wfooshee
O, Woe is me!!
Went on my first ride in support of a veteran's or memorial function today. The Wall that Heals was escorted from Marianna, Florida to Apalachicola this morning by a motorcycle escort of at least 400 riders, I've heard some say 600. I couldn't say, myself. All I know is that I was at least two miles from the head of the convoy, and I could not see the tail in my mirrors as we crested hills or rounded curves. As a matter of fact, I never saw the head of the convoy, either!
I found out about this ride from a fireman in Lynn Haven. I'd ridden to the police station next door to the firehouse to do some computer work and he saw my bike and came over to chat. He is on the forum as djlhfd05. I met up with him and some others (including ridernotbiker) this morning fairly early at the Youngstown F.D. up 231 a bit from Panama City. About 10 or 12 of us rode from there to the meeting point in Marianna: US 231 to County 167, then I-10 across Marianna to SR71. 167 is a cool bit of road, some dips and sweeps, but when the group pulled into the station in Marianna so the tiny-tank boys could top off, John and Darryl and I were discussing how the road seemed an awful lot longer than our recollections of previous trips through there. Something about 5-over instead of 25-over, whatever. OTOH, I've never been so far on a tank of gas as I went today. 225 miles and it took just over 5 gallons on the fillup afterwards. That's phenomenal for me on my short-geared 2003; I've only broken 40 mpg one time previously!
We then found our way to a station just off I-10 at State Road 71 for assembly. The truck carrying the wall replica was there, as were deputies from each of the counties we'd be riding through. Our convoy had control of the intersections we went through, although there were surprisingly few. Once out of the assembly area, the 97-mile route had only two traffic lights and two stop signs that LEOs had to control for us. The towns we passed through (Altha, Blountstown, Wewahitchka, Port St. Joe, and Apalachicola) all let the kids out of school to line the streets, and many more citizens were out there waving, flag-waving, and applauding.
Some pics. First is a 4-MB Quicktime-360 you have to download from here. (If you don't have Quicktime installed don't bother with it.) I made this shortly after arriving, and it's a bit distorted because I didn't keep the camera level as I turned for each frame. My bad, deal with it!
As is my usual habit when posting pictures, you can click them to get a slightly larger version.
Darryl (djlhfd05)
John (ridernotbiker) with his '09 AE
Notice the embarrassing way he conceals his left handgrip. . . I must say that riding next to these guys in the slow sections, listening to all that machinery clunking and clacking as they push their little "loser" buttons to operate their trannys was beyond even putting up with "loud pipes" guys all day!!
Yours truly, my trusty '03
Some of the queueing areas
Some shots walking around looking for cool or unusual bikes. Saw two Rocket IIIs, a Triumph 675, an SV1000 (cool color), a Bimmer, a Ducati ST3 with bags, and an Aprilia Futura with bags. The Duc rider had a jacket that was literally painful to set eyes on. It was the brightest most flourescent green I've ever seen. It didn't help that his helmet was flourescent yellow. I never saw him wearing the gear, just saw it sitting on the bike.
Marianna High School stage band (dance band, whatever they call it these days.) provided musical entertainment before the event, and then played the National Anthem.
I have to say that the ride impressed me as being extremely well-organized. LEOs were exactly where needed, when needed. Introductions at the meeting were complete, with the identities of Those Who Shall Be Obeyed made very clear, as were the rules of the road, speeds, etc. (Stay in staggered 2x2, nothing over 55 aside from inevitable rubber-banding, and keep your eye on the guys ahead, don't let the public's activities along the way distract you.) Here's a stitched wide shot of the meeting:
Along the route they let kids out to watch from curbside, and many businesses had everybody out on the street for us. The fire departments had the big flags hanging from their raised ladders, and everybody had flags. In Port St. Joe every intersection along Long Street had an ROTC cadet on each side of the street standing at attention and saluting. It probably took a half hour for all the bikes to pass by, slow-riding on the clutch through the town (or clunking and clacking if you're on an AE.)
I have no underway pics, still have not set up a mount for either the still or video cameras. So FF through 2 hours of parade riding, we arrive at Veteran's Memorial Park in Apalachicola. The Wall will be set up here on Wednesday and open to the public Thursday through Sunday.
Here's a 180-degree of the parking area. I don't know what John is doing, but he seems to be trying to impress Darryl about something.
The only three FJR in existance, as far as we could tell:
The Eye-talians parked together
The park is known around these parts for its Three Soldiers statue, cast from the same molds used for the statue at the Viet Nam memorial in Washington, D.C. Here's the statue and the plaque nearby.
After we arrived, dismounted, and had a short meeting, they fed us hot dogs. For free. How cool is that?
Afterwards it was homeward bound, I was back in Panama City a bit after 3:00. I caught up with a C14 and rode with him until we went our separate ways in town, and from looking that bike over during the ride, I have to say that those mirrors suck! The bags are too high and the mirrors are actually lower than the handgrips. No wonder so many complaints about nothing but bags in the view. but I will say this about the C14, at least this one: He gave a little beep as I turned away, and that horn kicks ass!!!! I don't know if it's standard, but nothing else on that bike wasn't standard.
Total miles for the day was about 225, with 97 being the actual "ride." As a ride, I have to say it sucked royally. As an event, it was inspiring.
I found out about this ride from a fireman in Lynn Haven. I'd ridden to the police station next door to the firehouse to do some computer work and he saw my bike and came over to chat. He is on the forum as djlhfd05. I met up with him and some others (including ridernotbiker) this morning fairly early at the Youngstown F.D. up 231 a bit from Panama City. About 10 or 12 of us rode from there to the meeting point in Marianna: US 231 to County 167, then I-10 across Marianna to SR71. 167 is a cool bit of road, some dips and sweeps, but when the group pulled into the station in Marianna so the tiny-tank boys could top off, John and Darryl and I were discussing how the road seemed an awful lot longer than our recollections of previous trips through there. Something about 5-over instead of 25-over, whatever. OTOH, I've never been so far on a tank of gas as I went today. 225 miles and it took just over 5 gallons on the fillup afterwards. That's phenomenal for me on my short-geared 2003; I've only broken 40 mpg one time previously!
We then found our way to a station just off I-10 at State Road 71 for assembly. The truck carrying the wall replica was there, as were deputies from each of the counties we'd be riding through. Our convoy had control of the intersections we went through, although there were surprisingly few. Once out of the assembly area, the 97-mile route had only two traffic lights and two stop signs that LEOs had to control for us. The towns we passed through (Altha, Blountstown, Wewahitchka, Port St. Joe, and Apalachicola) all let the kids out of school to line the streets, and many more citizens were out there waving, flag-waving, and applauding.
Some pics. First is a 4-MB Quicktime-360 you have to download from here. (If you don't have Quicktime installed don't bother with it.) I made this shortly after arriving, and it's a bit distorted because I didn't keep the camera level as I turned for each frame. My bad, deal with it!
As is my usual habit when posting pictures, you can click them to get a slightly larger version.
Darryl (djlhfd05)
John (ridernotbiker) with his '09 AE
Notice the embarrassing way he conceals his left handgrip. . . I must say that riding next to these guys in the slow sections, listening to all that machinery clunking and clacking as they push their little "loser" buttons to operate their trannys was beyond even putting up with "loud pipes" guys all day!!
Yours truly, my trusty '03
Some of the queueing areas
Some shots walking around looking for cool or unusual bikes. Saw two Rocket IIIs, a Triumph 675, an SV1000 (cool color), a Bimmer, a Ducati ST3 with bags, and an Aprilia Futura with bags. The Duc rider had a jacket that was literally painful to set eyes on. It was the brightest most flourescent green I've ever seen. It didn't help that his helmet was flourescent yellow. I never saw him wearing the gear, just saw it sitting on the bike.
Marianna High School stage band (dance band, whatever they call it these days.) provided musical entertainment before the event, and then played the National Anthem.
I have to say that the ride impressed me as being extremely well-organized. LEOs were exactly where needed, when needed. Introductions at the meeting were complete, with the identities of Those Who Shall Be Obeyed made very clear, as were the rules of the road, speeds, etc. (Stay in staggered 2x2, nothing over 55 aside from inevitable rubber-banding, and keep your eye on the guys ahead, don't let the public's activities along the way distract you.) Here's a stitched wide shot of the meeting:
Along the route they let kids out to watch from curbside, and many businesses had everybody out on the street for us. The fire departments had the big flags hanging from their raised ladders, and everybody had flags. In Port St. Joe every intersection along Long Street had an ROTC cadet on each side of the street standing at attention and saluting. It probably took a half hour for all the bikes to pass by, slow-riding on the clutch through the town (or clunking and clacking if you're on an AE.)
I have no underway pics, still have not set up a mount for either the still or video cameras. So FF through 2 hours of parade riding, we arrive at Veteran's Memorial Park in Apalachicola. The Wall will be set up here on Wednesday and open to the public Thursday through Sunday.
Here's a 180-degree of the parking area. I don't know what John is doing, but he seems to be trying to impress Darryl about something.
The only three FJR in existance, as far as we could tell:
The Eye-talians parked together
The park is known around these parts for its Three Soldiers statue, cast from the same molds used for the statue at the Viet Nam memorial in Washington, D.C. Here's the statue and the plaque nearby.
After we arrived, dismounted, and had a short meeting, they fed us hot dogs. For free. How cool is that?
Afterwards it was homeward bound, I was back in Panama City a bit after 3:00. I caught up with a C14 and rode with him until we went our separate ways in town, and from looking that bike over during the ride, I have to say that those mirrors suck! The bags are too high and the mirrors are actually lower than the handgrips. No wonder so many complaints about nothing but bags in the view. but I will say this about the C14, at least this one: He gave a little beep as I turned away, and that horn kicks ass!!!! I don't know if it's standard, but nothing else on that bike wasn't standard.
Total miles for the day was about 225, with 97 being the actual "ride." As a ride, I have to say it sucked royally. As an event, it was inspiring.
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