Wednesday, August 26, 2009

PGR 2nd wave of Echo Company 2 23rd Marines to San Bruno

Pics are from top to bottom, text for a pic is under the pic, click on a pic for a MUCH LARGER pic.

UPDATE!!! I received some pics from Gary Ragsdale 08/27 about the overpasses!!!! Out darn standing! All the overpasses were like this!!! Thrilling ride!!!


The men on the ladder were great!!!! THANK YOU!!!!

Another and more coming!!!


The fire trucks were everywhere!

Gary waving at the firemen!

Absolutely fantastic!!!

Welcome home 2nd wave of Echo Company 2/23rd Marines to San Bruno! And a fantastic ride it was! A lot of bikes met at Santa Nella and being an old guy, along with another, Slick John a fellow ALR Dist 13 rider, staged at the Bailey overpass on 101. Doing that early stuff kinda hurts, sigh....

Thanks to Gary Ragsdale for the telephone updates, we knew pretty much when they would be coming by.

I expected them about 1230 so arrived around 1210 just in case, saw Slick John on the overpass and a police car behind him... I thought Oh, Oh... But they were there to turn on their lights and give our heroes a nice welcome home!

Great on them!!! There was a lot of radio chatter going on, four other cars and the bomb squad truck pulled up! OUR overpass was full!!! One of the officers was a scoot owner, so I had to tell and show him what 0000 steel wool did for trashed pipes, and he was as amazed as everyone that has seen them, like new! Said he would try it!

I let the wind plaster my 3x5 to the screen on the overpass, and hardly anyone saw it, sigh... good intentions!



And here they come, right on time, 1230 at the Bailey overpass... OUR, GBG, lights were flashing and we got a few toots from the scoots! An important note, the bikes in front are a few PGR, but parent riders also get to be in front! God Bless 'um!!!

I got one pic in before I had to stash my flag and go like "crap" to catch up! A few of the squad cars were doing the same... I drafted! GBG Must have confused folks to see squad cars with lights flashing being chased by a scoot! GBG

The entire trip was police escorted, various departments and there were plenty of them! The driving public must have thought there were some VIP's coming thru.... And By God there were!!!!! And there were many police on the side of the road waving and also flag waving! Absolutely a fantastic trip!!!!

Here is the impressive part.... virtually all overpasses were full of police and fire trucks, some with ladders extended, and they were waving and saluting and it was absolutely gorgeous!!! I was tail gunner as I came on late in the mission, and prefer to be there, so I was the last one to wave and give them a thumbs up "thank you"!!!!

As we arrive, Just shooting some shots. Earl said his passenger took pics of the overpasses, I'll add a link here when I can, they were VERY impressive!


My sweet Ruby flying 'er flag!



Second trip for me, and the fire dept. does a great job of the flag over the entrance! Many horns were tooted on the way into the parking lot!


Just shooting pics of folks and scoots.....


A better pic of the trucks and flag...


A bit of stand, er sit down time, as they have to go thru the coming home ritual... it always takes time.

God Bless 'um and WELCOME HOME! I hope that trip was a great one! And of course it was.. coming home is like that!

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