An estimated 2,000 people lined Silverado Trail north of Pope Street in St. Helena Friday, some to voice their support and others condemning the Bush administration as President George W. Bush arrived Friday evening at the Meadowood Napa Valley resort.

St. Helenans said it was the largest protest they had seen in town as they watched the throng - some dressed in costume, some waving signs, some videotaping the action.

The mass of protesters, many of whom brought their children, created a rare human spectacle along the rural road.

Elizabeth Neylon of Santa Rosa, 57, part of a group called “Raging Grannies,” danced along the side of Silverado Trail wearing a wolf mask and a sign that read, “Pentagon Targets Mexicans and Latinos to man the front lines.”

Andrew Atkinson from Santa Rosa was dressed in a suit, tie and homemade mask of President Bush.

“I’m the decider-in-chief!” he shouted to passers-by.

Many protesters walking north on Silverado Trail passed by a large “Welcome President Bush” sign on the bed of a truck outside a vineyard equipment warehouse. Steven Kissick, a 36-year-old mechanic, said he returned home about a year ago after serving 14 months in the Army, mostly around Fallujah and Baghdad.

“He’s doing the best he can do with everything. I mean the way things are today you can’t please everybody,” Kissick said. “It’s a tough game and there’s always somebody to blame.”

Bush supporters, television vans and roving photographers were among those at the scene. California Highway Patrol cars patrolled Silverado Trail, with officers warning protesters to stay to the side of the road.

In at least in one instance, though, that didn’t happen.

Gabe Carlin, 12, of St. Helena, was struck by bicyclist Peter Unruh when Carlin ventured out onto the road.

Anna Woltering, 43, from Sonoma, a protester who witnessed the incident, said Unruh was traveling rapidly down Silverado Trail.

“The boy stepped out in front of the bicyclist and the bicyclist fell forward and hit the boy,” she said. Carlin was not seriously injured.

At 8:27 p.m., hours after most of the demonstrators arrived, the presidential motorcade, consisting of about 25 cars, whizzed by on Meadowood Lane, which parallels Silverado Trail about a quarter-mile to the east. Meadowood Lane connects Howell Mountain Road to the resort, and so it appears the president never would have seen the on Silverado Trail.

Yells of “He’s going through the back!” and “Coward!” pierced the air as protesters rushed to the east side of the highway to get a better view. Once the motorcade passed, the crowd quickly dispersed.

A day of waiting

Throughout the afternoon, pro- and anti-Bush supporters frequently found themselves facing each other from opposite sides of Silverado Trail. Occasionally, a back-and-forth yelling match broke out.

“Bush’s brother was the head of security for the World Trade Center on 9/11!” Kristie Cummins yelled at a group of pro-Bush supporters as they sang “God Bless America.”

“Who brought it down?!” Cummins screamed. “Bush brought the World Trade Center down!”

Anastasia Hosp,cq 20, waved an American flag and held a cardboard cut-out of Bush.

“I support Bush and I’m proud to be an American,” she said.

The late afternoon roadside protest took on a festive feel under sunny skies, with dozens of cars honking horns in support of both camps. Some people blared boomboxes while others used instruments, such as bongo drums and an accordion, to set a rhythm for fellow protesters.

“This is the most fun I’ve had on Silverado Trail,” said Judy Scott, a 51-year-old massage therapist from Calistoga.

Jeri McGuire, who lives up the road from where the protest unfolded, said she decided at the last-minute to jog down and see the commotion for herself. She was also looking for her husband, who she said was in the crowd with his “Bush Basher” buddies. She noted that Friday’s protest marked the biggest crowd she’s ever seen on the Trail, which is the setting for many a race.

“There haven’t been nearly this many people at the races (for bicyclists and runners) out here,” McGuire said.

Several students from St. Helena High School came out, many who belong to the Peace Club.

Antonio Perez, a 15-year-old student, said he was motivated to protest because he wants to see his 26-year-old cousin, who has been stationed in Iraq since December 2002, return home now.

“I just want him to come home. I don’t want him to get killed,” Perez said somberly. “If we go to war with Iran and Korea now, it’ll be our nation’s downfall.”

Remember to check napavalleyregister.com/gallery for a series of Register staff photos of President Bush's visit to the Napa Valley.