Rolling Thunder

[ducpenguin]

I did it once....wasted 5 hours of my life.....never again!

Sorry you feel that way. I try to make it every other year and visit a few friends at the wall, who spent a lot of their time in some stinking jungle so that I can still ride. - Gene

Have to agree with this one...Never a waste of time to honor!

[ducatiz]

Sorry you feel that way. I try to make it every other year and visit a few friends at the wall, who spent a lot of their time in some stinking jungle so that I can still ride. - Gene

I would not be so harsh.  There are other, and possibly better, ways to honor their service.

Send a $10 check every month to one of these groups:
www.dav.org
www.scuv.org
www.vfwfoundation.org

I think DAV and VFW also take clothing donations, there are some local groups around me who drop off a card with a bag and you call them to pick it up.

Riding on a motorcycle certainly makes the issue visible, but opening your wallet often does more.

[Geaux]

It's just my mother, my sister, and me.  And their 2 cats.  And 3 dogs.  And Richard, but we kick him out.   

I meant douchebag in the sense of "everything else girly you could think of and be so disgusted by."  Oh nevermind.

[potomacduc]

I have a lot of respect for the concept behind Rolling Thunder and for those who participate sincerely.  What I don't respect are the faux biker cheesedicks who show up at this event because they think it is the obligatory cool Harley thing to do.  I'll bet there are a lot of 3-4 year old Harleys with under 1,000 miles on the road this weekend. 

[dolci]

I meant douchebag in the sense of "everything else girly you could think of and be so disgusted by."  Oh nevermind.

[zooom]

Have to agree with this one...Never a waste of time to honor!

I agree that it is never a waste of time to honor...but I don't have to sit in the Pentagon parking lot to do so with 40kabillion people doing practically nothing....I would happily go to the wall and honor otherwise or donate to DAV or other organizations...or even participate with the Patriot Guard riders again like I have done in the past.....but I won't waste good daylight and ridetime to be stuck in posefest where as mentioned...a good chunk of folks aren't there for the intended purpose of things....

[ducpenguin]

I agree that it is never a waste of time to honor...but I don't have to sit in the Pentagon parking lot to do so with 40kabillion people doing practically nothing....I would happily go to the wall and honor otherwise or donate to DAV or other organizations...or even participate with the Patriot Guard riders again like I have done in the past.....

Understood...I agree that the focus of the event may have been "out of" more recently.  Having served myself...it is a little sentimental for me.

[zooom]

SPEAKING OF POSEURS......

http://www.visordown.com/motorcyclenews/view/caption_that!__biker_bush/4833.html?source=weeklyemail&attr=caption

just because ya wear the gear, doesn't mean that YOU ARE apart of what is "what it is" or was.....

[ducatiz]

SPEAKING OF POSEURS......

just because ya wear the gear, doesn't mean that YOU ARE apart of what is "what it is" or was.....

he was gifted that vest from the group.  he didn't show up in it.

however, the caption contest submissions were quite funny.

"And the ritual buggery began..."

"Trust me, invisible jackets are in these days!"

etc

[twolanefun]

where as mentioned...a good chunk of folks aren't there for the intended purpose of things....

I call BS on that, do not get fooled by the 10-15% local riders that just jump on the band wagon, most of those guys rode 3-4 days to get there and they are there for a reason, talk to them, check them out, look at the plates on the bikes or go out about 500 miles south, west or north of DC on one of the major routes on a Thursday or Friday before Memorial Day and watch them ride in, not a pose fest, those occur in Daytona, Myrtle Beach, Rhodeside on Wed night, or the 2nd Sunday of the month at the Germantown Starbucks. - Gene

[potomacduc]

I call BS on that, do not get fooled by the 10-15% local riders that just jump on the band wagon, most of those guys rode 3-4 days to get there and they are there for a reason, talk to them, check them out, look at the plates on the bikes or go out about 500 miles south, west or north of DC on one of the major routes on a Thursday or Friday before Memorial Day and watch them ride in, not a pose fest, those occur in Daytona, Myrtle Beach, Rhodeside on Wed night, or the 2nd Sunday of the month at the Germantown Starbucks. - Gene

Again, full respect to those with sincere motivation.  There are a legit bunch of riders and bikers that make the ride.  There are also scads of poseurs.  I won't argue over percentages.  Even if the total jack-ass percentage is only 10-15%, that's a lot. 

[tocino]

Rhodeside on Wed night, or the 2nd Sunday of the month at the Germantown Starbucks.