The morning had dawned cold - I could see my breath almost the entire time I was pushing that mower through the tall green strands. The sky above me was quite cloudy as well. I tried not to be surprised that the weather folks were wrong yet again (they'd called for clear skies, hot and sunny today).
An hour and a half later, I was back inside, showered up and mounting my flags onto the bike. One by one, the other riders showed up and set their stands in the driveway. Our deadline for pulling out was 10am and miraculously, we did just that. It was 9:59 as our procession slid out to the streets and headed to the Legion.
Pulling in, we were one of the first to arrive, but that was by design. As regular attendees, we'd been asked to ride point position, and an early arrival was needed to ensure we were able to line up at the front. But this also gave us about 3 hours to kill before the run actually started. Not a problem, we knew many of the folks doing the behind-the-scenes work (registration, t-shirt sales...beer sales) and we mingled about, helping where we could.
The lot was filling up quickly and things were looking good. The sun had made a brief appearance earlier but had retreated again behind some pathy cloudwork. This was to be the pattern for the rest of the day. Hey, it beats rain, though, right?
As things were getting close to departure-time, I realized I should probably get a pic of the parking lot, so here ya go;
We'd been hoping for a turnout of 400 bikes, but final tally came in slightly under 300 I believe. I heard we did manage to raise $10,500, though, so that's frikkin' awesome.
Something else that was awesome; this year they had a huge ensemble of horns to play Amazing Grace as our send off;
Just after I snapped that pic, I turned to see Ed's mother giving me her best "I'm keeping an eye on you!" look. (She's one of the behind-the-scenes people, handling registration.) Having my camera already in my hand, I had to snap a pic. So here you go; Thirsty's Mom! (She's in the red.) Amazing how she went right into a "I'm as innocent as an angel" look as soon as she saw the camera.
Moments later, the bikes were fired and we were rolling. It was cool as hell to be at the front of the column - a column which ran for over two miles long. We'd been rolling for quite a ways when Danno (riding next to me) shouted over that he'd just gotten a text that the last bike (Matty) had just pulled out. Sweet!!
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The run was handled with precision this year, and we had 7 motorcycle cops leading the way and blocking. More than once, they'd come roaring up the left side, lights blinking, sirens wailing, and assume their position in front of us again. It was like watching a fighter squadron and it was awesome.
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As with any other run, most of the folks stuck in traffic as we rolled by, 'got' it and waved or clapped or gave us the thumbs-up. And there were the handful that don't 'get' it. I even saw one guy flip us off. Sorry buddy, have a nice day (and enjoy the show).
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About 2 hours later, we pulled back into the Legion parking lot to the sounds of dozens of people gathered on either side of the entrance, clapping and cheering. Setting our stands, some made their way to the bathrooms, some made their way to the food line, and the rest of us milled about helping folks get settled back in safely. When all were accounted for, it was time to party!
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There was more food there than we knew what to do with, but we gave it our all. The beer was flowing as fast as thirsty hands could scoop up the cups, and all around, there was camaraderie and brotherhood. It was a great afternoon. (I even managed to come away with a couple bottles of top-shelf vodka in the raffles!)
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As the afternoon wore on and the crowd began to thin, we made our way back to the household for a fire and more merriment. We had more food there (mostly of the 'munchy' variety, but it helped tempter the additional road sodas we were ingesting. We talked of the day, about things we liked, things we didn't, and things we thought could be improved upon. Another fine ending to another fine day.
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So in closing, I would again like to thank the Cabino family, as well as all those that help put this together each year. It's an awesome way to remember someone that gave the greatest gift of all, not to mention all the families that are helped by the proceeds that this event brings in.
And thank you to Shayne. We ride in your memory, and in your honor.
http://www.shaynesrun.com/
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