Still Riding...

I know I haven't been updating too much lately, but I have done a bit of riding.

I rode out to Slab City the weekend prior to the Slab City Riot with members from the Roadhouse Biker Church and the Black Sheep.  We had about 13 bikes, a few trucks and SUVs, and about 45 people or so on the trip.  Our goal was to deliver food, water, and some clothing to the locals.

It was a rewarding experience to be able to help out.  We handed out around 100 bags of groceries to those in need, provided a generator for the church, and donated bags of clothing.

There are some people that are really in need out there.  I was surprised to see the age ranges of the residents of the area of Niland, Ca known as Slab City.  They varied from the elderly to the very young.  One woman in her 70s lives in a car.  Others are just as unfortunate.

If you can find it in your hearts, and your church or group would like to donate to a good cause, make your way out to Slab City and do some good.

Black Sheep State Rally in Oakhurst, Ca

Wow!  I am so glad that I attended the event.  There were chapter members from all over.  Even though I am not a member of the Black Sheep motorcycle ministry, I was still welcome to join in the festivities.

The ride out was a long one, about 325 miles.  It was Friday and some traffic was present.  Cars moved in and out like insects buzzing about, threatening harm with every mile of travel.

One good thing about the trip out was the gas mileage the Road King was attaining.  It was getting on average 50 mpg.  That's pretty dang good for a big heavy bike.

California has some great areas to ride. I didn't realize how great this state was until I traveled out of my local areas of riding. I know that there is great riding in other states, but it's wonderful to find other cool motorcycle-worthy roads exist not horribly far from me.

12 of us headed out, Pastor Denver, his wife Tracey, Arnold, his squeeze Carolynn, Owen, his gal Kathy, Mark, his fancy riding wife JoAnn, Christian music artist Brian Duncan, James, another Black Sheep member that I cannot remember his name (I think it was Stanley), and yours truly.  We stopped here and there along the way, gassing up often and finding non-chain food establishments.

Once at Oakhurst, we made our way to our camping area - a KOA site.  We setup our tents and unloaded gear, preparing for a stay lasting a few days.

The campground was great, with one complaint - we were placed too near the frequently traveled roadway.  Traffic would wake us up daily around 5 a.m.  After a few days of this, I was looking forward to sleeping in till 7.

Wildlife was also present. Woodpeckers, nearby roosters, and even donkeys would be making themselves heard.

We enjoyed services at the church that would be hosting the weekend's events.  This would include a couple of performances by Bryan Duncan.  Also included was a Black Jack run, raffle, and meals.

The scenery was something to be seen by everyone during their lifetime.  We traveled around Bass Lake, Yosemite, Tahoe, and down the 395 through many lake areas.  Winding roads and some of the coolest quaint towns were found along the way.  A couple of us even spotted a pair of bears.

It was a great weekend.  I'm truly glad I was able to getaway and bond with my Christian brothers and sisters in what would be one of the coolest weekend motorcycle trips I could have imagined.

Here are a few pics from the trip.  I hope you enjoy.

The Gang

Arnold the Prez and First Lady Carolynn

Arnold, Owen, and Pastor Denver

Bear cub peeking over a stump.

The group during a pause of the black jack run.

A great view.

JoAnn prepared for some cold weather.

Mark cruising on his cool Springer.

Mark and JoAnn.

Me and the Prez.

The Group taking a much needed break.

Owen fixin' his boot.

Tracey and Pastor Denver.

Pastor Denver and Tracey cruisin' through one cool town.

Another shot of the group.

Run For the Grizzlies 2011

I had the pleasure of, once again, joining the group for the annual Run For the Grizzlies in Big Bear, Ca today. The event is a poker run that leads the participants around the lake, stopping at various establishments.

The run is a charity ride, as most poker runs tend to be. This one benefits the Moonridge Animal Zoo located in Big Bear. This would also be the second stop, allowing poker run attendees to visit the zoo and peer into the cages of the many animals on display.

The ride starts out at Chad's Place, a tavern of sorts in the area of Big Bear known as the Village. On the premises, one would find many vendors hawking their wares, music, and food.

The first few stops had me thinking I might win something. I had a couple of cards printed with the sign of clubs, a ten and a queen. The second stop, Big Bear Choppers, dealt me the queen. The third stop would deal me a 9 of a suit other than clubs. Still, I'm looking at a straight. I continued getting decent cards, short only a king for a straight.

The final stop, a return to Chad's Place, doused my hopes of winning. It was a best of seven run, my favorite. I had a 9, 10, J, two queens, and an ace. All I needed was an 8 or a king - an open-ended straight, sort of. I felt lucky and reached for the card that caught my attention. This would be it. Nope. It was another jack. If I hadn't already heard that someone already had a jack-high straight, I would have turned in my card for a possible reward.

Although I did not win the poker run, I did have a good time. I enjoyed the company of others, a very good Mexican meal that a friend paid for (thanks, Jose!), and a nice ride.

Along the route, I had come upon a rare site - a group of VW trikes. Among them was also a couple of V8 trikes. Enjoy the pics.

The group

VW Trike

V8 Trike

A Couple of Bikes Spotted Near My Place of Employment

Every once in a while I spot a nice bike near work and do my best to get the best possible picture with my Blackberry phone.  Most of the time the pictures aren't of the best quality - usually far from it.

One day while at work, one of my coworkers asked me if I had seen the bike parked outside.  It was a 1948 Harley-Davidson Panhead owned and operated by a police officer from Colton P.D. in So. Cal.

The owner of the bike was in uniform and the bike itself is an old police bike.  It had the lights and siren that was engaged by the rear wheel in order to make it's familiar alarm.  The officer had stated that he can legally use the bike for police business and could pull a law breaker over if need be.

As the officer rode away, he engaged the siren.  It was too cool.  I wish I had captured an audio file of it in order to share it with you.  All I managed to get is the picture found below.

 

That air breather looking thing under the saddle bag near the rear wheel is actually the siren. Cool, right?

The other cool bike that I had spotted was parked outside the IRS building in downtown San Bernardino.  The owner was outside and joked that he was turning it over to the IRS in lieu of cash for overdue taxes.  Good thing he was joking.

This is one cool Road King.

Roadhouse Biker Church in the Local Paper

The San Bernardino Sun ran a feature on the Roadhouse Biker Church after attending last week.  You'll find a great write-up accompanied with some outstanding photos and a video that was posted on Youtube.

The video, as you'll find below, shows what the Roadhouse Biker Church is all about - fellowshaping (as the pastor likes to refer to it), bikes, and just having fun.  When watching the video, you'll spot one of the activities that often take place at the church - a bike burnout in the rear section of the church.

There are many burnout marks on the rear concrete section of the church.  Names and dates of the rider and event are often scribed next to the remnants of lost rubber.

Here's the video that was taken by the Sun's photographer.  Enjoy.

150 Mile Jaunt

Well, to give my kids a break from me for a bit after forcing them to tag along with me for the last week, I decided to go for a ride. After several stops and 150 miles, I'm back home.

The first stop was out across the 215 freeway in order to get some better pics of rock formations for The Chopper Underground's Photo Scavenger Hunt.  I thought that the first images that I took may not have been the best examples of natural rock formations.

It took about 20 - 30 minutes to reach my destination and snap a few pics.  There was some off road areas that I was tempted to take, but I was afraid of dropping my bike in the sand and having trouble picking the beast back up.  I settled for a few images with the rock formations in the distant background.  You'll see a couple below.

The second stop was in Fontana.  The local ROTC Marine group was hosting a car, motorcycle, and bicycle show.  I checked it out a bit and shot a few snapshots of some of the entries and made my way back onto the road.

The third stop was back up in the mountains - Running Springs to be exact.  A small shop was having somewhat of an art show and I stopped to check it out.  There were many types of art mediums on display, pen, photograph, painting on tile, wood cutting and carving, and others.  I perused the artwork and spoke to a few of the artists about their works.  I bought a few packages of Harry Potter Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans for the kids (truly disgusting). Bought a burger, chips, and drink from the provided barbeque and headed out.

The final stop was The Village in Big Bear.  They were having a car show and had a sold out participation of over 300 cars.  I made my way through the lots filled with rods, classics, and extreme customs, taking pictures of many of the vehicles on display.  There were even a few bikes present.

After all was said and done, it was a nice day of getting out and about, getting some fresh air, and just relaxing a bit while enjoying displays of cool vehicles.

Here's a few images to whet your appetite and perhaps use as some desktop wallpaper.

72 Ferrari GTS

I love these old Panteras

I believe this is a California Special Mustang.

Very cool Studebaker.

Even a couple of Ford GT40s were on hand.

Reminds me of my favorite Hot Wheels car I had as a kid.

Best laid plans...

Well, my ride plans kind of got ruined today. A friend I was supposed to ride with today thought it would be better to go on Sunday. We were going to head up to Cold Springs Tavern near Santa Barbara, but things just weren't meant to be.

So, I spent the day hanging out with my boys while the wife and daughter went out back-to-school shopping with a friend from church. We kind of all just goofed around, doing our own thing until we started watching some episodes of The IT Crowd, a British comedy series.

Once the wife returned, I remembered about a Photo Scavenger Hunt on The Chopper Underground in which I've participated before. The object is a natural rock formation. The idea is to ride out to the object chosen, take a picture of your bike in front, on, behind, in, or around the object, post it on the forum, and then select the next backdrop. I hopped on my trusty steel steed and rode a bit around the neighboring mountain regions in search of the right spot, recalling a couple from a ride not long ago.

I snapped a couple of images of my bike and here they are for your viewing pleasure.

Be sure to check out The Chopper Underground and get in some of the action.  The next spot that I chose is an old church.  I just love old church architecture.

Roadhouse Biker Church Ride to Oak Glenn

The Roadhouse Biker Church usually has a couple of rides a month and for some reason or another, I can't make them all. This week was one that I was thankful that I could attend.

With my wife sitting on the rear, we made our way down the mountain to what is known as the hideout. Quickly grabbing a bite to eat at the nearby Baker's Drive Thru, we met up with the group gathered for the ride.

We were led by Pastor Denver through San Timoteo Canyon toward our destination. I've been through San Timoteo Canyon many times, but this was the first time that I didn't branch off, taking another fork. We followed the path which hooked toward Beuamont, Ca. Along the way, I spotted a small fishing lake, some horses, and other fine sights to see off the road. Others had spotted a zebra - that's right, a zebra. There was also a very cool bridge that allowed vehicles and pedestrians to cross over the railways below.

After a bit of a ride, we arrived at Los Rios Rancho, where we would delight ourselves in the consuming of apple crisp and ice cream.

From the ranch, we would make our way back to the church. We followed along the winding road from Oak Glen, heading west. From there, we made our way onto the freeway where we would confirm the rumors of motorcyclists being insane, riding like maniacs in and out of traffic.

Once back at the church, we began the barbeque that was scheduled. Mmmm...hot dogs and burgers with sides and drinks.

It was a great day of hanging out with some very good and humorous people. I look forward to the next one.

Run to the Springs

Soldiers for Jesus MC put on a bash at Calvary Chapel in Running Springs, Ca on Saturday and it was a great showing of people, bikes, music, and blessings.

There were many different Christian clubs in attendance, as well as some riders not affiliated with any clubs and a few outlaws.

Great entertainment was provided by a couple of bands. One of them was The Anonymous Band.  They put on a great show as usual, with the lead guitarist on the wireless airwaves rocking the crowd from a remote location in relation to the stage.  I've seen this guy cross the street at another event and rock the pedestrians on the sidewalk.  It's really a cool sight.

I took a few bucks with me, not knowing what to expect for expenses - poker run, food, raffles, etc.  With no poker run, I had a little cash to spend on my usual raffle tickets in support of the event.  I bought $10 of raffle item tickets and $10 worth of 50/50 tickets.  Sometimes, I'm a lucky man and walk away with something, but it's been a while.  This time, however, I managed to walk away with a couple of items.  First item was a pocket knife (the wife says I don't need another one and we'll re-gift it, but I always tell her that you never know when you'll need to stab someone).  The second item was the one that was worth every ticket I had.  It was a pair of hand guards used to protect your hands from the elements and small flying objects, such as bugs and rocks.  These were made by a member of the Soldiers for Jesus MC out of Bakersfield (I think) that goes by the moniker JD.

All in all, it was a cool event with a lot of cool people to socialize with and enjoy the beautiful weather that would only last throughout the day - it would rain heavily on Sunday, with thunderstorms in the area.

Check out the cool video below.  I managed to put this one together using some of the photos and videos I took at the event.  It's been a few years since I've done any editing, so be kind.

Church Invasion

Today, I did something different.  I rode with members of the Roadhouse Biker Church and the Black Sheep Motorcycle Ministry for what they refer to as a "church invasion."  Basically, we meet up at the hideout and, as a group, ride out to the predetermined destination.

Today, that destination was a church in Perris, Ca known as Free Indeed.  They manage to have a decent turn out without counting the two-wheeled guests.  I suppose it's due to the excellent testimonies, Word, and music.

I cannot say enough about how excellent the house band was.  They played oldies, but changed some of the lyrics up to incorporate some good old fashioned worship notes.  They had a brass section with a horn and sax.  A man and two women provided excellent vocals.  The women sang with such soul you'd be as amazed as I was if you were to hear them.  Joe Jamez was on the drums.  Keyboard and guitars were also used with such musical perfection.  Our group was on its feet nearly the whole time - only during the offering did we sit.

The ride out was fun.  We had around 35 people in attendance and it made for some interesting navigation through Southern California highways.

After service, we gathered at a nearby diner named Harry's Cafe for some socializing and good food.  The food portions were large and the price was more than fair.

All in all, it was a great day of hanging out and having a good time.

AMC Gremlin

While out and about today, I found this AMC Gremlin sitting on a corner.  It was a very nice looking Gremlin - as far as good looking Gremlins go.

My dad had a couple of these monstrosities when I was a kid.  He loved them.  He swore by their reliability and if he could, I'm sure that he would own another today.

I have some memories of this car myself.  I actually learned to operate a manual transmission in one of these. I would put it's 6 cylinder through some serious tests, nearly taking out a mailbox one time - a feat that I heard much about for quite some time while "growing up."

When I was younger, we used to go to Ontario, Ca, a nearby city, to drag race our cars on the streets in an industrial area.  There was an older gentleman with one of these on what appeared to be stock wheels a tires - a real sleeper.  This thing had guts.  He would race often and I'd see him win plenty.  My friend had a 67 Mustang and would soon be humiliated by the old guy with the Gremlin and we wouldn't let him live it down.

Those Gremlins were something else.  They weren't pretty, but some loved them.

If you think the Gremlin was bad, I even drove my mom's pinto around for a while.

Here's a photo of the one on the corner in Big Bear Lake, Ca.  All that I had was my Blackberry.  Therefore, the image quality is not great.

What to do?

This time of year, there seems to be more rides and events than you have time to attend.  If only you could be in 3 or 4 places at once.  Perhaps with time travel we'll be able to enjoy life that much more.  Doc Brown, where the hell are ya?

It's getting tough to decide which ones to attend.  There are many factors in making the decision - the ride itself, the venue, the company, etc.  I seem to be struggling with this as of late.

There are also rides that I want to do alone or with just the wife, such as a trip to San Francisco.

I shouldn't complain.  It's actually nice to have choices.  I suppose it would be boring to do the same old thing every weekend.

I hope you are all having the same struggle as it's not really a bad thing.  Keep having fun and enjoying it while you can.