winter Park, a snowstorm with several inches accumulation, shutting down part of the festivities - but not all - say some die-hard bikers.

We had moisture on the road the whole way into Granby, but it did warm up, the sun working its way through the clouds as we rode through the high Fraser Valley. This is snow mobile country. Registration was on the south end of town, set up in a large parking lot behind the Inn at Silver Creek. As we were registering, I met and chatted with the woman who was on the bike that passed us in Winter Park. Oh yeah - she was about frozen to death and still shivering, teeth chattering so hard she could barely talk. They had ridden up from warm Denver, and being from Denver knew to dress better, but had departed Denver in a hurry and left the warm clothes behind. It was almost too warm in Fort Collins when we left out, too - but, I had checked the forecast and knew that with the sort of elevation we'd be riding through - we'd need our full leathers, rain gear and perhaps more -- more being our hoodies in the saddle bag.

There were a good many bikes already in line and ready to go. The Kansas Patriot Guard Riders looked to be the ones who would lead us out. Kansas made a good showing all the way around.

The all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast, hosted by the Lions Club was only a few steps away in a small conference room at the Inn. Breakfast and hot coffee sounded really good after our cold mountain ride. We joined a group of people at a table that would seat about eight. We had the honor of dining and visiting with a WWII veteran (also a Lions Club member) who served with the 8th Army. We also dined with a friendly, older couple from Denver (he was USAF retired, she was US Navy retired). They used to ride a BMW all over the west but they were not riding anymore - too old - they said. We told them about my Dad... they were speechless. Ha! The rest of our table was rounded out with some of those Kansas folk. As the people from Kansas finished their meal, we were joined by another USAF Vet and his son. Discussion was lively as experiences were shared. We vacated our seats at the table as more riders filtered in for breakfast.

There was still plenty of time to wander through the bikes before pulling ourselves into the line. Tim waited because he wanted to ride a little further back in the procession. We ambled through the bikes, took lots of photos and chatted with a few people. Many were attempting to wipe the road film off their bikes, without much success I might add. Others were unfurling flags. I was surprised to see how many people had dogs with them. One couple pulled a fairly large trailer behind them which carried a large German shepherd who seemed right at home. This trailer even had a windshield/splash guard to keep the critter dry. Ha! Another couple on a trike had two small dogs with them. We ran onto a friend of Tim's from work, who had ridden up with his brother and a friend. They remarked how cold it was riding over Berthoud Pass this morning, too. All the while, bikers were steadily riding in and the lot was beginning to fill. Tim finally picked a spot in line and about 10:00 am the call came - mount up!

We were set to ride out at 10:15 am. Members of the Kansas Patriot Guard led us out precisely on time just as it began to spit rain. For the first part of the ride, it was cloudy with a tolerable drizzle. Before long a hard rain rolled across Fraser Valley and we were turning into one really long, slow moving, soggy procession. Those of us who had gear, pulled over and quickly suited up while others rode on by. Tim and I pulled on the jackets of our rain gear but not the leggings. We rejoined the procession, wet and chilled we still enjoyed being part of something so very grand. Soon we noticed people lining the roads at intersections, in cars parked on the shoulder and standing out in the cold and chill on sidewalks in the small towns along the way, waving flags, giving us a thumbs up, clapping and cheering as we rode by. We responded accordingly. We arrived in Winter Park where the wet street was lined with even more people waiting for the parade to begin and watching us ride by. Considering how many motorcycles were in the procession, getting parked didn't take as long as we expected. Soon we were off the bike and joining the parade watchers. It wasn't a very large parade, but it was OK. We got the idea that the motorcycle procession was indeed part of the parade. And so it was. We watched troops and new recruits march by led by a small military band and a color guard, and lots of kids, the rodeo queens, a group of bag-pipers, local clubs and assorted trucks, cars and fire engines.

The sun broke through the clouds for a little while. Walking through the numerous vendor tents and listening to the announcements coming from the stage was more pleasant once we shook off the chill and dried out. We purchased our official Rally t-shirts and a couple of patches, listened to the National and Military Anthems and cheered for the young men and women in uniform about to ship out and those who had just been sworn in. There was a large Patriot Guard presence during the opening ceremonies. We had helicopters and airplanes flying over. The crowd was large and lively. One of the military speakers was a young captain I believe who said he was so inspired by biker patriotism, that he had just purchased his first Harley and had christened it and himself recently at the Sturgis Rally where the weather was less than perfect. That got a huge round of applause.

We learned that Newt Heisley, a commercial artist who designed the Vietnam-era POW/MIA flag had died.

Heisley, was a World War II pilot. He died at his home in Colorado Springs, age 88. The backdrop for the stage was the flag he created. Although it was his intent, he never had the image copyrighted.

Part 2 - Rally Ride

We wound our way back to the ride, tucked away our purchases and rode back to Hideaway Park in Fraser to visit The Wall, our first time to see it. One helicopter was taking off just as we rode up. It came back flying low over our heads. We walked first to see another helicopter set up in the field. There were kids climbing all over it.

We slowly approached the Wall, walking by the tent where you can get help locating a name on the Wall. We looked through poster art exhibits and old military insignia, informational displays and items for sale. We chatted with a woman and a couple of men on and off as we progressed ever closer. Just seeing the names engraved on dog tags that made up the displays of those lost during Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom was sobering. Encountering the sheer magnitude of names on the Wall itself is enough to set one back on their heels. First you see it as a whole, taking in the flags fluttering along the top, the lines of names only a blur stretching from end to end. Then you focus on a single panel and realize the names on that panel represent only a portion of the soldiers who perished within a time frame of only a day or maybe two. Then, you pick out a single name and then another and now it feels personal. I'm still struggling to find the words that best describe it. Overwhelming.

Stepping back again, I observed other people experiencing the Wall. Some searched. Tim was trying to recall the name of an old neighbor. Some ran a hand lightly along the surface as they walked the length of it. Some sat on benches or the grass and gazed. Some kneeled in front of a panel, as if in prayer or deep thought. Some had brought paper and pencil for rubbings. Some left mementos. Still others seemed dismayed. Some came in groups. Some came alone. For the most part, people were respectful. As I walked the length of it for the second time, one of the men we had spoken to earlier approached me and asked would I mind taking a picture of them. Sure, I said. I asked the woman had she found her person. She had. The person was her brother. He died in an airplane that was shot down in 1967 I believe. The men who were with her, carried a banner that apparently had been signed by as many of the young man's buddies as they could find. They had ridden their bikes all over the country on that singular mission. The woman's grief still fresh and poignant was almost my undoing... we shared a moment and then I left them to their memories.

Part 3 - The Wall

About the time, we thought we might ride back into Winter Park for another stroll through the rally, a cold, strong wind rolled in along with a dark cloud... the cold front had arrived. Vendors were scrambling to cover their wares and secure their tents. Bikers migrated toward their bikes that were parked on dirt. We decided to point the ride in the direction of home which was loosely north and east. We filled up with gas on the north end of Granby. Deciding we were hungry we rode back into Granby for a late lunch at Maverick's Grill. We let the clouds roll over as we munched on some pretty darn good Angus cheese burgers, french fries and fried pickles. YUM!

Feeling refreshed and rejuvenated we took a look at the skies and decided wet wasn't really an option, it was more like a guarantee, no matter which way we went, so we chose to ride through Rocky Mountain National Park. The road begins winding through a valley and rolling hills and soon snakes its way around the north edge of Grand Lake. We tent-camped at Grand Lake (Stillwater Campground) in the years following our move to Colorado. Grand Lake is also a lively tourist town.

We remembered on the way that this was a free entrance weekend for Rocky Mountain National Park which would likely mean the park was busy. It was moderately busy, but we've been through when it was nearly bumper-to-bumper. This would be the first time through the park on the Harley. Trail Ridge Road is the main road running through the park. It is the highest continuous motorway in the United States, with more than eight miles lying above 11,000 feet and a maximum elevation of 12,183 feet. The first part of the ride went well. Soon we rounded a bend, felt a few rain drops pelt our helmets and spied a black cloud just ahead. We stopped at a trail head and drug out the rain gear again. Suited up like a couple of black Michelin men, we rode on. Signs along the side of Trail Ridge Road tell you - be prepared for drastic changes in temperature and weather conditions. Believe it. One year, in early September, they closed the gates directly behind us because of a sudden blizzard. Today, we encountered high, sustained winds with even higher gusts, all along the top road... winds that had Tim fighting just to keep us erect. We passed a few other bikers battling the same hairy conditions. Normally, we would stop at the scenic pull-offs. Not today, with the way the clouds looked, we thought it better to get on down the mountain. Once past the winds, the ride down was easy and enjoyable. It wasn't the best drive/ride we've had on Trail Ridge Road but it will likely be one of the most memorable.

Estes Park was soon in our sights. At the Visitor Center, we shed the rain gear for the rest of the ride home. Sure we still had a few ominous clouds hanging over us, be we managed to ride out from under or in between them.

Part 4 - The Ride Home through Rocky Mountain National Park

We arrived home just after 7 pm. We will be talking about this rally for a long time. When we do it again, we'll be booking a night in a motel so we can enjoy the bands and nightlife...

I apologize for the quality of the photos. With a little more sun, a little less rain, and calmer winds - well, you get the idea. It is what it is.

Here are the video clips from the day...

Salute to American Veterans Rally (part 1) Aug 15, 2009

Salute to American Veterans Rally (part 2) Aug 15, 2009

Salute to American Veterans Rally - Winter Park, CO
Trail Ridge Road - Colorado
Newt Heisley - POW-MIA Flag designer
Traveling Vietnam Wall and the Cost of Freedom Exhibit Blog