Rolling Thunder XV
Rolling Thunder XV was held on Sunday, May 26, 2002. An estimated 350,000+ bikes came to Washington, DC to keep the POW/MIA issue before our elected officials. I rode from Battley Cycles/Rockville Harley in Gaithersburg, MD. Our group consisted of around 1,000 bikes and left around 10am after consuming large quantities of coffee. A police escort got us to the Pentagon parking lot safely in about 30 minutes. The police closed several of the main freeways from Maryland thru Virginia to the Pentagon. Any vehicle that approached the bikes was either stopped or quickly escorted away by the cops on their Harleys. The patriotic fervor from 9/11 was evident from all the people lined up along the ride waving flags and giving us the "thumbs up."
The weather was excellent during the ride to the Pentagon. When we arrived at the Pentagon the bright sunshine shone on the tens of thousands bikes parked in the North parking lot. This year there were more bikes than parking lot so the organizers managed to get Pentagon Security to open another lot. Even this one filled up and bikes were lined up along the ramps into the Pentagon parking areas. The heat was again the biggest concern and many volunteers walked through the crowd dispensing cups of water.
The parade started at noon under bright sunshine and lasted for hours. Again this year the parade route was changed and the bikes were routed to Route 395 south towards Richmond, VA. This made walking to the Wall practically impossible. Most of the parade riders just parked and took a break. I was determined not to get stuck across town so I broke out of the parade and found a nice shade tree near the Wall. I needed to get a pin from one of the many vendors in Thunder Alley. Once that task was complete we made our way to Adams-Morgan and the Asylum. The Asylum was a welcome sight as were the many familiar faces in attendance. After a nice lunch and some refreshments we made our way back home.
A phalanx of cops led the group
A portion of the North Pentagon lot
Debbie had never seen so many bikes