The Red Knights Motorcycle Club

I was invited to attend a meeting of this club by a prospective son in law.

Good move on his part.

These gentlemen are connected in some way to the fire service, active, retired, or disabled. They are a little brash, a little crude, they drink a little, and might eat too much.

My kind of folks!

Obviously they like motorcycles.

There are more of them than I've seen at meetings, a lot more. I met more of them at the 343 Memorial Ride this past Saturday. Like a couple of hundred more.

This is the second year that the RKMC has sponsored a group ride to raise funds for the State Burn Center. I hope this isn't my last chance to participate in this work. They raised a big hand full of money.

We had a victim from the burn center as mascot, and a fire fighter who was at the World Trade Center to lead the ride.

I will post the tally here when I can contact someone for the official numbers. I'm guessing two hundred plus bikes.

A rider gets a shirt (naturally, got to have the shirt) a pin for your colors, lunch and the chance to participate in something really cool.

The entire traffic division in our town, probably thirty officers, volunteered on their day off, to provide escort and blocking at intersections. That can be a little unsettling when you are riding left file, in the right lane, and an unmarked Mustang running lights and siren hustles by to leap frog the car ahead to the next light. Trust me that car can really hustle, and we had been warned, if you wander across the line, you may become a bug in his grill.

Ouch!!

No worries, all went well. It was the coolest thing I've done lately.

We arrived in time for the ride, barely, after the ten hour flight from Mexico and a five hour drive from Dulles. I had been up for twenty seven hours with an hour and a half nap. Color me droopy.

I am a prospective member and hope to be voted in at the next meeting. The Red Knights are a national organisation, that parallel the Blue Knights.

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Another cool thing that shows here, the owner of the shop that ordered the back rest for my bike, wasn't able to get it in time so he let me ride his Harley. That let TLOML enjoy the ride, with out worrying about slipping off the back. Not many shop owners will hand you the keys to their personal property and say have a nice day!

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Rob at The House of Chrome is way cool for the helping hand!