Following the Pack

I served as sweep, "tailgunner," or "tail," whichever you want to call it, for a group ride on Friday. We rode through the beautiful highways and byways of my home state of Maryland to the Antietam National Battlefield, the site of the bloodiest battle of the U.S. Civil War.

It's fun riding in this position. You can watch all the other bikers ahead of you, and have no worries about losing the group (if I were leading it), since all I do is follow along.

The position is important, in case someone has a problem with his bike or is involved in a crash, the sweep rider implements emergency response procedures and renders first aid if necessary.

I enjoy riding in groups, listening to the rumble of fellow Harley motors, and seeing the sights along the way. It was a nice ride on a nice day!

I call the image below "Independence Day in Small Town America" -- one of the small towns we rode through still had flags flying on every home facing the main street, and some had red, white, and blue bunting on display. There's always a church or two with a tall, white steeple on main street. It's nice to ride through these small towns to remind me that my home state has much of what composes America The Beautiful.

Life is short: ride your ride!