The (Unofficial) La Verne Independence Day Parade

Little did I know how wrong I would be. I had resigned myself to the idea of a 4th without a parade, or any other sort of live and in-person festivities. Well, I thought, at least I can take a few photos of the many riders out enjoying the morning as I circled the Amelia Loop. Maybe I could even fool myself into believing they might spare a few moments to ponder the ideals of what it means to be an American. 

But then...

Heading back toward home, and taking the off-the-beaten path (that I prefer) through La Verne, we came upon a good sized cluster of bicyclists outside a home, their bikes all decked out in red, white,  and blue, with streamers and stars, and what all. That was the first indication that something was afoot. As we proceeded along the street there were more and more riders, all similarly attired, on equally stand out bikes. Unwittingly, and without being aware (though they are both the same thing) we had stumbled upon the unofficial La Verne community parade. Timing is everything, they say. The parade was awesome, as were our curb-side neighbors - I don't know who was enjoying it more, the flag-waving and hand-waving little girl or her grandfather [?].

Little did I know that La Verne's parade would just be parade #1, and as I cruised back along the streets of Claremont Village, and turning onto 12th Street, I was pleased to see another,  much small, one taking place along that quiet street. So good to see so many out enjoying the day on bikes.

[it may seem like there are a lot of photos here but, quite frankly, it has become a real chore on Blogger with their latest version. There are many more at Claremont Cyclist on Facebook, including tons (by weight anyway) of classic cars and motorcycles.]

Happy Independence Day y'all!