Law Enforcement United/FLETC Bicycle Ride 2017

Whew... what a day!  Day 4 was the longest day I've ever spent on the bike.  We rode 136 Miles from Camden through Sumpter, Lake City, and Conway to Myrtle Beach, SC.  We battled some early hills, consistent head winds, heavy rains, and poorly paved roads.  It was a tough 136 miles but we worked together as a team to get to Myrtle Beach and get in before the severe weather came in. You'll see we were all wearing yellow and red socks from New Mexico.  Today we rode in memory of another one of our FLETC team members Rob Baron of the Sandoval County Sheriff's Office, New Mexico. Rob succumbed to injuries sustained when he was struck by a vehicle.  His end of watch date was 12/06/2013. We arrived in Conway, SC soaking wet as the skies opened up on us with 2 miles to go.  We snapped a group photo where a Memorial ceremony took place.  We left Conway and had a "rough" ride to Myrtle Beach Police Department, but they were able to shut down the busiest

It's Friday and day 5 on the bike.  Our route started in Myrtle Beach, SC and finished in Southport, NC.  Our SC stops included North Myrtle Beach and Loris.   We woke up in Myrtle Beach to a really bad storm and were under a tornado warning.  At 5:00AM I was selfishly praying that Rich would send a message to sleep in and we'd just start a little later.  That didn't happen.  We started on the bike about 30 minutes later than planned and somehow we managed to have a good day for weather (other than some heavy winds... which appear to be what we get to look forward to the next couple of days in NC.   After such a long day yesterday, a late arrival, and an early morning we are all a bit cranky to get the day started but as the day progressed there seemed to be a bit more chatter in the pace line and we were working together as a team to get through some of the longer legs.  While still fighting winds, the temperature wasn't too bad and the rains stayed away.

Day three start was rough.  It took me about 12 miles to wake up but after that, I felt pretty good on the bicycle.  My body is finally adjusting to being on the bike all day. Today we wore white socks in memory of "Angry Rob" Moorhead .  Angry Rob was a FLETC Rider and a friend.  He was killed in 2011 two weeks before the FLETC Ride.  He was on a training ride and was struck and killed by a distracted driver.  One of my favorite memories of Rob is when he played the bagpipes for my brother.  It was a honor to know him. We started the day riding from Orangeburg to Columbia where we met the family of Investigator Holmes Smith .  Frances (mom), Rhonda (sister), and Shirley (Aunt) were decked out in their custom Holmes shirts and welcomed the team with smiles and hugs.  You could tell they not only appreciated the FLETC team but looked forward to seeing them yearly.   South Carolina has a beautiful memorial to their fallen officers with the names inscribe aro

We rode north from Hardeeville to Orangeburg, SC on the way to 110 mile day.  Our first memorial stop was in Colleton County where we paid tribute to their fallen officers.  They had a beautiful court house in the city center where their memorial stands. We fought some pretty tough head winds but are really coming together as a team. Lunch was served to us by the city of St. George, SC.  We were welcomed by their Law Enforcement and the city's Mayor - Anne J. Johnston and Clerk.  Anne Johnston is an 87 year old mayor who ran for another term when she found out who was running to replace her.  She's a steel magnolia who can be found working around her city planting flowers and cleaning it up.  She's said she'll run again if she has to. We were escorted into our Orangeburg Hotel by three survivors. Derek and Alex Howell are two sons of the late William Howell Jr.   of Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office, South Carolina.  Both sons have f

Day 1 of the FLETC ride is in the books.  We started the morning with a quick ride to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center where we welcomed by the staff and given a tour of the 912 Building - Click the link to learn more about the building design. A couple of cool features of the building - The number (and name) 912 represents law enforcement after 911 - leading change in training, adapting to and proactively addressing emerging threats, supporting our partners’ needs, and advancing the Nation’s homeland security goal.  The twin towers (911 memorial) overlooking the living pond that has a shelf built to represent the 911 memorial in New York. The color guard welcomed with presentation of the colors, the National Anthem, Taps, a quick prayer and they served us some breakfast sandwiches to fuel us on for our journey. Steve drove a support vehicle for the day. It was great to have him experience part of the ride.  I'll see him May 12 in Washington, D.C.