Third Annual Ride for Tomorrow

The annual Ride for Tomorrow was one of my first large motorcycle charity runs last year. In memory of Mariah Burda, a 14-year-old girl who died of cancer in 2007, the event benefits The Tomorrow Fund, which provides financial and emotional support for patients and their families at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Last year's run left me with many good memories, so I was greatly anticipating this year's event - even more so, now that I have someone special to share it with - my girlfriend Anna.

God blessed us with perfect riding weather - clear skies, temps in the 80s and calm - as Anna and I left South Kingstown around 8:15 yesterday morning. Neither Cameron nor Duke, my fellow Romans 8 Riders who live in South County, were able to attend, so it looked like we would be riding solo to our rendezvous point at our Romans 8 chapter president Spike's house in Seekonk, Mass. But, as we were riding north on Interstate 95 in Warwick, we spotted two motorcycles belonging to Romans 8 members Bob Levesque and Cathilee DeLorto (who usually rides with her little dog), so we joined them and got to ride to Spike's with a group after all.

At Spike's, we were joined by his wife, Pam; Roland Caron and his wife, Sue; Bob Morra; and Paul Clement, a member of the Combat Veterans Association who sometimes rides with us. After praying, we rode to the ride's starting point, Mildred H. Aitken Elementary School in Seekonk, to register for the ride, set up our tent with Christian Motorcyclists Association literature and prepare to bless motorcycles. We arrived sometime before 10 a.m., signed a release form and got a ride T-shirt and rubber bracelet. Cathilee and Bob ended up not going on the run with us. Cathi-Lee caught a screw in her front tire, and Bob's back was hurting.

Over the next couple hours, motorcycles gradually streamed in and filled the semi-circular driveway in front of the school. At a rough guess, I'd say there were about 100 motorcycles. The guys who were organizing and leading the ride asked to have their bikes blessed, and I got to pray over one of their bikes belonging to a guy named Kenny, which I had asked to do since we share the same first name. Later, a couple came to our CMA tent and asked to have their bike blessed, so several of us walked over to their bike, a blacked-out Dyna.

Then, Bob Levesque, who knows Anna wants to learn to ride a motorcycle, spotted an ideal beginner's bike for her - a 250 cc Hyosung Aquila, owned by a woman named Christine. Anna walked over and began talking to Christine, who started out riding on the back of her husband Kyle's bike. Two years ago, she took a motorcycle safety course, got her license, bought the Aquila and has been riding it since.

Anna and I got into conversation with Christine and Kyle as Anna admired her bike. I have to give Anna credit for being observant, as she noticed that neither of their bikes had been blessed. Our CMA tent had been packed away by now, but when I didn't say anything, Anna persisted, "Baby, YOU should bless their bikes!"

I have never blessed a bike on my own before (usually, I am with at least one or two of my CMA brothers and sisters), so that was why I was a bit hesitant, but I thank God for Anna for helping me to get out of my comfort zone that day. After sharing the gospel of salvation and blessing each of their bikes, we chatted some more. Suddenly, we heard motorcycle engines starting. The ride was scheduled to begin at noon, and we had lost track of time. I had parked my bike toward the head of the pack and we were not close to it, so Anna and I sprinted to my bike. (Last year, I was also caught unprepared for the start of the ride, and almost ended up getting left behind, so I didn't want to repeat that scene.) We made it to my bike and quickly put on our goggles and helmets, and I started my bike with maybe 30 seconds to spare before the ride took off. That was a close one!

The ride ran smoothly for the most part. I was toward the front of the pack, with only about a half-dozen bikes in front of me. We had the benefit of police blocking traffic at several major intersections, and at the less-busy intersections, the first few bikes took turns blocking traffic. I wasn't sure of the route we took, but I imagine we rode through at least a few towns in Massachusetts (I only remember seeing a sign that said Dighton), on a mix of back roads, country roads and state roads, some smooth, some bumpy, some flat, some hilly, with a good mix of curves thrown in.

One of my favorite things about large motorcycle runs is that people standing in their yards or driveways often wave to us as we ride by. I especially remember an elderly woman who was rather excited to have us ride by. She put out her thumb, as if hitchhiking. "I think she wants a ride, baby!" Anna said.

My motorcycle ran well, and because it was warm, it didn't have that annoying tendency to stumble whenever I slightly twisted the throttle. However, much of the ride was at speeds between 30 and 35 mph, which had me constantly shifting back and forth between third and fourth gears. Anna complained that she was sliding back and forth on my seat. She though I was riding less smoothly than usual, but I thought I was riding the same, and I told her it must be because I recently put some vinyl conditioner on my seat. After the ride, I asked Roland, who rode behind me, to my left, how my riding was, and he said I did great. "It's funny you should ask," Roland said, "because I was going to tell you your riding has improved 200 percent."

As I mentioned, the ride went smoothly most of the way, until we reached Taunton Avenue in East Providence, a four-lane road in a busy commercial area (on a Saturday, no less). We had no police blocking traffic there, and there were a few awkward moments as cars tried to break into our group. I saw the exasperated expression on one man's face as he was about to pull out, then stopped, realizing he was in for a long wait while a huge pack of motorcycles rode by. At one point, an SUV came pretty close to Paul Clement, who was up front, sharing in the blocking duties. I saw Paul pull up next to the driver's door of the SUV and stop, and he appeared to be saying something to the SUV driver, so later, I asked Paul if the two had exchanged words.

"Oh, a few," Paul said, shaking his head. "He asked me if I owned the road."

East Providence (as do many parts of Rhode Island) had some particularly rough roads, so thankfully, we soon reached our ride destination, Houlihan's Tavern on the River, where food, a band and a raffle awaited us. By the time we parked and dismounted, some of the riders were already quenching their thirst with a cold beer. After riding about two hours on a hot summer day, I was a bit dehydrated and a cold beer sounded good, but I opted for a bottled water instead. Inside, two waitresses tried to offer Jello shots, but I declined, telling one of them that I've been sober for one year and four months. As much as the beer tempted me with my parched throat, Anna, who is trying to quit smoking, was tempted by several people smoking outdoors.

We got in the food line for burgers, beans, macaroni salad and cole slaw, and sat in a room with a view of the water. Cathilee, who had ridden her bike home, drove her car to Houlihan's to join us there. Romans 8 members Tony Calci and his wife Judy also joined us there.

As we awaited our 'second course' of roasted pig, Anna and I browsed the tables of raffle prizes. Normally, I don't buy raffle tickets, but that day, I had bought several, including the 50/50 raffle and the prize raffle, where you could somewhat

choose your prizes by dropping tickets into containers placed next to each prize. Anna and I decided not to wait for the drawing, so, after getting lost briefly on East Providence side streets, we got back on the highway and headed home.

That day, I rode two-up; ate two courses; and, I found out after I got home, won two raffle prizes: tickets for a Pawtucket Red Sox game, and a barbecue grill kit, which will come in handy since I am rebuilding a gas grill.

(The first two photos were taken by Paul Clement.)

25th Annual R.I. Blessing of the Bikes

I had heard about this event, billed as the largest bike blessing in New England, but was unable to attend last year. So, this year, I made it a point to attend. Let's just say anyone who rides a motorcycle should experience it at least once.

The event, organized by the Rhode Island chapter of the Hells Angels motorcycle club, is held in a large trucking yard on Shipyard Street, near the Port of Providence. According to the club's web site, more than 6,500 motorcycles and about 9,000 people attended the event on Sunday, May 2. In addition to the blessing, there were food and merchandise vendors, caterers and a band.

It was an opportunity to see all kinds of motorcycles - from Harleys to metrics, stock to custom - as well as colors of several motorcycle clubs from in and out of state. Being my first time at this event, I had no idea what to expect. I'd heard my brothers in the Romans 8 Riders chapter of the Christian Motorcyclists Association describe the event, but hearing it described and seeing it in person are two different things. For some reason, I thought our CMA chapter would be blessing bikes, but that was not the case. I didn't get to see the actual blessings, but I was told that a priest sprinkles holy water on the bikes as they ride by him.

Around 8 that morning, I met our Romans 8 Riders chapter president, Spike, and a few other chapter members on Allens Avenue before we rode to the blessing site to set up our tent among the vendors. It was overcast, windy and cool, but it became warmer and sunny by noon, which accounted for a bigger turnout than recent years, which had less than ideal weather, I was told.

Being one of New England's biggest bike events next to Laconia, the Blessing of the Bikes is like a reunion of sorts for bikers throughout the northeast, said my Romans 8 Riders brother, Cam. Friendships are developed as people see each other at these events over the years.

Although our CMA chapter does not bless the bikes at this event, just being allowed to set up a tent there with Christian literature a few years ago was significant, Spike said. In our earlier years there, CMA's presence was greeted with scorn by some attendees, I was told. But over time, consistent attendance earned respect and built relationships. Members of different motorcycle clubs greeted us and spoke with us, and I everyone I encountered while walking the grounds was respectful.

Throughout the day, members of our CMA chapter, as well as other chapters, stopped by our tent. In between enjoying conversation with my CMA brothers, I talked with a man who stopped by our tent who told me he has been sober for nearly eight years. I shared my testimony with him, telling him how my divorce led to my decision to become sober, which, for me, paved the way for me to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ.

In the background, I could hear the constant rumbling of motorcycles that sounded like never-ending thunder. Occasionally, I left the tent to walk around and view the vendors' booths or seemingly endless rows of parked motorcycles. I also enjoyed an excellent barbecued pork sandwich. But, as a first-time attendee, the most memorable part of the event for me was watching the continuous parade of motorcycles entering the gates and proceeding down Shipyard Street. My only regret was deciding to leave my camera at home.

The 2010 Bike Season Officially Begins

The riding season of the Romans 8 Riders chapter of the Christian Motorcyclists Association began Sunday with a bike blessing at Precision Harley-Davidson in Pawtucket, R.I., for the Blackstone Valley chapter of the Harley Owners Group.

I woke around 5 a.m. so I could meet Cam, another Romans 8 member who lives in southern Rhode Island, at the Mobil station on Route 138 in Richmond for 6:30 a.m. From there, we planned to get on Interstate 95 north and rendezvous with other chapter members in Coventry before jumping back on I-95 north to our final meetup point at Cardi's Furniture in South Attleboro, Mass.

Having been a boy scout, I should have been better prepared, but I was running around like a headless chicken that morning getting my gear ready. I arrived at the gas station eight minutes late, but saw no sign of Cam. I assumed he'd left for Coventry, so I got on the highway headed for the next rendezvous point. The sky was overcast and it was in the low 40s. Even though I wore glove liners and insulated mittens with chemical heat packs in them, my fingers still went numb. I caught up with Cam at the Cracker Barrel parking lot, where we were joined by Bob Levesque and Ed Kershaw. Rubbing my fingers against my jeans, I thawed them out for the next leg of the ride. Then the rain began somewhere around Cranston. But my bigger concern was my low fuel situation. I prayed that I would not have to switch the fuel petcock to reserve (no easy task with mittens, I'm sure) on the Thurbers Avenue curve or the Pawtucket S curve, but I made it to Cardi's no problem. There, we joined our chapter president, Spike and his wife Pam; road captain Mike Chretien; Roland and his wife Sue; and guests Manny and his wife Denise. From there, we stopped for gas on our way to Precision.

After we parked our bikes at Precision, we huddled under a tree to escape the rain and wait for the Blackstone Valley riders to arrive. I didn't count how many showed up, but I'm guessing there were no more than 10, including Firm Locke, the chapter's director. A few members from another CMA chapter, God's Posse, also attended the blessing. It was definitely a day for diehard riders.

Ed and I teamed up to bless a couple of Blackstone members' bikes. I like the way that Ed, who is a longtime Christian, shares the gospel message with bikers - simple and direct. Several of us blessed Manny's bike.

From there, we rode to Old Country Buffet in Seekonk, Mass., for a breakfast buffet before a 50-mile ride through several Massachusetts towns, including Seekonk, Rehoboth, Mansfield and Taunton. Weather was a mixed bag - sometimes cloudy, sometimes sunny; sometimes raining, sometimes dry; but temperatures by this time were in the low 50s. I've ridden in a group plenty of times with my Yamaha, but this was my first group ride with the Harley. It didn't help that the roads were wet and/or sandy. Because of this, I took corners very slowly for fear my rear tire might break loose, and I often had to catch up to other riders after I came out of turns.

Besides the less than ideal conditions, I had issues with my bike stumbling every time I gave it just a bit of throttle, especially around 35-40 mph, which was the speed we rode at most of the time. I think my carburetor may need to be re-jetted.

The ride ended back at Precision, and after the Blackstone Valley H.O.G.s left, most of the Romans 8 Riders went to Spumoni's restaurant to celebrate Roland's birthday. On the way home, I rode with Cam, and I noticed another issue with my bike - I felt some wobbling or instability while riding on the highway around 65 mph. At first I though it was just wind turbulence, but then I remembered hitting a pothole earlier while I braked approaching an exit ramp. I checked my front wheel spokes at home and found that a few were definitely loose, which can cause a wobble at higher speeds. My Harley is definitely turning out to be a high-maintenance girl.