Rolling Thunder

[peacetraveler22]

Over the weekend I met some new friends. Big guys with beards and lots of tattoos. American bikers! They're legendary - the subject of films, novels and television shows. Perhaps some of you have seen the classic film Easy Rider or the current television show Sons of Anarchy? As a kid, my dad drove a motorcycle but it was a big Honda Gold Wing he inherited from his father. These guys prefer something louder, faster and more flashy. Hundreds of thousands of them descend upon Washington, DC every Memorial Day weekend to take part in an annual event to honor fallen servicemen and women. Today I'll tell you their story.

1. The event, known as "Rolling Thunder," celebrated its 26th year over the weekend. Bikers from all over the country gather in DC to participate in a ride from the Pentagon to the National Mall. The name of the event is obvious when you stand in the presence of so many motorcycles riding the same condensed route. The noise and motion from all of the bikes does in fact resemble the sound and feel of rolling thunder.



2. Many of the bikers are veterans and others simply ride in honor of fallen loved ones, prisoners of war or those missing in action. Some of the parked bikes display photos of the military person the biker is honoring. This biker rides in memory of Samuel Huffman, killed in action on July 25, 1966. Other bikes display photo stickers of soldiers recently killed in Afghanistan or other regions. Really touching scene.



3. Others ride for a particular branch of the U.S. military. This guy is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. I'll show you later, but some of the bikes are real pieces of art.



4. We had a very windy day on Saturday, perfect for all of the decorative bike flags to proudly wave. These are quite small, but some bikes carry massive flags.



5. Rolling Thunder is a non-profit organization with over 90 Chapters throughout the U.S. In general, motorcycle clubs started in the U.S. shortly after World War II, when returning soldiers formed clubs as a way of coping with the return to civilian life. In the 1950's and 60's they gained popularity and American bikers became woven into the cultural fabric of America. Both good and bad biker alliances formed, the most famous bad boys club being the California group known as "Hells Angels." However, bikers associated with Rolling Thunder are definitely a kinder, gentler and more charitable breed. Here we have a multinational rider.



6. I saw numerous bikers who made the trip from Canada, including this guy who is a veteran of the Canadian Army. His bike had the iconic Canadian maple leaf painted on the front.



7. This guy is a real sweetheart! His name is Bob and he's from Rancho Cucamonga, California. He's part of an organization called Run for the Wall. Their slogan is "we ride for those who can't." Each year, Bob and others organize a cross-country motorcycle ride to DC to attend the Rolling Thunder event. The bikers take three weeks to get to DC, stopping at veterans' memorials and hospitals in every State along the way to honor and visit wounded troops. Notice the "Road Guard" sticker on Bob's shield? I'll explain later.



8. The event lasts for three days and there's a huge entertainment center called "Thunder Alley." It's here that bikers gather to chat, purchase biker stuff and eat burgers, fries and lots of other meat. Maybe when I get tired of practicing trademark law, I'll join this firm - Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys. :)



9. Lots of crazy helmets with various designs.



10. Standard biker vest.



11. Actually, the vests are quite interesting because they tell you many things. For instance, whether the biker is a veteran, in which branch of the U.S. military they served, which local biker club they belong to, etc. This information is usually conveyed in numerous patches. Check out this tired biker's vest, taking an afternoon nap but we see he served in Vietnam from 1965 - 1966.



12. Some customers roaming around Thunder Alley.



13. Many of the bikers will tell you their "biker name." This guy is known as "Stray Dog." :)) I told him my blog is read mostly by Russians and he explained how a Russian businessman once came up to him in a restaurant and asked whether he could get his photo taken with him. Stray Dog said "sure," just like he did with me. Maybe he should be the newest member of ZZ Top. Do Russians know this band? Great American rock 'n' roll music! The band members have long beards like this.



14. This guy wasn't so friendly so I don't know his biker name. Maybe "sourpuss" or something similar.



15. This woman was in charge of the biker's assistance booth. Bikers can register their name, license plate and phone number here and be on a list for free breakdown assistance. If they break down anywhere in the DC area other bikers volunteer to come and help. Bob from Rancho Cucamonga is one of the Road Guards who helps the stranded bikers.



16. After speaking to a few bikers you quickly realize it's a tight knit community. They all seem to know each other and frequently joke around, calling each other by their biker names. The other thing I noticed is that many of the bikers affiliated with Rolling Thunder are religious. Some of the biker jackets had religious notations, like this group called "Honor Bound."



17. One biker even created a "Bible bike." Custom, and I'm sure very expensive, artwork on a lot of the bikes. And free Bibles!!



18. We're off to see the wizard - biker style! This is my favorite, a bike dedicated to the classic film The Wizard of Oz. This was my favorite movie as a child. I used to braid my hair and pretend to be Dorothy. I'd make my dad be Toto, the dog, and we'd skip around the house singing the wonderful songs from the movie.



19. This bike drew the most attention because it's entirely custom made. The owner has been working and tinkering with the bike for over 15 years. Total cost invested so far is about $35,000.



20. Here's the creator, Tom. Obviously he is partial to the color orange. I don't remember where he's from, but he told me they come to the event every year and always take time to visit their daughter in the nearby State of Ohio. Notice his patch "I Built Mine?" Proud of his workmanship.



22. Custom wheels. I could care less about wheels or rims but I think it's something men really notice. I say this because my car has performance wheels and men are always commenting on them. I didn't want them but they were already on the car and I was too impatient to wait for a delivery from the factory so I paid extra for tires I don't really like. And they're a real nightmare in snow! I discovered this during a winter trip to New Hampshire.



23. Now I'll show you more cool bikers.



24. Not too many female drivers, but many passengers.



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26. Happy guy!



27. These guys, trust me they're only scary and tough looking on the outside. They're good people, doing good deeds.



28. Some even put cute teddy bears on the back of their bikes. :)



29. Others walk around with cute little dogs.



30. This event was really inspiring to me. I don't claim that all bikers are nice and wholesome but this group is really kind, approachable and patriotic. My family has a long military history and my grandmother (pictured below) paved the way for female soldiers today. She was a member of the WAVES, a World War II division of the U.S. Navy that consisted solely of women. When she passed away in 2004, she had a full military funeral at Quantico National Cemetery, where she was buried alongside my grandfather who served in the Marine Corps.



So tell me, is there a large biker community in Russia? I don't remember seeing any motorcycles but in winter time I suppose they would freeze in the brutal temperatures. And let's create biker names! What should mine be? :)