World Trade Center Escort

For the past month Gary and I have been attending meetings on a piece from the World Trade Center with MSU-Billings College of Technology. We got in on this through Arthur, he was a student and invited us to be involved with the Patriot Guard Riders. Gary was the one who organized all the motorcycle riders involved.

The college applied for a grant to get a piece of the World Trade Center through the fire science program and was accepted. The instructor who thought that this would be a low key affair was very surprised at how fast news got out.

The meetings were geared toward the logistics of getting the piece from New York to Montana which changed several times. The Port Authority only allows certains times for pick up and the trucking company who originally volunteered to get the piece just couldn't work with that sort of time frame. The instructor went personally to New York and picked up the piece and brought it back to Montana.

Gary had suggested to the other motorcycles who wanted to participate to meet on Sunday morning at McDonald's. We are to meet the college personnel at the Montana/Wyoming state line at 9:00 am. We weren't too sure how many would be at McDonald's that early. We suggested 7:00 am so that would give the riders from Billings and other places a chance to warm up and get a cup of coffee. Also give the bikers a chance to fill up with gas. To our surpise 12 bikes and one car showed up for the escort.

Got organized for the ride to the state line and we got there around 8:30 am. There were three other bikes already there waiting along with the college dean with a truck and trailer. A couple other bikes arrived and so the the state trooper.

The beam got transferred from the pickup to the trailer and we all got organized for the escort to Billings. Gary was the lead bike in this. We did stop in Crow Agency to gas up otherwise we would have had stranded bikes along the interstate.

As we made our way west toward Billings, we picked up about 7 more bikes that were waiting in Hardin and the closer we got to Billings more fell in. We also had three fire trucks from Lockwood that followed in. It must have been a sight to see, too bad we were the lead. Couldn't see anything.

We arrived at the Metra 1 1/2 hours ahead of schedule. By the time we all got parked we had 32 bikes, more fire trucks, law enforcement and ambulances at the Metra. We had plenty of time to wander around the Metra before the 12:30 pm parade through Billings. There was a show going on in one of the buildings so we wandered around and looked. There was food for sale, but we just ended up getting a coke. Was not going to pay $7 for a hotdog and chips.

Gary was busy with the police and powers to be getting the line up organized and the route down. We left the Metra at 12:30 pm, went down Airport Road to Zimmerman Trail. Down Zimmerman to Rimrock Road. From there we hit Shiloh to the college. The Billings PD did a fantastic job stopping traffic at all those intersections and the roundabouts on Shiloh.

We arrived at the college and go parked in our designated parking spaces. Everyone got around the trailer with the beam for a group photos. The local news stations were there. Gary was interviewed for Q2 news and his photo of him touching the beam is on the Billings Gazette site.

When people started to leave, Gary helped the college personnel get the piece inside the building. There will be a formal ceremony on September 11. The college is going to build a memorial outside their building.

It was a very good day. Gary did a fantastic job in organizing the riding and all the bikers. He has been asked to organize the Patriot Guard for the formal ceremony in September.

Here are some photos. I do have them posted on my Picasa site.