It Was GREAT - But Never Again

Yep folks, I have to say that the VRCC Bakersfield Bash was a Great Event, but there were things that we would hope should never happen again.

Unfortunately, the worst of it was that we had two riders go down.  Timmer/Tim Powell never even made it to Bakersfield-had a get off in Big Bear, and the other was Psycho/Michael Bradford.  As I understand it, Mike was the worst of the two with a broken shoulder.  We all hope that they are on the mend, and that their recovery will be quick and complete.  As an aside, I asked F6Gal, as both these individuals were from the Arizona contingent, was there something about the fabulous scenery/roads or amenities in California that made riding out here more distracting?  All I got in reply was something to the effect that one of them was actually from TEXAS, Hmmmmmm?

I would be remiss if I did not mention our Guardian Angel, that once again was there when the need was greatest.  Sonny from Lemore has a new moniker.  We call him “St. Sonny” now.  He provided transportation, trailer, and a lot of his personal time going back and forth to help out our fallen brethren.  Thank You Saint Sonny……

There were some other issues that I will mention later but to the good part first.

Well actually, the bad luck struck even before the event got started.

Chris, from Direct Line, deserves a big round of applause for making all those "Chrome Addicts" not suffer withdrawal symptoms.  Unfortunately, their truck never made it to Bakersfield due to some mechanical difficulties.  Chris pulled some strings and waved a magic wand and got as much as he could on short notice shipped to Bakersfield.  As I said, a lot of people went home with some good stuff, but others have to wait for another day.  Chris just sold most everything.

CAT (alias Mark) was there with some neat T-Shirts and other assorted paraphernalia.  (I’m still wondering why there was no access port in those briefs.)  And not to be forgotten was the neat stuff that CAT & Direct Line donated for the raffle.  Can you believe folks were starting to moan cause we were giving so much stuff away?  Think it might have had to do with looking forward to the 50-50 drawing.  We had stuff from Stemnut, Chaparral, CAT, Direct Line and F6Rider. 

As the charity of choice this year, “Make a Wish Foundation” was the benefactor, we brow beat, and head locked several folks,  & Daryl and Dottie twisted arms to the point that we had over $500 in the kitty for the eventual winner, Kevin/Torknot, and the Bakersfield Make a Wish Foundation.

On a personal note, I would like to thank the guy that gave me what I thought was the NEATEST taillight I have ever seen.  I failed to get his name, but it was won by this other party, and then, for who knows whatever reason (by the grace of my lucky star), gave it to me.  A Big personal Thank You.  It’s installed, and is so COOL!!!

Marty R. has to get the biggest Thank You (if his hide hasn’t been tanned and hung on the barn by now, but more on that in a minute), for making this all happen.  He went out of his way, only he knows how far, to lay the groundwork for all the great riding, accommodations, and various other sundry items.

At this point I wish to mention something that was an unfortunate situation that caused Marty considerable distress, and probably some embarrassment to the VRCC.  Allow me to explain.

Due to the fact that there were a specific number of registered individuals that indicated that they would partake of the dinner ride and breakfast ride, Marty had to make arrangements with the local eateries and concessionaires to provide the necessary staff and "vittles" to feed a mass of hungry bikers.  Well, as it was on an "honor system" as to participation, a considerable number of folks had a change of plans.  No one is being blamed, as we all know SHxx happens.  [Gary D. & Sally had an unfortunate death in the family but elected to honor both personal events, and spent the whole day commuting.]

The problem is that when venders/merchants expect us, on our verbal promise, to provide them with a customer base that does not come to pass, they, in turn, incur losses.  That does not bode well for them to provide further support to our activities.

 I mention this now because when the question comes up as to why we might charge $25 for a catered meal (that one might think they could go get for $10 at the local beanery), it is not just that we are trying to be benefactors for a charity, but there are "guarantees" that we have to make to continue doing these events.

Example:
Breakfast that was to be $6 for 200+ riders turned out to be $9 because fewer than 100 showed up (as I remember there were less then 30 bikes).

So be forewarned, doing anything on the "honor system" has gone by the wayside.

We all hope that Marty has not had to sell his home and move out to town.  Maybe just keeping a low profile will suffice.

Thank You Marty and we know you have "Survivor Skills".

One final note, LaMonster is alive and well as is his bike, just ask the motel mgr.  With the new engine and sufficient rubber on his rear tire, he provided late night entertainment with a sole burn-out contest, obviously he was the winner.  I was approached by some of his admirers to participate but I don’t get the deal on my tires that LaMonster does.

Everyone had a great time and the weather could not have been better.  To quote Lamont,

“Do you realize it is 10:00PM and we are sitting here in our T-Shirts?”

Eat your heart out you easterners………………

Crash