I had reason to be in Washington, D.C., over the weekend.
No, I was not among the thousands of Phillies fans who invaded Nationals Park, turning it into what amounted to Citizens Bank Park South.
I made the trip down I-95 to pick up my daughter, who spent the summer interning in what she quickly learned was one of the hottest cities on the face of the Earth.
But it was on the trip down there Saturday morning that I saw something that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before.
Traffic was heavy southbound on I-95, but the northbound lanes were vacant.
Except for a non-stop stream of motorcyclists who apparently had been streaming out of D.C. since early in the morning, heading for NYC. Our daughter had forewarned us. It was a motorcycle ride to commemorate Sept. 11.
What was interesting was the reaction of motorists heading south to this cavalcade of bikers, many of whom were flying flags attached to their bikes.
People honked and waved their horns. Not out of agitation. Out of respect.
This was a 9/11 motorcycle ride.
Yes, I was reminded once again that we are approaching the 10th anniversary of that fateful day.
Some people actually pulled their cars over on the left-hand median so they could salute the bikers.
Fire trucks with huge flags adorned every overpass.
One thing I kept thinking to myself was how far the traffic must have been backed up behind the motorcycles. Our daughter had warned us that they were intermittently closing sections of northbound I-95 to allow the procession to ride smoothly.
Can you imagine? Shutting down I-95 on a busy summer weekend? Such is the power that 9/11 continues to exert over the nation.
It is going to be a very event couple of weeks.
No, I was not among the thousands of Phillies fans who invaded Nationals Park, turning it into what amounted to Citizens Bank Park South.
I made the trip down I-95 to pick up my daughter, who spent the summer interning in what she quickly learned was one of the hottest cities on the face of the Earth.
But it was on the trip down there Saturday morning that I saw something that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before.
Traffic was heavy southbound on I-95, but the northbound lanes were vacant.
Except for a non-stop stream of motorcyclists who apparently had been streaming out of D.C. since early in the morning, heading for NYC. Our daughter had forewarned us. It was a motorcycle ride to commemorate Sept. 11.
What was interesting was the reaction of motorists heading south to this cavalcade of bikers, many of whom were flying flags attached to their bikes.
People honked and waved their horns. Not out of agitation. Out of respect.
This was a 9/11 motorcycle ride.
Yes, I was reminded once again that we are approaching the 10th anniversary of that fateful day.
Some people actually pulled their cars over on the left-hand median so they could salute the bikers.
Fire trucks with huge flags adorned every overpass.
One thing I kept thinking to myself was how far the traffic must have been backed up behind the motorcycles. Our daughter had warned us that they were intermittently closing sections of northbound I-95 to allow the procession to ride smoothly.
Can you imagine? Shutting down I-95 on a busy summer weekend? Such is the power that 9/11 continues to exert over the nation.
It is going to be a very event couple of weeks.
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