Rolling Thunder

So I went to Rolling Thunder today, it was nuts how many bikes were there and I didn't even make it around to all of the parking lots, we only made it to three of them. I have heard varying numbers ranging from 350,000 to 900,000 bikes, all I know is it was nuts how many were there. We met up at my work at 7:45, which is absolutely ridiculous considering I can't even make it to work by this time... yet I was on time. We ended up leaving late so we got near the Pentagon around 9:00 and had to wait in line because the parking lots were already filling up... mind you this ride didn't even leave the Pentagon until 1:00pm. There were 8 bikes in our group, 6 Harleys, my Yami, and another guys Kawasaki... which was pretty representative of the bikes there. I think my bike was 1 of maybe 90-100 sport bikes that were there, it was mostly Harleys and other various types of cruisers. While waiting in this long ass mother effing line of bikes, the Nam Knights MC got a VIP pass to jump ahead of everyone... 20 minutes later after their 1500 bikes jumped into the procession we were moving again... well crawling again. We get there, get lined up, and discover that we are going to be one of the last groups to get into the procession that afternoon. Ugghhh... they were talking 3pm so we walked around for a while looking at bikes, we laid in the grass, we played in the sprinklers, we scooped up goose poop to save for later, we ate food, I pondered why most women who ride either look trashy or like butch lesbians. I am not a lesbian, nor do I look trashy so I don't really know where I fall... I feel so weird without a label defining how I should behave, I am free to do anything then?? Anyways, we actually ended up leaving before the procession because the ride was only 11 minutes and it was a beautiful day so we decided to not waste it sitting in a parking lot waiting 2 hours to pee in a port-o-john. Four of us left and rode to Annapolis through some of the most treacherous roads in DC. I felt like we were off-roading on dirt bikes.

Is it weird that I am *almost* bothered when people ask me or think that I rode on the back of a bike with a man? I don't know why because statistically it is a logical assumption, but it gets very close to bothering me when people assume that... it could be my inner feminist screaming that we are equals and anything a man can do I can do and can probably do it better, with more grace, and definitely more beauty... I am still perfecting the standing while I pee thing, it is tough when you aren't working with the same equipment. I have not dared to try it other than when I am in the shower for fear that I will pee on myself and make an ass out of myself... hmmm, wait a minute, that sounds like a very familiar scenario that I do believe I have done once or twice. Anyways, back on topic... I am definitely not a back of the bike kind of woman. I have rode on the back, but I didn't like it as much as I like riding on my own. Overall it was a pretty boring experience.

This is me, Zack, Randy, and Paul in our tough pose, I guess we aren't really looking too tough. We will work on that for our next group ride. 

If you do not know what Rolling Thunder is, check out this site. It is a great organization helping fight for veterans rights and remembering the POW-MIA who still have not returned home. I am not all patriotic and shit (and I was super irritated that Sarah Palin decided to push her politics at this rally instead of focusing on the cause which was way more important than her fame-mongering self), but I am a veteran and veterans rights are important to me. Remembering those who were not as fortunate as I was to complete my tour successfully should be something that all Americans should do whether you believe in war or not, these people are just like you and I. They went in for the same reasons I went in or any other kid who didn't have money to go to college, didn't know what they wanted to do, or just wanted to see the world. It could have been you or someone you know very easily who didn't return home. If you want to read more on this great organization, here is there link: http://www.rollingthunder1.com/