Day 2 – May 15, 2014 Another look back…Yesterday’s fine Wreath Laying Squad at the grave of Indian Joe Leonard were: Doc Rhode, Frank Meier, Don Jenkins and Mike Rinowski. One of the hardest parts of the ride is saying good-bye after each stop. Even though we only see them once a year, we have become a family. In Auburn, it was wonderful to see Billy the Kid, the youngest of last year’s riders. His mom kindly brought him out to see us off. Fred Corcoran always has a smiling face ready for us as we arrive. Many showed up to have breakfast with us and wish us well. They make donations and buy 50/50 tickets to support us. We appreciate the day riders that joined us to Reno VMAC, all for the love of the Vets. Flipper and Mad Dog who left for Oregon, we’ll miss them. One very important item I forgot to mention: HAPPY 75TH BIRTHDAY SIERRA NEVEDA HEALTH CARE SYSTEM!!! The VMAC Reno is part of this group. We hope you continue to care for our vets with the quality of health care they deserve. Another really beautiful morning dawned today. We were wheels up at 8:00 AM, which felt like we slept in! Present were 52 bikes, 7 trikes and two cages. Riding Missing Man formation was Ray Adams, and Butch Schroder. The Salt Flats of Utah are incredible. It was Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds as the sun turned everything sparkly. Along the flats, people leave messages spelled out in black rocks. Some are love messages, birthday or just people’s names. Very cool. A 235-mile ride took us to the Salt Lake City Veterans Home. As we drove up, whom do we see first but Randy Knight and his lovely wife Marsha. He is the person to whom this year’s ride is dedicated. Steve Mulcahy, who nominated Randy for the dedication, introduced him as one of the original and valued NVAR riders. He met Steve Moore when Steve fell down the steps in a hotel in Nashville, and the rest is history. Randy was severely injured in a bike accident a few years ago. His rehabilitation has been difficult, but, with Marsha’s help and devotion and through his hard work, he continues to improve. Randy was very touched by this honor and pledges to be with us in sprit. As a token of his strong belief and support of our mission, Randy made a sizeable donation to the cause. We were delighted to have him join us for lunch today. We love you, Randy. Thank you for your support. We wish you continued success in your recovery. More memories were made today. Stuke told me a story on the fly about a lady he was visiting that received a huge box of letters while he was there. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my tablet with, so I don’t remember the details, except that there were lots of them, and that Stuke and wanted to read them! Maybe letters from her soldier boy? We also encountered Kerry, an Air Force second lieutenant that was shot down over Afghanistan. Her service dog Buster accompanied her. Rider Mike awarded her our War on Terror Medal. One very sad story was the death of a very special man that I met in 2013, Gene Johnson. He was an Army veteran of Korea Gene loved motorcycles and always looked forward to our visits. He came out to enjoy our bikes and invited us to his room. There he had displayed photos of himself as a young man on motorcycles. Best of all, Gene was an artist. He “painted” amazing pictures through pyrography, burning them on wood. Draws, burns and colors amazing images and allowed us to enjoy the gallery in his room. His lovely Daughter Susie was at the home today and presented the NVAR with a beautiful work of art done by Gene. Gene was also President of the Resident Council in 2013 at the age of 85. Susie said he didn’t retire from his contractor’s job until he was 81! She also related the touching story of his passing. He was lucid to the end, with his final words to her being, “Here we go!” That was Gene, beginning his next adventure. Rest in peace, Gene, and that you for your service and talent. Heartfelt thanks to the Salt Lake City Vets Home. Lunch was wonderful and we look forward to next year. 80 miles later, we picked up a 38-bike escort, bringing our numbers up to 90. VFW 4280 provides a scrumptious roast beef dinner and supported us handsomely with 50/50 purchases and brisk merchandise sales. Another stop with many old friends, and many more new ones! Thanks Post 3280! Happy Tenth Anniversary NVAR and Happy Birthday Svein!! Svein received good and not so good gifts for his birthday. Bad news first, he has a broken throttle cable on his bike. We’re trying to get him the help he needs. The good news is that he was asked to choose the 50/50 because it’s his birthday. He chose his own ticket! Time to rest. Here’s to tomorrow. Julie
Posted on: Fri, 16 May 2014 04:25:15 +0000
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