Ride Journal

May 9, 2009

The day started at the Roseburg Armory.  Our area was sending 130 National Guard soldiers off to the Medford Airport and then to Fort Benning, Georgia for a couple of months of training before being sent to Iraq.  The Patriot Guard Riders were asked to help escort the three busses for the 100 mile journey to Medford.  We had about 30 bikes for the send off.  I got to the armory an hour early for the 11:30 departure time.  I was able to talk to a lot of the guys and gals going over seas and thanked them all for their service to our country.  I witnessed a lot of emotional goodbyes between family members and their kids.  

The news media was out in full force and I was asked to do a TV camera interview and two radio spots.

As we took off, our route took us through Roseburg and through the Roseburg Veterans Hospital grounds.  It seemed like the whole town was behind the overwhelming send off.  There were people waving flags and support signs ALL along the route!

We got on the I-5 freeway headed south at 52 miles per hour.  That seemed to be quite slow for my high- geared bike so I seldom got out of 3rd or 4th gear.  Just before the Medford airport exit, I pulled beside the busses, opened up my train horn and sent a big wave to everyone.  I got a lot of waves back from all three busses and I continued on south to my sisters house in Lafayette, California.  It was a fairly warm ride down to the bay area.  I arrived at 7:30 pm, just in time for dinner and a nice hot tub.  I watched Jack Bauer on 24 and then called it a day.