>> we asked experts every day at 3:00 to get answers to your questions in real time. tomorrow's 20th anniversary. as america remembers a movement taking cyclists from the bay area all the way to brooklyn is in its final leg. sales, a santa clara firefighter and lead organizer of the bay to brooklyn

memorial bike ride. thanks for joining us. >> thank you for having me. >> it is my pleasure. each year you go to ground zero to honor those killed on september 11 or perhaps not each year. >> the right is officially done -- the ride is officially done. it ended two: 30 yesterday. we were able to take a few moments with just our team to reflect on the last 20 years and to be able to enjoy the ground. >> what is the purpose of the ride?

>> i can, yeah. >> can you tell us, what was the purpose of the ride? >> the message we were trying to send, in addition to honoringing the firefighters who died on 9/11 and honor our military who died and sacrifice and continue to do that today and to have those conversations to talk about what happened on 9/11 20 years ago. >> are you a little concerned that if you don't have these conversations, that perhaps with time, younger people will not know what happened, that people are forgetting what happened? >> not concerned with forgetting, but as we move farther away from that time 20 years ago, you know, memories kind of fade away a little bit. what you hear may not necessarily be accurate, so for

those of us who remember that 9/11 event, we made ourselves responsible for never forgetting, so each year, we honor and remember them, and, you know, every 10 years -- we did this for the 10th anniversary, we are doing it for the 20th anniversary, so not a concern, but certainly just to make sure that what we are sharing, we are teaching generations. >> i know you are a small group this year, right? about 10 people or so? >> that's correct. >> and you started in e august. tell me how long we ride took. it is many, many miles. how many miles did you ride each day? give us the details. >> we planned to begin on august 1. they arrived officially

yesterday september 9, gave ourselves 40 days to do this ride. we wanted to be able to able too something tonight, and the route we chose allowed us to get about 100 miles in every day and end up in a community where we could meet with them, talk with them, have meals with them, and just be able to connect. a 40-day ride ending yesterday, averaging 100 miles a day. >> did you stop along fire stations along the way? >> yeah, so, our goal was to reach out into the community. some of the areas we reach outee to had very small volunteer fire departments, so they are working a regular job besides volunteering for the fire department, so we were not able to connect, but there were larger cities, especially in the bay area, from san francisco

over to vallejo our first night where we connect with all those, and sacramento, boise, chicago, pittsburgh, washington, d.c., and the here in new york. >> were there commonalities you encountered as you rode across the country talking to people, meeting people? sometimes when we are here on the coast, we think we are very different from everyone else, but what was it you discovered as you rode across the country? >> that on september 11, 2001, those of us who remember it all became part of that 9/11 community, and there was an overwhelming acknowledgment that that event they still remember very well. they remember where they were, what they were doing, certain sounds or smells or lack of. they were extremely grateful

that our ride went through their community. >> where were you on 9/11 20 years ago? >> i was about 15 years or better in my role with the san francisco fire department. we were in the academy of 17 we were training. they were in their testing phase getting ready to go on the line, so we all watched. i went into the fire station. usually it is and active place, laughing, joking. when i walked in the back door of the station, it was completely silent. not a word. everyone was glued to the tv.

happening, when our academy people came in, we watched it unfold for a couple of hours, and then, you know, back to work , making sure that they were ready to start their jobs. >> and they never wavered in that commitment. yours is a tough job, and we salute you for all you have done. i know there were great sacrifices by firefighters that day. last question, now that you are there in new york, how will you take part in tomorrow's commemorations? >> tomorrow -- or today, we went to the museum and met with one of the fire chiefs who was the first chief on scene at the world trade center. he has written several booksooks that have been very instrumental in moving forward on this, so we were able to meet with him, go to the museum, and tomorrow, we

are going to truck company that lost their truck on 9/11, the one where you see the truck was completely crushed, so we are going to that truck company, and we have a little gift we are going to present them, something we brought along with us, and then had different first responders and military sign it, so that new york and fdny will know that we will never forget them. >> darrell sales with santa karen -- santa clara county's fire department and lead organizer of bait to brooklyn bike ride. thank you very much. congratulations on your efforts to raise awareness, and i'm sure everyone out there, the brothers and sisters at different fire departments appreciate what you are doing. thank you. >> and thank you for helping us share the message about

continuing to remember. >> abc news will have special coverage tomorrow morning to mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11. please join david muir, robin roberts, and diane sawyer for "91120 years later: america remembers. that airs from 5:00 to 10:00 a.m. tomorrow right here on abc 7. we are going to shift gears because this is no regular friday on abc 7. veteran reporter wayne freedman is retiring after 30 years with kgo tv. wayne will be joining us here to celebrate his career next, and we will put your que

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small decisions make a world of difference. ikea.

freedman day here at kgo, but it is of course wayne freedman day here in san francisco. >> yes, wayne freedman day not just here but in san francisco. it is a celebration day as we honor veteran reporter wayne freedman retiring today after 30 years with kgo tv. we had a celebration for when a short time ago in the newsroom. general manager there, look at that -- fine wine, champagne, and taco bell because nothing but the classiest f w >> td that. >> you should share with our friends and fans. >> it is not celebratory, it is my stress food. i don't have a sugar thing. i'm going to take this opportunity now to tell taco bell, you need to go back to your original tostada. that was the food.

>> you don't like that seven-layer burrito thing? >> no. hard day, tough assignment, waiting on something, i would go to taco bell. that and a diet pepsi, i would feel better. >> yeah, for me, it was cookies. when i was out in the field, things did not go right, you were mad, you missed something, you need taco bell. >> especially if you're in the pacific. they have the best taco bell. >> because they have the view and everything. >> 30 years here, many of us shared our anecdotes, favorite wayne stories. there's more copy for me to read because i'm an anchor and i have to do things like that. no, it is ok. our producer is talking to us. i want to share with people because wayne traveled across the country and you reported from your home base the last few years in the north bay when the fires started breaking out.

i don't want to embarrass you, but i'm going to do it just a little bit. 40 years in the market, right, and 30 years here. how many enemies -- how many e mmys? >> 54. >> 54 local emmys. it was -- most of them are under the bed. it was unseemly. it is you against your friends at the other stations. >> it is a fun camaraderie, fun competition, and we challenge ourselves and each other. i think people always remember you for -- your stories are always amazing in that they always bring out the humanity of people, but some of the quirkier ones we will never forget, and i know you brought one of them. i said this is your day, so do

what you want. >> it is not that quirky, it is sweet. i picked that story because it was roughly the first week we came to work here. it was kind of what i had been doing when i came to work here. i read about this dog, and i read about this guy, and it was baseball, and i thought, you know, let's go do a story about them. on a friday afternoon late, we went out in the hinterlands and did a story about the baseball dog. >> it is a quintessential story. please enjoy. >> my voice is different. >> it is a hot, brutal sun in these dog days of august. like a furnace, it bakes the land. like a hammer, it beats down on the minnen beasts who work that land. >> come up. that a boy. >> in the ranching business, men have always used dogs to keep the herds together, and when a man and dog labor long enough, say 11 years or so, they form a

relationship like the one don mccrary shares with harry. >> just one of those individuals that if you have to put a crew together to get a job done, that's the kind of dog you want because you make a living that way. >> they are partners, the best of friends. not only do they work together, but when the day ends, they play together, too. >> play ball! >> as usual, don is in center field and perry is behind center plate. please don't take his seat. >> if you sit right there, he will just jump right over you. >> perry is a cross between mcnabb and kelce, a mix that gives him exceptionally sharp eyes and a piercing stare. >> gives him a natural instinct to follow that stick, follow that frisbee, follow that all.

then back up between pitches, and is the picture ones up again, he just drops down, and he's ready to go with the pitch, whichever it goes. >> there's a continuing debate about how much perry really knows. does he count walls and strikes, does he really know the score? some people think he is an old ballplayer reincarnated. umpire dave mendez thinks perry is really babe ruth. he says one play really convinced him. >> i got a close plate at the plate, and it is against his team, and the dog starts barking at me like a player, like a fan. i call time, and i cannot believe it, there is this dog watched the whole play, saw the call, did not like it, let me know, then sat back down. >> so perry watched the play, and we watched perry. like any other fan, when his team fell behind, his interest faded.

, but later, when don's team won with a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh, well, the game does not get much better. baseball -- it is a way of life out here. you work hard, you play hard. quits i know i didn't steal any basis, but i'm an old guy. i'm slowing down all the time. >> these may indeed be the dog days of august, but this dog's day is not complete without his master and a night game. >> come on, old dog. let's go home. sometimes you go out to do a story about a dog, and you wind up doing a story about the person. sometimes it is the other way around. the beauty of that one, i have always looked for the little stories that have big stories in

them. it was telling, and if you had just quite the opposite, if you had a little story, you could talk about life, and that was about life. they were the perfect kind of subject. perfectly natural, didn't have any press people, didn't have any agenda, didn't have a pr statement. >> i think that was why you often bring back the story that was not the preconceived notion of what the story was going to be. it's like, this is the real story, guys. >> no, you go out and find out what is going on.of nothayo exct, and we have to convince them that it is better. oftentimes, we go after there. >> your instinct was always pretty right on. we have to take a break, pay some bills, but i do want to ask you if you thought that dog really did get a spell, honestly. >> and -- really did get baseball, honestly. >> now?

>> don't go away. if you have questions or comments, you can put them out on facebook

stop, you're making me cry. i blame you. stop it. we are back on tv. so you have to sit up and look presentable here. we were chatting on facebook live about how hard it is to retire after the kind of career you have had and the friends you have made and just this whole network, and this is a family. talk about that. why now? >> let me talk about what my history with this network is. i started with this company in 1974. working lines at let's make a deal, and that's where i learned how to talk to people. you had to talk the guests. my father started this company in 1948, and tomorrow will be the first time in 71 years that one of us does not work for abc. my dad was a pretty big deal, too.

he was the first line men, line cameramen, for all the people you see walking around football games, my dad was the first. he became a director/producer, invented the split screen, all kinds of stuff, so i got it all from him. the news, and he's right, they haven't canceled the news. >> thankfully. >> actually, 44 years of reporting, 47 years in newsrooms, and 53 years of itgh real b th' started here in 1998, your desk was right next to mine. remember, we were pot mates?

i was so nervous because i wanted your approval so much because you were always the ultimate in terms of the prose that you rope -- that you wrote. i just wanted to be you, wayne. >> you are better as yourself. we like you the way you are. >> ok, thank you. >> you are getting teary-eyed. >> i am. stop it. we are going to show photos, cut away from me. you brought it into your reporting. >> i take pictures of people. this was a little boy, a, a boy had thrown him the ball. this was a workman taking a break, and i was struck by the fact that that's cleveland during the warriors series, and

that's a dejected fan. this is the first big fire that destroyed the town in a long time. this guy here to his girlfriend at a football game, and you know what? i think she said yes. she was that they made a protest, and look at the joy on her face. she's a worriers champion. i did not take this picture. >> this is -- oh, the whale can i just ask you -- obviously, photography, you will have more time for photography. how else do you plan to spend your time? >> i don't know. i'd like to golf. move to a place with a big golf course, i'd like to teach maybe. i would like to just be. we are going to leave the bay

area. we are going to a place where i'm not going to be known in the community. >> i hear there's some good universities where you're going, and i'm sure any of them would be excited to get a professor wayne freedman. >> or just give them my book, either way. >> your book, it takes more than television -- it takes more than good looks to succeed in television news. makes me wonder how did you make it, if it takes more than good looks. i had to get my dig in there. what does it take? what is your advice to young journalists? >> it takes curiosity. it takes an enormous amount of drive. this job is not -- it is not glamorous. this job is you are up at 6:30, 7:00 in the morning and working until 6:30 or 7:00 at night. you spend a lot of time in a news van. every person you talk to, you think about your questions.

every word you write, you write yourself. you have to come up with something every day and we have to make it universal and relevant and reflect the importance of our community, but take think the key thing is we just need to write a lot. i ride and then listen and then write and then listen. for me, the joy is writing. that is where it comes out. i don't know where it is going now. i have told people before, this job is like an addiction. it is like a fix. >> you get one more hard wrap. we are out of time. but this is the long goodbye because we are going to continue to celebrate wayne later on in our newscast, in our 6:00 news, our colleague wayne freedman

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on the air. thanks so much for joining us on this interactive show, tonigh eti of " t nation prepares to mark 20 years since 9/11. a nation set to remember those who were lost, to honor the survivors, the first responders, the courage, the bravery, and a nation that came together after the deadliest terror attack in u.s. history, unfolding at the world trade center the, pentagon, and in shanksville, pennsylvania. nearly 3,000 lives lost. two more victims identified just this week. tonight, as this country comes togethe, we hear from those survivors and the first responders, and their hope now 20 years later. and two decades later, one of the central questions -- is our country safer? how do we keep this from ever happening again? with the u.s.