Veterans Charity Ride Comes to Craig

​Veterans Charity Ride

​A 1,776-mile motorcycle trek from Los Angeles to the 75th annual Sturgis Rally in South Dakota stopped in Craig Friday at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4265. Locals were able to meet and thank the combat vets and wounded warriors involved who served in the military on behalf of the United States.

​Craig’s Nickolai Cullen, 2, enjoys a quick spin in the sidecar of Robert Pandya’s Indian Motorcycle Friday outside Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4265. Pandya, a public relations representative for Indian, rode along with the many combat veterans in the Veterans Charity Ride to Sturgis this week, which had a brief stopover in Craig. Photo by Andy Bockelman

​From left, combat veterans Glen Silva, Sean Carroll and Josh Ferguson relax during some downtime at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4265 before getting back on the road as part of Veterans Charity Ride to Sturgis. All three men lost one of their legs in combat, Silva in Afghanistan and Carroll and Ferguson in Iraq. The flag Ferguson is one he’s had with him during every deployment. Photo by Andy Bockelman

​Veterans George Nickel, left, and David “Max” Maxwell lean display the bikes they’ve been using as part of the Veterans Charity Ride to Sturgis. Indian Motorcycle and Champion Sidecars provided equipment to the effort, a cross-country trip for vets to the 75th annual Sturgis Rally in South Dakota. Photo by Andy Bockelman

​Craig locals meet with the riders of the Veterans Charity Ride to Sturgis Friday afternoon. Photo by Andy Bockelman

​Navy veteran Virgi Bondi leads the line of combat vets pulling into the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4265 parking lot Friday afternoon. Photo by Andy Bockelman

​Combat veterans participating in the Veterans Charity Ride to Sturgis group together around their bikes Friday afternoon outside Craig’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4265. The venture for those who have served their country passed through Northwest Colorado en route to Sturgis, South Dakota, first starting in Los Angeles. Photo by Andy Bockelman