As I got home from working the overnight shift this past Friday I was thinking of things to do with my 8 year old son for the long weekend as my wife and daughter would be gone until Sunday. I have been following Rolling Thunder (never been) on Facebook and did a quick distance search on my iPhone and it said 500ish miles from my home in NH to DC. Very doable I thought. Checked around and found a campground that still had tent sites so that was it, decision made! Picked the boy up from school early to grab a few things for the trip, we caught a movie (Godzilla) then hit the sack. I wanted to leave by 0500 but we left the the comfort of the DRY garage at 0530 and were out into the rain until almost NYC. Luckily that was the only rain we had all weekend.

Could not find a rain suit anywhere that would fit the boy so I went with the raincoat top and used an old pair of Frogg Toggs bottoms I duct tapped smaller so he would be a parachute. It worked well and we were both dry when we shred all of that gear. Here is us leaving. The seat belt looking thing is just that. I rigged up an old Velcro duty belt for a little piece of mind. My son Keigan has been on bikes with me since he could walk and we did a ride from New Hampshire Motor Speedway to Laconia Bike Week last year (only live about 40 minutes from ther). But none of the trips have been this long. He did great overall. I would feel his helmet slide to the side of my back when he fell asleep then I would wiggle his leg to wake him back up. I did this for a hour before finally stopping and getting some breakfast. He was better after that.


Jersey Turnpike just out of NYC after the George Washington Bridge. Sun was out and we were getting hot so the rain gear came off.


We made it to Cherry Hill Campground and set up camp! Looked like a nice spot but we were just off the highway so the traffic noise was LOUD! But they had a pool which we used both days and a hot tub too.


iPad is entertaining the boy and I'm having a few cold ones looking at the map for the next day.


Made to the Pentagon parking lot at 0700 without too much difficulty and lined up for what would be a 1330 departure time. They started leaving the lot at 1200. Close to a million bikes I was told so it takes a while. They were still leaving the lot after 1530.








The boy cooling off...

 

Some pics around DC. As a Desert Storm USAF Vet the War Memorials were very moving and I'm very happy I could share them with my son. This is something he won't soon forget.











On the way home... We stopped every 100ish miles to stretch (jumping jacks), fuel up (every other stop). Here is a little break on the Jersey Turnpike.


Final mileage tally 1126.3 for the 3 days! This picture shows the trip home stats via my GPS.



Thanks for reading.
-Keith

 

Great ride report ... I think you're right about your son not forgetting it too soon ... but I'll bet it remains a fond memory for you, too, for the rest of your life! Way to go, dad.

 

Thank you!

 

What a great report and wonderful thing you did for the both of you. That is a great memory you both will cherish. I must say you are pretty brave taking on that trip on a whim. Your son looks like he was quite the sport during the trip.
I have never been to DC and would like to do Rolling Thunder but I don't know if I could deal with all the bikes, traffic and waiting. One of my workmates just got back, he goes every year. (his brother was a Marine and gave the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam and was awarded the Medal of Honor).
Good Job, Dad!!

 

Unfortunately or fortunately I'm an on a whim kind of guy. There. Are plenty if people talk to there about Military service, bothers lost and bikes. The time passed by pretty quickly.

I asked my son the next morning after getting home if he was ready for another trip and he replied, "Where are we going". He is a trooper!

 

Great write up…now keep us up to date on the next father son outing.

 

Great trip. Thanks for sharing.

 

Thanks guys!

 

What a great trip to take with your son. Those are memories they never forget. It was probably a great learning experience for him too. He probably has a new respect for what Rolling Thunder stands for.