I wish I could be there today, but I'm certainly there in spirit.

Miss you, Rich. 

Hi all,
I'm sorry I can't be at the service today, but know that I am thinking of Rich, Kim, his family and all of my friends here on GSTwin.com.
I am just sad today.
Best wishes to all,
Your friend,
Todd

Wow.  I didn't know  Rich, and haven't been on the boards too much lately, but did read quite a few of his helpful posts.   I am truly saddened to hear of his accident.   He was only a year younger than I am, and I am certain that he was a skilled, careful rider.  As such, his death is very, very sobering.

I always back off when I feel at risk when riding, I always wear gear, and I always ride as if I were invisible.  Also- and this might seem grim, to some,  but every couple of weeks, I will search through the recent news items for motorcycle accidents in the Atlanta area and elsewhere.  I sort of make a mental catalogue and a mental image bank of what went wrong: road conditions, rider and surrounding driving behavior, time of day, etc.  Doing so helps me cultivate a constant vigilance while on the road (a justifiable paranoia, at times- and I think all  those who ride know what I mean), and a respectful awareness of my own mortality.

Even so, Rich's accident is just a reminder of how what we do is just incredibly risky.  There are always going to be elements that are beyond our control.   At times, they keep me from riding (late at night, when it's pouring rain or just started to rain, or simply when I  sense that conditions aren't quite right for riding.)  Of course, even when I do make the decision to ride, these conditions will still exist.   I'm not an overtly religious Bible-thumpe or a zealot of any sort, but I do consider myself a person of faith.  So, after I have prepared to ride, rather than worrying about all of the possible "what if" situations,  or letting them keep me from riding,  I will now be saying a prayer every time before I ride:

"Lord, please give me the judgment, fear, and respect I need to ride safely today- and may those around me do the same.  Amen."

It's certainly not a long prayer- but it needn't be. Prayer (or anything else, for that matter) is no substitute for judgment, proper gear, good bike maintenance, practicing quick stops and swerves- all of the many things that go into being a good, responsible rider.  Having said that,  this prayer puts my mind at peace from all of the "what ifs" that might otherwise cloud my thinking during a ride.

Now, Rich and his family- Kim, Tazz, and everyone else- will be in my thoughts and prayers.  I will check the board over the weeks ahead to see how we can honor Rich's legacy, and do our best to foster good habits- like Rich's- in all of the riders in the GSTwin community.

Ave atque vale (Hail and farewell), Rich. 

-Paul B.

Well said, thanks Paul.

I hope that someone who was able to attend the service will post up and tell us a bit about it..  when they're able...   

Pastrana hasnt arrived home yet but she is getting close and will do so when she gets home.

Hey guys.

The funeral went pretty smooth, it was quite short

But it was very nice none the less. There was a great turn out because Rich was such a great guy. He will truly be missed.

And thanks so much for caring, guys. You guys are great!

Much love,

Sarah.

It was a very nice service. I was glad to meet so many of Rich's family and friends, especially Kim. I wish it were under better circumstances but Rich always did have a way of bringing people together. I wish I had prepared a few words, but I hadn't thought of it at the time (My family is catholic and services are a bit different) Norwich is very much like my own town, I understand now why Rich and I always seemed to be on the same page about many things.

I was especially touched by the collage of photographs Rich had taken accompanied by quotes off the board. Rich was very much a part of our lives and I'm glad that GSTwins was reflected upon as a part of his. Thank you all for welcoming us into your lives and allowing us to grieve with you.

Please keep in touch, I know I will be thinking of all of you, as will many others here.

Thank you both for sharing the service with us.

just got in.  about 2 hours behind schedule. i'll get into it more later. 

the service was nice and im glad i got to meet kim face to face and talk with her.  it was also good to meet the family and friends.  i also was touched by the collages and especially his scrapbooks.  he saved every memory of his life in those books.  amazing.  there were letters and cards and reciepts and fast food wrappers and ticket stubs and so much more. 

kim, thanks for letting us come today.  thanks for contacting me to begin with.  if you haddnt called me last saturday, we might not have known anything and just wondered.  we'll all be keeping you and your family in our prayers. 

Quote from: ptoncracker on July 07, 2006, 10:07:34 AM
"Lord, please give me the judgment, fear, and respect I need to ride safely today- and may those around me do the same.  Amen."
-Paul B.

Amen.

Quote from: weaselnoze on July 07, 2006, 03:00:56 PM
kim, thanks for letting us come today.  thanks for contacting me to begin with.  if you haddnt called me last saturday, we might not have known anything and just wondered.  we'll all be keeping you and your family in our prayers. 

+1.  You and your family (& friends) will certainly be in our hearts.


Damn this thread.  Tears come every time I read a new post here.

Quote from: Onlypastrana199 on July 07, 2006, 02:53:09 PM
It was a very nice service. I was glad to meet so many of Rich's family and friends, especially Kim. I wish it were under better circumstances but Rich always did have a way of bringing people together. I wish I had prepared a few words, but I hadn't thought of it at the time (My family is catholic and services are a bit different) Norwich is very much like my own town, I understand now why Rich and I always seemed to be on the same page about many things.

I was especially touched by the collage of photographs Rich had taken accompanied by quotes off the board. Rich was very much a part of our lives and I'm glad that GSTwins was reflected upon as a part of his. Thank you all for welcoming us into your lives and allowing us to grieve with you.

Please keep in touch, I know I will be thinking of all of you, as will many others here.

I think I may have seen you there.

I'm not sure though... There were alot of people there.

<---------- she's the one on the right in my avatar. 

She also was the short girl in a dress hanging out with the bikers.

Pic from today's service...GStwin'rs    Thanks for posting this, TazZ!!! Gorgeous cafe style!! 



Another pic of Rich that TazZ posted. 

Hope every one gets to enjoy them

Definitely.  Thanks 

awesome man. i appreciate you posting. good to hear from you!

Man it sucks that he's gone.  It's been a week and already I notice the difference.  I just can't believe he's gone.

I've just come back ive been away for a week and i just can't believe it. As many i didn't know him personally but that doesn't stop me feelin sad. Ive read hours worth of his posts it just seem so sureal, shocking and unbelievable. I wish i had been here earlier i would have made a donation towards his flowers.

Rest in peace, thoughts go out to his fiance and family and all his friends. He was a fantastic guy.

I just got back home this afternoon from being on vacation for the past 8 days up near Canada. I haven't been able to read or post anything until now. I tried accessing the site from my cell phone but it said the threads/files were too large. 

Kim, I want to thank you for calling me on Sunday morning and telling me about Rich. I didn't know what to say when I talked with you on the phone... I was so in shock from what you told me. I still can't believe Rich is gone. It truly breaks my heart that we lost someone so special ... I was blessed to have met Rich a few times in person. We got along well from the first time I met him. We always had a great time on rides we've been on. He's such a friendly, kind hearted, funny, genuine, caring person... and he adhored you Kim. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help you.

Rich, I am truly sorry for not being able to attend your services... I would have been there if I was able to. You were and always will be in my thoughts and prayers, and will be dearly missed! I wish I could have made the GS Camping ride... I never imagined we wouldn't be able to go on any more rides together. I was very much looking forward to the next ride. The last time I talked with you was when you and Amanda were trying to convince me to ride up to Sandy Valley. I told you I didn't want to risk riding in the rain, because I didn't want to chance getting into an accident, and I mentioned about 2 weeks ago, a friend I knew from High School was killed in a motorcycle accident... he was only 35, with a wife and 2 kids. I told you I was considering giving up riding... and now this. It tears my heart that we lost you, but I feel blessed and honored to have been able to know you and spend time with you & ride with you. You are an inspiration to us all. Tears are falling down my face... know that you will be missed sorely & always be in our hearts & souls... You have touched the lives of many!

For Chris, Amanda, Kim, Sarah, Aunt Anne, Tazz & the rest of Rich's family, and everyone else on the site... I was thinking as I was riding home through Binghamton today... I/we should have a Memorial Plaque made up in Rich's honor, and once it is finished, we could have a memorial ride to the site of his accident and have it posted there in memory of him. Perhaps his family could meet us all there and maybe we could have a little dedication to him. Since I wasn't able to make the service, this would be (to me) the next best thing to honor his memory.

Do you all think this would be a good idea, and if so, who would be interested in attending the ride/dedication? If there is alot of interest, I will proceed and post details as they come.

RIP Rich... I will miss you dearly!