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Dante and Diva Dawn, who had her Metal di Muse jewelry and accessorie​s stand set up at the Broken Spoke, check out the bike show

Even those who lament the “death” of all those trees to feed a media hell-bent on devastating our green planet are having a hard time justifying their case since environmentalists have reported that print media is actually a lot cleaner than using a computer. (Most computer recycling companies are, in reality, waste brokers, shipping massive amounts of complex plastic and electronic trash overseas for dumping, causing horrific impacts in a number of developing countries.) The Editor’s Choice Bike Show was offered as a way to promote bathroom libraries of a more conventional nature.

Devised by Editor-in-Chief of Cycle Source magazine, Chris Callen, the Editor’s Choice Bike Show invited 16 of the print industry’s elite publications to participate in a concerted effort to highlight print media in the motorcycle industry. And it included all the heavy hitters—our favorite female editor Marilyn Stemp with Iron Works was there, as was Big Joe Knezevic and Dain Gingerelli in support of American Iron and Motorcycle Bagger. World-famous moto-photographer Michael Lichter was on hand representing Easyriders magazine, along with Englishman and Nurse Nut from The Horse-Backstreet Choppers and a long list of others. No

Bike show entrant James Mead modified his 2000 Road Glide with a left-hand throttle and linked brakes to accommodate his arm amputation that occurred at age 5

matter the class—bobber, chopper, rat, touring—if it was custom, there was a magazine there to represent it. Handling the judging chores for THUNDER PRESS was our North Editor, Marjorie “Shadow” Kleiman and myself, South Editor. Each publication would select one bike they felt best suited to their particular demographic and present an award along with a feature article in a future edition. And although Daytona Bike Week is noted for orchestrating some of the more nonpareil bike shows in the nation, you dangle 16 opportunities to score a photo spread of your personal creation in a national publication, you’re gonna stir up some attention.

Bill Dodge of Bling’s Cycles is presented the Editor’s Choice Bike Show award by Thunder Press North Editor Shadow, as emcee Jack Schit looks on

Held at the Broken Spoke Saloon, the Editor’s Choice was sponsored by Twisted Tea and ramrodded by Heather Walker, assistant operations manager for the Spoke. Registration opened at noon, but a series of thunderstorms rolled through the area at the same time, which extended the deadline until 4:00 that afternoon. On top of the trophies and the photo shoot awarded by each magazine, an additional 12 classes would receive awards from the Broken Spoke and Twisted Tea. On top of everything else, there was no fee charged to enter your bike in the show. So by the time the rain had stopped and I arrived around 2:00, the tall cover that extends between the band stage and the open-air bar was packed with entries. And what an eclectic gathering it was, ranging from tasteful custom vintage models to an extreme Ironhead Sportster that had to be at least 12 feet long. Choosing a winner would be a challenge even for this talented group.

With all the creative customs in the show it was tough to choose a winner, but Thunder Press editors Robert Filla and Shadow selected this Bling’s Cycle bobber built by Bill Dodge

We had been asked to pick our favorite three just in case there was an overlap and two magazines each selected the same bike. Surprisingly, Shadow and I came to a consensus rather quickly without much bickering. But of course with that many magazine judges scrambling to get the one bike they felt best tailored for their rag, there were some conflicts. Instead of settling the matter with knives drawn, each of the parties had a pow-wow, discussing the merits of their nominated machine, eventually coming to a compromise without bloodshed. (We were here to show the unity of print media, not to concentrate on our differences.)

In the end, 60 bikes ended up entering, some on the spur of the moment—like Bobby Seeger, owner of Indian Larry Motorcycles, who rode in on his personal bike just to check things out and it was mandated he enter by the powers that be. He ended up winning the Easyriders Editor’s Choice award along with top honors in the Bobber Class. Shadow and I chose a sanitary build by Bill Dodge with Bling Cycles of Daytona (you can see that feature on page 24 of this issue).

The show was a great success and Callen hopes to repeat it throughout this year and into the future. And it was refreshing to see the loyalty of our readers in such a tangible way. Bikers remain traditionalists; slow to change, clinging to what has been proven to work. This rag you’re holding is evidence of that—so enjoy your dead tree, ’cause it still rocks.

Co-curators Michael Lichter (LichterPhoto.com) and Paul d’Orléans (theVintagent.com) have assembled a comprehensive display of 32 machines from 12 makes and six decades—plus unpublished photography—from the original café racing scene in 1960s England to today. The exhibit will also include paintings by Triumph “resident artist” Conrad Leach, images from the Ace Café Collection, vintage leather “Rocker” jackets from the Lewis Leathers archive, the “One-Show” 21-helmet display of custom painted helmets, paintings by Andrea Chiaravalli and photography by Erick Runyon with other artists to be announced.

The more than 30 confirmed bikes for this exhibit include premium examples of ’50s/’60s café racers (Gold Star, Norvin, Triton, Dunstall, etc.) from Herb Harris (Harris Vincent Gallery), Yoshi Kosaka (Garage Co), Mark Mederski (National Motorcycle Museum), Gordon McCall (Quail Motorsports Gathering), plus Willie G Davidson’s #0001 1977 XLCR, as well as machines from Alain Bernard, Arlen Ness, Bryan Fuller, Brian Klock, Dustin Kott, Giuseppe Carucci, Greg Hageman, Jason Michaels, Jay Hart, Jay LaRossa, Kevin Dunworth, Ray Drea (Harley-Davidson design director), Roland Sands, Skeeter Todd, Steve “Brew Dude” Garn, Steve “Carpy” Carpenter, Thor Drake, Vincent Prat (Southsiders MC) and Zach Ness. Also included in the show are original and/or modified machines by BMW, BSA, Ducati, Honda, Harley-Davidson, Moto Guzzi, Norton, Rickman, Triumph, Vincent and Yamaha.

Each year, the “Motorcycles as Art” exhibition garners tremendous media coverage from around the globe, as well as the thousands of enthusiasts attending the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally each year. This year’s exhibition will get even more recognition as it will live on in the coffee-table book Ton Up – Speed, Style and Café Racer Culture, published by Motorbooks International. Michael Lichter will photograph all the motorcycles in his Sturgis studio for the book, which will also include the jackets, artwork and photographs from the exhibit. Paul d’Orléans’ is writing a comprehensive history of the café racer movement for the book that delves deep in the origins of speed-modified road bikes from the early 20^th century to the “classic” period in England during the ’50s/’60s, through its various resurrections in the ’70s and ’80s, and especially, with the advent of Internet motorcycle blogs, TV shows, and café racer-specific magazines leading to the explosive popularity of the style in the 21st Century.

“Ton Up! – Speed, Style and Café Racer Culture” sponsors include GEICO Motorcycle, Handy Industries, Hot Leathers, Keyboard Motorcycle Shipping, Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys and Spectro Performance Oils. The exhibition will be open August 3–9, 2013, is located next to the east gate of the Buffalo Chip and offers free admission to the public and Buffalo Chip guests.

The ‘Motorcycles as Art’ exhibitions are hosted each year by the legendary Buffalo Chip, this year celebrating its 32nd consecutive annual concert series that attracts the music industry’s hottest stars to their famed camping resort every August during Sturgis Bike Week. You don’t want to miss it!

-Press Release

Here’s a small sampling of past “Motorcycles as Art” exhibitions at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip:

Motorcycles as Art at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip

Motorcycles as Art at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip

Guests view Michael Lichter's 10th annual Motorcycles as Art / Eternal Combustion exhibition

Guests view Michael Lichter's 10th annual Motorcycles as Art / Eternal Combustion exhibition

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"Victor Nesscafe," 2013 Victory Judge built by Zack Ness. Photographed by Michael Lichter on March 14, 2012. ©2012 Michael Lichter

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Media walk-through of Slant Artist - an Eccentric View of Motorcycles and Art show with Jeff Decker, at the 2011 Motorcycles as Art exhibition at the Buffalo Chip during the annual Sturgis Black Hills Motorcycle Rally. SD, USA. August 9, 2011. Photography ©2011 Michael Lichter.

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Michael Lichter's 10th annual Motorcycles as Art / Eternal Combustion exhibition during the annual Sturgis Black Hills Motorcycle Rally. Sturgis, SD, USA. August 12, 2010. Photography ©2010 Steve Temple.

Guests view Michael Lichter's 10th annual Motorcycles as Art / Eternal Combustion exhibition

Guests view Michael Lichter's 10th annual Motorcycles as Art / Eternal Combustion exhibition in the Lichter Exhibition Hall at the Buffalo Chip during the annual Sturgis Black Hills Motorcycle Rally. Sturgis, SD, USA. August 11, 2010. Photography ©2010 Michael Lichter.

Reception for Michael Lichter's 10th annual Motorcycles as Art / Eternal Combustion exhibition in the Lichter Exhibition Hall at the Buffalo Chip

Reception for Michael Lichter's 10th annual Motorcycles as Art / Eternal Combustion exhibition in the Lichter Exhibition Hall at the Buffalo Chip during the annual Sturgis Black Hills Motorcycle Rally. Sturgis, SD, USA. August 10, 2010. Photography ©2010 Michael Lichter.

Media tour with Michael Lichter prior to the reception for the 10th annual Motorcycles as Art / Eternal Combustion exhibition

Media tour with Michael Lichter prior to the reception for the 10th annual Motorcycles as Art / Eternal Combustion exhibition in the Lichter Exhibition Hall at the Buffalo Chip during the annual Sturgis Black Hills Motorcycle Rally. Sturgis, SD, USA. August 10, 2010. Photography ©2010 Michael Lichter. Photograph ©Steve Temple

Michael Lichter's 9th annual motorcycles as art exhibition titled Rebel Rousers - Motorcycle Icons that Inspire Us to Ride

Michael Lichter's 9th annual motorcycles as art exhibition titled Rebel Rousers - Motorcycle Icons that Inspire Us to Ride at the Buffalo Chip during the annual Sturgis Black Hills Motorcycle Rally. Sturgis, SD, USA. August 5, 2009. Photography ©2009 Steve Temple.

Motorcycles as Art at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip

Michael Lichter's 9th annual motorcycles as art exhibition titled Rebel Rousers - Motorcycle Icons that Inspire Us to Ride at the Buffalo Chip during the annual Sturgis Black Hills Motorcycle Rally. Sturgis, SD, USA. July 31, 2009. Photography ©2009 Steve Temple.

Let’s start with the cover. It’s a David Uhl original featuring our hero, Bean’re, astride an early-model Indian motorcycle being chased by three men on horseback with guns drawn. They may be chasing him for the cash blowing out of the leather satchel slung over his shoulder, as he fires a double-barreled shotgun at them. I have the impression that he is not a victim in this image, as he outruns a locomotive with the Devil’s Tower in the background. If you’re in a David Uhl painting, you’ve been around more than a little bit. Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover, after all.

For those who have known this legend from a distance, the book answers questions you may have had about Bean’re’s origins. At least some of his childhood was spent in Kentucky riding bicycles and minibikes, followed by partying, contemplating college, some time in the Marine Corps and home ownership.

These events are fascinating and give you a better understanding of the man, and some of the benchmarks that helped shape his future. Additionally, accidents, sobriety and the life and times of a small businessman all played a role in shaping Bean’re. When you meet someone like Bean’re, you can’t help but wonder how a person such as he ends up so firmly entrenched on the road less travelled, even though he always seems to be where the crowd is. The early chapters help answer that question.

A chapter titled simply “Friends” reads like a who’s who of the motorcycling world. Michael Lichter, David Uhl, Kevin “Teach” Baas, Jay Allan, Billy Lane and others all provide personal commentary on Bean’re. Many remember the exact moment they met him, while others only vaguely so.

When the crowd quits looking, Bean’re hits the road and those are some of the book’s best chapters. Chapter nine, Tour of Europe And Morocco by Nerisse Trombetta, recalls the pair’s whirlwind tour of Europe in 2001. There are mountains, missed trains, snow, open-air markets and smoking motors. The narrative was so compelling that I never saw the unexpected ending to the chapter coming.

The very next chapter was also among my favorites. Australian Tour gives us an idea of the obstacles you might face when you travel out of the country. Shipping a bike is a unique skill, and getting it out of customs is another. Bean’re covers the land down under as we would imagine—going to the hospital, camping, meeting up with friends to ride and hanging out at the beach. He also worked in a dentist appointment. What did you expect?

The book has an unusual mix of color photos, ranging from professional images by Michael Lichter and Jack Mcintyre to snapshots—unusual, but representative of Bean’re, the wide range of people he knows and places he’s been.

The only trouble with this book is that by the time you’ve finished reading it, Bean’re will have had more adventures of his own and you will have added a book to your list that Oprah isn’t likely to feature any time soon. But that’s the difference between you and Bean’re, isn’t it?

Bean’re—Motorcycle Nomad
By Timothy Remus
Wolfgang Publications, $18.95
254 pages
www.wolfpub.com

We were an unlikely trio gathered in my garage that afternoon. There was me and Robert Pirsig and Richard the Third slouching on shop stools trying not to think too much while I softly sang, “Turn! Turn! Turn!” the biblically inspired folkie chestnut by Pete Seeger; so I guess Pete was there in a sense, as well.

What wasn’t there in the garage at that moment was my Blue Bike. My once-saintly ’87 FLHS sat morosely out in the driveway, unapproachable and seemingly irreparable.

“This is some killer chronic,” you might suspect I was thinking at the time, only I wasn’t. I wasn’t high, for one thing, and at Pirsig’s urging I wasn’t thinking, either.

I was simply stuck in a “gumption trap.” That’s the term Pirsig coined in his cult classic Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance to describe an occurrence that saps all hope and enthusiasm for the project at hand, and in following Pirsig’s prescription for extricating myself I had walked away from the task and set about putting my mind into a different space entirely. An empty space. Turning it off completely and letting the old gumption grow back like a lizard’s tail.

It had all started promisingly enough as a pleasant day of routine maintenance in anticipation of a busy riding season ahead. I’d pulled the Blue Bike out of the barn to perform a procedure familiar from 26 years of doing it to this bike at this time of year: Fluid changes, cable lubrication, tire inspection and airing up, air cleaner servicing, critical fastener retightening—you all know the drill.

Since it had been some months since I’d ridden this bike, I was prepared for what had become the messiest step in the operation, i.e., pulling the crankcase breather tube from the air cleaner backing plate, directing it into a funnel to a collection pan, and then hitting the starter button. The motor fired eagerly and just as eagerly starting gurgling oil from the crankcase and out the tube. I grimaced as a good quart and a half of motor oil gushed from the bowels of the motor in a quaint ritual unique to older Harleys called “sumping.” That’s become a reliable pain in the ass over the years, but it didn’t represent any kind of gumption trap.

While mopping up errant spurts of oil from the driveway, I noticed a small puddle beneath the petcock, and a trickle of fuel coming from the fuel line clamped thereto. No biggie there, I thought. I needed to remove the air cleaner cover anyway to service the K&N filter, so while I was at it I’d simply remove the backing plate as well, which would give me access to the fuel line coming from the carburetor. I could then replace the line, and while it wasn’t a routine part of my maintenance program, it wasn’t a gumption trap, either.

Removing the air cleaner cover is the simplest of all mechanical maintenance operations—in theory, anyway. A single large chrome Allen cap bolt, easily accessible right there in the center of the cover like the bike’s shiny omphalus, holds the cover on and when quickly removed allows easy disassembly of the whole works including removal of the backing plate. So I commenced to unscrew the bolt, and that’s when Pete joined the proceedings: Turn, turn, turn. All it did was turn. It wouldn’t retract and it wouldn’t tighten, no matter what tricks I tried including prying against the cover and the bolt head while turning it in quick bursts to try to catch a thread. Turn, turn, turn.

The likeliest culprit seemed to be a stripped thread, but it wasn’t the only possible culprit. The captive nut in the plastic backing plate could have been spun by an overzealous wrench wielding a pneumatic impact driver without regard to boring old-school notions like torque settings. The same neglect could also explain a stripped thread, and I realized in that moment two things: 1) I’d had a new petcock installed by a young mechanic at a local shop the previous year, and, 2) King Richard the Third was now in the house.

As you may have heard, the King’s remains were finally discovered last month after going missing for five centuries, so naturally he was on my mind. That’s how I roll. And what was particularly on my mind was the line delivered by Richard in Shakespeare’s Richard III–to wit: “A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!” Which in turn was a direct reference to the old English verse that starts, “For want of a nail, a shoe was lost.” As you recall, things deteriorate from there to the horse, rider, battle and kingdom being lost all because of a missing horseshoe nail. This old saw is commonly acknowledged to be the first popular evocation of what we now call Chaos Theory, the Butterfly Effect, or the House that Jack Flipped.

This was the gumption trap to beat all gumption traps. The air cleaner cover bolt is recessed enough that it’s virtually impossible to get any vice-grip purchase on it while trying to drill out the head, and without that resistance, well, it’s just another chorus of turn, turn, turn.

What should have been the most routine of operations had now become a Gordian knot of interlinked impossibilities, and a maintenance session ground to an infuriating halt with no elegant solutions and the prospect of ultimately hunting down obscure parts—like a 1987 backing plate—most likely at a swap meet somewhere, somehow, since my online search has come up empty.

So you see why I had to walk away and endeavor to avoid the whole pickle, confident that with some time and distance from the problem a solution will come to me like a bolt from the blue. All I have to do in the meantime is hang in the garage with my spectral buddies and try not to think of that stripped thread as a metaphor for modern life. Can’t go forward, can’t go back. Turn, turn, turn.

It’s all right here in the diaries.

On February 24, locals and bikers found themselves celebrating at the Almond Festival. The Capay Valley Almond Festival began in 1915 and has been a tradition ever since. It runs along Highway 16 and is spread through the five towns of Esparto, Capay, Brooks, Guinda and Rumsey. On this Sunday the trees were all in bloom and everyone was glad to see the start of better weather. It was a good day for a ride, even if the wind was blasting our bikes all over the road. At least it was not raining and the chill was tolerable. Our first stop was in Esparto at Rose’s Island, a local bar of some renown. Eddie Loebs and the Cross-Winds Revival band had us tapping our feet to some really good sounds in the parking lot. When I got a chance to talk to Eddie, he said the band was started back in ’91 and loves to do classic rock and rhythm and blues. This is my kind of band. To learn more about them, call the man in charge, Marty, at 530.681.0851. But, back to the Almond Festival. I was on the watch for Jani Albers and Elvira Nevarez from Woodland. I just wanted to say hello to a couple of old friends, but I didn’t see them, so we left Esparto and rode a couple of miles over to Capay to say hello to our favorite bartender, Sam, and to get an excellent burger at the Road Trip Bar and Grill. Put this event on your calendar for next year. Information can be found at www.espartoregionalchamber.com/almondfestival.aspx… Happy birthday to all Harley riders who celebrate in April. Happy birthday to IHR members Chuck Brassfield in San Jose and Tim Young in Santa Cruz. Happy birthday to Iron Steed H.O.G. members Craig Reynolds and Bob Dubois, to Debbie McGinnis of ABATE #17, to Dan DeLeuw in Santa Cruz, Steve Roi in San Jose, Leoni Watts in San Jose, Jani Albers in Woodland, Laury Chimerofsky in Modesto H.O.G. and to Enoch “Nick” Holland in Salem, Oregon. Happy birthday to celebrity riders Jay Leno, Ann-Margret and Jesse James… Congratulations to Jack Piper, Iron Steed H.O.G. Chapter in Vacaville. Jack has a brand-new baby granddaughter to love… Let’s all take a moment to say goodbye to the well-known North County Riders MC patch. Founder and President Sandy Rapolla says it has been over 20 years, and it is just time. In fact, Sandy has already notified Vallejo. We will still see Sandy and other members around, but they will not be wearing a NCRMC patch… This weekend was the 25th annual Freeze Your Ass Off Run for ABATE #17 in Napa and Solano Counties, and the turnout was excellent. Over 250 bikers signed in at Miss Darla’s Bar in Vacaville to start the day’s activities with a hearty breakfast. Miss Darla served a free breakfast of all-you-can-eat biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, sausage and hash browns. (I certainly ate my share.) After visiting around and catching up with friends, we rode just a few miles over to the Buckhorn Bar and Grill in Dixon. This is one of my favorite watering holes, and it has the motto of “Never a cover, always a party, and everyone is always welcome.” We did some visiting, drew our next poker card and moved on to Plainfield Station near Woodland. Plainfield Station was a gas station built in 1934, but is now a roadhouse. After the gas pumps were taken out a sign went up that read “For Harley-Davidsons Only,” but there is plenty of additional parking on the side. The route from Plainfield Station took us to Highway 16 and over to Capay to the ever-popular Road Trip Bar and Grill. This was definitely a good place to catch up with old friends and hang for a while. We loaded up once more and made our way to Winters for the Freeze Your Ass Off festivities. Can anyone tell me what happened to Lupita? Lupita Velasquez was a member of ABATE #17 when she moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, and started the Latin Ladies MC. She always returns to California for the Freeze Your Ass Off Run, but I didn’t see her this year… There is another new patch in Napa/Solano Counties. I met Dennis Casey, the founder and road captain, and Roy Bolyarde, the president. Their club is the Altered Attitude MC. It is a clean and sober club with members from Napa and Vallejo. For information, you may call Dennis at 707.694.6284 or Roy at 707.337.4786… What a surprise! A fellow ex-Santa Cruz H.O.G. member whom I have not seen in over 10 years came this way and paid a visit. Gary Cook bought me breakfast and we had a good visit. Before he left, Gary asked me to let you know that the West Coast Hawgs for Dogs will be putting on a Mother’s Day pancake breakfast on Sunday, May 12. It will be held at Pizza Italia, 34765 Ardenwood Boulevard in Fremont. For more information call 510.489.7685. This is a very good cause. All proceeds benefit Guide Dogs of America and are tax deductible.

This has been a fun winter so far, with every kind of riding weather California gets. For those of you that went to Daytona, I know you got more than your share of that variety! But, as always, you came back with stories to tell that never would have been as exciting or worth retelling if not for the crazy conditions. I stayed home and worked, while my buddies Richard Hestlow and Jim Farrand went off on their annual trip south. Instead I managed to hit some local bike nights, a fun birthday party for Larry and Susie Jarvis, and my own annual party for the girls. That was March; now April is here with a bunch more rides and the usual perfect weather that we almost always have in our SoCal spring. So let’s get started on the rides that I promised to give a bit of extra PR to… A little out of my area, but they asked, so I said sure! Up in Vacaville, ABATE 17’s annual Spring Fun Run is on April 7, at the Str8 Shooter at 1072 E. Monte Vista Avenue. Registration starts at 9:00 a.m. and the first game begins at 10:00 a.m. You’re looking at a $5 donation per card, per stop, with no limit and there will be four stops. For more information call 707.624.6310… Congratulations to Patti Wright of Indio, our latest “Winner of a Completely Free Oil Change For Your Harley-Davidson Motorcycle” at Valley V-Twin in Indio. Halle Fetty says to “Like” them on their Facebook page to be entered in the next round. Halle also says to remind you kind readers about the Desert Dog Run on April 6. There’s a $100 cash prize for the highest poker hand, live music, a barbecue, a 50/50 raffle and more. Look it up on www.gddca.org… On April 20, the American Legion Riders Chapter 53 of Hemet is sponsoring the 4th annual Diamond Valley Poker Run out in Winchester. The ride starts at 32150 Grand Avenue in Winchester. Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. and the bikes head out at 9:00 a.m. The ride ends with lunch, a bike show and bike games. Proceeds will benefit Ontario Airport USO. For more information call 951.929.4883. I missed this one last year, but if I find myself in town I really want to hit it. Sounded like a great time was had at the last one… Heard from Cindy Gano with a reminder about the Highway Workers Memorial Ride on May 1 and 2nd. For start-out info, send an e-mail to Cindy at FLHRLB@yahoo.com… Got a note from Public Information Officer Eric Hill about the Desert Riders hosting the 7th annual DRA Poker Run on May 4. Registration is at the official ride sponsor, Palm Springs Harley-Davidson at 19564 N. Indian Canyon Drive in Palm Springs. The Desert Riders Association is a family-oriented motorcycle-riding club located in the SoCal desert. Of the many rides the Desert Riders put on, this one is considered their signature event and is a poker run to honor police officers that have fallen in the line of duty. Proceeds from this run are donated to memorial funds of local police organizations… Got a nice invite from Genevieve Schmitt of WomenRidersNow.com who is partnering with EagleRider to offer “All-Women R, R and R Tours” May 2–6. They’re taking reservations for their Palm Springs Escape and asked for my help in getting the women riders to take advantage of the daily rides that include the Palms to Pines Scenic Byway, along with visits to Joshua Tree National Park, Anza-Borrego State Park and the mountain towns of Julian and Idyllwild. The ride will be led by senior EagleRider guide Laura “Lala” O’Brien, while the guest tour ambassador will be Laura Klock, land-speed record holder and Sturgis Motorcycle Museum Hall of Famer. Participants will also be able to attend optional morning exercise classes led by Genevieve, a certified Pilates and yoga instructor, as well as motivational talks by Laura and Genevieve. For more info, check out either of these websites: WomenRidersNow.com or EagleRider.com… It’s a little early, but I wanted to give you a heads up on the West Coast Thunder ride. Sharon Shannon Bridges sent me the entertainment lineup, and while I’m not going to give it all away just yet, I am going to tell you to reserve May 27 for an awesome 15th anniversary run. For now, suffice it to say, check out the run flyer at www.westcoastthunder.com and I’ll give you more next month. Here’s a shout out for just a few of the past workers and planners on this ride: Pat Delahunty, Steve Cifelli, Steve Aragon, Rich Greenberg, George Helton, DJ Quinn (how ya doing, DJ? Been a long time!), Lucky and Teresa Delaney, Don Odell and Bill Robbins… Got a fun note from David “Santa” Rauen—sorry I missed your March birthday, David; hope your 69th was a good one! David’s been riding over 50 years and is the on his 6th Harley. He says he still makes the Ghosties’ First and Last Days-O-Summer and also helps out with security at the Redwood Run. This year will make it five in a row, God willing. He also wanted to give a shout out to his friend and firefighter buddy “Forest” Linderman back in day at the Santa Cruz Fire Dept… Got some other birthday greetings… Valley V-Twin’s own George Fetty on the 10th. Hope your day is a fun one George, I know Halle will make it so!… Doug Whaley hope your April 17 birthday’s a memorable one. Same for Eric out at Palm Springs Harley-Davidson! … And Miss Denise Carey, a Harley-Davidson Rider’s Edge Coach, hope your April 13 day is filled with good surprises! Gene Rose and Deb Singleton Rose, have a great day. Massoudi Jacqui Chandrasena and Denise Carey, RN, you guys have a good birthday. Also out in the desert, Rick Hustead, Debby Mercer, Brian DeRoo, April Donovan, Shelia Rose and Bud England all share April birthdays—hope they’re all you expect! Also best wishes to Jim Berg on his birthday and Chandra Aldag, hope your day is great. Jo Alice Brooks, same for you honey! Butch Leach, you have yours on the last of month so here’s an early one for you! That’s it for birthdays in April… We have the 51st Yuma Prison Run to look forward to this month on April 19–21. And, of course, Laughlin following right on its heels. We could pretty much ride from one to the other—if we didn’t have to work. For those of you with that luxury—yahoo! Me, I’m gonna hang a little closer to home, work, and check out the local rides, which I’m sure I’m gonna enjoy to the fullest. Once more, I’d like to thank Dan and Patty Moon at Downtown Cycle in Fontana. You’re great! If you’re looking for a nice, honest, reasonable caretaker of your ride, you couldn’t be in better hands than with Downtown. Give ’em a call at 909.829.2987. That’s it for me and for April; see you all next month. In the meantime—enjoy your ride!