Nice Rotisserie!
 

Your car looks better on the old rotisserie than my crusty 67! Excited to see this build progress!

Shoulder is great! Started doing massage therapy and that's been a massive help. It still gets fatigued after some decent use, but I recover quickly. A bit of gym time and it'll be back to normal.

Thanks for asking.

Lucky find!

Headed out on the Ride For the Fallen tomorrow (Monday) morning. Be riding my HD from Las Vegas to Arlington National Cemetery with the Coast to Coast Foundation. CxC is made up of active and former members of the Special Operations Community, who I supported for just over 10 years. We raise funds and send Vets to get treatment for TBI's and much more. Additionally we work to assist Gold Start Families, raise awareness and provide a confidential place for Vets to talk about what they've been through. I am proud to say we have put 84 through treatment so far.

The motto of Ride For the Fallen is Celebrate, Remember and Honor and we do just that. Every year we do just that for a few selected SOF who fell in combat. This year we have two Gold Start Family Members joining us for the ride. One who lost a son and another who lost her husband. It is very humbling to have them with us. It's great to see them smile and laugh.

It's a very personal thing for me. I went to great lengths to protect those I supported as best I could. My goal was to insure they all came home and I hung it out pretty far and did some truly sketchy sh1t to accomplish that. Sadly I lost five in combat. That mission continues for me and I've learned that the clock is ticking for many who have returned. At least twice a year I am notified that someone has ended their life. It's heartbreaking and it makes me mad, so my mission continues.

If you're along the route, please come out and join us. Or you can follow along via Instagram @cxcfoundation Here's the link to our website if you want to read up on more of what we do. https://coastxcoast.org/

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All dressed up and ready to roll!
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Combat Veterans of America, Las Vegas Chapter met and escorted us into Las Vegas.

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:captain:

That's awesome Curtis!!!!:thumbsup:

Safe travels to you and the whole group, Curtis!

Well gents.... what a ride. An amazing time with some incredible people. Such a great experience and a lot of fun to say the least. We had some great events along the way and the scenery was stunning. We had two Gold Stars with us on the ride this year. One who rode her late husbands bike, which we had tracked down, stole and had repaired. In Las Vegas we held the Hero's Classic hockey game. Each player wore a jersey with the name of an Honoree on the back. The leg to Scottsdale I drove the truck and was joined by Nick Lavery, the only SOF amputee to return to active duty and deploy to combat. He's a bada$$. He spoke at our Scottsdale event which was held at Top Golf and helped raise money to treat Vets. From there we headed to Albuquerque. No event, but a great time for the riders to connect, rest and get a bit of laundry done. Next day we headed to Amarillo, TX. Along the way a dozen motor officers, another dozen in SUVs and about 50 motorcycle riders joined us. We had a police escort the last 100 miles and didn't stop for anything. That'll never get old! Great event there and the turn out was truly impressive. Next was Dallas, TX for three nights. The last 50 miles we rode in the rain and to say I was soaked is an understatement. We had an Air BNB which was full of food and beverages thanks to some local support. We held two events one at the home of a local motorcycle collector. A smaller and private event where we turn out all the lights, cameras and phones are put away and we gather around a bonfire. Let's just say not a dry eye in the place. The next night was a Motley Crew cover band complete with pyro, midgets and dancing girls. We had been joined by a Gold Star mother who was front row rocking out with her small dog under her arm. It was great to see her let loose and have some fun. Next stop was Hot Springs Arkansas where some of our members dove Fearless Rock which is about 30' under water at the base of a Dam. Adam Brown's (one of this years Honorees) parents came out as did his widow Kelly, who is planning to join us next year on the ride. The local Sheriffs department gave us an escort in and insured we had zero interference. Hot Springs was our last official event as the back half of the ride is designed to be more decompression prior to Arlington. Nashville was a quick stop, but we managed to get out and have some great laughs before pushing to Boone, NC. I was glad to be off I-40 and the ride into NC was stunningly. Winkler Knives, who has a special tie to the special operations community, hosted us for a few hours and shared some very special things. The last push was into Arlington, VA and once again we got soaked. Traffic in that area is no joke, but we worked as a group to push our way through and arrived at the hotel late in the afternoon. We got some strange looks rolling through the city streets. The evening was good food and laughs before heading to bed. It was an early departure to Arlington National Cemetery. More Gold Start family members joined us in addition to team mates of those buried there. We visited the head stones of each, read the official release of each as well as hearing stories from those who knew them and how they died. The kind of thing that has you crying, angry and laughing. In the distance bagpipes where playing, a 21 gun salute, marine one flying up the river and even a missing man flyby from some F15's. A heavy day. It was a great experience and I am looking forward to next years.

A few pics from the trip.

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April Bittner said she want to ride in a Fire Truck so we made that happen. :lol:
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This years Honorees

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You are a hell of a good guy Curtis.

Glad you all had a successful and safe trip! Thanks for sharing the pictures.

That is an almost pristine body! WOW! It will definitely turn out to be a killer build!

Thank you for your Service and for sharing the pics from your ride. :military:

Thank You. I'm doing my best.

The Ride For the Fallen is great on many levels. Helping Vets, Honoring the Fallen and giving people a place that no matter what, they are accepted. In many ways it reminds me of the car community when we gather at events and share information to help others. I think things like that are the glue that bond us. Silly differences tend to be less important and disappear. We could use more of that these days if you ask me.

A lucky find for sure. It'll be fun and I look forward to some great adventures with it.

Just to be clear... I wasn't in the military. I was a Department of Defense Contractor supporting the Special Operations Community. A very interesting place to find ones self.