Check out this awesome mini bike by DPX Systems. We met Anthony out here at The 2009 SuperRun. Yes, the mini bike is powered entirely by a 18-volt DeWalt Cordless drill - the very same one you can buy at any home improvement store. Krystal and I both took it for a spin and it's a blast to ride!

We really admire the innovative thinking that went into this and Anthony's other uses for the drill driven unit. Check out his drive systems that use a drill to turn a manual wheelchair into a powered model and allow a full size Harley Davidson or other heavy cargo to to be lifted into the bed of a truck, by one person. This is the kind of thinking that will move America forward in the 21st century and it's local! Anthony is based right here in Vegas.

We'll be out on Fremont Street with Metal of Honor 2-11pm on Friday and Saturday night (10-2 & 3) while our friends from CTS take the main stage. Come down at say hello! We'll be set up just east of the outdoor seating at the Satrbucks (Golden Nugget).

We're updating our flickr stream with pics of the hundreds of gorgeous cars and bikes out here at Super Run 2009 in Henderson, NV.

We're out with Metal of Honor today and tomorrow for the 2009 SuperRun Car and Bike show in Henderson, NV. The event is free and families are encouraged to attend. Water Street (henderson's main drag) and many of the side streets are shut down for the next few days while classic, custom and show cars and bikes take over the city's downtown Business District.

When we came in at 7:30 this morning, it was already packed. One of the fellows at the gate found us a place for the trailer - even though we had to squeeze in. His dad is a Pearl Harbor Survivor and the pictures of the many Survivors on the trailer swayed him right to our side. So we got all set up on Panama and Pacific street next to a sweet blue Mustang.

Then I went wandering and met the VFW guys in the parking lot at The Rainbow Club. The GM and the Assistant GM immediately invited us to move the bike and trailer over here once I showed them a picture. Someone hadn't shown up and they had THE PERFECT SPOT open for both the bike and the trailer. I guess it was fate. Metal of Honor is parked in front of the trailer and getting all kinds of "stop in their tracks" looks. The staff and security here at The Rainbow are the friendliest and most professional of folks. Next time you're in Henderson, you should stop in for some of this old-fashioned hospitality!


We put out last week's four 1st Place plaques from the Cub Scouts Car and Bike Show at Red Rock Harley. It was a small show, but you can tell the boys worked so hard on the plaques. We wanted them to be on display in case any of the boys and their family come down. Plus, I'm very proud of my first sweep of trophies for Metal of Honor. It's like seeing your kid get an "A" on her first spelling bee. Baby steps to greatness ;)

Please come out and see us at Red Rock Harley Davidson on Saturday, Sept. 19th for the Cub Scouts 1st Annual Car, Bike and Truck show. They are collecting food for area food banks. With the current conditions in Las Vegas, every food bank is being over run with requests for aid. Let's see if we can surround Metal of Honor with canned goods!


Then next weekend, September 26th we'll be down on Water Street in Henderson for the 2009 Super Run Car Show. They close off the whole street and line it with hotrods, bikes and other special interest cars. Bands and food, too!

Both events are free to attend and make a great day out for the family. Don't forget your sunscreen!

On Saturday, September 12th, AIGA held its Tenth Anniversary Las Vegas Work Show to showcase the best graphic design artists in Nevada.

As he zoomed by to join the main column, Krystal got the most amazing shot of one of The Honor Run chase riders.


And here's mine of this fellow giving The Honor Run a salute from the top of the bridge on I-215 and the 15 as we entered Vegas.

We received this request and felt we should share the info below with the Veteran community.

Thanks for getting back to me. I represent Mesothelioma.com, a leading Internet resource for information about mesothelioma, a fatal form of cancer. I am also a veteran of the United States Navy, and a proud advocate for veterans. In addition to public outreach efforts, I maintain the Mesothelioma.com Veterans Blog, which provides news and information specifically for veterans.

As you may know, mesothelioma cancer is caused by previous exposure to asbestos. Countless veterans were exposed to asbestos while aboard naval ships, while repairing military vehicles and aircraft, and while residing in aging military housing. Troops currently serving in Iraq are also at risk of asbestos exposure, making this a very timely health and safety issue for veterans and all members of the military community.

Because Mesothelioma.com has such crucial information to share with veterans, I would like to inquire about adding a resource link to our veteran medical support section on your website. I am confident that the information we provide, including content focused on military asbestos exposure, a listing of veteran-specific hospitals and medical centers, and a database of medical & legal resources for veterans will benefit all who visit our site.

Thanks for taking the time to consider my request, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours in health and service,

Doug

Douglas Karr
Veteran, United States Navy
Mesothelioma.com Veterans Advocate
dkarr@mesothelioma.com

Tomorrow, 9-11 is Patriot Day.

On this day, the President directs that the American flag be flown at half-staff at individual American homes, at the White House, and on all U.S. government buildings and establishments, home and abroad. The President also asks Americans to observe a moment of silence beginning at 8:46 A.M. (Eastern Daylight Time), the time of the first plane crash on September 11, 2001.



Wear your colors, observe the silence and fly your flags in memory.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejjOd96SBaw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84b949k8HCw

So at 16, he lied about his age to the recruiter and joined the Iowa National Guard. As tensions flared over seas, he knew he had to enlist. He joined the Navy and was in boot camp being trained in ground warfare, watching the old movies from WWI on mustard gas and trench warfare. (He quickly decided maybe he didn't want to be calvary, after all.) He did get a bit of a surprise one day when he was pulled out of line to see the commanding officer, who was not too happy that Clif was A.W.O.L. from the Iowa National Guard! He had completely overlooked this small detail in his fierce desire to serve.

Clif also told us about about his PBY Catalina aircraft going down in the Pacific off Hawaii in the early part of 1941. While on patrol, his amphibious plane with a crew of 9 aboard sprung an oil leak and they had to set down in open water. Clif fixed the leak and they radio'd for help. They didn't have enough engine oil to get airborne again, but the plane was otherwise okay and floating on the water. A passing squad of PBYs on the way from San Diego to Pearl Harbor answered their distress call and notified the base to send out rescue. They were in the water for three days before a US destroyer showed up on the horizon. They were over 700 miles from shore. They offloaded some of the crew onto the destroyer, but there was no reason to abandon a perfectly good plane. Clif used gun cleaning oil from the destroyer to refill the oil tank. The ship's skipper then pulled up behind the downed plane and used it's wake to give the plane enough of a push to get it airborne and they returned safely to Oahu.

Despite these early hiccups, Clif went on to serve throughout World War II. On the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor, he was stationed with his PBY aircraft crew at Kanehoe Bay. He related that he spent much of the war away from home. Ginnie said he came back once for a month or so, but otherwise was in battle zones for over 5 years as the fighting raged. He reenlisted in the middle of the war and served 8 full years.

Although we really enjoyed hearing Clif's stories, the purpose of our visit was to speak to Clif and Ginnie about the upcoming Vet's Day parade in November. At the last meeting, Dana was told that the Survivors here feel it will most likely be their last Veteran's Day parade as many of them are in poor health and all are over 80.






Dana and I would like our local Survivors to really have the chance to enjoy this last parade with no concerns for logistics or driving and most importantly, be able to have this experience with friends they haven't seen in months or years because they have been unable to attend meetings or visit them at the nursing home. Several of the Survivors cannot drive anymore. With the blessing of Clif and Ginnie, who do most of the logistics for them to attend parades, we're speaking to several local sources to see if we can secure a comfortable, open air vehicle(s) for them and their spouses (about 20 total) as well as transport to and from the parade for those who can't drive. We'll keep you all posted on our progress.

We have a brand new flickr stream. I'll be adding to it over the next few days as I process the pics we took on our recent trip with The Honor Run.

This first set is from Bigg's Harley Davidson in San Marcos on Friday evening.

THURSDAY 9-3-09

We hooked up with The Honor Run at Mesquite, NV yesterday. They have a small group of core riders, who have been with the Run since they left Washington, DC. Riders are joining the Run at various points and leaving when they want.

In Mesquite, there were about 100 bikes. CTS put on a great show in the tent provided by the very friendly folks at Casblanca Hotel and Casino. Darryl and his staff were so considerate and efficient!



We got set up and a LOT of people stopped to check out Metal of Honor, including my friend, John Baca (MOH, Vietnam). John even let Norah and Krystal hold his Medal. Yep, my employees are all hero groupies now! Seriously, John is a great guy and has been riding in a support vehicle with The Honor Run since it left D.C.

Dana is on the way over with Metal of Honor, the trailer and my sister for our trip to meet up with The Honor Run. We'll be posting to the blog and tweeting while we're on the road. I am also supposed to learn to use the video camera and hopefully gets some videos of our adventures up for you all to enjoy. Hope you enjoy the ride with us!