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| Waves of Flags - 2025 |
Emboldened
by my ride for ride’s sake, I took the morning and early afternoon off on the
24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and reprised two of my favorite rides: The
Ride to the Flags (RTTF) and a group New Year’s Day ride. Sort of. Neither
could be duplicated.
The
RTTF 2025 was cancelled “due to the Malibu wildfires and logistical challenges
they created”. They to be back in 2026. If they are there and I am around, I’ll
be around there.
This
charity ride typically takes place on the Sunday preceding September 11. The
ride begins at Naval Base Ventura – Pt. Mugu, where the 350-500 motorcycles
gather for a moving tribute to those lost in the terrorist attacks in 2001,
with an invocation, the presentation of the colors, a 21-gun salute, taps, the
ringing of the base bell, a fly-over of WWII fighter planes, and moving
speeches from base commanders and White Heart Foundation leaders. Following the
ceremony, the riders are dismissed to their bikes and form up for the guided
ride down the coast to Malibu Bluffs Park, located across the PCH from
Pepperdine University, for music, prize drawings, food, and, for those who
wish, a walk through the 2,977 flags on the hillside.
Our
Victory riders’ group would meet at a strategic place for us and then ride
through Fillmore and various canyons to arrive at the naval base.
My
solo reprise of the ride started fine as I headed down Highway 23 from
Fillmore, but I was soon out of sorts as I was always a follower of our lead
rider, either Jed or Tim, who knew the route. I was doing fine, picking one
canyon and another, using a dead-reckoning sense to head generally northwest. I
finally found my way back to Hwy 118 and would have been happy with that except
for the lane closure and walking-riding my bike for the next 25 minutes over
two miles or so. Perhaps a U-turn and map check was in order, but I gutted it
out to eventually find my way past the closed-to-me naval base, down my
favorite stretch of Southern California coastline to Pepperdine, where I parked
on Malibu Canyon Road so that I could take my walk through the flags.
Other
riders had the same idea as I, and there were a couple of small groups of
riders already there, with riders arriving as I walked. It wasn’t the same
without hundreds of bikers there with my friends among them, though I am always
moved by that walk. I always feel closest to my country during this walk, even
during these divisive times, so perilous to our democracy.
My walk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CTT0C232bhM
It
had been a tradition amongst our ride group to gather on New Year’s Day for a
ride, most times with us ending the ride at Duke’s Malibu for lunch. On those
occasions we stayed north for the ride, we would generally follow the same
route as the RTTF ride and end up at Duke’s. After my walk through the flags, I
threw my leg over the bike and rode down the coast to Duke’s.
The
similarity to our New Year’s Day ride ended at the northern reaches of the
Palisades Fire from January 2025. Closed beaches, burned-out husks of
beachfront homes, and cleared lots on both sides of PCH. It was disturbing and
eerie, with a cluster of hillside homes intact and untouched, while across the
highway and right on the beach, there was a half-mile section of burned-out
lots. The capricious nature of wildfires never ceases to amaze me, and because
of that, I am always on alert and in prayer for our firefighters, especially my
son-in-law, Taylor.
Duke’s
Malibu was spared from the flames but was flooded out with the first rains. I
pulled into the lot just as we always have, much to the chagrin of the
construction crews hard at work to restore the restaurant for a fall reopening.
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| Duke's under repair - 9/11/2025 |
My ride home was uneventful. I took the shortest route home, riding through Malibu Canyon to Highway 101, south through the valley, and up the 2 freeway to La Crescenta. I don’t even like driving that route, let alone riding it. I just wanted to get home.
Keep
the iron side up, my friends, and never forget.
Jerry
‘Shakespeare’ White
