Rolling Thunder XXXII

After living in D.C. for some time now I decided to pay tribute to the "last ride" since I missed many before that run. It was a very moving and overwhelming experience to say the least. There were thousands of motorcycles of many shapes and sizes as well as thousands of people lining the streets. All the roads with access to the mall were closed and blocked with dump trucks.
I was lucky to catch an Uber driver who knew his way around, he dropped me off just across the street from the Hirshhorn Museum just in time to witness the first wave of motorcycle riders. I crossed the mall to view the rest of the run on Independence Avenue.

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Part of the program for Sunday
Sunday, May 26th

12 PM - Rolling Thunder XXXII First Amendment Demonstration Run

First Amendment Demonstration Run - Bikes leave the North Pentagon parking lot to begin their run through the Mall area. After the run, police will direct riders to West Potomac Park, where they will pay tribute to their fallen brothers and sisters.

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As the Washington Post reports:

Rolling Thunder takes its final ride in Washington

By Jessica Contrera

May 26 at 4:26 PM

It was the Sunday before Memorial Day, and in Washington, that has long meant that one of the world’s largest motorcycle rallies was in town. Every year since 1988, riders have roared into the District for “Rolling Thunder,” a demonstration in support of veterans, prisoners of war and service members who went missing in action. But this year, the organization’s leader, Artie Muller, had announced that the financial and logistical burden of making the rally happen had become too much; after 2019, the event in the nation’s capital would be no more.

The news inspired hundreds of thousands of bikers, likely a record-breaking number, to flock to the Pentagon parking lot Sunday morning, ready for their final ride into the city and around the National Mall.