All the motorcycles at the starting point
During the briefing, they went over the guidelines for the ride as well as all the hand signals. It all sounded like it is going to be a fun ride.
We rode out of the parking area as a group with the police stopping traffic so that all the motorcycles could make their way onto the highway without interference from the other cars. This doesn’t sound like a big deal unless you know how many cars there are in morning rush hour in Los Angeles. The line of motorcycles was strung out for almost a mile. It was pretty impressive. Along the ride, there were lots of people that were out on the route, mostly on overpasses. It was pretty neat.
Our first stop was in Barstow, CA. This was just a gas stop. It was neat to see that many motorcycles get gas at the same time. They had them all through in about 10 minutes. It was very impressive.
We got on the way again and we picked up Interstate 40 going east. This was a much quieter road and much more relaxing. We stopped the next time in Ludlow, CA. This was a little town with only a couple gas stations. This also was just a gas stop. They also had the refreshment truck there to provide us with Water, Gatorade, fruit and snacks. It was amazing to see how much stuff they had. One of the people that was working the refreshment truck said that he would charge my phone while we rode since it was dead. I didn’t think I would be talking to much on my phone while I was riding so I thought this worked out well.
The refreshment van and trailer
The refreshment trailer
Our next stop was Needles, CA. The American Legion provided us a really nice barbeque lunch. They also gave us some cold packs that went around our necks. On a day were the temperature was over 100 degrees, this was a VERY welcomed gift!
All the motorcycles next to the lunch in Needles, CA
The picnic area in Needles, CA
We rode off towards our second state of the trip, Arizona, and when we crossed the first overpass from the trip, there were about 150 people standing on the overpass all waving flags and cheering. It was pretty neat.
We ended the trip in Williams Arizona where we were welcomed by the local Ameican Legion. They met us and we had a little parade through town and ended up at the American Legion Post. They had dinner waiting for us. Barbeque, potatoes and some really good corn on the cob.
After we finished dinner, the part of the group that were camping went over to the middle school and started to set up our tents. One of the campers that had camped there the year before told us that the sprinklers went off in the middle of the night and got everyone wet. There was a lot of confusion as to this happening again. Most of the people decided that they were going to sleep in the gym (as was offered) instead of outside. The rest of us waited until they found out that they sprinklers had been turned off by the maintenance guys earlier that day.
My tent
I’m looking forward to a nice sleep. I’m pretty tired after riding almost 400 miles. It’s supposed to be 31 degrees tonight, but I’m feeling pretty confident in my sleeping bag because it’s rated comfortable down to 15 degrees.
