Rick Long's Stories
Fire in the Hole
By Rick Long
All motorcycle trips are preceded by a series of attempts to remove obstacles that would under normal
circumstances prevent the trip from happening. Case in point is a recent trip to attend The Yuma Prison
Run.
The Yuma Prison Run is an annual event sponsored by the Norwalk Motorcycle Club. No, it is not a trip
to visit club members who are in prison. There is an “Old West� historic prison museum in Yuma
and part of the run involves a visit to that local tourist attraction. The main reason for the run is to raise
money for the Yuma Fire Department’s burned children’s fund.
This year, the run was to be held over a three-day weekend starting on Friday, April 16th. Hotel
reservations were made and calendars cleared. Then my wife found out she would be having surgery on
April 21st. We decided to keep the trip going as a way to prevent staying home and dreading the surgery
all weekend. She will drive her SUV instead of her motorcycle due to health reasons but I can still ride my
bike. Obstacle removed.
Also a good idea before surgery is to get some things done that you have been putting off for a while, like
automobile maintenance. No one wants to take a trip into Arizona and have the air conditioner fail. As
obstacles would have it, her SUV and my pick-up truck both ended up at repair shops at the same time.
Promises to have her vehicle ready for the run were not fulfilled until late Friday afternoon. Obstacle
removed, albeit last minute.
The lateness of the hour meant that all our friends who had promoted this run to us were already on the
road. My truck-driving brother-in-law was contacted for last minute directions and off we go. Interstate
10 East to Highway 95 South. It can’t get much easier than that. Another obstacle removed.
By 10:00 PM, we are almost alone on the 95 South. A mini-van is about a half mile ahead of us but other
than that, the road is ours. Theresa’s voice comes over the radio, “Rick, I think I see lightening in
the distance. Do you think we are going to get rained on?�
I look up toward the sky and see too many stars to worry about rain just now. I also see what at first
appears to be lightening low on the southwest horizon. All of a sudden, the sky becomes bright for several
seconds and I am reminded that we are driving right next to the Yuma Proving Grounds. I radio back to
Theresa, “That’s not lightening, that’s artillery fire.�
We drive along watching the continuing flashes and thinking of our nephew who is a new Army troop. We
are proud of our troops and the hardships they endure trying to ensure our continued freedom. A few
miles down the road, we come by a turnout with about ten people sitting on tailgates watching the â
€œfireworks.â€� Not much to do in the middle-of-nowhere Arizona on a Friday night.
Then Theresa comes back over the radio, “Wow. See that falling star? It looks so close! Just like itâ
€™s coming right at us.â€�
“That’s no falling star,� I radio back. “That’s a tracer round!� And indeed it
appeared to be headed straight for us. A tracer round is an artillary shell that emits a visible burn as it
travels along, thus helping to mark the path of the regular rounds so the artillery observer can improve the
targeting. These rounds create the lights in the sky you see when you watch CNN night footage of the
Gulf War.
The tracer round blew past us about 30 yards to the right of Highway 95. So did the second and third
tracer rounds! The next three came from behind us at just the right speed so that they appeared to come
along beside us slowly then gently pass us. Knowing that this is a training area, it does concern me for a
moment just how well trained these young gunners might be! We continue down the road as I think to
myself what a good idea it was that I packed extra underwear.
The next day, as I tell this story to friends at the run, they relate their own stories about fighter jets that
occasionally zero in on vehicles traveling on 95 as a way to practice following moving targets. Several jets
of that type land at the Yuma airport, which is just across from the fairgrounds where the run was
headquartered. This sight makes their claims that much more likely to be true.
The moral of this story is that no matter the obstacles, motorcyclists will find a way to prevail. Health
issues, vehicle maintenance, even artillery fire cannot keep a dedicated motorcyclist or motorcycle couple
from enjoying a great weekend for a good cause. Over $6000.00 was raised for the Yuma Fire
Department burned children’s charity. That alone made the removal of all obstacles worth the effort.
By Rick Long
All motorcycle trips are preceded by a series of attempts to remove obstacles that would under normal
circumstances prevent the trip from happening. Case in point is a recent trip to attend The Yuma Prison
Run.
The Yuma Prison Run is an annual event sponsored by the Norwalk Motorcycle Club. No, it is not a trip
to visit club members who are in prison. There is an “Old West� historic prison museum in Yuma
and part of the run involves a visit to that local tourist attraction. The main reason for the run is to raise
money for the Yuma Fire Department’s burned children’s fund.
This year, the run was to be held over a three-day weekend starting on Friday, April 16th. Hotel
reservations were made and calendars cleared. Then my wife found out she would be having surgery on
April 21st. We decided to keep the trip going as a way to prevent staying home and dreading the surgery
all weekend. She will drive her SUV instead of her motorcycle due to health reasons but I can still ride my
bike. Obstacle removed.
Also a good idea before surgery is to get some things done that you have been putting off for a while, like
automobile maintenance. No one wants to take a trip into Arizona and have the air conditioner fail. As
obstacles would have it, her SUV and my pick-up truck both ended up at repair shops at the same time.
Promises to have her vehicle ready for the run were not fulfilled until late Friday afternoon. Obstacle
removed, albeit last minute.
The lateness of the hour meant that all our friends who had promoted this run to us were already on the
road. My truck-driving brother-in-law was contacted for last minute directions and off we go. Interstate
10 East to Highway 95 South. It can’t get much easier than that. Another obstacle removed.
By 10:00 PM, we are almost alone on the 95 South. A mini-van is about a half mile ahead of us but other
than that, the road is ours. Theresa’s voice comes over the radio, “Rick, I think I see lightening in
the distance. Do you think we are going to get rained on?�
I look up toward the sky and see too many stars to worry about rain just now. I also see what at first
appears to be lightening low on the southwest horizon. All of a sudden, the sky becomes bright for several
seconds and I am reminded that we are driving right next to the Yuma Proving Grounds. I radio back to
Theresa, “That’s not lightening, that’s artillery fire.�
We drive along watching the continuing flashes and thinking of our nephew who is a new Army troop. We
are proud of our troops and the hardships they endure trying to ensure our continued freedom. A few
miles down the road, we come by a turnout with about ten people sitting on tailgates watching the â
€œfireworks.â€� Not much to do in the middle-of-nowhere Arizona on a Friday night.
Then Theresa comes back over the radio, “Wow. See that falling star? It looks so close! Just like itâ
€™s coming right at us.â€�
“That’s no falling star,� I radio back. “That’s a tracer round!� And indeed it
appeared to be headed straight for us. A tracer round is an artillary shell that emits a visible burn as it
travels along, thus helping to mark the path of the regular rounds so the artillery observer can improve the
targeting. These rounds create the lights in the sky you see when you watch CNN night footage of the
Gulf War.
The tracer round blew past us about 30 yards to the right of Highway 95. So did the second and third
tracer rounds! The next three came from behind us at just the right speed so that they appeared to come
along beside us slowly then gently pass us. Knowing that this is a training area, it does concern me for a
moment just how well trained these young gunners might be! We continue down the road as I think to
myself what a good idea it was that I packed extra underwear.
The next day, as I tell this story to friends at the run, they relate their own stories about fighter jets that
occasionally zero in on vehicles traveling on 95 as a way to practice following moving targets. Several jets
of that type land at the Yuma airport, which is just across from the fairgrounds where the run was
headquartered. This sight makes their claims that much more likely to be true.
The moral of this story is that no matter the obstacles, motorcyclists will find a way to prevail. Health
issues, vehicle maintenance, even artillery fire cannot keep a dedicated motorcyclist or motorcycle couple
from enjoying a great weekend for a good cause. Over $6000.00 was raised for the Yuma Fire
Department burned children’s charity. That alone made the removal of all obstacles worth the effort.
April
25,2004
25,2004
Fire in the Hole 4/25/2004
