A Tribute on Wheels

1/22

Bikers get revved up at the benefit ride’s starting line in San Diego. (STEFANO PALTERA / For The Times)

2/22

Motorcyclists Lynn Reneau and Mark Vulgamott, from Delphos, Ohio, got married during a stop in Las Vegas. (STEFANO PALTERA / For The Times)

3/22

Many of those participating in the ride had their motorcycles painted to honor the victims and the heroes of Sept. 11. (STEFANO PALTERA / For The Times)

4/22

Riders gather at a diner in Grand Junction, Colo. (STEFANO PALTERA / For The Times)

5/22

People wave flags from a bridge near Grand Junction, Colo. (STEFANO PALTERA / For The Times)

6/22

Renee Nolan’s husband, Daniel, was killed in the World Trade Center attack. The World Trade Center Miracles Foundation helped pay for heart surgery for their daughter, Katie, 4. During a stop in Wichita, Kan., she came to show her appreciation for the ride. (STEFANO PALTERA / For The Times)

7/22

In Wichita, Kan., Destani Silver, 5, admires a bike’s display of patriotism. (STEFANO PALTERA / For The Times)

8/22

Riders stop to admire an American flag put up by local Firefighters in Hays, Kan. (STEFANO PALTERA / For The Times)

9/22

Riders gather for a prayer at a gas station in Kansas before getting back on the road. (STEFANO PALTERA / For The Times)

10/22

Participants in America’s Ride glide through St. Louis en route to New York and Washington, D.C., to raise money for those injured in the Sept. 11 attacks. Riders left San Diego on Sept. 2 on a nine-day trip. They participated in an observance in Pennsylvania, where Flight 93 crashed. (STEFANO PALTERA / For The Times)

11/22

During a stop in St. Louis, Vinny Forras has his picture taken with the Rams cheerleaders. (STEFANO PALTERA / For The Times)

12/22

Kathryn Welson rests in the parking lot of a Harley-Davidson dealership in St.Louis. (STEFANO PALTERA / For The Times)

13/22

Indianans cheer on America’s Ride cyclists. Participants in the ride departed San Diego on Sept. 2 and traveled 3,500 miles in nine days to mark the anniversary of Sept. 11. (STEFANO PALTERA / For The Times)

14/22

The photographer’s reflection is caught in a side-view mirror. (STEFANO PALTERA / For The Times)

15/22

Ground zero volunteer Charles Cook. (STEFANO PALTERA / For The Times)

16/22

Firefighter Vinny Forras of South Salem, N.Y., rides in the fundraiser. (STEFANO PALTERA / For The Times)

17/22

Veterans welcome motorcyclists to Lima, Ohio. (STEFANO PALTERA / For The Times)

18/22

Motorcyclists ride through Ohio. (STEFANO PALTERA / For The Times)

19/22

Riders stop in Columbus, Ohio, to pray at a memorial for fallen firefighters. (STEFANO PALTERA / For The Times)

20/22

A caravan of riders arrives in Washington, D.C. (STEFANO PALTERA / For The Times)

21/22

National Parks police major Tom Pellinger salutes during the playing of the national anthem at a remembrance ceremony in Washington, D.C. (STEFANO PALTERA / For The Times)

22/22

Riders Daniel and Kelly Sylte of Wichita, Kan., embrace after arriving in New York on Sept. 11. (STEFANO PALTERA / For The Times)

Sept. 11, 2002 12 AM PT

There are thousands of ways Americans are memorializing the events of last Sept. 11, including a small group of people using their motorcycles.

In a cross-country trip that left San Diego on Sept. 2, participants in America’s Ride traveled 3,500 miles in nine days, stopping along the way--in Las Vegas, where two riders got married; in Lima, Ohio, where 200 local riders joined them to show their support; in Shanksville, Pa., where they attended a ceremony honoring victims of United Flight 93.

Today, the motorcyclists will ride to New York City and suburban Washington, D.C., and attend memorial services at ground zero and the Pentagon. Among the riders were Vinny Forras, a firefighter who worked at ground zero; Charles Cook, a ground zero volunteer; and Mitchell Morrison, chairman of the World Trade Center Miracles Foundation, which arranged the event to raise money to assist people injured in the attacks and its aftermath.

A year ago, the chance to ride across America would have been just another adventure. On this ride, it was also a tribute to those whose lives were sacrificed and to the resilience of a nation.

A Tribute on Wheels

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