Each year there's a Memorial Day weekend event in DC called Rolling Thunder. Riders ride thousands of motorcycles from the Pentagon parking lot on a published route along the Mall. I've never gone because crowds are not my thing.
However, this year I decided to observe a precursor event. The local Harley-Davidson dealer hosts the Ride of the Patriots, for which thousands of motorcyclists gather on the road near the dealership and at the appointed time, they all start up and ride to the Pentagon. The local police block traffic on the route and escort/lead the riders. I selected a bridge over the route and drove there, arriving shortly before the start of the parade.
About a hundred other people had the same idea; the bridge was crowded with people there to watch the riders. Fortunately I was able to find a spot to photograph. It took a half an hour for thousands of motorcycles to pass. And boy where they loud. I was surprised at how many bikes had two riders. Oh, and quite a few had their cell phones out recording their rides.
Here are a few shots.
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| They were neatly lined up at the beginning |
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| Lots of riders waved, sometimes with both hands |
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| This kid made sure we saw him |
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| Even the dog has sunglasses |
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| LGBT Theme? |
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| Love the horns on this guy's helmet |
