Yesterday morning dawned clear but cool with a temp of 53 F (11.7 C). With a 10 to 15 mph (16 to 24 kph) wind out of the southeast, it promised to be a warm, comfortable day. Mae Lyne and I had a Patriot Guard Rider mission in Daytona Beach and a visit with friends from Massachusetts who are staying in St Augustine on our agenda.
Mae Lyne was feeling good and wanted to gain some experience with her rig so I agreed to be her monkey (and ballast) and we left my bike at home. We made the trip to Daytona Beach via back roads and mostly rural area until we hit Daytona. It was a beautiful ride taking in the sights and smells of a country Spring morning. Using the freeway, it takes about 50 minutes to get to Daytona; but our route was longer and slower. It took us about an hour and fifteen minutes.
We arrived at the staging area about 09:45 to the delight of the PGR members already assembled. They got a kick out of me riding in the hack and Mae Lyne driving. Several folks wouldn't let me get out of the hack or Mae Lyne dismount until they took photos. I am trying to get copies and when I do, I will post them. They accused us of swapping position just up the road. :ya2: Mae Lyne did really well with the rig and I only had to take three tranquilizers! Just kidding. As we arrived in Daytona, we hit the bike week traffic and she handled it well.
By now the temp had warmed to about 70 F (21 C) and we shed layers. At 11:00 about 30 bikes and four cages pulled out and headed for a VA nursing home for a visit. The Bennett Home (named for a Florida Medal of Honor recipient from WWII) is home to 93 veterans - mostly WWII and Korean vets. They are a delight to visit and their stories are great. Many of them were bikers in their day. Four of the 93 residents are women.
Among them is a WWII Navy nurse who has cancer. She is intelligent, witty and just plain fun to be around. Her deceased husband was a WWII Army Air Corps pilot. Mae Lyne has bonded with this delightful lady and they have become friends over the past two years. Mae Lyne visits her at other times during the year.
These veteran nursing homes are not the typical nursing homes. They are bright, airy, cheerful and the staff is wonderful - very dedicated. It is not jobs to the staff; it is a passion. The residents are allowed to have pets and dogs and cats roam freely through the facility. The residents have lot's of activities and most of them are ambulatory. Veteran and service organizations frequently visit and some organizations provide buses and vans to take the residents to special events, to the beach, and sight seeing. Every now and them, the staff will let a couple of us ride our bikes though the wide halls. The residents love it.
The PGR makes two to three visits a year to this home and many of us go as individuals at other times. Other bike groups such as Rolling Thunder, American Legion Riders, and Honda Goldwing riders make visits also. There are five similar homes in the state and we visit all of them. This receives the most attention though. We schedule our visits and when we arrive, many of the residents are outside on their scooters, in wheelchairs or on walkers waiting to the bikes arrive. They go around and look at each of the bikes. These folks look forward to our visits. It is very rewarding and a privilege for us to visit. We refer to these as "feel good missions" in contrast to the normally very sorrowful missions we do.
Following the visit, I crammed myself back into the hack and Mae Lyne climbed on her Bonnie. We headed north to St Augustine, distance of about 35 miles. Anyone who has been to Bike Week or Biketoberfest in Daytona knows how crowded and congested highway US1 and state road A1A are. To avoid that, we took I-95 (freeway). This was Mae Lyne's first time to drive the rig on a freeway. She did very well. I only took one tranquilizer this time. (Still kidding).
We had a great visit and dinner with old friends. Just as the sun was setting, we mounted up and headed for home. It was already chilly along the coast with the sea breeze and the warmth of the sun gone. We bundled up again and headed the south for the 87 mile ride home. It was freeway riding all of the way and traffic was fairly heavy with folks living Daytona. Again, Mae Lyne did very well. She gained some experience with different roads and traffic conditions. She is starting to relax and feel confident.
There were three Triumphs at this mission - a Bonnie, a Speedmaster and an America - among the HD's and metric cruisers. The America is owned by a friend whom I helped convert from V-twin to Triumph. He had it painted in a patriotic theme. Below are some photos of his paint job.
Mae Lyne was feeling good and wanted to gain some experience with her rig so I agreed to be her monkey (and ballast) and we left my bike at home. We made the trip to Daytona Beach via back roads and mostly rural area until we hit Daytona. It was a beautiful ride taking in the sights and smells of a country Spring morning. Using the freeway, it takes about 50 minutes to get to Daytona; but our route was longer and slower. It took us about an hour and fifteen minutes.
We arrived at the staging area about 09:45 to the delight of the PGR members already assembled. They got a kick out of me riding in the hack and Mae Lyne driving. Several folks wouldn't let me get out of the hack or Mae Lyne dismount until they took photos. I am trying to get copies and when I do, I will post them. They accused us of swapping position just up the road. :ya2: Mae Lyne did really well with the rig and I only had to take three tranquilizers! Just kidding. As we arrived in Daytona, we hit the bike week traffic and she handled it well.
By now the temp had warmed to about 70 F (21 C) and we shed layers. At 11:00 about 30 bikes and four cages pulled out and headed for a VA nursing home for a visit. The Bennett Home (named for a Florida Medal of Honor recipient from WWII) is home to 93 veterans - mostly WWII and Korean vets. They are a delight to visit and their stories are great. Many of them were bikers in their day. Four of the 93 residents are women.
Among them is a WWII Navy nurse who has cancer. She is intelligent, witty and just plain fun to be around. Her deceased husband was a WWII Army Air Corps pilot. Mae Lyne has bonded with this delightful lady and they have become friends over the past two years. Mae Lyne visits her at other times during the year.
These veteran nursing homes are not the typical nursing homes. They are bright, airy, cheerful and the staff is wonderful - very dedicated. It is not jobs to the staff; it is a passion. The residents are allowed to have pets and dogs and cats roam freely through the facility. The residents have lot's of activities and most of them are ambulatory. Veteran and service organizations frequently visit and some organizations provide buses and vans to take the residents to special events, to the beach, and sight seeing. Every now and them, the staff will let a couple of us ride our bikes though the wide halls. The residents love it.
The PGR makes two to three visits a year to this home and many of us go as individuals at other times. Other bike groups such as Rolling Thunder, American Legion Riders, and Honda Goldwing riders make visits also. There are five similar homes in the state and we visit all of them. This receives the most attention though. We schedule our visits and when we arrive, many of the residents are outside on their scooters, in wheelchairs or on walkers waiting to the bikes arrive. They go around and look at each of the bikes. These folks look forward to our visits. It is very rewarding and a privilege for us to visit. We refer to these as "feel good missions" in contrast to the normally very sorrowful missions we do.
Following the visit, I crammed myself back into the hack and Mae Lyne climbed on her Bonnie. We headed north to St Augustine, distance of about 35 miles. Anyone who has been to Bike Week or Biketoberfest in Daytona knows how crowded and congested highway US1 and state road A1A are. To avoid that, we took I-95 (freeway). This was Mae Lyne's first time to drive the rig on a freeway. She did very well. I only took one tranquilizer this time. (Still kidding).
We had a great visit and dinner with old friends. Just as the sun was setting, we mounted up and headed for home. It was already chilly along the coast with the sea breeze and the warmth of the sun gone. We bundled up again and headed the south for the 87 mile ride home. It was freeway riding all of the way and traffic was fairly heavy with folks living Daytona. Again, Mae Lyne did very well. She gained some experience with different roads and traffic conditions. She is starting to relax and feel confident.
There were three Triumphs at this mission - a Bonnie, a Speedmaster and an America - among the HD's and metric cruisers. The America is owned by a friend whom I helped convert from V-twin to Triumph. He had it painted in a patriotic theme. Below are some photos of his paint job.
