05/2015
Because the road rules TANKSIDE.COM
PHOTO BY STEVE FOLKESTAD
VOLUME ONE No. 1
community
2 | May 2015
TANKSIDE.COM
page 3
A TRADITION, A FAMILY, A MISSION STAFF MELANIE DAVIS Publisher / Owner GABRIELA KANDZIORA Director of Business Development AMANDA SCHURR Editor CHRIS ALVAREZ Production Manager MARY SMITH ENGSTROM Reporter WOLFGANG VON HOHENZOLLERN Reporter ALBERTO MORENO Columnist DAVE ENGSTROM Road Captain MARY DAVIS Den Mom & S.A.G. Vehicle LEILANI FINLEY WILDMAN Events Promoter
“All that matters is that you ride, because when you ride you have family anywhere and everywhere, there’s a sense of camaraderie among bikers you won’t find anywhere else.” - James C. Davis, 12/1954-3/2010. R.I.P. There were many things I needed to share with my father before he passed away, but I was lucky enough to thank him for teaching me to ride. In my last sentence before I said goodbye, I thanked him again and told him, “It was everything you promised me.” When I hung up I knew that conversation would be our last. Of everything he taught me, and everything I’m grateful for, for some reason that became the most important thing to thank him for. I know bikers will understand the “why” behind this… And while it’s hard to put these words to ink, I know it’s been a long ride to get here. He never said he was an easy man to get along with or love. I thank my mom every day for having the patience to love him; he would say, “We are who we are, so just be you, and I will be me.” For that reason, I thank all the moms and dads out there who are trying for their kids. I know that every day you make the impossible possible for them, and for all of us! I remember my early years, being propped up on one of the many bikes we would use to pull parts from to get another one running. I would eagerly stretch out as far as I could, hoping and knowing my hands would one day reach the clutch and throttle, and my legs would reach break. At age 14 my grandfather gifted my dad with his Honda Gold Wing 1000cc. It was then he taught me to ride. My lessons included walking the bike in circles on the grass
LARRY LEWIS
in our front yard—yes, he was extreme. Later, my advanced lessons meant having to ride over a 2x4 without moving the board. If it moved, well, I had to do it again. Although it was challenging, I was determined to learn; it was in my blood, and I could hear the road calling for me. The day finally came, he knew I was ready. On my Sweet 16, he surprised me at school; he parked where the school buses loaded and waited for me to get out of class. I ran over, dumped my books in the saddle bags. He gave me the look and nod. Understanding what that meant, I quickly moved him out of the way and took the rider’s seat before he could change his mind. I was no longer a passenger. As we would rode off, people gazing in shock, he lovingly shouted to the onlookers, “Live free, ride free!” That was my dad. Being a biker has taught me many things—in many ways, it’s an equalizer. When you are a biker, you are a biker, period. It’s about where you have been and where you are going. It’s in honor of the biker tradition that my father and grandfather taught me that we embark on our new publishing venture, Tankside. This publication is for bikers, by bikers. We encourage you to share your stories with us, as Tankside is about our biker family, regardless of what we each ride. Tag your photos on social media and you just might see them grace these pages. As bikers, we share a bond that many will never experience, and no one can take away! We hope to see you enjoying the road, and we look forward to meeting you #Tankside. --Melanie Davis Publisher/Owner and, more importantly, Biker!
BROTHER TO BROTHER: NEW AMERICANS
4
THE GARAGE: YOUR SEASONAL MAINTENANCE REMINDER
6
NEWS: SPLIT DECISION
12
THE PLAYLIST
13
LYNDA WILKINSON BELINDA CARROLL Sales
REACH US:
503-228-3139 BRILLIANT MEDIA LLC. PO Box 306, Portland, OR. 97207
TANKSIDE.COM Copyright © 2015 Brilliant Media LLC, dba Tankside. All rights reserved. This publication or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher.Printed in the United States of America
TANKSIDE.COM
INDEX
7
SUN DRENCHED
14
7
FEATURE: RIDE TO LIVE, RIDE FOR LIFE
16
8
RALLYING CRY: HELLS CANYON
18
BUSINESS: LOVE LEATHERS OUTPOST
19
THE LONG WAY HOME: A GROOVY RIDE WITH LADY FRED THE POST EARTH, WIND & TIRE: THE KLICKITAT CALENDAR OF EVENTS: MAY-JUNE
10
May 2015 | 3
brother to brother
“NEW AMERICANS”: THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF TRAVELOGUES By Alberto Moreno The road falls away in the rearview mirror like a snake shedding its own skin. My brother, Osvaldo, is joining me for this part of the trip as we ride past terminal moraines left here by ancient glaciers. We are in Illinois, named after the Illiniwek Indians, who were the original inhabitants of this place. Now the moraines have given over to the corn fields of Iowa and rain keeps us company as the motorcycles grind through this unfolding prairie. Long gone is the city of broad shoulders and its iron lungs. Whatever storm front we drive into swallows us up, and only the brake lights of rolling semitrucks light the way forward, like beacons at sea to a western horizon. We have set out from Chicago, the place of our original migration, on a two-week motorcycle trip to discover a New America. To lay witness to its changing character, to account for all who now call this country home. We have left behind Chicago and the Chinatowns and Little Mexicos with their industrious immigrant communities, who labor from dawn to dusk but are not seen by that other America. In as much as Chicago is a city of broad shoulders and buildings with sharp angular corners, Iowa and its rolling hills is more a woman. Recumbent, sanguine, available, with soft, rounded shoulders that rise and fall again and again. She spreads out, fecund ahead of us. Her fertile fields have been sown with wheat, corn and other crops planted by our fathers’ hands. The first day is given over to speed—we are aware that we have 2,500 miles of road ahead of us. We cover 511 miles with only short stops for gas and lunch at Princeton, Illinois, the birthplace of Ronald Reagan, who inhabits or occupies a unique and reluctant place in our own personal immigrant histories as reluctant father of amnesty. The morning finds us in Council Bluffs, Iowa at the Nebraska border, so named after the Potawatomi tribe that called this place home before European immigrants took over these lands. The bikes have cooled overnight but start with no problems. And after putting on our jackets and leather pants, we are off into morning’s fog. Here and there a streetlamp falls over a distant sign on the side of the road, or a waking field of marigolds planted by the errant wind. Soon we are in Lincoln, Nebraska, with time for breakfast and a chance to check on the bikes. America, while available, is not easy. You can travel her wide highways from coast to coast but never really know her. She is not knowable through her distant limbs or arteries. To really experience America on a motorcycle means to take her roads less traveled. To leave the worn and facile paths of the superhighways and take her on her own terms. To take the forgotten country roads that traverse her august body. 4 | May 2015
Today we left Highway 80 and its speed and noise in favor of a slower backroad that meanders languidly from Lincoln, Nebraska. to Denver through small towns like Friendly or Indianola, Nebraska. Everywhere we stop, people are curious. Some stare, some say “hello” and ask after Valdo’s bikes. He is happy to engage. I am by nature more circumspect. I am unlike Friendly, Nebraska. But Valdo is happy to bridge my gruff demeanor. I prefer the silence of the road. I prefer to let the murmuration of starling move like a cloud, speak for me. Or the hawk that sits large and heavy on a fence post on the side of the road. Or still the moth that sits expectant at dawn under the neon light of the gas station. Or the thunder and lightning that crescendo and break tonight through these Nebraska plains. The rain on this trip reminds me of one of my favorite smells, that of freshly fallen rain on an open field. The way the earth smells of night or life expectant, like sweet hay or the untouched clay at Indian Creek. We have been on the road now for 900 miles, and flat plains begin to give way to soft, rolling hills. Here and there she gathers in her dress and creases makes. Where rivers fill with rain water to flow from north to south, Mississippi River bound. Soon we will begin to climb up her valleys and mountains, but tonight in Imperial, Nebraska, we will let the thunder and lightning speak for us. In the morning as we leave Imperial, the sign on the marquee reads, “Into the Storm.” We are Colorado bound this morning, a state named by the Spaniards when this was still part of Mexico to describe the “Colorado” or red soil that gives the river its name. We had been warned not to expect to find any civilization in this part of the world: “There is nothing between here and there.” So we topped off the gas tanks, unsure of what lay ahead. The sky is heavy and dark—brooding, foreboding, but the morning air is fresh against my parched skin. Valdo is enjoying the unencumbered freedom of this small but otherwise empty road. The sky begins to open up now and we are on the edge of Big Sky Country. We slow down to take in the scale of it all. And soon we are on the Colorado border, where we stop to take in the welcome sign and a round silo set against a graying sky. We get back on the bikes and settle into the rhythm of the ride. The machines are treating us well. We test them out by leaning into them and accelerating to 80, then 90 mph, and we tuck into even further 100, then 115 before they become unstable and we release the throttle and return to an easy pace. Before we know it, we are in Holyoke, Colorado, which is between here and nowhere. We slow down, hoping for a place to eat breakfast as a defense against the coming day. I scan the main road for a restaurant, but all we see are old storefronts that have lain empty for years. We have seen this on | NEW AMERICANS Goes to page 5 TANKSIDE.COM
brother to brother
“AMERICA, WHILE AVAILABLE, IS NOT EASY. YOU CAN TRAVEL HER WIDE HIGHWAYS FROM COAST TO COAST BUT NEVER REALLY KNOW HER.”
our travels. Small towns across America abandoned as their young men leave for the big cities. Older agricultural towns decimated as the new generation is not interested in farmwork. But something else is happening. After all, the universe does a vacuum abhor. In the distance now, I see a sign that advertises a Panadería y Carnicería. I signal Valdo to follow me and we pull into the parking lot of an old storefront. We walk in to find a short gentleman from Guatemala tending the bakery and taqueria. He is the baker, the cook, the waiter, the hostess and the owner all rolled into one. We are his first customers this morning. He is warm and welcoming. After some discussion, we settle Continued from page 4 on two blood-red Menudos and goat tacos. Not long after we sit down, we are joined by a man in a cowboy hat who says he is from Chihuahua, Mexico. His name is Astulfo, Astulfo Rojo, which is another word for “Colorado” or “red.” He says he’s been working here for 22 years, says there are a lot of Paisanos who work in the pig farms and butcheries, says there are a lot of folks here from Guatemala and from Mexico. And Cubans, tending, picking crops, butchering. Feeding America. Recruited here by industries large
TANKSIDE.COM
and small that depend on our cheap labor for their profit. But America is uncomfortable with our presence. We witnessed this earlier at a gas station in Friendly, Nebraska—which is not really friendly… to Mexicans. We were filling our bikes when two different trucks driven by Mexican laborers stopped to buy gas. You see, Friendly had a hailstorm recently, which damaged roofs. Roofs that now needed replacing. White-owned roofing companies have moved in quickly to capitalize on the insurance monies and on the profit to be made by choosing to hire cheap Mexican labor to do the work. That is not to say that they bill the insurance companies Mexican wages. Instead, they bill full wages and pocket the difference. And so here they are. Here we are. To put a roof over America’s house. But America does not wish to see us, so long as we do the work quietly and then “go back to wherever we came from.” We saw evidence of this as one of the dark-skinned Mexican laborers gave the teller a $100 bill to pay for his gas. She took the bill reluctantly, eyed it with obvious suspicion. A kind of disgust settled in her eyes and she turned to the worker and admonished him, saying she didn’t normally take $100s, accused him of cleaning her out. At other towns we saw the same pattern repeat itself over and over again. Mexican construction workers rebuilding the very roads we, all of us, ride every day. Farmworkers numbering in the millions tucked away discreetly from America’s uneasy sight. Picking crops, breaking their backs, losing limbs, ingesting cancer-causing pesticides to keep America profitable and fed. This is America. But as we travel her breadth, she is changing. These empty towns are being revitalized by New Americans. With restaurants in old, abandoned storefronts. By paying business taxes, buying secondhand cars, by shopping at Walmarts. New Americans who come here unafraid of work, who embrace farmwork and are not afraid to butcher to keep America fed. And so here we are. Nowhere and everywhere. We, the New Americans.
May 2015 | 5
THE GARAGE
YOUR SEASONAL MAINTENANCE REMINDER By Tankside staff
If you weren’t at the First Fifteen 2015 Season Opener held at Kelly’s Olympian in Downtown Portland, or some of the other season openers held recently around Oregon and Washington, you may have not taken the appropriate time to do the following four things to prep yourself and your bike for the riding season. Here’s a handy rundown in reminder. Fuel System – Make sure you take the time to look everything over. You want to explore every inch, examine the fuel tank, fuel lines and fittings. Look for cracks and leaks, but hopefully you did not do any damage last season. If you’re a responsible biker, you used fuel stabilizer, so your fuel should be in good shape. Oil – If you changed your engine oil before storage, you’ll still want to check the oil level before riding. Many motorcycle manufacturers recommend that you change the engine oil and filter before storage and again in the spring. During storage, the oil might separate, causing a condensation buildup that can harm your engine, and you to miss out on a lot of riding—because, as we know, scheduling time to get our bikes in the shop can be cumbersome when it’s sunny! Fluids – Don’t be cheap here! Replace anything that looks suspicious, or has obvious cracks. Tighten anything that is loose, and please top off all fluids with a brand new bottle (meaning with an unbroken seal) of product. You don’t want to risk the integrity of the product being compromised by sitting in your hot, then cold, possibly wet garage for a year. Also, this should go without saying, but flush and replace the old antifreeze with a proper coolant, and be responsible when dumping old fluids— we want to save this planet so our kids can enjoy the ride. Battery – As I write this, I am already praying that everyone either has their bike on a tender or their battery on a smart charger; I loathe the phone call at 7 a.m. on a perfectly clear, 67-degree day that says, “I have a dead battery.” Be good to your bike, and to your friends who have waited all winter to ride with you—get a battery tender or smart charger! Thank you in advance.
Your LOCAL full-service marketing agency that will connect you with the diverse populations of Oregon and SW Washington
AD/FILLER
WWW.SUPUBLICO.COM 6 | May 2015
TANKSIDE.COM
PEOPLE
“RIDING LITERALLY SAVED MY LIFE.”
A GROOVY RIDE WITH LADY FRED: LET’S RIDE! “I’m happiest when my legs are around you.” The “you” I am referring to is my 2005 HD Softail Heritage Classic, who I lovingly call Lobo. My name is Lady Fred and the only thing I don’t like about riding is that I have to stop for gas; I just want to ride and never stop. I am a proud American, single, peace-loving, hippie-hugging, picture-taking, God- and nature-loving, art-enthusiastic Biker Chick. I find beauty in so many things. I believe in giving back and paying it forward, and if we all would just take some time to help one person, what a wonderful world we would have. Riding literally saved my life. I had a bike wreck in 2001, when a vehicle pulled out in front of me. I wasn’t able to ride for two years. Those were very dark days, but once I was back in the saddle, I became alive again. It’s where I find my peace, my Zen, I’m complete. I love the feel of the wind on my skin, the smells, the views, the cool places to see, groovy places to eat, the wonderful people I meet along the way. I love it all! When I was younger, I would “sneak out” to thumb rides because my friends and my family would harp on me about the “type of girl” who rides a bike. I kept my riding gear in the trunk of my car. I would follow a biker till they stopped and ask for a ride. I would literally get sick to my stomach if there was a sunny day during which I wasn’t able to ride. When I bought my first bike in 1994, it was rare to see a woman riding her own. A whole new world opened up for me. In 1999 I started the first allwomen motorcycle ride in my area, the Chick Mystery Run. I wanted to meet other women to ride with, show society that the image of riding was changing, and raise money for women’s causes. There were only 24 Chicks on the ride. Friends have the ride now and call it the Chick Run Association. In 2009 I traveled America and lived on the road for eight months, pulling my life behind me in my toolbox trailer, Wyatt. I’ve lived on the road many times since and love it. I am a very strong patriot and love my country and visit many veterans memorials along the way. It’s my way of saying “thank
WHAT TANKSIDE READERS ARE SAYING ON SOCIAL MEDIA THIS MONTH: In response to a Facepost link to Oregon Live’s April 23 story, “Motorcycle lane-splitting coming to Oregon? Senate passes bill allowing it on highways.” Turn to p. 12 for our story.
Lady Fred is a member of the Motor Maids and many other women’s organizations/RG/Clubs. She is an A.B.A.T.E. member for 20 years, HOG/LOH, Patriot Guard Riders and American Legion Axillary. You can find her at facebook.com/ LadyFredBikerChick.
THE POST
“No way! I don’t care how legal it is, it would take very special circumstances before I would do it….” – Leilani Finley Wildman “I feel pretty comfortable with the soon-to-be law. The lane-splitting is done under 20 mph. I would be more concerned with safety if we were talking freeway speeds. It currently takes me up to an hour to commute 15 miles in rush hour traffic. This law would reduce the amount of time I am sitting on the roads. I appreciate that.” – Cassie Moore TANKSIDE.COM
you” and letting them know they are not forgotten. I fell in love with Route 66! I understand why they call it the “Mother Road”—she literally has a heartbeat for me. I love all the different terrains she offers and all the groovy sights to see along the way. I started Michigan Motorcycle Tours in 2012 and recently just launched my clothing and merchandise line, Lady Fred Biker Chicks. On Saturday, June 27, I have an event, “Lady Fred’s Biker Chicks for Peace.” The event is the first and largest motorcycle peace sign. It will be made up entirely of women in the U.S.A. Those who ride their own will make up the peace symbol. Those who ride on the back will physically spell the word “Peace” and hold the banner. We are trying for a Guinness World Record; exciting times! As you can see, riding is my life and I look forward to having you along for a groovy ride.
In response to Facebook post “What’s the saying? ‘Ain’t nuthin’ but a number...’” on a Milwaukee-Journal-Sentinel article about how “Older riders rev up motorcycle sales.” “I’m 55 and I’m adding more horsepower and handling to my Buell every paycheck. I guess the younger side of motorcycling is 65 y-o and younger now?” – Paul Turner
In response to a Facebook link to Fast Company Design’s post, “Honda Unveils a Motorcycle for People Who Don’t Ride Motorcycles.” “Whatever gets the butts in the seats.” – Steven Glickman “As a former scooter rider, I would buy this!” – Troy Crossman May 2015 | 7
earth, wind & tire
THE KLICKITAT By Mary Smith Engstrom
So many times I hear people say, “It’s not about the destination, but the journey.” Today the weather is unseasonably warm and thus drawing us closer to the thought of riding “The Klickitat.” With temperatures likely to rise to the upper 60s and possibly low 70s, it’s a no-brainer. Like many of you, we have ridden this route several times and actually look forward to a repeat more than once or twice a year. For those of you who have not yet set out for this route, I highly recommend it at least once. Starting at the junction of I-205 and Highway 14 and back, you will complete a 230 mile loop sans any side roads the area has to offer. Historically, we have only done the most commonly traveled path to Lyle, Klickitat, Glenwood, Stevenson and back to the starting point, with the commonly frequented lunch stop at the cafe in Glenwood. Don’t worry about services if you have a smaller tank. You have many opportunities for gas along Highway 14, and Klickitat, Glenwood, Trout Lake and BZ Corner all have pumps that include premium fuel.
The Road Traveled:
To view map go to Tankside.com & download into your navigation system.
DRIVING DIRECTIONS By Dave Engstrom, Tankside Road Captain
VANCOUVER, WASH. 1. Start out going south on Main St. toward W. 12th St. (go 0.37 miles) 2. Turn right onto W. 6th St. W. 6th St. is just past W. 7th St. Top Shelf is on the right. If you reach W. 5th St., you‘ve gone a little too far. (go 0.05 miles) 3. Take the first left onto Washington St. Timed turn restriction: Everyday 7-9 a.m. 8 | May 2015
Rolling into Glenwood, we are disappointed to find the cafe closed! Rumor on the street is that a logging company purchased the cafe, convenience store and gas station just for the gas pumps. Luckily Glenwood has a general store in the event you need water or a snack, and the pumps are still in service. A local resident happens to be parked in front of the cafe and naturally strikes up a conversation with us. The usual small talk ensues, leading to information about activities in the area. Activities? You mean there is more to do in Glenwood than ride? He offers to be our personal tour guide and leads us back a few miles east of town where, lo and behold, a beautiful waterfall flows along the Outlet Creek in a deep canyon with a 69-foot drop. Unless you know to look for it, you would never find it. There isn’t a single marker or sign indicating a reason to stop and take the 100-feet hike to the edge of the cliff to experience this spectacular sight. Kayakers are known to take the 69-foot plunge down Outlet Falls right about this time of year. This is well worth the detour and will now become a routine on this ride. To switch it up a little this time, we decide to go straight to Trout Lake instead of the route we usually take. A well-maintained paved road leads you to Trout Lake, where you can grab a burger, which the locals say is the best you’ll ever eat. From here to the Columbia River, you will have the opportunity to stop for a white water rafting trip or continue on the trail as planned back to Highway 14. Plenty of photo opportunities present themselves, so take your camera, take your time and enjoy the sights. This is a bittersweet ride, the first ride a dear friend took us on, and today it is the first long ride we have taken since he passed away in January. So, I guess it all depends on how you look at it—sometimes you have to have a destination to make the journey.
From: Vancouver, Wash. To: North Bonneville, Wash. To: Stevenson, Wash. To: Lyle, Wash.
To: Klickitat, Wash. To: Glenwood, Wash. To: Trout Lake, Wash. To: White Salmon, Wash.
If you reach Columbia St., you‘ve gone a little too far. (go 0.06 miles) 4. Merge onto WA-14 E. via the ramp on the left. (go 37.41 miles) 5. Turn right onto Bonneville Drive. Bonneville Dr. is 0.5 miles past Grenia Road. If you reach Dam Access Road, you‘ve gone about 0.9 miles too far. (go 0.05 miles) 6. Turn left onto Cascade Drive. NORTH BONNEVILLE CHEVRON is on the corner. (go 0 miles) 7. Welcome to NORTH BONNEVILLE, Wash. If you reach Yehuh, you‘ve gone about 0.1 miles too far. (go 0 miles) ESTIMATED TIME: 44 minutes DISTANCE: 37.95 miles TANKSIDE.COM
earth, wind & tire NORTH BONNEVILLE, WASH.
KLICKITAT, WASH.
1. Start out going east on Cascade Drive. toward Bonneville Dr. (go 0.01 miles) 2. Take the first left onto Bonneville Drive. If you reach Yehuh, you‘ve gone about 0.1 miles too far. (go 0.05 miles) 3. Take the first right onto State Road 14/WA-14. Continue to follow WA-14. If you are on State Road 14 and reach Grenia Road, you‘ve gone about 0.5 miles too far.(go 6.85 miles) 4. Welcome to STEVENSON, Wash. Your destination is just past Seymour St. If you reach Leavens St., you‘ve gone a little too far. (go 0 miles)
1. Start out going northeast on N. Main St./WA-1 42 toward J Neils Road. Continue to follow WA-142. (go 10.43 miles) 2. Turn left onto Glenwood Hwy. Gl e n w o o d H w y . i s 0 . 2 m i l e s p a s t S u n s h i n e L a ne. If you reach Pine Valley Road, you‘ve gone about 0.3 miles too far. (go 9.89 miles) 3. Glenwood Hwy. becomes Glenwood-Goldendale Road. (go 0.17 miles) 4. Glenwood-Goldendale Road becomes Glenwood Hwy. (go 0.28 miles) 5. Glenwood Hwy. becomes Glenwood-Goldendale Road. (go 4.79 miles) 6. Glenwood-Goldendale Road becomes Glenwood Hwy. (go 8.58 miles) 7. Glenwood Hwy. becomes E. Main St. (go 0.4 miles) 8. Turn right onto Court St. Court St. is just past Division St. If you reach S. Bunnell St., you‘ve gone a little too far. (go 0.03 miles) 9. Welcome to GLENWOOD, Wash. If you reach N. 1st St., you‘ve gone a little too far. (go 0 miles)
ESTIMATED TIME: 8 minutes DISTANCE: 6.91 miles
STEVENSON, WASH. 1. Start out going northeast on SW 2nd St./WA-14 toward Leavens St. Continue to follow WA-14. (go 31.96 miles) 2. Welcome to LYLE, Wash. Your destination is just past 5th St. If you reach 7th St., you‘ve gone a little too far. (go 0 miles) ESTIMATED TIME: 37 minutes DISTANCE: 31.96 miles
LYLE, WASH. 1. Start out going northwest on State St./WA-14 toward 5th St. (go 0.36 miles) 2. Turn right onto Highway 142/WA-142. Continue to follow WA-142. WA-142 is 0.1 miles past Tacoma Ave. If you are on Highway 14 and reach Old Hwy. 8, you‘ve gone about 0.1 miles too far. (go 13.18 miles) 3. Welcome to KLICKITAT, Wash. Your destination is just past 2nd St. If you are on WA-142 and reach J Neils Road, you‘ve gone about 0.1 miles too far. (go 0 miles)
ESTIMATED TIME: 19 minutes DISTANCE: 13.53 miles
ESTIMATED TIME: 48 minutes DISTANCE: 34.56 miles
GLENWOOD, WASH. 1. Start out going south on Court St. toward E. Main St. (go 0.03 miles) 2. Take the first right onto E. Main St. If you are on S. Court St. and reach S. 1st St., you‘ve gone a little too far. (go 0.38 miles) 3. Turn slight left onto Trout Lake Hwy. Trout Lake Hwy. is 0.2 miles past S. Ash St. (go 10.28 miles) 4. Trout Lake Hwy. becomes Trout Lake Glenwood Road. (go 1.3 miles) 5. Turn left onto Latimer Road. If you reach River Road, you‘ve gone about 0.5 miles too far. (go 0.12 miles) 6. Latimer Road becomes Sunnyside Road. (go 1.13 miles) 7. Turn right to stay on Sunnyside Road. If you are on Stoller Road and reach Rocky Road, you‘ve gone about 0.4 miles too far. (go 0.25 miles)
8. Stay straight to go onto Warner Road. (go 0.8 miles) 9. Turn right onto Hwy. 141/WA-141. (go 2.82 miles) 10. Welcome to TROUT LAKE, Wash. Your destination is just past Little Mountain Road. If you reach Jennings Road, you‘ve gone about 0.1 miles too far. (go 0 miles) ESTIMATED TIME: 22 minutes DISTANCE: 17.1 miles
TROUT L AKE, WASH. 1. Start out going southeast on Highway 141/WA-141 toward Little Mountain Road. Continue to follow WA-141. (go 20.62 miles) 2. Turn left onto W. Jewett Blvd./WA-141. W. Jewett Blvd. is just past SW Peck Road. If you reach the end of SW Winebarger Road, you‘ve gone about 0.1 miles too far. (go 0.18 miles) 3. Take the second right to stay on W. Jewett Blvd./WA-141. W. Jewett Blvd. is 0.1 miles past Panorama Point Road. If you reach the end of NW Shadow Lane, you‘ve gone a little too far. (go 1.39 miles) 4. Welcome to WHITE SALMON, Wash. Your destination is just past SW Riverwatch Drive. If you are on E. Jewett Blvd. and reach NE Church St., you‘ve gone a little too far. (go 0 miles) ESTIMATED TIME: 29 minutes DISTANCE: 22.19 miles
White Salmon, Wash. TOTAL ESTIMATED TIME: 3 hours, 30 minutes DISTANCE: 164.21 miles
THE KLICKITAT TANKSIDE.COM
May 2015 | 9
calendar of events
MAY 16-17
RALLY AT THE BORDER BLUES FEST
OREGON & WASHINGTON BIKER EVENTS IN MAY-JUNE
At: 8 Deep Bay Road, Oroville, WA Bikes, blues and back roads! Everyone is welcome. Check out the website for complete details about the event. For more information: (509) 485-2272, (509) 476-2266, or (509) 485-2075 Online: orovillewashington.com/resources/rally/ rally.htm
SECOND ANNUAL ROSEBUD RUN
THE 100-MILE CHILD ABUSE AWARENESS RIDE
At: Lawless Harley-Davidson, 3715 E. Valley Road, Renton, WA Registration: $10 per hand, no limit on how many you can purchase. Proceeds benefit the NW Multiple Sclerosis Society. There will be both highhand
Starts at: Jack’s Motorsports Services, 1220 S. Columbia St, Wenatchee, WA Ends at: The Rock Bar & Grill, 118 Rock Island Drive, Rock Island, WA Registration: $15 per rider donation $5 per passenger donation 50/50 & basket raffles! Registration: 10:30 a.m. Kickstands up: noon For more information: (509) 679-6277
At: Beaverton Motorcycles, 10380 SW Cascade Ave., Tigard, OR This event will be run in conjunction with the Oregon 500 and is designed for riders who prefer shorter distance rides. The ride is approximately 100 miles in length. For more information: (503) 351-1650 Online: rose-city-mc.org/RCPages/RCMCEvents. html#RCMCEvent_Rosebud
MAY 9
42ND ANNUAL ROSE CITY OREGON 500 At: Beaverton Motorcycles, 10380 SW Cascade Ave., Tigard, OR The Rose City Oregon “500” is a tour rally for motorcycles of approximately 500 miles in length. The “500” is a great way to spend your day in a long tour through beautiful Oregon. Sign-in: 4:30-7:30 a.m.; Bikes out: 5-8 a.m. For more information: (503) 351-1650 Online: rose-city-mc.org/RCPages/main.html
At the gate: Members $35, Non-members $40 Day passes: Members $15, Non-members $20 Vendors, bike rodeo, tattoo contest, bike show, scavenger hunt, poker run, live music and much more! For more information: (503)-791-2862 Online: fossilcampout.com
OR.
MAY 22-25
38TH ANNUAL A.B.A.T.E. FOSSIL CAMPOUT At: Bear Hollow Campground 42853 Highway 19, Fossil, OR Advance tickets: Members $30, Non-members $35 10 | May 2015
MAY 16
MAY 16
SECOND ANNUAL SOBER RIDERS MC POKER RUN
MAY 9
and low-hand winners, along with a 50/50 raffle and auction. The ride will end at the CaveMan Kitchen Barbecue at approximately 3 p.m.; a $10 buffet will be available and the Linda Myers Band will play for your enjoyment. Registration: 9 a.m. Kickstands up: 11 a.m. For more information: (206) 650-9324 or (253) 632-5778
MAY 22-25
THE NMRM ASSOCIATION NATIONAL BLACK RIBBON RIDE FOR FALLEN MOTORCYCLE RIDERS TO THE NMRM MEMORIAL
At: Bear Hollow and Wayside Park in Fossil, OR The National Black Ribbon Ride is presented in cooperation with the Oregon State A.B.A.T.E./River City A.B.A.T.E. Chapter during the 2015 Fossil campout spring opener. The campout begins Friday, May 22 and we encourage bikers to show up and help create memories. On Sunday, May 24, the event will proceed to Shelton Wayside Park, where the NMRM National Memorial is located. There will also be a fundraiser auction to help support the memorial.
For more information: (509) 797-5195 Online: nmrmmemberloge.com
JUNE 6-7
27TH ANNUAL WEST
Starts at: Beaverton Motorcyc Tigard, OR Ends at: Beaverton Elks Lo Beaverton, OR The Western States 1000 i weekend in June. In an effort to sustain and perpe and popular event, Rose City pleased to announce that the 1000 will continue. This true 1 TANKSIDE.COM
calendar of events
MAY 17
SKY VALLEY ANTIQUE MC SHOW At: First Street, Historic Downtown Snohomish, WA Live music, vendors and tons of fun! Registration: 9 a.m.-noon For more information: (360) 568-7820 Online: skyvalleybikeshow.com
JUNE 15-21
MARYMOUNT MOTORCYCLE WEEK At: Marymount Event Center, 325 152nd St. E., Tacoma, WA Marymount Motorcycle Week features an indoor display of more than 200 vintage and specialty motorcycles, an American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association-sanctioned vintage trials course on Saturday, June 20, a special display from the Pacific Northwest Museum of Motorcycling, a motorcycle soccer exhibition, a stunt and drill team performance by the Seattle Cossacks (including their rarely seen board crash), and an outdoor cruise-in that Father’s Day weekend. The heavy hitter all-stars of motorcycle history like BMW, BSA, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Triumph, Yamaha and more will be highlighted during this special week, which attracts thousands of automotive and motorcycle enthusiasts. Show your dad some love for
Father’s Day and treat him to a fun day out to see some of his favorite rides. For more information: (253) 272-2336 Online: lemaymarymount.org/marymountmotorcycle-week
JUNE 18-21
A.B.A.T.E. OF WASHINGTON SPRING OPENER At: Silver Ridge Ranch, 182 Silver Ranch Road, Easton, WA Four live bands, bike games, a bike show, poker run, bikini bike wash, tattoo contest vendors, camping, food and more, 21 and over only, no pets, BYOB. Campsite included with ticket, RV hookup spaces are an extra charge, clean showers and bath rooms, firewood and ice on site. RV parking with hookups available. Advance Tickets: Members $35, Non-members $50 At the gate: $5 extra For more information: (253) 678-1713 Online: abate-wa.org/Events/SpringOpener.aspx
WA.
JUNE 25-28
FIFTH ANNUAL TOURATECH RALLY The FifthAnnualTouratech Rally in Plain,Wash.takes place in
TERN STATES 1000
cles, 10380 SW Cascade Ave.,
odge, 3500 SW 104th Ave.,
is always held the first full
etuate this traditional, longtime y Motorcycle Club (RCMC) is TOURCADE’s Western States 1,000 mile, 2-day motorcycle TANKSIDE.COM
conjunction with the Overland Rally. It doesn’t matter what you ride (as long as it’s “streetlegal”), or what your experience is—the Touratech Rally has something for you. This year’s rally will include camping, classes, GPS tracks, guided rides and entertaining guest speakers. Don’t miss your chance to ride some of the best off-road routes in the Pacific Northwest, as well as attend a handful of free clinics and classes including Motorcycle Camping 101, Adventure Bike Suspension, Ergonomics and Bike Setup, and Motorcycle Tire Repair. Puget Sound Safety will be on-site offering two different off-road skills development training courses for an additional fee. Come join the Touratech crew for a weekend of riding in the mountains and good times around the campfire. And back by popular demand, on Friday and Saturday there will be a women’s-only ride complete with a post-ride “wine and chat,” a discussion of all things riding. Admission includes camping and classes, as well as access to the Overland Rally. Food and drinks are not included. There is, however, a gas station, small store and restaurant nearby. There will also be a food vendor or two on-site. On-site check-in: Thurs., June 25 at noon Rides start: 9 a.m. Fri., June 26 and Sat., June 27 Classes and seminars: in the afternoon Event wrap-up: Sun. morning, June 28, with attendees to depart by noon Check out the video at: youtube.com/channel/ UCfsFe3_oQMzmrEecXVBdXIA
t o ur of the Pacific Northwest is hosted by the RCMC Board of Directors. Under the terms of our lease contract, the Western States 1000 will be the only event hosted by RCMC in which RCMC members will be eligible to register and compete for awards and prizes of the day as paid entrants (as they have always done in the past). The event format is unchanged. As in the past, a different route is selected each year, with a different halfway point. If you really like those long miles, come along and enjoy the tour. For more information: (503) 351-1650 Online: rose-city-mc.org/RCEventfliers/WS1K.html
Submit your calendar event to info@tankside.com.
JUNE 13
SPIT SHINE RIDE-IN BIKE SHOW
At: D&S HarleyDavidson, 3846 S. Pacific Highway, Medford, OR There will be live music, a barbecue, 50/50 raffle, prize wheel and, of course, a great bike show! We hope to see you there. For more information: (541) 535-5515 May 2015 | 11
news
SPLIT DECISION
Oregon Senate passes bill allowing motorcycles to pass between vehicles during traffic jams
By Tankside staff
As the inaugural edition of Tankside went to press, the Oregon State Senate on Thursday, April 23 backed a proposal that would allow motorcycles to pass between cars or trucks during highway traffic jams. Proponents of the measure, which would permit lane-sharing or “lane-splitting” under prescribed conditions, cite both positive environmental effects and relief of traffic congestion that would benefit both motorcyclists and other drivers on the road. Under the law, motorcyclists would be permitted to drive between traffic-jammed cars traveling less than 10 mph on highways with speed limits of 50 mph or more. A critical stipulation, however, is that riders are prohibited from going faster than 20 mph. Senate Bill 694 comes in response to a steady increase in motorcycle registrations in Oregon, and traffic congestion, especially in metro areas like Multnomah County. It also comes on the heels of a jump in motorcycle fatalities statewide—after years of decline, fatalities jumped more than 34 percent to 45 in 2014. Critics of the measure claim that lane-splitting amounts to what is essentially cutting in line and have questioned the safety of the practice. The Governors Highway Safety Association is among the skeptical parties. Still, motorcycle groups have lobbied heavily in favor of the bill, insisting it is safer for cyclists
12 | May 2015
to drive around and between vehicles than it is to risk being hit from behind in stopand-go rush hour traffic. A study commissioned by the California Highway Patrol and Office of Traffic Safety found that lane-splitting adds no inherent danger to motorcycling in general. Supporters of the measure reference a 2012 study showing that if just 10 percent of drivers were to switch to motorcycles and filter through traffic, commute times for the remaining vehicle drivers would decrease by 40 percent. Additionally, a 2010 Oregon Department of Transportation report found that lane-sharing could reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as congestion. According to an October 2014 post on Jalopnik, lane-splitting is more commonplace than ever before. Per the story, which referenced a California Office of Traffic Safety study: “Sixty-two percent of motorcyclists say they lane-split on both freeways and other roads, a 7.5-percentage-point increase over 2013. Seventy-five percent of riders between the ages of 18 and 24 report they lanesplit on all roads, including freeways.” Jalopnik’s report added that riders are splitting lanes at lower speeds now than they have in the past. The Senate’s 18-10 vote now sends the bill to the House—where it is expected to pass. Should it be signed into law by Gov. Kate Brown, Oregon would join California as a lane-splitting state. California’s law is more lenient; the state’s highway patrol recommends riders travel no faster than 10 mph than traffic and don’t filter when speeds hit 30 mph and over. The Washington State Senate is considering its own version of Oregon’s bill this spring, what would amend the traffic code to allow riders to lane-split if traffic is moving at 25 mph or less and only at a speed that is 10 mph faster than the flow of traffic. Visit tankside.com for updates on this developing story and to join the conversation.
WORD ON THE STREET “A 100-year old motorcycle once owned by Steve McQueen has sold for $775,000, making it one of the most valuable motorcycles ever. … The motorcycle, a Cyclone Board Track Racer, looks more like a bicycle with a motor added on than a traditional motorcycle. The model was made by the Joerns Motor Manufacturing Co. between 1913 and 1916. This motorcycle was auctioned off Saturday by Mecum Auctions in Las Vegas. Despite its modest appearance a motorcycle from this model was recorded going 111 mph in 1914, which was a record at that time. … The most expensive motorcycle ever sold at auction was the $1.35 million paid this past October for the chopper used in the film Easy Rider.” – Reported March 23 on CNN Money. “Police in Oregon are enlisting the help of the public to identify a mystery motorcyclist who saved the day after a man allegedly threatened two teens with a handgun. In a scene worthy of a Stan Lee comic, a man allegedly pulled a gun on two teenagers in Salem telling them, ‘get ready to die.’ Just then, a stranger on a green motorcycle swooped in and used his helmet to knock the gun out of the man’s hands, allowing the teens to escape. … The boys say they didn’t get a good look at the rider, but the Marion County Sheriff’s office is asking the public to help identify the friendly neighborhood motorcyclist. ” – Reported April 2 in the U.K.’s Daily Mail. “Born in 1913, St. George [Utah] resident Mary Walker recently celebrated her 102nd birthday in grand fashion: on the back of a motorcycle. The motorcycle ride was the first in Walker’s life, proving, as her family members said, that you are never too old to check something off your bucket list. … Friends and family had gathered to celebrate Walker’s life when family members suggested Walker go for her first ride on a motorcycle, Walker’s nephew by marriage and motorcycle driver Drew Cahoon said. … The duo rode around the town and, upon completing their ride, Walker said, she was asked by Cahoon if she wanted to go again. ‘I said, “That would be great,”’ Walker said.” – Reported April 3 in St. George News.
TANKSIDE.COM
the play list
• Hallelujah – K.D. Lang
THE PLAYLIST
• City of Angels – Red Hot Chili Peppers • Boom – P.O.D. • …And Justice for All – Metallica
If you’re anything like most of us, riding is your religion. And as with any religion, we need music! When we ride, we don’t measure time. Many of us measure how many miles we need to clear our head. And with that, our chosen unit of measure is music—how many songs it will take to get there. Here is a playlist put together by Charlie Guy that helped him though a breakup and all of the crazy stuff that comes with it.
• Hot For Teacher – Van Halen • Ladylike – Storm Large • Have A Cigar – Pink Floyd • Papa Was A Rolling Stone – The Temptations • Black Magic Woman – Santana • Lightness – Death Cab For Cutie
Send us your favorite playlist at info@tankside. com, and we may publish it and send some great prizes your way.
• Still Loving You - Scorpions • Pour Some Sugar on Me – Def Leppard • Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz
TANKSIDE.COM
May 2015 | 13
the long way home
“SUN DRENCHED” By Wolfgang von Hohenzollern
natural good looks. But I’m getting way ahead of myself again. Let’s get back to the ride route from Florence to Bend. The Bend sun finds a way through the curtains of my hotel room. It feels Having checked out of my Florence motel, all gearing up, I get on my Harley, like a laser on my face, waking me. Blinking and looking around, I try to get start it, and feel the rumble of the motor. It is always a thrill to mount my my bearings as to where I am. As I feel the soft, warm skin of a woman against motorcycle. I have done it hundreds, no, thousands of times but I never lose my thigh and her head against my arm, where I am and what I am doing all that loving feeling. I leave Florence at about 10 a.m. and take the 126 headcome flooding back to me ing east toward Eugene. This and bring a smile to my face. highway pretty much folYesterday I rolled into lows the Siuslaw River, and it Bend about 3:30 p.m. I is a gorgeous ride. The traffic went to my hotel first thing, was super light, as it was a unloaded my bike and weekday. The fresh clean air checked in. I had ridden smelled and felt good. Ineviin from Florence, where I tably we ask ourselves as we had stayed a few days. Florride, “Why does it feel like ence rocked. One of the cool pure freedom on a motorthings I did, while being a cycle?” This deep feeling is tourist in that coastal city, what creates an addiction was go on a dune buggy for us bikers. ride. I suggest putting that I have thought about it on your bucket list, if you’ve almost as often as I have never been. So much fun! gotten on my bike. This feelFlorence is a great town and ing of pure freedom comes has a fun biker bar in the from traveling ultra light, main part of town. But that’s only packing what I can a different story. Back to rollcarry on my bike; the knowing into Bend… ing that I can take any road The hotel clerk checked and go wherever I want, an “THERE IS A me in. Once in my room, I showered, cleaned myself up and adventure that is about to reveal itself; stopping wherever I BROTHER/ pulled out and unrolled my “dress” jeans and shirt—which want, feeling loose and not tied to a routine; melding my soul SISTERHOOD really means they are “clean,” since I don’t ride in them. No with the machine, leaning with my machine in the curves; dead bug body parts and road grime, allowing me to be preTHAT BECOMES and having nothing to worry about at that moment but my sentable. As I buttoned up my shirt, I thought, “I’ll walk the ride. You are saying, “But, Wolf, cagers can do that too.” Yes, VERY REAL THE but they cannot be “one with the machine” like bikers; they town a bit and look for a place to grab a drink and get some food in my belly before I get too ‘hangry.’” You know, that point cannot feel the wind hit their face and feel the temperature MOMENT YOU of being so hungry, your belly aches and your mood changes change nor can they smell the damp earth when riding near PUT ON YOUR from lovable to wanting to start a revolution if you don’t get a river or the pine smell from the tree pitch melting in the LEATHERS, fed soon. sun. Cagers can’t give their machine a handful of throttle Walking toward downtown, leaving the hotel behind, it’s and feel the immediate response of the motor thrilling their GLOVES, pretty noticeable just how Bend has changed and continues body when leaning through a curve. HELMET AND to do so. Rather quickly on my path, I came across Stihl WhisRiding is a thrill every moment, even when we just sit at key Bar. Stihl is also the name of a chainsaw company, and in MOUNT YOUR an outdoor café, drink our coffee and stare at the awesomemy head, chainsaw=good grub… or maybe I liked the name ness of our motorcycle. There is a brother/sisterhood that BIKE.” because of my almost hangry mood. In either case, I walked in becomes very real the moment you put on your leathers, and sat with a good view of the bar. After talking to the waiter gloves, helmet and mount your bike. Bikers signal each other about various new-to-me spirits, I asked for a Big Bottom Whiskey on ice, on the road when we pass one another. I have never seen cagers do that, have what turned out to be a great decision. Distilled in Hillsboro, the Big Bottom you? The knowing you are complete with you and your motorcycle—all you Whiskey tasted amazing—smooth, full-bodied and delicious. need at this moment is in your saddlebags or on your body—creates a unique As I settled in and had enjoyed some of the food Stihl offers, in walked a sense of contentment; the sense of adventure about to unfold, the trust and little over half a gaggle (Google it) of good-looking women. You know, Bend love we have for our machines, and being cut off from any responsibility at good-looking: sun-drenched bodies, sun-bleached hair, kind of bordering on that moment—nothing matters but the road, the scenery, and the throttle. a bit of hippie and a bit of backpacker, light on the makeup but heavy on the Experiencing these emotions all at once, every | SUN DRENCHED G oes to page 15
14 | May 2015
TANKSIDE.COM
the long way home
SUN DRENCHED
time I ride, is what gives me that intense feeling of pure freedom. Continued from page 14 As I continue on Highway 126 leaving Florence behind, I come up on the city of Mapleton and decide to take the longer route and head onto the 36 toward Deadwood. Deadwood has an actual commune called “Alpha Farm” that has been around since about 1971. But before you hit Deadwood, at the intersection of Highways 126 and 36, at Mapleton, one could stop at a small café called Alpha Bit, run by Alpha Farm, for some health food. Make note that I have not done that and probably never will—but for some reason it intrigues me to know it exists. I continue on 36, going right at Deadwood. You will ride through some awesome country, pass Little Elk Mountain, ride around Triangle Lake—simply a gorgeous and serene ride. At Cheshire, stay to the right to Highway 99 toward Junction City, then onto 99E toward Harrisburg. Stay on 99E and at Halsey look to go right on Highway 228 toward Brownsville. This is a great little town and worth a visit. Brownsville was where they filmed Stand By Me, a movie that impacted many of us, and the subject of a walking tour (historicbrownsville.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/StandbyMeWalkingTourmap.pdf ). Now I don’t know about you, but to discover the history of the people who have created towns all over America never ceases to fascinate me. Brownsville has three great museums and a terrific café. Living Rock Studios, right off the 228 on the right, has art made of rocks, gems and stones—hard to describe but a must-see. Be careful as the drive is not paved. Then go farther up Highway 228 and take a left on Main Street, and on the left you will see the Moyer House, with its fantastic architecture. The Moyer House has limited tour times, so make sure you check before riding all the way out there. A little farther up Main, crossing the river, I like to hit Randy’s Main Street Coffee. I have a sandwich, then grab a coffee and pastry and head around the corner to the Linn County Historical Museum. I highly recommend stopping; count on a few hours spent here. After I have my fill of history, I get on my bike and backtrack to Highway 228, taking a left toward Sweet Home. Plan on fueling here. From Highway 228, just as I am entering Sweet Home, I ride onto Main Street and get on the 20E and continue on, passing Foster Lake. I am now on Santiam Highway and will be so for about 95 miles— such a gorgeous ride. At the Santiam junction, stay to the right and just keep on riding toward Bend. I decide to roll right on through Sisters this time, eager to get to my hotel and start roaming around Bend. The town has grown so much and has a wide variety of drinking and eating establishments that have cropped up in the last few years. There’s also a plethora of great motorcycle rides that can start from here. Of course, a must-stop is Wildhorse Harley-Davidson. It is always a stunning ride to Bend, and the town always gives up a good time. Let me get back to the half gaggle of Bend babes walking into the Stihl TANKSIDE.COM
Whiskey Bar. It was still somewhat early, probably about 6 p.m., and the bar was just starting to fill up for dinner. As the girls enter the bar, we all make eye contact and I give a half-smile, making sure not to appear too interested. They smiled at me and I invited them to sit at my table. I offered to buy the first round of drinks. We started talking and laughing and food was ordered and beers were ordered. Life stories were exchanged. I told them I rode in from Florence and was on a short vacation making a big loop back to Portland. They told me they lived and worked in Bend. Lots of texting and Facebooking was happening; apparently they were hoping to hit a party somewhere. I connected with one girl and we started talking about riding. Emily was hot and her smile was genuine. Tilting her head to the side, touching her hair and appearing a bit shy, all signals told me she was into me. I decided to invite her back to the hotel for a swim. Emily gave a cute smile and giggled. I said, “Your friends can come too.” I had ordered some more chow for later and when it was ready, we all left and walked up to my hotel, a little farther away than I remembered. As we walked in the front door and through the lobby, I told the desk clerk, “I will get “INEVITABLY WE back to you later.” She just shook her head, looked down, and then smiled at ASK OURSELVES me, laughing. AS WE RIDE, At the hotel pool, we all stripped “WHY DOES IT down to our undies and jumped in. The warm water, the buzz from the whiskey, FEEL LIKE PURE and the girls—how could a red-blooded FREEDOM ON A straight male not be thanking Jesus at MOTORCYCLE?” that moment? A few moments in the THIS DEEP pool and I moved closer to Emily, began kissing her. Somewhere during the next FEELING OF 30 minutes or so, her friends got out of FREEDOM IS the water and told us they were going to WHAT CREATES the party. Emily and I made it up to my room. I would tell you more about the AN ADDICTION evening, but this is a family publication. FOR US BIKERS.” As I mentioned at the beginning of my story, the Bend sun breaking through the curtain wakes me up pretty early. I roll over and pull Emily close to me. Around noon I take her for a ride on my HD—like many of you, I keep an extra half-shell and goggles in my trunk—and we get some ice cream. I spend the rest of my vacation exploring Bend and enjoying Emily’s company. Like I told you, Bend always gives up a good time.
FLORENCE TO BEND, ORE. TOTAL ESTIMATED TIME: about 4 hours of riding DISTANCE: about 200 miles May 2015 | 15
feature
RIDE TO LIVE, RIDE FOR LIFE
Taking off
Cody’s hospital visit after tipping the bike on his foot at a gas station
By Christina Small
In the summer of 2008, I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia with Philadelphia chromosome at age 30. I had two kids, just 6 and 8 years old. Just 10 days before my diagnosis, I had participated in the San Diego Blood Bank’s 5K and was the most fit I have ever been in my life. Little did I realize how ironic this would play out in soon needing hundreds of blood product transfusions (including platelets) and having two double umbilical cord stem cell transplants—I am now a huge advocate for donating multiple blood products. I was told I had leukemia while alone in the emergency room, waiting for my husband and kids to join me after an ambulance ride to the hospital. I was immediately hospitalized for 25 days. Treatments of, to sift the abundance of white cells (238,000 at diagnosis when 4,000-11,000 is normal range), were done before chemotherapy could start. The following six months consisted of inpatient chemotherapy treatments every 3-4 weeks, with up to seven days in the hospital each round. All this, to prepare me for a bone marrow transplant. Treatments, lots of blood tests, chemotherapy, total body irradiation (TBI), medications, PICC lines, IVs, hospitals, hospital gowns, bone marrow biopsies, lumbar punctures, nausea, mouth sores, fatigue, blood infusions and many other gruesome things are things I will always cringe at the thought of. After two umbilical stem cell transplants, as they could not find a bone marrow donor match either time (January 2009 and April 2010), I was told in May 2013 I was “terminal.” There were no other therapies to go on. The doctor switched a medication I was taking to the strongest of its type at the time. Little did we realize it would throw me back in remission for another year. I lived all summer of 2013 like I was dying. San Diego Harley-Davidson sponsored my safety class and got me on my way to my new passion. What’s left to do but your “bucket list,” make memories with your kids, and show the world that we aren’t here forever? I have always loved life and will continue to enjoy every day I am blessed to have. My husband sneaked into his retirement fund and got out money to buy us two brand-new Harleys. I have a 2013 Dyna Fat Bob. I averaged about 1,000
16 | May 2015
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
miles a month on this machine in my spare time. I took my kids for rides and spent one-on-one time with them all over San Diego County. I spent a lot of time riding on my own as well, just trying to keep sane so I’m there for my family. I have crossed 16,000 miles in a year and a half. In early 2014, I felt a nudge inside to do something a little crazy. I guess it was inspired by my mother from when I was 12 years old. After a painful divorce, she took my younger brother and me on a road trip to Yellowstone National Park. This was the first time out of California and away from the cities for me. This trip taught me many life lessons and built family memories. It had a lot of hiccups but we got through it, and it gave me the confidence to go on an adventure of my own. The idea started out with the destination of Yellowstone National Park. I wanted to take my 12-year-old son with me as a passenger. As I looked at maps and spoke to fellow HOG members, I began plotting my route. I created a Facebook page so I could more easily document “Small Adventure 2014.” Lemons will always be handed to us in life, and it’s up to us to figure out how we want to respond. I happen to love lemonade and try to create as much of the sweet stuff as I can. I was thrown a lemon on Day 2, just through Zion National Park at an old, uneven gas station. I became off-balance and my bike went down on my son’s leg. I watched it in slow motion, each inch as it fell away from me. I don’t know where assistance came from, but lots of people came, helped pick up the bike, got the paramedics and, before we knew it, we were on the way to the local hospital for X-rays. At this point I thought my whole trip was over. My son, Cody, was diagnosed with a sprained ankle, given a brace, and I asked if he wanted to stop or continue. He wanted to continue. He was pretty sore and needed to baby it a bit, but he did it. We hit crazy rains, deer crossings, the cold of the Rockies, battled the heat of the Mohave, and even ran out of gas... Thank you, HOG roadside assistance, for bailing me out of that one. That is one of the things I would have changed: I would not have ridden the backroads in the desert. We needed more stops to cool down and rewet the cooling vests, and greater access to gasoline. I found the roads I chose to take were not set up with turnouts and, | RIDE TO LIVE, RIDE FOR LIFE Goes to page 17
TANKSIDE.COM
feature
Sturgis, South Dakota
RIDE TO LIVE, RIDE FOR LIFE
being all blacktop, the heat radiated even hotter than the reported 107 Continued from page 16 degree temperature. It was a semi-truck route. But, we did it! Routing the roads, I noted all the national parks we could go through and decided that was the way to go. Our trip consisted of Zion, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Badland, Wind Cave, Rocky Mountain, Black Canyon of Gunnison and Mesa Verde. Other places we rode to were Sturgis (before the rally), Custer State Park, Black Hills, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, U.S. Route 550 (Million Dollar Highway) and several Harley-Davidson dealerships to get our poker chips and some T-shirts for our collection. I have since relapsed, what is being controlled by steroids to keep the leukemia cells down. I am preparing to participate in a clinical
FOLLOW TANKSIDE
facebook.com/tankside twitter.com/tanksideusa instagram.com/tanksideusa
trial at City of Hope in Duarte, California. We are waiting for the doctor to receive FDA permission to move forward. The trial consists of a collection of white cells. They take and “educate” them in a lab using a deactivated part of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. I have been told this will cause a false-positive HIV test. I currently have pink hair, and will lose it after my chemotherapy dose. I have grown out my hair for five years, so it will be challenging for me to experience this again. People know that, being bald, I’m fighting something. There are days I don’t want to fight anything and don’t want to be reminded of it. Balancing your mind, body and spirit is so important. Finding healthy outlets for you and your family will draw you closer together. I’m not the typical eye-candy motorcycle rider, but rather a stayat-home, fairly conservative mama with a crazy passion that is holding me together. Motorcycling offers so much for my family. With riding, you have to trust the people around you. I want my kids to learn to trust me, not only as they ride as a passenger, but trust and value the honesty when I tell them things in life. Another crucial lesson is communication. We are in close quarters, and we are learning to communicate in riding together. Another big one is respect. Not everyone rides and can tolerate the same level of riding. We must be sensitive and respect one another. These skills will carry over in all aspects of their lives—that is my hope for my kids, friends and family. Motorcycling is also a way to meet some awesome people in this crazy world, in the Big Picture we call this “life.” Shouldn’t people and relationships be the most important things we treasure? Our times together, faith, friends, family… and my bike, Mr. Fat Bob! Get out there and make memories, relationships, and live!
“TO CARS & TRUCKS YOU ARE THE BUG.” -Ride aware-
Mount Rushmore
Yellowstone National Park
Strung Out on Beads & Coffee Pam Mistretta 1343 NW 13th St. LINCOLN CITY, OR. 97367
541-994-3152 Look, Signal, Maneuver
StrungOutOnBeadsNCoffee.com www.etsy.com/shop/beachgirl27
TANKSIDE.COM
May 2015 | 17
Rallying Cry
HIGHWAY TO HELLS CANYON Now in its 16th year, the beloved motorcycle rally continues to grow By Wolfgang von Hohenzollern
Your Own Towel). In the morning, coffee is served by the students, and the BBQ gets fired up in the afternoon. The biggest and baddest annual motorcycle rally in Oregon was actually Let’s talk about registering for a moment. Your registration provides you started back in June of 2000, by Steve Folkestad. Folkestad didn’t intend to an amazing rider packet. For just $50, the packet comes with a 2015 Ride Like start a rally. But because he had already prepaid three hotel rooms at the beau- A Devil T-shirt, plus a Rally Tour Book with maps and schedule, collector’s tiful Geiser Grand Hotel in Baker City that were to expire at the end of June and poster, Hells Canyon Motorcycle Rally 2015 vest pin, dog tags, entrance to didn’t want to lose his money, Folkestad asked his riding friends to join him the HCMR Poker Run, wristband for the unlimited shuttle bus that will take in exploring Hells Canyon by motorcycle. Eleven of his friends on nine bikes you to the city center where all the parties are, HCMR motorcycle show entry, took him up on the invite. By the end and the opportunity to earn all those of the weekend, Folkestad and his buds ride pins. Your $50 registration is also had fallen in love with Hells Canyon the sole support the HCMR receives to and agreed to come back the followprovide this event annually. Support ing year for more riding. This group of the rally—please register and have your friends grew to about 15, meeting up riding buddies do the same. With your every summer in Baker City for good support, Hells Canyon Motorcycle Rally times and awesome riding. In 2005, will provide a top-shelf event for many Folkestad decided to share the expeyears to come. rience with other riders, knowing it Given all of this excitement about had the potential to be a huge event. riding, it is easy to overlook preparing By early 2006, Folkestad had come up for the rally. HCMR can’t stress enough with the official name, “Hells Canyon to make sure you and your bike are Motorcycle Rally,” and began marketready for the event. First of all, make ing the rally in earnest. The effort paid off. By May 19, 2006, the Hells Canyon sure your machine is ready for the rides and the heat. When was the last fluid Motorcycle Rally (HCMR) had more than 4,000 motorcycles in attendance— swap on your bike? How are your tires? Signal lights and headlight? Now is and the event has grown ever since. the ideal time to prepare your machine. Do you know how far you can ride Hells Canyon, Baker and Union counties are home to more unforgetta- until you need to fuel? Have you thought about getting a 1-gallon gas can ble geography and prime motorcycle road than just about anywhere. Riders that can fit in your saddlebags? Also, maybe a tool kit and extra oil? Check have been coming for years, but there are still undiscovered your bike’s air pressure and oil every morning before you ride; motorcycle roads that become part of the rally in subseit’s cheap insurance. Once at the rally, find the HCMR Tour “IF YOU DON’T quent events. Folkestad works hard to find these undiscovBook in your registration packet; study the routes you will HAVE FUN AT ered sections of road so that they can be charted, named ride and the locations of the designated photo spot on the and have a vest pin designed for them. The first section route to earn your vest pins. Know where to fuel and where THE HELLS created is called “The Devil’s Tail.” This ride is 22 miles of to stop for lunch. Know the sites you want to stop at. Always CANYON peg-grinding fun between Oxbow and Hells Canyon Dam. keep safety at the top of the list. HCMR wants you to have a The route has become the signature ride of the rally and safe and fantastic time. MOTORCYCLE takes bikers into the deepest parts of Hells Canyon, in the With the exquisitely scenic rides that HCMR hosts each RALLY, GIVE UP!” shadows of the Wallowa Mountains on the Oregon side and year, it is obvious that the rally is truly about discovery. Dis– HCMR founder Steve Folkestad along the Seven Devils Mountains on the Idaho side. The cover the awesome geography right here in the Pacific Northviews on The Devil’s Tail ride are simply stunning. In fact, west on your motorcycle on great pavement with little-to-no the highest peak above the canyon is the mountain called “He Devil” at 9,393 traffic; discover new friends; discover new experiences that will make epic ft., what makes Hells Canyon deeper than the Grand Canyon. memories. What more could any motorcycle rider want? Now in its 16th outing, HCMR boasts 7 named roads, 5 major courses and Certainly the friendliness of the people of this Eastern Oregon paradise 5 scenic byways. For registered riders only, the rally presents a super cool lures riders back, too. Their hospitality has been proven year after year by photo scavenger hunt for its seven named roads. On each ride is a designated locals who open their homes to riders who can’t find a hotel. It is this warmth photo location. Simply take a selfie and present the photo upon return to and a sense of adventure, along with the many terrific things mentioned the HCMR Ride Center in Downtown Baker to receive the vest pin assigned above that prove the rally’s perennial draw—the chance to rendezvous with that ride. This is the only way to get these pins. The names of the roads keep longtime riding pals and the opportunity to make new friends and epic lifewith the Hells Canyon Motorcycle Rally theme for 2015, “Ride Like a Devil”: time memories, the fun times to be had in Baker and, of course, the gorgeous The Ogre, Tamarack Trail, The Little Dragon (188 curves in just 14 miles!), riding that only Hells Canyon Motorcycle Rally can provide. The Devil’s Tail, Road Rash Pass, Route 666 and Lucky Hwy. 7. The pins are As Steve Folkestad says, “If you don’t have fun at the Hells Canyon Motorsweet and you won’t want to leave the rally without them, so register by mail cycle Rally, give up!” (24672 Sumpter Stage Hwy., Baker City, OR, 97814) or online at hellscanyonTankside is the exclusive media sponsor of the Hells Canyon Motorcycle rally.com/registration. You will find regular and camper registration choices. Rally 2015, which runs July 9-13 in Historic Baker City. Regular registration Camping is a ton of fun. Bring your gear and find your place on the soft grass is $50 until July 3; a camping packet is $80. Call 503-770-0799 or visit hellsof the high school football fields. Hot showers are provided—BYOT (Bring canyonrally.com. Pick up the June edition of Tankside for more information. 18 | May 2015
TANKSIDE.COM
Business Profile
LOVE LEATHERS OUTPOST
Wendy Love, the owner and founder of Love Leathers Outpost in Battle Ground, Washington, has created a business that welcomes all riders and offers an extremely comfortable place to sit, relax, have a cookie and chat with all types of riders who instantly become your friends. More than 35 years ago, Love had a vision of establishing a leather store for bikers. She started selling at swap meets and biker meetups. Love’s location in Battle Ground is the best yet, easy to access and en route to many wonderful rides in Washington. Love Leathers Outpost has a goal of turning strangers into friends. From my own experience, Love achieves that goal every single day. I have had numerous patches sewn on my jackets and vests, I have purchased lots of leather goods there, and have eaten my share of cookies (please put a couple of bucks in the kitty to help defray the costs of the snacks). There is always an interesting rider to talk with, and Love’s staff is so friendly and helpful. If you are looking for a new leather jacket, vest, gloves, boots, or chaps, try Love Leathers first. Remember, you can always “put a patch on it” to reflect the make of motorcycle you ride. T-Bell is right there to sew on your own patch or a patch you buy at Love and can do alterations to customize or repair any leather product you have. Love Leathers Outpost has great events—from an Easter egg hunt to barbecues—throughout the year. And if you live far away from Love, you can always shop online. Sign up for their e-newsletter and keep informed. Once you visit Love Leathers Outpost, you will put it on your list of favorite rides and places to shop.
SOLD
by Realtor Gabriela
“HOME PRICES ARE UP! What is YOUR home worth? Text “kw2f3g82a” to 87778 for an evaluation of your house. I will get you more money, fast, and with less hassle!!
“Results that move you!”
--Gabriela Kandziora
21108 NE 72 Avenue Battle Ground, WA 98604 360-723-5424 www.LovesOutpost.com nd
RealtorGabriela.com • 503-481-9870 • Gabriela@KW.com
9755 SW Barnes Rd #560 Portland, OR 97225 Each office independently owned and operated
TANKSIDE.COM
May 2015 | 19
20 | May 2015
TANKSIDE.COM