NYFD

We received a nice escort from GW bridge to the NYFD Memorial for fallen fire fighters

Rescue 1 NYFD

Introductions and presentation of the Bay2Brooklyn2011 banner with patches to Rescue 1 Station FDNY. Thank you to Lt. Donnely for allowing us to visit with you and your crew and accept our gift to FDNY. Our 343 memorial ride allowed us to connect the West with the East and fire departments in between. 

One Event One Brotherhood

Hackettstown, PA

Thanks TC

Here are a few pics from Hackettstown, PA. A little car repair as the trailer lights were giving us a little trouble. We met Jim at Mama's Restaurant the night we got in and this guy is connected. Set us up with a live radio interview and then found us a shop to get the car fixed. Thanks Jim and to everyone else we met there. To Norm, David and Joyce, thanks for the great interview opportunity. Enjoy the pictures.

Soooo Close

Look, it fits!!!!!

airbrushed art work on the back of a '51 Chevy

19 mile escort

We left Pocono Summit, PA under another day of rain. Just before leaving the hotel, Bobby got permission from Chief George to give us an escort through and out of town. 19 miles later at the PA/NJ border we parted with Bobby and were led to the Delaware Gap where we crossed over the Delaware River into New Jersey. On the other side, we stopped at a rest stop and met up with our support trailer. A couple happened to be driving by and saw the 343 and pulled over to see what we were all about. Turns out they had a relative in the towers from FDNY. Very moving moment for all of us. This is not the first time someone has come up and found the name of a loved one from our logo. The reaction is always the same. We find the name for them and there is a need to place their fingertips over the name. Solemn special moments!!

Rain and Escorts

George, Chief of Pocono Summit Volunteer Fire Department adds their patch to the collection

Ed from Mt. Jewitt Volunteer Fire department adds their patch after showing us some special art work to their rigs. 

Jay rode with us for a few miles or should I say we rode with him. Keep up the good work and thank you Jay

Darrell and Dave

Darrell Dean makes the scene

Yahoo DD is finally able to join us. He is already making the old bulls pick up the pace a little but as Dad says we always finish strong. I wish the rain would stop but it has not dampened anyone's spirit. NY here we come..

BTW, is that Forest standing next to Driver Fred

I rained on us all day yesterday and when we woke up this morning it was still raining. Rain again all day today. It was different today. We had the boy. The man. The machine. Later on in the day we were stopped to repair a flat on Dave's bike when a Scranton, PA news station stopped by for an interview. Thanks John and John. Check it out here by using this link http://www.wnep.com/news/countybycounty/wnep-crosscountry-bike-ride-honors-911-anniversary-20110906,0,7087632.story 

Seems as though every time the camera is near, so is Darrell Dean. Coincidence, not!

We still had about 25 miles to go and it is starting to get dark. Thank you to Pocono Summit Volunteer Fire Department for being so patient and thank you to you Tyler for getting out the media release. Another demonstration about how we all are connecting and making this work.

Beverly

  

Todays Ride is dedicated to Dave's Mom, Bev.
She showed us, by the way she lived, how to live a life of significance.  She never lost that child within and lived each moment with joy and shared it with others every chance she could.  Relationships, travel, and adventure were a few of her many passions, so this journey we are on is a glimpse into her heart and the way she lived.  We miss you Mom!  All our love!

To Remember Me

By Robert Test

        At a certain moment a doctor will determine that my brain has ceased to function and that, for all intents and purposes, my life has stopped.

When that happens, do not attempt to instill artificial life into by body by the use of a machine.  And don’t call this my “deathbed.”  Call it my “bed of life,” and let my body be taken from it to help others lead fuller lives.

        Give my sight to a man who has never seen a sunrise, a baby’s face, or love in the eyes of a woman.

        Give by heart to a person whose own heart has caused nothing but endless days of pain.

        Give my blood to the teenager who has been pulled from the wreckage of his car, so that he might live to see his grandchildren play.

        Give my kidneys to one who depends on a machine to exist from week to week.

        Take my bones, every muscle, every fiber and nerve in my body, and find a way to make a crippled child walk.

        Explore every corner of my brain.  Take my cells, if necessary, and let them grow so that someday a speechless boy will shout at the crack of a bat and a deaf girl will hear the sound of rain against her windows.

        Burn what is left of me and scatter the ashes to the winds to help the flowers grow.

        If you must bury something, let it be my faults, my weaknesses, and all my prejudice against my fellow man.

        Give my sins to the devil.  Give my soul to God.  If, by chance, you wish to remember me, do it with a kind deed or word to someone who needs you.  If you do all I have asked, I will live forever.

A Rain Day

No doubt who the boss of this trip is!
We left Galeton, PA under a light rain and it only continued to get heavier. By the time we got to Wellsboro, we were soaked so off to an outfitter business to get the gear we needed. Pants and Jackets were all we could get so our hands feet and head would have to suffer through it. We arrived in Towanda, PA where we will sleep for the night, including Darrell Dean. We'll all be together tomorrow:-))))

Day 1 remembered

Day 1 seems so long ago, but Darrell and Dave have stuck to the initial goals of the ride. To connect with as many people as possible to bring honor to the 343.

Chester Fire

Here we were, 5 miles out of our final destination, Meadville, PA when we
> ride up upon Conneaut Volunteer Fire Department. We do our usual thing and
> stop to see if there is anyone around. As with many volunteer departments,
> the doors are closed and lights out. But this station was different. It
> was attached to an upstairs restaurant/bar with a balcony. Then we noticed
> on the door a flyer that said Fri, Sept 2, BBQ members only. Turns out this
> volunteer department built their station with an attached restaurant above a
> downstairs banquet hall. This is how they raise money for the department.
> They even have a catering operation they run out of the station. Having
> spoken with volunteer departments across the country and knowing the
> difficulties many have with funding, we thought this was brilliant.
> Now, the story doesn't end here. I only learned about their operations
> because I made my way inside and upstairs to find a bustling restaurant/bar
> in full operation. I asked the hostess if she knew if any fireman were
> around. She asked me to wait a minute. She returned to inform me that the
> Chief was here but too busy cooking to come out and visit. She said he
> apologizes and that we were welcome to have a drink on him at the bar. I
> preceded to tell the hostess who we were and why we were here. I asked if I
> could leave a note for the Chief. While all this was taking place a
> gentleman walks in wearing a Chester Township Fire & Rescue (Ohio) shirt. I
> asked him if he was a Chester Fireman and he said yes. I introduce myself
> and told him what we were doing and about bringing patches to the New York
> FD to let them know that many across the country are thinking of them and
> the 343. He asked me to wait and told my he would be back in a minute.
> Next thing I know he hands me the Chester Fire symbol torn from a shirt. I
> turn to see that this did not come off another shirt in his car, but from
> the shirt he was wearing! Glenn Sanders is his name and although he didn't
> have a patch with him, he gave what he had to let FDNY know that he and
> Chester Fire are thinking of them. Glenn Sanders... you're the man!
> What a blessing it is to us to have such experiences as we continue across
> the US. Thank you to all of those that have been part of this journey. It
> is so wonderful to see the love that is flowing in the myriad of ways we
> have seen along our way.
> 
> ...and after learning more, Conneaut FD brought us patches and asked us to
> also leave one at Ground Zero if we can. They even offered us dinner and to
> put us up for the night. Thank you Conneaut FD. We would have loved to
> have stayed but had a previous engagement down the road.
> 

NYFD Rescue 1

Today's ride from Meadville Pa to Warren Pa is dedicated to the 11 firefighters that were riding heavy on Rescue 1 and lost their lives on Sept 11, 2001.

Darrell does a hand stand

We are in Pennsylvania yahoo

Happy Anniversary to Fred & Karen Belligan

Today is Fred, our driver, & his wife, Karen's anniversary...  If you are out there reading this blog - stop in & wish them a very happy anniversary... 

These are true friends...  As Fred has been away since August 2nd, Karen has been taking care of everything at home.  She was able to reunite with Fred & the guys yesterday in Ohio...  Fred has also missed his oldest son, Jason's, birthday & while he is in New York Fred & Karen will miss their middle son, Justin's, birthday.

So, today Fred & Karen - we celebrate you & your marriage.  Thank you for being an example to all of us.

I hope the guys at least buy you a great anniversary dinner!!

Much Love -
Steph

Sandusky Ohio

Bob here from Sandusky Fire puts their patch on the door. A short visit with them and its on the road again. The two above pics are the the two station crews from Sandusky Fire. Thank you to the station 7 crew for picking up our lunch at Toft's Ice Cream Shop. This is a local favorite and it's a stone's throw from their station. Man am I glad we don't have one of these in our first-in.



For any of you following us who are not aware, nicknames are appropriate in the fire service. So the significance of this video is that Darrell's nickname is Skillet and Dave's is Chickenhawk. Yes Fred we did see and and commented on it.

A few articles...

As the guys have stopped in some local towns they have had opportunities to be interviewed by local radio, TV and newspaper stations.

I wanted to share a few that we just received & also want to say "thank you" again for all the exposure that these towns are giving us...  We will never forget Sept. 11th - where we were, what we were doing & it is our responsibility to never forget the 343 firefighters that died that day serving along with remembering their families they left behind.

From Wheatland, Iowa:
http://www.dewittobserver.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=6950

From Hobart, Indiana:
http://posttrib.suntimes.com/photos/galleries/index.html?story=7350584

If there are any other articles out there we would love to see them & post them.

God Bless...

Leaving Ligonier, to Kendallville, IN & into Ohio...

                             After leaving Ligonier, ID, our next town to hit was Kendallville where they escorted us all through town with the local PD blocking the intersections while our fire escort led us to the other end of town. Our motto so far has been start slow and finish strong but this morning we started fast, went even faster through Kendallville. Thank you for supporting this ride and keeping us safe and for adding your patch to the trailer for FDNY!    

Pictured here:  Kendallville Indiana (Kendalldallvill Fire Department - 8/31/11) - right to left - Chief Mike Riehm, Volunteer Eric Terry, Firefighter Chris "lumpy" Smith, Admin Assist Barb Penick

Men from Edgerton, Ohio. Our first town in a new state

After 108 miles, we reached our destination in Bowling Green, OH and their main fire station. Thanks to all of you for dinner and a very comfortable night's sleep. BTW F/F Terry Busch will be riding with us for a few miles as we head for Cleveland.
Chief Tom here is placing their patch on the door for FDNY

Ligonier

Why are we doing this? Because there are small towns every where which have the same feelings about 9/11 and Ligonier, IN is one of them. This fire department was touched along with their mayor Patty, pictured in the middle for us wanting to stop in their town. She dropped by the night we got in and then came to see us off this morning. One of my favorite lines from my favorite movies is "Attitude Reflects Leadership and this town is doing a great job of supporting her.

Lights Camera Action

Today as we left Hobart, the ride was mostly uneventful but did that change when we got about five miles outside the town of Ligonier! We first saw in the distance flashing red lights and the back of the trailer. They were both off the side of the road and our first thought was Fred got pulled over by the popo. Turns out it was the fire chief coming out to meet us. As we headed on closer to town a FD water tender came out,  got behind us and Fred and followed behind until we got ready to make the turn into town. Three more FD rigs were waiting along with a local police and state trooper car. The highway was shut down for us. Our thoughts really gravitated to the fact that as we have gotten closer to Ground Zero. The energy is growing not for us but that everyone has caught onto our idea of honoring the 343 and the gratefulness of coming through their towns. An added touch to this night was as we were eating and visiting with the FD and their families, the Ligonier Mayor stopped by to greet us and let us know how important it was for us to choose their town and how grateful they are for it. This is a very caring community like so many others and we are humbled once again!

Dress up day

Hobart-Ligonier

A Big Welcome from Hobart Indiana

Seemed like the whole town came out to Hobart, ID fire station #1. Dave here is getting a hug from Marge (Honey) who is dear to the fire service here. Honey had two family members in Hobart Fire who died in the line of duty. Seemed she was the strong one for the department. 

Nicole, the fire department secretary is placing the Hobart FD patch on the door. We got to talk with her a few times before getting into town and she let us know they had special plans for us. Little did we know!

When we left Chicago Fire we were met by Phil who lives in the Hobart area and wanted to ride with us. Phil rode up to Chicago and met us close to downtown. Phil made it for a good ride to our next destination and most of it was on bike path. Phil wanted to make sure his wife Leah got the chance to meet us so he brought the family back Great family and we'll be talking with them more in the future.

So, the FD secretary, Nicole let us know that there would be someone to meet us at the bike path in Hobart to lead us into the fire station. So a short scenic tour through the town and we were led down the final street towards the station. We could see the truck set up in front of the station with a huge U.S. flag draped off the tip of the aerial. As the lead FD apparatus moved out of the way, it opened up a line of sight where we saw a carnival type atmosphere.                                                                                    

The apparatus floor had been cleared out to make way for tables and chair for all the people from the community who showed up to greet us. A live, 4 piece band, jump house for Dave and the kids, BBQ complete with fresh corn on the cob (picked that morning and donated from the farmer) BBQ in the husk and a table full of homemade side dishes and desserts. My weight is now going the wrong way again. 

Dave here is showing an article printed up in the local news paper of a project started by Holly and Lisa. They get handprints from people in the community on large sheets to memorialize different events. One was done with kids applying 343 pairs of hand prints for a 9/11 anniversary

Chicago... Lots of Tradition, History & Heart

Welcome to Chicago, the Windy City….

Big city with lots of tradition…  Chief Peter VanDorpe met us about 1 mile outside of downtown Chicago & escorted us to Engine 42 Firehouse “The Big House”. 

As we are driving around downtown & checking out this big beautiful city all of us had this thought “they just rode their bikes from Santa Clara, CA to Chicago, IL”.  26 days, approximately 2500 miles – WOW!!  What a feeling!!

Another surprised awaited Darrell once he was able to get off his bike, grab some water & say hello to a few fellow brothers…  Our Pastor, Ryan Wright, flew in this morning & was at the firehouse waiting for us to arrive.  He brought with him cards, letters & lots of love from our church family…  Thank you so much Ryan! 

After being there about 15 minutes they got a call & down the pole came one of the firefighters.  They went into action of getting on their gear & off they went.  Our guys, Dave, Darrell & Fred, are excited to be staying at the Big House.  It was assumed Darrell would go to the Marriott to stay with Steph for the night before she flew out, however, that wouldn’t be the case…  Darrell wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to stay at a Chicago Firehouse & Steph couldn’t blame him.  In fact truth be told Steph wanted to stay at the firehouse too & run calls…

Fred also has another nickname now “The Commish”.  Several of the guys swear he looks like the old Commissioner – so there you go…  We weren’t sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing so you make the call.

We were treated to a great dinner:  steaks, salad - with any kind of dressing you may desire, potatoes, corn on the cob, grilled onions, stuffing, & garlic French bread.  As the firefighters gathered around to eat we also just settled in as well.  It gets a little quite around the firehouse this size when dinner is served.  Thank you to “Moon” for cooking us such a great dinner.

After dinner, we checked Steph into her hotel & then Fred had a great idea…  Let’s go get a drink at the Trump Towers.  The building is amazing and the view is picture perfect.  We sat outside enjoyed a cocktail, pork sliders & frozen bananas dipped in chocolate.

When we returned to the firehouse some of the guys were sitting outside just chillin watching the people go by, while others were watching TV & playing cards.  The one thing we noticed is that the station is so big there are all these little areas that the guys can just chill, be by themselves if they so choose.  There is also a mini basketball court at this station just in case you want to pick up some B-Ball.

From Steph:  I guess my time at being a SAG driver is at an end.  I have had such a great time riding with Fred, singing songs with him & just keeping each other company.  Hey, being a SAG driver is not an easy job (yeah, yeah – the guys are riding approximately 100 miles a day) – but let’s not forget who’s supporting them…  Fred is the Man!  He does their laundry, gets the food restocked, restocks the ice, & has to figure out exactly where these guys are located at any given time.  I’ve only been with them a few days & I can tell you it is work.  Imagine only having to drive less than 70 miles but it taken you all day to get there (drive 10 miles – stop; blog, load photos, videos for a few hours then find the guys; repeat – you get the picture).

Here is a little history about Chicago Fire Dept.

*Fire poles originated in Chicago. 

*Snorkle firetrucks started in Chicago.

*Engine 42 firehouse could still potentially be the largest firehouse in the country

*All firehouses are named by the Engine Company except for Truck 24 & the reason for this is because  Truck 24 Firehouse is a single truck house.

*You’ll notice in the photos that the trucks & engines are painted red with a black top.  This is because years ago the commissioner drove in what they called a chiefs buggy, looked like a convertible with a leather top.  He liked this look & style so therefore the trucks & engines took the style on as well.

*There is also a green light & a red light outside on the wall of the firehouse.  The same commissioner years ago loved to boat so the lights were installed to represent the “port & starboard” of boating.

*Every Company has it’s own theme & this is chosen by the Company Officer.  He then submits it for approval to the big bosses.  At Engine 24 firehouse we saw the Tazmaning Devil, Wild Coyote and a few others.  Loved this!

We also noticed a bench that was in green & blue colors.  This had to mean something as well…  It did, each Company chooses it colors so theirs was blue & green.

I think these guys might have a long night awaiting them.  This firehouse runs about 23-26 calls per shift so we are hoping that Dave & Darrell will be able to run calls with them while they are here.

Good-Night Chicago…