The War College is the Army's senior school. The faculty includes civilian professors and colonels; the students are lieutenant colonels and colonels, the equivalent from other services and government agencies, and officers from 50 foreign countries. Nearly all of the American officers are Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
The numbers kept shifting all week, but we ended up with 13 bikes with 15 riders--My R, a K and the rest Harleys. It was my first time leading a large ride, so that was interesting. I've ridden that way often and it was difficult for me to keep the speed down, particularly on the twisty mountain crossings, but I more or less did it. (If I'd ridden the way I wanted to, I'm sure the hills would have resounded with the sound of 11 scraping Harley footboards).
One colonel was riding a Harley panhead with a kick starter from the early 70s. It took him so long to get that thing running that we all learned to just stand around and finally wait for him to get it cranked before the rest of us even got on our bikes. I later found out from my neighbor who was riding sweeper that about 20 miles from the end, the front brake lever flew off and the guy was going to try and nurse it home with just a rear brake. I figure it would have been just as effective for him to drag his feet when he needed to stop.
Anyhow, it was a gorgeous day, starting in the 50s and ending in the 70s, with a clear blue sky and the leaves just beginning to change at higher elevations.
The permanent memorial is under construction so it is just a temporary one now. I preferred the old temporary which was created spontaneously without government involvement.
