Why I Ride

I ride to help ensure the sacrifices of the Officers whose 

names are on the memorial are not fogotten.

Colorado State Trooper Zachariah Earl Templeton

Aurora P.D. Officer Doug Byrne, whose name was added to the same panel as Denver P.D. Detective Donnie Young.

Rocky Mountain National Park Ranger Jeff Christensen

U.S. Postal Service OIG Agent Greg Boss

Colorado Springs P.D. Detective Jared Jensen.

His killer was found guilty of second degree homicide 

and sentenced to 96 years in prison.

Aurora P.D. Agent Mike Thomas

Justice is still pending.

His daughter and granddaughter visited the memorial

this year.  By all accounts, his granddaughter is as fearless,

hard-headed and loving as her namesake grandfather.

Colorado Springs P.D. Officer Ken Jordan

Justice pending the outcome of appeals

Peace Officers Memorial Day

In 1962, President Kennedy signed Public Law 87-726, a joint resolution of Congress authorizing the President to proclaim May 15th each year as Peace Officers Memorial Day.  In 1994, President Clinton signed an amendment by the 103rd Congress which directs Flags to be flown at half mast on May 15th.  

Survivors of Officers killed in 2007 gather on the U.S. Capitol lawn today and see the flags at half mast there, while flags across nation are lowered to honor the 18,274 law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty.  

2008 Candlelight Vigil- AKA "You clean up well"

The 2008 candle light vigil was the 20th annual vigil held in honor of fallen law enforcement officers and their survivors.   Busses bring the survivors up E street to the Memorial and are greeted by a color guard at the reflecting pool, an Honor Cordon on either side of the reflecting pool and lines of Unity Tour members waiting to escort them.  The Color guard and Honor Cordon rotate out periodically and are staffed by Honor guard members from across the country.  The Aurora Police Department proudly represented their city and the State of Colorado.

The vigil is scheduled to start at 8, so we were assigned to gather at 5:15.  We got there around 5, only to discover that a few busses had already delivered survivors.  Fortunately there were Officers there to escort them.  Still, not too many people around at 5.  

The Unity Tour members who rode in from the south escort survivors on the east side of the reflecting pool while members who rode with the northern chapters escort on the west.  I broke with tradition by shifting over to the east when the bus carrying Zach's family pulled in.  Artie from Florida, who also rode in Zach's memory, and I escorted Zach's parent's to their seats.  

I had tried to prepare Zach's dad for what to expect when they arrived for the vigil.  From the look on his face, it was clear that my words were inadequate.  I pointed out that the hundreds of Officers standing at attention as we walked by were there to honor Zach and acknowledge the family's loss.

As the busses continued to arrive, the Memorial grounds began to fill and the ceremony got underway.  
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the names of all the Officers engraved the the wall this year were read.  181 from deaths in 2007 and 177 from past years.  The names are read by State and Officers salute as the names from their State are read.  I saluted as the names of Douglas Byrne and Zachariah Earl Templeton echoed over the din of the crowd.

Word of the Day: "Sunshine"

A small contingent of riders from California, Colorado and Texas took advantage of the fantastic weather we had today to ride in to the National Law Enforcement Memorial.  

We took the scenic route, stopping at the Lincoln Memorial and slowing traffic along Constitution Avenue (though not by much).  Zach Templeton's family arrived so we could take a picture in the sunshine, instead of in the rain from last night.
We grabbed a bite to eat, rode by the White House and WWII Memorial before heading back to the Hotel to get ready for the candle light vigil

Stats for the day:

Miles ridden:  11.8

Snarky comments about donut shops from random DC pedestrians: 1

Quote of the day...

"There is no such thing as bad weather, just poor clothing"

So, here's what would be about right to wear for today's ride, with the precipitation forecast from Intellicast below:  (Red is bad and does not show the wind forecast, which is also bad)

The Maryland State Patrol wisely determined that it would not be safe to allow the ride to continue, so we are going to be taken by bus from Annapolis into Washington D.C.  Although a lot of people are disappointed with not being able to complete the journey on two wheels, it's a very good decision.  The risks associated with trying to continue are simply too great.

I guess the Galena Volunteer Fire Department knew what was coming when they pulled the boat around during yesterday's lunch break.

Stats for the day:

Miles ridden - 0

Winds - North, 20-30mph

Rain - Lots

We can't do it without you.

Before writing too much more about the ride, I wanted to make sure to credit all the hard work by many behind the scenes to make sure that we all have a safe ride.   All we riders have to worry about is the repetitive motion of one pedal stroke after another.  The support and motor crews go through their own repetitive motions that make sure 490 riders are fed, their bikes functioning, luggage transfered, intersections blocked and morale maintained.  Thanks.

Today's ride took us through Wilmington and into the beautiful farming country of eastern Maryland.  The weather was nice for riding, though a bit breezy.  The rain didn't start until a few miles out of Stevensville, where we boarded busses to transfer over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.  I had a bit of a technical malfunction with the camera, so not a lot of pictures of the ride, so just imagine waving fields of grain and horses running alongside us while raptors flew above.

Stats for today:

Miles ridden: 95

Taps played: 2

Flats fixed for the ride:  hundreds

A great day to ride

Once again we started the second day of the ride with a full tray, or two of donuts. You'll notice that we obviously do not fit the stereotype, as not many of the donuts were taken.

After breakfast and a few last minute fixes to Motors and bikes, we were ready to hit the road. The Dry road!
Our first break of the day came after about 22 miles of riding. It was at a former New Jersey Trooper barracks. I thought it would be a fitting place to take a picture of the spoke card I've had with me on the ride.
We rolled through some nice and some not so nice sections of New Jersey and took a break just before tackling the longest sustained climb of the trip. The Commodore Barry Bridge took us out of New Jersey, over the Delaware river and into Pennsylvania.

The roads in Pennsylvania were a bit of a challenge, having recently been scraped for paving. Our brief trip through Pennsylvania took us into Delaware, just north of Wilmington.

During the last part of today's ride, I got to speak with one of the original 18 who made the first Police Unity Tour ride from Florham Park to Washington DC in 1996. He made a comment about how hard core I must be to ride a fixed-wheel bike the whole way. This is his 11th Police Unity Tour. That's hard core.

Stats for the day:
Miles ridden - 90
Avg speed -11.8 mph
Hours in the saddle - 7.5
States visited - 3

Word of the day: "Wet"

The send off ceremony for the 2008 Police Unity Tour was co-hosted by the Port Authority and Jersey City Police Departments. The ceremony was held at the CRRNJ railroad terminal at Liberty State Park. The terminal is no longer used for the railroad, but is still used for ferries to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. A beautiful setting.

Riders with the Port Authority chapter started their ride at Ground Zero. Riders from Patterson NJ started from home and made a few stops to pay tribute to fallen Officers from the area.

After everyone arrived at the terminal, we were treated to a BBQ brunch, followed by the send-off ceremony.



Following the ceremony, we gathered our bikes and did as much as we could to protect ourselves from the rain, wind and cold. At least it wasn't snowing!

Stats for the day:
Air Temp - upper 40s, low 50s
Wind - yes, gusty too
Miles ridden - 31
Odds that Zachariah E. Templeton would be the name shown in a USA Today article on the engraving of the names on the National Law Enforcement Memorial - 181:1

Colorado Law Enforcement Memorial

Flags across Colorado were lowered to half staff on Friday, May 2, 2008 to honor Colorado Law Enforcement Officers killed in the line of duty.  The first Friday of May is set aside annually for the Colorado Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony on the grounds of the State Patrol Academy at Camp George West in Golden.   

The weather forecast was gloomy.  Cold, possible rain, maybe some snow and some wind added for good measure.  I got up early and saw that it wasn't raining (yet) or snowing (yet), so made the decision to ride to Golden for the ceremony.  

It was cold and it was windy, but as I rode south, I looked back over the Flatirons and saw a little sliver of blue sky just ahead of what looked like a snow storm over the foothills.  A thin blue line at my back.  I rode on.  

The wind continued to blow, but the sky cleared a bit for part of the ceremony. Bagpipes wailed, speeches were read, kind words were said.  214 doves were released, followed by 5 more. 219 names on the Memorial now.  Taps and 21 guns rounded out the ceremony.

Five names were added to the Memorial this year. Two from 2007 and three from previous years:

J. Horace Frisbie, Night Marshall, Lamar. Killed December 26, 1906
Charles E. Gibbs, Deputy Sheriff, Routt County. Killed March 21, 1929
John Armour Stitt, Town Marshall, Paonia. Killed September 27, 1952
Douglas D. Byrne, Officer, Aurora. Killed March 26, 2007
Zachariah Earl Templeton, Trooper, Colorado State Patrol. Killed October 12, 2007

Riders from the Aurora Police Department will ride to honor Doug's memory.  I'll be riding for Zach.