08/09/2008 - Rollin For the Ranch

There's probably a blog post from last year for this charity ride. Last year it was hotter than black sand in Irak but this year out of the blue we get this cold front that drops the temps down to a wonderful 89 degrees with low humidity. The Southern Cruisers haven't really made a name for themsleves in their support of charity rides but on this day 40 members of my club showed up to support the Kings Ranch. Overall 75 bikes made the trip from Riders Harley Davidson in Trussville to the Girls ranch in Shelby County. One black fellow in the group I took along the route had a prosthetic leg, He had an Ironhorse which is a top dollar semi-custom chopper, he had it modified so he could switch gears by pushing some buttons on his left handlebar. He looked familar to me and later I learned he was Chris Osborne a former reporter for one of the local news channels. He lost his leg in a motorcycle accident several years ago and is now the public affairs officer for the Birmingham Red Cross. When we got to the third stop where everyone gathered for the final police escorted ride to the ranch he was the honorary leader of the pack. He is a very nice guy, and extremely tall, the tallest one legged dude I've ever seen, and his ability to ride a large motorcycle with only one leg is rare indeed. At rides end I won a special bike riding shirt that has air holes in it that was worth way more than what I paid to get into the ride so for me it was a great day. After lunch we swung by 29 dreams to hang out and enjoy the fine weather. It was great to get out with my friends. This years riding opportunities have been FAR fewer than in years past and I'm NOT happy about it.