Reprise de Deux

 

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.

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