This another ride I look forward to every year and this year was as good as ever. The event is to honor a Veteran who died of wounds received in Iraq. The organizers do a great job every year in all aspects of the event. The route they choose is always excellent, the food and entertainment at the finish is always worth the price of admission and the weather was perfect after a day of heavy rain. I decided to use the 250 Honda since the ride wasn't going to be climbing steep hills, something my 750 Kawasaki excels at.
There were about sixty entrants, mostly on big V-Twins, so the sound and fury at the start was quite impressive. There was one scooter at the event and for a change it wasn't mine. A young man and his significant other were on a 300cc Yamaha XMax, a very competent machine. He and I took position at the tail end of the group so we didn't get in the way of much bigger motorcycles. We held our own all day as the ride wandered around eastern Dutchess County. As always the pace of the ride and the scenery was enjoyable.
After sixty miles of cruising the highways we were back at the start and got to enjoy a very extensive buffet and live music from a good rock band. It's no surprise that the event was as enjoyable as ever since the organizers always do a good job. I had a plate of food and conversation with the people around me to finish off the day. The trip home was light and airy as both me and the motorcycle were warmed up and ready to go some more. It may have been the last ride of the year for me but I'll be back if there's another one to report on. Stay tuned.