Rolling Thunder

By: Bob Vincent

THE SOUND OF THUNDER WAS HEARD AND FELT ALL DAY, SUNDAY, MAY 28, 2000, AND IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE WEATHER.

IT WAS ANOTHER HARMONIC CONVERGENCE OF MOTORCYCLE ENTHUSIASTS, UNITED IN THOUGHT AND ACTION, TOWARDS A SINGLE GOAL: TO BRING ATTENTION TO THE PRISONERS OF WAR AND MISSING IN ACTION ISSUE.\

FOR THE PAST 13 YEARS, MOTORCYCLES OF EVERY BRAND, MODEL AND TYPE, AND RIDERS OF EVERY AGE, RACE AND GENDER, FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, CONVERGE ON WASHINGTON, DC., DURING THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, FOR A FREEDOM RIDE CALLED ROLLING THUNDER.

IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE, MY FIRST OBJECTIVE WAS TO CHOOSE WITH WHOM TO RIDE. WHILE THERE WERE GROUPS LEAVING FROM DANBURY, CT., FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AT 6 AM, I CHOSE TO RIDE WITH THE NEW HAVEN HOG CHAPTER, LEAVING FROM MCDONALDS IN NORTH HAVEN, CT., AT 8 AM, SATURDAY.

AFTER INGI AND I CONFIMED OUR LANHAM, MD., RED ROOF INN RESERVATIONS, WE PACKED MY ULTRA WITH SAFETY GEAR AND TOOLS IN ONE SADDLEBAG, RAIN GEAR AND SNACKS IN THE OTHER AND CLOTHES IN THE TRUNK.

WE MET UP WITH ROLAND AND DIANA (HARTFORD HOG) ON THEIR ELECTRA GLIDE AND DIANA'S SON PAUL (USMC) ON ROLAND'S HERITAGE, LEAVING MIDDLETOWN, CT., AT ABOUT 7 AM, ON ROUTE 91S.

AT MCDONALDS, WE MET JOHN ON HIS ROAD KING. ROGER AND VAL COULD NOT MAKE THE RIDE THIS YEAR, BUT HE HAD GIVEN ME DIRECTIONS. UNFORTUNATELY, I REALLY MISSED HIS LEADERSHIP, ESPECIALLY WHEN I TRIED TO LEAD THE GROUP OUT OF MCDONALDS AND ENDED UP CIRCLING IN FRONT OF LOWES. WHAT WERE THESE RIDERS THINKING OF ME? THIS IS THE GUY THAT IS SUPPOSED TO LEAD US 350 MILES TO DC AND HE CAN'T EVEN GET OUT OF THE PARKING LOT?

EVENTUALLY, WE LEFT TO MEET UP WITH ANOTHER JOHN, ON HIS WIDE GLIDE AT EXIT 22 OFF ROUTE 95S. THIS JOHN HAD HIS 8 YEAR OLD SON, STEVEN, AS PASSENGER AND HIS WIFE SUSAN AND DAUGHTER, JESSICA, FOLLOWING IN THEIR PICKUP.

WE ENCOUNTERED MAJOR TRAFFIC JAMS ON THE CROSS BRONX EXPRESSWAY AND THE GW BRIDGE. AT 11 AM, WE STOPPED AT THE LOMBARDI REST AREA TO GAS UP. IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT WE SHOULD HAVE RIDDEN IN THE CENTER LANE, NOT THE RIGHT LANE, TO AVOID EXITING TRAFFIC. GOOD TIP. ROLAND VOLUNTEERED TO LEAD THE REST OF THE WAY.

WE ENCOUNTERED MORE MAJOR TRAFFIC JAMS ALONG THE NJ TURNPIKE. IT FELT STRANGE TO BE STOPPED ON A SUPERHIGHWAY, FEET ON THE ASPHALT. AND THEN THE RAIN BEGAN. WE PULLED INTO A REST AREA, SNACKED AND PUT ON THE RAIN GEAR. STEVEN RODE IN THE PICKUP WITH SUSAN, WHO COLLECTED MONEY FOR THE UPCOMING TOLLS ON ROUTE 95S. THIS ALLOWED ALL THE BIKES TO PASS THROUGH TOLLS WITHOUT EACH OF US FUMBLING FOR MONEY, THEN WAITING FOR EACH OTHER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. AT 2 PM, WE STOPPED AT MIKE'S, THE H-D DEALER IN WILMINGTON, DE., TO DRY OFF, BUY SOME T'S AND HAVE A BIKER LUNCH: GOOD FOOD, LARGE PORTIONS, RELATIVELY CHEAP.

HEAVY RAIN CONTINUED THROUGH BALTIMORE AND AT 5 PM, WE ARRIVED AT OUR HOTEL. IN BETWEEN RAIN DROPS, WE CLEANED, SECURED AND COVERED OUR BIKES FOR THE NIGHT. AL, TOM AND JOE (ALL NEW HAVEN HOG) HAD ARRIVED THE DAY BEFORE AND INVITED US NEXT DOOR TO THE ONLY BAR AROUND. ON THE WAY TO THE BAR, WE FOUND OUT THAT THE HOTEL HAD ON-SITE POLICE PRESENCE 24/7. INSIDE THE BAR, WE FOUND OUT THAT AL, TOM AND JOE HAD LEFT FRIDAY MORNING, LED BY AL'S FRIEND JACK ELY, WHO GUIDED THEM THROUGH THE COUNTRYSIDE, FOR A DRY AND PLEASANT RIDE TO DC. THEY WERE IN THEIR ROOMS BY 3 PM. WE ALSO FOUND OUT THAT (ROAD KING) JOHN AND HIS FATHER WERE USMC AND HIS 2 SONS ARE USMC. THE BARTENDER GAVE US A TEDDY BEAR TO PLACE AT PANEL 10W OF THE VIETNAM MEMORIAL WALL, IN HONOR OF J.WILLIAMS.

FOR VARIOUS REASONS, WE DECIDED NOT TO STAY IN OUR HOTEL ANOTHER NIGHT, SO THE NEXT MORNING WE PACKED UP AND ENJOYED A BIKER BREAKFAST AT SHONEY'S. (WIDE GLIDE) JOHN LED US TO THE H-D DEALER IN FORT WASHINGTON, MD, WHERE WE JOINED A COUPLE THOUSAND BIKES FOR A DRY, 10 AM, POLICE ESCORTED RIDE TO THE PENTAGON'S NORTH PARKING LOT.

THE LOT WAS HALF FULL AT 11 AM. BUT BY NOON IT WAS COMPLETELY FULL. A HELICOPTER CIRCLED OVERHEAD AND A GUY WAS WALKING ALONG THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TAPING THE SOUNDS OF THE BIKES: A CONSTANT RUMBLE THAT COULD BE HEARD AND FELT. WE PARKED BEHIND A BUNCH OF TRIKES AND SEVERAL GOLDWINGS WITH TRAILERS. WE WERE PACKED IN TIGHT AND OH WHAT A SIGHT OF 200,000 PEOPLE AND BIKES, PATCHES AND FLAGS OF ALL KINDS.

ON THE WAY, INGI AND I GOT SEPARATED FROM OUR LITTLE GROUP. SOMEHOW, WE FOUND (WIDE GLIDE) JOHN AND STEVEN, A COUPLE OF ROWS TO OUR LEFT AND LATER, ROLAND, DIANA AND PAUL, WHO WOULD MEET US AT PANEL 10W. I WAS TOLD (ROAD KING) JOHN WAS GOING TO HIS SISTERS LATER. WE WALKED AROUND BUYING OFFICAL PATCHES, PINS, T'S, WATER AND DOUGHNUTS.

WE MET RICH AND BATES FROM HUNTSVILLE, AL., WHO PUT 57,000 MILES ON HIS BIKE IN 2 YEARS, WHILE WORKING FOR NASA. WE WILL BE LOOKING FOR BATES IN JULY FOR THE "MADE IN AMERICA" TOUR THAT STARTS IN DC.

AT NOON, WITH POLICE AGAIN BLOCKING ALL INTERSECTIONS, BIKES STARTED LEAVING IN COLUMNS WHILE OTHER BIKES WERE STILL ARRIVING. IT WAS AFTER 1 PM, BEFORE WE STARTED THE ENGINE AND MOVED OUT QUICKLY, FOLLOWING EACH OTHER INTO DOWNTOWN DC. WE PARADED PAST SUPPORTERS, WAVING AT US OR COVERING THEIR EARS. WE PARKED ON THE STREET, BECAUSE IT WAS DRIER THAN THE FIELD NEXT TO THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL, WHERE MOST BIKES PARKED. CONSTITUTION AVENUE WAS PACKED WITH BIKES, PEOPLE, CARS AND MORE BIKES. WE WALKED OVER TO THE WALL AND PLACED OUR TEDDY BEAR AT THE BASE OF PANEL 10W, AMONG THE FLOWERS, LETTERS AND PHOTOGRAPHS OF YOUNG SOLDIERS.

THE RUMBLE OF BIKES IN THE DISTANCE WAS IN CONTRAST TO THE SILENCE OF THE TEARY EYED CROWD.

WE FOUND ROLAND, DIANA AND PAUL AND WENT TO THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL TO COMPOSE OURSELVES AND LISTEN TO THE SPEECHES THAT WERE BEING BROADCAST BY CNN AND C-SPAN. AT 4 PM, WE WALKED SLOWLY BACK TO OUR BIKES AND DECIDED TO HEAD BACK HOME.

IT STARTED TO RAIN AS WE GOT ON ROUTE 50E, WHICH LED US TO ROUTE 301N. WE SHOULD HAVE STOPPED IN ANNAPOLIS OR AFTER THE CHESAPEAKE BAY BRIDGE, BECAUSE THERE ARE NO HOTELS OR RESTAURANTS ON ROUTE 301N IN DELAWARE. IT WAS A LONG, 3 HOUR, CHILLY, RAINY RIDE TO THE SHONEY'S INN NEAR WILMINGTON, DE. WE PARKED IN BACK, UNDER A COVERED WALKWAY AND HAD A LATE, 9 PM, DINNER OF BEER, BURGERS AND SALADS. WE BEGAN AND ENDED OUR DAY AT A SHONEY'S.

MONDAY MORNING WAS CLOUDY AND COOL, AS WE HEADED ONTO ROUTE 100N IN PENNSYLVANNIA. WE STOPPED AT A KRISPY KREME FOR THE BEST 300 CALORIE DOUGHNUTS SIXTY-FIVE CENTS CAN BUY. THEY HAVE A LARGE INDOOR WINDOW THAT ALLOWS CUSTOMERS TO WATCH THE DOUGHNUT MAKING PROCESS. THIS WAS A MILLION DOLLAR OPERATION THAT SELLS 20,000 DOUGHNUTS A WEEK.

LATER, WE ENJOYED BOTH THE VIEW AND FOOD AT A PLACE IN MENNONITE COUNTRY AT THE JUNCTION OF ROUTES 100N AND 29N NEAR ALLENTOWN, PA. FOUR KIND LADIES PROVIDED US WITH GREAT BURGERS, DOGS, PEROGIS AND SWEET POTATO FRIES. THAT ONE MEAL KEPT US GOING THROUGH SCENIC ROUTES 611N AND 512E, INTO WESTERN NEW JERSEY, UNTIL WE REACHED ROUTE 84E IN NEW YORK AROUND 5 PM. WE STOPPED FOR THE LAST TIME AS A GROUP AT MCDONALDS TO SAY OUR FAREWELLS. IT WAS ABOUT 8 PM, WHEN INGI AND I PULLED INTO MY GARAGE AFTER AN 800 MILE MEMORIAL WEEKEND.