Charity Event Ride

There’s a company in California called Tender Loving Canines. They provide service dogs to combat veterans who suffer from PTSD and other traumatic issues. They also provide service dogs for folks with autism and other disabilities. The local union at Bath Iron Works that builds US Navy ships here in Maine are sponsors of the organization.

I had a chance to go on a charity ride event with these folks and we did a ride around Maine called the “4 Corners Event”. We rode a massive loop around the state of Maine where we did 1,000 miles in one weekend. These are some of the highlights.

One of our chase vehicles.

These folks are serious about their events. The second chase vehicle had a trailer for hauling any bike that had mechanical issues and they brought along a HUGE grill. We stopped along the way and had cookouts a few times. It was great.

We started off in Kittery Maine, then rode to Lubec in Downeast Maine. From there we went up to Madawaska in northern Maine. Then we came down through the mountains and finished up in Bethel Maine. The loop from there brought me back to Auburn. Since I ride quite a bit the trip didn’t bother me because I already have the Iron Ass Award. It’s pretty common for me to run 300 or more miles in a single day. Until this event I had never been on a ride this large with this many bikes. It took quite a bit of coordination but everyone made it to the end.

Little did I know at the time, but I ended up being the recipient of one of those very service dogs myself. After going through the process, I’ve been selected for a service dog and she’ll be here the first week of June 2025. Personally I think someone else should be awarded this dog, but apparently I fit the criteria. I only hope she likes riding in a Harley sidecar. This dog is a female yellow lab named Ryland and I think she’ll be a great companion.