~ by Trevor Phipps ~
Last week, the Veterans Charity Ride (VCR), a national group of veteran motorcyclists, traveled unchartered territory as they trekked through Teller County and make a key stop in Crystola for the first time ever.
Making a trip into Teller isn’t too surprising, as the local area has become a growing hub for veteran organizations.  After all, this is the home of the Salute to American Veterans Rally and the Eric Dickson Memorial (which pays homage to the sole casualty of the Vietnam War from Woodland Park). In the last few years, the region has featured many veteran-oriented ceremonies.

By Doug McMurdo

The Veterans Charity Ride to Sturgis began with a ceremony at Swanny Park July 25. The patriotic event featured bagpipes, a color guard from the American Legion in Moab, and the Utah Patriot Guard.
The guests of honor included 104-year-old Moab resident and World War II veteran Kate Thomson, who gamely rode in the sidecar of an Indian motorcycle, and men and women who were wounded in war. Some of the injuries they suffered were obvious. Amputees are hard to miss. Others were not visible at first glance – but those in attendance honored all of them.