We started out with 7 on our ride today and made it to the destination with 6.
One of the guys on a modified Triumph Rocket 3 lost his life on the journey.
Missed a sweeping corner at very high speed into trees.
I saw things today that words cannot describe that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

I have never said it but I have considered you guys on this forum as some kind of family.
But after today, when I get back home I have decided to put the bike away for a while and give this forum a break.
I need to get my head right.

Guys, please be careful out there.

Pete, rest in peace.

* Last updated by: yannih on 5/26/2015 @ 2:56 PM *

Been there. It really sucks.
Take your time. Your Buddy would want you to keep riding.

I'm so sorry yannih. Take the time you need to assimilate.

Mad

Yannih, I'm sorry for your loss.
I feel you brother, I lost my dad the same way.
I know it's a cliche but Time is a great healer.

Yannih...sorry to hear this. Slow it down to allow sufficient time to reflect to get your mindset back to ride again. We are here..........

So sorry to hear about this Yannih. Take care.

Wow. Sorry to hear this mate. I think I'd want to have a little break, too. We look forward to your return.

RIP, Pete.

Wow, that is rough. Take care brother.

Keep your email notification on your PMs, yannih. I'd like to check in on ya after a while. Hope you will be coming to grips with experiencing this sad and scary event in the weeks to come. I hope this for all of your buddies as well.

Yannih

Very sorry for your loss. Prayers sent for the people and families affected.

My sympathies as well Yanman.Nothing wrong with reflecting.You should do what you feel is right for you.VERY sorry you lost your friend and saw it as well....take care and we're here...you know that.

Sorry to hear this Yannih. I can't imagine what you and your circle of friends are dealing with. Good luck and god bless.

Mate im so sadened to just find out about this Bro! Rook sent me a pm today! so for Peter RIP Bro!

Im so sorry for your loss I can only imagine how you must feel. May GOD comfort you in this time of grieving.

I now know what you went through brother, it is a terrible feeling that only one who has experienced it could ever understand. Mourning your loss and hoping you are at peace and back to riding again.

A quick update for anyone who may be interested.

Of the 6 riders that were present when we lost Pete that faithful day, only one has all but given riding away. The rest seem to be through the worst and back in the saddle.
The guys are currently at differing levels of recovery and have reconciled what happened in their own way.
We knew that all would react and heal differently, and that is what happened.

We all decided to create a simple plaque with input from Pete's family on how they would like it to be.
When this was done, we did the same ride in honor of our fallen mate and placed it at the scene of the accident.
We also took many pictures and sent them to the family with a running commentary of what each picture meant.

I can only speak for myself, but I do believe organizing the plaque, liasing with the family to make sure they were happy with the design and wording, doing the same ride, and placing the plaque did a lot of good for both those that were present the day of the accident and Pete's family.
It also provided another level of closure.

It felt to me that although we couldn't bring Pete back, we did something for him.
I felt we left a legacy on the site that will be there for a long time to come and in some small way will contribute to ensuring his memory is not forgotten.

It is not a big thing, but I feel I was part of something that was very important.

I also took note of the way the guys rode for that trip and it was positive to see that they gave it a very good shove which obviously meant they were moving forward and getting though the ordeal.

Me, I have healed quite well.
Of course I will never forget that terrible day.
However I don't seem to have any majorly noticeable emotional scars.
I am back on the bike, getting back up to speed, and have moved past questioning why such a thing should happen to a mate and whether I had something to do with it.
I have also slowed my thoughts regarding giving up on the riding game altogether.

I look at the pic at the top of this thread of Pete's Rocket 3 with my bike in the back ground and an eerie morning fog lifting taken a mere 4 hours before Pete's life would end and I can get through considerably better than I could a while ago.

I have no doubt that being a part of creating the plaque with mates who were there plus Pete's family, then placing it was very positive therapy for me.

Below is the plaque showing Pete with his second bike on a previous ride with us, an old Kwaka he restored and kept in pristine condition that went like the wind!
One of the broken tree branches can also be seen.

RIP Peter.
Ride in peace brother.

* Last updated by: yannih on 10/4/2015 @ 6:42 AM *

AWESOME...good for you Yanman!

Glad things are going better for you Yannih. Enjoy life. Unfortunately, we're all gonna go at some point and 99% of us don't have a clue when exactly that will be. In 100 years, whether or not we even existed won't even matter. So enjoy it to your utmost, and if you die doing something you loved then IMO that's probably the best way to go.

You know the religious out there drive me absolutely insane.

Was talking to the guy in our group that tried to revive Pete that faithful day even though Pete was well gone and beyond help.
I told him he would always be my hero for what he did with a human body in the condition it was in.
Then he said to me, "My God was with me that day".

I thought what the ....???

So God decided my mate needed support and provided it.
Very admirable.

But where was He for Pete?
Off on a tea break?
Maybe not important enough?
More important things to do?
Too busy assisting my mate?
A greater plan we mortals don't understand?

Anything good is associated to God.
Children's laughter.
Rainbows
Supporting my mate when he really needed it.

But anything bad is someone else's issue. It is certainly not God's doing.
Horrific disease, famine and suffering.
Rape, torture, pain and murder.
Not being there supporting Pete when he died.

The hypocrisy is bewildering...

How the hell do you square this away in your minds?

* Last updated by: yannih on 6/22/2018 @ 6:14 AM *

People are uncomfortable knowing this big ship we're on is cruising full speed ahead through fair weather and foul with absolutely no one at the helm. As much as we avoid suffering, it's comforting to believe their is some purpose to it. Of course, that purpose is beyond our comprehension. If we could comprehend the purpose, we'd see that it didn't exist. It's a pretty terrifying thing discovering something you've spent your life trusting doesn't exist and I think we all know that deep inside. That's why believers are constantly reassuring themselves their faith is valid....which is exactly the opposite of having faith.

I , for one, am all for people having Faith and worshipping it as they see fit. I am adamantly against all organized religion. It has caused more bloodshed and misery than anything else in history. Some of the kindest, most moral people I have ever met don't belong to any religion. And I have met many so called Christians that promote horrific values. They act like sheep, must do what their political or religions leaders say.
As for me, if I want to commune with "God" , I'll go to a forest.
On a related note, on my last ride I saw Jesus so many times I started using him as a braking marker.

Mad

Those were yer guardian angels my man!Never ride without em;)

Those were yer guardian angels my man!Never ride without em;)

Guess Pete's guardian angels were busy or just not interested that day...

* Last updated by: yannih on 6/23/2018 @ 12:38 AM *

EVERYONE has an allotted time.When it's time to move on,that's it.I believe he's still alive in the spirit.With a spiritual body.Having a blast.

I hope so and if that's the case that I'll figure it out before it's too late. You just never know. I got word today two of my favorite students died in a car wreck. Two really fun girls. I get along well with the guys mostly so these two were kind of special. I feel so bad for their moms and dads. R.I.P Izzy and Page. They used to sneak into my class for the intervention hour at the end of the day.

* Last updated by: Rook on 6/23/2018 @ 4:45 PM *