The Patriot Guard- West, Tx Memorial Service

At some point in all of our lives we experience "something" that is so emotional and moving that it becomes difficult to put our feelings to words.  On Thursday April 24, 2013 I attended the West, TX memorial services for the first responders of the fertilizer plant explosion with The Patriot Guard Riders.  Its difficult to even know where to start this post because of my emotions.

The Fort Worth meeting spot for the mission was at the QT off 35W South.  Arrival time was 6am.  I topped off the tank and parked in line for the parade style ride to Waco.  The region captain who is also the state captain introduced himself and some others in the Patriot Guard.  I told him this was my first mission and his reply was, "Prepare yourself, the first one is always the most difficult.  None of the missions get easier but your first one will never be forgotten".  Upon hearing that I honestly did not understand the impact the mission was going to have on me.

We had a mission briefing and lined up for our 0655 departure time.  Our group was right at 70 bikes.  The trip to Waco went well and we arrived at the meeting area right on time.  Other Patriot Guard riders were already there and more continued to arrive for another hour from different state regions. At this time everyone was allowed to unfurl their big flags if they had them on their bikes. There were riders from different MC's, RC's, and Independents that came to show their respects and support The Patriot Guard mission. We had another mission meeting that provided details of our role for the memorial service now that all the regions were together.  We left the meeting spot with secret service and Waco police escort to a staging spot that was about a mile from Baylor University auditorium where the services were to be held.  President Obama was attending the service so the secret service was everywhere.  At this point we were about 300 bikes strong.

After another hour we departed again but this time it was for the parade ceremony.  We rode to the campus, past the auditorium, then on to a blocked of street where we parked 4 bikes wide from which the line extended almost half a mile long.  We were followed by emergency response vehicles who were also part of the parade.  Once we parked our orders were to hurry and get flags from the flag trucks, unfurl them, and head for the flag line area.  We set up our flag line directly across from the auditorium where the services were being held.

The flag line extended about half a mile along the road.  Emergency vehicles continued to roll past in parade formation for over an hour.  I heard there were over 400 emergency vehicles at the ceremony.  After the last truck went by the area became completely silent.  Thousands of people and no voices, music, cell phones, birds, cars, nothing made a single noise.  It was beautifully respectful.  Then far off in the distance from where our bikes were parked, we heard the bagpipes.  Slowly they approached from afar with the music getting louder as they moved closer to the flag line.  When they arrived at the auditorium they stopped momentarily, the base drums did a short deep drum closure which you could feel in your chest, and they moved off in complete silence.  I was having some difficulties during all of this controlling my feelings.  When you understand the magnitude of what is taking place it can become difficult to hold back the tears.  I would often become overwhelmed and feel that lump rise in my throat to be followed by uncontrollable tears.

Next came the most difficult part for me, I have never experienced something like this in my life.  Fellow firefighters slowly walked past holding the helmets of their fallen.  Some of the helmets had the officers name on it, some had burn marks, large scrapes, and other visible damage.  This is where the cold hard reality really took hold.  There was once a person wearing that helmet that gave their life to save others.  The helmets of first responders were carried followed by a fire truck representing the department they had worked for.  Following that were other representatives of the department marching in sync.  All you heard was the low rumbling of the trucks idling by and the stomp of boots marching together under the occasional instruction of military personnel saying " Left, Left, Left Right Left.  I stood there holding my flag with tears flowing out from under my sunglasses.  Though I didn't know these people, the gravity of their sacrifice took hold of me.

After this came the families.  You could see the hurt and the loss in their faces. You could only hope that the minute contribution of holding that flag out of respect might give even the slightest comfort for even a fleeting moment.

This marked the finalization of our role in the ceremonies.  We marched back to the flag trucks in single file and furled the flags upon arrival.  Here we were dismissed.  I was invited to lunch with a group of Vets from Haltom City which is very close to where I live.  They were wonderful and I am honored to have spent time with them.  They were stopping off at West, TX on the way back so I rode home alone.  I couldn't seem to shake the feelings the day had brought upon me and often teared up again while riding home.  Even when I pulled into the garage at home an hour and half later I couldn't keep my composure.  My wife greeted me as I got off my bike, asked how it went, and I looked at her and cried.  I talked just enough to say "I'm not able to talk about it right now".  She just held me while I sobbed uncontrollably.

It took a full day for me to be able to talk about the experience completely.  This was one of the most memorable experiences of my life and I will never forget it. 

I want to thank The Patriot Guard for their support of our veterans and emergency responders.  I also want to thank them for allowing me to take part in their missions.

As you know I usually have a bunch of pictures or a video.  I did not take my camera or GoPro this time.  I went to support The Patriot Guards mission and out of respect I did not take any media of the ceremony.  I did however take a few pictures with my cellphone of the gathering of the Guard and flag trucks.  If you want more than that I am sure the Internet is full of pictures and media from the news stations that were on site.

The Patriot Guard: West,TX Memorial Service Slideshow

Cowtown Bluebonnet Trail Ride

Bluebonnets!  Yar, its bluebonnet time in Texas!  As you might know the bluebonnet is the official state flower so what better way to celebrate our states flower than to go on a ride to see them!

Here is a bit of history behind the bluebonnet. The bluebonnet was designated the official state flower of Texas in 1901. Also called buffalo clover, wolf flower, and el conejo (spanish for "the rabbit"), bluebonnets are to Texas what the shamrock is to Ireland. Texas has also designated an official bluebonnet city (Ennis, Texas), a festival (Chappell Hill Bluebonnet Festival), and bluebonnet trail (also in Ennis which we rode). The bluebonnet flower is named for the color and sunbonnet-shaped petals.

The peak blooming time for these extraordinary flowers is late March through mid-April.  This year has been unseasonably cool later into the year so we didn’t quite get the full bloom on the ride but it was good none the less!  Riding up on large patches and fields full of the flowers brought color, fragrance, ooohs and aaahs.  We rode the Ennis Bluebonnet Trail and made quite a few stops to take photographs and play in the flowers.  The ride ended in Ennis, TX where a bluebonnet festival and an antique car show was taking place.

Margaret took some pictures while we were riding this time since we weren’t going at high speeds.  As usual I got some video as well.  Media wise we captured a LOT.  It can be difficult trying to decide what to post and leave out.  This time since there was so much good viewing I did a slide show and video of the ride.

A big thanks and thumbs up to Randy and Windell for the planning, pre-riding the route, and leadership on the ride.  All went smoothly and without issue.

It was a perfect day.

Cowtown Bluebonnet Trail Ride Slideshow 2013

Cowtown Bluebonnet Trail Ride Video 2013

The Patriot Guard Riders

When creating this blog the original intent was to focus on my personal riding experiences since getting my Harley.  This post is a bit off track from that intention but I was compelled to post it. Upon browsing some sites and videos I found a particular video that REALLY moved me.  My personality is kind of hard, cold and non-emotional but I lost that composure when I saw this video.  I have known about the Patriot Guard Riders and what they do as a riding group, even considered joining their missions when I could.  I never did though.  Something personal, fun, or selfish always comes up for most of us to make an excuse not to participate in humanitarian causes.  It is in our human nature to be this way.

Then I watched this video and it gave me a deep understanding of the important role The Patriot Guard has with our veterans.  The flag lines, funeral escorts, send offs, welcome home escorts, blocking off protesters, respect, and honor are all pieces of what this group is about.

Americans in general don't appreciate the freedoms we have in our own country.  We take our lifestyle for granted simply because we wear the citizenship tag.  We have this idea in our head that we deserve the things we have and deserve the life of freedom we live. We rarely consider the sacrifices our soldiers have made both past and present which has helped create and defend our ability to "freely" abuse our privileged lifestyle.

I have not served in any branch of our armed services.  There is some regret that comes with that because I enjoy the freedoms we have without having put my life in harm’s way to attain that freedom.  I have however lived and travelled across a good portion of the world.  Living and going to school in Belgium, Holland, and Egypt allowed me to see and involve myself with other lifestyles, cultures, and freedoms that people outside America live in.  Travelling Europe, the Middle East, and South America expanded my world view.  From my experiences I can proudly say there is no other country in the world I would rather live in and be a citizen of than America.

Our military personnel both past and present who have fought for our freedoms are often forgotten or victimized by self-righteous, indignant, and ungrateful protesters.  Our deceased veterans are often overlooked and forgotten and their funerals go unattended.  The families of veterans, while suffering the loss of a loved one are sometimes harassed by ignorant and hateful protesters.  The Patriot Guard was formed to combat these issues and have made an extraordinary positive impact by filling a serious need.

Watch the video from start to finish, don’t skip through it, take it in, reflect on what the speakers are saying, and feel their emotion and hurt.  It is very powerful and will give you an appreciation for things you may not have considered being thankful for.  I reflected on it for a good week, I just couldn’t get away from the feelings that were provoked.  Yesterday I registered with The Patriot Guard and began receiving mission emails that I can attend if available.  I work full time and have to in order to support my family so it is impossible to make every mission.  I will participate in missions when I can though.  At least in some way I can give back something to the families and soldiers that have given their life and defend the freedoms we all share.

Fort Worth HOG April 2013 Chapter Meeting

This months meeting heralded hot tempuratures and clear skies.  There was a great turnout with the parade having 59 bikes.  We took the usual route through the Fort Worth Stockyards and conducted the meeting at Billy Bobs.

This weekend will be a busy ride weekend with Saturdays Chapter meeting and Sundays ride to Thurber, TX.  I'll keep this post short since there will be another soon from Sundays ride.

I tried sticking the GoPro to the top of my helm this time.  Not sure yet what I think about that position.  I found you have to really keep your head straight or the video goes crazy every time you even check your rear view mirrors!  Still got some good clips though.  Enjoy!

Fort Worth HOG April 2013 Chapter Meeting

Passing Lamps

Due to weather, personal things, and groups not doing much, I haven't done any riding since the last post.  However, last month I purchased passing lamps for my bike and we took a few pictures of the installation process!  I saved this post information for a time of inactivity and here it is!

The lamps and the brackets I wanted were right at $400.00 at Harley.  We had planned on getting these at the right moment and that moment was now.  Last year at our chapters picnic Margaret and I did very well in the bike games placing in 3 of the 5 events.  The prizes were gift cards to the dealership.  I had saved those along with some gift cards we had won at other chapter events so with the gift cards I only  had to spend $150.00 for them out of my own pocket.

I knew there was going to be quite a bit of work involved to install them.  What better way to learn a bit more about your bike than to do something you know is gonna be extensive!

The instructions provided were minimal and lacked detail.  It wasn't all that hard to figure out though.  The only problem I ran into was where to get power for the lamps.  That small detail is not noted anywhere in the basic instructions provided.  I had to go to the dealership and ask Jake for that info.  He was great about it and told me it was the grey wire from each of the turn signals that is not used from the factory.  Harley put that power there specifically for passing lamps to be installed later.

1) Remove windshield

2) Remove front of fairing.  After removing the Torx screws remove the headlight connector.

3) Remove ignition switch.  You have to remove this to get the switch control panel off.

4) Remove switch control panel.

5) Install switch into a blank area of control panel

6) Wire switch power feed both in and out and ground into the harness according to diagram. The picture below is the back of the harness which points towards the switch controls.  You have to stick the new switch wires into the specifically labeled holes to route power to the lights. I purchased the independent lighting control harness as well.  That way you can have your brights on at the same time as your passing lamps.  That was the easy part of the install, disconnect the wiring harness from the switch panel and snap the short harness in between.  It is clean, sealed, and makes the necessary cross connectsso you don't have to cut and solder wires.

7) Reassemble switch control and ignition switch.

8) Assemble lamps and brackets

9) Remove existing turn signals because you will use your existing housings.  This is where it started getting a bit tricky.  Your supposed to feed the turn signal wires through the new mounting bracket along with the power wire for the passing lamps.  First you have to cut the connector off of the turn signal wires.  You will have to make a new one with the provided component's later. The problem is that the turn signal lamp wires have been sealed in a plastic material that adheres to them.  You cannot just simply pull that sheath off to expose the wires and with the sheath on it is too big to fit through the bracket hole with the passing lamp power.  And its not just a hole, its a 6 inch long little hole you've got to push all the wires through.  I had to take a utility knife and very carefully slice the sheath off the turn signal wires without cutting through to the copper.  This picture is before cutting the connector off to feed the cables through the new lamp bracket.  You can kind of see how the wires are sealed inside a plastic sheath.  That sheath had to be split carefully with a utility knife along the entire length to get the wires out.

10) Here you are supposed to put this wire sheath on now that you have the bracket work finished.  But, the wire sheath Harley gives you is HUGE, as in it could go over 15+ wires, and its not shrink tubing!  Horrible.  I went to Auto Zone and bought a roll of shrink fit tubing and covered them properly from the exposure point on the bracket all the way up to where I had to build the new connector.

11) Install passing light assembly on forks

12) Build the new connector.  This means stripping the jacket off about 1/8" of the end of all 4 wires for each turn signal and passing lamp. Then your supposed to crimp the provided pins on the wire and snap them into the new connector.  I soldered mine on instead to insure good contact.  Then stick the pins in the correct positions in the new connector and reconnect to the feed in the fairing.  This is where you get the power for the passing lamps.  There is an extra grey wire on the feed connector that is originally unused which is now used for the passing lamps.

13) Try them out before finishing re-assembly.

14) Re-install front of fairing and windshield.

15) Wash the bike.  (Why not right?)

The installation took 3 hours start to finish and that included my trip to Harley to find out about the power feed.  Not bad for not having done it before.  They look great and work great.  It really shoots light out to the sides which is great for safety.  On my morning commute to work which is always in the dark I can come up right beside a car and see the light from them lighting up the driver.