LONG BEACH PICS
Well
Hello folks one and all.
For our December gathering our SoCal Fearless Leader Gary D. was unable to attend (we missed you Gary & Sally, U-2 Oz & Worker Bee) so I have been asked to say a ‘FEW WORDS’.
Well
you know me, pull up a chair and have a cold drink handy.
Truthfully I will keep it short but as fact filled as possible.
As
for yours truly, having just returned from AZ, I was staying with a friend and
not really that far from Costa Mesa. I
awoke about 2:30 in the morning and spent the next 4 hours trying to go back to
sleep. Gave up as I heard a jelly
donut calling my name. I was at
‘Champion Cycles’ an hour before opening, and sort of wondered when someone
else would show up. It was
only about a half hour before a teal and black with the only crystal topped dip
stick & new air horns on the bike showed up, and I had company and someone
to talk to.
Over
the next hour the parking lot really got full.
Seemed as I remembered there were close to 30(?) bikes [we would pick-up
a few more at the bike show]. Had a
couple of Hardley’s, a Shadow, believe there was a Yamaha too.
We had our 50-50 drawing thanks to Ed having Dave bring the tickets.
Actually we all know Ed had a mental lapse, but Dave bailed him out.
We had a new member (Bodo) win the $54 kitty.
Always glad when a new member wins, makes them want to come back even
more. There was Dennis & Tammy
who had come to town the night before so they could be there.
Love those ‘Terminator’ boots Dennis.
And even Mrs. Stemnut was on hand (we like her better anyway).
Don Asay had a real family affair going on with his son, son-in-law, and
grandson. He looked good pushing
the stroller.
Before
I forget, I should mention that even though I know I was not the very FIRST one
to the donuts, I did not see a single jelly, hmmmmm (maple bars are a good
second choice). We do have to give
our host a big “Thank You Stemnut”. After
we had the 50-50 drawing, he was nice enough to provide 2 K&N air filters
plus a book authored by Clement Salvadori, “Guide to Calif. Roads”.
Really neat and functional stuff.
9:30
came, and we were just starting to get saddled up, and fortunately, Yokozuna and
his dynamic duo pulled into the lot. Well
after they got themselves fortified with some coffee, and the group had decided
to take PCH down to the Long Beach Arena, we pulled out enmasse.
Stemnut agreed to be lead, and RobW and I took the rear.
As
always, it is impressive to see a large group of Motorcyclists going down the
highway, especially when the majority of them are Valk’s.
That’s this author’s opinion anyway.
Unfortunately, our ability to stay together as a group, was, at best, hit
and miss. What with
the traffic, traffic lights, number of lanes changing, etc., we sort of arrived
in ever smaller groups.
The
main and most important thing was that we were all eventually able to make it to
the parking lot of the arena with out incident.
Then getting into the event hall was another matter.
There had been some pre-planning to try and avoid the long ticket lines
by having the majority pre-pay for the tickets at a discount rate.
Through no ones fault not everyone could do that (there were those that
did not know they were even able to attend till the last minute), so there was
some finagling to get everyone in with out dealing with the horrendously long
lines.
In
the event hall we obviously all went our own ways but had previously made
arrangements, for those that had elected, to meet for lunch at a local
microbrewery. No one made a point
of sampling all that was available (we forgot our training wheels), but we did
have some good food selections. “Thanks
to RobW & Daryl” for making the restaurant reservations, and for doing the
group ticket purchase (all that money for the tickets came out of their pockets
until we each paid them for the tickets at Champion.
Even
though it was December, the sun was so intense that we were all seeking shade
under the awning at the restaurant. Arrangements
had been made for us to have use of the patio, and we should have been wearing
sun block. While at the restaurant,
Marty R. showed up (he was at the show, but arrived later and didn’t think he
would make lunch). Then there was Sue and George who brought two Valkyries for
the first two individuals who got their hands in the air first. They were the model versions for you uninformed envious
folks.
The
end of lunch was the breaking up of the group, with some going back to the show
for further lookie looing of the bikes, and others heading home or where their
interests took them.
The weather was exceptional, as we know how inclement it can be this time of the year.
We
felt fortunate and grateful for Mother Nature’s graciousness.
Members were already talking about the January ride to Vegas, and the
trip to the Art
of the Motorcycle
at the Guggenheim museum.
Most
everyone agreed it was nice to see one another, and we looked forward to getting
together in the future.
Yours truly, would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the best of the Holiday Season, and may the New Year bring you health & happiness. May all our service men & women, return home to their families safe and sound, when their jobs are done.
Crash
Southern California Event Calendar
Southern California Valkyrie Riders