Aug. 23, 2009  Homes for our Troops

This review was written by SPGrenier and taken withy permission from the VTXOA Board.

It really goes without saying that if we're out on the Xs, no matter how large or small the numbers are, we're going to have fun. This was no exception.
This ride was dedicated to a young soldier who lost both legs in the war. As I understand it, he was next in line to have a home built by Homes For Our Troops. In life's very cruel fashion, he was killed here at home in a car accident. An Amreican flag which was flown over, I believe, DC was presented to his mom and dad in a very emotional ceremony before the ride. Many injured vets and enlisted alike, were present. The term, "All Gave Some and Some Gave All" truly hits you in the face in these types of events. Our current and fallen heroes will never, ever be forgotten by those who call themselves patriots. There is a great pride in the dedication and committment that our military has to us and our nation. God be watchful over those who have been and those who are now in harms way!! Amen!!!

For those who attended the ride, it started with a great breakfast. We had plenty of time to chat and introduce some of the "regulars" to a couple of new riders to the group. Steve aka Tbones joined us for his first. Paul aka PaulRH was not deterred by the group's behavior on the Crawford Notch ride, joined us for a 2nd.

During breakfast, I was sort of the filling in a cyber nerd sandwich. I had PaulRH to my left and CaptDanbo to my right. It was tech this and tech that. Web this and byte that. During the coversation, I tried to look smart, all the while; I was counting the rings in the timbers that held the building together. Got wood? I'm going to let Danbo spearhead a nerd tech day. So Dan..........it's in your hands.

The ride route was shortened because of some road washout on the original route. They are claiming between 500 to 600 bikes. Being in the middle of the group; it was nothing but tail lights ahead and headlights in the mirrors.

The live music and the lunch were awesome. We couldn't complain about the rain forecast because Mother Nature brought out the sun. However, she apparently walked away for a bit as the temps climbed into uncomfortable levels.

After the raffles were held and the custom bike winner was announced, we all decided that it was time to get a little wind in our faces.

Overall, the ride was handled quite well. I did hear after, that one rider went down after being cut off by a car. I was told that his full dresser took the worst of it. Our prayers go out to that rider and hope that he is well.

 

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