A year after my son was killed, my older brother wrote the words above and sent them to me one day. I never thought much about riding in that context but, after what happened, I found that when I'm on the bike, there is a freedom in the wind blowing on your face that does soothe your soul and helps heal your heart. When I'm on the bike there is cause for reflection of the past, present and future. The present takes care of itself every day, the future is yet to come, but the past....there are so many memories. Among those memories are the lighter, more carefree times - times that I would like to share with you.

I'll never forget the very first time I went to a 'bike event'. Never in my life had I seen so many people and motorcycles in one place. There had to be, with no exaggeration, more than 30,000 people and 10,000 bikes - all in one place. Listening to the roar of the Harley Davidson in its full glory, I learned the true meaning of the term "thunder"....

This page takes a little time to load but I've added some music for your enjoyment. Go get a coffee or cocktail and wait it out....I think the pics are worth it!

Harley Rendezvous - Mariahville, New York

Everywhere you looked, there was a bike - all kinds of bikes - but almost all Harley Davidson's.

There were old bikes:

and there were small bikes:

There were so many bikes on display that there isn't enough room here to show all the pictures.

Everyone was out to show their bike, even if they all did it at once.

There were so many things going on. Every day there was an event(s) and I knew I just had to see the rodeo. Having only been to the western kind, I almost expected horses. Well, the horses did come...the iron horses! These guys worked magic with their bikes. The went around the barrels, they moved them with their front tires, they pulled "wagons" - they did everything. Then came the moment when the guys lined up the bikes and the girls hopped on the back. It was then that I learned about the weenie contest. Weenie contest? Yeah, take the biggest bite of the weenie - you win. What a twist these people had on that:

Most of the time they missed, but if they only got close....there was more mustard from the chin to the forehead than seemed to be in the jar. I never laughed so much in my life. I found out that if you get the biggest bite, you don't always win, sometimes you fall down.

A bit over-zealous after her bite, she rocked the boat. Too bad, because she had the biggest bite and it WOULD HAVE been a sure winner.

They didn't do too bad on the ring toss.

No event would be complete without a tatoo contest. Even though there were a lot of women entered, I don't have any pics that I can show here.. I won't show pics of the wet T-shirt contest either but it was incredible and the bands never stopped.

I thought this fellow exhibited some great tats but it wasn't until the pics were developed that I realized he had a nipple ring. Do you suppose it hurt when he got it?

No Rendezvous is complete after all the fun, partying and sun without the rain. And where there's rain, there's bound to be MUD, LOTS OF MUD

It's not so bad as long as you're not camping in the middle of it and you're not the guy (girl) in the back of the bike pushing while he's spinning those tires for all they're worth!

If you've never been to Mariahville, New York and been a part of Harley Rendezvous, you're missing a great time. It's usually the third week in June....make a date!

Daytona Beach - Florida

What would a bike event be without Daytona? Thousands, upon thousands of bikes. Every shape, kind, color, combination. Bikes lined Main Street. It was elbow to elbow walking on the street. Forget bellying up to the bar, you were lucky to get close enough to order a beer. But it was great. This pic is more than halfway down Main Street, heading towards the Boot Hill Saloon.

Speaking of Boot Hill Saloon, you couldn't get near it with a ten foot pole but if you were on that side of the street and you turned around, appropriately you would find the entrance to the cemetary.

By the end of the week, we were tired and decided to take the Trolley downtown. It picked us up in front of the motel on A1A and deposited us at the top of Main Street. It seemed like a good plan. We couldn't find decent parking for the bikes anyway. We found out at the end of a long day, the wait for the return trip would be a long one.

Thankfully, we were almost at the end of our trip when the inevitable happened:

No trip is ever complete without the infamous bike breaking down. It's kind of a rule. The one who expects it least, gets it first. Oh well, parts, a blanket, some WD40 and a cooler - who cares?

Just remember though, at the end of every trip there are certain things you never can tell, you say you never heard, and, in case someone asks, you claim you just didn't see!