What drives a man to do such a thing? To ride the Lower 48 is one thing, but to do it in 21 days, having a schedule to keep everyday no matter what the weather or what time you go to bed or wake up the next morning. A man would have to have a real passion for riding and an even deeper passion for the object of the ride. Its the Kids! Nothing more and nothing less. There is an inscription on the wall at the entrance to Children’s Primary in Salt Lake City, it reads “The Child First and Always”. I was so touched by it that I took a picture of it and uploaded it to the blog, some of you may have seen it. That says it all. But even so there are fourteen different statements as to why its about the kids, remember my statement about perspective. Here is mine. God blessed me with four healthy and happy children ranging from 8 to 32, and he has blessed me with three healthy Grands. And I think that it is only fitting to do this thing that is much bigger than self.

Again thanks to all, and I hope to see you all again next year.

Mike Hamby

It is hard to explain to someone who has never experienced riding what it’s like to feel the warm wind in your face as you ride across the desert or the way the rain feels as it hits your face. I never knew water was so hard, then add some cold weather to it and let it freeze and it will about knock you off the bike. Now, mother nature can be rough on you but the man made stuff is even worse. There is nothin quite like being sucked in when a big truck goes speeding by you or the way your tail bone feels and winds up on your shoulders when you drop into a pot hole going 60 mph. Then don’t let someone drive on the shoulder of the road in front of you. When this happens, you will know first hand what it feels like to be shot with a shotgun.

So why on Earth would anyone want to ride a motorcycle? The only way you can get that answer is to hop on one and take a ride. Once you get hooked like I did eleven years ago, add a new element to your ride. Ride for something. Dare to try and make a difference. I had no idea that the difference that would be made would be in my life. Its kinda funny me doing something for kids when I don’t even have kids. People ask me all the time how many kids I have. You should see the looks of disbelief I get when I say none.

Then the next question that some will ask is did you lose a child. I’m sure I have this blank stare on my face when I say no. Then I think to myself if I had how would I answer that. I could not even begin to imagine how that would feel. When I look around and see kids they are so full of life and energy, they want to explore and try and do new things. For them, everyday is a new adventure, a new thrill or a quick disappointment follow by some tears, and five minutes later the smiles and the laughter are back. Oh to be young again.

Now make a trip to the NICU. For these kids, everyday is an adventure also. It is just of a different kind. You won’t see any tears, at least not from the kids. The parents is a different story. They are in a fight. A fight for their life. They don’t have time for tears. With every passing second, they are beating the odds. Ten years ago, they probably would not have even made it this far, but not today. Today they are here with there fist clinched and ready for the fight.

The first time I saw this, I was touched. I was touched by the will that the little of the littlest have to survive. I was touched by the parents that stood over their child not knowing what to do. I was touched by the compassion from the care givers. I was touched by parents who come up to me and tell me there child was a CMN baby. I have cried with parents who have lost a child because they were born just a little too soon to be able to make the fight. What could I do? How could I make a difference? Could I even make a difference?

A few years passed from the first time I was in the NICU. I would think of this place when I would see kids out playing, but that would be all I would do:  just think about it. Then at the young age of fifty all that would change. Out of nowhere a simple trip across the country changed all of that. The miracle ride was born. I never in my wildest dreams would have thought it would turn into what it has turned into. To set the record straight, the only part I play in this is the rider. The true miracles are the ones who stay back here and make everything happen. If any credit is due, it is to fokes back home. We are just the guys on the bikes with one thing on our mind and that is to try and make a difference in one life. The ironic part is that the life that it has made a difference in has been mine. Thank you for all of the support and love that we have felt from each and every one of you.

I love you all

Scott

The welcome home was unbelievable. My wife was unable to go to Macon to meet us so my daughter, Candy, went. She is now friends with all the other guy’s wives. When I got stopped she came running up crying, saying how much she had missed me and got me crying, but then everyone was happy we were almost home and safe. The finale started with the escort back from Macon and bikes behind us as far as we could see. Then more escorts when the Columbus PD joined and the motor squad started doing their thing. It was breath taking to arrive at the Infantry Museum with all the sirens blowing, the crowd shouting and waving, and riding into the flag walk at the museum. I was fortunate enough to be near the front on the Riverwalk ride and see the lights flashing from the escort bikes and take in the beauty of it with Candy on back. All she could say is Dad, this is so beautiful. Not something you hear a lot from a 20 year old. And then into downtown!!! I barley got the bike stopped and my wife was there hugging and kissing me, the crowd was closing in around us, and before I could get off the bike my granddaughter, climbed over everyone and latched onto my neck where she stayed for the next hour! I was so glad to hear we made our goal and more. Everything was grand until the video at the end. I had tears in my eyes, Candy had tears in her eyes, and every rider I could see had tears in their eyes. I am truly proud to be part of this group that are now all brothers and that hopefully will make some child’s life a little better. Thanks to my loving wife and family for supporting me and to everyone who supported us.

-Gary McDowell

The guys who took this trip with me are an assortment of everyday guys that probably don’t stand out in a crowd, but together as a unit they formed a unit that was second to none in their ability get the job done at all costs and met all obstacles whether it be time away from work and family, financial burden, physical stress or any of the other elements that we were exposed to in this type of journey. And we all did it for the benefit of someone else and not our own personal gain. For this reason, there were none of the normal problems that are usually associated with a group with this many different personalities. We all worked together to make sure that this ride was completed safely, as a group, and most importantly, a financial success for the CMN.

Would I do this again? You betcha, and the main reason for me is the unique opportunity this ride affords a bunch of guys, some even strangers, to form together to make a difference in a cause that we probably wouldn’t be able to match as individuals. And we get to do it in a country as beautiful as ours, on a vehicle that has become a passion of ours, a Harley Davidson. Few things I have ever done in my life have afforded me the satisfaction that these two trips have given me and hopefully the future trips will continue give.

I want to thank all of the people involved at CMN who made this ride possible, the sponsors, the friends, the other fellow riders, the support group, and most importantly, my wife and family who sacrificed to see that I was able to participate in this adventure. It was amazing and something that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Hopefully, next year will bring me this same opportunity and hopefully I will be able to once again experience this remarkable journey. See you on the road,

Ralph Kingrey

It is wonderful to be home again. The home coming was unbelievable. It was such a proud moment for me to be standing on the stage last Friday night with the other 13 guys that made this journey of a lifetime with me. I have been asked a lot of questions about the trip since we got back, so I thought I would use this ending blog to try and answer some of them, but first I have to say thank you to all of my friends who supported me, came to see me off and were there when we all rode back in. When I think of you all I think of an old saying about friends. “You don’t get to choose your family or your neighbors, but you do get to choose your friends so do a good job when you do”. I could not ask for better friends than you guys and you know who I am talking about. I also want to say thank you to my family. Their support for me made the hard part of this worth doing. I need to also say what a wonderful company I work for. Glover Foods is the kind of company that treats their employees like family. They supported me in this endeavor from the start and made it easy to be gone for 21 days. They all showed up for our send off, and I got tons of emails and texts from all of the staff which made each day go by even faster. You guys are top shelf!

Now with the questions.

Everyone wanted to know if I would do it again and the answer is without a doubt, YES. An incredible journey for all the right reasons.

How was the ride? I have ridden a lot of miles in my life, and I would say that this ride is not for the faint of heart. It was long days and short nights. I would quote Charles Dickens by saying, “it was the best of times; it was the worst of times”.

What will you remember the most? Well there are a few things that will rank right up there at the top. I know our hospital visits will always be with me. Talking with a young boy of 10 in Amarillo, Texas as he was receiving a chemo treatment hoping to be able to take his mind off of what he was going through if only for a few minutes. Walking through the NICU in Erie, PA and seeing a baby that is 3 months old, still tiny but beginning to thrive. The hospitals will mean a lot to me forever. I will never forget the welcome home and looking out from the stage on the crowd of people. I was humbled by all of the people that were there to make our home coming special. The other thing that I will remember was 13 guys. All of us came together for one reason and that was the kids. Knowing what the Children’s Miracle Network does for those that are so small that they cannot help themselves was a big reason, but also how they help older children. We came together as a group and we were one. It didn’t happen on the 1st day, but by day 3 there were 14 guys that were in lock step riding for a reason. I will be proud to call each of them my friends forever. The last thing that will stand out to me forever is all of you who commented on our blogs, who followed us on Spot, who watched us on Skype and posted on our Facebook pages. You will never know how much that meant to all of us to know you were with us.

Until Next Year (Maybe),
Pat Carpenter

They asked us to write a final word about the trip. What can you say?

As a motorcycle rider I have a lot of thoughts. How in the world did we do it again? All 14 that left came back. That is really something when you think about it. 21 days, 8,744 miles, 48 states, wind, rain, bike breakdowns and we all still made it back. We saw some good stuff this year, rode some new roads and had great times on the bikes. With the exception of Vern’s engine, the bikes made it with only minor problems.

The riders made it with no problems at all. What’s a little sore butt, aching back, and vomiting among friends. Everybody helped everybody and problems disappeared. There were a few times when somebody got upset, but it only lasted a few minutes. I would be proud and ready to ride with any of these men again.

We all decided last January that we would do this and that we would do it right. The Veterans knew “kinda” what to expect, the Rookies not so much. We had a good time with the Rookies, and they took it as it was intended, in good fun. But whether Vet or Rookie, every one of the 14 riders had a single purpose, to help change one life! Hopefully we managed to do that. With your help we raised (as of home coming) over $125,000 and that will go a long way to help the little ones. If we helped make a difference in one child’s life it was worth it!

Each of us has been asked if we will do it again. Each of us has said the same thing, absolutely. If circumstances allow next year, we will all be back again. That is, of course if Scott asks. Aside from hiding his bike we didn’t do a lot to him, so I guess we are all okay there. We all think about the long miles, long wet cold days, sore muscles, expense, and time away from family and think that maybe 1 or 2 times is enough, but then we think about the kids at the Medical Center, or the little fellow in the hospital at Amarillo, or the passion and dedication of the staff at St. Vincent in Erie. Next year is just 11 months away.

Thanks to all who supported us, all the friends, family, and strangers who wanted to help in some way. Personally, thanks to Chattahoochee Harley Davidson and John Cunningham for his support again this year. I was very happy to carry the Chattahoochee name on my bike for a second time. Hopefully we can be together again. To all the family and friends who bought bricks or sent in checks: thanks, you make it all worthwhile. Holly and York Harbor Inn, it was a blast! What started as just an idea for a little party ended up as a great night of fun with wives and new friends. It was great. And what can I say about Rider Headquarters? Everything we needed, when we needed it and where we needed it. Moral support and a kick in the rear when needed, thanks ladies.

We will all now go back to jobs or retirement chores or whatever we do when not riding. You might see us a few times in the next 11 months, you might not. We will be out there, and we will be reminding you why we do this! To make a difference in one life!!

MIKE

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off.

VERNON (JR.) GRIGGS

Donations are still being accepted, so it is not too late to make your online donation or purchase a Scott Bobblehead!

A very special thank you to our wonderful community! The support you have shown the Miracle Riders through this blog and through your generous donations is truly amazing! The 2011 Scott’s Ride for Miracles could not have been such a huge success without you!