What a day we had! Excellent weather, a lovely, trouble-free ride for a couple of hours through the country and small towns, and things went off without a hitch. Not to mention raising about $5,000. for the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada.
Just as I was gearing up to leave, I got a text from my brother. We went back and forth a couple of times about our days and he said something to the effect that he wished he would have known about the motorcycle ride because he would have come out for it. He had me hook, line and sinker. I was thinking, doesn’t he read my blog anymore? Didn’t he hear me mention it on the phone? As I pulled up to Forest City Honda, who do I see already there and registered, but him. This is the baby brother of whom I speak, Kevin.
They made Kevin a ride marshall and he was watching for any stragglers or fall-behinders on the ride. He also won the prize for having come the furthest to take part! He lives in St. Catharines.
Sharon Whiteside works tirelessly to put this event and so many others together for the Foundation. Her husband Greg mapped out the route and led the pack of some 30-40 bikes on Sunday.
I also met a Twitter pal for the first time. Chris deejayed the event until the band Hurtin’ Merv took over after the ride. Chris says he has done more than 760 weddings! He also brought me a Timmies. Heck of a nice guy.
There is nothing quite like traveling with a big pack of riders. I still get a kick when someone’s mouth drops open as we all arrive, en masse, past their driveway or into their town. I remember what went through my mind before I became a rider. “What is THIS bike gang about? They’re not all wearing the same jackets. They don’t look scary. But there’s so many of them. What does it mean?” Ha ha. It probably means they’re on a charity ride of some sort.
I’m proud to have been a part of it and I’m tickled to have been able to enjoy such a beautiful early fall day with one of my favourite activities. Having my baby brother along was a wonderful bonus.
Lisa – you said it well! I know John and I had a great day, and yes, it is nice to be part of a large group of “bikers’ raising money for a good cause.