The WORMS have lots of rides scheduled for this Memorial Day Weekend; for Allen and then later for Woody, these boys rode over to Patriot Harley-Davidson on a fine Saturday to enjoy all the bikes and talking to our fellow riders. Allen was so busy taking pictures outside he didn't even venture into the shop, but Woody managed to get in there later and he saw another one of those new Harley-Davidson Blackline motorcycles - like he saw at Waugh Harley-Davidson last weekend. The boys both left after about an hour since there were other chores to get done today before the rain was due to arrive. The Ride of the Patriots is the next day and these boys need their rest!

Sunday was the big event! Believe it or not, the WORMS actually met for breakfast at 0630; it was our usual IHOP in Fairfax VA, just a mile or so down the road from Patriot Harley-Davidson and the long lineup of bikes that was already extending out of site as we ate our tasty pancakes and bacon. Rumor has it that Patriot had over four thousand bikes lined up on Routes 29/50 (the streets are combined for a few miles before splitting apart again), starting at Patriot and heading west - towards Route 123. The Ride of the Patriots started at 0855 and folks started scrambling for their bikes when you could see the bikes way up in front of you starting their engines. You need to experience this in person - either as a rider or as a bystander - to see all these bikes riding towards Washington DC to support our missing in action and the troops still deployed overseas.

The group arrived at the south parking lot of the Pentagon, our usual staging area and I think the one that's last to leave. Around 1430 we got the word to start our engines and then we joined our brothers for the ride up and down Constitution and Independence Avenues. The crowds were still cheering and waving their flags even though this had been going on for about 3 hours! A few of the WORMS elected to ride over to Thunder Alley (near the memorials) early in the day, after they had joined us for breakfast. They were there in Washington DC waving their hands and shouting our names as we rode past. Slapping hands and showing off a bit when traffic wasn't too bad was fun too but soon we were heading towards Rose and Jim's place in Arlington VA for an excellent cookout and lots of beer to drink. It was truly a wonderful day with fine weather and good friends to ride with.

The last part of our annual WORMS Memorial Day celebration is to ensure the West Virginia contingent of the WORMS are escorted back over the border into West Virginia. The gang met at Patriot Harley-Davidson this morning at 10AM (early for these folks) and after checking out some new Harley-Davidson motorcycles, it was time to saddle up and head out west on Route 50. Jim led the way and Allen elected to break from the pact at Middleburg to check out a small wine shop that we keep passing but never stop at. The group kept on schedule and since the weather was good (but hot), they should make good time at least to the border.

So the Memorial Day weekend is over but we all enjoyed riding together and just hanging out. A special thanks to Rose and Jim for hosting the WV contingent and for providing an excellent cookout on Sunday after the ride!