In February, Rick and Joy returned to
New Zealand after 5 years to attend their 2nd NZ
HOG Rally. They stayed with their very close
friends the Familtons in Fielding, near
Palmerston North, where the rally was held on the
North Island. The rest of their memorable 10 day
trip was touring and visiting the South Island, staying in B & Bs.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Pacific
Ocean, Bryan and Donna managed to sneak off for a
romantic week's holiday on the isle of Kauai. Per
Donna: ".had a great time - perfect weather -
visited friends there - but chose not to rent
bike - Mustang convertible instead (tourist traffic too crazy for bikes....)"
Also in Feb was the annual American
Motorcycle Show in Redding at the Shasta Mall.
This is Redding HOG's big annual fund raiser.
Jerry and I enjoyed seeing over 80 entries,
watching the fashion show, and attending the
awards dinner with some of our Redding HOG
friends: Geoff, Connie, Kip & Ila. At the dinner
I also got to visit with Lou and Carolyn Hopkins.
As you may recall, they had a bad wreck last May
on Highway 299, and I'm happy to report Carolyn
is doing very well after suffering many broken
bones (including 4 in one leg) and other physical
damage. Amazingly they should be together on 2
wheels on the road again this summer.
Bowl for Kids continues to be our
chapter's most lucrative charity. Thank You to
you members who donated!! This year our bowlers
collected $8163 in donations and pledges for
North Coast Big Brothers Big Sisters. Our total
wasn't enough to keep us in first place, but we
were in contention for a few days, and were
"Number 1" the night we bowled. Jim once again
took top award for most single donations and most
pre-paid donations. Way to go Jim! Our "Ultra HOG
Super Heroes garnered the coveted "Best Costumes
Award" for the 7pm hour, winning "by a tutu and a
thong." Enough about that, and you will NOT see
explicit photos posted on this website. Let's
just say you had to be there, and Pierre came
through with his promised big donation to the
cause after seeing Jim's costume.
PHEW! It's a good thing our quick
thinking friends, biker Gary and his wife Loreen
at Riverwood Inn in Phillipsville were able to
put out the chimney fire that started in the bar
on Saturday March 8th! Things were going fine on
a regular Saturday night, with the band playing,
dancing, etc. Next thing they knew, Gary threw
bar ice into the circular fire place and closed
the flue, then climbed up on to the roof with a
garden hose. There was a lot of smoke, but all is
again right with the world, thanks to the Miranda
VFD and their big fans. The Eliasons saved the
old Inn, and when the smoke cleared, the band
went right back to playing! Our HOGS would miss
Riverwood, which is a popular destination for
rides. Gary has been a friend to bikers for a long time.
"Life is short, that's the real truth. Throw your
leg over a Harley-Davidson and go for it!"
I hope everyone has had the opportunity in March
to hear member Chris Smith on local radio station
KHUM, tell the tale of when Doralee bought him a Harley for his birthday.
Our first "Adopt a Highway" Clean-Up of
the year went well on a sunshiny March 8. About
12 members made quick work out of the roadside
waste detail. Just off the side of the highway,
in the bushes Tutu Man Jim found an entire set of
clothing: socks, underwear, pants, + shirt. "The
only thing missing was OJ's bloody knife!" Jim
quipped. The roadway was cleaner than we thought
upon close examination, but we still found enough
trash (and clothes!) and recycling to fill a few
of our large Caltrans bags. This was Kathleen and
Kirstie's first time out with the crew, and they
report that they enjoyed every minute of it.
GregO led us back northward, across the shortest
State Highway Route in California: Rt 283, which
starts on one side of the green bridge in Scotia,
crosses Eagle Prairie Valley and the Eel River,
and ends .36 mile later in Rio Dell on the other side.
Members: please come along next time for a short
ride, fresh air, a nice walk, a good deed, and lunch.
March 9 Senior Road Captain Lee got most
if not all the Road Captains together in Orick
for a lunchtime discussion and planning session
for the year. We have about 15 Road Captains this year!
On March 16 we took our St Paddy's Day
Scavenger/Chapter Ride and celebrated a beautiful
day on the north coast along with receiving
pre-ride blessings from the Patron Saint of
Ireland. (Riders: Who was that guy with that big silver cross??)
Rebecca described it as: a chance for
members to talk with each other in order to get
the answers to questions as put forth on the
Scavenger Sheet. The "casual" ride over sunny
hill and shady dale (101/Arcata/West End
Rd/Hatchery Rd/Glendale Drive/Fieldbrook
Rd/101/Westhaven Rd/Trinidad Light House/and
finally back to Eureka) was led by Lee, and
followed by "Un Almuerzo Muy Delicioso" at
Chapala Café. Kathleen was our Mistress of
Ceremonies for Irish trivia and prizes. Barry
"O'Smith" won big-time with his keen networking
skills, getting a hefty Pot o' Gold prize bucket.
Princess, Victoria, and Lyn won other prizes,
expressing their trivial knowledge of the Emerald
Isle that I dug up out of one of my many Irish
books. Or was it a load of blarney??
Until next time, ride and have fun, and remember:
"The best alarm clock is sunshine on chrome."
~Author Unknown
From your Chapter Historian, Phylis G