The Dreamin' Diaries

It was the morning of 9/11/01. My office is located 2 blocks from Ground Zero. I never made it...

I was waiting my turn to pay my toll when I looked up and saw lots of smoke, but what amazed me was that the smoke was "twinkling". Later on after putting two and two

The traffic in the tunnel crawled. Stargazer was starving for air and was beginning to stall out on me. A woman in the lane next to me was good enough to give me a report and told me that another plane had hit the second Tower. I remember thinking "Oh My God, it is crystal clear out. How can you not see these two mammoth buildings sticking up out of the ground?" It then occurred to me that this was no commuter plane, we were under attack.

Fifty minutes later, with the inside of my legs burning from the heat of the engine, Stargazer stalled for her fourth and last time. I was duck walking her out of the tunnel when Tower Two fell in front of me. Then and there I swear I saw the gates of hell open. I turned the key to off, got off, and to the best of my ability tried to feel where I was going because you could not see where you were going. People were screaming. They were broken, bruised and bloodied. I saw things only reserved for horror movies. I still had my helmet on which was a good thing because I felt things banging off of it. I didn't know what those things were, but I could only imagine.

We at Motorcycle Dreamin' support individuality. and the incredible diversity that makes up the human race. We are proud to share Family Friendly stories and articles submitted by our riding friends.

If you wish to submit something for publication on this site, please keep in mind the following:

1. Writers are not compensated in any way for their works published in the Dreamin' Diaries. Their only reward is the joy of having others learn or be inspired by their words.
2. Anything submitted for publication on this site, must be the original work of the individual requesting publication. Motorcycle Dreamin' will not knowingly publish any article that is not submitted by its original author. Selection for publication is solely at the disgression of Motorcycle Dreamin'.
3. If you feel that your words have been fraudulently submitted for publication, please contact us with your copyright information or proof of ownership.
4. Each author may choose to publish under their real name, biker name, or another pseudonym. However, Motorcycle Dreamin' must be provided with a means of contact beyond email and the author's true name. This information will only be used in the case of an ownership dispute or for Motorcycle Dreamin' to update you on the status of your submission or to request more information. We will not use your information for any commercial or mailing list purposes. We will not sell or rent your information to third parties.
5. Articles and Stories must be "Family Friendly". By that, we mean no profanity or stories of a sexual nature. References to drug and alcohol abuse or illegal activities should not be submitted for publication.
6. Articles and Stories may be submitted to Motorcycle Dreamin' via e-mail here: Story Submission. Please write Story Submission in the subject line.

It was mass hysteria and chaos. I was so damned lucky to be alive, but even through all this, my mind was on my bike. How was I going to get her?

I was told that she would have to be flat-bedded to an undisclosed location and given a phone number where I could get her within a "day or two". I said that she was not going to be flat-bedded anywhere and that I would

I and others waited more than 8 hours and since I was first out of the tunnel, my bike came up first.

I was speaking with someone when I heard the low, growl of her pipes. My beautiful purple bike was covered in inches of ash and soot. If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it was her.

As they were getting her, they dropped her causing my heel/toe shifter to be bent at a crazy angle, my clutch was not working right, and in the heat of the engine, I melted a plastic part having to do with the oil from under the bike and now was leaking oil. She also managed a few scratches to her gas tank. A really nice guy was able to re-bend the shifter so I could ride it home.

I don't know how I did it, but I managed to get us home. I was exhausted and filthy and so was she, but unlike so many others, I was alive only but through the grace of God, and got to see my family.

I had to have her carbs rebuilt and the leak and clutch problem have been fixed. I had to wash her three times to get the soot and ash off of her. There are places on Stargazer that still have soot and ash, but I will never clean these places because I know that in this soot are the ashes of lost souls. I promise to always take them with me where their spirits can ride the wind with me.

The Battery Tunnel remains closed. I don't know if I can ever ride through it again.