It was a memorable July 4th

From there we moved on met friends the beach. We headed to one of my favorite SoCal places, “Surf City USA” aka Huntington Beach CA for a day of biking and fun at the beach. It’s always a favorites, and Independence Day was no exception.  We wound our way on bikes through the crowds to head to the Huntington Beach Parade and Pier Festival 2008 on (of course) Main Street.  Obviously we weren’t alone; bikes seemed to be the mode of transportation for the day. I can’t ever remember seeing so many bikes in Huntington and Newport Beach.

The parade was such a wonderful event, it was full of local personalities and most importantly it was a real salute of those in the service of our great country. This year’s theme was “United We Stand”and indeed that did happen in Huntington Beach on the 4th.

Seeing the crowds respond to our military was especially heartwarming. The curbside audience would rise as another rolled or walked by.  One group in particular receiving a standing ovation as they approached was a group of WWII ~ Pearl Harbor Survivors. As you can imagine these were folks now in their 80′s survived the battle fought decades ago for our freedom. The same freedom so man take for granted, yet these men and women paid the price. It was a very touching moment as spectators on the curb would reach out just to shake their hands and say thank you. Grant Younglove of Costa Mesa (pictured) was no exception.

Not far behind was a group of WWII Submarine Veterans and their wives. In addition we view units in historical WWII uniforms.

As usual any parade would not be worth seeing without the marching bands, riders on horses, community groups and of course clowns. This was a fun parade by any measure, honoring those who serve made it more special! As a very proud American I’d like to thank those fine folks in Huntington Beach for remembering our heroes.

It was a great 4th!

Although a few of us noticed the life guard boat heading up and down the beaches. Someone said, “Hey maybe they’re looking for sharks”, who knows maybe they were. Or maybe it was just a routine patrol with so many people at the beach today, not sure we will know for sure.  What ever the situation, no doubt thousands and thousands of folks enjoyed the day at the ocean.

My day was spent biking on the great beach trail, not in the water. Huntington Beach, also officially known as Surf City is a great place for all to enjoy. Our usual visit to Huntington often includes a trip to Jack’s Bikes on Main Street. Today it was for a new rear-view mirror for my bike, the last one didn’t survive a little biking (not serious) accident a few months back.

At this point our summer weather is expected to continue for a few more days. So if you’re not afraid of sharks or if you’re like me and just love to bike at the beach, many of our So Cal beaches are just the place to be.