May 18, 2024 - Day 4 to DC - Eagle Nest, NM to Limon, CO
YEAH!!!! I believe I have gotten caught up with posting to the RFTW.us site. May 16,17 and 18. I still post every day to mamag03.blogspot.com if you chose to continue to read from there.
My hats off to those saying all those prayers. Beautiful and a bit cold, 41 degrees. This is good for Eagle Nest. Normally it is in the 20s or 30s. After a great breakfast we head outside for mandatory a meeting.
Nick asked Boots to come up and give the blessing in Hebrew. Very nice... he did say it in English first. Thanks Boots. FYI he is one of the road guards.
Bio for the day will be carried by Darwin. Thanks!!
You saw in yesterday's post that the town is pretty small. Normally we ride to the morning meetings, and it would be on the bike, but here I just walked across the street. How in the world did I do that?
Well.....Since Larry became a road guard, I have some things on Jenny's bike and some on Ron's and some on ours. I guess I was figuring out where my things were supposed to go and ..... well you know the result.
This has cost me $5 for our platoon challenge. Oh well all going to the kids at Rainelle.
Platoon Challenge = each platoon collects meeting daily. The team with the most on day 9 gets bragging rights. All good fun, and another way to give to the kids
As I catch my breath, we are heading down the mountain single file.
Few definitions of rider formation:
Side by Side - riders are right next to each other.
xxx xxx xxx
xxx xxx xxx
Staggered - rider are alternate side of the road with a 1 second stagger
xxx xxx xxx
xxx xxx xxx
Single file - right behind one another - This is done on narrow roads especially when the road guard need to pass
xxx xxx xxx xxx xxx
Eagle Nest Lake
Heading to Raton, you can see a little of the formation of the platoons.
Look at this pic... soooo beautiful. Wow I use the word a lot. How about spectacular.
We saw a lot of this today.
We still have the NM escort. This is what they do. Stop traffic on the highway.
I still cannot get over this.
Here is Walrus at our exit. What in the world.....? You never know what he will have on.
He says he does this to get the riders attention. Sometimes they are so zoned, they need a jolt to focus.
Heading into Raton... what a reception. This is a quick fuel stop.... with donuts, coffee and fruit.
This is TopHat. He has become my buddy. Last year I left my vest on the back of the bike. Needless to say, it fell off on the entrance ramp. He rescued it. I think that one cost me $5 too. He is a road guard and a Vietnam Vet. Thanks TopHat for your service and all you do for the Run.
This little cutie is just one of the many kids at this stop. They are all excited and love coming to talk to us. What kind of history lesson is this. One of the best!!
People still came out to respect the run......I wonder how long they stood there. Thanks!!
I received some pics from Michelle on the staging team. 
Here in Limon the people still came out. YEAH!!! nice after a long hard ride.
FREEDOM IS NOT FREE
Ok let's good.....now it is John's turn to be running. I think he was looking for a lost platoon
Love the face!!!
Back on the road. We love the NM escort as we head into Colorado
Lunch and a little rest.
Heather comment "he naps and I dink coffee."
Back on the road and the weather is not looking too good. At first, I thought we would miss it. First it was on our right , then the left, then the right..... but we got caught in it anyway. Temp dropped at least 15 degrees. We rode in it for over an hour before dinner. Never fun.
Great dinner and it was warm inside. Thanks to all.
After dinner Chaplain Howard has a little service. He started with a poem from Kelly Strong.
I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze
a young Marine saluted it, and then
He stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so Proud
with hair cut square and eyes alert
He'd stand out in any crowd
I thought, how many men like him
Had fallen through the years?
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, Freedom is not free.
I heard the sound of taps one night,
When everything was still.
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That taps had meant "Amen"
When a flag had draped a coffin
of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of the fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
at the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington
No, Freedom is not free!!!
OK, where are the tissues..... Thanks chaplain.
We then stood and tried to sing the refrain of "God Bless the USA".
Not a dry eye in the place.
And I'm proud to be an American
Where at least I know I'm free
And I won't forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I'd gladly stand up
Next to you and defend her still today
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land
God bless the USA
Where at least I know I'm free
And I won't forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I'd gladly stand up
Next to you and defend her still today
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land
God bless the USA
One last note. As we left, this little girl came up and handed me a flower. She had a device in her throat to help her talk. Her mother said she could sign about 100 words, before they put the device in.
This little girl is on her way for a military career of some kind. She had already mastered "adapt and overcome"....
Temps: 37-73
Route: I-25N, Hwy 24
Miles: 301
Quote for the day:
Some made the ultimate sacrifice.
No comments:
Post a Comment